Legendary’s Monsterverse is headed to Apple TV+ for a streaming series, Daniel Radcliffe will play the titular role in Roku’s original feature-length movie WEIRD: The Weird Al Yankovic, Netflix raises prices, trailers drop for Moon Knight and part 2 of The Walking Dead’s final season, NAACP and GLAAD TV awards nominations announced, and more of the week’s biggest news in TV and streaming.
TOP STORY
(Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures)
Apple TV+ has given a series order to an untitled live-action Godzilla series. After kicking the keester of his fellow Monsterverse beast King Kong on the big screen in last year’s Godzilla vs. Kong (and doing a serious amount of damage to the cinematic version of San Francisco), Godzilla will now tangle with Titans on the small screen.
Series co-creators Chris Black (Star Trek: Enterprise), who will also serve as showrunner, and Matt Fraction (Hawkeye) will tell the story of Godzilla and the Titans while also unfolding the journey of a family that’s trying to uncover its own buried secrets and its links to the secret Monarch organization and a world that has been forced to realize monsters are a real thing.
The series is connected to Legendary’s Monsterverse big-screen story, which began with 2014’s Godzilla, and has carried through to 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Godzilla vs. Kong.
(Photo by Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images; Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
At last, the story of Weird Al can be told. Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, and we’re assuming, huge Weird Al Yankovic fan, will star in the Roku original feature-length movie WEIRD: The Weird Al Yankovic, which will unfold the life story of the biggest-selling comedy recording artist of all time, and all-around beloved pop culture icon.
Radcliffe will portray “the man behind the parodies,” while Weird Al himself wrote the movie’s script, along with Eric Appel (who will also direct the film). Production on WEIRD begins in Los Angeles in February.
(Photo by Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Award-winning French actor Gaspard Ullie, who will soon star as Midnight Man in Disney+’s upcoming Marvel series Moon Knight, died on Jan. 18 after suffering a head injury in a skiing accident in France.
Ullie, 37, was best known for playing a young Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal Rising, fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent in the movie Saint Laurent, and as being the face of the Chanel cologne Bleu de Chanel. He won two Cesar Awards, for A Very Long Engagement and It’s Only the End of the World. He is survived by a young son, whose mother is French model and singer Gaëlle Piétri. (CNN)
Louie Anderson, famous for his stand-up comedy and his Emmy-winning role as Christine in Baskets died January 21 of complications related to cancer. He was 68. (Variety)
“Bat Out of Hell” singer and Fight Club actor Meat Loaf died at age 74 on January 20. Causes were not disclosed. (NYT)
(Photo by Stephanie Branchu/Netflix)
Netflix shared the unhappy news that its subscription prices in North America would be going up by as much as two dollars. For the basic tier subscribers (non-HD, single screen) among the more than 74 million U.S. and Canadian Netflixers, that means a jump from $8.99 to $9.99. Premium plan subscribers, meanwhile, the ones who can watch four screams simultaneously, will now pay $19.99 instead of $17.99, and standard plan subscribers are now paying $15.49, up from $13.99. A spokesperson said the boosts in process come so the company can continue to spend on more and more quality content. The streaming service’s last price hike came in 2020.
PBS was on tap for three days of presentations at TCA this week. Highlights of their sessions:
Moon Knight features Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector, a version of the Moon Knight character from the comic’s more modern era, in which he is a mercenary who struggles with a dissociative identity disorder, in a story set in modern and ancient Egypt. The six-episode series also stars Ethan Hawke as the villain, a character inspired by the late Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh. Premieres March 30. (Disney+)
More trailers and teasers released this week:
• The Walking Dead, season 11, part 2 takes us close to the end of the original series’ run, and it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the world continues to come tumbling down around our heroes, no matter what they do. Part 2 is comprised of eight episodes, with Part 3 ending the series with the final eight eps later this year. Stars Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Lauren Cohan. Premieres Feb. 20. (AMC)
• Star Trek: Picard season 2 trailer promises an adventurous new season and Q.
• The Cuphead Show is Netflix’s 12-episode animated comedy based on a video game about literally-shaped, retro-designed Cuphead and his brother Mugman. Voice stars include Frank Todaro, Tru Valentino, and Wayne Brady. Premieres Feb. 18. (Netflix)
• Outlander season 6 is coming, and as the American Revolution draws closer, so does danger for Jamie and Claire. Stars Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe. Premieres March 6. (Starz)
• Vikings: Valhalla season 1 is the eight-episode sequel to Vikings, set more than a hundred years after the end of the original series. Stars Bradley Freegard, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Caroline Henderson, Laura Berlin, and David Oakes. Premieres Feb. 25. (Netflix)
• We Need to Talk About Cosby is W. Kamau Bell’s four-part documentary about the spectacular career and equally spectacular downfall of once-beloved comedian and TV dad Bill Cosby. Premieres Jan. 30. (Showtime)
• WeCrashed is Apple TV+’s limited series about Adam Neumann (Jared Leto) and the WeWork downfall. Also stars Anne Hathaway and America Ferrera. Premieres March 18. (Apple TV+)
• Pepsi’s Super Bowl 56 Halftime Show trailer is such a slick preview of all five performers we’ll see during the NFL championship game midway break – Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and Dr, Dre – that we wonder: how long is the halftime going to be, and can the actual show live up to how cool this trailer is? Super Bowl airs Feb. 13. (NBC)
For all the latest TV and streaming trailers, subscribe to the Rotten Tomatoes TV YouTube channel
(Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Mythic Quest star F. Murray Abraham and The Night Manager star Tom Hollander (pictured) are among the latest stars added to the cast of the upcoming second season of HBO’s dark comedy White Lotus. Abraham will play Bert DiGrasso, who is travelling with his son (the previously announced cast member Michael Imperioli) and grandson (The Magicians’ Adam DiMarco), who recently graduated from college. Meanwhile, Hollander will play Quentin, an English expat who is on vacation with his friends and nephew. One more new cast member, Haley Lu Richardson (The Edge of Seventeen), also joins a lineup that also includes the previously announced Aubrey Plaza. Richardson will play Portia, a woman travelling with her boss. An unconfirmed rumor also has season 1 star Jennifer Coolidge returning for season 2, Variety reports. More scoop on the new season from Variety: the season will take place in Italy, specifically a White Lotus resort (with a Four Reasons standing in as the actual location) in Sicily.
Read Also: Birds of Prey and 10 Cloverfield Lane Star Mary Elizabeth Winstead Has Joined the Star Wars Universe
Joshua Jackson, fresh off his Critics Choice Award-nominated performance in Peacock’s Dr. Death, has signed on for the lead in Paramount+’s series remake of the 1987 Michael Douglas and Glenn Close Erotic thriller movie Fatal Attraction. Jackson will play Dan Gallagher, who has an extramarital affair with a woman (Lizzy Caplan) who becomes obsessed with him.
Nicole Byer (Nailed It!) and Lauren Lapkus (The Big Bang Theory) have been cast in the Netflix animated comedy Bad Crimes, a 10-episode dark comedy procedural about two FBI agents whose job has them travelling across the country to solve especially harsh crimes, while also tending to their friendship, their career hopes, and their very active love lives.
Willem Dafoe will make his #SNL debut and host the January 29th episode. pic.twitter.com/aDEKnYITWA
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) January 18, 2022
Willem Dafoe will join The First Timer’s Club, as he hosts Saturday Night Live for the first time on Jan. 29. Katy Perry will be the musical guest.
Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost) is joining the cast of CBS drama FBI: International, playing Angela Cassidy, the long-lost mother of Luke Kleintank’s Scott Forrester. She also worked for the American government, but then she sold information to the Russians. (Deadline)
Peacock has announced the recurring cast members for Bel-Air, its drama reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which includes Karrueche Tran (Claws), Duane Martin (Real Husbands of Hollywood), April Parker Jones (Supergirl), SteVonté Hart (Little Fires Everywhere), Joe Holt (The Punisher), Scottie Thompson (NCIS), Jon Beavers (Animal Kingdom), Tyler Barnhardt (13 Reasons Why), and Charlie Hall (Single Drunk Female).
The third season of Disney+’s High School Musical: The Musical begins production with their summer musical being Frozen, and two new cast members, newcomer Adrian Lyles and Saylor Bell (Station 19). Corbin Bleu (High School Musical), Meg Donnelly (ZOMBIES), and Jason Earles (Hannah Montana) will guest star in the new season.
Fox has announced the celeb line-up for its latest reality show, The Real Dirty Dancing, which premieres on Feb. 1: Brie Bella (WWE Hall of Fame wrestler), Corbin Bleu (High School Musical), Tyler Cameron (The Bachelor), Iron Chef Cat Cora, Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough, All-Pro NFL alum Antonio Gates, MADtv comedian Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, and comedian and Emmy-winning The Real co-host Loni Love. So You Think You Can Dance alum Stephen “tWitch” Boss will host the series.
L.A. Law original series stars Blair Underwood and Corbin Bernsen have gotten a few new co-stars for the ABC reboot they’re starring in: Toks Olagundoye (The Neighbors), Hari Nef (Transparent), and Ian Duff (New Amsterdam).
(Photo by Amazon Studios)
There’s still plenty fans don’t know about Amazon Studio’s massive (and massively budgeted) series adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic story The Lord of the Rings, but now, the title and the storyline of the series aren’t among the mysteries. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power title reveals the series will revolve around Sauron and the forging of the original rings that allow Sauron to spread evilness throughout the Middle-earth. “This is a title that we imagine could live on the spine of a book next to J.R.R. Tolkien’s other classics,” showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay said. “The Rings of Power unites all the major stories of Middle-earth’s Second Age: the forging of the rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the epic tale of Númenor, and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Until now, audiences have only seen on-screen the story of the One Ring –but before there was one, there were many… and we’re excited to share the epic story of them all.”
Read More: Everything We Know About Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Netflix and Shonda Rhimes know the March 25 season 2 premiere of Bridgerton still seems terribly far away, so they released a set of eight sneak peek photos that give viewers a hint at what’s going on to the various characters in “The ‘Ton.” The second season revolves around the story of Lord Anthony Bridgerton’s (Jonathan Bailey) quest for love.
Our first look at #Bridgerton Season 2 – premiering March 25 on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/uuKgMkbdJJ
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) January 19, 2022
Thanks again, COVID: the Grammy Awards, originally scheduled for Jan. 30 in Los Angeles, have been moved to April 30 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The ceremony will air live on CBS.
Following the huge success of Squid Game (which was officially renewed for season 2), as well as series like Hellbound and The Silent Sea, Netflix announced it will release 25 Korean movies and TV series in 2022, including the zombie invasion story All of Us Are Dead, and the action film Seoul Vibe, set at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.
More COVID fallout: NBC’s play-by-play announcers for the Winter Olympics in Beijing will be reporting from the NBC Sports division’s home in Stamford, CT instead on the scene. Producers insist viewers may not even notice the difference … will the working-from-home(base) change make a difference in you Olympic viewing plans?
Netflix has announced the sequel to Chicken Run (the highest-grossing stop-motion animated film of all time), Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, will premiere in 2023, with returning stars Thandiwe Newton and Zachary Levi as Ginger and Rocky, and Bella Ramsey as their “chick-off-the-old-block” Molly.
Former Daily Show host Jon Stewart, now the host of The Problem with Jon Stewart on Apple TV+, has been named the 2022 recipient of the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The one-time stand-up comedian will be presented with the award in a ceremony on April 24 in Washington.
Apple TV+ has optioned the rights to adapt Pedro Almodovar’s 1988 dark comedy movie Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown as a TV series. Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin) Will star in the series as Pepa (played by Carmen Maura in the movie), who, along with her boyfriend Carlos (played by Antonio Banderas in the movie), work as voice actors and deal with a whirlwind of romantic shenanigans. (THR)
(Photo by Merie Weismiller Wallace)
Both the NAACP Image Awards and GLAAD have announced the nominees for their 2022 TV awards:
NAACP Image Awards (winners to be named live on BET on Feb. 25 in a ceremony hosted by Anthony Anderson)
Outstanding Comedy Series
Black-ish (ABC)
Harlem (Amazon Studios)
Insecure (HBO)
Run the World (Starz)
The Upshaws (Netflix)
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson – Black-ish (ABC)
Cedric the Entertainer – The Neighborhood (CBS)
Don Cheadle – Black Monday (Showtime)
Elisha ‘EJ’ Williams – The Wonder Years (ABC)
Jay Ellis – Insecure (HBO)
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Issa Rae – Insecure (HBO)
Loretta Devine – Family Reunion (Netflix)
Regina Hall – Black Monday (Showtime)
Tracee Ellis Ross – Black-ish (ABC)
Yvonne Orji – Insecure (HBO)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Andre Braugher – Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC)
Deon Cole – Black-ish (ABC)
Kenan Thompson – Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Kendrick Sampson – Insecure (HBO)
Laurence Fishburne – Black-ish (ABC)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Amanda Seales – Insecure (HBO)
Jenifer Lewis – Black-ish (ABC)
Marsai Martin – Black-ish (ABC)
Natasha Rothwell – Insecure (HBO)
Wanda Sykes – The Upshaws (Netflix)
Outstanding Drama Series
9-1-1 (FOX)
All American (The CW)
Godfather of Harlem (EPIX)
Pose (FX Network)
Queen Sugar (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
Billy Porter – Pose (FX Network)
Damson Idris – Snowfall (FX Network)
Forest Whitaker – Godfather of Harlem (EPIX)
Kofi Siriboe – Queen Sugar (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)
Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us (NBC)
Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Angela Bassett – 9-1-1 (FOX)
Dawn-Lyen Gardner – Queen Sugar (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)
Octavia Spencer – Truth Be Told (Apple TV+)
Queen Latifah – The Equalizer (CBS)
Rutina Wesley – Queen Sugar (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Alex R. Hibbert – The Chi (Showtime)
Cliff “Method Man” Smith – Power Book II: Ghost (Starz)
Daniel Ezra – All American (The CW)
Giancarlo Esposito – Godfather of Harlem (EPIX)
Joe Morton – Our Kind of People (FOX)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Alfre Woodard – SEE (Apple TV+)
Bianca Lawson – Queen Sugar (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)
Chandra Wilson – Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
Mary J. Blige – Power Book II: Ghost (Starz)
Susan Kelechi Watson – This Is Us (NBC)
Outstanding Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special
Colin in Black & White (Netflix)
Genius: Aretha (National Geographic)
Love Life (HBO Max)
Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia (Lifetime)
The Underground Railroad (Amazon Studios)
Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special
Anthony Mackie – Solos (Amazon Studios)
Jaden Michael – Colin in Black & White (Netflix)
Kevin Hart – True Story (Netflix)
Wesley Snipes – True Story (Netflix)
William Jackson Harper – Love Life (HBO Max)
Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special
Betty Gabriel – Clickbait (Netflix)
Cynthia Erivo – Genius: Aretha (National Geographic)
Danielle Brooks – Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia (Lifetime)
Jodie Turner-Smith – Anne Boleyn (AMC+)
Taraji P. Henson – Annie Live! (NBC)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special
Courtney B. Vance – Genius: Aretha (National Geographic)
Keith David – Black as Night (Amazon Studios)
Tituss Burgess – Annie Live! (NBC)
Will Catlett – True Story (Netflix)
William Jackson Harper – The Underground Railroad (Amazon Studios)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special
Anika Noni Rose – Maid (Netflix)
Natasha Rothwell – The White Lotus (HBO)
Pauletta Washington – Genius: Aretha (National Geographic)
Regina Hall – Nine Perfect Strangers (Hulu)
Sheila Atim – The Underground Railroad (Amazon Studios)
Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special)
Blood on Black Wall Street: The Legacy of the Tulsa Massacre (NBC)
NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt (NBC)
Soul of a Nation (ABC)
The Reidout (MSNBC)
Unsung (TV One)
Outstanding Talk Series
Desus & Mero (Showtime)
Hart to Heart (Peacock)
Red Table Talk (Facebook Watch)
Tamron Hall (Syndicated)
The Real (Syndicated)
Outstanding Reality Program, Reality Competition or Game Show (Series)
Celebrity Family Feud (ABC)
Iyanla: Fix My Life (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)
Sweet Life: Los Angeles (HBO Max)
The Voice (NBC)
Wild ‘n Out (VH1)
(Photo by Ben Blackall/HBO Max)
GLAAD Media Awards (winners will be announced in ceremonies in Los Angeles on April 2 and in New York on May 5):
Outstanding Documentary
Changing the Game (Hulu)
“Cured” Independent Lens (PBS)
Flee (NEON)
The Lady and The Dale (HBO)
The Legend of the Underground (HBO)
No Ordinary Man (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Nuclear Family (HBO)
“Pier Kids” POV (PBS)
Pray Away (Netflix)
Pride (FX)
Outstanding Comedy Series
Dickinson (Apple TV+)
Gentefied (Netflix)
Love, Victor (Hulu)
The Other Two (HBO Max)
Saved by the Bell (Peacock)
Sex Education (Netflix)
Shrill (Hulu)
Special (Netflix)
Twenties (BET)
Work in Progress (Showtime)
Outstanding Drama Series
9-1-1: Lone Star (FOX)
Batwoman (The CW)
The Chi (Showtime)
Doom Patrol (HBO Max)
Good Trouble (Freeform)
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
The L Word: Generation Q (Showtime)
Pose (FX)
Star Trek: Discovery (Paramount+)
Supergirl (The CW)
Outstanding New TV Series
4400 (The CW)
Chucky (Syfy/USA Network)
Hacks (HBO Max)
Harlem (Prime Video)
The Long Call (BritBox)
The Sex Lives of College Girls (HBO Max)
Sort Of (HBO Max)
With Love (Prime Video)
Y: The Last Man (FX)
Yellowjackets (Showtime)
Outstanding TV Movie
The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls (Hallmark Channel)
The Fear Street Trilogy (Netflix)
Nash Bridges (USA Network)
Single All the Way (Netflix)
Under the Christmas Tree (Lifetime)
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
Dopesick (Hulu)
Halston (Netflix)
It’s a Sin (HBO Max)
Little Birds (Starz)
Love Life (HBO Max)
Master of None Presents: Moments in Love (Netflix)
Rurangi (Hulu)
Station Eleven (HBO Max)
Vigil (Peacock)
The White Lotus (HBO)
Outstanding Reality Program
12 Dates of Christmas (HBO Max)
Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Family Karma (Bravo)
I Am Jazz (TLC)
Legendary (HBO Max)
MTV’s Following: Bretman Rock (MTV)
Queer Eye (Netflix)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)
The Voice (NBC)
We’re Here (HBO)
Outstanding Children’s Programming
“Berry Bounty Banquet” Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City (WildBrain Studios/YouTube Kids)
City of Ghosts (Netflix)
“Family Day” Sesame Street (HBO Max)
“Gonzo-rella” Muppet Babies (Disney Junior)
“Joie de Jonathan” Fancy Nancy (Disney Junior)
Ridley Jones (Netflix)
Rugrats (Paramount+)
Summer Camp Island (Cartoon Network/HBO Max)
We The People (Netflix)
“Whatever Floats Your Float” Madagascar: A Little Wild (Hulu/Peacock)
Outstanding Kids & Family Programming
Amphibia (Disney Channel)
Centaurworld (Netflix)
“Claudia and the Sad Goodbye” The Baby-Sitters Club (Netflix)
Diary of a Future President (Disney+)
Doogie Kamealoha, MD (Disney+)
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (Disney+)
The Loud House (Nickelodeon)
“Manlee Men” Danger Force (Nickelodeon)
The Owl House (Disney Channel)
Power Rangers: Dino Fury (Nickelodeon/Netflix)
(Photo by Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Tel)
The Paley Center for Media has released the lineup for PaleyFest LA, which will take place at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles April 2-10. The cast and creative teams behind Better Call Saul, Cobra Kai, Hacks, This Is Us, Ghosts, Superman & Lois, The Neighborhood, Riverdale, Emily in Paris, and A Salute to the NCIS Universe celebrating NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, and NCIS: Hawaii. Tickets and a schedule are available at the Paley Center website.
