Thuso Mbedu, Amandla Stenberg, Damson Idris, and Tosin Cole are taking on the lead roles in the highly-anticipated film adaptation of “Children of Blood and Bone.” Gina Prince-Bythewood is directing the action fantasy film, based on Tomi Adeyemi’s bestselling novel, for Paramount Pictures.
The studio has also dated the film for release on Jan. 15, 2027 in Imax.
Mbedu, who previously starred in Prince-Bythewood’s historical epic “The Woman King,” will play Zelie, a young woman living in a fantasy African kingdom who embarks on a quest to reclaim the magic that was violently stolen from her people by the ruthless King Saran. The story follows Zelie and her older brother Tzain (Cole) as they form an alliance with the king’s daughter, Princess Amari (Stenberg) and son, Prince Inan (Idris) to fight back against his brutal rule.
Published in 2018, Adeyemi’s “Children of Blood and Bone” has become a smash hit, with the novel and its two sequels, “Children of Virtue and Vengeance” and “Children of Anguish and Anarchy” (collectively known as the “Legacy of Orïsha” trilogy) spending a combined 175 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. In total, the series has sold almost three million copies worldwide and garnered critical acclaim, with “Children of Blood and Bone” being featured as a Top 100 Fantasy Books of All Time; a New York Times Notable Children’s Book; and a Kirkus Prize Finalist, among other distinctions.
Plus, with Stenberg’s casting, Adeyemi’s journey comes full-circle: in interviews promoting the first novel, the young author explained that “The Hunger Games” — and particularly the backlash to Stenberg’s casting as Rue and Lenny Kravitz as Cinna in the 2012 film — inspired her to begin writing about the Black experience.
“I’m the kind of person who gets motivated by anger, so I was like, ‘Oh man, I’m going to write a story that’s so good and so black that everyone’s going to have to read it even if you’re racist,’” Adeyemi told EW. “That became my writing mission.”
In 2022, Paramount Pictures Motion Picture Group co-presidents Daria Cercek and Mike Ireland acquired the rights to the the “Legacy of Orïsha” trilogy in a highly competitive bidding war. Since then, the project has been a top priority for the studio leadership, including co-CEO Brian Robbins. In Dec. 2023, Prince-Bythewood was announced to direct “Children of Blood and Bone” and co-write the screenplay with Adeyemi, with casting as the next crucial step.
In addition to breakout talents Mbedu, Stenberg (“The Hate U Give,” “Bodies Bodies Bodies”), Idris (“Snowfall,” “F1”) and Cole (“Supacell”), the film will feature an incomparable ensemble cast including Academy Award winner Viola Davis (“The Woman King,” “G20”) as Mama Agba; Grammy and Emmy winner and Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked”) as Admiral Kaea; SAG Award winner Idris Elba (“Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw”) as Lekan; BAFTA winner Lashana Lynch (“Bob Marley: One Love,” “Day of the Jackal”) as Jumoke; and Academy Award nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor (“12 Years a Slave”) as King Saran.
In negotiations to join the cast are Academy Award winner Regina King (“Shirley”) as Queen Nehanda; Diaana Babnicova (“Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot”) as Folake; and Bukky Bakray (“Rocks”) as Binta. Also forthcoming will be additional castings from an open casting call for actors living in Nigeria.
With this impressive ensemble nearly assembled, production on “Children of Blood and Bone” is set to begin in South Africa in the coming weeks.
Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen of Temple Hill Entertainment, together with Karen Rosenfelt of Sunswept Entertainment — the filmmaking team behind the “Twilight” series – will produce the film alongside Matt Jackson of Jackson Pictures. Adeyemi and Reggie Rock Bythewood will executive produce.
Stenberg is repped by Entertainment 360, UTA, imPRint and Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lescano Bobb & Dang; Idris is represented by CAA, M88 and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, Gellman, Meigs & Fox; and Cole is represented by CAA, Curtis Brown, Ed Smith and Tapestry.
Davis is represented by CAA and the Lasher Group; Erivo is represented by UTA, Entertainment 360, Peikoff Mahan and The Lede Company; and Elba is represented by The Artists Partnership, Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole and The Lede Company.
King is repped by CAA, John Carrabino Management, Ascend Artist Representation and Gang, Tyre, Ramer; Babnicova is repped by Gersh, ColorCreative, Sylvia Young Agency in the UK and lawyer Derek Kroeger; and Bakray is repped by Entertainment 360, Independent Talent Group, Granderson Des Rochers.
Source: Variety
T.I. is proving that the way you begin in the music industry isn’t how you have to end. The multi-hyphenate star held his first stand-up comedy special called An Evening Of Comedy With Comedian TIP Harris on Sunday (Jan. 19) and Monday (Jan. 20) at Atlanta’s Center Stage.
With performances by The Haha Mafia comedians — a collective of top-tier Atlanta comedians including Navv Greene, Kelly “K Dubb” Walker, Erica Duchess, Tyler Chronicles, Jayski, and T.I. himself — the crew put together an unforgettable set. “It’s not just about the jokes—it’s about telling the truth, reflecting on life, and sharing a laugh,” he explained to The Source.
For over two decades, T.I. has been a trailblazer in music, but his transition into comedy showcases an entirely new side of him. Trying out his jokes with a few intimate sets at venues like City Winery in Atlanta and New York, T.I. gradually expanded his comedic reach, performing at larger venues such as The Barclays Center in Brooklyn and Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club in Las Vegas. He also appeared on BET+’s reboot of Comic View, where he shared the same stage as seasoned comedians.
As T.I. embarks on this next chapter, he continues to blend humor with substance—weaving his personal experiences with hilarious social commentary. From reflections on his fame and fatherhood to witty takes on society—the “U Don’t Know Me” spitter’s comedy is as bold as his music.
Source: VIBE
ABC is giving Abbott Elementary early admission to its 2025-26 schedule.
The network has ordered a fifth season of Abbott, the Emmy-winning comedy from creator and star Quinta Brunson. The renewal comes midway through the show’s fourth season, and on the heels of the show’s most-watched episode of the current season.
The show’s Jan. 8 episode, a crossover with FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, drew 8.05 million viewers with a week of multi-platform viewing — a season-high for Abbott Elementary and its second most-watched episode over that time frame ever, behind a post-Oscars showing last year. About 39 percent of those viewers (3.15 million) watched the episode on Hulu or Disney+.
Since moving up an hour to 8:30 on Wednesdays, the show has recorded two of its three largest same-day audiences of the season so far, according to Nielsen (the third, incidentally, was for an episode that aired at 8 p.m. in December).
The early renewal is nothing new for Abbott Elementary, which has scored pickups well ahead of the May upfronts in each of its first three seasons. The series is the first to earn a spot on ABC’s 2025-26 slate.
Along with Brunson, the show’s cast includes Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Chris Perfetti, Lisa Ann Walter, William Stanford Davis, and Sheryl Lee Ralph.
Warner Bros. Television and 20th Television produce Abbott Elementary. Brunson executive produces with Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker of Delicious Non-Sequitur Productions, Randall Einhorn, and Brian Rubenstein.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Emmy-winning comedian Trevor Noah will return as master of ceremonies of the 67th annual Grammy Awards, for the fifth consecutive year. Noah will also serve as a producer on the show.
As previously announced, the 67th annual Grammy Awards telecast on CBS will continue to be held on Feb. 2 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, but will have a “renewed sense of purpose: raising additional funds to support wildfire relief efforts and honoring the bravery and dedication of first responders who risk their lives to protect ours,” according to last week’s announcement. Grammy Week has also been abbreviated and will focus on the MusiCares benefit, the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala (which has become a fire-relief fundraiser) and the show itself.
The show will be broadcast live on the CBS Television Network and will be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.
In an interview with Variety days before last year’s show, Noah was asked what the most nerve-wracking aspect of the job is for him . “I know this sounds like a weird thing to say, but you don’t want to disappoint the artists that you love,” he replied. “Like, I cannot imagine what it would be like to tell a joke and turn and see Beyonce going [shakes his head and scowls]. Because that would mean whenever I listened to Beyonce’s music, I would forever have that image in my head. If you don’t do well for a live audience, OK, you’re gonna bounce back; if you don’t do well for a home audience, OK, some people are going to comment online. But to have the look of disappointment come from an icon or somebody that you really love — I do not wish for that experience. So I work twice as hard.”
Source: Variety
In this episode, we discuss all of the games this past weekend including the Buffalo Bills vs Baltimore Ravens, which was the most anticipated game in a while! We also talk about the Washington Commanders’ surprise win over the Detroit Lions, the Eagles win over the Rams, and the Chiefs win over the Texans.
Watch the latest episode of Box Seats below starring comedian Rodney Perry;
In this episode, we all bring our thoughts on how we would fix the NBA three-point shot controversy that seems to be taking the NBA by storm with all of the lopsided wins. We also give our final picks for all of the NFL games this weekend- including our picks for the upsets!
This episode stars comedians Shawn Morgan, Lance Woods, and Dave Anderson.
Watch the latest episode below;
#BoxSeats #NFL #MVP #NBA #comedy #comedygrind #funny #hilarious #followus #BuffaloBills #DetroitLions #Lions #BaltimoreRavens #Baltimore #SuperBowl #KansasCityChiefs #WashingtonCommanders #Eagles #LebronJames #Philly #ShawnMorgan #LanceWoods #DaveAnderson #TheBusinessBully
Turns out, Marcello Hernández is one of Dave Chappelle‘s favorite comedians. It also turns out that that’s not much of a distinction.
In the most recent promo for Chappelle’s Saturday Night Live hosting stint this weekend, cast member Hernández tells Chappelle that he is one of his favorite stand-up comedians.
“Hey, man. Thanks, bro. You’re one of my favorite standups, too” replies Chappelle.
Hernández looks happy, until musical guest GloRilla bursts his bubble.
Watch what happens below.
Chappelle comes back to SNL for the fourth time. He addressed the country following the weighty presidential elections of 2016 and 2020, before returning in 2022. The comic is joined for this week’s episode by musical guest GloRilla, who’s coming off of a pair of Grammy nominations for her single “Yeah Glo!”.
Following the January shows, SNL returns in mid-February with SNL50: The Anniversary Special on Sunday, February 16.
Saturday Night Live is produced in association with Broadway Video. The creator and executive producer is Lorne Michaels.
Source: Deadline
It looks like Calvin and Tina’s two sons might move to another neighborhood on CBS next season.
The Eye network is developing a potential second spinoff from long-running comedy The Neighborhood headlined by Marcel Spears (Marty) and Sheaun McKinney (Malcolm). The proposed multi-camera series will follow their characters as they venture out of their parents’ home and migrate from Pasadena to Venice Beach.
The season finale of The Neighborhood will serve as a backdoor pilot for the untitled project.
Last spring, streaming partner Paramount+ ordered Crutch, the first spinoff from The Neighborhood, headlined by Tracy Morgan as the cousin of Cedric the Entertainer’s Calvin Butler. Adrianna Mitchell and Jermaine Fowler have also been cast in the offshoot series. Per the logline, a “Harlem widower’s empty-nest plans get disrupted when his millennial son and free-spirited daughter move back in, forcing him to navigate new family dynamics and redefine his priorities.”
There is no official start date for Crutch at press time.
This Marty and Malcolm spinoff from The Neighborhood, meanwhile, is in the running for the 2025-26 TV season. A potential time period could be Monday at 8:30 p.m. out of the parent series should the current modestly rated occupant, Poppa’s House with Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr., not get renewed for a second season.
The Marty and Malcolm spinoff in development is executive produced by Bill Martin, Mike Schiff, Cedric the Entertainer, Aaron Kaplan, Wendi Trilling and Eric C. Rhone.
LOS ANGELES: “The Neighborhood” – Pictured (L-R): Marcel Spears (Marty Butler), Hank Greenspan … [+]
CBS via Getty Images
Laverne Cox returns to small-town life in Clean Slate, one of the late Norman Lear‘s last shows, at Prime Video.
The streamer released the trailer for the eight-episode comedy series, which premieres February 6th.
Cox and and George Wallace star in the comedy which follows Harry (Wallace), an old-school car wash owner in Alabama who has a lot of soul-searching to do when the child he once called “son” returns after 17 years as a proud trans woman named Desiree (Cox). Her homecoming brings together a hilarious cast of friends, coworkers, and love interests as Desiree and Harry try to get it right the second time around.
Cast also includes Telma Hopkins, D.K. Uzoukwu, Jay Wilkison, and Norah Murphy. Clean Slate is produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television. The series is created by CX.
Cox of Laverne Cox Productions, Wallace, and Dan Ewen (Dear Santa, Playing with Fire) are creators and executive producers of the series. Lear, who died in December 2023, executive produced via his Act III Productions, along with Brent Miller. Ewen co-showruns the series with executive producer Simran Baidwan. Paul Hilepo is a producer. Nisha Ganatra directed the series pilot.
Watch the trailer below.
In this episode, we discuss if the Dallas Cowboys should hire Deion Sanders, and we also talk about the rest of the NFL playoffs from this past weekend! We also take a look at the final games of this upcoming weekend and we make our picks!
Watch the video above!
#BoxSeats #NFL #MVP #NBA #comedy #comedygrind #funny #hilarious #followus #DeionSanders #Prime #BuffaloBills #DetroitLions #Lions #BaltimoreRavens #Baltimore #SuperBowl