Breaking News January 31, 2024: ‘Abbott Elementary,’ ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ ‘The Conners,’ ‘The Good Doctor,’ and Other Strike-Delayed ABC Shows Debut New Trailers
ABC has released trailers for the upcoming seasons of Abbott Elementary, Grey's Anatomy, The Conners, The Good Doctor, The Rookie, Station 19, and other strike-delayed ABC series. The new seasons of each respective ABC show will debut over the next few months.
Variety writes, “Did Ava go to Harvard and become an actual hard-nosed, competent principal on Abbott Elementary? Is Andy Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz) going to be the ‘best [darn] captain' that Station 19 has ever seen? Will John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) get married without a hitch on The Rookie? Is The Good Doctor going to be a good dad? What’s up with Meredith and Nick on Grey’s Anatomy?” The answers to all of these questions are teased in the following ABC trailers.
Click here to watch the season three trailer for ABC's Abbott Elementary.
Click here to watch the season 20 trailer for ABC's Grey's Anatomy.
Click here to watch the season seven trailer for ABC's Station 19.
Click here to watch the season six trailer for ABC's The Rookie.
Click here to watch the season seven trailer for ABC's 9-1-1.
Click here to watch the season seven trailer for ABC's The Good Doctor.
Click here to watch the season six trailer for ABC's The Conners.
Click here to watch the season two trailer for ABC's Will Trent.
Click here to watch the season two trailer for ABC's Not Dead Yet.
Click here to watch the season seven (on ABC) trailer for American Idol. Prior to its move to ABC, American Idol aired on Fox from 2002 to 2016. The singing competition began its run on ABC in 2018.
Byron Allen Offers To Buy Paramount Global for $14 Billion
Standup-turned-mogul Byron Allen has made a $14.3 billion offer to buy Paramount Global. The Allen Media Group owns the Weather Channel, several local TV stations, syndicated TV content, and other media ventures.
A statement reported by The Hollywood Reporter reads: “Mr. Byron Allen did submit a bid on behalf of Allen Media Group and its strategic partners to purchase all of Paramount Global’s outstanding shares. We believe this $30 billion offer, which includes debt and equity, is the best solution for all of the Paramount Global shareholders, and the bid should be taken seriously and pursued.” The Hollywood Reporter adds, “The deal would also see Allen Media Group assume Paramount’s roughly $15 billion debt load, valuing the shares at about a 50% premium to their recent trading prices.”
In a 2020 profile of Allen in The Hollywood Reporter, Eddie Murphy said, “You know how you can sum up Byron is his chess game. Byron played a lot of chess back in the early days. There was a group of people in town, like Berry Gordy and Jim Brown, who would fly in good players. I played Byron a lot. I’m a much better chess player than Byron. Like, nobody beats me. If I had played Byron on the clock, I would have killed Byron. But we didn’t play on the clock — we just played. And that’s Byron’s game. He’s super patient. He takes a long time between every move. He does it until you get frustrated — and then you do something stupid, and then all he needs is a little tiny crack…. That is Byron in a nutshell.”
Deadline reports that Paramount Global stock rose nearly eight percent today after news of Allen's offer broke.
‘Westworld’ Star Evan Rachel Wood Says the Show’s Abrupt Cancelation Still Keeps Her Up at Night
Evan Rachel Wood says that she still loses sleep thinking about Westworld‘s abrupt cancelation. Wood played Dolores Abernathy — the oldest robotic host working in the park — on the sci-fi HBO series that ran from 2016 to 2022.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Wood said, “It was devastating in a lot of ways because, first of all, they don’t tell us where the show is going. We were just always told, ‘We know how the show ends,’ when we started. They weren’t writing it as we went along. They had an idea, and we were all just on a bed of nails waiting to see and hear what the conclusion of this was. What it all meant.
“We didn’t get to have that and so after building an arc and a character for almost 10 years and not getting the payoff at the end to see where it was all going — I think for us and the audience, it was awful in a lot of ways.”
Wood added, “I asked the creators after we got canceled, ‘Can you please just tell me how you’re going to end?’ And they wouldn’t tell me. I think because, I don’t know, maybe somehow, someway, in some iteration we’ll get to finish it, but I still don’t know. It does still keep me up at night.”
Whether or not Dolores' story gets a proper ending on HBO or elsewhere remains up in the air, but the demand is out there.
‘Hijack’ Starring Idris Elba Renewed for Second Season by Apple
Apple has cleared for takeoff a second season of Hijack starring Idris Elba. The popular drama also stars Archie Panjabi, Ben Miles, and Max Beesley.
The official description of Hijack reads: “When Flight KA29 is hijacked during its seven-hour journey from Dubai to London, Sam Nelson — an accomplished corporate negotiator — tries using his professional skills to save everyone on board. Will his high-risk strategy be his undoing?”
Deadline reports that Elba — who also serves as executive producer on Hijack — said, “I was floored by the overwhelming audience response after season one. It’s top secret what new situation unfolds for Sam Nelson but I can assure you we will bring the high octane back!”
Pet Shop Boys Celebrate 40th Anniversary With Concert Film in Theaters
Synth-pop pioneers Pet Shop Boys are celebrating their 40th anniversary with the release of Pet Shop Boys Dreamworld: The Hits Live. The concert film will play in 1,400 theaters in 50 countries for two nights only: January 31 and February 4.
Pet Shop Boys — comprised of lead singer Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe — have produced numerous hits since 1984, including “West End Girls,” “It's a Sin,” “What Have I Done to Deserve This?,” “Go West,” and “Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)” to name just a few.
As reported by Variety: “From White Light Film Productions, the documentary brings Pet Shop Boys’ ongoing global tour to fans far and wide, offering a comprehensive rendering of the duo’s performance at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen. Helmed by director David Barnard, a four-time filmmaking collaborator with Pet Shop Boys, Dreamworld is yet another visually dazzling, highly theatrical cinematic experience from vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, featuring costume changes, an elaborate set and throbbing, trippy visuals.”
“It’s a great crowd in Copenhagen!” said supervising producer Andrew Winter to Variety. “The venue is vast and easy to position and maneuver cameras around, picking up not only the performance on stage, but also to get the audience reactions close-up and capture the real feel of being at the show.”
Click here to watch a clip of the Dreamworld concert film.
Paramount+ Renews ‘Colin From Accounts' for Second Season
Paramount+ has renewed the Australian comedy series Colin From Accounts for a second season. Husband-and-wife team Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer created, write, executive produce, and star in the show.
According to the official description of the show printed by Variety, season one “follows Ashley (Dyer) and Gordon (Brammall), two single(ish), complex humans who wind up ‘brought together by a car accident and an injured dog.'”
“Colin From Accounts quickly won over audiences with its quirky, relatable storylines and lovable characters,” said Jeff Grossman, Paramount+’s executive vice president of programming. “Patrick and Harriet are crafting another phenomenal season, and we can’t wait to share what is next for Ashley, Gordon, and Colin.”
In a statement, Brammall and Dyer added, “We’re SUPER EXCITED that Paramount+ has the good taste and exquisite judgment to renew us for another season.”
Dexter Darden to Portray Muhammad Ali in ‘Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist' Limited Series on Peacock
Dexter Darden — who played Frypan in the Maze Runner film series — will portray Muhammad Ali in Peacock's limited series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist. He joins a cast that includes Kevin Hart, Samuel L. Jackson, Terrence Howard, and Taraji P. Henson.
According to Deadline, “Fight Night tells the infamous story of how an armed robbery during the night of Ali’s historic 1970 comeback fight changed not only one man’s life, but an entire city’s destiny.”
Darden starred in all three Maze Runner films as well as Chang Can Dunk, The Binge, and It's a Wonderful Binge. He also played Devante Young on Peacock's Saved by the Bell revival, so Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist continues the actor's working relationship with the streaming provider.
‘Dune' Director Denis Villeneuve Says ‘Freedom and Taking Risks' Will Save Cinema
Dune director Denis Villeneuve says he knows what can save cinema in these conservative times. Dune: Part Two starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson (pictured), Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem opens in theaters on March 1.
Although it's not overtly discussed in the Dune movies, computers and artificial intelligence have taken a backseat in favor of developing the human brain. “Which is actually the opposite of what we’re trying to do right now,” said Villeneuve in an interview with Time. “We behave like algorithms, as filmmakers. We’re in a very conservative time; creativity is restricted. Everything’s about Wall Street. What will save cinema is freedom and taking risks. And you feel the audience is excited when they see something they haven’t seen before.”
Villeneuve said back in December that a script for Dune: Messiah is nearly finished, which would represent the third and final Dune movie for the director. “I was trying to be, as a filmmaker, as invisible as possible,” said Villeneuve. “I tried my best to keep the poetry of the book, the atmosphere, the colors, the smell, everything that I felt when I read the book. I tried.”
Hong Kong Action Legend Donnie Yen To Star in ‘Kung Fu' Movie Adaptation of ABC Series for Universal
Donnie Yen will star in Universal's Kung Fu adaptation of the 1970s ABC TV series starring David Carradine. Ed Spielman, the creator of the ABC series, will executive produce the new movie with David Leitch eyed as the director with a script by Stephen Chin.
According to Deadline, “With his groundbreaking work on and off camera, Donnie Yen is among the exceedingly few actors of his generation to work at the highest levels of both the Chinese and Hollywood film industries, which the studio saw as a huge factor when they offered him the role. Uni and 87North know how the original series has such a global appeal and knew they needed a star that had that same global reach leading it.”
“Donnie Yen is both an immensely talented actor and an action film legend, and it is a privilege to have a true martial arts master leading this global film,” said Leitch. “With Donnie in place as our leading man, it will be a thrill to collaborate with him, our creative partners, and Universal in reimagining this beloved story for the big screen.”
Yen is best known on these shores for the Ip Man series, John Wick: Chapter 4, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Mulan. Deadline adds, “Yen recently completed producing, directing and starring in the passion project Sakra, an adaptation of the classic Chinese novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, which Yen characterizes as one of the biggest challenges of his career.”
The ABC series Kung Fu ran for three seasons between 1972 and 1975. Carradine played Kwai Chang Caine — a Shaolin monk traveling the Old West — on the ABC martial arts Western drama.
Sony Scores Danny Boyle's Horror Sequel '28 Years Later' Written by Alex Garland
Sony won a bidding war to distribute director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland's 28 Years Later. The zombie-apocalypse sequel follows 2002's 28 Days Later — also directed by Boyle and written by Garland — and 2007's 28 Weeks Later.
Deadline reports that 28 Years Later will be the first in a new trilogy, with Garland on board to write each installment. Original 28 Days Later star and Oscar nominee Cillian Murphy (pictured, center) will executive produce and could possibly reprise his role as Jim.
In an interview with NME in 2022, Murphy seemed receptive to the idea of playing Jim the survivor again. “Every time I do bump into Danny or Alex I always mention it,” Murphy said. “I showed [28 Days Later] to my kids recently — some Halloween about four or five years ago — and they loved it. It really stands up, which is amazing for a film that’s 20 years old. So yeah, I love the idea and it’s very appealing to me.”
Robert Downey Jr. Says That Margot Robbie Isn't ‘Getting Enough Credit' for Leading ‘Barbie'
Robert Downey Jr. has joined the ranks of people outraged by Margot Robbie's Oscar snub for Barbie. Although Barbie received eight Oscar nominations, Robbie did not receive a nomination for Best Actress, although costars Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera received nominations for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.
During a SAG-AFTRA Foundation panel discussion reported by IndieWire, Oscar nominee Downey Jr. said, “It never fails to impress and remind me how little you need to do to be effective. Just the simplest version of expression, that’s what the camera wants. The closer the camera gets, the more it wants it. Time and time again, it’s demonstrated that it’s super effective.”
He continued, “Margot Robbie is not getting enough credit, in my opinion. America [Ferrera] has this amazing speech. And by the way, she nails it! I’m watching it and go, ‘Wow, that was a really tough one. That’s like a one-act play. The whole movie hinges on it.’ But it’s the cuts away to Robbie so actively listening that I realize Greta is really on to something here. But it’s Robbie who had to trust, and it’s hard when someone who has the [f-ing] two-page passage, and they go, ‘OK, now let’s jump in and get Bob,’ and you’re like, ‘I’ve been listening to this all day and now I have to make it work!'”
At a SAG screening of Barbie reported by Deadline, Robbie does not sound the slightest bit ungrateful about her Oscar snub for Best Actress. “[I am] beyond ecstatic that we’ve got eight Academy Award nominations, it’s so wild,” said Robbie. “Everyone getting the nods that they’ve had is just incredible, and the Best Picture nod.” Although she didn't receive a Best Actress Oscar nomination, Robbie is still nominated as Barbie producer for Best Picture.
Matthew Vaughn Says It's ‘Very Weird' To Cast ‘Supergirl' With No Director in Place
Argylle director and self-proclaimed “Superman nut” Matthew Vaughn says it's “very weird” to cast the role of Supergirl in Superman: Legacy with no director yet in place. Wealth of Geeks reported just two days ago that House of the Dragon actress Milly Alcock will play Supergirl in the new and (hopefully) improved DC universe.
On the BroBible Post Credit Podcast, Vaughn sang the praises of Alcock but questioned the ABCs of casting Superman: Legacy. “I’m a huge fan of Milly Alcock,” said Vaughn. “Huge fan. Met with her for this other project we’re working on — she turned me down, which was sad. She’s a fabulous actress. Then again, I do find it very weird that they haven’t got a director. That surprised me, because you shouldn’t cast a movie — the director should be casting the movie. I don’t understand who cast it if there isn’t a director.”
When asked if he would consider directing Superman: Legacy, Vaughn added, “I was asked about doing The Flash way back, but I said I’d only do it if I could recast — if I’m directing my own superhero film, I want my own, new superhero. But, Milly Alcock, I probably would have put forward for it if I was directing… so I haven’t considered it. Never say never. I’m a big fan of James Gunn and Peter Safran, so yeah, I would consider it.”
Vaugh's spy action-comedy Argylle starring Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, and Bryan Cranston opens in theaters nationwide on February 2. Click here to watch the trailer.
