First photo from ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ (Image Courtesy of Steffan Hill/HBO)
George R.R. Martin’s The Hedge Knight novella is the source material for HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms which has just begun filming in Belfast, Ireland. The new addition to the Game of Thrones franchise is written and executive produced by George R.R. Martin and Ira Parker.
HBO’s start of production announcement confirmed five actors have joined the fantasy series. Finn Bennett will play Aerion Targaryen, Bertie Carvel is Baelor Targaryen, Tanzyn Crawford is Tanselle, Daniel Ings plays Ser Lyonel Baratheon, and Sam Spruell is on board as Maekar Targaryen. They join previously announced stars Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell, who are set to play Dunk and Egg, respectively.
“A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros… a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg,” reads HBO’s synopsis. “Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.”
House of the Dragon‘s Ryan Condal is executive producing along with Vince Gerardis, Owen Harris, and Sarah Bradshaw. Sarah Adina Smith (Lessons In Chemistry) will direct three of the season’s six episodes. Harris directs the other three episodes.
Apple TV+’s trailer for Lady in the Lake opens with a voice-over by Emmy nominee Moses Ingram, revealing that while she was alive she was Cleo Johnson. “But in my death, I became the Lady in the Lake.” The nearly three-minute trailer shows Oscar winner Natalie Portman as the desperately unsatisfied woman who found Cleo’s body.
The limited series, based on Laura Lippman‘s bestseller, also stars Y’lan Noel, Brett Gelman, Byron Bowers, Noah Jupe, Josiah Cross, Mikey Madison, and Pruitt Taylor Vince.
“When the disappearance of a young girl grips the city of Baltimore on Thanksgiving 1966, the lives of two women converge on a fatal collision course. Maddie Schwartz (Portman), a Jewish housewife seeking to shed a secret past and reinvent herself as an investigative journalist, and Cleo Johnson (Ingram), a mother navigating the political underbelly of Black Baltimore while struggling to provide for her family,” reads Apple TV+’s synopsis. “Their disparate lives seem parallel at first, but when Maddie becomes fixated on Cleo’s mystifying death, a chasm opens that puts everyone around them in danger.”
Alma Har’el created the series and serves as director, executive producer, and writer. Natalie Portman, Christopher Leggett, Sophie Mas. Nathan Ross, and the late Jean-Marc Vallée also executive produce. Additional executive producers include Layne Eskridge, Amy Kaufman, Boaz Yakin, and author Lippmann. The series is produced by Crazyrose and Bad Wolf America.
Lady in the Lake premieres on July 19, 2024 with the release of the first two episodes. New episodes stream on Fridays.
Natalie Portman stars in ‘Lady in the Lake’ (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
‘Everybody Still Hates Chris’ voice cast (Photo Courtesy of Comedy Central)
Everybody Hates Chris has spawned an animated followup, with Comedy Central announcing details on the adult animated series Everybody Still Hates Chris. The new series features returning Everybody Hates Chris stars Chris Rock, Terry Crews, and Tichina Arnold. The original series ran for four seasons on UPN, and the animated version is targeting a premiere on Comedy Central later this year.
“I’m very excited to introduce the world to another funny side of my childhood,” said Chris Rock.
The half-hour animated comedy also features Tim Johnson Jr., Ozioma Akagha, Terrence Little Gardenhigh, and Gunnar Sizemore. Central Park‘s Sanjay Shah is the showrunner and executive produces along with Chris Rock of Chris Rock Enterprises, Ali LeRoi, and 3 Arts Entertainment’s Michael Rotenberg and Dave Becky. Additional executive producers include Titmouse’s Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, Antonio Canobbio and Ben Kalina.
“I wanted this job to get free tickets to a Chris Rock stand-up show, but we ended up making something we’re proud of that is true to the original series we all loved,” said Shah.
The animated series is produced by CBS’s Eye Animation Productions, Chris Rock Enterprises, and 3 Arts Entertainment. Titmouse is serving as the animation studio.
Comedy Central released the following description of the animated series:
Everybody Still Hates Chris will feature Chris Rock as Adult Chris, narrating stories inspired by his experience growing up as a skinny nerd in a large working-class family in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, during the late 1980s. Terry Crews will voice Julius, Chris’ father, who is a gentle giant with a relentless work ethic – and cheap. He grew up dirt poor, so he knows the cost of everything down to the penny. He works two jobs to support the family, and on his days off, he takes on a third job.
Tichina Arnold will voice Rochelle, Chris’ mother who is smart, strong-willed, and has a nurturing spirit, but she can also be hot-headed, especially when it comes to her kids. She tolerates zero nonsense, so she quits more jobs in a month than most people do in a lifetime. Tim Johnson Jr. will voice Young Chris, a nerd who wants to be cool but he’s outshined by his younger brother, tortured by his little sister, and foiled by his cheapskate dad. Ozioma Akagha will voice Tonya, Chris’ feisty baby sister, with the face of an angel and the heart of a demon, who gets along with her middle brother Drew but leaps at any chance to get Chris in trouble.
Terrence Little Gardenhigh will voice Drew, the golden child of the family who is the epitome of Black Excellence: handsome, athletic, a ladies man, taller and cooler than his older brother Chris. Gunnar Sizemore will voice Greg, Chris’s only friend at school who is girl-obsessed, status-conscious, and raised by a single dad.
Francis Ford Coppola’s self-financed epic Megalopolis will premiere in theaters and IMAX on September 27, 2024. Lionsgate Studios picked up the film for domestic distribution following its Cannes premiere where it split critics yet earned a seven-minute standing ovation.
“Francis is a legend. For many of us, his gifts to cinema were one of the inspirations to devote our own careers to film,” said Adam Fogelson, chair of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “It is a true privilege to work with him and to bring this incredible, audacious, and utterly unique movie to theatrical audiences. At Lionsgate, we strive to be a home for bold and daring artists, and Megalopolis proves there is no one more bold or daring than the maestro, Francis Ford Coppola.”
“One rule of business I’ve always followed and prioritized (to my benefit) is to continue working with companies and teams who over time have proven to be good friends as well as great collaborators,” said Coppola. “This is why I am thrilled to have Adam Fogelson and Lionsgate Studios release Megalopolis. I am confident they will apply the same tender love and care given to Apocalypse Now, which is currently in its 45th year of astounding revenue and appreciation.”
Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel in ‘Megalopolis’ (Photo Courtesy of Lionsgate)
The cast includes Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, and Laurence Fishburne. Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, James Remar, D.B. Sweeney, and Dustin Hoffman also star.
“Megalopolis is a Roman Epic fable set in an imagined Modern America. The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina, a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare,” reads Lionsgate’s synopsis. “Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero, the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.”
Francis Ford Coppola wrote, produced, and directed the film, with Fred Roos, Barry Hirsch, and Michael Bederman also producing. Anahid Nazarian, Barrie Osborne, and Darren Demetre serve as executive producers.
A pop star (played by Naomi Scott) is on the receiving end of incredibly creepy killer smiles in Paramount Pictures’ Smile 2 teaser trailer. Smile debuted in theaters on September 22, 2022, and Smile 2 will arrive just before Halloween on October 18, 2024.
The original film starred Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Robin Weigert, Caitlin Stasey, Kal Penn, and Rob Morgan. The sequel’s cast is led by Naomi Scott and includes Rosemarie DeWitt, Kyle Gallner, Lukas Gage, and Miles Gutierrez-Riley. Peter Jacobson, Raúl Castillo, Dylan Gelula, and Ray Nicholson also star.
“About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events,” reads Paramount’s synopsis. “Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.”
Smile‘s writer/director, Parker Finn, returns for the sequel. The original film’s producers – Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Isaac Klausner, and Robert Salerno – also return.
Poster for ‘Smile 2’ (Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures)
AMC’s Interview with the Vampire season two episode six found Molloy discovering more about the workings of the Talamasca and Claudia and Madeleine making an eternal connection. And then, everything blew up when Louis, Claudia, and Madeleine were forced to stand trial. Episode seven, “I Could Not Prevent It,” will focus on the trial when it airs on Sunday, June 23, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT.
The season two cast is led by Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lac, Eric Bogosian as Daniel Molloy, and Assad Zaman as Armand. Sam Reid stars as Lestat de Lioncourt, Ben Daniels is Santiago, and Delainey Hayles takes over the role of Claudia.
Assad Zaman as Armand in ‘Interview with the Vampire’ season 2 episode 6 (Photo Credit: Larry Horricks/AMC)
Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Plot, Courtesy of AMC:
The interview continues in season two. In the year 2022, the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Anderson) recounts his life story to journalist Daniel Molloy (Bogosian). Picking up from the bloody events in New Orleans in 1940 when Louis and teen fledgling Claudia (Hayles) conspired to kill the Vampire Lestat de Lioncourt (Reid), Louis tells of his adventures in Europe, a quest to discover Old World Vampires and the Theatre Des Vampires in Paris, with Claudia.
It is in Paris that Louis first meets the Vampire Armand (Zaman). Their courtship and love affair will prove to have devastating consequences both in the past and in the future, and Molloy will probe to get to the truths buried within the memories.
Jacob Anderson as Louis De Point Du Lac, Assad Zaman as Armand, and Eric Bogosian as Daniel Molloy in ‘Interview with the Vampire’ season 2 episode 7 (Photo Credit: Larry Horricks/AMC)Ben Daniels as Santiago in season 2 episode 7 (Photo Credit: Larry Horricks/AMC)Assad Zaman as Armand and Chris Geary as Sam in season 2 episode 7 (Photo Credit: Larry Horricks/AMC)Ben Daniels as Santiago and Jake Cecil as Gustave in season 2 episode 7 (Photo Credit: Larry Horricks/AMC)Assad Zaman as Armand in ‘Interview with the Vampire’ season 2 episode 7 (Photo Credit: Larry Horricks/AMC)Eric Bogosian as Daniel Molloy in season 2 episode 7 (Photo Credit: Larry Horricks/AMC)
Mia Goth in ‘MaXXXine’ (Photo Credit: Justin Lubin / A24)
Next month, July 5th to be exact, writer/director Ti West and writer/actress Mia Goth will unleash the final installment of their X trilogy, MaXXXine. So, let’s have a quick refresher of X and Pearl to get you ready.
Needless to say (but we’ll say it anyway), spoilers for X and Pearl will be all over the place here.
Shot in New Zealand in 2021, both films are products of COVID-era filmmaking. During production on X, the cast and crew found themselves quarantined in New Zealand. So, West and Goth made use of the time by writing the prequel Pearl to further explore the character. A24 greenlit the new project, and the movies were shot back-to-back, with both being released in 2022.
Mia Goth in ‘X’ (Photo Credit: A24)
Set in 1979, X is about a group of burgeoning adult filmmakers who rent a farm in Texas to shoot their debut pornographic masterpiece. Maxine Minx, played by Goth, is one of the would-be stars who will do anything to get famous. Once the owners of the farm, an elderly couple named Howard and Pearl, find out what the group is up to, they have mixed reactions; Howard is angry, while Pearl is intrigued. The unstable couple starts killing off the porn troupe, leaving Maxine as the lone Final Girl. As she escapes into the night, it is also revealed that Maxine is the runaway daughter of a televangelist who is constantly preaching in the background of most of the movie via TVs and radios.
Pearl jumps back to 1918 (during the Spanish Flu outbreak, conveniently echoing the modern pandemic lifestyle) and shows the younger years of Pearl (also played by Goth). While her husband, still Howard here, is off in Europe fighting WWI, Pearl is oppressed by her stern mother and invalid father, her only escape being the few moments during the week in which she can sneak away and go to “the pictures” in town where she dreams of being a dancer in the movies. She’s so obsessed with Hollywood that she even names her farm animals after famous actors and actresses.
When Pearl catches wind of an audition for a traveling dance troupe, the lonely girl senses her chance and will do anything to win a spot…even if it means murdering everyone she knows. Howard comes home from the war to a smiling Pearl surrounded by the corpses of their entire family.
Oh, and both movies feature an alligator named Theda (after silent movie star Theda Bara) who helps Pearl both murder her adversaries and dispose of the bodies.
The character of Pearl seems to see a lot of herself in Maxine, as the two share similar lusts for stardom. Both want to succeed at any and all costs, but Pearl is a little more…psychotic about it. The elderly Pearl feels jealousy towards Maxine, which in turn triggers the violent, murderous rage that takes the lives of Maxine’s friends. Of course, Pearl and Howard were unstable decades before Maxine and company showed up, as referenced by the events of Pearl and the additional gravesites and bodies that are shown in the swamp in X, but something about Maxine’s presence at their farm just seems to ramp up that instability.
Mia Goth and Halsey in ‘MaXXXine’ (Photo Credit: Justin Lubin / A24)
MaXXXine looks as if it is going to pick up where X leaves off, following Maxine Minx into the ’80s. The young actress’ quest for stardom has brought her to Hollywood where she gets caught up in more murder and mayhem. Aesthetically, both X and Pearl were presented in the style of their time periods, X being a ’70s grindhouse slasher in the vein of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Pearl leaning into the classic Hollywood, The Wizard of Oz-type of technicolor nightmare. If MaXXXine follows this trend, fans can expect a glitzy, neon-soaked tribute to eighties Los Angeles crime dramas.
Since Maxine is the only survivor of the first two chapters of the X saga (aside from Theda the gator), It’s not clear how her past will shape her present in MaXXXine. However, one can bet that her identity as the runaway child of a crazy evangelical will come into play somehow. The police who showed up to investigate the bloodbath in X may want to talk to her as well. And who will be the villain in MaXXXine? Will Pearl possess Maxine and keep killing, or will someone new pop up to keep the slaughter going? And how will they be connected to Maxine?
We’ll get our answers in just a few short weeks when MaXXXine is released on July 5th.
Four longtime friends reunite for a destination wedding in Bleecker Street’s The Fabulous Four. The official trailer introduces the fabulous four from the film’s title, with Bette Midler as the bride-to-be. There’s a little weed, a little sex talk, and Susan Sarandon as a crazy cat lady.
The fab four’s filled out by Megan Mullally and Sheryl Lee Ralph.
“If three’s a crowd, four’s a party! The Fabulous Four is an uproarious comedy about a group of life-long friends (Sarandon, Mullally, and Ralph) who travel to Key West, Florida, to be bridesmaids in the surprise wedding of their best college girlfriend Marilyn (Midler). Over the course of one outrageous trip, sisterhoods are rekindled, the past resurfaces, and there are enough sparks, raunch, and romance to change all their lives in unexpected ways,” reads Bleecker Street’s synopsis.
Jocelyn Moorhouse (The Dressmaker) directs from a screenplay by Anne Marie Allison and Jenna Milly.
The Fabulous Four opens in theaters on July 26, 2024.
Stereophonic and Hell’s Kitchen earned the most 77th Annual Tony Awards nominations with 13, but it was Stereophonic that emerged with the most wins. Stereophonic earned five Tonys, with The Outsiders, Merrily We Roll Along, and Appropriate following close behind.
Daniel Radcliffe, Sarah Paulson, Jonathan Groff, and Jeremy Strong were among the first-time Tony Awards winners. With her win in for Best Costume Design, Dede Ayite became the first Black woman to win a Tony in that category.
Tony and Oscar winner Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) hosted the show which aired live on CBS on Sunday, June 16, 2024.
2024 Tony Awards Nominees and Winners
Best Book of a Musical
Hell’s Kitchen – Kristoffer Diaz
The Notebook – Bekah Brunstetter
The Outsiders – Adam Rapp and Justin Levine WINNER: Suffs – Shaina Taub
Water for Elephants – Rick Elice
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Days of Wine and Roses – Music & Lyrics: Adam Guettel
Here Lies Love – Music: David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, Lyrics: David Byrne
The Outsiders – Music & Lyrics: Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Justin Levine
Stereophonic – Music & Lyrics: Will Butler WINNER: Suffs – Music & Lyrics: Shaina Taub
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
William Jackson Harper, Uncle Vanya
Leslie Odom, Jr., Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Liev Schreiber, Doubt: A Parable WINNER: Jeremy Strong, An Enemy of the People
Michael Stuhlbarg, Patriots
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Betsy Aidem, Prayer for the French Republic
Jessica Lange, Mother Play
Rachel McAdams, Mary Jane WINNER: Sarah Paulson, Appropriate
Amy Ryan, Doubt: A Parable
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Brody Grant, The Outsiders WINNER: Jonathan Groff, Merrily We Roll Along
Dorian Harewood, The Notebook
Brian d’Arcy James, Days of Wine and Roses
Eddie Redmayne, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Eden Espinosa, Lempicka WINNER: Maleah Joi Moon, Hell’s Kitchen
Kelli O’Hara, Days of Wine and Roses
Maryann Plunkett, The Notebook
Gayle Rankin, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play WINNER: Will Brill, Stereophonic
Eli Gelb, Stereophonic
Jim Parsons, Mother Play
Tom Pecinka, Stereophonic
Corey Stoll, Appropriate
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Doubt: A Parable
Juliana Canfield, Stereophonic
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Mother Play
Sarah Pidgeon, Stereophonic WINNER: Kara Young, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Roger Bart, Back to the Future: The Musical
Joshua Boone, The Outsiders
Brandon Victor Dixon, Hell’s Kitchen
Sky Lakota-Lynch, The Outsiders WINNER: Daniel Radcliffe, Merrily We Roll Along
Steven Skybell, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Shoshana Bean, Hell’s Kitchen
Amber Iman, Lempicka
Nikki M. James, Suffs
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Monty Python’s Spamalot WINNER: Kecia Lewis, Hell’s Kitchen
Lindsay Mendez, Merrily We Roll Along
Bebe Neuwirth, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Best Scenic Design of a Play
dots, Appropriate
dots, An Enemy of the People
Derek McLane, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
David Zinn, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding WINNER: David Zinn, Stereophonic
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
AMP featuring Tatiana Kahvegian, The Outsiders
Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini, Hell’s Kitchen
Takeshi Kata, Water for Elephants
David Korins, Here Lies Love
Riccardo Hernández and Peter Nigrini, Lempicka
Tim Hatley and Finn Ross, Back to the Future: The Musical WINNER: Tom Scutt, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Best Costume Design of a Play
Dede Ayite, Appropriate WINNER: Dede Ayite, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Enver Chakartash, Stereophonic
Emilio Sosa, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
David Zinn, An Enemy of the People
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Dede Ayite, Hell’s Kitchen WINNER: Linda Cho, The Great Gatsby
David Israel Reynoso, Water for Elephants
Tom Scutt, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Paul Tazewell, Suffs
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Isabella Byrd, An Enemy of the People
Amith Chandrashaker, Prayer for the French Republic
Jiyoun Chang, Stereophonic WINNER: Jane Cox, Appropriate
Natasha Katz, Grey House
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Brandon Stirling Baker, Illinoise
Isabella Byrd, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Natasha Katz, Hell’s Kitchen
Bradley King and David Bengali, Water for Elephants WINNER: Brian MacDevitt and Hana S. Kim, The Outsiders
Best Sound Design of a Play
Justin Ellington and Stefania Bulbarella, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Leah Gelpe, Mary Jane
Tom Gibbons, Grey House
Bray Poor and Will Pickens, Appropriate WINNER: Ryan Rumery, Stereophonic
Best Sound Design of a Musical
M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer, Here Lies Love
Kai Harada, Merrily We Roll Along
Nick Lidster for Autograph, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Gareth Owen, Hell’s Kitchen WINNER: Cody Spencer, The Outsiders
Best Direction of a Play WINNER: Daniel Aukin, Stereophonic
Anne Kauffman, Mary Jane
Kenny Leon, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Lila Neugebauer, Appropriate
Whitney White, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Best Direction of a Musical
Maria Friedman, Merrily We Roll Along
Michael Greif, Hell’s Kitchen
Leigh Silverman, Suffs
Jessica Stone, Water for Elephants WINNER: Danya Taymor, The Outsiders
Best Choreography
Annie-B Parson, Here Lies Love
Camille A. Brown, Hell’s Kitchen
Rick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman, The Outsiders WINNER: Justin Peck, Illinoise
Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll, Water for Elephants
Best Orchestrations
Timo Andres, Illinoise
Will Butler and Justin Craig, Stereophonic
Justin Levine, Matt Hinkley and Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance), The Outsiders
Tom Kitt and Adam Blackstone, Hell’s Kitchen WINNER: Jonathan Tunick, Merrily We Roll Along
Best Play
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Mary Jane
Mother Play
Prayer for the French Republic WINNER: Stereophonic
Best Musical
Hell’s Kitchen
Illinoise WINNER: The Outsiders
Suffs
Water for Elephants
Best Revival of a Play WINNER: Appropriate
An Enemy of the People
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Best Revival of a Musical
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Gutenberg! The Musical! WINNER: Merrily We Roll Along
The Who’s Tommy
Poster for HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks In Season with the AFC North’
HBO’s latest addition to the award-winning sports documentary series Hard Knocks is taking a wider look at the NFL season. Hard Knocks In Season is expanding to tackle an entire NFL division with Hard Knocks In Season with the AFC North.
The four teams in the spotlight are the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers. The season premieres on HBO on December 3, 2024, with new episodes airing on Tuesdays at 9pm ET/PT.
Hard Knocks In Season with the AFC North will continue through the regular season and into the NFL playoffs.
“Last season the AFC North became the first division ever to have all four teams finish with a winning record, making it the perfect place to launch this new approach to Hard Knocks. We thank the Bengals, Browns, Ravens, and Steelers for the opportunity to showcase some of the greatest rivalries in football and present the intensity of a playoff chase from all four corners of this incredibly competitive division,” stated Keith Cossrow, Vice President and Head of Content, NFL Films.
Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller, Co-Executive Vice Presidents, HBO Documentary & Family Programming, and Bentley Weiner, Vice President, HBO Sports Documentaries issued a joint statement on the new installment of Hard Knocks In Season. “We are ecstatic to expand the Hard Knocks universe with our partners at NFL Films to the always thrilling AFC North division race. In 2024, Hard Knocks will feature the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, and the Chicago Bears. What a year it will be on HBO and Max for football fans everywhere,” said Abraham, Heller, and Weiner.
HBO released this synopsis of Hard Knocks In Season with the AFC North:
“Hard Knocks In Season with the AFC North will document the battle for the AFC North crown during the final six weeks of the NFL season, as well as a playoff run for the division-winner and any AFC North Wild Card teams. The 18-time Emmy-winning series will deliver its signature all-access coverage as it follows the Mike Tomlin-coached Pittsburgh Steelers, who have never been featured on Hard Knocks in the history of the series, as well as coach John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens, coach Zac Taylor’s Cincinnati Bengals, and coach Kevin Stefanski’s Cleveland Browns. Quarterbacks Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson, and Justin Fields will share the Hard Knocks spotlight with Derrick Henry, Ja’Marr Chase, Myles Garrett, TJ Watt, and an array of other AFC North star players.”
