What’s going on in the TV world?
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There’s a new trailer out for Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger. The series made its world premiere at SXSW in Austin last week. The pilot episode is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball and Beyond the Lights). Cloak & Dagger follows two teenagers from different backgrounds who suddenly find out that not only do they have superpowers but those powers are mysteriously connected. The series will premiere on Freeform on June 7.
Queen Sugar, the critically acclaimed OWN drama from Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey returns in May with a two-part season premiere. This week DuVernay announced that for the third season they will once again use exclusively female directors for the show. Some of the directors tapped include Patricia Cardoso (Real Women Have Curves) and DeMane Davis, who directed episodes from season 2. Shaz Bennett (Alaska Is a Drag), Maria Govan (Rain and Play the Devil) and Lauren Wolkstein (The Strange Ones) are all making their TV directorial debuts for season 3.
AMC released new images for the upcoming season 3 of Into the Badlands. We have our first look at the characters played by newcomers Ella-Rae Smith, Lewis Tan, Sherman Augustus, and Lorraine Toussaint. Season three of Into the Badlands finds Sunny (Daniel Wu) living off the grid, doing his best to provide for his infant son, Henry, in the wake of Veil’s death. It is only when Henry contracts a mysterious illness that Sunny must join forces with Bajie (Nick Frost) and journey back into the Badlands, where The Widow (Emily Beecham) and Baron Chau (Eleanor Matsuura) are entrenched in a drawn-out war that has destabilized the entire region. No longer supported by Tilda (Ally Ioannides) or Waldo (Stephen Lang), The Widow must find new allies in Lydia (Orla Brady) and in Nathaniel Moon (Augustus) — the former regent who lost his hand to Sunny and Bajie in Season 2. But when a mysterious nomadic leader called Pilgrim (Babou Ceesay) arrives in the Badlands on a mission to restore Azra and usher in a new era of “peace,” old enemies must band together to defend the Badlands.
Marvel Entertainment has released the character models and descriptions of the line up for their new animated franchise Marvel Rising. There will be six digital shorts and an animated film coming out later this year. The team up includes Inferno, Quake, Ms. Marvel, America Chavez, Ghost-Spider, Captain Marvel, Patriot, Squirrel Girl and Lockjaw. Dante Pertuz aka Inferno voiced by Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf) is a brooding, dark loner on the run with the power of pyrokinesis. Daisy Johnson aka Quake voiced by Chloe Bennet (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) is a leading agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. whose tendency for rule-breaking gets her into trouble now and then. Daisy befriends the young group of heroes and through them discovers how to become a better leader. Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel voiced by Kathreen Khavari (Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, Big Little Lies) is a devoted fan of Super Heroes, especially of her mentor Captain Marvel; she is equipped with metamorphic powers that allow her to stretch, enlarge, or shrink her overall size, parts of her body, or alter her physical appearance. America Chavez voiced by Cierra Ramirez (The Fosters, The Secret Life of an America Teenager) is a strong, independent young hero whose painful past drives her to reject leadership and remain a loner. Gwen Stacy aka Ghost-Spider (formerly Spider Gwen) voiced by Dove Cameron (Descendants) is a free-spirited teen who found her calling to be a superhero after being bitten by a radioactive spider and gaining spider-like powers. Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel voiced by Kim Raver (Grey’s Anatomy, 24) is a bold leader who doesn’t sugar-coat and is guided by a strong sense of duty and honor. She’s the ultimate inspiration for our band of misfit heroes. Rayshaun Lucas aka Patriot voiced by Kamil McFadden (K.C. Undercover, Grown Ups 2) is a natural born leader who is quick to leap into action to impress his colleagues at S.H.I.E.L.D. Rayshaun strives to live up to Captain America’s legacy with integrity, honesty, and order above all. Doreen Green aka Squirrel Girl voiced by Milana Vayntrub (Marvel’s New Warriors, This Is Us) the uber-positive, hilarious best friend and teammate of Ms. Marvel. With advanced computer skills, enhanced strength, agility, durability, and senses of a squirrel, Doreen (along with her squirrel partner, Tippy Toe!), is primed and ready to become a successful hero.
Mike Colter will be guest appearing in The Good Fight. He will reprise the role of Lemond Bishop that he originally played on The Good Wife. Bishop was a powerful Chicago drug lord who was a controversial major client of Lockhart/Gardner. His first appearance was at the end of the first season and he continued to guest star throughout the series first six seasons. His storyline from The Good Wife ended with him in prison which is where The Good Fight will pick up. The Good Fight currently airs on CBS All Access.
Mozart in the Jungle‘s Prema Cruz has joined season 3 of AMC’s Preacher as a recurring cast member along with Reign‘s Adam Croasdell. Cruz will portray Madame Boyd, a “tough forward thinker. Educated and attractive, she is taking the family business into the modern age.” Croasdell will play Eccarius, a “350-year-old vampire who bears wisdom and has an air of aristocracy. He is regal, charming, and styles himself after the more romantic, Gothic images of vampires. He appears to be a cliché at first but a much darker character lurks beneath the surface.” A premiere date for season 3 hasn’t been announced yet.
Pilot Season 2018
Ving Rhames is joining the cast of CBS’ reboot of the iconic 1980s police procedural, Cagney & Lacey. He will play the unflappable Police Capt. Stark, a leader who inspires loyalty in everyone around him. He will star opposite Michelle Hurd will play Lacey, an athletic, polished, former high school track and field champion. Empathetic and straightforward, she’s the more experienced partner. Sarah Drew will play Cagney, Lacey’s nimble and easygoing partner and protégée. Together they work to keep the streets of Los Angeles safe.
Scrubs alum Donald Faison and Laya DeLeon Hayes, who voiced Doc McStuffins, will be starring opposite Yvette Nicole Brown and Lesli Margherita in the ABC comedy pilot Most Likely To. Most Likely To follows Liz Cooney (Margherita) who had everything in high school and Markie McQueen (Brown) who had nothing. They’re reunited twenty years later as single moms and unlikely housemates. Faison will play Markie’s blue-collar supportive ex-husband, Joe McQueen. He’s her first love and a much more relaxed parent than she is. Hayes plays Wallis McQueen, Markie’s intelligent and charitable daughter.
Major Crimes star Kearran Giovanni will star opposite Derek Luke in NBC’s drama pilot, Suspicion. Based on the book by Joseph Finder and directed by Brad Anderson, Suspicion is described as a “Hitchcockian thriller about how far one man will go to save the people he loves. After Danny Goldman (Luke) accepts a handshake loan from his new friend and millionaire neighbor, he gets a visit from the FBI and learns that the decision is one he will regret for the rest of his life. Coerced to work as an informant for the FBI to earn back his freedom, Danny is forced to infiltrate a world of violence and corruption while trying to protect his family.” Giovanni will play Lucy Fletcher, a psychotherapist and Danny’s finance.
In Movie News…
Fox dropped a new trailer for Deadpool 2. In it, we see the surprising birth of the X-Force team. Unable to fight the new villain Cable alone, Deadpool assembles a group of superheroes made up of a few familiar faces from the first film and a few new ones including Zazie Beetz’s Domino, Terry Crews as a possible Bedlam and Lewis Tan playing a mysterious character. Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War is bringing together a massive team up in late April and now Deadpool is offering up their own. Deadpool 2 hits theaters on May 18th.
Speaking of Avengers: Infinity War, the two films promise to fundamentally change the landscape of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A New York Times profile on Chris Evans asserted that he will leave the Marvel franchise after the reshoots conclude for the fourth Avengers movie. “You want to get off the train before they push you off,” he said in the profile. It’s been speculated that Captain America won’t survive Infinity War. In light of this new information, that speculation is starting to look like truth. In the comic books, Steve Rogers wasn’t the only one to hold the Captain America mantle. Bucky Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) and Sam Wilson, the Falcon (Anthony Mackie), could serve as replacements if Rogers does go down. We continue our Avengers: Infinity War coverage with new interviews with Don Cheadle and Danai Gurira.
In a mini Thor: Ragnarok reunion, Tessa Thompson will be joining Chris Hemsworth in Sony’s Men in Black reboot. Fate of the Furious‘ F. Gary Gray is directing from a script by Iron Man screenwriters Matt Holloway and Art Marcum. Rather than seeing the return of Agents K and J, portrayed by original trilogy by Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, the reboot will feature new characters set in the same world. It’s expected to be more of an ensemble piece with a more global scope than New York City.
Black Panther’s Michael B. Jordan has signed on to produce World War II drama, The Liberators, through his Outlier Society Productions banner for Warner Bros. The Liberators follows a combat unit made up of African-Americans whose heroism during WWII led to the desegregation of the armed forces. Warner Bros. acquired Madison Turner’s spec script. Jordan will soon be seen in the HBO’s Fahrenheit 451 and is currently filming Creed II. He has several projects in the works as a producer, namely the Netflix series Raising Dion; MGM’s remake of The Thomas Crown Affair; an untitled project for OWN with Moonlight playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney; and an adaptation of the bestselling YA novel The Stars Beneath Our Feet where he will make his directorial debut.
Fox Searchlight is bringing the life story of legendary choreographer Alvin Ailey to the big screen. Ailey was a choreographer, activist, and founder of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater in New York City. The film will be made with the cooperation of The Ailey Organization, which oversees the dance theater. Alvin Ailey Dance Theater artistic director emerita Judith Jamison and artistic director Robert Battle will partner with production in telling the story of Ailey’s life. “We are incredibly excited about this special project with terrific partners highlighting one of the great African-American icons and artists,” Battle told The Hollywood Reporter. “As we prepare to celebrate the Ailey company’s 60th anniversary this fall, his powerful legacy continues to touch the hearts, minds, and spirits of people around the world.”
Disney is continuing the trend of making live-action adaptations of their classic films. The latest to join the list is Lady and the Tramp which will get a live/CG hybrid remake. Charlie Bean, who directed The Lego Ninjago Movie, will be helming the project. Brigham Taylor who was part of Disney’s remake of The Jungle Book will be producing. The film will be made for Disney’s digital streaming service that will launch in 2019. They plan to have four to six films a year for the service that will encompass Disney brands Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars. The original Lady and the Tramp was released in 1955. It told the love story between the pampered cocker spaniel named Lady and a streetwise mongrel named Tramp.
Everything is coming up roses for Tiffany Haddish. She’s added another role to her already full plate. She has now joined the cast of The Lego Movie 2 as a key new character. Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks are returning as Emmet Brickowoski and Wyldstyle as well as Will Arnett as Batman, Channing Tatum as Superman and Jonah Hill as Green Lantern. Plot details are scarce but we do know it’s set to premiere on Feb. 8, 2019.
The Spice Girls are teaming up for an animated film. Each of the members have given permission to use their likenesses and will voice their characters in a superhero-themed film with a message of girl power. They are currently shopping the film around to production companies. This follows rumors that the girl group also plans to reunite for a stage tour.
Natasha Rothwell is currently working on a deal to write the feature film comedy Bridal Recall for Paramount Pictures. The film is a re-imagining of Identity Crisis, originally written by Chum Langhorne and Brent Askari. The film follows “a woman who wakes up with amnesia, only to discover it’s her wedding day. She has until the end of the day to figure out who she is, who she’s marrying, and whether or not she’s about to make the biggest mistake of her life.” Rothwell can currently be seen in Love, Simon. She also is returning as co-producer and the character Kelli in the upcoming Season 3 of Issa Rae’s Insecure.
The remake of Superfly has been on the fast track almost since it’s inception. Director X was attached to the film in December with the key roles being filled a month later. Now production has recently wrapped in Atlanta and they are looking at a June 2018 release date. Trevor Jackson and Jason Mitchell are both starring with Jackson as Youngblood Priest and Mitchell as Eddie. This is one of many blaxploitation remakes in the works with Get Christie Love TV series over at ABC, Jessie T. Usher’s Untitled Shaft reboot and Misha Green’s Cleopatra Jones.
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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