Dallas Lovato, Demi Lovato, and Matthew Montgomery in ‘Unidentified with Demi Lovato’ (Photo by: Richie Knapp/Peacock)
Peacock has set a September 30, 2021 premiere date for Demi Lovato’s limited series, Unidentified with Demi Lovato. The four-part docuseries stars Grammy nominee Demi Lovato (a true believer), Dallas Lovato, and Matthew Montgomery and features the trio as they interview scientists and abductees during their hunt for the truth about UFOs.
“We’re about to take off on a journey to explore the unknown and it’s going to be a wild ride,” posted Lovato on Instagram. “Join me, my sister, and my bestie on #UnidentifiedwithDemiLovato.”
Peacock describes Unidentified with Demi Lovato as an unscripted series “that follows Lovato, their skeptical best friend Matthew and their sister Dallas, as they attempt to help uncover the truth about the UFO phenomena. While consulting with leading experts, Demi, Dallas and Matthew will investigate recent eyewitness encounters, uncover secret government reports, and conduct tests at known UFO hot spots.”
The four-part series is produced by GoodStory Entertainment in association with SB Projects. Lovato, Andrew Nock, and SB Projects’ Scooter Braun, Scott Manson, and Allison Kaye executive produce. GoodStory’s JD Roth, Adam Greener, and Sara Hansemann also serve as executive producers.
The Official Synopsis, Courtesy of Peacock:
Demi is a true believer, and during this courageous adventure, they hope to convince their friends, family and their social fans and followers that not only do E.T.’s exist but that they are already on earth!
Demi plans to gain new insights into extra-terrestrials through interviewing scientists, eyewitnesses, alien abductees and conducting UFO experiments. They believe extra-terrestrials are here to help us save our planet and ourselves.
This series is an immersive docu-follow exploration of Demi’s quest, along with Dallas and Matthew, told through Demi’s unique and entertaining point of view.
Steve Harvey’s taking a seat on the bench as the star of a new unscripted courtroom comedy. ABC’s just greenlit a 10 episode first season of Judge Steve Harvey (the working title), with Harvey serving as judge and jury as well as an executive producer.
ABC released the following description of the one-hour unscripted comedy:
“The judge, the jury and the star of the series, Steve Harvey, will welcome a variety of conflicts and characters to his courtroom – from small claims to big disputes and everything in between. Steve plays by his own rules, basing his courtroom on his own life experiences and some good old common sense.”
ABC and Steve Harvey are currently looking for people 18 and older with a dispute to settle who’d like to appear on an episode. Applications are now being accepted for “roommates, friends, siblings, neighbors, co-workers, and more that have humor, heart, and passion who are ready to plead their case.” Visit MysticArt Pictures Casting for further details.
Brandon Williams and Den of Thieves’ Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager, Jared Morrell, and Barb Bialkowski are on board as executive producers. Myeshia Mizuno will guide the series as showrunner and executive produce.
ABC’s targeting a 2022 primetime launch of the unscripted series.
Squirrel!!! Pixar Animation Studios is honoring International Dog Day with the release of a short teaser trailer for Dug Days starring the lovable Dug the dog from Up. The fun teaser trailer reveals Dug will be joined in the series of five shorts by Up‘s Carl and Russell along with a squirrel.
Up screenwriter and co-director Bob Peterson wrote and directed Dug Days. Peterson also lends his voice to the easily distracted goofy dog once again.
“Dug is pure of heart — he’s a good soul. I think people enjoy that part of Dug,” said Peterson. “Plus, people love their dogs. We’ve gone to great lengths to include truth in dog behavior, so they see their own dogs in Dug.”
“Everything is new, and he’s excited about all of it. But the smallest things can distract Dug, never mind an actual squirrel,” explained Peterson, commenting on the five new shorts featuring the happy-go-lucky Dug venturing outside of Paradise Falls for the first time.
Disney+ will release Dug Days on September 1, 2021.
Dug Days Description:
Pixar Animation Studios’ Dug Days is a new collection of shorts that follows the humorous misadventures of Dug, the lovable dog from Disney and Pixar’s Up. Each short features everyday events that occur in and around Dug’s backyard, all through the exciting (and delightfully distorted) eyes of our favorite talking dog.
Netflix’s first teaser trailer from The Power of the Dog features Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game) whistling and laughing, yet without a word of dialogue he’s able to set us on edge. Although the teaser trailer gives nothing away, it does show off gorgeous cinematography and establishes the film’s tone.
In addition to unveiling a first teaser, Netflix’s released a new poster and photos from the Western written and directed by Oscar winner Jane Campion (The Piano).
Joining Cumberbatch in the drama are Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Thomasin McKenzie, Frances Conroy, Keith Carradine, Peter Carroll, and Adam Beach. Dunst and Plemons will be playing a married couple in the film and off-screen the duo – who met while working on FX’s Fargo – have two children together.
Writer/director Campion produces along with Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Roger Frappier, and Tanya Seghatchian. Campion’s behind the scenes team includes Director of Photography Ari Wegner, Production Designer Grant Major, Costume Designer Kirsty Cameron, Composer Jonny Greenwood, and Editor Peter Scibberas. The Power of the Dog is a See-Saw Films, Bad Girl Creek and Max Films production in association with Brightstar, The New Zealand Film Commission, Cross City Films and BBC Film.
Netflix is planning a November 17, 2021 release in select theaters followed by a release on the streaming service on December 1st.
Netflix’s Official Synopsis:
“Severe, pale-eyed, handsome, Phil Burbank is brutally beguiling. All of Phil’s romance, power and fragility is trapped in the past and in the land: He can castrate a bull calf with two swift slashes of his knife; he swims naked in the river, smearing his body with mud. He is a cowboy as raw as his hides.
The year is 1925. The Burbank brothers are wealthy ranchers in Montana. At the Red Mill restaurant on their way to market, the brothers meet Rose, the widowed proprietress, and her impressionable son Peter. Phil behaves so cruelly he drives them both to tears, reveling in their hurt and rousing his fellow cowhands to laughter – all except his brother George, who comforts Rose then returns to marry her.
As Phil swings between fury and cunning, his taunting of Rose takes an eerie form – he hovers at the edges of her vision, whistling a tune she can no longer play. His mockery of her son is more overt, amplified by the cheering of Phil’s cowhand disciples. Then Phil appears to take the boy under his wing. Is this latest gesture a softening that leaves Phil exposed, or a plot twisting further into menace?”
Wyatt Russell as Dan Lafferty in ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’ (CR: Matthias Clamer/FX)
The cast of FX’s limited series Under the Banner of Heaven has expanded to include Wyatt Russell, Sam Worthington, and Adelaide Clemens. Rory Culkin, Gil Birmingham, Christopher Heyerdahl, Denise Gough, Billy Howle, Seth Numrich, Chloe Pirrie, and Sandra Seacat have also just boarded the series inspired by Jon Krakauer’s NY Times bestselling novel.
The newly announced cast members join series stars Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones in the drama from Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black (Best Original Screenplay, Milk).
Black created the series and serves as an executive producer. Gillian Berrie (Hell or High Water, Starred Up) and Imagine Television’s Brian Grazer (Genius, Friday Night Lights), Ron Howard (Genius, Arrested Development), Samie Kim Falvey, and Anna Culp also executive produce. In addition, Aggregate Films’ Jason Bateman (Ozark, The Outsider) and Michael Costigan (A Teacher), along with David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water, Perfect Sense), are on board as executive producers, with Mackenzie also directing.
Filming is currently underway in Calgary. The limited series will air on FX on Hulu and is produced by FX Productions. FX has not announce a targeted premiere date.
The official casting announcement revealed Sam Worthington (Avatar) is playing Ron Lafferty and Denise Gough (the upcoming Rogue One prequel series) has been cast as Dianna Lafferty. Lodge 49‘s Wyatt Russell is Dan Lafferty, Billy Howle (The Serpent) is Allen Lafferty, and Yellowstone‘s Gil Birmingham is Bill Taba. Adelaide Clemens (Rectify) plays Rebecca Pyre, Rory Culkin (Halston) is Samuel Lafferty, Seth Numrich (Turn) is Robin Lafferty, and Chloe Pirrie (Kindred) is Matilda Lafferty.
Sandra Seacat (Enlightened) will play Josie Pyre and Van Helsing‘s Christopher Heyerdahl is Ammon Lafferty.
FX offered the following description of Under the Banner of Heaven:
“Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller Under the Banner of Heaven, a devout detective’s faith is tested as he investigates a brutal murder that seems to be connected to an esteemed Utah family’s spiral into LDS fundamentalism and their distrust in the government.”
Neon introduced the teaser trailer for Spencer during the 2021 CinemaCon and followed up it a day later with its release online. The one-minute teaser provides our first chance to see Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana preparing for what she expects to be a tense Christmas holiday with the royal family as she comes to a decision about divorcing Prince Charles.
In addition to Kristen Stewart (Personal Shopper,Clouds of Sils Maria, the Twilight franchise) as Princess Diana, the cast includes Jack Farthing (Poldark) as Prince Charles, BAFTA Award nominee Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner), Academy Award nominee Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), and Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible – Fallout).
Pablo Larraín (Jackie) directs from a screenplay by Steven Knight (Academy Award nominee for Dirty Pretty Things). Larraín’s behind the scenes team includes Director of Photography Claire Mathon (Portrait of a Lady on Fire), Costume Designer Jacqueline Durran (Academy award-winner for Little Women and Anna Karenina), Makeup and Hair Designer Wakana Yoshihara (Murder On The Orient Express), and Production Designer Guy Hendrix Dyas (Academy Award nominee for Passengers and Inception).
Academy Award, BAFTA, and Grammy Award nominee Jonny Greenwood (of Radiohead) composed the score.
Juan de Dios Larraín (Jackie, A Fantastic Woman) for Fabula Films, Jonas Dornbach and Janine Jackowski (Toni Erdmann) for Komplizen Film, and BAFTA award winner and Academy Award nominee Paul Webster (Anna Karenina, Atonement) for Shoebox Films are producing. Tom Quinn, Jeff Deutchman, and Christina Zisa for NEON and Michael Bloom, Maria Zuckerman and Ryan Heller for Topic Studios executive produce.
Neon will be releasing Spencer in theaters on November 5, 2021.
The Plot, Courtesy of Neon:
Spencer focuses on one weekend in the life of Princess Diana, as she spends the Christmas holiday with the royal family at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, and decides to leave her marriage to Prince Charles.
December, 1991: The marriage of Princess Diana and Prince Charles has long since grown cold. Though rumors of affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate. There’s eating and drinking, shooting and hunting. Diana knows the game. But this year, things will be profoundly different. Spencer is an imagining of what might have happened during those few fateful days.
‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ (Photo Credit: Focus Features)
The Downton Abbey sequel formerly referred to as Downton Abbey 2 is now officially Downton Abbey: A New Era. Focus Features and Carnival Films confirmed the official title and announced the film has moved off its Christmas 2021 theatrical release date and onto a March 18, 2022 opening date.
Update: On January 26, 2022 Focus Features confirmed Downton Abbey: A New Era will now open in the UK on April 29, 2022 and in the US on May 20, 2022.
Originial cast members returning for the theatrical sequel include Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith, Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary, Elizabeth McGovern as Cora Crawley, and two-time Academy-Award winner Maggie Smith (California Suite, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie) as Violet Crawley. Jim Carter is Mr. Carson, Phyllis Logan is Mrs. Hughes, Penelope Wilton is Isobel Merton, and Imelda Staunton is Maud Bagshaw.
Newcomers to the world of Downton Abbey include Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye, and Dominic West.
Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes wrote the screenplay and serves as producer. Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning Gareth Neame and Emmy Award-winning Liz Trubridge also produce, with BAFTA and Emmy nominated Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn) directing.
The 2019 Downton Abbey feature film was directed by Michael Engler and currently sits at 84% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The PG-rated drama grossed $31 million over its domestic opening weekend and went on to pull in $193 million worldwide during its theatrical run.
A Look Back at the First Downton Abbey Film’s Description:
The television series followed the lives of the Crawley family and the servants who worked for them at the turn of the 20th century in an Edwardian English country house. The initial film followed a Royal Visit to the Crawley family and Downton staff from the King and Queen of England and ended with a ball fitting for the Royal Family.
LaKeith Stanfield in season 1 episode 1 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
Victor LaValle’s The Changeling is being adapted into a series with Judas and the Black Messiah‘s LaKeith Stanfield on board to star and executive produce. The Changeling is described by Apple TV+ as a fairytale for grownups – “a horror story, a parenthood fable and a perilous odyssey through a New York City you didn’t know existed.”
Apple TV+ announcement of The Changeling series order confirmed the talent behind the scenes will include Kelly Marcel (Cruella, Venom) and Melina Matsoukas (Queen & Slim, Insecure). Marcel is adapting LaValle’s bestselling novel for the series and will serve as executive producer and showrunner. Matsoukas will direct and executive produce through her De La Revolution Films.
The Changeling is an Apple TV+ production by Apple Studios and Annapurna. Annapurna’s Megan Ellison, Sue Naegle, Patrick Chu, and Ali Krug will also serve as executive producers on the new drama.
“When Apollo Kagwa’s father disappeared, all he left his son were strange recurring dreams and a box of books stamped with the word IMPROBABILIA. Now Apollo is a father himself—and as he and his wife, Emma, are settling into their new lives as parents, exhaustion and anxiety start to take their toll. Apollo’s old dreams return and Emma begins acting odd. Irritable and disconnected from their new baby boy, at first Emma seems to be exhibiting signs of postpartum depression, but it quickly becomes clear that her troubles go even deeper. Before Apollo can do anything to help, Emma commits a horrific act—beyond any parent’s comprehension—and vanishes, seemingly into thin air.
Thus begins Apollo’s odyssey through a world he only thought he understood, to find a wife and child who are nothing like he’d imagined. His quest, which begins when he meets a mysterious stranger who claims to have information about Emma’s whereabouts, takes him to a forgotten island, a graveyard full of secrets, a forest where immigrant legends still live, and finally back to a place he thought he had lost forever.
This captivating retelling of a classic fairy tale imaginatively explores parental obsession, spousal love, and the secrets that make strangers out of the people we love the most. It’s a thrilling and emotionally devastating journey through the gruesome legacies that threaten to devour us and the homely, messy magic that saves us, if we’re lucky.”
Fox’s updated Fantasy Island series continues with season one episode 4, “Once Upon a Time in Havana.” Episode four is set to air on August 31, 2021 at 9pm ET/PT and features a musician who needs to deal with family issues.
The cast of the reboot is led by Roselyn Sánchez as Elena Roarke, a descendant of the iconic Mr. Roarke. Kiara Barnes (The Bold and the Beautiful) plays Ruby Akuda and John Gabriel Rodriguez (Rosewood) is Javier. Episode four’s guest stars include Gigi Zumbado, Ektor Rivera, and Modesto Lacen.
“Once Upon a Time in Havana” Plot: Percussionist Alma wants to be accepted by her tight-knit Cuban family, but to understand why they disapprove of her musical career, she must revisit their history.
Series Description, Courtesy of Fox:
Fantasy Island takes place at a luxury resort, where literally any fantasy requested by guests is fulfilled, although they rarely turn out as expected. Delving into the ‘what if’ questions – both big and small – that keep us awake at night, each episode will tell emotional, provocative stories about people who arrive with dreams and desires and depart enlightened and transformed through the magical realism of Fantasy Island.
Serving as steward of this mysterious island is Elena Roarke (Sanchez), a descendant of the iconic Mr. Roarke. Elena set aside her own ambitions, and even the love of her life, to uphold her family’s legacy. Sophisticated, insightful and always charming, her calm exterior masks the challenges of the responsibilities she has assumed.
Assisting Elena is Ruby Akuda (Barnes), a young woman with an old soul who arrives on Fantasy Island with a terminal illness and is given a new lease on life there; and pilot Javier (Rodriquez), who also is the head of island transportation and a jack of all trades.
The spotlight was on Warner Bros. Pictures on night two of the considerably less flashy than usual 2021 CinemaCon held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Studios have opted to keep their talent safe at home this year – who could blame them? – and the presentations have focused on the status of the industry and the hope we’ll be able to return to normal in the near future. WB’s panel consisted of exclusive video presentations of the studio’s upcoming films, including Malignant, Cry Macho, The Matrix Resurrections (formerly known as The Matrix 4), King Richard, The Many Saints of Newark, and Dune, without a single actor, filmmaker, or studio executive hitting the stage.
The Warner Bros. panel was expected to be a bit prickly as it was the first of the major studios with a streaming arm to deliver a presentation in front of the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) at this year’s convention. Sony kicked off the 2021 CinemaCon by confirming its commitment to releasing its films first exclusively in theaters. Warner Bros. Pictures executives didn’t attend in person but did affirm in video messages their continuing belief films deserve to be seen in theaters.
NATO Chairman and Marcus Theatres CEO Rolando Rodriguez began the presentation by noting one of the key things we’ve learned over the past year is that we are social beings and need to see each other in person. The crowd warmly applauded the introduction of Warner Bros. Pictures but there was a sprinkling of chuckles when Rodriguez said the studio was supportive of the theatrical experience. Rodriguez pointed out Warner Bros. has been an industry leader in market share eight out of the past 10 years and the studio has released more films in theaters than any other studio since the pandemic began.
The heads of Warner Bros distributiion weren’t able to be there because of family commitments but appeared in video messages thanking NATO members, noting the challenges of the past year and a half and acknowledging the studio had to make tough and controversial choices. President of Domestic Distribution Jeff Goldstein and President of International Distribution Andrew Cripps believe the studio’s future looks bright and they’re proud of their diverse slate of upcoming films. Both agreed that being together in theaters is the optimal way to watch films as part of the communal experience and believe going to the movies is in our DNA. Cripps said “size does matter” when it comes to watching a movie, and that iPads just don’t provide the same experience as seeing a film on the big screen.
And now on to a recap of the footage portion of the WB presentation:
First up, Malignant, the original horror film from New Line and James Wan. Wan, in a prerecorded video, said he felt it was important to return to his horror roots. He thinks audiences are starved for something different and new, and they want filmmakers to be bold and take chances. Wan described Malignant as a “larger than life story to be enjoyed on the big screen.”
Wan hopes Malignant will make audiences scream, laugh, and hide behind their fingers.
Clint Eastwood’s Cry Macho was up next and while some of the presentation focused on the film, most of the video was a career retrospective honoring Eastwood’s lengthy career behind the camera.
Eastwood explained he’s always been curious about how directors put things together, and Steven Spielberg pointed out Play Misty for Me made it apparent Eastwood was a storyteller and not just an actor handling other people’s stories. Spielberg described his fellow filmmaker as eclectic and a real chameleon.
Denzel Washington called Eastwood a learned storyteller, Meryl Streep believes he always makes important stories, and Gene Hackman called him a throwback. George Lucas and Martin Scorsese praised the fact he does the films he wants to do – not ones the studio necessarily wants to make.
Next up, the NATO audience was treated to a sneak peek of the opening scenes from The Sopranos prequel, The Many Saints of Newark. The prequel reveals Tony Soprano’s backstory and how he grew up to be the mob boss we came to know in HBO’s The Sopranos. Michael Imperioli’s Christopher is heard in a voiceover, noting Tony strangled him and describing how his uncle met his father when they were much younger and still learning the ropes.
A lengthy trailer from King Richard was next featuring Will Smith as Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena Williams. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, King Richard is expected to open in theaters November 19, 2021.
The Matrix 4’s new title – The Matrix Resurrections – was revealed and the film’s stars Keanu Reeves (“Neo”) and Carrie-Anne Moss (“Trinity”) recalled making the original The Matrix. Reeves knew the incredibly ambitious film was going to be big while they were shooting it, and Moss called the experience of being part of the ground-breaking sci-fi franchise “transformative.” When people tell Reeves The Matrix has changed their lives, Reeves said he always replies, “Thank you. It changed mine too.”
The video commentary was followed by the premiere screening of stunning footage from The Matrix: Resurrections. Neil Patrick Harris is introduced as Thomas’ (Reeves) therapist. Thomas confesses he’s been having weird dreams that aren’t just dreams. He’s unaware of his time as The One and a meeting with Trinity at a coffee shop proves she’s also lost her memories of their prior relationship.
“White Rabbit” plays as we learn Thomas/Neo is once again going to be choosing which pill to take and there’s a person involved who looks like but isn’t Morpheus. There’s a quick shot of Neo staring at a much older version of himself in the mirror, scenes of Neo looking confused as to why everyone’s glued to their phones, and incredible action sequences that perfectly capture the feel of the first Matrix films. One brief clip that stands out is of Neo using his powers to alter the direction of a missile.
The footage was met with sustained, well-deserved applause.
Warner Bros. also debuted new footage from the much-anticipated comic book-inspired The Batman. The video presentation included Robert Pattinson describing his excitement over the direction of the character. Pattinson said Batman has always stood out as one of the major characters of the 20th century; people connect with him on many different levels. Pattinson believes this Batman is radically different from what we’ve seen before, and director Matt Reeves described him as a more emotional Batman. Reeves also confirmed the story follows a Batman who’s still learning and is in just his second year as the Caped Crusader.
The new footage included a look at Andy Serkis as Alfred and Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman.
Warner Bros. Pictures’ CinemaCon presentation finished up with a new extended trailer for Dune as well as a lengthy sequence involving a spice harvester which was introduced as a personal favorite scene of director Denis Villeneuve’s. Timothée Chalamat and the cast describe director Villeneuve’s Dune as operatic and filled with characters they could instantly invest in.
The extended clip begins with a ship heading toward a harvester billowing smoke. Paul Atreides (Chalamet), Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin), Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), and Liet Kynes (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) are on the ship and need to rescue the men on board the harvester before it can be swallowed up by a worm. The clip was absolutely spectacular and nearly impossible to describe. Suffice it to say, it’s safe to believe the hype surrounding Dune.
