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The Casting Society announced its annual Artios Awards nominations on Tuesday, with top Oscar contenders like Wicked, Emilia Pérez, and Conclave among the films highlighted by the Hollywood guild.

In addition to the nominees (the full list is below), the Casting Society announced that Emmy Award nominee Janelle James will host the Artios Awards ceremony next year in Los Angeles, while Baby Reindeer Emmy Award winner Jessica Gunning will handle emcee duties for the ceremony in London. Comedian Jordan Carlos was chosen as the New York ceremony host.

The three ceremonies will take place on Feb. 12.

“As we commemorate the 40th Annual Artios Awards, we are delighted to announce Janelle, Jessica and Jordan as the hosts for our global ceremonies. Their remarkable wit, talent, and dynamic presence perfectly complement what promises to be an extraordinary series of evenings celebrating our community. Additionally, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the...

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Conclave,” “Emilia Pérez,” “Wicked,” “Gladiator II,” “Dune: Part II,” “The Wild Robot” and “Inside Out 2” were among the film nominees for the 40th Artios Awards, which the Casting Society announced Tuesday morning.

The winners will be announced at three different ceremonies that takes place on Feb. 12, 2025. “Abbott Elementary” star Janelle James will host the Los Angeles awards at the Beverly Hilton; “Baby Reindeer” Emmy winner Jessica Gunning will host the London gala at White City House; and comedian Jordan Carlos will host in New York at the Edison Ballroom.

The Artios awards recognize achievement in casting in film, television (scripted and unscripted), commercials and theater.

“As we commemorate the 40th Annual Artios Awards, we are delighted to announce Janelle, Jessica, and Jordan as the hosts for our global ceremonies,” Casting Society president Destiny Lilly said in a statement. “Their remarkable wit, talent, and dynamic presence perfectly complement...

The Casting Society has announced the film nominees for the 40th Artios Awards. “A Complete Unknown,” “Blitz,” “Civil War,” “Dune: Part 2,” “Gladiator 2” and “Queer” are among the nominated films in big budget drama.

In big budget comedy, the nominated films are “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Challengers,” “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Nightbitch,” “Saturday Night” and “Wicked.”

The awards honor casting directors’ contributions to film, television and theatre. Among the casting directors with multiple nominations are Francine Maisler, Nina Gold, Carmen Cuba and Jessica Kelly.

“As we commemorate the 40th Annual Artios Awards, we are delighted to announce Janelle, Jessica, and Jordan as the hosts for our global ceremonies. Their remarkable wit, talent, and dynamic presence perfectly complement what promises to be an extraordinary series of evenings celebrating our community. Additionally, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the exceptional film nominees whose outstanding contributions continue to advance the art of storytelling,” stated Destiny Lilly,...

Richard E. Grant (“Saltburn”), Amir El-Masry (“In Camera”) and Felicity Jones (“The Brutalist)” have joined the cast of “100 Nights Of Hero,” the adaptation of the graphic novel feminist fairytale from director Julia Jackman, alongside the already announced Nicholas Galitzine, Emma Corrin, Maika Monroe and Charli Xcx.

Project Infinity’s Grant S. Johnson (“May December”) has joined Helen Simmons, Christopher Fairbank (“Lady Macbeth”), Tom Stourton (“All My Friends Hate Me”), Jeff Mirza (“Juice”), Olivia D’lima (“The Killing Kind”), Kerena Jagpal (“3 Body Problem”), Markella Kavenagh (“Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”), Clare Perkins (“Medusa Deluxe”), Josh Cowdery (“Wrath of Man”) and Varada Sethu (“Doctor Who”).

“Until 100 Nights of Hero, I hadn’t seen a project since Euphoria that so taps into what feels like the next generation of filmmakers, talent, and material,” said Johnson. “While the film appears to be a period drama, it’s not, and is modern in its sensibilities.

Saltburn star Richard E. Grant, In Camera‘s Amir El-Masry and The Brutalist‘s Felicity Jones have joined Nicholas Galitzine, Emma Corrin, Maika Monroe and Charli Xcx in the ensemble cast of 100 Nights of Hero.

Principal photography in England has wrapped on Julia Jackman’s adaptation of the graphic novel feminist fairytale.

Set in an alternate world, ruled by the despotic Birdman, the film centers on a bet between two friends: Manfred wagers to Jerome he can seduce his wife, Cherry, in 100 nights. If he wins, he gets Jerome’s castle and all his riches, whilst Cherry will face execution. As Jerome leaves, Cherry finds herself trapped in a remote castle, torn between the beguiling charisma of her husband’s friend and her trust in her maid Hero, whose suspicions of Manfred grow daily.

Jackman — in her feature writing debut — adapted the screenplay from Isabel Greenberg’s beloved 2016 graphic...

The Casting Society of America announced the winners of the 39th annual Artios Awards, which honors “excellence in casting across feature film, television, commercials and theatre.”

Winners in the film categories include Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, Past Lives and The Holdovers, while The Bear, Succession, Beef, Reservation Dogs and The Last Of Us were honored in the television categories. Queer Eye, RuPaul’s Drag Race and A Black Lady Sketch Show also received wins.

Niecy Nash-Betts hosted the Los Angeles awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton on Thursday, while the New York ceremony was hosted by Alex Edelman at the Edison Ballroom. The London ceremony was hosted by Samantha Morton at the White City House.

Ava DuVernay was honored with the Lynn Stalmaster Award for Career Achievement, which was presented by David Oyelowo. Sharon Klein, head of casting at Disney Entertainment Television, was honored with the Hoyt Bowers Award for Excellence in Casting.

Killers of the Flower Moon, The Holdovers, Past Lives and Barbie were among the film winners at the 39th Artios Awards, which the Casting Society handed out Thursday in three ceremonies spanning two continents. See the full winners list below.

Other movies that took home the hardware are Annie Awards juggernaut and Animated Feature Oscar favorite Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Memory and Summoning Silvia.

Winners from the small screen included the Emmy-laden Succession, The Bear, Beef, The Last of Us, RuPaul’s Drag Race and Queer Eye. Among the other Artios recipients from TV were Reservations Dogs, Big Mouth and American Born Chinese — all of which, like Succession, ended their runs last year.

The 2024 Artios Awards — which celebrate excellence in casting across feature films, TV and theater — were presented in three ceremonies hosted by Niecy Nash-Betts at the Beverly Hilton in Los Anegles,...

“Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Barbie” and “The Holdovers” were among the film winners at the 39th annual Casting Society Artios Awards.

The ceremony honors top casting in the year’s films, TV and theater. The celebrations were in person for the first time in three years, taking place in Los Angeles and New York City with hosts Niecy Nash-Betts and comedian Alex Edelman dividing up emcee duties between the cities. There was also a ceremony for casting directors in London.

With the newly added Academy Award for casting, the night certainly was a celebration. Starting in 2026, there will be a prize for best achievement in casting, the culmination of a campaign for recognition that has taken decades.

Ava DuVernay was this year’s recipient of the Lynn Stalmaster Award Career Achievement. While accepting her award, DuVernay took the time to acknowledge the Academy governors who advocated for this new...

Raine Allen Miller’s debut feature Rye Lane, Adjani Salmon’s Dreaming Whilst Black, and Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical were among the top winners at the sixth edition of the CDG Casting Awards. Scross down for the full list of winners.

Kharmel Cochrane picked up the Best Casting in an Independent Film award for her work on Rye Lane. Dreaming Whilst Black landed the Best Casting in a TV Comedy Series award for Heather Basten, Peter Noden, and Fran Cattaneo, and Louise Kiely won Best Casting in a Film for The Banshees of Inisherin.

High-profile titles that missed out on honors include Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, which was nominated for Best Casting in a Film alongside Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn. Kharmel Cochrane cast Saltburn and also popped in the noms for Best Casting in a Commercial for her work on Vanish ‘Me, My Autism & I.

The awards were...

The Boiling Point TV series, The Banshees of Inisherin, Rye Lane and Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical are among the U.K. Casting Directors’ Guild Awards winners for 2024.

The sixth CDG Casting Awards, handed out Wednesday evening in London, also honored the likes of the theater play Dear England, a TV adaptation of which Sky has just unveiled.

Competing for the awards were productions that premiered between Sept. 1, 2022 and Dec. 31, 2023 and they were selected as nominees by members of the guild. The Casting Directors’ Guild represents casting directors in the film, television, theater and commercials industries in the U.K. and Ireland.

Its awards celebrate “the incredible work achieved by casting teams across film, television, theater and commercials,” in partnership with global casting platform Spotlight.

“Casting directors are often the unsung storytellers of the industry. Their vision and skills that help orchestrate an ensemble of characters bring a script to life in every medium,...

Barbie, Saltburn and The Banshees of Inisherin are among the nominees at the UK’s sixth CDG Casting Awards.

Lucy Bevan, Olivia Grant (associate), Lucy Downes (assistant) are nominated in Best Casting in a Film for Barbie, with Kharmel Cochrane (Saltburn), Louise Kiley (Banshees of Inisherin), Kahleen Crawford, Carla Morris & Eliza Heslop (All of Us Strangers) and Jessie Frost (Triangle of Sadness) providing the competition.

In the Best Casting in a TV Drama Series category, Nina Gold is nominated three times, for Andor and Slow Horses Seasons 2 and 3, competing against Shaheen Baig, Jonny Boutwood and Carolyn McLeod for Boiling Point and Robert Sterne and Kate Bone for The Crown.

In the TV Comedy category, Heather Basten, casting execs for Dreaming Whilst Black, Extraordinary, Motherland, Sex Education Season 4 and Ted Lasso Season 3 are up for awards. In the Limited or Single Series race are casting execs from A Small Light, Black Mirror Season 6, Somewhere Boy,...

Barbie, Saltburn, Sex Education and Ted Lasso are among the U.K. Casting Directors’ Guild Awards nominees for the 2024 edition of its honors.

The list of nominees for the CDG Casting Awards, now in its sixth year, also includes the likes of The Crown, Andor, Slow Horses and All of Us Strangers.

Nominated productions premiered between Sept. 1, 2022 and Dec. 31, 2023 and have been selected by members of the guild. The Casting Directors’ Guild represents casting directors in the film, television, theater and commercials industries in the U.K. and Ireland.

“We are delighted to be celebrating the sixth edition of our CDG Awards, recognizing the outstanding contributions of our members,” said CDG co-chairs Jessica Ronane and Rebecca Wright.

Celebrating “the incredible work achieved by casting teams across film, television, theater and commercials, the awards will be held on Feb. 21 in London in partnership with global casting platform Spotlight.

Check out the full list of nominees below.

The Casting Society (CSA) has announced the film nominees for the 39th Artios Awards, presented by the Casting Society of America. “The Color Purple,” “Saltburn,” “Maestro,” “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Oppenheimer” are among the nominated films in big budget drama.

The awards honor casting directors’ contributions to film, television and theatre. Among the casting directors with multiple nominations are Avy Kaufman and Jessica Sherman. Also nominated are the casting directors behind “Barbie” and “The Iron Claw.”

The winners will be revealed on March 7, with celebrations being held in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in New York City at the Edison Ballroom and in London, England.

As previously announced, Ava DuVernay is this year’s recipient of the Lynn Stalmaster Award Career Achievement.

The full list of nominees is below.

Feature Animation

“Elemental”

Natalie Lyon, Kevin Reher, Kate Hansen-Birnbaum (Associate Casting Director)

“Leo”

Danielle Aufiero, Amber Horn...

Casting Society has made its 2024 callbacks. The group today revealed the film nominees for its 39th Artios Awards, which honor the contribution of casting professionals.

Vying in the Feature Big Budget – Drama category are The Color Purple, Maestro, Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer and Saltburn. The Feature Big Budget – Comedy race will be among Air; Are you There God? It’s Me, Margaret; Asteroid City, Cocaine Bear and Wonka.

Up for the Zeitgeist Award are Barbie, The Flash, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

See the full list below.

The combatants for Feature Studio or Independent – Drama are The Iron Claw, May December, Past Lives, Priscilla and Rustin. Battling for the Feature Studio or Independent – Comedy will be American Fiction, Bottoms, The Holdovers, Joy Ride and Theater Camp.

Last year’s top...

Casting Society (CSA) today announced the the film nominees for the 39th annual Artios Awards, which honor the contribution of casting directors in film, television and theater. The CSA previously announced the nominees for its television, theater, short film and short-form series categories on Oct. 24.

Among the nominees this year are Oscar frontrunners Air, American Fiction, Barbie, The Color Purple, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, May December, Oppenheimer, Past Lives and Rustin.

Netflix and Warner Bros. both lead the nominees with five nods apiece, followed by Amazon Studios with four noms.

Three casting directors were honored with three nods: Rich Delia, Adam Richards and Susan Shopmaker. Receiving two nominations each are Dylan Jury, Avy Kaufman, Meagan Lewis, Lisa Lobel, Melissa Morris, Kimberly Ostroy, Angela Peri, Laura Rosenthal, Jessica Sherman, Bernard Telsey and Debra Zane

The 39th annual Artios Awards will be handed out at three simultaneous galas...

Loki star Tom Hiddleston celebrated Halloween with a David Bowie costume sure to delight fans of both the Marvel actor and the musician he is dressed as.

The Loki actor Tom Hiddleston dressed as the music legend straight from his album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars."

Richard Grant shared photos of the costume, along with his own and Olivia Grant's '70s-inspired looks, on social media Sunday night.

Read full article on The Direct.

The casting branch of the academy is a year shy of a decade old and still doesn’t have an Oscar category of its own. However, the Casting Society has been handing out the Artios Awards for 37 years (“Artios” is from the ancient Greek meaning “perfectly fitted.”).

Nominees for feature films were announced on January 10 (two days before Oscar nominations voting begins). Many of the leading Academy Awards contenders reaped bids across the various categories according to production cost. Winners will be revealed at a ceremony on March 9 (two days after the close of final Oscar voting).

Last year’s big budget winners were the comedy “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and the drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7 ” while “The Forty-Year-Old Version” and “One Night in Miami” took the equivalent prizes in the independent division. “Minari” won the low budget and “The Surrogate” the micro budget prizes while “Soul” claimed the animation award.

“Belfast,” “Coda,” “King Richard,” “House of Gucci,” “West Side Story” and “The Power of the Dog” are among the films nominated for the 37th Annual Artios Awards, presented by the Casting Society of America.

The awards honor casting directors’ contribution to film, television and theatre. Winners will be revealed on March 17 via a virtual ceremony.

Among the animated features nominated are “Encanto,” “Luca,” “The Mitchells Vs. The Machines,” “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Vivo.”

Lucy Bevan, Avy Kaufman, Carmen Cuba, Nina Gold and Cindy Tolan are just some of the casting directors who landed nominations. While the Academy has had a casting branch for the past eight years, it has yet to establish an Oscar for casting.

View the nominations in full below:

Animation

“Encanto” – Jamie Sparer Roberts, Grace C. Kim (Associate)

“Luca” – Kevin Reher, Natalie Lyon, Kate Hansen-birnbaum (Associate)

“The Mitchells Vs The Machines” – Tamara Hunter

“Raya And The Last Dragon...

The 2021 auditions are over, and the Casting Society of America has unveiled the feature nominees for its 37th annual Artios Awards.

Music plays a huge role in several of this year’s hopefuls in the marquee categories including the musicals West Side Story and In the Heights, along with making-of-a-musical pic tick, tick…Boom! Also in the Artios mix are tune-filled toons Luca, Encanto and Vivo.

Winners will be announced during a virtual ceremony on March 17. See the full list of Artios Awards nominations below, and check out the TV, theater and short-film nominees here.

The casting crews for House of Gucci, King Richard, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick…Boom! and West Side Story will vie in the marquee Big Budget – Drama category. In the running for Big Budget – Comedy are Cruella, Don’t Look Up, The French Dispatch, In the Heights and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the...

The casting branch of the academy is only eight years old and doesn’t have an Oscar category of its own. However, the Casting Society of America has been handing out the Artios Awards for 37 years (“Artios” is from the ancient Greek meaning “perfectly fitted.”).

Nominees for feature films were announced on February 1 (the last day of Oscar nominations voting). Many of the leading Academy Awards contenders reaped bids across the various categories according to production cost. Winners will be revealed a virtual ceremony on March 17, which is the first day of final Oscar voting.

Last year’s big budget winners were the comedy “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and the drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7 ” while “The Forty-Year-Old Version” and “One Night in Miami” took the equivalent prizes in the independent division. “Minari” won the low budget and “The Surrogate” the micro budget prizes while “Soul” claimed the animation award.

The Casting Society of America has nominated 100 casting directors for 39 different films for the 37th annual Artios Awards, which honor the work of casting directors in eight different feature categories.

“Don’t Look Up” and “The French Dispatch” were among the nominees in the Big Budget Comedy category, “King Richard” and “The Power of the Dog” for Big Budget Drama, “”The Tender Bar,” “Belfast” and “Coda” in the Studio or Independent categories and “The Humans” and “Shiva Baby” in Low Budget and Micro Budget.

With categories covering every genre and budget level, most of the top contenders for this year’s film awards were included, with the exception of “Dune,” “Licorice Pizza,” “Nightmare Alley,” “Being the Ricardos” and “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”

Winners will be announced on March 17, though the planned in-person ceremony has been canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The nominees:

Animation

Encanto - Jamie Sparer Roberts, Grace C. Kim...

The ceremony is set to take place on February 22.

Aleem Khan’s After Love, Ben Sharrock’s Limbo and Henry Blake’s County Lines are among the titles nominated for the UK and Ireland’s Casting Directors’ Guild’s (CDG) Casting Awards 2022.

Shaheen Baig has three nominations across two different categories.

Scroll down for nominees

Baig has been shortlisted for best casting in an independent film (under £3m) for her work on Khan’s debut After Love, starring Joanna Scanlan and Nasser Memarzia; and alongside Jonny Boutwood for Billie Piper’s directorial debut Rare Beasts, with a cast including Piper,...

Marco Bellocchio Honorary Prize

The 2022 edition of the Visions du Réel film festival in Nyon, Switzerland, will present its Honorary Award to Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio. The Fists In My Pocket and The Traitor director will attend the festival to pick up his prize. He will host a masterclass during the event, while a retrospective of his films will be screened, as well as his new documentary. “Marco Bellocchio exercises impressive liberty and modernity to combine registers of images and genres, moving between fiction and documentary, between the intimate and the collective. We are extremely happy and delighted to pay tribute to an indisputable master of contemporary filmmaking, as well as to a body of work which, from the very first films, has demonstrated dazzling modernity, and is brooding, subversive and audacious, formidably eclectic,” said Emilie Bujès, Artistic Director of Visions du Réel.

The prize will be awarded during the 53rd edition of the fest,...

Exclusive: MGM has acquired global distribution rights to the upcoming supernatural-psychological thriller series The Box, starring Anna Friel, from Shades of Blue creator Adi Hasak and Nordic Entertainment Group. The deal excludes the Nordics, Baltics and Poland, where The Box will premiere on Nent Group’s streaming service Viaplay Nov. 28, and the Netherlands and the UK, where Viaplay will launch in 2022.

Created by Hasak, the English-language series stars Friel as Sharon Pici, a Kansas City police officer who is surrounded by headstrong men who are convinced she is losing her mind – when, through no fault of her own, she’s targeted by supernatural powers far greater than herself. As Sharon finally realizes her true strength, she takes her life into her own hands.

Starring alongside Friel are Olivia Grant (Stardust), Letitia Hector (Venus vs. Mars), Peter Stormare (American Gods), Alexander Karim (Zero Dark Thirty), Helen Behan (The Virtues), Nina Yndis...

Joan Washington, a veteran dialect and voice coach and the wife of Oscar nominee Richard E. Grant, died Wednesday. Grant posted the news on social media Friday morning but did not provide details.

“Only You Joan – Love of my Life & Giver of Life to our daughter Olivia,” Grant wrote in a tweet that includes a video of the couple dancing and smiling (see it below). “Our hearts are broken with the loss of your life last night. 35 years married and 38 together. To be truly known and seen by you is your immeasurable gift. Do not forget us, sweet Monkee-mine.”

Washington began her career working as a dialect coach on Barbra Streisand’s 1983 movie Yentl. She had worked steadily in film and TV since then, contribution voice and/or dialect instruction on such titles as The Dressmaker, Highlander, Brassed Off, 101 Dalmatians and its sequel, Elizabeth, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,...

Will the entire gang survive the first season of The Irregulars TV show on Netflix? As we all know, the Nielsen ratings typically play a big role in determining whether a TV show like The Irregulars is cancelled or renewed for season two. Netflix and other streaming platforms, however, collect their own data. If you've been watching this TV series, we'd love to know how you feel about the first season episodes of The Irregulars here. Status Update Below.

A Netflix supernatural crime drama series, The Irregulars is loosely based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and stars Thaddea Graham, Darci Shaw, Mckell David, Harrison Osterfield, Jojo Macari, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Royce Pierreson, Clarke Peters, Olivia Grant, and Aidan McArdle. Set in Victorian London, the series follows a gang of troubled and ragtag street teens, aka The Irregulars, who are manipulated...

Network: Netflix

Episodes: Eight (hour)

Seasons: One

TV show dates: March 26, 2021

Series status: Cancelled

Performers include: Thaddea Graham, Darci Shaw, Mckell David, Harrison Osterfield, Jojo Macari, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Royce Pierreson, Clarke Peters, Olivia Grant, and Aidan McArdle.

TV show description:

A supernatural crime drama series, The Irregulars was created by Tom Bidwell and is loosely based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Set in Victorian London, the series follows a gang of troubled and ragtag street teens, aka The Irregulars, who are manipulated into solving crimes for the arrogant and cagey Doctor Watson (Pierreson) and his mysterious business partner, the elusive Sherlock Holmes (Lloyd-Hughes).

Read More…...

It looks like this gang of teens is history. Netflix has cancelled The Irregulars TV series so, there won't be a second season.

A British supernatural crime drama series, The Irregulars is loosely based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and stars Thaddea Graham, Darci Shaw, Mckell David, Harrison Osterfield, Jojo Macari, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Royce Pierreson, Clarke Peters, Olivia Grant, and Aidan McArdle. Set in Victorian London, the series follows a gang of troubled and ragtag street teens, aka The Irregulars, who are manipulated into solving crimes for the arrogant and cagey Doctor Watson (Pierreson) and his mysterious business partner, the elusive Sherlock Holmes (Lloyd-Hughes). The teen gang includes Bea (Graham), Jessie (Shaw), Spike (David), Leo (Osterfield), and Billy (Macari). As the crimes take on a horrifying supernatural edge and a dark power emerges, it's up to the...

Vulture Watch

Is a renewal "elementary"? Has The Irregulars TV show been cancelled or renewed for a second season on Netflix? The television vulture is watching all the latest cancellation and renewal news, so this page is the place to track the status of The Irregulars, season two. Bookmark it, or subscribe for the latest updates. Remember, the television vulture is watching your shows. Are you?  

What's This TV Show About?

Streaming on the Netflix subscription service, The Irregulars is loosely based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and stars Thaddea Graham, Darci Shaw, Mckell David, Harrison Osterfield, Jojo Macari, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Royce Pierreson, Clarke Peters, Olivia Grant, and Aidan McArdle. Set in Victorian London, the series follows a gang of troubled and ragtag street teens, aka The Irregulars, who are manipulated into solving crimes for the arrogant and cagey Doctor Watson...

There is a curious sense of ownership from forty-somethings over the cast of shows that were big when they were kids. Here in the UK the late ’80s and early ’90s were awash with the antipodean soap suds of Neighbours and Home and Away. After school we cornered the TV and watched on in eager anticipation as our onscreen heroes grew up with us. As our heroes left the soaps, many scored a well worn groove by leaping to Top of the Pops stardom along with the occasional phone in on the Saturday morning shows. For Guy Pearce however, the end of his three year stint on Neighbours pointed to a very different fate for the actor.

In all Pearce appeared in just four shy of 500 episodes, and like many headlining soap stars of the day there was little doubt he’d crop up again somewhere in the future. Thankfully...

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on Wbgr-fm on November 19th, 2020, reviewing the new films “Mank” and “The Last Verneer” (in theaters).

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Mank - Herman Mankiewicz (portrayed by Gary Oldman) was the co-screenwriter on Citizen Kane, and this film is his adventures in Hollywood from the pivotal years of the 1930s (told in flashback) to his struggle with Kane in the story’s present tense … including with Orson Welles (Tom Burke). This essentially becomes the story of Mank, William Randolph Hearst – whose life Kane is based on – and Hearst’s mistress, actress Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried). Davies friendship with Mank becomes the basis for Kane, which depicts him doing the lion’s share of screenplay work, disputed to this day. Directed by David Fincher. 4/5 stars.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

The Last Vermeer - Guy Pierce portrays Han Van Meegeren, a real life Dutch artist...

What will the moviegoing public make of a film called “Lyrebird”? Oblique but apt, that title refers to an ostentatious Australian bird capable of mimicking the calls of countless other species — the relevance of which may not be immediately apparent to those intrigued by the true, post-World War II story of a notorious Dutch art dealer accused of selling a priceless cultural treasure to Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Göring.

After being arrested and tried for collaborating with the enemy, Han van Meegeren mounted a most unconventional defense: He claimed that the artwork in question, “The Supper at Emmaus,” was not in fact a Johannes Vermeer masterpiece but a masterful forgery, painted by none other than himself. While the truth is considerably more complicated, van Meegeren’s story reduces neatly to the kind of handsome, upscale night-out offering that still draws sophisticated older audiences to art houses — catnip for those who...

He was talking at the first Casting Directors Awards held in London on Tuesday,

Oscar nominee Richard E. Grant has called on Bafta and the Oscars to introduce best casting categories, saying casting work has been “astonishingly un-celebrated” by the film industry.

“I’ve wondered whether it’s because it’s female-dominated that it hasn’t been as to the forefront of other awards,” Grant told Screen at the inaugural Casting Directors Guild (Cdg) awards in London last night (February 12).

“There should be a category for them [at the Baftas and Oscars]. Casting director comes up in the list of credits so...

Stars: Olivia Grant, Chiké Okonkwo, John Hannah, Warren Brown, Ed Stoppard, Ben Shafik, Rick Warden, William Snape, Wendy Glenn, Stefano Braschi, Amrita Acharia, Paul Nicholls | Written and Directed by Freddie Hutton-Mills, Bart Ruspoli

While attending McM London Comic Con back in May we went to as many panels as possible. We got to check out the creators of a Scottish based web series called Cops and Monsters, who were kicking off there crowdfund that weekend. Monkey Tennis Podcast were recording a live show. We checked out Dark Rising, a new upcoming superhero show with a real difference. There was also the panel for Night Shooters, which looked like a great martial arts/comedy flick. And then there was this, Genesis. We were immediately intrigued because, well lets not mess about, John Hannah is in the movie and that for me warranted checking out the panel. John Hannah is fantastic British actor that you always know,...

To mark the release of Genesis on 16th July, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on DVD.

Prepare yourself for stellar British sci-fi adventure Genesis, as Man battles Machine in a desperate future.

The year is 2069. Mankind has been devastated by a chemical Armageddon. Forced to live underground where the air is breathable, the civilians, led by the charismatic Paul Brooks (John Hannah) survive in dire conditions, starving and pushed into slave labour.

As the civilian unrest grows, the politicians and scientists, led by Dr. Eve Gabriel (Olivia Grant) dedicate all resources to the construction of Abel, a humanoid life- form, and mankind’s last hope. When the powerful A.I. Machine learns its preprogrammed fate, it is up to Eve and Paul to stop the catastrophic consequences as humanity’s future lies in the balance.

Starring Olivia Grant (Stardust), Chike Okonkwo, (The Birth of a Nation), Ed Stoppard...

"I don't have any money..." "Get it from your father-in-law - he has all the money in the world." Sony has dropped one final trailer for Ridley Scott's movie All the Money in the World, which has been making headlines recently with the last minute Christopher Plummer update. The movie hits theaters Christmas Day, so this is truly a last minute trailer in hopes it will drum up buzz and get people into theaters to watch it (I guess the reshoots cost a lot of money). The film is about the true story from the 1970s of a massive kidnapping plot arranged by a left-wing paramilitary organization in Italy. Plummer plays the "richest man in the world" oil tycoon J. Paul Getty. All the Money in the World also co-stars Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Timothy Hutton, Charlie Plummer, Andrew Buchan, Olivia Grant, Teresa Mahoney, Romain Duris, and Charlie Shotwell.

"He's my son and I'll stop at nothing to bring him home." Get you first look at the new casting. Sony has released a brand new, 30-second TV spot for Ridley Scott's All the Money in the World, a crime thriller set in the 1970s about a massive kidnapping plot arranged by a left-wing paramilitary organization in Italy. Just four weeks ago, Kevin Spacey was outed in multiple sexual harassment accusations, so Sony decided to recast his character completely at the last minute. Christopher Plummer stepped in to reshoot his scenes playing oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, and this new spot features footage of him already. He actually looks pretty damn good. All the Money in the World also co-stars Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Timothy Hutton, Charlie Plummer, Andrew Buchan, Olivia Grant, Teresa Mahoney, Romain Duris, and Charlie Shotwell. This still seems worth seeing even without thinking about the recasting.

With just over a month left until All the Money in the World is set to arrive in theaters on December 22, the cast and crew have unanimously agreed to remove Kevin Spacey from their finished film. The production has recast Christopher Plummer in the role of J. Paul Getty, with reshoots to start immediately. Despite this shocking move, in the wake of widespread sexual misconduct allegations against Kevin Spacey, director Ridley Scott still plans on keeping the December 22 release date intact for this biopic.

Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams are coming back for the reshoots, after director Ridley Scott, along with producers Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas from Imperative Entertainment, and Sony Pictures decided to remove all of Kevin Spacey's scenes from the film. The move also comes just days after the studio and filmmakers decided to pull All the Money in the World from AFI Fest, where it...

"We look like you, but we're not like you. It's like we're from another planet." Sony Pictures has debuted the first official trailer for Ridley Scott's All the Money in the World, a crime thriller set in the 1970s about a massive kidnapping plot arranged by a left-wing paramilitary organization in Italy. With this now scheduled to open in December, it means (believe it or not!) we're getting two new Ridley Scott movies this year, the other being Alien: Covenant. All the Money in the World stars Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Spacey, Michelle Williams, Timothy Hutton, Charlie Plummer, Andrew Buchan, Olivia Grant, Teresa Mahoney, Romain Duris, and Charlie Shotwell. Ridley Scott always pulls together some of the best casts. This looks so damn good, a nice change from his recent sci-fi, and I dig the setting in Italy in the 70s. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Ridley Scott...

[caption id="attachment_48508" align="aligncenter" width="590"] (L-r) Jemima West as Alice Whelan and Henry Lloyd-Hughes as Ralph Whelan. (C) New Pictures and Channel 4 for Masterpiece in association with All3Media International./caption]

UK Channel 4 has cancelled the Indian Summers TV show after two seasons. A British drama set in Simla (Shimla) in northern India, the first season of Indian Summers aired on PBS in the Us, from September to November 2015. PBS has not yet announced the premiere date for the second and final season of Indian Summers. It is expected to air stateside in 2016, though. Masterpiece PBS co-produces the series, and PBS released a season two preview, back in December.

Indian Summers stars Julie Walters, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Jemima West, Nikesh Patel, Roshan Seth, and Lillete Dubey. The cast also includes Alexander Cobb, Craig Parkinson, Fiona Glascott, Amber Rose Revah, Aysha Kala, Olivia Grant, and Edward...

Distributor to handle theatrical and home ent in the UK.

Distributor Soda Pictures has acquired British thriller Breakdown for theatrical and home entertainment distribution in the UK.

The action thriller stars Craig Fairbrass (Rise of the Footsoldier as a professional contract killer who is forced to defend his family from his ruthless employers who turn against him.

It marks the debut feature from British writer-director Jonnie Malachi, who developed the film with production companies Screen 360, Impact Entertainment and Red Rock Entertainment.

The cast also includes Emmett J Scanlan (Guardians of the Galaxy) James Cosmo (Game of Thrones,), Mem Ferder (Pusher), Olivia Grant (Stardust), Tamer Hassan (The Business), Bruce Payne (Passenger 57) and Amanda Wass (The Seasoning House).

Producer is Luke Fairbrass of Impact Entertainment with executive producers Gary Collins, Jack Fairbrass and Craig Fairbrass.

The deal was negotiated between Luke Fairbrass and Soda Pictures’ acquisitions manager Frances Harvey.

Breakdown will receive its UK premiere on Jan...

Bravo Media and Universal Cable Prods have announced the cast for hour-long scripted dark comedy pilots True Fiction (working title) and My So Called Wife (working title). True Fiction from Brian Dannelly and Michael Urban, centers on a once best-selling novelist turned prestigious East Coast college professor (Olivia Grant) who has been struggling with her much anticipated, and embarrassingly belated follow-up book. But the sudden death of her most arrogant and hated…...

With numerous fall shows making their premiere over the next few weeks, it can be difficult to decide what to watch and what to skip. However, Popoptiq has provided a handy guide for viewers, with my look at the Monday lineup here, and TV editor Kate Kulzick’s look at the Tuesday lineup here, as well as the Wednesday and Thursday lineup here. With only a few shows premiering on the last day of the week and the weekend, the ones that shall be doing so are listed below, with their potential strengths and drawbacks.

Blood & Oil

Created by Josh Pate and Rodes Fishburne

Premieres Sunday, Sept 27th at 9 pm Et on ABC

Oil rigs and the land they’re on is the focus of Blood & Oil, one of ABC’s new fall series. Don Johnson returns to tv as the head of the Briggs company, a man who has...

Indian Summers will return for a second series in 2016, Channel 4 has confirmed.

The ten-part second series will be set in 1935, three years after the events of the current series.

Series creator Paul Ruman said that he was pleased with the response to the show, and was thrilled to be able to reunite the cast.

"Our story moves forward three years, to a Viceroy's last summer, a political gamble to stifle Independence and a great reckoning for Ralph, Alice and Aafrin," he continued.

"I am so grateful to Channel 4 for trusting us to continue our journey through the last years of the British Raj. I feel like the luckiest writer in the world."

The period drama is set in the backdrop of the Himalayas and tea plantations of Northern India. It follows the decline of the British Empire and the beginnings of modern India, told from both sides.

Henry Lloyd-Hughes,...

Hosted by comedian Stephen Fry, this Sunday's BAFTA awards will be broadcast on BBC One from London's Royal Opera House. These awards offer some clue to where the British contingent of Oscar voters are leaning. The British Academy will roll out the red carpet for nominated attendees including Amy Adams, Patricia Arquette, Steve Carell, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Ethan Hawke, Felicity Jones, Michael Keaton, Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Julianne Moore, Edward Norton, Jack O’Connell, Rosamund Pike, Eddie Redmayne, Mark Ruffalo, Rene Russo, Jk Simmons, Imelda Staunton and Reese Witherspoon. Many of these folks will be flying back to La tout suite to resume Oscar chores. Read More: BAFTA Noms 2015: Shocks, Snubs, Surprises Presenters confirmed to date include Hayley Atwell, David Beckham, John Boyega, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Natalie Dormer, Chris Evans, Alice Eve, Phoebe Fox, Martin Freeman, Cuba Gooding Jr., Holliday Grainger, Olivia Grant, Sally Hawkins,...

A flighty Peter Pan meets his grounded Wendy in Copenhagen, Mark Raso's tender romance about the sliding scale of maturity. William (Gethin Anthony) arrives in the Danish capital already frustrated: Traveling companion Jeremy (Sebastian Armesto) is more focused on pleasing girlfriend Jennifer (Olivia Grant) than accompanying his needy best friend on a tour of European bars and hostels. Left to his own devices, William begins tracking down his grandfather in hopes that it will illuminate a family history of abandonment. He finds an eager guide in Effy (Frederikke Dahl Hansen), who's as calm and perceptive as William is rash and inconsiderate. She's also half his age, a fact that escapes the self-centered 28-year-old for an inordinate amount of time. William is a familiar ...

Exclusive: Level 33 Entertainment has snapped up North American rights to romance-adventure Copenhagen, starring Game of Thrones‘ Gethin Anthony and Danish actress Frederikke Dahl Hansen (Rebounce, You and Me Forever). A limited theatrical run and VOD release has been set for October 3. Mark Raso wrote and directed the film about 28-year-old William (Anthony), who finds himself in Copenhagen while traveling through Europe and links up with local girl Effy (Hansen) on a mission to find his grandfather, only to discover Effy is half his age. Sebastian Armesto, Tamzin Merchant, and Olivia Grant also star in the Slamdance Audience Award winner, produced by Mauro Mueller and Mette Thygesen. Deal was negotiated by Steven C. Beer of Franklin, Weinrib, Rudell & Vassallo, P.C. on behalf of the producers. Raso is repped by Wme and Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment.

The distributor has acquired Us rights to Sean Mullin’s romance starring Martin Starr, Paul Wesley and newcomer Dina Shihabi. Separately, The Film Arcade and Paramount Home Media Distribution have taken Love, Rosie and Level 33 has acquired Copenhagen.

Amira & Sam (pictured) premiered recently at the Seattle International Film festival and takes place in New York and charts the romance between an Army veteran and the niece of his Iraqi translator.

The film marks the feature directorial debut of West Point graduate and Army veteran Mullin of Five By Eight Productions.

Terry Leonard of Strongman and Erich Lochner and Matt Miller of Vanishing Angle produced Amira & Sam. Executive producers are James Ponsoldt, Meg Montagnino-Jarrett and Peter Sobiloff from Hole in One Productions.

Drafthouse plans an early 2015 limited theatrical and digital launch after negotiating the deal with Preferred Content, UTA Independent Film Group and Gray Krauss Stratford Des Rochers.

The Film Arcade and Paramount Home Media Distribution have teamed...

Julie Walters has been cast in Channel 4's upcoming drama Indian Summers.

The comic actress is one of several casting announcements for the 10-part period drama, the channel confirmed today.

Henry Lloyd-Hughes (The Inbetweeners), Jemima West (The Mortal Instruments) and Nikesh Patel (Bedlam) have also joined the cast.

Roshan Seth (A Passage to India), Lillete Dubey (Monsoon Wedding), Alexander Cobb (Mr Selfridge), Craig Parkinson (Line of Duty), Fiona Glascott (Episodes), Amber Rose Revah (What Remains), Aysha Kala (Shameless), Olivia Grant (Legacy) and Edward Hogg (The Borgias) complete the cast.

Indian Summers will be set in 1932, in the backdrop of the Himalayas and tea plantations of Northern India. It will follow the decline of the British Empire and the beginnings of modern India, told from both sides.

Filming will begin in the summer, to be broadcast on Channel 4 in 2015.

Channel 4 said in a statement: "As Indian Summers begins,...

Actor Mem Ferda has been tapped to cameo in the upcoming action thriller Breakdown. Check out the official details below.

British and Turkish actor Mem Ferda is set to co-star in the new action thriller Breakdown. The movie also centrally stars Craig Fairbrass (Rise of the Footsoldier). Fairbrass plays a professional contract killer. Alfie (Fairbrass) is traumatized by visions of his violent past as he tries to defend his family from murderous employers. Currently, Breakdown is being shot on location in and in the surrounding areas of London and Essex.

Breakdown is written and directed by up-and-coming filmmaker Jonnie Malachi. Also, the cast includes James Cosmo (“Game of Thrones”), Emmett Scanlan (The Fall), Mem Ferda (Pusher), Olivia Grant (Mr. Nice), and Tamer Hassan (The Business). Luke Fairbrass is producing this feature through production house Screen 360.

Actor Mem Ferda plays the role of Hakan Abaci. Hakan is a self made,...