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    George Miller Ditches Charlize Theron for Younger Actress in 'Mad Max' Spin-Off

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    The ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ director prefers casting a younger star as he abandons plans to make the original Furiosa depicter look younger for the upcoming spinoff.
    May 16, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Charlize Theron’s dreams of reprising her “Mad Max: Fury Road” character Furiosa for a new spin-off has been dashed by director George Miller.
    The filmmaker admits he did consider making the Oscar winner look younger, using the same computer-generated technology that made Robert De Niro look younger in last year’s 2019 “The Irishman”, but realised he couldn’t make a whole movie that way – and now he has abandoned the idea.
    “For the longest time, I thought we could just use CG de-ageing on Charlize, but I don’t think we’re nearly there yet,” Miller said in an interview with The New York Times. “Despite the valiant attempts on The Irishman, I think there’s still an uncanny valley. Everyone is on the verge of solving it, particular Japanese video-game designers, but there’s still a pretty wide valley, I believe.”
    But Theron has seen the script for the “Furiosa” spin-off as she was given that to help her create a background for her character. “It was purely a way of helping Charlize and explaining it to ourselves,” Miller explains.
    Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who appeared in “Fury Road”, says, “I got to read it when I was cast. It’s genius. I’ve always wondered if that movie’s going to get made.”
    Reports suggest Anya Taylor-Joy is the front-runner to play the younger version of Charlize’s “Furiosa”.
    Meanwhile, “Mad Max” star Tom Hardy has revealed there are plans for him to star in another two films and Theron has stated she’d return for another film if Miller directs.
    The two actors recently went public with their feud on the set, telling The New York Times they both could have done more to be better castmates.

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    SAG Awards Follows Oscars to Adjust Movie Eligibility Rules Amid Pandemic

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    The Screen Actors Guild is taking a page out of the Academy’s book to allow movies released on streaming platforms for submission amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
    May 16, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Officials at the Screen Actors Guild Awards will consider movies not released in theatres as part of the 2021 ceremony.
    After Oscars bosses made a similar move for next year’s 2021 event, the SAG organisation informed studios that they will now be considering movies with a planned theatrical release to be eligible if streamed or released first.
    The change comes after a number of high profile movies, including “No Time to Die” starring Daniel Craig, “Top Gun: Maverick”, “Mulan”, and “Black Widow”, were pushed back amid the coronavirus shutdown.
    “We are still revising our film release criteria but will be following the Academy’s rule change to allow titles with a planned theatrical release to be eligible if streamed or released on VOD first,” a statement from the organisation confirmed, reported Variety.
    “Full language will be announced in June along with the rest of our rules.”
    The official film rules for the 2021 SAG Awards won’t be fully released until next month, June 2020, and the 2021 SAG Awards do not have a scheduled air date yet.

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    Kate Hudson to Reunite With 'Almost Famous' Cast for Special 20th Anniversary Podcast

    Columbia Pictures

    In addition to Zooey Deschanel and Jimmy Fallon, the remote sit down for James Andrew Miller’s ‘Origins’ podcast will also be joined by composer Nancy Wilson and director Cameron Crowe.
    May 15, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Kate Hudson, Zooey Deschanel, Jimmy Fallon and the rest of the “Almost Famous” cast are set to reunite for a podcast special marking the film’s 20th anniversary.
    The stars will join fellow cast members Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Jason Lee, Patrick Fugit and Peter Frampton, as well as composer Nancy Wilson and director Cameron Crowe for an episode of James Andrew Miller’s “Origins” podcast.
    The remote sit down will feature interviews and a glimpse behind the scenes of the hit movie and is set to debut on Apple Podcasts later this month.
    Previous episodes of the show have reunited the casts of shows like “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Sex & the City”.
    Hudson recently shocked Fallon on “The Tonight Show” by revealing she fell for him while making the movie and if he’d asked her out on a date, she would have said yes.
    The actress challenged her co-star to explain an admission he made to Margot Robbie in 2018, during the appearance on his show last month, and asked the funnyman why he told the “Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn” star he could have dated her.
    “I had, like, 100 people send me that clip,” Hudson recalled. “Can I just tell you what happened to me as I was listening to this? I had no idea! I wish people could be in my body to watch you and I’s, like, relationship and friendship, because you gave me no indication… Jimmy, if you would have actually made a move, I would have totally gone there…”
    [embedded content]
    “I remember thinking to myself, ‘Why has Jimmy never made, like, a move?’ And then I just kind of realized, ‘Oh, well, he’s not into me like that.’ I was just like, ‘OK, well, whatever.’ ”

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    ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Prequel Centering on Furiosa in the Works

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    'Mad Max: Fury Road' Prequel Centering on Furiosa in the Works

    Warner Bros.

    George Miller, director of the 2015 post-apocalyptic movie, confirms that he is moving ahead with a stand-alone movie about the action film’s heroine, who is made popular by Charlize Theron.
    May 15, 2020
    AceShowbiz – A “Mad Max: Fury Road” sequel may never be happening, but it doesn’t mean that there won’t be another “Mad Max” movie from George Miller. Speaking with The New York Times about the production of the 2015 movie for a new oral history, the director confirms rumors that he has been working on a prequel centering on Furiosa.
    However, those who are expecting Charlize Theron to return as the fan-favorite heroine have to be prepared to be disappointed a little. According to the site, the Oscar-winning actress will not return for the prequel, since the story will follow a young Furiosa, who will be played by an actress in her 20s.
    The “Mad Max” prequel may be coming in the not-so-distant future as Miller says that he expects to begin making the Furiosa film after he completes drama film “Three Thousand Years of Longing”, starring Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba. The project was supposed to start shooting this spring, but it was delayed after coronavirus pandemic shut down all Hollywood productions.
    “So after we finish it, and hopefully everything settles down with the pandemic, we’ll see what the world allows us to do with Furiosa,” Miller says.
    Miller adds that he and co-writer Nick Lathouris were conceiving extensive backstory for the heroine as well as other characters during the years they were working on “Fury Road”. “It was purely a way of helping Charlize and explaining it to ourselves,” he shares.
    They found Furiosa’s story so compelling that they decided to write a second screenplay even before a frame of “Fury Road” had been shot. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who played Splendid, one of the “Fury Road” wives, was lucky enough to have got a chance to read it. “I got to read it when I was cast,” she says, before gushing, “It’s genius. I’ve always wondered if that movie’s going to get made.”
    After being locked in a legal battle for years, Miller says he has been given the go-ahead to proceed. On the decision to recast the role with a younger actress, the director explains, “For the longest time, I thought we could just use CG de-aging on Charlize, but I don’t think we’re nearly there yet.”

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    Livestreams to Watch: A Star-Studded Graduation Event, and Katy Perry Performs

    Here are a few of the best events happening Friday through Wednesday and how to tune in (all times are Eastern).Star-Studded Graduation Event for the Class of 2020Friday at 2 p.m. on FacebookNo one’s ever had a commencement ceremony quite like this. On Friday, Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak of “The Office” will host a multihour broadcast called “#Graduation2020” in honor of seniors whose ceremonies were canceled because of the pandemic. Oprah Winfrey will deliver the commencement address, and Sheryl Sandberg the introduction. Miley Cyrus will perform her song “The Climb,” and Simone Biles, Cardi B, Matthew McConaughey, Kristen Bell, Selena Gomez, Awkwafina, Jennifer Garner, Lil Nas X and more will offer words of wisdom for graduates.When: 2 p.m.Where: Facebook Watch and the Facebook app. Individual segments will be posted to Instagram’s official Instagram account, as well as to contributors’ social media accounts.Katy Perry Performs and Takes Fan QuestionsFriday at 1 p.m. on AmazonThe pop superstar Katy Perry will anchor Amazon Music’s new livestreaming series on Friday, where she’ll perform her new song, “Daisies,” live for the first time, along with her hits “Roar” and “Never Really Over.” Afterward, she’ll sit down to answer fan questions, which can be submitted before the show by commenting on her social posts, or via chat during the livestream.When: 1 p.m.Where: Amazon Live on desktop, mobile, Fire tablet or via the Amazon Shopping app.1992’s Freddie Mercury Tribute Streams for a CauseFriday 2 p.m. on YouTubeIn 1992, Queen’s remaining members Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon were joined onstage by many of the world’s biggest acts including David Bowie, George Michael, Annie Lennox, Elton John, Guns N’ Roses, Robert Plant, Metallica, Liza Minnelli, Def Leppard, Seal, Roger Daltrey. The concert — which took place in front 72,000 people at Wembley Stadium in London, with a global broadcast audience of around one billion — was a tribute to Queen’s lead vocalist, Freddie Mercury, who died of AIDS in 1991. On Friday, this event, called the “Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert,” will stream globally in support of the Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization. Google.org is matching $2 for every $1 donated.When: 2 p.m., and the concert will be available for 48 hours.Where: Queen’s YouTube channel.An Acoustic Evening With Jason Isbell and Amanda ShiresFriday at 8 p.m. on Fans.comFrom Brooklyn Bowl Nashville — with no audience, of course — the country music artists Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires will perform a live acoustic set on Friday to celebrate the release of “Reunions,” Isbell’s new album with his band, the 400 Unit.When: 8 p.m.Where: Register here to receive a link to the stream on Fans.com.‘Cats’: Andrew Lloyd Webber Provides Live CommentaryFriday at 2 p.m. on YouTubeWhat does Andrew Lloyd Webber have to say about a little musical he composed called “Cats”? We’re about to find out. On Friday, the music theater impresario will provide live audio commentary during a stream of the 1998 stage production of the show, starring Elaine Paige and John Mills. Fans can submit questions to Webber on Twitter using #ALWCats. If you’d rather watch the musical uninterrupted, you’ll have that option, too. Donations will go to The Actors Fund.When: 2 p.m., and both streams will be available for 48 hours.Where: The Shows Must Go On! YouTube channel.A Benefit for Hollywood’s Behind-the-Scenes WorkersFriday at 9 p.m. on YouTubeThe Motion Picture & Television Fund is hosting a one-night benefit to help those who work behind-the-scenes in TV and movies. The event will include stories, music, comedy and personal messages from Pierce Brosnan, George Clooney, Taye Diggs, Michael Douglas, Jodie Foster, Daisy Fuentes, Brad Garrett, Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney, Kris Jenner, Ray Romano, Wanda Sykes, Ming-Na Wen and many more. Skyler Day, Susanna Hoffs, Richard Marx, Leslie Odom Jr., Brad Paisley and Rachel Platten will perform. Yvette Nicole Brown and Tom Bergeron host.When: 9 p.m.Where: The Motion Picture & Television Fund’s YouTube page.The Black Eyed Peas, From Will.i.am’s StudioSaturday at 8 p.m. on YouTubeThe Black Eyed Peas are kicking off Budweiser’s new interactive concert series, “Budweiser Rewind,” which will feature headlining artists from 1990s and early 2000s. The pop group will perform live from Will.i.am’s studio in Los Angeles. During and leading up to the shows, fans can help curate the set list and ask questions directly to artists on social media.When: 8 p.m.Where: The Black Eyed Peas YouTube channel.Nelly and Ludacris Go Head to HeadSaturday at 7 p.m. on InstagramVerzuz TV’s Instagram live battle series continues on Saturday with two of hip-hop’s most enduring artists: Nelly and Ludacris. The series, curated by the music producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, has been hugely popular in recent weeks. Previous battles — between Erykah Badu and Jill Scott; Teddy Riley and Babyface; and T-Pain and Lil Jon — have attracted millions of viewers.When: 7 p.m.Where: Verzuz TV’s Instagram page.‘Orphan Black’ Cast Reunites for Table ReadSunday at 3 p.m. on FacebookThe cast of BBC America’s Peabody Award-winning show “Orphan Black” will reunite for a table reading of Episodes 6 and 7 from the show’s first season. The virtual reunion — which will include, among many others, the actors Tatiana Maslany, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Jordan Gavaris and Kristian Bruun, as well as the show’s creators Graeme Manson and John Fawcett — is timed to Mental Health Awareness Month and the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.When: 3 p.m.Where: Orphan Black Facebook page‘A Night of Covenant House Stars’Monday at 8 p.m. on FacebookMore than 50 Hollywood and Broadway performers are gathering virtually on Monday for a special livestream benefit concert, “A Night of Covenant House Stars.” Participants — including Jon Bon Jovi, Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, Rachel Brosnahan, Stephen Colbert, Morgan Freeman, Martin Short, Dolly Parton, Tony Shalhoub — will sing and share messages for young people to raise money and awareness for the international charity Covenant House. Audra McDonald will host.When: 8 p.m.Where: The Covenant House’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitch pages, as well as Broadway World, Broadway on Demand, iHeartRadio Broadway, Stars in the House and Amazon Prime Video.A Night With Alanis Morissette and ‘Jagged Little Pill’Tuesday at 8 p.m. on FacebookYou may not have gotten to see the musical “Jagged Little Pill” (a New York Times Critic’s Pick) before the pandemic shuttered Broadway, but that’s OK. Its stars and its inspiration, Alanis Morissette, are coming to you on Tuesday with “You Live, You Learn,” an event benefiting The Actors Fund. The evening will feature performances and conversations with Morissette and the musical’s cast, as well as special appearances by Diablo Cody, Diane Paulus, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Tom Kitt. If you love belting out Morissette’s songs and are ready to share your version with the world, you could be featured during the livestream. Enter the cover-song contest by posting a video on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #JaggedFanCovers. A clip of the winning entry will be played.When: 8 p.m.Where: The “Jagged Little Pill” Facebook and YouTube pages. Starting May 20, the show will be available on the American Express Experiences hub.‘Smash’ Cast Reunites for ‘Bombshell in Concert’Wednesday at 8 p.m. on People.comThe cast of NBC’s “Smash,” the campy musical drama that’s approaching cultlike status, will reunite on Wednesday for a one-night-only virtual event recreating the 2015 Broadway concert of “Bombshell,” the musical at the center of the TV show. The actors Katharine McPhee, Debra Messing and Megan Hilty will all participate, as will Christian Borle, Jaime Cepero, Will Chase, Brian d’Arcy James, Jack Davenport, Ann Harada, Jeremy Jordan, Andy Mientus, Leslie Odom Jr., Krysta Rodriguez and Wesley Taylor. The evening, to benefit The Actors Fund, will be introduced by Renée Zellweger, and Julie Klausner will host.When: 8 p.m.Where: People.com, and People’s Facebook and Twitter pages. More

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    ‘Scoob!’ Review: Once More Into the Mystery Machine

    At the beginning of “Scoob!,” the latest Scooby-Doo reboot, directed by Tony Cervone, Velma (voiced by Gina Rodriguez) announces that it’s time for the gang “to take on bigger cases, scarier villains and creepier mysteries.” It sounds less like an opportunity than a threat.Anyone who complained that the show’s durable let’s-find-out-who-you-really-are mystery formula showed signs of repetition now gets what passes in corporate boardrooms for an original take: a frantic overhaul teeming with robots that sound like R2-D2, as well as other pop-culture shout-outs maladroitly designed to bring Scooby up-to-date. (Does a Simon Cowell cameo count?) Warner Bros. even plugs a forthcoming sequel: For Halloween, Daphne wears a Wonder Woman costume.[embedded content]The movie almost immediately turns into a Hanna-Barbera crossover event, the unvarnished groundwork for potential spinoffs. That means, for no particular reason, Shaggy (Will Forte) and an especially talkative Scoob (Frank Welker) wind up collaborating with characters drawn from other shows, like Dynomutt (Ken Jeong), Dee Dee Skyes (Kiersey Clemons) and the Blue Falcon — or rather, his son (Mark Wahlberg) — to take on the villain Dick Dastardly (Jason Isaacs). It causes cognitive whiplash when Dastardly describes the heroes, creations from the 1960s and ’70s, as “mewling millennials.”George Jetson is not involved (yet), but Cerberus, of mythological fame, is — and he would have gotten away with guarding the underworld, too, if it weren’t for these meddling kids. (Just kidding: No one tries to unmask a three-headed dog.) The overall vibe is scarily close to what happened when “The Itchy & Scratchy Show” on “The Simpsons” added Poochie, except this time the pandering is not a joke.Scoob!Rated PG. Scooby steals gyro meat. Running time: 1 hour 34 minutes. Rent or buy on Amazon, Google Play, iTunes and other streaming platforms and pay-TV operators. More

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    'Frozen' Broadway Musical Permanently Shut Down Due to Coronavirus Pandemic

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    The New York stage show based on Disney’s popular animated movie will not return when theaters in the Big Apple reopens once the Covid-19 lockdown is over.
    May 15, 2020
    AceShowbiz – “Frozen” has become the most high profile casualty of Broadway’s coronavirus shutdown – the show will not return when New York’s theatres re-open in September 2020.
    The producers of the Disney production have announced the show’s permanent closure, making it the third production to shut down completely amid the ongoing global health crisis.
    “Frozen”, which first opened in March, 2018 at the St. James Theatre, was far from a flop and in the week before Broadway’s curtains came down in March, the show grossed over $798,600.
    “In the summer of 2013, when Frozen began its road to Broadway, two things were unimaginable: that we’d soon have five productions worldwide, and a global pandemic would so alter the world economy that running three Disney shows on Broadway would become untenable,” Thomas Schumacher, the president and producer of Disney Theatrical Productions, tells Deadline.
    “The extraordinary contribution of Broadway’s original company, plus those who have joined more recently cannot be overstated. Frozen, like all shows, is wholly dependent on those who create and perform them but this was an uncommonly close and talented group and they’ll be missed. Finally, I have to acknowledge our incredible audiences; night after night, the fans showed us how much they loved this show and we look forward to seeing them at Frozen around the world.”
    The Broadway blackout previously led to the cancellation of two prominent new productions – Martin McDonagh’s “Hangmen with Dan Stevens, and Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” starring Laurie Metcalf – which had been in previews when the shutdown occurred. Producers have since confirmed they will also not return once the suspension ends.

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    'Scarface' Remake Gets Director

    Universal Pictures

    The Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Luca Guadagnino has been tapped to sit behind the lens for the upcoming rework of the classic Tony Montana mobster tale.
    May 15, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Oscar nominee Luca Guadagnino has signed on for the “Scarface” remake.
    The “Call Me by Your Name” director has picked up the reins of the Universal Pictures project, which previously had David Ayer and Antoine Fuqua attached at different times.
    The film has been in the works since 2011, according to Deadline, but the tale of a gangster immigrant has hit the big screen twice before – Howard Hawks directed the 1932 version while Brian De Palma directed Al Pacino as Cuban gangster Tony Montana in 1983.
    The new movie, based on a script by Joel and Ethan Coen, will be set in Los Angeles.
    Guadagnino is also hoping to develop a sequel to “Call Me By Your Name”, entitled “Find Me”, with the film’s stars Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer.

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    Katy Perry Calls ‘MasterChef Australia’ Judge ‘Daddy’ in Shocking Raunchy Jokes

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