‘Rivals' Breakout Bella Maclean Cast in Ray Panthaki's Directorial Debut ‘In Starland' (Exclusive)
In Starland follows a middle-aged man, played by Sing Sing breakout Clarence Maclin, struggling to break free from the confines of his small town. That is, until, he meets a group of bold young artists — Maclean among them — that transform his perspective. Black-ish actor Marcus Scribner and Top Dog's Maxwell Cunningham will also star.
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Maclean made her television debut in BBC One's Silent Witness before joining the cast of season four of Netflix's Sex Education as school student Jem.
In 2024, the young actress portrayed Agatha 'Taggie' O'Hara in Disney+ series Rivals, the overlooked daughter of Declan (Aidan Turner) and Maud (Victoria Smurfit) who struggles with dyslexia while trying to pursue culinary dreams. She's set to return in season two after the series was met with widespread critical acclaim.
Panthaki's upcoming project, co-written with Jason Kavan, is his directorial debut. The British star has acted opposite Stephen Graham in Marcella (2016-2020) and Boiling Point (2021), the latter of which earned him a British Independent Film Award nomination, as well as Gangs of London (2020) and The Serpent Queen (2022), among other credits.
Panthaki will produce In Starland alongside Daniel Khalili (Trespass Against Us) under their newly formed production company Le Bateau Lavoir, which succeeds Panthaki's Urban Way, Variety was first to report. Emmy-winning producer Daisy Allsop will also produce under her Archface banner.
Production on In Starland got underway in Mississippi in April.
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Newsweek
17 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Best Netflix Original Movies Coming in 2025 - Trailer, Release Date
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors 2025 is another killer year for Netflix - and not just because quite a few of the following movies are murder-mysteries with a significantly high body count. Starting from roughly halfway through the year, the first must-see Netflix Original movie is "The Thursday Murder Club". Based on author Richard Osman's bestselling murder-mystery novels, and boasting an all-star casts of beloved Brit3 s including Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Richard E. Grant, this might be the first entry in a long-running franchise. Not dissimilar to "Knives Out", then. It just so happens the third film in the series, "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery", is the final Netflix Original movie of the year. A host of British actors star in The Thursday Murder Club A host of British actors star in The Thursday Murder Club Netflix Sandwiched between the two eagerly awaited whodunnits are even more great movies you'll not want to miss. Read on for every Netflix Original still to come in 2025, and their release date. Best Netflix Original Movies Coming in 2025 August 28, 2025 Film: The Thursday Murder Club Cast: Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie, Naomi Ackie, Daniel Mays, Henry Lloyd‑Hughes, Tom Ellis, Jonathan Pryce, David Tennant, Paul Freeman, Geoff Bell, Richard E. Grant, Ingrid Oliver. September 12, 2025 Film: The Wrong Paris Cast: Miranda Cosgrove, Pierson Fodé, Madison Pettis, Madeleine Arthur, Frances Fisher, Yvonne Orji, Torrance Coombs, Christin Park, Emilija Baranac, Hannah Stocking. September 26, 2025 Film: Ruth & Boaz Cast: Serayah McNeill, Tyler Lepley, Phylicia Rashad, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Walnette Santiago, Nijah Brenea, James Lee Thomas, Jermaine Dupri, Lecrae Moore, Christopher Broughton, Yung Joc. October 3, 2025 Film: Steve Cast: Cillian Murphy, Tracey Ullman, Jay Lycurgo, Simbi Ajikawo, Emily Watson. October 24, 2025 Film: A House of Dynamite Cast: Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Moses Ingram, Jonah Hauer-King, Greta Lee, Jason Clarke, Malachi Beasley, Brian Tee, Brittany O'Grady, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Willa Fitzgerald, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Kyle Allen, Kaitlyn Dever. November 14, 2025 Film: In Your Dreams Cast: Simu Liu, Craig Robinson. November 21, 2025 Film: Train Dreams Cast: Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Nathaniel Arcand, Clifton Collins Jr., John Diehl, Paul Schneider, Kerry Condon, William H. Macy. November 2025 Film: Frankenstein Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, Charles Dance, Christoph Waltz. Fall 2025 Film: A Merry Little Ex‑Mas Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Oliver Hudson, Jameela Jamil, Melissa Joan Hart. Fall 2025 Film: The Ballad of a Small Player Cast: Colin Farrell, Fala Chen, Deannie Yip, Alex Jennings, Tilda Swinton. Fall 2025 Film: The Woman in Cabin 10 Cast: Keira Knightley, Guy Pearce, David Ajala, Art Malik, Gugu Mbatha‑Raw, Kaya Scodelario, David Morrissey, Daniel Ings, Hannah Waddingham, Gitte Witt, Christopher Rygh, Pippa Bennett‑Warner, John Macmillan, Paul Kaye, Amanda Collin, Lisa Loven Kongsli. December 5, 2025 Film: Jay Kelly Cast: George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Billy Crudup, Laura Dern, Grace Edwards, Stacy Keach, Riley Keough, Emily Mortimer, Patrick Wilson, Nicôle Lecky, Thaddea Graham, Jim Broadbent, Eve Hewson, Alba Rohrwacher, Lenny Henry, Josh Hamilton, Greta Gerwig. December 12, 2025 Film: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Cast: Daniel Craig, Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, Thomas Haden Church.
Elle
2 hours ago
- Elle
Amanda Knox's Real-Life Case Was a Lot More Complicated Than It Looks in the Hulu Series
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. It's been nearly two decades since the murder of 21-year-old British student Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy first became international news. However, most of the media attention was devoted to the suspects in this case, with lurid speculation and grisly details dominating the headlines. Almost immediately in November 2007, Kercher's roommate, Amanda Knox, became the face of this story, fitting the mold of guilty and innocent depending on the publication or news outlet. Knox was convicted and subsequently acquitted of Kercher's murder, not to mention various appeals and retrials in between. Now, an eight-part Hulu true crime drama will depict not only the events in the weeks before and after, but also the decade-plus fight to clear Knox and her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito's names. Considering there has already been a Lifetime movie, a Netflix documentary (that Knox was part of), the Matt Damon-starring Stillwater (which was inspired by Knox's story), and two memoirs penned by Knox, it might seem there isn't much left to say. However, Knox is a producer on The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, alongside Monica Lewinsky, allowing Knox to have a voice alongside a collaborator whose entire character was also scrutinized by tabloids when she was in her early twenties. The series, created by K.J. Steinberg, sets out to show how Knox ended up behind bars, including how she became a suspect, the prolonged interrogation, the mishandling of evidence, and the ongoing trial-by-media, spanning 16 years. Tell Me Lies star Grace Van Patten plays Amanda with Sharon Horgan as Knox's mother, Edda Mellas. However, Kercher's family was not involved (Stephanie Kercher told The Guardian last year that the family found it 'difficult to understand' how the dramatized retelling serves any purpose). To help make sense of it all, below you'll find a guide to some of the real-life events depicted in The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox. However, if you don't know much about the case, be warned: There are some spoilers for the show ahead. Knox is studying at the University of Washington when she applies to spend an academic year abroad, opting for the picturesque Italian college town of Perugia. As reported by Rolling Stone, the 20-year-old Knox wants to 'expand her horizons' and 'live without a safety net' in her junior year. Knox rents a room in a cottage at 7 Via della Pergola, taking the last available spot in the four-bedroom accommodation. Kercher is also part of a study abroad program and has already moved in; the two other roommates are both Italian women in their late 20s. In the weeks after moving in, Kercher and Knox hang out with the guys living in the basement apartment below them. It is here they meet 20-year-old Rudy Guede, a basketball acquaintance of Kercher's new boyfriend, Giacomo Silenzi. On October 25, Knox and Kercher go to a Schubert recital at the local university, and when Kercher leaves at the intermission, 23-year-old student Raffaele Sollecito approaches Knox. The two immediately hit it off, with Sollecito hanging out at the bar (Le Chic) where Knox works later that same evening. Knox goes back to Sollecito's apartment that night, and the pair are inseparable for the next week. Knox is scheduled to work a shift at Le Chic on the evening of November 1, but owner Patrick Lumumba texts that it is so quiet that she doesn't need to come in. Knox and Sollecito cook, smoke a joint, and watch Amelie. They turn their phones off for the evening. The following morning, Knox leaves Sollecito's apartment to return to her place, where she showers, changes her clothes, and grabs a mop and bucket, to clean up a leaky pipe at Sollecito's. When Knox arrives home, the front door is ajar. Knox's two other roommates are away for the holiday weekend (All Saints' Day), and Kercher's door is closed. Knox explains her thought process after she finds drops of blood in an email sent to friends and family two days later (and shared with Rolling Stone), saying she believed it was 'nothing to worry about.' It is only when she sees feces in the toilet in the other bathroom that Knox panics that there might be an intruder. Knox calls Sollecito, whose apartment is a five-minute walk away. A broken window in another room suggests that someone had been there, and Kercher isn't answering her phone. Sollecito tries to break down Kercher's locked bedroom door, but it won't budge. They return outside, where Sollecito called the carabinieri (Italian military police). In the meantime, two postal police arrive with two cellphones that have been found in a bush half a mile away, which are registered to Knox's roommate, Filomena Romanelli. Then Romanelli, her boyfriend, and two of her friends arrive. One of Romanelli's friends breaks down Kercher's door, and Kercher's partially clothed body (which is covered with a duvet) is discovered inside. Someone had cut Kercher's throat, and her time of death is estimated to be between 8:30 P.M. on November 1 and 4 A.M. the following morning (the long timeframe is due to a delay in taking body temperature). While Kercher's British friends fly home to the UK, and Knox's two roommates hire lawyers, Knox voluntarily speaks with the Italian police without legal representation. Knox is interviewed multiple times over the next few days, and her phone is tapped. Paparazzi capture Knox kissing Sollecito outside the 'House of Horrors,' and her seemingly at-ease and amorous behavior in the days after the murder becomes a cornerstone in the court of public opinion. Knox's mother encourages her to fly home, but Knox thinks she can help with the investigation. But on the night of November 5, Knox accompanies Sollecito to the police station, and they are both interrogated for prolonged periods overnight. Sollecito admits that Knox could've left in the middle of the night while he slept, and the sleep-deprived Knox signs a confession that she was in the room next door to Kercher's when she was stabbed and that it was her boss, Patrick Lumumba, who killed Kercher. Knox, Sollecito, and Lumumba are all arrested. Patrons from Le Chic provide an alibi for Lumumba. Meanwhile, the Rome forensic police match the fingerprints in Kercher's bedroom to Rudy Guede, who is arrested in Germany on November 20. Lumumba is released and later sues Knox for slander. Then, Guede is extradited to Italy in December. Guede, Knox, and Sollecito are charged with murder. They will be held in detention until a trial date is set. A working theory in these early stages regarding the motive from 'public minister' Giuliano Mignini (whose job is part detective, part district attorney) is that Kercher was killed in a satanic ritual. Later, this is downgraded to 'a drug-fueled sex game that went awry' (as per The New York Times). Leaks are common from the start, with security footage from a lingerie shop or theories from the prosecution ending up in the news Guede has an expedited trial, which comes with a reduced maximum sentence. He is found guilty of sexual assault and murder. He is sentenced to 30 years. Knox and Sollecito are now formally indicted on murder charges. In the lead up to this indictment, Knox's family speaks about how much Knox is being vilified by the tabloid press, with many publications twisting the childhood nickname 'Foxy Knoxy' (that Knox earned when she played soccer) to have sexual connotations. Knox and Sollecito's trial begins January 16, and the prosecution is still maintaining it was a 'drug-fueled sex game gone awry.' Sollecito's lawyer counters that they were 'two lovebirds in the first week of their romance,' not a couple looking for excitement. Knox is also painted as a 'she-devil' who manipulated Sollecito into doing whatever she wanted. The trial doesn't conclude until December, and during these 12 months, Knox remains a fascination for the media—represented as a temptress and an innocent. Knox testifies that the police hit her during the interrogation, and the Italian justice system is now under the international microscope. The defense argues that DNA evidence is contaminated (due to how many people walked through the crime scene) and that the evidence is mainly circumstantial. Regardless of these factors and an emotional appeal by Knox, in December, a jury of six civilians and two judges finds Knox and Sollecito guilty on all counts. Knox receives a sentence of 26 years (she has an additional guilty verdict for slander against Lumumba), and Sollecito gets 25 years. The appeal trial begins for Knox and Sollecito. Both defense teams are focusing on DNA evidence, including traces of Sollecito's DNA on Kercher's bra clasp (which wasn't discovered at the crime scene until 47 days after the murder) and traces of Kercher's DNA found on the alleged murder weapon—a bread knife recovered from Sollecito's kitchen. After being behind bars for nearly four years, Knox and Sollecito are acquitted on October 3. Slander against Lumumba is the only charge for which Knox receives a guilty verdict (the three-year sentence has already been served by this point). The DNA evidence that was vital in convicting the pair in 2009 now helps overturn the verdict; independent experts successfully argued that contamination was a possibility. The prosecution team states that they will appeal this appellate court verdict to the Italian Supreme Court. Knox returns to Seattle the following day, where the press are waiting outside her family home. Guede's conviction of sexual assault and murder is upheld, though his sentence has already been reduced from 30 to 16 years. On Valentine's Day, the prosecution team files an appeal to the Italian Supreme Court (Court of Cassation) to seek a new trial for Knox and Sollecito. The Italian justice system allows for various appeals on both the defense and prosecution side. In this instance, if the acquittal is reversed, then Knox can be tried in absentia. 'We're not considering that possibility; for us, she has been acquitted. That's how the system works, but for us it's a hypothesis far into the future,' says one of Knox's lawyers, Luciano Ghirga. Two days later, it is reported that Knox has sold a tell-all memoir to HarperCollins for nearly $4 million. The Court of Cassation (the Italian Supreme Court) overturns Knox and Sollecito's acquittal on March 26, meaning they will have to stand trial again. HarperCollins says they will still release Knox's memoir, Waiting to Be Heard, as planned, on April 30. The retrial begins September 30 with neither Knox nor Sollecito present in the Florentine court. While Sollecito attends some court hearings, Knox remains in the U.S. throughout this new trial as she is afraid that if she returns to Italy, authorities will put her in prison again. On January 30, Knox and Sollecito are re-convicted of murder. Knox's new sentence is 28 and a half years, Sollecito's is still 25 years. The process continues to swing between courthouses, and the pair can appeal this latest twist. The following day, a teary Knox appears on Good Morning America, saying she 'will never go willingly back' to Italy and plans to fight any extradition attempt. In a verdict that shocks Italy, the Court of Cassation overturns the convictions of Knox and Sollecito, rather than sending the case back down to the lower court. They are cleared of all charges (except for Knox's slander charge). They will not face a retrial. Neither Sollecito nor Knox is present in court to hear the verdict. In September, the Court of Cassation explains its verdict is informed by the 'culpable omissions of investigative activity' and 'contradictory evidence.' The Netflix documentary Amanda Knox premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival. Knox, Sollecito, Mignini, and freelance reporter Nick Pisa (whose regular coverage included salacious exclusive stories for The Daily Mail that fueled the perception of Knox) participated in this account of the events. The documentary goes on to receive two Emmy nominations. The European Court of Human Rights orders Italy to pay €18,400 (approximately $21,000) in damages for failing to provide Knox with access to a lawyer during the November 2007 interviews. However, they found no evidence of the 'inhuman or degrading treatment' that Knox alleged took place during the interrogations. Knox returns to Italy for the first time in nearly a decade. In the years since her conviction was overturned, Knox has been working with nonprofits like the Innocence Project. At the Criminal Justice Festival in Modena, she serves as a keynote speaker and is a guest on a panel discussing trials by media. Knox marries author Christopher Robinson. In an interview with the New York Times, Knox announces the birth of her first child, Eureka. Knox remains close with Catholic priest Don Saulo, who was the chaplain at Cappane prison where Knox was incarcerated for four years. Don Saulo helps facilitate a meeting in the summer of 2022 with prosecutor Mignini. The latter was instrumental in painting Knox as a sex-crazed vixen, but Knox wants to meet face-to-face. Her family voices objections to Knox writing to and meeting with the prosecutor. 'But I was haunted by this 'Why?' question. Why did this happen to me? If they had done their job correctly, I would be a footnote in Meredith's story,' Knox tells The Guardian. Knox also reunites with Sollecito during this trip in the town of Gubbio, which was where they had planned to visit 15 years earlier. On her podcast, Labyrinths, Knox explains the slander conviction is one that some people see as 'proof that I am a liar and I am an unsavory person and that I have something to hide and I've never told the full truth about what happened to Meredith and only somebody who was involved in the crime would ever even make statements that implicated themselves and others.' It is why she has fought to have it overturned. Knox is convicted again of this charge in an appellate court in Florence, Italy. The highest court (Court of Cassation) in Italy upholds the slander conviction against Knox. Knox releases her second memoir, Free: My Search For Meaning.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
WWE Moves Premium Live Events From Peacock to ESPN Ahead of Schedule
The Disney-owned sports network will roll out 'Wrestlepalooza,' a brand-new live event, on Sept. 20 WWE is moving their premium live events from Peacock to ESPN beginning with the upcoming 'Wrestlepalooza' next month. The new live event will air on Saturday, September 20 on the network, earlier than the originally 2026 plan. 'Wrestlepalooze' will take place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. More from TheWrap 'The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox' Cast vs. Their Real-Life Counterparts | Photos Rashida Jones Thought About Her Own Death While Making 'Black Mirror': 'I Know That Sounds Heavy' Sydney Sweeney Questions Backlash to Her Bathwater-Infused Soap Line – Especially Given Who's Criticizing It Ayo Edebiri Says Deciding if 'The Bear' Is a Comedy Is 'Honestly Above My Pay Grade' The event will feature John Cena, as well as Undisputed WWE Champion 'The American Nightmare' Cody Rhodes, World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, WWE Women's Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch, CM Punk and Drew McIntyre in major matches. 'Wrestlepalooza' will be the final time Cena wrestles in Indianapolis as he continues his 2025 retirement tour. 'On September 20, WWE and ESPN are coming together for a can't-miss event to kick off our new partnership,' said WWE Chief Content Officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque. 'The biggest Superstars in WWE. The biggest brand in sports media. Are you ready?' Previously, Peacock held the rights to WWE's live specials, including iconic staples like 'Wrestlemania.' The date also marks the beginning of ESPN being the new home for WWE PLEs. Upcoming events following 'Wrestlepalooza' include Crown Jewel on Oct. 11 and Survivor Series on Nov. 29. The WWE PLEs will be a part of ESPN's new standalone streaming service which is set to launch Thursday. The platform will offer a combination of ESPN's original network programming, new fantasy sports integrations, enhanced statistics and betting and e-commerce features. A variety of subscription plans costing everywhere from $29.99 to $11.99 per month will be available to consumers. Subscribers will also be able to subscribe to ESPN's app in ad-supported and ad-free bundles with Disney+ and Hulu for $35.99 and $44.99 per month. The post WWE Moves Premium Live Events From Peacock to ESPN Ahead of Schedule appeared first on TheWrap.
