Latest news with #THR
Forbes
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
A Confusing Update About ‘Ballard' Season 2 On Amazon Prime Video
Ballard Ballard is a hit. It's currently Amazon Prime Video's #1 show, even beating out the long-awaited return of The Summer I Turned Pretty, back for its final season. The show currently sits at a very rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and you may think that auto-greenlights a season 2. Well, rather odd news on that front. Star Maggie Q is saying that season 2 is moving forward without an actual renewal in a new interview with THR, even in an industry where shows are 'expendable': 'I have no sense (about renewal). This industry is not what it was before. It's barely recognizable to me, and shows are so expendable. They can throw out a show in two seconds, and it doesn't make a ton of difference that whole worlds and livelihoods are at stake. Studios always have options. But we have a writers room, and they've been writing away. The arc for the second season is very exciting. But I've had writers room hired before and then gotten canceled. So everyone's like, 'Maggie, of course!' I'm like, 'No, no, no.' There is no 'of course.' I am not a negative person at all. I'm a very positive person, but I'm a realist.' So this is hedging bets a bit. There is already a writers room working season 2, but despite that investment of time and resources, it's still not a guarantee that a season 2 will happen. Amazon has not confirmed Ballard has been renewed for season 2, nor was it originally greenlit for a double-season run, as sometimes happens with shows streamers are confident about. Ballard FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder All this said, despite Maggie Q not wanting to get her hopes up, and this being a brutal industry at times in terms of surprise cancellations, I'm willing to go all-in that there is a 100% chance Ballard will be renewed for season 2. 1) It's stayed at #1 essentially since its release almost two weeks ago 2) It has perfect critic scores and solid enough audience scores. 3) It's a lower-budget crime series, and that's the kind of thing Amazon wants to see as they attempt to print more huge hits like Reacher. All the pieces are there for a season 2 renewal, and it's just not unusual for a show to be two weeks in and still not renewed, even a hit. I don't think they wanted to fully gamble ahead of time with an instant greenlight, but Ballard and its star have nothing to worry about, mark my words. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Metro
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Fans are convinced James Gunn just revealed 'perfect' next Batman actor
James Gunn has finally addressed a casting rumour for the role Batman in the DCU, and it has left fans ecstatic. Throughout the years, viewers have been treated to a vast array of Bruce Wayne's, from Christian Bale to Robert Pattinson. In Matt Reeves' latest take on the crime fighting saviour, Pattinson opted for a slimmed down Batman. However, now, following the release of Gunn's Superman starring David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult, fans could be in store for an extremely muscular Batman in Reacher star Alan Ritchson. Talking to Josh Horowitz on theHappy Sad Confused podcast, Gunn discussed the potential casting for some of the other characters in the DCU. He said: 'I am a big Alan Ritchson fan. Both as an actor and as a guy. Let's just wait to see what happens.' Commenting on X, @GoodGamers said: 'All my dreams would come true in an instant if he plays Batman.' @Wutangflan23 added: 'Out of anyone that played batman Alan Ritchson has the frame to play Batman more than anyone has.' @BitsOfJT also said: 'There is no one I want more to play Batman than Ritchson. Perfect build for a comic book batman.' Meanwhile, @Planet_Taylor said 'make it happen' while @duudestellar called it a 'perfect fit'. Ritchson himself has some previous DC experience playing Aquaman in Smallville and Hawk in Titans. In the past he has also made multiple comments about wanting to play the DC hero. More Trending During an interview with Fortress of Solitude, he said: 'With all the rumours flying that I'm supposed to be playing Batman, how can I knock Batman? I would love to play Batman.' He similarly told THR: 'I'll shout it from the rooftops, 'I want to be Bruce Wayne!' View More » Even during an interview with WIRED, he explained: 'I get asked every day if I'm playing Batman. Yeah, would I play Batman? Yes. Would I pay handsomely to be Batman?' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Games Inbox: What is the next big game for Nintendo Switch 2? MORE: Superman forced to cut two scenes after they were deemed 'overly sensual' MORE: Superman's David Corenswet earned $1,250,000 less than highest paid cast member
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
But What if 'Balloon Boy' Wasn't a Hoax?
When filmmaker Gillian Pachter watched the 2009 'Balloon Boy' saga unfold live, she told The Hollywood Reporter, 'I couldn't take my eyes away.' Same. More from The Hollywood Reporter First-Time Nominee Cooper Koch Is "Devastated" Over Emmy Snubs for Two of His 'Monsters' Co-Stars Bela Bajaria on Which Emmy Nominee She Texted First and One Giant "Disappointment" of a Snub Cristin Milioti, First-Time Emmy Nominee for 'The Penguin,' is "Ready to Get in There Again" 'I was scared, I but I was also very aware of how, like, special and strange it was that I was watching a livestream, you know?' the director of Trainwreck: Balloon Boy says about the next chapter in Netflix's excellent Trainwreck documentary, the anthology series that revisits headline-making events gone wrong. 'Livestreaming was new, and I just couldn't believe how clearly I could see it.' After all, the streaming giant only just recently nailed that livestreaming thing itself. On Oct. 15, 2009, Americans tuned in — however they could — to follow the insane and terrifying flight of Richard Heene's experimental weather balloon/flying saucer. Heene's 6-year-old son, Falcon Heene, was believed to be inside the contraption when it became untethered from the ground. As it turns out, Falcon was actually hiding in the garage attic and supposedly napped through the whole ordeal, which turned out to be no big ordeal at all — until later, when it was deemed a hoax perpetrated by inventor, amateur scientist and guy-who-acted-like-an-insane-asshole-once-on-an-episode-of-Wife Swap, Richard Heene. Ultimately, Richard Heene pleaded guilty to a felony charge of attempting to influence a public servant; his wife Mayumi Heene pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of false reporting to authorities. And then a decade later, weirdly and seemingly out of nowhere, the Heenes' crimes were pardoned by the governor of Colorado. 'And I thought, 'My God,'' Pachter recalled. 'You always wonder, when people get pardoned, like, does that mean we got it wrong? Why were they chosen [to be pardoned]? Because they were so vilified.' Maybe… it wasn't a hoax? 'I also have a little boy who was about the same age, and I thought, 'What kind of dad even pretends that his son is maybe going to fall out of balloon and die?'' she continued. 'I mean, that's just such a bizarre thing to even think — if you're going to choose a hoax, why entertain the fantasy that your own child is in mortal danger?' The Heenes now say they pleaded guilty out of concern that Mayumi could be deported if they didn't play ball. 'The more I talked to [Richard], the more I started wondering if my understanding of the story was everything there was to know, and if there weren't other truths behind it that I wasn't aware of,' Pachter told THR. That phrase 'other truths' looms large in our 'fake news' era, 16 years removed from 'Balloon Boy.' Read our Q&A with Pachter below; the Balloon Boy installment of Trainwreck is available now on Netflix. *** So do you believe it was a hoax, or do you think it was real? Sorry to be coy but look, if I didn't think there was a very strong possibility that we got it wrong, and the thing wasn't actually a hoax but a real panicked call to the sheriff because these people thought their son was up there — if I didn't think that was a strong possibility, there would have been no point making the film, right? It's not just a documentary that looks back at a crazy day in our social history — it is looking back to see whether we got it right or whether we got it wrong. There's a lot of evidence on both sides, and all the voices are in it. I guess I just feel really strongly that — I put everyone in there and I want people to look at it again, and I want people to hear from everybody. I want them to try to come to their own conclusion about who's right and who's wrong. Because the truth is in the heart of Richard Heene, right? It's kind of unprovable. The question is, 'What was in his heart when he called the sheriff? Was he lying or was he really panicked?' You're not going to be able to actually prove that, so you're going to have to just listen to people tell their truths and see who you believe. The turning point in the public's perception was when Falcon, asked on a live CNN interview why he didn't come out of hiding if he heard his family calling for him, says, 'You guys said that we did this for the show.' The media took that as a clear admission of a hoax, but in hindsight — and now as a parent myself — he was also just a tuned-out little boy. I have a very similar thought. 'What news story has ever flipped on 10 words uttered by a 6 year old?' I can't think of another. It wouldn't be admissible in court, it's not evidence. There's no way that could be taken seriously in any form of criminal process at all. And yet it completely flips the public's view and the sheriff's view. I was sort of dying. If only we had been able to turn back time and say, as a follow up question, 'Falcon, when you say, 'You said, we did this for the show' — which show are you talking about?' If there had been about five more sentences, even from a 6 year old, you might have been able to get to grips with it. But like, 10 words, which were 'You guys said we did this for the show' — I'm just astonished that people think they know what that means. Because I have no idea what that means. When I was asking the Heenes about it, they have various explanations, but their initial one is, 'I have no idea why he said that.' Everybody needs them to have this . And they did sort of search for and find — according to them — this explanation of Falcon getting confused with the reporters that were around in the aftermath. But actually, it seemed like the most genuine response for them was, like, 'He said dumb shit all the time. We had no idea what he was talking about or why he would be under that impression.' That, to me, is very realistic. As somebody who has had a 6-year-old boy, I just don't understand why people were so sure they knew what that meant. Because I'm not. You told me Richard wasn't hard to find — in general, is it easier to get access to your documentary subjects these days than it used to be? I think it's actually gotten harder. It's not like the Heene family was particularly naive about the media. They were really hard-nosed and really suspicious, and they were really not interested in getting involved with anybody that was in the media. So it was actually years of talking to each other. People aren't stupid, and they can tell whether you're sincere or not. I was sincerely open to them in a way that people who had approached them before were not. I wasn't faking it, and they knew that. At the end of the day, it's not a documentary about me and my opinions, it's a platform [on which] they tell their full story, and so does everybody else. But I did think there was cause to give them that opportunity. Are you friends with Richard at this point? Richard and I are incredibly different. I really like him. He's not a straightforward person, he's not an easy person. He's not even a consistent person. I wouldn't have sunk all this time into that family if I didn't find them massively engaging and fascinating, and if I didn't actually like them. I don't think I've ever made a program about anybody I didn't like. [I'm] very drawn to getting to know somebody who maybe a lot of people don't like, and seeing what they dislike in them. So I think there's a lot to like in him — and the boys are great — charming, smart. It's really funny to have met them as adults when I saw this home-video stuff of them when they were crazy little kids. Richard was an asshole , but that may not be the best format to judge anybody. He's a really smart guy, maybe a bit tortured… The sort of essence that I found really engaging is a classic American archetype. He's a dreamer, right? Some people would see him as a con man, which is another classic American archetype. But I see him as a dreamer. Here's this guy who was not formally educated to be a scientist — [he's] incredibly inventive, crazy out-of-the-box thinking. The whole flying saucer thing was that it was going to be this dirigible that was going to replace cars, and we're going to be like The Jetsons and be commuting to work on these things. You have to just love that totally outrageous, outsized imagination. And everything with that family was so outsized, and that is wonderful. And it all went wrong, but it's still wonderful to have done the crazy things, which is what that family has always done. They're a crazy family, but they also seem like a lovely family that does everything together. And they still do. They're really, really tight. They're very uniquely bonded. Did Richard have any -esque blowups with you? No. He did pull out on the morning of filming, but that's less uncommon than you would think in my line of work. He's very moody… you never totally know where you [stand]. So I didn't even know until the cameras were rolling that we were going to really be able to make this. But no, if he had ever shouted at me, I wouldn't have stood for that — but I felt that we were very familiar with each other by that point. He did have these incredibly fierce dogs that kept on throwing themselves at me, which was distracting. So I was not being attacked by Richard Heene, but I was definitely being attacked by his dogs. Dangerous dogs or yappy dogs? I'm not a great judge — I'm not a dog person. I feel like, if it has fangs and it's taller than I am on its hind legs and it's coming at me [in a way that's] not like a hug… but I don't really know dogs. *** Trainwreck: Balloon Boy is now streaming on Netflix. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise Solve the daily Crossword
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Star Wars lightsaber used by Darth Vader to go up for auction
The Star Wars lightsaber used by villain Darth Vader will go under the hammer for the first time. The weapon and duelling prop used in the 1980s films, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi, will go up for auction in September. The live auction, hosted by memorabilia auction house Propstore, coincides with the 45th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, with the prop estimated to sell at £746,000 (€860,000) to £2,241,000 (€2,584,000). The lightsaber was used during duels in the final acts of both films between Darth Vader, played by David Prowse, and Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill. 🔥 The wait is over... this IS the Darth Vader lightsaber you've been looking for! Find out more with our exclusive reveal with the @THR #DarthVader #Lightsaber #StarWars #Propstore — Propstore (@propstore_com) July 15, 2025 It was also used by the stunt performer and British Olympic fencer, Bob Anderson. According to the auction house, genuine lightsaber props from the original trilogy are rare with this "believed to be the only hero lightsaber prop from the original Star Wars trilogy with verifiable screen use ever to be offered at public auction". Brandon Alinger, chief operating officer at Propstore, said: "The lightsaber, or laser sword as it was initially called, was imagined by George Lucas as the perfect defensive weapon for a more sophisticated age. "Nearly 50 years after the first Star Wars film, lightsabers are a universally recognised symbol of the world's most beloved film franchise and are consistently ranked as the most iconic and memorable props of all time. "They are the 'ruby slippers' of cinema's modern era. Surviving genuine lightsaber props from the original trilogy of films are exceedingly rare, and Propstore is honoured to present this historic artefact in our September sale. "It is a grail-level piece, worthy of the finest collections in the world. This lightsaber is simply everything you want it to be — one of the most significant Star Wars artefacts ever. One of the most significant cinema artefacts ever." The lightsaber was made from a vintage British press camera flash handle with components such as plastic grips, calculator bubbles and cosmetic wiring. It was modified with a wooden rod which was used as a blade during the choreographed fight scenes, making the physical on-camera duelling possible and allowing visual effects artists to add a hand-animated glow for the final shots. Ahead of the auction, the prop will go on tour and visit London, Beverly Hills and New York throughout August before the live auction takes place in Los Angeles this September. The tour will feature other film artefacts from Propstore's September Los Angeles Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, including Indiana Jones's bullwhip and belt, Sauron's helmet from the Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring and the shark tooth clapperboard from the 1975 film Jaws.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Robert Eggers' Werwulf Gets Promising Update From Casting Call
A new report from World of Reel has given fans a update, including a promising look at when we might know who will star in Robert Eggers' highly anticipated next film. According to World of Reel's report and a UK casting call sheet, Werwulf will begin filming this September in Elstree, England. This means casting for the film is likely already underway, and we might know more information sooner rather than later. According to a Q&A Eggers took part in at the Lincoln Center, the director himself said that his upcoming Werwulf will be the 'darkest thing' he's ever written. The movie is currently slated to release on December 25, 2026. Details for the project are mostly unknown as of now, but the project will be set in 13th-century England, and much like Eggers' other projects, will feature dialogue and settings accurate to the period. Original rumors suggested the film would be in black and white, according to THR, but that won't be the case. Prior to the announcement of Werwulf, rumors suggested that Eggers had been tapped to direct a new Labyrinth movie. Eggers himself has also spoken about wanting to make a medieval movie known right now as The Knight, as well as one day hoping to make a Western film. He's also been rumored to be working on a miniseries about Grigori Rasputin, the Russian mystic and faith healer. The cast of Werwulf is also unknown as of now, but Eggers did mention during the Nosferatu press tour that he had asked Willem Dafoe to be in two of his next movies. (Source: World of Reel) The post Robert Eggers' Werwulf Gets Promising Update From Casting Call appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
