It’s another banner week for casting news. Big name actors like Steve Buscemi, Emma Thompson, and Don Johnson landed new television projects, while Riz Ahmed becomes the newest addition to Wes Anderson’s merry band of players. Also, Michael Showalter’s Christmas pic Oh. What. Fun. rounds out its cast. Read on for more.
It’s a big week for Keanu Reeves, who was just cast in the next film from Triangle Of Sadness director Ruben Östlund. According to Variety, the new film will be “a social satire set on a long-haul flight on which the entertainment system isn’t working, sparking chaos and rages among passengers.” Beyond Reeves’ involvement, there’s not many other details available for Östlund’s next project. But speaking of Reeves... [Mary Kate Carr]
Sonic (Ben Schwartz) is about to meet his match in Shadow, who will be played by Keanu Reeves, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Fans of the franchise know Shadow as our hero’s arch-rival, a “dark Sonic” of sorts. Per THR, footage from Sonic 3 was shown at CinemaCon, in which a depressed Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) “gets his groove back” after his defeat in Sonic 2 by creating Shadow. [Mary Kate Carr]
Joe Manganiello will produce and star in Mountain Man, an adaptation of the book series by Keith C. Blackmore. Per Deadline, Mountain Man “tells the story of Gus, a lonely post-apocalyptic survivor facing isolation and the ever-present specter of a zombie attack, who struggles with alcohol abuse and suicidal thoughts until he discovers another survivor, a captivating woman who poses another threat altogether.” John Lee (False Positive) will direct from a script by Matt Deller. [Mary Kate Carr]
Don Johnson has joined Ryan Murphy’s new ABC series, Dr. Odyssey starring Joshua Jackson, per Deadline. Plot details are still being kept under wraps, but it’s believed to be a medical procedural, possibly set on a cruise ship. Johnson is, of course, a longtime TV veteran; he starred in Miami Vice and, most recently, was a series regular on the NBC comedy Kenan. Philippa Soo, best known as part of the original Broadway cast of Hamilton, has also joined in an as-yet-unrevealed role. [Mary Kate Carr]
Felicity Jones and Denis Leary will join Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Dominic Sessa in the holiday comedy Oh. What. Fun. The film is sort of a reverse Home Alone situation, wherein Pfeiffer’s character Claire “organizes a special Christmas outing when her family forgets her in the shuffle,” per Deadline. “By the time they realize their mistake, she’s gone missing. Their Christmas is in jeopardy, but Claire has other plans.” Michael Showalter, the Wet Hot American Summer alum and director of The Big Sick and The Idea Of You, will helm the film, which is set to stream on Prime Video. [Mary Kate Carr]
Emily VanCamp will star as the lead in Prejudice, a new Canadian television drama from writer Celeste Parr. Per Deadline, VanCamp plays “Liesl Wellington, a rising Toronto litigator whose career and marriage to a senator are thrown into upheaval when her past as a sex worker is publicly exposed. Scorned by her field and social circle, she launches her own law firm dedicated to defending the likewise silenced and delegitimized.” No network is yet attached to the series. [Mary Kate Carr]
Riz Ahmed may soon be joining Wes Anderson’s regular company of actors. The Sound Of Metal star will lead his first ever Anderson feature, alongside Michael Cera, Benicio del Toro, and Bill Murray, who were all previously announced. Not much else is known about the film yet, but it will be written by Anderson in collaboration with Roman Coppola. [Emma Keates]
The newest creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky member of the Addams family clan is… Steve Buscemi. Variety announced this week that the legendary actor would be joining season two of Netflix’s Wednesday as the new principal of the character’s alma mater, Nevermore Academy. Wednesday also stars Jenna Ortega, Emma Myers, Hunter Doohan, Percy Hynes White, Christina Ricci, and more. The season hasn’t received a release date yet. [Emma Keates]
Apple TV+ is going all in on author Mick Herron. After the success of their first Herron adaptation, Slow Horses starring Gary Oldman, the streamer is now working on a new series based on his 2003 novel, Down Cemetery Road. The thriller will star Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson. According to a synopsis (via Deadline), the show “centers on Sarah Tucker (Wilson), who becomes obsessed with finding a neighbor girl who disappeared in the aftermath of a house explosion in a quiet Oxford suburb. After enlisting the help of private investigator Zoë Boehm (Thompson) in her quest, the pair find themselves in a complex conspiracy that reveals that people long believed dead are still among the living, while the living are fast joining the dead.” [Emma Keates]
The Fall Of The House Of Usher’s Carla Gugino is in talks to play one of four female leads in Night Electricity, a “psychological drama with thriller elements” from her partner, Sebastian Gutierrez. Gugino has played the lead in many of Gutierrez’s previous films, including Leopard Skin, Jett, Elizabeth Harvest, and more. Not much else is known about Night Electricity thus far. [Emma Keates]
After being teased for years, the Now You See Me series is inching closer to its alleged magical re-appearance in theaters. This week, it was announced that Ariana Greenblatt (Barbie), Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers), and Justice Smith (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) would be joining the cast of the upcoming three-quel, from director Ruben Fleischer. Nothing’s been confirmed yet, but previous franchise stars Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco and Morgan Freeman are also expected to reprise their roles. [Emma Keates]
Neva Howell (Burden) has been cast as Martha Kent, Clark Kent’s adoptive mother, in DC’s upcoming Superman—the first film to be released from Chapter One (“Gods and Monsters”) of the studio’s massive relaunch. She’ll star alongside Pruitt Taylor Vince as Pa Kent, Superman’s father, alongside David Corenswet as Superman. The film, currently slated to release on July 11, 2025, also stars Rachel Brosnahan, Isabella Merced, Nathan Fillion, Anthony Carrigan, Nicholas Hoult, and more. [Emma Keates]
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey—starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell—is rounding out its cast. It was announced this week that Lily Rabe (Shrinking), Jodie Turner-Smith (White Noise), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), and Lucy Thomas will be joining the film, directed by Kogonada (After Yang). Plot details haven’t been released yet, but the film will be “an imaginative tale of two strangers and the extraordinary emotional journey that connects them” (via Deadline). [Emma Keates]
Rob Delaney (Catastrophe), David Rasche (Succession), Esco Jouléy (State Of The Union), Kelvin Yu (American Born Chinese), and Jay Duplass (Industry) have been cast as recurring characters in FX’s upcoming series, Dying For Sex, which stars Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate. Based on the hit podcast of the same name, the show will tell the story of a woman named Molly (Williams) who leaves her husband of 15 years to explore her sexuality after being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Slate plays her supportive friend Nikki. As for the newcomers, Delaney will play Molly’s unnamed neighbor, Rasche will play her oncologist, and Jouléy will play a palliative care social worker named Sonya. [Emma Keates]
Even though Our Flag Means Death is no more, pirates will soon be coming back to our screens in Sandokan, a reboot of the original Italian series from 1976 about a swashbuckler who fights against colonial powers in Southeast Asia (per Variety). Ed Westwick, John Hannah, and Alanah Bloor are joining the cast of the series, where they’ll star alongside Can Yaman, who is playing the leading role. Sandokan is set to start shooting outside of Rome this week. [Emma Keates]
Blumhouse’s Wolf Man found its daughter in Matilda Firth, per Deadline. The child actor, previously seen in Disney’s Disenchanted, joins Julia Garner, Christopher Abbott, and Sam Jaeger in the Leigh Whannell-directed monster flick. The reboot “follows a family that is being terrorized by a lethal predator.” [Mary Kate Carr]
The Tourist and Boat Story’s Olafur Darri Ólafsson is moving to Manhattan, Kansas for season three of Somebody Somewhere, even if his character doesn’t have the most imaginative name. Ólafsson joins the cast of the HBO show as “Iceland,” the new renter of Sam’s (Bridget Everett) family farm (per Deadline). The season 3 cast also includes Jeff Hiller, Mary Catherine Garrison, Murray Hill, Tim Bagley, Jennifer Mudge, Mercedes White and Meighan Gerachis. No premiere date has been set yet. [Emma Keates]
The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar is set to lead Gurinder Chadha’s upcoming Christmas Karma, a Bollywood musical set in London and inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Nayyar (Scrooge) will be joined by a pretty star-studded cast. Eva Longoria, Billy Porter, and Boy George have also signed on, as well as Hugh Bonneville, Leo Suter, Charithra Chandran, Pixie Lott, Danny Dyer, Bilal Hasna, Allan Corduner, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Rufus Jones, Eve, and Nitin Ganatra. The film is currently slated for a December 2025 release. [Emma Keates]
The product origin movie trend is coming for our love lives as much as the products are themselves. It was announced this week that Industry and Bodies Bodies Bodies star Myha’la would be joining Lily James in 20th Century’s upcoming film about Whitney Wolfe Herd, the co-founder of Tinder and founder of Bumble. James stars as Wolfe Herd, while sources for Deadline suggest that Myha’la will play one of her friends and colleagues. [Emma Keates]
Per Deadline, Victoria Justice (Victorious) has been cast in a guest star role in the upcoming Suits: L.A. starring Stephen Amell and Josh McDermitt. Justice will play an up-and-coming movie star looking to be represented by Ted (Amell). Additionally, John Amos (Roots) will play himself as another of Ted’s clients, and Kevin Weisman will play Lester Thompson, a “smart and powerful man who is used to getting his way” but has been charged with murder. [Mary Kate Carr]
Dale Dickey, recently of Fallout and Lawman: Bass Reeves, has been cast in a recurring role on Chuck Lorre’s latest Netflix comedy, per Deadline. The series follows Danny (Sebastian Maniscalco), a bookie who partners with a former NFL star (Omar J. Dorsey) in an illegal sports-betting operation. Dickey will play the mother of Danny’s wife Sandra (Andrea Anders) in the upcoming second season. [Mary Kate Carr]