Outlander‘s Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish are back together again for season two of Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham. Starz’s new season two trailer features the buddies exploring New Zealand and participating, however reluctantly on McTavish’s part, in extreme sports. The trailer also shows Sam and Graham having an awesome time, and even sitting down in a makeup trailer to have prosthetics applied.
Season two is set to premiere on Friday, August 11, 2023 at midnight ET on the Starz app and at 9:30pm ET/PT on Starz. The new season will consist of four half-hour episodes.
Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish developed the series and serve as executive producers. Kevin Scott Johnston directs and executive produces along with Alex Norouzi, Andrew Fried, and Dane Lillegard. Men in Kilts is produced by Boardwalk Pictures.
Men in Kilts Season 2 Plot, Courtesy of Starz:
The iconic Outlander duo will hit the road again on Friday, August 11, but this time the road trippers are venturing out of Scotland to explore the beautiful lands of New Zealand. “Same Kilts, New Zealand.” And though New Zealand seems far from Scotland, about 20% of the population have Scottish roots.
During the four half-hour episodes new season, viewers will travel alongside the witty banter of Sam and Graham as they experience a taste of what New Zealand has to offer. Season Two promises to be full of shenanigans and adrenaline as they come face to face with apex predators, fall 300 meters in a swing, discover the vast history and culture of the Māori, and eat their way through the islands of New Zealand.
18 reality show stars and six alumni of MTV’s The Challenge will go head-to-head on season two of CBS’s The Challenge: USA. The Amazing Race‘s Luis Colon, Big Brother winner Josh Martinez, and Survivor winners Michele Fitzgerald and Chris Underwood are among the stars of CBS reality shows who will be taking on former The Challenge champions Tori Deal, Jonna Mannion, Wes Bergmann, and Johnny “Bananas” DeVenanzio.
What’s at stake? One man and one woman will have the opportunity to be named Challenge Champions and split the $500,000 grand prize.
Season two will kick off with part one of a two-part premiere on Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 10pm ET/PT. Part two follows on Sunday, August 13 at 9pm ET/PT. New episodes will air on Thursdays and Sundays for three weeks before switching to once-a-week on August 31.
The reality competition series is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and Bunim/Murray Productions with Julie Pizzi, Kevin Lee, and Jacob Lane. T.J. Lavin is set to return as host.
Wes Bergmann – CHALLENGE VET
Michaela Bradshaw – SURVIVOR
Paulie Calafiore – BIG BROTHER
Cassidy Clark – SURVIVOR
Luis Colon – THE AMAZING RACE
Tyler Crispen – BIG BROTHER
Tori Deal – CHALLENGE VET
Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio – CHALLENGE VET
Michele Fitzgerald – SURVIVOR
Amanda Garcia – CHALLENGE VET
Dusty Harris – THE AMAZING RACE
Chanelle Howell – SURVIVOR
Ameerah Jones – BIG BROTHER
Alyssa Lopez – BIG BROTHER
Jonna Mannion (Stephens) – CHALLENGE VET
Josh Martinez – BIG BROTHER
Tiffany Mitchell – BIG BROTHER
Sebastian Noel – SURVIVOR
Faysal Shafaat – BIG BROTHER
Alyssa Snider – BIG BROTHER
Monte Taylor – BIG BROTHER
Chris Underwood – SURVIVOR
Cory Wharton – CHALLENGE VET
Desi Williams – SURVIVOR
Warner Bros. Pictures’ official Wonka trailer reveals how Willy became Wonka…which makes much more sense after you’ve watched the trailer. Oscar nominee Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name) charms his way through the trailer onto 2023 must-see movie lists by transforming into a young man with a huge imagination and the courage to take on the chocolate cartel.
Joining Timothee Chalament in the fantasy film are Calah Lane (The Day Shall Come), Emmy winner Keegan-Michael Key (Schmigadoon), Paterson Joseph (Noughts + Crosses), Matt Lucas (Paddington), Mathew Baynton (The Wrong Mans), Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), Rowan Atkinson (Johnny English), Jim Carter (Downton Abbey), and Oscar winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite). Additional stars include Natasha Rothwell (White Lotus), Rich Fulcher (Marriage Story), Rakhee Thakrar (Sex Education), Tom Davis (Paddington 2), and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Zack Snyder’s Justice League).
Paddington‘s Paul King directs and co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Farnaby, based on characters created by Roald Dahl. Michael Siegel, Cate Adams, Rosie Alison, and Tim Wellspring executive produce. King’s behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Chung-Hoon Chung (Last Night in Soho), Oscar-nominated production designer Nathan Crowley (Tenet), editor Mark Everson (the Paddington films), Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (the Paddington films), and composer Joby Talbot (the Sing films).
The band The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon is writing original songs for the film.
Warner Bros Pictures will release Wonka in theaters on December 15, 2023.
The Wonka Plot, Courtesy of WB:
From Paul King, David Heyman (the Harry Potter films), Alexandra Derbyshire (the Paddington films), and Luke Kelly (Roald Dahl’s The Witches), comes an intoxicating mix of magic and music, mayhem and emotion, all told with fabulous heart and humor. Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, this irresistibly vivid and inventive big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time — proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.
Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance
Naming the big bad “The Entity” is a dead giveaway that plot isn’t going to matter as much as the spectacular action sequences in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. And unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know Tom Cruise has put his body through hell to pull off the seventh MI film’s insane action scenes. Cruise’s efforts pay off big time in one of the best entries in the blockbuster franchise.
But about that plot… Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is tasked with recovering a key that controls The Entity, an artificial intelligence that has become sentient. The Entity began with controlling social media and moved on to attacking governments across the globe. But that’s small potatoes compared to its ultimate goal: world domination.
Taking down an enemy that’s everywhere and nowhere all at once is an impossible mission. So, of course, Ethan and his IMF team – Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) – are the right group for the job. However, there’s a catch. The United States government and its counterparts (both allies and enemies) don’t actually want to destroy The Entity. No, that would make way too much sense and best serve humanity. The U.S. and other governments want to control the world’s most powerful and deadly AI and harness its power. Guess which side Ethan and the IMF land on in that debate.
There’s only one way to either control or destroy The Entity: the two halves of a one-of-a-kind key must be united. As Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One begins, one half is in the possession of someone Ethan and the IMF team know well and respect. Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) has a massive bounty on her head and half a key in her hand that’s worth dying over.
Tom Cruise’s first major action scene comes early on as Ethan and Ilsa take on dozens of paid mercenaries in a remote, abandoned town in the middle of the Arabian Desert. Given that this is a Mission: Impossible film, it’s obvious who will emerge victorious. But the fight’s still gratifying to watch for action junkies/MI fans and serves as a tantalizing tease of what’s to come.
What goes down in the two+ hours following makes Ethan’s first action outing – a gunfight in a windstorm against nearly insurmountable odds – look like a cakewalk.
Tom Cruise has apparently discovered the fountain of youth and hasn’t lost a step since making his first appearance as Ethan Hunt in 1996’s Mission: Impossible. The ante’s upped with each MI installment, and Cruise, writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, and co-writer Erik Jendresen embraced the challenge, filling Dead Reckoning Part One with one innovative, electrifying stunt after another. I mean, come on! That motorcycle stunt off a cliff followed by a BASE jump deserved its title as the biggest stunt in cinema history. Cruise took part in 13,000 motocross jumps and 500 skydives just to nail that one action sequence.
There’s no questioning Cruise’s commitment to wowing audiences. The man’s dedicated to making these action epics as authentic as possible, risking his life to deliver something extraordinary on screen.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One hits the tracks with a train sequence vaguely similar to but better than Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’s. The pivotal fight between Cruise and Esai Morales, absolutely nailing the role of a bad guy from Ethan’s past, was shot on top of a real train going 60 mph. Just let that sink in … a fight on top of a speeding train done practically rather than via CG. That just doesn’t happen outside of the MI franchise.
Dead Reckoning Part One also features Cruise engaging in one of the most dangerous sports in the world, speedflying. Toss in a heart-pounding car chase in a ridiculously small Fiat with Cruise handcuffed to Hayley Atwell (a fantastic addition to the IMF world), and the question becomes, how will Cruise and McQuarrie ever top Part One with Part One?
We need to wait until June 2024 for that question to be answered. Odds are, Cruise and McQuarrie will find a way to blow our minds.
GRADE: A
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, action, some language, and suggestive material
Running Time: 2 hours 43 minutes
Release Date: July 12, 2023
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Starring: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales, Vanessa Kirby, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga, Henry Czerny, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, Frederick Schmidt, Cary Elwes, Mark Gatiss, Indira Varma, and Rob Delaney
Starz’s Outlander season seven episode five will find Jamie and Claire making it to Fort Ticonderoga. The promo video also shows Brianna and Roger opening a letter with news about her parents’ time at the fort. Directed by Tracy Deer from a script by Taylor Mallory, episode five – “Singapore” – will air on Friday, July 14, 2023.
The cast is led by Caitriona Balfe as Claire Fraser and Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser. Season seven also stars Sophie Skelton as Brianna Randall Fraser Mackenzie, Richard Rankin as Roger Wakefield MacKenzie, David Berry as Lord John Grey, and John Bell as Young Ian.
Charles Vandervaart plays William Ransom, Izzy Meikle-Small is Rachel Hunter, Joey Phillips is Denzell Hunter, and Caitlin O’Ryan is Lizzie Wemyss. Paul Gorman returns as Josiah and Kezzie Beardsley, Hugh Ross is Arch Bug, Sarah Collier is Murdina Bug, Mark Lewis Jones is Tom Christie, and Alexander Vhalos plays Allan Christie.
“Singapore” Plot: At Ticonderoga, Jamie and Claire prepare for an imminent British assault. Roger compiles information about time travel while Brianna earns the respect of her coworkers.
Caitríona Balfe as Claire, Joey Phillips as Denzell, Tobi Bakare as Walter, and Daniel Gosling in ‘Outlander’ season 7 episode 5 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Season 7 Plot, Courtesy of Starz:
Following the harrowing events of Season 6, Jamie and Young Ian race to rescue Claire before she’s tried and wrongfully convicted for the murder of Malva Christie. But their mission is complicated by the beginning of a geopolitical firestorm: The American Revolution has arrived. In the seventh season of Outlander, Jamie, Claire, and their family are caught in the violent birth pains of an emerging nation as armies march to war and British institutions crumble in the face of armed rebellion.
The land the Frasers call home is changing – and they must change with it. In order to protect what they’ve built, the Frasers have to navigate the perils of the Revolutionary War. They learn that sometimes to defend what you love, you have to leave it behind. As the conflict draws them out of North Carolina and into the heart of this fight for
independence, Jamie, Claire, Brianna, and Roger are faced with impossible decisions that have the potential to tear their family apart.
Caitriona Balfe in season 7 episode 5 (Photo Credit: Starz)Sophie Skelton and Chris Fultoni in season 7 episode 5 (Photo Credit: Starz)Sophie Skelton in season 7 episode 5 (Photo Credit: Starz)Sophie Skelton in season 7 episode 5 (Photo Credit: Starz)Joey Phillips, Izzy Meikle-Small and Charles Vandervaart in season 7 episode 5 (Photo Credit: Starz)Richard Rankin and Sophie Skelton in season 7 episode 5 (Photo Credit: Starz)Charles Vandervaart and Izzy Meikle-Small in season 7 episode 5 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Apple TV+’s sneak peek clip from Foundation season two features an incredibly muscular – and naked – Lee Pace attacked in bed. The two-minute fight scene finds Pace as Brother Day fending off multiple attackers who’ve invaded his bedroom in an attempted assassination.
In addition to the intense, action-packed clip, Apple TV+ released a video recap of season one. (Embedded below.)
Returning season two stars include Lou Llobell as Gaal Dornick, Jared Harris as Hari Seldon, Leah Harvey as Salvor Hardin, Laura Birn as Demerzel, Cassian Bilton as Brother Dawn, and Terrence Mann as Brother Dusk. Newcomers to the world of Foundation are Isabella Laughland as Brother Constant, Kulvinder Ghir as Poly Verisof, Ella-Rae Smith as Queen Sareth of Cloud Dominion, and Holt McCallany as Warden Jaegger Fount.
Rachel House plays Tellem Bond, Nimrat Kaur is Yanna Seldon, Ben Daniels is Bel Riose, and Dimitri Leonidas is Hober Mallow.
The critically acclaimed sci-fi series, based on stories by Isaac Asimov, has David S. Goyer as showrunner and executive producer. Additional executive producers include Alex Graves, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Bill Bost, Robin Asimov, and Marcy Ross. Foundation is produced for Apple by Skydance Television.
Apple TV+’s Foundation season two premieres on July 14, 2023. New episodes of the 10-episode season arrive on Fridays leading up to the season finale on September 15.
Lee Pace in ‘Foundation’ season 2 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
The Foundation Plot, Courtesy of Apple TV+:
More than a century after the season one finale, tension mounts throughout the galaxy in season two. As the Cleons unravel, a vengeful queen plots to destroy Empire from within. Hari, Gaal and Salvor discover a colony of Mentalics with psionic abilities that threaten to alter psychohistory itself. The Foundation has entered its religious phase, promulgating the Church of Seldon throughout the Outer Reach and inciting the Second Crisis: war with Empire.
The monumental adaptation of Foundation chronicles the stories of four crucial individuals transcending space and time as they overcome deadly crises, shifting loyalties and complicated relationships that will ultimately determine the fate of humanity.
The Country Music Association released the artists and songs that will be featured on the 2023 CMA Fest special. Hosted by Dierks Bentley, Elle King, and Lainey Wilson, this year’s lineup includes collaborations between Vince Gill and Luke Combs, Cody Johnson and Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert and Leon Bridges, and Tanya Tucker with Elle King and Lainey Wilson.
Also set to perform on the three-hour special are Alabama, Jason Aldean, Bentley, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Dan + Shay, Jordan Davis, HARDY, Tyler Hubbard, Jelly Roll, and Cody Johnson. Plus, Avril Lavigne, Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde, Tim McGraw, Jo Dee Messina, Old Dominion, Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce, Darius Rucker, and Keith Urban.
CMA Fest will air on ABC on Wednesday, July 19, 2023 at 8pm ET/PT.
Featured Performers and Songs:
Alabama — “Mountain Music”
Jason Aldean — “Try That In A Small Town”
Dierks Bentley — “Gold”
Luke Bryan — “But I Got A Beer In My Hand”
Eric Church — “Smoke a Little Smoke”/ “Bad Mother Trucker”
Luke Combs — “Love You Anyway”
Dan + Shay — “Speechless”
Jordan Davis — “Buy Dirt”
Vince Gill and Luke Combs — “One More Last Chance”
HARDY — “TRUCK BED”
HARDY featuring Lainey Wilson — “wait in the truck”
Tyler Hubbard — “Dancin’ In The Country”
Jelly Roll – “Need A Favor”
Cody Johnson — “’Til You Can’t”
Cody Johnson and Reba McEntire — “Whoever’s In New England”
Elle King featuring Miranda Lambert — “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)”
Miranda Lambert and Leon Bridges — “If You Were Mine”
Miranda Lambert and Avril Lavigne — “Kerosene/Sk8er Boi”
Little Big Town — “Wine, Beer, Whiskey”
Ashley McBryde — “Light On In The Kitchen”
Tim McGraw — “Standing Room Only”
Jo Dee Messina and Carly Pearce — “I’m Alright”
Old Dominion — “Memory Lane”
Jon Pardi — “Your Heart Or Mine”
Carly Pearce — “What He Didn’t Do”
Darius Rucker — “Fires Don’t Start Themselves”
Tanya Tucker with Elle King and Lainey Wilson — “Texas (When I Die)”
Keith Urban — “Wild Hearts”
Lainey Wilson — “Watermelon Moonshine”
The performances took place during the 50th anniversary of CMA Fest held in Nashville June 8th through June 11th.
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight author Jennifer E. Smith has nothing but praise for Love at First Sight, the 2023 Netflix adaptation of her 2011 bestselling novel. The new trailer introduces the two strangers whose meet-cute occurs in an airport. Haley Lu Richardson (White Lotus) and Ben Hardy (Bohemian Rhapsody) star as the couple who experience a much more enjoyable flight than most travelers.
Author Smith told Netflix’s Tudum that she’s thrilled with Richardson and Hardy as the leads. “They are such a great Hadley and Oliver. They’re so charming and winning, and they have great chemistry. They just did right by the characters,” said Smith.
Katie Lovejoy adapted Smith’s book and Vanessa Caswill directed. Discussing the author, Caswill noted, “Jennifer was so trusting and generous and not precious in the slightest. […]She wrote me the sweetest email after she finally watched the film. It was so lovely, I printed it out and keep it on my desk!”
In addition to Haley Lu Richardson and Ben Hardy, the cast of the romantic comedy includes Jameela Jamil, Rob Delaney, Sally Phillips, and Dexter Fletcher. Matt Kaplan produced, and Smith, Richardson, Max Siemers, Matthew Janzen, Christopher Foss, and Mark Lane executive produced.
Love at First Sight premieres on Netflix on September 15, 2023.
“After missing her flight from New York to London, Hadley (Richardson) meets Oliver (Hardy) in a chance encounter at the airport that sparks an instant connection. A long night on the plane together passes in the blink of an eye but upon landing at Heathrow, the pair are separated and finding each other in the chaos seems impossible. Will fate intervene to transform these seat mates into soul mates?”
Paramount+ just released the official trailer for Special Ops: Lioness, the latest addition to Taylor Sheridan’s roster of dramas on the streaming service. The minute-and-a-half trailer introduces Zoe Saldana’s character and the world in which the espionage thriller operates.
The season one cast also includes Laysla De Oliveira, Emmy nominee Michael Kelly, Oscar winner Morgan Freeman, and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman. Additional cast members include Dave Annable (Sheridan’s Yellowstone), LaMonica Garrett (Sheridan’s 1883), Jill Wagner, James Jordan (Sheridan’s Mayor of Kingstown), Austin Hébert, Jonah Wharton, Stephanie Nur, and Hannah Love Lanier.
The series will premiere on July 23, 2023 with the release of the first two episodes. New episodes follow on subsequent Sundays.
Series creator Taylor Sheridan, David C. Glasser, Zoe Saldaña, and Nicole Kidman executive produce. Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin, Jill Wagner, Geyer Kosinski, Michael Malone, and John Hillcoat also serve as executive producers. Special Ops: Lioness is an MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios production for Paramount+.
Zoe Saldana as Joe in ‘Special Ops: Lioness’ (Photo Credit: Lynsey Addario/Paramount+)
Paramount+ released the following description of the new drama:
Special Ops Lioness, inspired by an actual U.S. Military program, follows the life of Joe (Saldaña) while she attempts to balance her personal and professional life as the tip of the CIA’s spear in the war on terror. The Lioness Program, overseen by Kaitlyn Meade (Kidman) and Donald Westfield (Kelly), enlists an aggressive Marine Raider named Cruz (De Oliveira) to operate undercover alongside Joe among the power brokers of State terrorism in the CIA’s efforts to thwart the next 9/11.
Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) takes on the titular role in the epic action film Napoleon, heading to theaters on November 22, 2023. The trailer provides our first good look at Phoenix as the French Emperor and opens with chaos in the streets and Marie Antoinette being jeered as she’s led to the guillotine. Additional scenes show Napoleon being given command of the army, in battle, and using the pyramids as target practice.
The trailer arrived with the official poster featuring the tagline: “He came from nothing. He conquered everything.”
The film reunites four-time Oscar nominee Ridley Scott with his Gladiator star. It also features Vanessa Kirby as Josephine as well as Ben Miles as Coulancourt, Ludivine Sagnier as Theresa Cabarrus, and Tahar Rahim as Paul Barras.
David Scarpa (All the Money in the World) wrote the screenplay, and Ridley Scott, Kevin J. Walsh, Mark Huffam, and Joaquin Phoenix served as producers. Raymond Kirk, Aidan Elliott, and Michael Pruss executive produced. Napoleon is an Columbia Pictures and Apple Studios production.
The Plot: Napoleon is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, played by Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix. Against a stunning backdrop of large-scale filmmaking orchestrated by legendary director Ridley Scott, the film captures Bonaparte’s relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed.
