WATCH: New ‘Soul’ Trailer Featuring The Voices Of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Phylicia Rashad, Angela Bassett, And Ahmir Questlove Thompson
Over its many years of making people of all ages believe there’s good in the world, Pixar has made magic from writing stories about toys having feelings, cars having feelings, even feelings having feelings. In its latest offering set to hit theaters this summer, the beloved studio will yet again animate a seemingly intangible concept to ask: What if souls had feelings?
That’s the premise at the beating heart of “Soul,” which sees Jamie Foxx voice a middle school jazz teacher with performance ambitions who still dreams of his big break. When a manhole accident nearly takes his life, however, he enters a netherworld of unborn souls on their way to earth. Comedy ensues when he befriends a particularly reluctant baby soul, voiced by an almost unrecognizable Tina Fey.
Here’s the official synopsis from Pixar:
Joe Gardner is a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before – a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth. Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul, 22, who has never understood the appeal of the human experience. As Joe desperately tries to show 22 what’s great about living, he may just discover the answers to some of life’s most important questions.
Featuring the voices of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Phylicia Rashad, Angela Bassett, Ahmir Questlove Thompson, Daveed Diggs, “Soul” is directed by Academy Award® winner Pete Docter (“Inside Out,” “Up”), co-directed by Kemp Powers (“One Night in Miami”) and produced by Academy Award nominee Dana Murray (Pixar short “Lou”). Globally renowned musician Jon Batiste will be writing original jazz music for the film, and Oscar®-winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (“The Social Network”), from Nine Inch Nails, will compose an original score that will drift between the real and soul worlds.
In addition to Foxx and Fey, “Soul” also features the voices of Phylicia Rashad, Angela Bassett, Ahmir Questlove Thompson, and Daveed Diggs, making it Pixar’s first film with a predominantly black cast.
“Soul” is directed by Oscar winner Pete Docter (“Inside Out,” “Up”), co-directed by Kemp Powers (“One Night in Miami”) and produced by Oscar nominee Dana Murray (Pixar short “Lou”). Globally renowned musician Jon Batiste (“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”) will be writing original jazz music for the film, and Oscar winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (“The Social Network”), from Nine Inch Nails, will compose an original score that will drift between the real and soul worlds.
Disney/Pixar will release “Soul” in theaters on June 19. Check out the charming trailer below.
Source: Indie Wire
‘Spawn’ Will Reportedly Still Push Through To Production With Jamie Foxx
A movie reboot is being planned for Todd McFarlane’s “Spawn,” 23 years after the first movie premiered in cinemas. Jamie Foxx and Jeremy Renner have been approached to play significant roles in the film, with Foxx set to take on the role of ex-Army man Al Simmons, who died, went to hell, and became the demonic anti-hero, Spawn.
News initially came out of Jamie Foxx’ departure from the project due to undisclosed reasons. CBR, through Shoryuken, said that McFarlane had commented on the matter indirectly. He said that an “academy award-winning guy” was supposed to be the movie but had changed his mind and declined. Most people took this to be the award-winning actor, Foxx.
It has since been confirmed that the person McFarlane referred to was a writer and not Foxx. Foxx, reportedly, was still confirmed to push through with the project since he signed in May 2018. The actor had also allegedly been “pursuing the project” for years.
The comic book was a huge hit in the 90s. It was so popular at the time, people voraciously bought various merchandise of the comic book character and watched the animated series that soon followed. It was enough to merit a film, with actor Michael Jai White giving life to the character of Spawn, the wronged soldier who ended up in hell.
Since then, McFarlane had produced his own “gritty, low-budget” version of the film, since he had not found a team that understood his vision. He wanted a dark R-rated movie for this character, and he wanted his dark hero to be a “silent” version — one that’s a man of few words and one that doesn’t tell Spawn’s origin story all over again.
As for Foxx, the “Spawn” creator said that the actor came up to him five years ago with an idea about Spawn. He said that Foxx had become his “visual guy” for the remake, and when the time came, McFarlane came knocking and Foxx was still interested to be the main character.
The movie will be written and directed by Todd McFarlane, with Jamie Foxx and Jeremy Renner being confirmed for important roles. No release date has yet been announced.
Kim Fields Joins Wanda Sykes/ Mike Epps New Netflix Comedy Titled ‘The Upshaws’
Kim Fields, who is known for her roles in classic sitcoms like “Facts of Life” and “Living Single,” has joined Wanda Sykes and Mike Epps in a new Netflix multi-cam comedy titled “The Upshaws.”
The series, which was ordered by the streamer in August 2019, centers on a working-class African American family in Indiana struggling to make it work and make it right without the blueprints to do it.
Fields will star as Regina Upshaw, Lucretia’s (Sykes) sister and Bennie’s (Epps) high school sweetheart, now wife, and the mother of his three children. Regina works in medical billing at a local hospital and struggles to stay upbeat and keep her family happy and her husband in check while pursuing goals of her own.
Epps’ Bennie Upshaw is described as the lovable, charming, thug-adjacent head of the Upshaw family. Sykes’ Lucretia is someone who collects disability after falling from a jetway at the airport. She is a real estate owner and silent partner in Bennie’s garage, only stomaching his antics for her sister.
More recently, Kim starred in and served as an executive producer on Lifetime’s “You Light Up My Christmas.” She also directed HBO’s “Insecure” season 3 show-in-a-show “Kev’yn,” which was itself a parody of “Living Single,” and is set to guest star in a season 4 episode of the Issa Rae comedy.
Fields is represented by Art Rutter and Michelle Grant at Critical Mass Management.
Sykes will executive produce and serve as co-showrunner in addition to starring in “The Upshaws,” with Regina Hicks serving as showrunner and executive producer. Epps will also executive produce, along with Page Hurwitz of Push It Productions, Dan Spilo, and Niles Kirchner.
Source: Variety
Lena Waithe And Halle Berry’s BET Comedy Series ‘Boomerang’ Sets Its Return
The second season of Lena Waithe and Halle Berry’s BET comedy series BOOMERANG is set to premiere on Wednesday, March 11th at 10:30pm EST, after Lena’s latest series “Twenties.” For the series return, two women of color take the helm as co-showrunners, Dime Davis (A Black Lady Sketch Show, The Chi, Boomerang S1) and Angeli Millan (The Cleveland Show, Us and Them, The Muppets). The entire season will be directed exclusively by women of color, with Dime Davis returning to the director’s chair for half of the season. The effort for increased leadership behind the lens by women of color is an effort that Hillman Grad Productions, 606 Films, BET, Paramount, and Viacom all supported.
“This season, we really wanted to go bigger and bolder,” Said Davis. “Keeping everything we loved from the first season and dumping the rest, we were able to find a unique approach to the storytelling in Season 2. We were given the freedom to make BOOMERANG our own, and Angeli and I ran with that.”
Other directors this season include Tiffany Johnson ((Dear White People, Black Monday, and Twenties) for two episodes and first-time director Katrelle N. Kindred for two episodes. Kindred was brought on to the show through Davis but is also a member of the ViacomCBS’s ViewFinder Emerging TV Directors Program.
Produced through Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions and Halle Berry’s 606 Films, in conjunction with Paramount Television, “Boomerang” is based on the 1992 American rom-com in which Berry starred alongside Robin Givens and Eddie Murphy. The series will continue to follow the lives of Jacqueline Boyer’s son, Bryson (Tequan Richmond) and Marcus and Angela Graham’s daughter, Simone (Tetona Jackson) as they try to step out of their parents’ shadows and make a legacy of their own. Actors Leland Martin(Ari), RJ Walker (David), Brittany Inge(Crystal), and Lala Milan (Tia), will return as series regulars.
“We’ve truly made this season of BOOMERANG an ensemble show, delivering dynamic character arcs that ask a lot of our cast,” Continues Davis. “And it’s all been worth it – the performances, this season, are truly magical. As is the show.”
Guest stars for the series will include Kim Wayans, Jaleel White, Walter Emanuel Jones, Nicole Williams, Cameron J. Ross, Elle Lorraine, and Zoelle Griggs.
Dave Chappelle And Chris Rock Lead New Netflix Comedy Festival Line-Up
Netflix is known for going big or going home — whether that means its original programming slate, awards campaigns or subscriber base. Now, the streamer is applying the principle to an old-school format: the comedy festival.
On Monday, the company announced Netflix Is a Joke Fest, with more than 100 performances from some of comedy’s biggest names across 20-plus Los Angeles venues and culminating in a hall-of-fame tribute to four late legends: George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Joan Rivers and Robin Williams.
Participants in the festival, which is set to run from April 27 to May 3 and is produced in partnership with Live Nation, are a who’s who of contemporary comedy — with an emphasis on the ever-growing stable of performers with a Netflix series or special. The lineup includes Dave Chappelle, David Letterman, Amy Schumer, Ali Wong, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, Jamie Foxx, Sarah Silverman, Kevin Hart, Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Ken Jeong, and Martin Lawrence.
“It’s our honor to transform L.A. for one week into the funniest place on earth,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix chief content officer, said in a statement. “This festival is a unique celebration of the art of comedy, and the role it plays in reflecting our lives and defining culture. It’s a chance for comedy lovers to come together and see their favorite artists as well as discover new ones, and for us to be able to share the electricity and excitement of the festival in Los Angeles with Netflix members around the world.”
Netflix Is a Joke Fest, named for the streamer’s comedy brand, won’t be the biggest of all comedy festivals — that title likely belongs to Montreal’s Just for Laughs, which runs for two weeks and boasts more than 2 million attendees each year.
But the L.A. event has already attracted more than 130 artists, with additional names to come, and Netflix projects attendance to be around 80,000. Individual tickets will range from about $15 to about $500 per event, according to organizers. (There will be no festival-wide passes.) For those who can’t make it in person, 11 of the live shows will be available to stream on Netflix at a later date.
Among the schedule’s highlights, Chappelle (and friends) will appear in “an evening of music and comedy” at the Hollywood Bowl. Letterman will host an event at the Fonda Theatre, mixing stand-up performances with live interviews. The cast of “Schitt’s Creek” will lead a “live, interactive” farewell tour that takes fans inside the making of the Emmy-nominated comedy. Foxx, Schumer, Lawrence, and Fonda and Tomlin will all host comedy nights at the Palladium. Other festival headliners include Bill Burr, Pete Davidson, Chelsea Handler, Jenny Slate, Whitney Cummings, Marlon Wayans, Iliza Shlesinger and Michelle Wolf.
A number of themed events during the festival bring together comedians to highlight national or regional talents — such as showcases of Indian and Latin American performers — or queer comedians — as with “Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration” at the Greek Theatre, featuring Sandra Bernhard, Alan Carr, Margaret Cho, Hannah Gadsby, Rosie O’Donnell, Wanda Sykes and others.
Festival venues also include the Wiltern, the Orpheum, the Largo and the Laugh Factory, among others.
During the closing event at the Theatre at Ace Hotel, “The Hall: Honoring the Greats of Stand-Up,” Chappelle, Crystal, Goldberg, Hart, Rock, Seinfeld, Silverman and Sykes will fete Carlin, Pryor, Rivers and Williams. In addition to the event being recorded as a Netflix special, an exhibit of the same name will have a physical home in a newly designed wing of the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, N.Y. Inductees were determined by a nominating committee composed of agents, managers, producers, TV executives and comedy club owners.
“Netflix has become the dominant player in the comedy space, which made them the ideal broadcast partner for this long overdue acknowledgment of the art of stand-up comedy,” “The Hall” director Marty Callner and fellow executive producers Randall Gladstein and David Steinberg said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. “The relationship with Netflix and the caliber of our four beloved inductees have made it possible for us to bring together, for the first time, every leading voice in stand-up to honor those that paved the way.”
The festival’s official charity partner is nonprofit organization Comedy Gives Back, which provides mental health, medical and financial crisis support to comedians in need.
Pre-sale tickets are available starting Tuesday via a unique code to be published on artist, venue, Ticketmaster, Live Nation and Netflix Is a Joke social media accounts. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday. The full lineup and ticketing information are posted at the festival website.
Source: The Los Angeles Times
Jermaine Fowler To Star In New Netflix Comedy ‘Cocaine Hippos’
Hollywood is a zoo, and Netflix is now home to some hippos.
The streamer has picked up the comedy package Cocaine Hippos, with comedian Jermaine Fowler set to star.
The story, which comes from writer Jordan VanDina, who is also writing the script, was inspired by the hippopotamuses that were brought into Colombia from Africa in the 1980s to populate the palatial estate of drug lord Pablo Escobar. When Escobar was killed in 1993, his menagerie of animals were taken to zoos or sold, save for the hippos, who were left to their own devices and populated, becoming an invasive species.
Cocaine Hippos will follow a group of friends who stumble across a clue leading to Escobar’s lost treasure. They then embark on a wild trip that pits them against con men, local drug lords and the deadly hippos that Escobar smuggled into Colombia back in the ’80s. The tone is being described as The Hangover meets Tropic Thunder.
Adam Goodman, former president of Paramount’s motion picture group, will produce through his Dichotomy banner, along with Matt Skiena. Fowler will also produce.
Fowler, repped by WME and 3 Arts, is best known for starring on CBS’ Superior Donuts. His upcoming credits include the Coming to America sequel and the Warner Bros. title Jesus Was My Homeboy about the assassinated Black Panther activist Fred Hampton.
VanDina, repped by UTA, 3 Arts and Ginsburg Daniels, also penned The Binge, which is set up at Hulu, and American High, with Vince Vaughn and Skyler Gisondo set to star.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
‘Good Times’ Star Ja’net DuBois Passes Away
Ja’net Dubois — one of the main characters on “Good Times” — was found dead Tuesday.
Ja’net played the Evans family’s sassy neighbor Willona Woods on the classic ’70s TV series. Her family tells us … Ja’net died unexpectedly in her sleep overnight at her home in Glendale, CA.
It’s unclear who discovered her body Tuesday morning. We’re told Ja’net hadn’t complained of any specific ailments recently, and appeared to be in good health to those around her. She even attended a fan event in Hollywood a couple weeks ago.
Ja’net might be most famous for “Good Times,” but she also composed and sang the theme song, “Movin’ On Up” for, “The Jeffersons” — so, she should also be remembered for her voice.
She appeared in tons of movies over the years, including “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka”, “Tropic Thunder” and “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.”
Ja’net’s acting career began on Broadway, where she was cast in a number of plays including “Golden Boy” with Sammy Davis Jr. and Louis Gossett Jr. — plus “A Raisin In The Sun.”
She also won two Emmy awards for her voice-over work on “The PJs.”
Ja’net is survived by her children — 2 daughters and a son.
She was 74. RIP
Source: TMZ
Showtime Orders ‘First Ladies’ Starring Viola Davis As Michelle Obama
SHOWTIME has given a series order to the first season of the hour-long drama FIRST LADIES, starring and executive produced by Oscar, Emmy and Tony® winner Viola Davis, who will play former first lady Michelle Obama. Produced by SHOWTIME and Lionsgate Television, the series will also be executive produced by Julius Tennon, Oscar winner Cathy Schulman (Crash, Five Feet Apart), Jeff Gaspin (Rhythm + Flow, L.A.’s Finest), Brad Kaplan (Mr. Church) and author Aaron Cooley (Four Seats: A Thriller of the Supreme Court), who created the series and will write. The announcement was made today by Jana Winograde, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc.
In the East Wing of the White House, many of history’s most impactful and world-changing decisions have been hidden from view, made by America’s charismatic, complex and dynamic first ladies. This series will peel back the curtain on the personal and political lives of these enigmatic women, with season one focusing on Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford and Michelle Obama.
“Throughout our history, presidents’ spouses have wielded remarkable influence, not only on the nation’s leaders but on the country itself.” said Winograde. “FIRST LADIES fits perfectly within the SHOWTIME wheelhouse of drama and politics, revealing how much personal relationships impact both domestic and global events. Having Viola Davis play Michelle Obama is a dream come true, and we couldn’t be luckier to have her extraordinary talent to help launch this series.”
Davis won Oscar, Golden Globe®, BAFTA® and Screen Actors Guild Awards® for her performance in the feature film Fences, based upon the play for which she won a Tony Award. She also earned Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Awards for her lead role in How To Get Away with Murder, for which she was a four-time Emmy nominee, as well as two additional Tony Awards for King Hedley II and Seven Guitars. Her career also includes Oscar, Golden Globe and SAG-nominated performances in The Help and Doubt, an Emmy-nominated guest performance in Scandal and a BAFTA nomination for Widows. Davis is a four-time NAACP® Image Award winner and 16-time nominee, beginning with her performance on the SHOWTIME series UNITED STATES OF TARA.
FIRST LADIES is executive produced by Cathy Schulman via Welle Entertainment, Viola Davis and Julius Tennon via JuVee Productions, Jeff Gaspin via Gaspin Media, Brad Kaplan via LINK Entertainment and Aaron Cooley.
O’Shea Jackson Jr. Takes Over The Lead Role In New Apple Basketball Drama Titled ‘Swagger’
O’Shea Jackson is now set to star in the Apple drama series “Swagger.”
Jackson takes over the role from Winston Duke. It was announced that Duke would star in the series back in October, but an individual with knowledge of the situation says he suffered an injury on set, which forced him to drop out of the show.
“Thank you to Imagine, CBS and Apple TV for the opportunity to have collaborated on this project,” said Duke. “As I work toward a full recovery in the coming months, I look forward to joining everyone on future endeavors. Congratulations to O’Shea – I have no doubt that he’ll shine in this role.”
Inspired by NBA champion Kevin Durant’s youth basketball experiences, “Swagger” explores the world of youth basketball, and the players, their families and coaches who walk the fine line between dreams and ambition, and opportunism and corruption. Jackson will star as Ike, a youth basketball coach and former star player.
“I’m thrilled to be involved with such a profound and impactful project that stands for family, explores the development and growth of today’s youth, involves the game of basketball, and most importantly addresses such key social issues which are tackled throughout the series,” said Jackson. “‘Swagger’ is an opportunity to explore a fresh, multi-dimensional character under the guidance of an amazing director like Reggie Rock and his team on a daily basis.”
Sources say that Jackson has been highly interested in the series since it was in first in the works and had been offered a different role during the casting process that he was unable to accept at the time it was offered.
The role will be one of Jackson’s first regular television roles in his burgeoning career. He was recently announced as a series lead in the Quibi series “The Now.” His first onscreen credit was in the 2015 film “Straight Outta Compton,” which is based on the rise of the hip hop supergroup NWA. Jackson portrayed his own father, best known to fans as Ice Cube, in the film. Since then, he has gone on to star in films like the recently released “Just Mercy” as well as “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” and “Den of Thieves.”
He is repped by WME and Ziffren Brittenham.
“Swagger” will be written and directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood, who will also serve as executive producer and showrunner. Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo will executive produce for Imagine Television Studios along with Durant and Thirty Five Ventures’ Rich Kleiman. The series hails from Imagine Television Studios and CBS Television Studios. James Seidman will oversee the project for Imagine. Sarah Flynn will serve as executive for Thirty Five Ventures.
Loinsgate Debut’s New Trailer For Chris Rock’s ‘Saw’ Horror Film Titled ‘Spiral’
A sadistic mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in SPIRAL, the terrifying new chapter from the book of SAW. Working in the shadow of an esteemed police veteran (Samuel L. Jackson), brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks (Chris Rock) and his rookie partner (Max Minghella) take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.
SPIRAL stars Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, and Samuel L. Jackson, and is produced by the original SAW team of Mark Burg and Oren Koules. The film is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Josh Stolberg & Pete Goldfinger.
