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BGN News Beat

BGN News Beat
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What’s going on in the TV world?

Credit: Netflix, Fox

Netflix’s Stranger Things, continues to pay homage to the 80s or in this case, late 70s with a new poster released last week. The poster is in a style similar to 1979’s Alien. Several character posters, for new and old one, with the ominous line ‘It only gets stranger’ written on all of them were also released. All of them are suitably creepy.

Credit: Netflix

 

In sad news for everyone who loved watching the quirky and hilarious people who inhabited the world of Chewing Gum, writer, show creator and star Michaela Coel announced that she would not be writing a third season. While there’s still a chance she might return to it in the future, for right now she plans to focus on other projects. If this is truly the end of the show, the season 2 finale was an emotionally satisfying way to go. I wish Michaela all the best and look forward to what she will do in the future.

In better news, Shohreh Aghdashloo, of The Expanse, will be joining Netflix’s The Punisher in a recurring role. She will play Farah Madani, mother of a Homeland Security officer who is possibly at odds with Frank. Speaking of the Marvel’s Netflix-verse, Netflix revealed that Jessica Jones is the show fans most often start with followed by Daredevil, Luke Cage and then Iron Fist.

Continuing with the tv news, Critical Content studio is developing a Malcolm X series based on his biography Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention. David Matthews, best known for his work on Boardwalk Empire has been brought to write for the series. Starz is adding to their stable of innovative shows. They are developing a series based on the Black Samurai novels by Marc Olden. Common will star as the main character, an army ranger who is trained to be a samurai. Carmi Zlotnik, the president of programming for Starz, said the series will be an “action-packed ride and with the Bruckheimer team, Common, RZA and Andre at the helm, we can feel certain this will be exceptional storytelling.”

BBC Two has acquired FX’s Snowfall from 20th Century Fox Television. Snowfall was recently renewed for a second season. Regina King will be directing the sixth episode of season 2 for the wildly popular NBC drama, This is Us. King’s director credits include Shameless, Pitch, Greenleaf, Animal Kingdom, The Catch, Scandal and Being Mary Jane.

Finally, in news that set racist comic fan twitter ablaze, 24: Legacy’s Anna Diop was cast as Starfire in Warner Bros new live-action series Titans based on DC’s Teen Titans comics. Yes, we now have a Black space princess with superpowers. The series will be written by Geoff Jones, Akiva Goldsman and Greg Berlanti. It’s set to premiere next year on DC’s new digital streaming service.

Credit: Fox, DC

 

In Movie News…

The cast for the movie adaptation of Angela Thomas’ young adult novel, The Hate U Give is growing. This week it was announced that Common and Issa Rae would be joining the cast. The movie stars Amandla Stenberg as teenager who witnesses her friend being killed by police officers. Common will play her uncle. Rounding out the cast of her family are Russell Hornsby and Regina Hall as her parents and Lamar Johnson as her brother. Issa Rae, in her first film role, will play an activist that helps guide’s Stenberg’s character. Read our coverage of it here.

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The Wire’s Michael Kenneth Williams will no longer be in the untitled Han Solo film. Earlier in the summer it was announced that the previous directors left the project and were replaced Ron Howard. Unfortunately that led to a delay and Williams’ schedule would not allow him to return for reshoots. Thus his self-described half human and half animal character was cut from the film. It’s unfortunate that we’re losing such a capable actor in a project already plagued by numerous problems.

This week has been a roller coaster ride for DC extended universe news. It’s looking less like an extended universe and more like a series of separate stand alone films linked only by their shared source material. The Joker is getting a stand alone movie that won’t star Jared Leto and isn’t in the extended universe. Todd Phillips, producer and director of The Hangover movies, will likely write and direct the film. Martin Scorsese will also play a role with the film.

Matt Reeves, director of the Batman standalone film, said in an interview that it would be outside of the DCEU. He later walked back those statements. The Batman film will be part of the DCEU. At least for now. Warner Bros is fast tracking the sequel to Suicide Squad. They hope to start filming next year. As of now, the film is without a script and director though Mel Gibson and Guy Ritchie have been rumored for the latter. Warner Bros seems to see their future in the Joker because he is getting another film. A Harley and Joker film, this one with Jared Leto and Margot Robbie resuming their roles, will be made by the team behind NBC’s This is Us and 2011’s Crazy, Stupid, Love, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa.

Finally, in an interview with the Guardian, Avatar director James Cameron said the following of the Wonder Woman film:

“All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywood’s been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided. She’s an objectified icon, and it’s just male Hollywood doing the same old thing! I’m not saying I didn’t like the movie but, to me, it’s a step backwards. Sarah Connor was not a beauty icon. She was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit. And to me, [the benefit of characters like Sarah] is so obvious. I mean, half the audience is female!”

Much can be said about how female characters are judged more harshly than male ones. It seems especially aggravating in this case where a male director criticized a movie directed by a woman about a female hero not living up to his standards about what a female character should be. The phrase ‘stay in your lane’ immediately popped into my head. Wonder Woman director, Patty Jenkins, gave a classy reply.

Rest in peace to Dick Gregory, comedian, writer, and civil rights activist. You were an inspiration to so many.

If you have anything I missed, email me at mel@blackgirlnerds.com or tweet me at jane@anon. Check back in next Monday for all the exciting news happening next week.


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