Selena Gomez and David Henrie return for ‘Wizards’ (Photos Courtesy of Disney Channel)
Filming is expected to get underway in May 2024 on the Wizards of Waverly Place sequel, Wizards, which just received a series order from Disney Channel and Disney+. David Henrie will reprise his role as Justin Russo as a series regular, with Emmy nominee Selena Gomez appearing in a guest-starring role in the series premiere as Alex.
Wizards (the working title) will film in Los Angeles, with Disney+ and Disney Channel anticipating a 2024 premiere. (The official title is Wizards Beyond Waverly Place).
“Wizards of Waverly Place captivated hearts with its spellbinding adventures and big laughs, creating unforgettable memories for kids and families everywhere,” stated Ayo Davis, president, Disney Branded Television. “We can’t wait to step back into the magical world of Wizards, inviting both longtime fans and a new generation to experience the enchantment alongside Selena, David, and our incredible cast and crew.”
Henrie and Gomez will be involved as executive producers along with Gary Marsh. Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas are writing and executive producing, with Andy Fickman directing multiple episodes including the pilot.
“The series follows an adult Justin Russo, who has chosen to lead a normal, mortal life with his family, Giada, Roman and Milo. When Justin’s sister Alex brings Billie to his home seeking help, Justin realizes he must dust off his magical skills to mentor the wizard-in-training while also juggling his everyday responsibilities — and safeguarding the future of the Wizard World,” reads the Disney Channel’s synopsis.
The cast includes Max Matenko (Platonic) as Justin’s youngest son, Milo; Janice LeAnn Brown (Just Roll with It) as Billie, a young, powerful wizard; Alkaio Thiele (Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends) as Justin’s oldest son, Roman; and Mimi Gianopulos (Rutherford Falls) as Justin’s wife, Giada.
Freddie Highmore in ‘The Good Doctor’ season 7 episode 4 (Disney/Jeff Weddell)
Shaun continues to have a difficult time dealing with Charlie on ABC’s The Good Doctor season seven episode four. “Date Night” will air on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at 10pm ET/PT.
The final season stars Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy, Richard Schiff as Dr. Aaron Glassman, Fiona Gubelmann as Dr. Morgan Reznick, Will Yun Lee as Dr. Alex Park, Christina Chang as Dr. Audrey Lim, and Paige Spara as Lea Dilallo. Bria Samoné Henderson plays Dr. Jordan Allen, Noah Galvin is Dr. Asher Wolke, and Chuku Modu stars as Dr. Jared Kalu.
“Date Night” Plot: Shaun and Lea struggle to balance their parental duties with their personal lives. Meanwhile, Park and Morgan try to find the time and space to reignite their romance amidst the demands of parenthood and work, and Lim’s mother makes a surprise visit.
Bria Samoné Henderson, Kayla Cromer, and Chuku Modu in season 7 episode 4 (Disney/Jeff Weddell)
The Good Doctor Description, Courtesy of ABC:
In the farewell season of The Good Doctor, new challenges intermingle with the unresolved past. Following the birth of their son, Steve, Shaun and Lea navigate the joys and challenges of parenthood. Meanwhile, the team continues to deal with the many changes they have faced at the hospital over the past year and must learn to come to terms with them if they want to move forward in their lives and careers.
Bria Samoné Henderson, Chuku Modu, and Brandon Scott in season 7 episode 4 (Disney/Jeff Weddell)Matt Angel, Freddie Highmore and Erinn Hayes in season 7 episode 4 (Disney/Jeff Weddell)Bria Samoné Henderson and Chuku Modu in season 7 episode 4 (Disney/Jeff Weddell)Bria Samoné Henderson, Chuku Modu and Brandon Scott in season 7 episode 4 (Disney/Jeff Weddell)Richard Schiff, Christina Chang, and Bess Armstrong in the “Date Night” episode (Disney/Jeff Weddell)
It appears that Thony will be continuing to test Jorge on Fox’s The Cleaning Lady season three episode four. “Agua, Fuego, Tierra, Viento” will air on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at 8pm ET/PT.
Elodie Yung leads the cast as Thony, Martha Millan plays Fiona, Kate del Castillo is Ramona Sanchez, and Eva De Dominici is Nadia. Santiago Cabrera plays Jorge, Faith Bryant is Jaz, and Sean Lew plays Chris. Mayans MC‘s Clayton Cardenas guest stars as Dante.
“Agua, Fuego, Tierra, Viento” Plot: As Luca’s CPS interview nears, Thony focuses on getting Fiona back home with the help of Jorge. Meanwhile, Nadia continues to investigate Arman’s disappearance and finds herself face-to-face with Ramona.
The stakes in season three are higher and more intense than ever. This season, Thony turns her efforts to bringing Fiona back to the US after she was deported to the Philippines, devising an extraction plan with Arman (Adan Canto) using Nadia’s plane. When he mysteriously disappears, Thony and Nadia begrudgingly team together to look for him.
Meanwhile, Fiona tries to manage the aftermath of her deportation to the Philippines while Thony explores drastic measures to get her back home as well as search for answers regarding Arman. While Thony is relieved that Luca’s medical issues have improved, he and Thony face a new threat that may keep them apart, while Chris makes a careless decision to help his mother Fiona but may jeopardize their futures as well as that of Jaz’s.
As Thony’s journey continues to unfold, she is completely alone. Her world is turned upside down as she fights to protect her family, forcing her to take steps that deepen a new association with a dangerous Cartel.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Vincent and Ivan Howe as Edgar in ‘Eric’ (Photo Credit: Netflix)
Two-time Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch stars in Netflix’s Eric, a six-episode limited series inspired by true events. The streaming service has set a May 30, 2024 premiere date and unveiled the first batch of photos from the drama created by writer and executive producer Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady).
In a feature on Netflix’s Tudum, series creator Morgan described the limited series as “a dark and crazy journey into the heart of 1980s New York — and the good, bad, and ugly world of Vincent.”
“Set in 1980s New York, Eric is a new emotional thriller from Abi Morgan following the desperate search of a father when his nine-year-old son disappears one morning on the way to school. Vincent, one of New York’s leading puppeteers and creator of the hugely popular children’s television show, Good Day Sunshine, struggles to cope with the loss of his son, Edgar, becoming increasingly distressed and volatile,” reads Netflix’s synopsis. “Full of self-loathing and guilt around Edgar’s disappearance, he clings to his son’s drawings of a blue monster puppet, ERIC, convinced that if he can get ERIC on TV then Edgar will come home. As Vincent’s progressively destructive behavior alienates his family, his work colleagues, and the detectives trying to help him, it’s Eric, a delusion of necessity, who becomes his only ally in the pursuit to bring his son home.”
Gaby Hoffman and Ivan Howe (Photo Credit: Netflix)
In addition to Benedict Cumberbatch, the series stars Gaby Hoffmann as Cassie, McKinley Belcher III as lead detective Ledroit, and Ivan Howe as Edgar. The cast also includes Dan Fogler and Clarke Peters.
Cumberbatch serves as an executive producer along with Jane Featherstone, Lucy Dyke, and Lucy Forbes. Forbes directs and Holly Pullinger is a producer.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Vincent (Photo Credit: Netflix)McKinley Belcher III as Detective Ledroit (Photo Credit: Netflix)Benedict Cumberbatch as Vincent (Photo Credit: Netflix)Poster for Netflix’s ‘Eric’
Oscar nominee Colin Farrell reprises his role as one of Batman‘s most iconic supervillains in the Max limited series The Penguin. The second teaser trailer focuses on The Penguin as he recalls the story of an old-school gangster and how, when he died, the people of his neighborhood threw a parade in his honor. The minute-and-a-half trailer ends with Oz asking, “Can you imagine, to be remembered like that?”
Joining Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin) in the eight-episode drama are Cristin Milioti (Made for Love) as Carmine Falcone’s daughter, Sofia; Clancy Brown (John Wick: Chapter 4) as Salvatore Maroni; and Michael Zegen (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Carmine’s son, Alberto. The Penguin cast also includes Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Deirdre O’Connell.
Lauren LeFranc serves as writer, executive producer and showrunner on the comic book-inspired drama based on characters created by Bob Kane. Additional executive producers include Colin Farrell, Matt Reeves (The Batman director), Dylan Clark, Daniel Pipski, and Bill Carraro. Craig Zobel directed the first three episodes and also serves as an executive producer.
Reeves’ 6th & Idaho Productions and Dylan Clark Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television produced the series. Max is targeting a fall 2024 premiere.
Colin Farrell stars in ‘The Penguin’ (Photograph by Macall Polay/Max)
ABC’s The Rookie returns after a three-week break with an episode involving potential Pentagram Killer murder victims. Season six episode four, “Training Day,” will air on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT.
Season six stars Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper, Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen, Eric Winter as Tim Bradford, and Richard T. Jones as Sergeant Wade Grey. Shawn Ashmore plays Wesley Evers, Alyssa Diaz is Angela Lopez, Lisseth Chavez is Celina Juarez, Jenna Dewan is Bailey Nune, and Tru Valentino is Aaron Thorsen.
“Training Day” Plot: It’s Officer Aaron Thorsen’s first day back since the assault, and he’s tasked with a series of high-stress cases to determine whether he’s ready to work. Elsewhere, the team investigates a homicide case with a potential tie to the pentagram killer.
Eric Winter and Nathan Fillion in ‘The Rookie’ season 6 episode 4 (Disney/Raymond Liu)
The Rookie Description, Courtesy of ABC:
John Nolan, once the oldest rookie in the LAPD, has used his life experience, determination and sense of humor to keep up with rookies 20 years his junior. Nolan now faces his biggest challenge as a police officer, when he must come to terms with the choices he has made in pursuit of the truth.
Jason Wiles, Mekia Cox, and Alyssa Diaz in season 6 episode 4 (Disney/Raymond Liu)Melissa O’Neil and Eric Winter in season 6 episode 4 (Disney/Raymond Liu)Nathan Fillion and Lisseth Chavez in season 6 episode 4 (Disney/Raymond Liu)Richard T. Jones and Eric Winter in season 6 episode 4 (Disney/Raymond Liu)Lisseth Chavez and Nathan Fillion in season 6 episode 4 (Disney/Raymond Liu)Nathan Fillion and Lisseth Chavez in season 6 episode 4 (Disney/Raymond Liu)
The Handmaid’s Talexd’s Elisabeth Moss stars as an MI6 agent brought in for high-level situations in FX’s The Veil. The official trailer reveals that Moss’s character has played so many people in her life that she’s no longer sure where she belongs.
Two-time Emmy winner Moss is joined by Yumna Marwan, Dali Benssalah, and Josh Charles in the new spy thriller created by Steven Knight (Taboo, A Christmas Carol). Knight wrote the limited series and serves as an executive producer along with Moss and Di Novi Pictures’ Denise Di Novi.
“FX’s The Veil explores the surprising and fraught relationship between two women who play a deadly game of truth and lies on the road from Istanbul to Paris and London,” reads FX’s synopsis. “One woman has a secret, the other a mission to reveal it before thousands of lives are lost. In the shadows, mission controllers at the CIA and French DGSE must put differences aside and work together to avert potential disaster.”
The series is set to premiere on Hulu on April 30, 2024 with the release of the first two episodes.
Poster for FX’s ‘The Veil’ starring Elisabeth Moss
It’s only one minute long, but at least Warner Bros Pictures’ first Beetlejuice Beetlejuiceteaser trailer shows the reunion of Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice and Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz. That’s all anyone can ask for in a teaser for a film that’s been three decades in the making.
Two-time Emmy winner Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek) reprises her role as Delia Deetz, alongside Beetlejuice newcomers Jenna Ortega (Wednesday) as Lydia’s daughter, Astrid, and Justin Theroux (Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi) as Rory. The sequel’s cast also includes Monica Bellucci (Spectre), Arthur Conti (House of the Dragon), and Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe (Poor Things).
“Beetlejuice is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened,” reads Warner Bros Pictures’ synopsis. “With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.”
Two-time Oscar nominee Tim Burton (Frankenweenie, Corpse Bride) directs from a screenplay by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. (Story by Gough, Millar, and Seth Grahame-Smith.) Burton, Marc Toberoff, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Tommy Harper serve as producers. Executive producers include Gough, Millar, Sara Desmond, Katterli Frauenfelder, Brad Pitt, Larry Wilson, Laurence Senelick, Pete Chiappetta, Andrew Lary, Anthony Tittanegro, Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg.
Warner Bros Pictures is unleashing the sequel in theaters and IMAX on September 6, 2024.
Someone’s attacking students at a hostel on CBS’s FBI: International season three episode six. Directed by Kevin Dowling from a script by Rachael Joyce, episode six – “Fire Starter” – will air on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT.
Luke Kleintank returns to lead the season three cast as Special Agent Scott Forrester. Heida Reed stars as Special Agent Jamie Kellett, Carter Redwood is Special Agent Andre Raines, Vinessa Vidotto plays Special Agent Cameron Vo, Eva-Jane Willis is Europol Agent Megan “Smitty” Garretson, and Christina Wolfe is Special Agent Amanda Tate.
“Fire Starter” Plot: The Fly Team is called in to investigate when an American college student is arrested at a hostel in Prague for showing aggression toward local police who were dismissive of her sexual abuse claims. Also, Vo makes use of her sexual assault advocacy experience from her army days as they work to ensure the victim gets justice.
FBI: International Season 3 Description, Courtesy of CBS:
From Emmy Award winner Dick Wolf, fast-paced drama FBI: International is the third iteration of the successful FBI brand that follows the elite operatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s International Fly Team. Headquartered in Budapest, they travel throughout Europe with the mission of tracking and neutralizing threats against American citizens wherever they may be, putting their lives on the line to protect the U.S. and its people.
The Fly Team’s Special Agent Scott Forrester, their accomplished and dedicated leader, puts his missions ahead of his personal life. Second in command is Special Agent Jamie Kellett, a heroic and fearless investigator – and her extensive network of informants is a powerful resource. Special Agent Andre Raines shines in the field and makes good use of his accounting background in tracking criminal enterprises’ moving money. Special Agent Cameron Vo, a competitive West Point grad, excels at interrogation and strategy, and Megan “Smitty” Garretson, a streetwise Europol agent with an extensive undercover background, uses her expertise to liaise with each host country they inhabit.
Newly embedded with the Fly Team is Special Agent Amanda Tate, a confident and tech savvy intel analyst, who stays quick on her feet and remains calm in the midst of chaos. Always at the scene where American interests are at risk, FBI: International is a globe-trotting depiction of law enforcement overseas.
To succeed, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire needed to be fun and capture the spirit of the original Ghostbusters. It was and it did – with caveats. Seeing the OG Ghostbusters team strapping on their proton packs was a hoot, but this latest installment in the franchise made some odd plot choices. It also sticks around half an hour too long.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, a direct sequel to Afterlife, finds the Spengler family – teens Phoebe and Trevor, plus mom Callie – and former teacher-turned-ghostbuster Gary Grooberson moving into the iconic NYC headquarters. The foursome’s kept hopping, responding to kooky undead creatures, including a sewer dragon. If there’s something strange in the neighborhood, they’re on the case. Why? As Gary says, quoting the “Ghostbusters” lyrics, because bustin’ makes him feel good. (That’s just one of many throwbacks to the film’s three Ghostbusters predecessors.)
Familiar creatures pop in to please fans as the Spenglers (and Gary) reunite with Winston, now a billionaire entrepreneur who funds paranormal research. Winston’s team, led by Lars Pinfield and assisted by Lucky, has developed a better system for disposing of ghosts. Which turns out to be super important when Ray Stantz comes into possession of an ancient artifact called the Orb of Garraka belonging to an ice demon who’d like nothing more than to kill off us humans.
After exploring the mythology surrounding the artifact, the OG Ghostbusters and the new generation of poltergeist trappers realize that it will take all their busting skills and brainpower to stop the demon from plunging the world into a new Ice Age.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife was fine (and forgettable) family fun and a decent homage to the original films. But while there were a bunch of references to the franchise’s first two entries, Afterlife pales compared to the number Frozen Empire squeezes in. Jason Reitman, son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, and Gil Kenan loaded their script with Ghostbusters callbacks to where nearly every scene has some sort of reference to the past.
From Slimer to the little Stay-Puft Marshmallow dudes, this sequel brings back blasts from the past and weaves them into a darker tale than previous installments. And it’s that shift in tone, and the insertion of a heartbreaking coming-of-age relationship, that might not work as well as intended. There’s almost too much going on and too many supporting characters, which means the OG Ghostbusters don’t get enough screen time. Or at least as much as fans of Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts might hope for.
Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, and Mckenna Grace are terrific as the Spengler bunch, and Paul Rudd (aka The Man Who Never Ages) as Spengler-adjacent Gary nails the part of a decent guy who just hopes to be considered part of the family. Afterlife’s Podcast and Lucky, played by Logan Kim and Celeste O’Connor, have also made the trek to New York for Frozen Empire, which is weird given their ages. They’ve just up and moved from a small Oklahoma farm town to NYC, chasing their dreams…and ghosts.
British comedian James Acaster, who plays Winston’s head researcher and all-around science guy, and Emily Alyn Lind, a teen ghost who forms a special bond with Phoebe, are great in supporting roles. But as far as newcomers go, it’s Kumail Nanjiani who breathes fresh air into the franchise. Nanjiani’s Nadeem is the grandson of the Firemaster, the person charged with protecting the Orb, and he unwittingly unleashes hell on earth when he makes a quick buck off the Orb by selling it to Ray. Recruited as part of the extended Ghostbusters team, Nanjiani plays Nadeem as the chill, stoner guy who goes with the flow. Nanjiani’s got the best lines and nails the reluctant hero bit.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire tries so hard to please fans that the packed story’s not as cohesive as it should be. There’s a bit of a “throw everything including the kitchen sink” vibe to this sequel, and not everything works. Fortunately, the parts that do fit together well are entertaining enough – at least for diehard fans who don’t want to see the franchise laid to rest quite yet.
GRADE: B-
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for supernatural action, violence, suggestive references, and language
Running Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
Release Date: March 22, 2024
Directed By: Gil Kenan
Studio: Columbia Pictures
