Hollywould: ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Stranger Things,’ and ‘Star Trek’
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The film and television business moves at a mile a minute, so keeping up with the latest news can be a little daunting. Not to worry—we have your back. In Hollywould, we’ll round up the industry developments you need to know. Here’s what you may have missed:
Game of Thrones
Naomi Watts is set to headline the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series, set centuries before the current show, will feature Watts as “a charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret.”
Stranger Things
In an upcoming tie-in book, Worlds Turned Upside Down, it’s revealed that the Mind-Flayer will be back for season three.
“The Mind Flayer hasn’t lost interest in Hawkins either. The tentacled creature continues to loom near Hawkins inside the Upside Down, and its malevolent influence isn’t absent from the new season. ‘We ended season two with a clear signal that the Shadow Monster was not eliminated, and maybe he’s even identified his foe,’ says [producer Shawn] Levy. ‘And that darkness, and the battle that it will require, grows in season three.’”
The Simpsons
Rumor has it that The Simpsons may be dealing with one of the show’s most controversial character, and may get rid of him altogether. As reported by IndieWire, producer Adi Shankar claims the series is quietly shuffling Kwik-E-Mart vendor Apu Nahasapeemapetilon out of the spotlight—and possibly off the show entirely. “I got some disheartening news back, that I’ve verified from multiple sources now: They’re going to drop the Apu character altogether. They aren’t going to make a big deal out of it, or anything like that, but they’ll drop him altogether just to avoid the controversy,” Shankar said. The move presumably comes in response to increased scrutiny of the character following Hari Kondabolu’s documentary The Problem with Apu.
When asked about the move, Fox gave only the following response: “Apu appeared in the 10/14/18 episode ‘My Way or the Highway to Heaven.'” Apu appears in a single wide group shot in the episode.
Birds of Prey
Speaking at the U.S.-China Entertainment Summit at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, Birds of Prey director, Cathy Yan, gushed about the film’s script:
“I could not put the script down, it had so much dark humor to it which a lot of my work does, and there are themes of female empowerment which are so strong and relateable. So I went in with, not with confidence, but at least a sense that I belonged in the room, that somehow magically in terms of timing and luck that this opportunity was open to me and I was definitely going to make the best of it.”
Star Trek: Lower Decks
Deadline reports that CBS has ordered two seasons of an animated Star Trek sitcom centered around the supporting crew of “one of Starfleet’s least important ships.” Mike McMahan, head writer and executive producer of Rick & Morty, will develop with Alex Kurtzman’s production company, Secret Hideout. Kurtzman gushed about McMahan and the project:
Mike won our hearts with his first sentence: ‘I want to do a show about the people who put the yellow cartridge in the food replicator so a banana can come out the other end.’ His cat’s name is Riker. His son’s name is Sagan. The man is committed. He’s brilliantly funny and knows every inch of every Trek episode, and that’s his secret sauce: he writes with the pure, joyful heart of a true fan. As we broaden the world of ‘Trek’ to fans of all ages, we’re so excited to include Mike’s extraordinary voice.
The Phantom Tollbooth
Ice Age and Rio director, Carlos Saldanha, has replaced Matt Shakman on Tristar’s adaptation of The Phantom Tollbooth, per The Hollywood Reporter. Shakman previously dropped out due to “scheduling issues.”
Boba Fett
According to Deadline, Disney has canceled the standalone Boba Fett movie, which would have been helmed by Logan director James Mangold. Reportedly, the decision was made so that resources could focus on Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian series for Disney’s upcoming streaming service. However, the studio’s slowed down its Star Wars offerings in response to Solo “underperforming” at the box office (it only made a lot of money, not a shitload).
Trailer Roundup
Netflix’s sword-and-shield drama, Outlaw King, is getting closer:
If A Star is Born wasn’t your bag, you might prefer listening to Natalie Portman in Vox Lux:
Finally, Boy Erased looks like it’ll have you reaching for the tissue box:
—Jackson Sutliff