It’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s…Koala Man? Hulu will be extending its run of weird yet entertaining animated comedies with the announcement of a Koala Man series. Created by Michael Cusack (YOLO: Crystal Fantasy), Koala Man‘s first eight-episode season will introduce audiences to an Aussie dad who dons a koala-ish outfit to battle crime.
Hulu released a photo of the title character as well as a short description of the animated series:
“An animated family comedy where the patriarch lives a not-so-secret identity of Koala Man, an Australian suburban superhero with no powers but a burning passion to snuff out petty crime and bring order to the community.”
Koala Man joins an animated lineup that includes Solar Opposites (returning for season two on March 26th) and Crossing Swords featuring the voices of Nicholas Hoult and Luke Evans. The streaming service’s Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. arrives May 21st, with Marvel’s Hit Monkey currently in development.
Koala Man comes from Cusack, Benji Samit, and Dan Hernandez. Cusack is writing and executive producing, with Pokémon Detective Pikachu‘s writers Samit and Hernandez co-showrunning and executive producing. The series is set up at 20th Television Animation, and Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland, Princess Pictures, and Bento Box are also executive producing.
Samit and Hernandez have been collaborating since both were working on their undergraduate degrees at Brown University. Their television credits include Central Park, One Day at a Time, The Tick, Super Fun Night, and 1600 Penn. They’re presently working on screenplays for Addams Family 2 and Night Wolf which is set to star Kevin Hart.
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry* (IFPI) has released their annual Global Music report, and it is a lot to unpack. According to IFPI, the global recorded music market grew by 7.4% in 2020, marking the sixth consecutive year of growth. Figures released today in IFPI’s Global Music Report show total revenues for 2020 were $21.6 billion.
Growth was driven by streaming, especially by paid subscription streaming revenues which increased by 18.5%. There were 443 million users of paid subscription accounts at the end of 2020, according to IFPI. Total streaming – including both paid subscription and advertising-supported – grew 19.9% and reached $13.4 billion, or 62.1% of total global recorded music revenues.
Latin America was once again the fastest-growing region globally, with revenues increasing by 15.9% in 2020. Africa and the Middle East made their debut on the chart, with the region increasing by 8.4% primarily thanks to the Middle East and North Africa region.
While streaming was up, other areas took a hit largely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical revenues fell by 4.7% in 2020 to a total of $4.2 billion, which is a slightly slower rate of decline than the previous year’s 5.3%. Alongside a reduction in revenues from CDs (down by 11.9%), vinyl had an extraordinarily strong year and revenues grew 23.5% compared with 6.1% in 2019. Revenues from performance rights (use of recorded music by broadcasters and public venues) declined by 10.1% in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic impacted public performance revenues, interrupting more than a decade of continuous growth in this area.
“As the world contends with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are reminded of the enduring power of music to console, heal and lift our spirits. Some things are timeless, like the power of a great song or the connection between artists and fans, but some things have changed. With so much of the world in lockdown and live music shut down, in nearly every corner of the globe most fans enjoyed music via streaming,” stated IFPI Chief Executive, Frances Moore. (Read Moore’s full statement here.)
IFPI rolled out their 2020 Chart reports, including the Top Global Recording Artists of 2020 report, earlier this month. Mega popular supergroup BTS took the honor of ranking number one on that chart as well as the Global Top 10 Singles Chart, Global Top 10 Album All-Format Chart, and Global Top 10 Albums Sales Chart.
IFPI ranks the top 10 music markets in 2020 as follows:
1. United States
2. Japan
3. UK
4. Germany
5. France
6. South Korea
7. China
8. Canada
9. Australia
10. Netherlands
* – The IFPI is the organization that represents the recorded music industry worldwide.
Disney has unveiled new release details for its slate of upcoming films including Cruella, Marvel Studios’ Black Widow, and Pixar’s Luca. The live-action Cruella, which tells the story of 101 Dalmatians‘ villain Cruella de Vil, will be released in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on May 28, 2021. Marvel’s Black Widow will arrive simultaneously in theaters and Disney+ with Premier Access on July 9.
Luca will bypass a theatrical release and premiere exclusively on Disney+ on Friday, June 18th.
Theatrical release dates have also shifted for the following films:
Free Guy opens August 13, 2021
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will be released September 3, 2021
The King’s Man premieres December 22, 2021
Deep Water opens January 14, 2022
Death on the Nile moves to February 11, 2022
“Today’s announcement reflects our focus on providing consumer choice and serving the evolving preferences of audiences. By leveraging a flexible distribution strategy in a dynamic marketplace that is beginning to recover from the global pandemic, we will continue to employ the best options to deliver The Walt Disney Company’s unparalleled storytelling to fans and families around the world,” stated Kareem Daniel, Chairman, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution.
Luca Plot:
Luca, a new original feature film opening June 18, 2021, celebrates the universal theme of friendship. Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, it is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface.
Details on Cruella:
Emma Stone stars in Disney’s Cruella, an all-new live-action feature film about the rebellious early days of one of cinemas most notorious – and notoriously fashionable – villains, the legendary Cruella de Vil. Cruella, which is set in 1970s London amidst the punk rock revolution, follows a young grifter named Estella, a clever and creative girl determined to make a name for herself with her designs. She befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they are able to build a life for themselves on the London streets.
One day, Estella’s flair for fashion catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman, a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute, played by Emma Thompson. But their relationship sets in motion a course of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable and revenge-bent Cruella.
Black Widow Synopsis:
In Marvel Studios’ action-packed spy thriller Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.
Angela Lewis as Aunt Louie, Amin Joseph as Jerome Saint, and Damson Idris as Franklin Saint in ‘Snowfall’ season 4 (Photo Credit: Ray Mickshaw/FX)
Season four of FX’s critically acclaimed drama Snowfall is outperforming season three, which probably made the call for a fifth season renewal a relatively easy decision for the network. Per FX, season four’s first three episodes showed a 41% increase in viewers over season three.
Snowfall was created by the late John Singleton, Eric Amadio, and Dave Andron, with Andron serving as showrunner. Andron, Amadio, Thomas Schlamme, Michael London, Trevor Engelson, Leonard Chang, Walter Mosley, and Julie DeJoie executive produce. Singleton retains a posthumous credit as executive producer.
Season four airs on Wednesdays at 10pm ET/PT. There are five episodes left of the 10 episode season which will conclude on April 21, 2021.
“Snowfall has come into its own as one of the best dramas on TV, its quality and audience growth is a remarkable achievement for a show in its fourth season,” stated Eric Schrier, President, FX Entertainment. “This series owes its excellence to the amazing team behind Snowfall, its Co-Creator John Singleton and Co-Creator/Showrunner Dave Andron and Executive Producers Walter Mosley, Leonard Chang, and Tommy Schlamme. Damson Idris and our entire cast continue to deliver outstanding performances every episode.”
In addition to Damson Idris as Franklin Saint, the season four cast includes Amin Joseph as Jerome Saint, Angela Louis, Isaiah John as Leon Simmons, and Carter Hudson as Teddy McDonald. Sergio Peris-Mencheta is Gustavo ‘El Oso’ Zapata, Michael Hyatt is Cissy Saint, Angela Lewis stars as Aunt Louie, and Alon Moni Aboutboul is Avi Drexler.
Kevin Carroll plays Alton Saint, Melvin Gregg is Manboy, De’aundre Bonds is Skully, and DeRay Davis is Peaches.
The Season 4 Plot, Courtesy of FX:
In the fourth season of Snowfall, business is booming. It’s January 1, 1985. Ronald Reagan has won his re-election campaign proclaiming it is “morning again in America,” but in South Central, Los Angeles, it feels more like the sun is getting low. The demand for crack cocaine is high, and while our crew of dealers led by Franklin Saint are benefitting greatly from the rising tide of addiction, they are also starting to become aware of the damage the drug is doing to the people and to the place they love.
With the entire nation taking note, the LAPD is diverting serious money and resources to the “war on drugs.” Politicians’ phones are ringing. Powerful people are concerned from the hallways of The White House to those of CIA headquarters, where there are whispers that one of their own may be involved in this burgeoning epidemic.
HBO’s just debuted the official trailer for The Nevers, a new sci-fi drama created by Joss Whedon (The Avengers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer). The Nevers will kick off the first part of season one on Sunday, April 11, 2021 at 9pm ET/PT.
Part one consists of six one-hour episodes. Part two will arrive at a later date.
The cast of season one is led by Laura Donnelly (Outlander) and Ann Skelly (Vikings). Olivia Williams (The Father), James Norton (Little Women), Tom Riley (Da Vinci’s Demons), Pip Torrens (The Crown), Ben Chaplin (Mad Dogs), and Denis O’Hare (American Gods) also star in the period drama with a supernatural twist.
The Nevers cast also includes Amy Manson, Rochelle Neil, Zackary Momoh, Eleanor Tomlinson, Elizabeth Berrington, Anna Devlin, Kiran Sonia Sawar, Viola Prettejohn, Ella Smith, Vinnie Heaven, and Nick Frost.
Poster for season 1 part 1 of ‘The Nevers’ (Photo Courtesy of HBO)
The Plot and Characters, Courtesy of HBO:
August, 1896. Victorian London is rocked to its foundations by a supernatural event which gives certain people – mostly women – abnormal abilities, from the wondrous to the disturbing. But no matter their particular “turns,” all who belong to this new underclass are in grave danger. It falls to mysterious, quick-fisted widow Amalia True (Donnelly) and brilliant young inventor Penance Adair (Skelly) to protect and shelter these gifted “orphans.” To do so, they will have to face the brutal forces determined to annihilate their kind.
Olivia Williams as Lavinia Bidlow, the wealthy benefactress funding the orphanage for Amalia’s outcasts, who are also known as the Touched.
James Norton as Hugo Swann, the rich and irreverent proprietor of a den of iniquity.
Tom Riley as Augustus “Augie” Bidlow, Lavinia’s sweet, awkward, younger brother with a secret of his own.
Pip Torrens as Lord Gilbert Massen, a high-ranking government official leading the crusade against our heroines.
Ben Chaplin as Inspector Frank Mundi, who’s torn between his police duties and moral compass.
Denis O’Hare as Edmund Hague, a deranged doctor searching for the source of the powers.
Amy Manson as the tortured, murderous Maladie, who derives power from pain.
Rochelle Neil as the fire-wielding Annie “Bonfire” Carby, one of Maladie’s motley gang.
Zackary Momoh as orphanage doctor Horatio Cousens, whose turn equips him with healing powers.
Eleanor Tomlinson as Mary Brighton, a broken and resilient performer pursuing her dream of singing on stage.
Elizabeth Berrington as Lucy Best, adaptive and streetwise, her quick-wit and high spirits mask the pain of a tragic past.
Anna Devlin as Primrose Chattoway who, at ten feet tall and a dreamy demeanor, wishes to be an ordinary girl not taking up too much space.
Kiran Sonia Sawar as Harriet Kaur, a young Scottish Sikh and aspiring lawyer, determined to live her life as she planned.
Viola Prettejohn as Myrtle Haplisch, a middle-class girl rescued from a family who cannot understand her – literally, as she can no longer speak any form of language they understand.
Ella Smith as Désireé Blodgett, a prostitute with a power that gets her in trouble and a six-year old son who never speaks.
Vinnie Heaven as Nimble Jack, a rakish and charming young thief and an expert at breaking and entering.
Nick Frost as feared criminal overlord Declan “Beggar King” Orrun.
In the bizarro world in which Nobody dwells, Bob Odenkirk’s “every man” Hutch Mansell has a special set of skills that would turn Liam Neeson’s Taken dude green with envy. Odenkirk isn’t the first or, honestly, even the hundredth name to pop into anyone’s head at the mention of an action hero. Yet for some weird reason, Nobody not only works, it’s right up there with the better action films of the past decade. Go figure.
We’re introduced to Hutch as he goes through his dreary daily routine. Breakfast, take out the trash, catch the metro, clock in, work, clock out, home, bed…rinse & repeat. It’s a grind but bearable because it pays the bills and because he could pretty much perform his job in his sleep. There’s also the added benefit of being able to spend the evenings with his family.
Life continues this way until two intruders enter their home while the Mansell family is asleep. With his wife (Connie Nielsen) and two kids (Gage Munroe, Paisley Cadorath) threatened and his home invaded, Hutch does what every normal parent would do—he prepares to protect his family from danger. However, it’s his teenage son who launches an attack. Hutch has the opportunity to injure the intruders but fails to act, and it appears at first glance that it’s because he chickened out.
But that’s not actually the case. In the first impressive bit of action heroism, Hutch takes on a handful of hooligans on board a stopped bus. If you’re like me, you’re going to assume this scene is a dream sequence in which Hutch channels his inner stud and goes John Wick on random baddies. The fact it’s really happening and is setting up even larger, more intense and over-the-top action sequences is mind-blowing, considering we’re discussing a film starring Bob Odenkirk.
And speaking of John Wick, if that blockbuster franchise doesn’t spring to mind within the first half an hour of Nobody, then you’re either not a Keanu Reeves fan or not into the action genre in general. If the latter’s the case, you’ve probably wandered into Nobody under the mistaken belief it’s something other than a balls-to-the-wall, action-packed thriller. It’s not. In fact, plot-wise there’s not a lot going on. But in no way is the action less impressive than John Wick, Taken, or other recent films of the action ilk.
Bob Odenkirk’s surprisingly believable as Nobody’s lead. Better Call Saul fans are going to love seeing this side of Odenkirk, and Nobody’s a total blast because of—not despite—its lead actor. Plus, there’s the added bonus of Christopher Lloyd and RZA as Hutch’s father and brother, respectively, who join in the madness and mayhem.
After the first fight on a bus, Nobody’s nearly non-stop action is fantastically fun and a real not in the least bit mentally taxing joyride. Logic and physics may not always be in play, but director Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry) and screenwriter Derek Kolstad (the John Wick franchise) do a terrific job of continuously upping the ante over the film’s swiftly paced 92-minutes.
Nobody doesn’t squander any opportunities to insert a little dark humor among all the violence, which makes perfect sense given Bob Odenkirk as the film’s lead. Odenkirk’s such an unlikely but likable action hero that hopefully Nobody is just the first installment of a new must-see action franchise.
GRADE: B+
MPAA Rating: R for language throughout, brief drug use, bloody images, and strong violence
Oscar winner Jamie Foxx (Ray) is set to star in a limited series spanning the life of boxer Mike Tyson. The limited series is an authorized biography and Tyson will be involved as an executive producer.
Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Southpaw) will direct Tyson with Colin Preston attached to write. Academy Award winner Martin Scorsese (The Departed) is executive producing under his Sikelia Productions banner along with Jamie Foxx and Antoine Fuqua.
The project was originally planned to be a feature film.
“I have been looking to tell my story for quite some time,” stated Mike Tyson. “With the recent launch of Legends Only League and the excitement from fans following my return to the ring, now feels like the perfect moment. I look forward to collaborating with Martin, Antoine, Jamie, and the entire creative team to bring audiences a series that not only captures my professional and personal journey but also inspires and entertains.”
LBI Entertainment’s Rick Yorn, Ian Montone, Chuck Pacheco, and James Barnett are on board to executive produce. Sophie Watts and John Ryan Jr. from Mike Tyson’s Legends Only League will also executive produce alongside Mike Tyson’s wife, Kiki Tyson.
Jamie Foxx’s recent film credits include Just Mercy, Robin Hood, Baby Driver, and Sleepless. Foxx lent his voice to Pixar’s critically acclaimed Soul which will be competing against A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, Onward, WolfWalkers, and Over the Moon in the Best Animated Feature Film category at the 2021 Academy Awards.
Foxx’s television work includes hosting the interactive music game show Beat Shazam for three seasons (2017-2019) on Fox. His daughter Corinne was the series’ deejay.
Amazon Prime Video’s just debuted the official trailer for Them, a new anthology series created by Little Marvin. The 10-episode series will premiere on Friday, April 9, 2021 and stars Deborah Ayorinde (Harriet, Luke Cage), Ashley Thomas (Top Boy), Alison Pill (American Horror Story), Shahadi Wright Joseph (Us), Melody Hurd (Trick), and Ryan Kwanten (True Blood).
Little Marvin is the writer and showrunner, and also executive produces along with Lena Waithe, Miri Yoon and Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment, David Matthews, and Don Kurt. The anthology series is a Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios co-production.
The Plot, Courtesy of Amazon:
Them is a limited anthology series that explores terror in America. The 1950s-set first season centers on a Black family who moves from North Carolina to an all-white Los Angeles neighborhood during the period known as The Great Migration. The family’s idyllic home becomes ground zero where malevolent forces, next-door and otherworldly, threaten to taunt, ravage and destroy them.
Poster for ‘Them’ (Photo Courtesy of Amazon Prime Video)
Mike Cabellon as Tommy, Ted Danson as Mayor Neil Bremer, Vella Lovell as Mikaela, Holly Hunter as Arpi, and Bobby Moynihan as Jayden in ‘Mr. Mayor’ (Photo by: Chris Haston/NBC)
NBC’s officially confirmed the half-hour comedy Mr. Mayor has been renewed for a second season. The series kicked off season one on January 7, 2021, with the pilot episode raking in more than 16 million total viewers to date. According to the network, Mr. Mayor stands as the most watched Thursday comedy premiere since Will & Grace returned with new episodes in 2017.
The cast of season one is led by Ted Danson, hot off a four-season run on the critically acclaimed The Good Place, and Oscar winner Holly Hunter (The Piano). Vella Lovell (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Mike Cabellon (Orange is the New Black), Kyla Kenedy (The Walking Dead), and Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live) also star.
Co-creator Robert Carlock, co-creator Tina Fey, Jeff Richmond, and David Miner serve as executive producers.
“Having Ted Danson and Holly Hunter leading this brilliant ensemble is a dream,” stated Lisa Katz, President, Scripted Content, NBCUniversal Entertainment and Streaming. “A huge thank you to Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, and our talented cast and crew for an incredible first season. We are excited for more hilarity in season two.”
“We’ve loved our collaboration with NBC on the first season of Mr. Mayor and are excited to continue working with our fantastic cast, led by the incomparable Ted Danson and Holly Hunter,” said Erin Underhill, President, Universal Television. “We can’t wait to see what Tina Fey, Robert Carlock and our talented producing team have in store for Mayor Bremer and his rag-tag team of civil servants.”
The Season 1 Plot, Courtesy of NBC:
Mr. Mayor follows a retired businessman (Danson) who runs for mayor of Los Angeles to prove he’s “still got it.” Once he wins, he has to figure out what he stands for, gain the respect of his biggest critic (Hunter) and connect with his teenage daughter, all while trying to get anything right for America’s second weirdest city.
Netflix just released the first five photos from the upcoming sci-fi thriller Stowaway. The photos feature Oscar nominee Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air) as Zoe Levenson, Oscar nominee Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense) as Marina Barnett, Daniel Dae Kim (New Amsterdam) as David Kim, and Shamier Anderson (Wynonna Earp) as Michael Adams.
Joe Penna (Artic) co-wrote and directed the drama, with Ryan Morrison co-writing the screenplay.
Netflix has set an April 22, 2021 premiere date.
The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
On a mission headed to Mars, an unintended stowaway accidentally causes severe damage to the spaceship’s life support systems. Facing dwindling resources and a potentially fatal outcome, the crew is forced to make an impossible decision.
