“Film is forever.”
Nicole Kidman, the 49th recipient of the prestigious AFI Life Achievement Award, made her acceptance speech on the Dolby Theatre stage on Saturday, April 27 about the filmmakers who’ve shaped her career — and her love for movies and storytelling.
The Academy Award-winning actress was joined by presenters including her “Big Little Lies” co-stars Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep, a past AFI recipient who handed Kidman the honors at the night’s end. “Can I just say, Meryl Streep? I just loved you. I always loved you. I don’t know what it is. You’re a beacon of excellence and warmth and generosity, and you’ve been my guiding light. To see this from you, you have no idea. My husband can attest, my parents can attest, it’s always been you, and no one can touch you.”
Kidman’s opening remarks set the tone for a...
Nicole Kidman, the 49th recipient of the prestigious AFI Life Achievement Award, made her acceptance speech on the Dolby Theatre stage on Saturday, April 27 about the filmmakers who’ve shaped her career — and her love for movies and storytelling.
The Academy Award-winning actress was joined by presenters including her “Big Little Lies” co-stars Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep, a past AFI recipient who handed Kidman the honors at the night’s end. “Can I just say, Meryl Streep? I just loved you. I always loved you. I don’t know what it is. You’re a beacon of excellence and warmth and generosity, and you’ve been my guiding light. To see this from you, you have no idea. My husband can attest, my parents can attest, it’s always been you, and no one can touch you.”
Kidman’s opening remarks set the tone for a...
- 4/28/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Hollywood legends gathered Saturday night to celebrate Nicole Kidman as she received the prestigious AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor bestowed by the American Film Institute.
The ceremony featured tributes from Kidman’s esteemed peers and collaborators, including Meryl Streep, Zoe Saldaña, Naomi Watts, Zac Efron, David E. Kelley, Morgan Freeman, Keith Urban, Aaron Sorkin and Reese Witherspoon. The audience also included Lee Daniels, Mimi Leder and “Expats” creator and director Lulu Wang along with Kidman’s co-stars Ji-young and Sarayu Blue. The 56-year-old Oscar-winning actress expressed her deep gratitude for her distinguished career.
Kidman was visibly moved by the accolades from numerous distinguished colleagues, including Miles Teller, who was personally cast by Kidman in his first-ever film role “Rabbit Hole ” which was also her first produced feature. However, her husband, Keith Urban, shared intimate details about their life together, highlighting when he entered rehabilitation for substance abuse five months into their marriage,...
The ceremony featured tributes from Kidman’s esteemed peers and collaborators, including Meryl Streep, Zoe Saldaña, Naomi Watts, Zac Efron, David E. Kelley, Morgan Freeman, Keith Urban, Aaron Sorkin and Reese Witherspoon. The audience also included Lee Daniels, Mimi Leder and “Expats” creator and director Lulu Wang along with Kidman’s co-stars Ji-young and Sarayu Blue. The 56-year-old Oscar-winning actress expressed her deep gratitude for her distinguished career.
Kidman was visibly moved by the accolades from numerous distinguished colleagues, including Miles Teller, who was personally cast by Kidman in his first-ever film role “Rabbit Hole ” which was also her first produced feature. However, her husband, Keith Urban, shared intimate details about their life together, highlighting when he entered rehabilitation for substance abuse five months into their marriage,...
- 4/28/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Hollywood star Nicole Kidman has completed 40 years in the world of films and she celebrated it on social media. The 56-year-old actress shared a heartwarming video of her first role at 14 in ‘Bush Christmas’, which was released in 1983.
“This 14-year-old girl could never have predicted all the talented people she would work with and the many different characters she would play,” Kidman wrote in the caption.
Kidman gained the spotlight with her portrayal of Rae Ingram in ‘Dead Calm’ in 1989. Since then, she has worked with prestigious directors such as Jane Campion, Sofia Coppola, Baz Luhrmann, Sydney Pollack, Aaron Sorkin and Stanley Kubrick.
In recognition of her outstanding contributions to cinema, the American Film Institute (AFI) bestowed upon Kidman its Life Achievement Award on April 27, reports aceshowbiz.com.
The actress is the first Australian to receive this honour. Kidman has earned numerous accolades over the years, including five Academy Award...
“This 14-year-old girl could never have predicted all the talented people she would work with and the many different characters she would play,” Kidman wrote in the caption.
Kidman gained the spotlight with her portrayal of Rae Ingram in ‘Dead Calm’ in 1989. Since then, she has worked with prestigious directors such as Jane Campion, Sofia Coppola, Baz Luhrmann, Sydney Pollack, Aaron Sorkin and Stanley Kubrick.
In recognition of her outstanding contributions to cinema, the American Film Institute (AFI) bestowed upon Kidman its Life Achievement Award on April 27, reports aceshowbiz.com.
The actress is the first Australian to receive this honour. Kidman has earned numerous accolades over the years, including five Academy Award...
- 4/24/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
There’s no place like CinemaCon for Universal to debut enchanting new footage for Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of Wicked! On Wednesday, the studio dropped a house on the CinemaCon crowd at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, helping Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, to tell her side of a misunderstood story.
During Universal’s CinemaCon presentation, the studio surprised the crowd by activating lanyards and roses given out before the presentation. Like magic, the objects lit up, flashing different colors as the theater filled with music. When the Great and Powerful Oz showed up, the lights interacted with his entrance. Jeff Goldblum is Oz, and he took the stage to introduce the film. “I’ll be a ringtail flying monkey if that’s not the biggest flying cranium I’ve seen in my life,” Goldblum quipped about his character.
“I’ve been chased by dinosaurs, I...
During Universal’s CinemaCon presentation, the studio surprised the crowd by activating lanyards and roses given out before the presentation. Like magic, the objects lit up, flashing different colors as the theater filled with music. When the Great and Powerful Oz showed up, the lights interacted with his entrance. Jeff Goldblum is Oz, and he took the stage to introduce the film. “I’ll be a ringtail flying monkey if that’s not the biggest flying cranium I’ve seen in my life,” Goldblum quipped about his character.
“I’ve been chased by dinosaurs, I...
- 4/11/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were excited to share how Wicked finally made it to the big screen with them in the starring roles.
“Like theater geeks worldwide, they’ve waited more than 20 years for the Wicked musical to be adapted for the screen. Directors as varied as J.J. Abrams, Ryan Murphy, and Rob Marshall were all reported to have circled the movie at some point; rumor has it actors like Lea Michele and Amy Adams did too. For years, Stephen Daldry was attached to direct, but that version fell apart. Why did it all take so long?”
Read more at Vanity Fair
After he’s finished with his latest Monsterverse project, Adam Wingard is preparing to take on a sci-fi cult classic, Event Horizon.
“First up? Potentially, Wingard’s take on the 1997 sci-fi movie Event Horizon, which, as of 2019, was being developed by Amazon and Paramount Television. Wingard tells...
“Like theater geeks worldwide, they’ve waited more than 20 years for the Wicked musical to be adapted for the screen. Directors as varied as J.J. Abrams, Ryan Murphy, and Rob Marshall were all reported to have circled the movie at some point; rumor has it actors like Lea Michele and Amy Adams did too. For years, Stephen Daldry was attached to direct, but that version fell apart. Why did it all take so long?”
Read more at Vanity Fair
After he’s finished with his latest Monsterverse project, Adam Wingard is preparing to take on a sci-fi cult classic, Event Horizon.
“First up? Potentially, Wingard’s take on the 1997 sci-fi movie Event Horizon, which, as of 2019, was being developed by Amazon and Paramount Television. Wingard tells...
- 3/22/2024
- by Michael Ahr
- Den of Geek
The Broadway musical Wicked will be getting its cinematic adaptation this year. The musical has been divided into two parts, with Part One set to be released on November 27, 2024. It stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in the lead roles, playing Galinda Upland and Elphaba Thropp respectively. The story acts as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz.
Director Jon M. Chu mentioned that the actresses got along really well on set. He said that he chose to not depend on excessive CGI and wanted actual sets. Chu also said that the two were extremely committed to their roles, with the actresses going as far as delivering live vocals while filming instead of the usual practice of lip-syncing to pre-recorded songs.
Ariana Grande ‘Stalked’ Producer Marc Platt To Bag The Role In Wicked A still from Wicked
The stage musical Wicked was a national phenomenon upon release, propelling lead actor Idina Menzel to stardom.
Director Jon M. Chu mentioned that the actresses got along really well on set. He said that he chose to not depend on excessive CGI and wanted actual sets. Chu also said that the two were extremely committed to their roles, with the actresses going as far as delivering live vocals while filming instead of the usual practice of lip-syncing to pre-recorded songs.
Ariana Grande ‘Stalked’ Producer Marc Platt To Bag The Role In Wicked A still from Wicked
The stage musical Wicked was a national phenomenon upon release, propelling lead actor Idina Menzel to stardom.
- 3/21/2024
- by Nishanth A
- FandomWire
Hawkins is hitting the stage. A Stranger Things play titled Stranger Things: The First Shadow and set in Hawkins, 1959 — before the world turned upside down — opened for on London’s West End on Dec. 14 at the Phoenix Theatre. This prequel may just hold the key to what comes next…
Here’s everything you nerds need to know about this new dimension of the Stranger Things universe:
Yup! The stage play is based on an original story by the Duffer brothers (the masterminds behind Stranger Things), Kate Trefry (a writer on Stranger Things) and Jack Thorne. The new play, written by Trefry, will be directed by Tony Award winner Stephen Daldry with co-direction by Justin Martin and produced by Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions. The Duffer brothers act as creative producers, with 21...
Here’s everything you nerds need to know about this new dimension of the Stranger Things universe:
Yup! The stage play is based on an original story by the Duffer brothers (the masterminds behind Stranger Things), Kate Trefry (a writer on Stranger Things) and Jack Thorne. The new play, written by Trefry, will be directed by Tony Award winner Stephen Daldry with co-direction by Justin Martin and produced by Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions. The Duffer brothers act as creative producers, with 21...
- 3/12/2024
- by Tara Bitran
- Tudum - Netflix
Three months after Stranger Things: The First Shadow opened in London, the stage play based on the hit Netflix series is already plotting its move to Broadway.
According to Broadway World, casting notices for the Broadway run of the acclaimed play have already been posted, with an estimated opening date sometime in 2025. Like the London production, Stephen Daldry is listed as director of the New York City staging.
The prequel play — written by Kate Trefry and based on an original story by Stranger Things creators the Duffer brothers — opened in...
According to Broadway World, casting notices for the Broadway run of the acclaimed play have already been posted, with an estimated opening date sometime in 2025. Like the London production, Stephen Daldry is listed as director of the New York City staging.
The prequel play — written by Kate Trefry and based on an original story by Stranger Things creators the Duffer brothers — opened in...
- 3/9/2024
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
A Broadway transfer may be in store for the stage production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
A casting notice calling for video submissions from Equity actors has been posted for the production, with a listed Broadway start in 2025. A theater has not yet been named. Stephen Daldry, who helmed the West End production of the show, is listed as director for the possible Broadway transfer, with Justin Martin as a co-director.
Neither Netflix nor Sonia Friedman Productions, the two producers on the show, immediately responded to a request for comment on plans for Broadway. A spokesperson for the production in London said more information about the “future life of the production” will be shared at a later time. The audition notice alone does not automatically mean it’s coming to Broadway, but the play is already proving popular in the West End.
Written by Kate Trefry, the play opened...
A casting notice calling for video submissions from Equity actors has been posted for the production, with a listed Broadway start in 2025. A theater has not yet been named. Stephen Daldry, who helmed the West End production of the show, is listed as director for the possible Broadway transfer, with Justin Martin as a co-director.
Neither Netflix nor Sonia Friedman Productions, the two producers on the show, immediately responded to a request for comment on plans for Broadway. A spokesperson for the production in London said more information about the “future life of the production” will be shared at a later time. The audition notice alone does not automatically mean it’s coming to Broadway, but the play is already proving popular in the West End.
Written by Kate Trefry, the play opened...
- 3/8/2024
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the London stage adaptation of the hit Netflix series, is aiming for a 2025 Broadway opening, according to casting notices posted Thursday.
News of a planned transfer was first reported by Deadline’s Baz Bamigboye last December, but yesterday’s Equity casting notices – reported by the Broadway World website – add some details. The deadline for submitting video auditions will be March 20.
Directed by Stephen Daldry, written by Kate Trefry from an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Trefry, Stranger Things: The First Shadow – which opened on the West End in December – is a prequel to the TV series set in 1959.
According to the auditions posting, the following roles are up for grabs: Henry Creel, Patty Newby, Joyce Moldonado, James Hopper Jr., Bob Newby, Dr. Brenner, Victor Creel, Virginia Creel, Chief Hopper, Lonnie Byers, Walter Henderson, Alan Munson, Charles Sinclair, Ted Wheeler, Sue Anderson,...
News of a planned transfer was first reported by Deadline’s Baz Bamigboye last December, but yesterday’s Equity casting notices – reported by the Broadway World website – add some details. The deadline for submitting video auditions will be March 20.
Directed by Stephen Daldry, written by Kate Trefry from an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Trefry, Stranger Things: The First Shadow – which opened on the West End in December – is a prequel to the TV series set in 1959.
According to the auditions posting, the following roles are up for grabs: Henry Creel, Patty Newby, Joyce Moldonado, James Hopper Jr., Bob Newby, Dr. Brenner, Victor Creel, Virginia Creel, Chief Hopper, Lonnie Byers, Walter Henderson, Alan Munson, Charles Sinclair, Ted Wheeler, Sue Anderson,...
- 3/8/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Louis McCartney describes himself as “a West End baby” because before he was cast to play boyish-looking monster Henry Creel in the Stranger Things stage show The First Shadow, he’d never performed on stage in his life.
“They were coaching me how to speak properly, how to project my voice,” McCartney says of the countless recalls he endured during the auditioning process.
The key was: Could McCartney play “the sweet little by whose mum loved him” who also happens to be “a killer” who’s “psychiatric at heart.”
McCartney nails it all with one of the most breathtaking debut performances in the West End.
The show’s director, Stephen Daldry, remembers seeing McCartney out of the corner of his eye during an open casting call. The lad from Belfast was sitting quietly in a corner when Daldry remarked to casting director Jessica Ronane and dialect coach William Conacher,...
“They were coaching me how to speak properly, how to project my voice,” McCartney says of the countless recalls he endured during the auditioning process.
The key was: Could McCartney play “the sweet little by whose mum loved him” who also happens to be “a killer” who’s “psychiatric at heart.”
McCartney nails it all with one of the most breathtaking debut performances in the West End.
The show’s director, Stephen Daldry, remembers seeing McCartney out of the corner of his eye during an open casting call. The lad from Belfast was sitting quietly in a corner when Daldry remarked to casting director Jessica Ronane and dialect coach William Conacher,...
- 3/6/2024
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
The Academy’s tendency to award trophies to Holocaust movies has long been whispered about — and even occasionally joked about by cheeky comedians.
In 2009, shortly after Kate Winslet won a Golden Globe for her performance as a former Auschwitz guard in “The Reader,” presenter Ricky Gervais pointed to her in the audience and deadpanned, “I told ya, do a Holocaust movie; the awards come.”
Winslet, who would go on to receive an Academy Award for her part in Stephen Daldry’s film, had several years earlier appeared on Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s HBO comedy “Extras” as an actor who stars in a film about the Holocaust in the hopes that it will earn her an Oscar.
The night of the Globes, Winslet laughed at Gervais’ ribbing, as did many in the crowd. It was a much a jab at the industry as much as it was at her.
“The spoof wasn’t entirely wrong,...
In 2009, shortly after Kate Winslet won a Golden Globe for her performance as a former Auschwitz guard in “The Reader,” presenter Ricky Gervais pointed to her in the audience and deadpanned, “I told ya, do a Holocaust movie; the awards come.”
Winslet, who would go on to receive an Academy Award for her part in Stephen Daldry’s film, had several years earlier appeared on Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s HBO comedy “Extras” as an actor who stars in a film about the Holocaust in the hopes that it will earn her an Oscar.
The night of the Globes, Winslet laughed at Gervais’ ribbing, as did many in the crowd. It was a much a jab at the industry as much as it was at her.
“The spoof wasn’t entirely wrong,...
- 2/16/2024
- by Whitney Friedlander
- Variety Film + TV
In the two years since Obi-Wan Kenobi came to Disney+, news regarding a second season of the series hasn’t been optimistic. Lucasfilm hasn’t technically canceled the series as of yet, but they’re not in a hurry to pursue another season either. Fans, and Ewan McGregor himself, however, are trying to remain hopeful that we’ll get to see more of Obi-Wan’s story before A New Hope, even if it takes a few years to get it. At the Goteborg Film Festival in January, McGregor said that he “would love to do the second season, but there’s no talk of it yet. There is a lot going on at Disney.”
Now, McGregor has jokingly urged fans to write to Disney during a panel at MegaCon Orlando, to encourage the company to pursue another season, saying, “There was originally gonna be a movie, and I’ve often thought,...
Now, McGregor has jokingly urged fans to write to Disney during a panel at MegaCon Orlando, to encourage the company to pursue another season, saying, “There was originally gonna be a movie, and I’ve often thought,...
- 2/9/2024
- by Brynnaarens
- Den of Geek
Oscar and BAFTA nominee Bradley Cooper shared insight into his work on Maestro and other movies, his next film and his career in London on Wednesday evening during a British Film Institute (BFI) event. Answering questions from filmmaker Stephen Daldry (The Crown, The Hours), he also lauded the talents of such co-stars as Carey Mulligan, Lady Gaga, Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence, and described Clint Eastwood and Robert De Niro as idols.
In a wide-ranging chat, Cooper also entertained the audience with stories about attending the Glastonbury music festival with Michael Fassbender and why he loves the voice of Sam Elliott.
Given Cooper’s directing and acting work on the music-themed Maestro and A Star Is Born and his love for music, Daldry asked if his next film as an actor-director, believed to be Is This Thing On? with friend Will Arnett, would again have musical overtones. “Our next movie...
In a wide-ranging chat, Cooper also entertained the audience with stories about attending the Glastonbury music festival with Michael Fassbender and why he loves the voice of Sam Elliott.
Given Cooper’s directing and acting work on the music-themed Maestro and A Star Is Born and his love for music, Daldry asked if his next film as an actor-director, believed to be Is This Thing On? with friend Will Arnett, would again have musical overtones. “Our next movie...
- 1/24/2024
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Signature Entertainment has acquired the U.K. and Irish rights to “Unicorns,” the romance drama co-directed by BAFTA nominee Sally El Hosaini (“The Swimmers”) and her long-standing collaborator James Krishna Floyd, who starred in both “The Swimmers” and her directorial debut “My Brother the Devil.”
From a script written by Floyd, “Unicorns” is described as a “visually daring and heartfelt portrayal of modern masculinity” and follows a queer South Asian club performer living a double life who meets a straight, single-father mechanic, with whom unexpected sparks begin to fly. The film stars Ben Hardy (“Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Love at First Sight”), newcomer Jason Patel, Nisha Nayar (“Buddha of Suburbia”), Hannah Onslow (“Empire of Light”) and Sagar Radia (“Industry”).
“We are thrilled to have Signature bring ‘Unicorns’ to U.K. and Irish cinemas where we know audiences will enjoy our unique, timely, but above all entertaining film,” said El-Hosaini and Floyd.
“Unicorns,...
From a script written by Floyd, “Unicorns” is described as a “visually daring and heartfelt portrayal of modern masculinity” and follows a queer South Asian club performer living a double life who meets a straight, single-father mechanic, with whom unexpected sparks begin to fly. The film stars Ben Hardy (“Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Love at First Sight”), newcomer Jason Patel, Nisha Nayar (“Buddha of Suburbia”), Hannah Onslow (“Empire of Light”) and Sagar Radia (“Industry”).
“We are thrilled to have Signature bring ‘Unicorns’ to U.K. and Irish cinemas where we know audiences will enjoy our unique, timely, but above all entertaining film,” said El-Hosaini and Floyd.
“Unicorns,...
- 1/17/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
There was a time when the only spectacle required to set the theatrical world agog was to have something unexpectedly descend from the rafters. The helicopter in Miss Saigon. The chandelier in The Phantom of the Opera. Whichever actor’s harness snapped in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.
It would be condescending to say that Harry Potter and The Cursed Child “brought” magic to London’s West End. But it set a new bar for a type of ambitious theatricality, burying anything that might otherwise be forgettable about Jack Thorne’s dry play under the equivalent of dozens of chandeliers and helicopters all descending nonstop for seven hours. It’s been a smash on every level, particularly the most important one: Every performance brings an unusually young demographic to the West End (and to Broadway, where the show has been playing since 2018) and they leave generally happy.
Opening on a...
It would be condescending to say that Harry Potter and The Cursed Child “brought” magic to London’s West End. But it set a new bar for a type of ambitious theatricality, burying anything that might otherwise be forgettable about Jack Thorne’s dry play under the equivalent of dozens of chandeliers and helicopters all descending nonstop for seven hours. It’s been a smash on every level, particularly the most important one: Every performance brings an unusually young demographic to the West End (and to Broadway, where the show has been playing since 2018) and they leave generally happy.
Opening on a...
- 12/21/2023
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
[This story contains spoilers from the final season of The Crown.]
With the release of the last six episodes of The Crown on Netflix have come new questions about the fictionalized depiction of the British royal family.
In part two of the sixth and final season of the critically acclaimed historical drama, the stage is set for the future heirs to the throne as Prince Charles (Dominic West) and Camilla Parker Bowles (Olivia Williams) are granted permission to wed, and Prince William (Ed McVey) and Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy) rekindle their relationship after a brief break.
“Those couples coming together felt like a beautiful end to our story,” executive producer Suzanne Mackie told The Hollywood Reporter in a previous interview. “That, in a way, peace is restored to the land.”
In staying true to his original vision of ending the series in 2005, writer and creator Peter Morgan had to also find a way to conclude the Queen’s story...
With the release of the last six episodes of The Crown on Netflix have come new questions about the fictionalized depiction of the British royal family.
In part two of the sixth and final season of the critically acclaimed historical drama, the stage is set for the future heirs to the throne as Prince Charles (Dominic West) and Camilla Parker Bowles (Olivia Williams) are granted permission to wed, and Prince William (Ed McVey) and Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy) rekindle their relationship after a brief break.
“Those couples coming together felt like a beautiful end to our story,” executive producer Suzanne Mackie told The Hollywood Reporter in a previous interview. “That, in a way, peace is restored to the land.”
In staying true to his original vision of ending the series in 2005, writer and creator Peter Morgan had to also find a way to conclude the Queen’s story...
- 12/21/2023
- by Brande Victorian
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When Luther Ford sent in an audition tape to star in the final season of The Crown, putting his best foot forward to play Prince Harry in Netflix’s hit series, the 23-year-old didn’t expect to land the gig. As a university student studying editing and directing, Ford says he didn’t have professional acting experience or attend any kind of drama school, but his brother’s girlfriend texted him about an open casting call for the role of Harry and encouraged him to give it a go.
“I...
“I...
- 12/16/2023
- by Krystie Lee Yandoli
- Rollingstone.com
Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for “The Crown” Season 6, streaming on Netflix now.
The series finale of “The Crown” is set in 2005, a full 17 years before Queen Elizabeth II’s death. But as the show’s creator, Peter Morgan, told Variety earlier this year, he felt compelled to honor the Queen’s real-life passing within the show.
“We’d all been through the experience of the funeral,” he said. “So because of how deeply everybody will have felt that, I had to try and find a way in which the final episode dealt with the character’s death, even though she hadn’t died yet.”
The result is an emotional final five minutes, which sees an 80-year-old Elizabeth, played by Imelda Staunton, contemplating her life in St George’s Chapel, where she will eventually be laid to rest. She imagines younger versions of herself — resulting in cameos from the role’s previous incumbents,...
The series finale of “The Crown” is set in 2005, a full 17 years before Queen Elizabeth II’s death. But as the show’s creator, Peter Morgan, told Variety earlier this year, he felt compelled to honor the Queen’s real-life passing within the show.
“We’d all been through the experience of the funeral,” he said. “So because of how deeply everybody will have felt that, I had to try and find a way in which the final episode dealt with the character’s death, even though she hadn’t died yet.”
The result is an emotional final five minutes, which sees an 80-year-old Elizabeth, played by Imelda Staunton, contemplating her life in St George’s Chapel, where she will eventually be laid to rest. She imagines younger versions of herself — resulting in cameos from the role’s previous incumbents,...
- 12/15/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Spoiler Alert: This post contains spoilers for “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” now playing on London’s West End.
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” a prequel play to Netflix’s hit sci-fi series, officially opened on London’s West End on Thursday night. Coming straight from the “Stranger Things” creative team — with a script by series writer and co-executive producer Kate Trefry from an original story by Trefry and show creators Matt and Ross Duffer — the play is a direct link to the Upside Down viewers know and love. Except this time, the audience is transported back to the 1950s to bear witness to the antics of a different group of teenagers: The Party’s parents.
Directed by Stephen Daldry, “The First Shadow” focuses on Joyce Maldonado (Isabella Pappas), a spunky teen known for dating bad boys like Lonnie Byers but whose true passion is theater; James Hopper Jr. (Oscar Lloyd...
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” a prequel play to Netflix’s hit sci-fi series, officially opened on London’s West End on Thursday night. Coming straight from the “Stranger Things” creative team — with a script by series writer and co-executive producer Kate Trefry from an original story by Trefry and show creators Matt and Ross Duffer — the play is a direct link to the Upside Down viewers know and love. Except this time, the audience is transported back to the 1950s to bear witness to the antics of a different group of teenagers: The Party’s parents.
Directed by Stephen Daldry, “The First Shadow” focuses on Joyce Maldonado (Isabella Pappas), a spunky teen known for dating bad boys like Lonnie Byers but whose true passion is theater; James Hopper Jr. (Oscar Lloyd...
- 12/15/2023
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix is teaming up with Sonia Friedman Productions to produce the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which is “rooted in the mythology” of the hit streaming series Stranger Things and officially opens at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End tonight, December 14th. According to Deadline, if this one is well received, it might be the first in a trilogy of Stranger Things stage plays!
Deadline hears Stranger Things: The First Shadow “will be the first instalment in a trilogy exploring the dark underbelly of Hawkins, Indiana. Breaking Baz can reveal parts two and three are set to follow the inaugural play in two or three year intervals, according to insiders associated with the production. The stage sequels will launch in London first. Meanwhile, there are already plans for Stranger Things: The First Shadow to transfer to Broadway.” Of course, this all depends on the reviews and box office receipts,...
Deadline hears Stranger Things: The First Shadow “will be the first instalment in a trilogy exploring the dark underbelly of Hawkins, Indiana. Breaking Baz can reveal parts two and three are set to follow the inaugural play in two or three year intervals, according to insiders associated with the production. The stage sequels will launch in London first. Meanwhile, there are already plans for Stranger Things: The First Shadow to transfer to Broadway.” Of course, this all depends on the reviews and box office receipts,...
- 12/14/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: The Stranger Things stage show, an unbelievably brilliant new blueprint for theatricality that premieres in London’s West End tonight, will be the first installment in a trilogy exploring the dark underbelly of Hawkins, Indiana.
Breaking Baz can reveal that parts two and three are set to follow the inaugural play, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, in two- or three-year intervals, according to insiders associated with the production. The stage sequels will launch in London first.
Meanwhile, there are already plans for Stranger Things: The First Shadow to transfer to Broadway.
None of that’s official yet, of course. Producers and backers will study reviews out on Friday and across the weekend and the box office receipts before green-lighting any further productions.
The Stranger Things play is set in the late 1950s — a time when a young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won...
Breaking Baz can reveal that parts two and three are set to follow the inaugural play, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, in two- or three-year intervals, according to insiders associated with the production. The stage sequels will launch in London first.
Meanwhile, there are already plans for Stranger Things: The First Shadow to transfer to Broadway.
None of that’s official yet, of course. Producers and backers will study reviews out on Friday and across the weekend and the box office receipts before green-lighting any further productions.
The Stranger Things play is set in the late 1950s — a time when a young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won...
- 12/14/2023
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
‘The Crown’ Queens Unite: Olivia Colman & Claire Foy Flank Imelda Staunton In Netflix Series’ Finale
Spoiler Alert: This news story features details from Season 6 of The Crown
The Crown’s stirring finale has landed on Netflix — and there is a surprise for fans of the series.
Olivia Colman and Claire Foy have reprised the role of Queen Elizabeth II to flank Imelda Staunton in some of the Netflix show’s final scenes.
Directed by the returning Stephen Daldry, the concluding episode features the Queen making arrangements for “Operation London Bridge,” the codename for her death and funeral.
Staunton’s monarch is also considering abdicating the throne and is visited by apparitions of her younger self as she grapples with the idea.
Colman and Foy return to offer their wisdom before the curtain is ready to fall on the lavish series with a shot of the three Queens in unison under the arches of St George’s Chapel.
They are standing in front of a vision of the Queen’s coffin,...
The Crown’s stirring finale has landed on Netflix — and there is a surprise for fans of the series.
Olivia Colman and Claire Foy have reprised the role of Queen Elizabeth II to flank Imelda Staunton in some of the Netflix show’s final scenes.
Directed by the returning Stephen Daldry, the concluding episode features the Queen making arrangements for “Operation London Bridge,” the codename for her death and funeral.
Staunton’s monarch is also considering abdicating the throne and is visited by apparitions of her younger self as she grapples with the idea.
Colman and Foy return to offer their wisdom before the curtain is ready to fall on the lavish series with a shot of the three Queens in unison under the arches of St George’s Chapel.
They are standing in front of a vision of the Queen’s coffin,...
- 12/14/2023
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Tony- and Olivier Award-winning actor Bertie Carvel, who portrays Tony Blair opposite Imelda Staunton’s Queen Elizabeth II in the final season of The Crown, remembers meeting the the real Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace “and nearly head-butting” her “in my attempt to try not to be too obsequious, but to follow the right form.”
He still has a photo of him being introduced to the monarch at an event nine years ago. “I look like the Mr. Bean sketch where he bows and knocks her out. I’m so towering over the queen and I look like I really should have gone to the barber, and I was red-faced and hairy.”
Well, The Crown’s crack hair and makeup team led by designer Cate Hall has ensured that he’s respectfully coiffured to portray Blair.
Proudly, he adds that on his fridge is the badge palace officials handed him at the event,...
He still has a photo of him being introduced to the monarch at an event nine years ago. “I look like the Mr. Bean sketch where he bows and knocks her out. I’m so towering over the queen and I look like I really should have gone to the barber, and I was red-faced and hairy.”
Well, The Crown’s crack hair and makeup team led by designer Cate Hall has ensured that he’s respectfully coiffured to portray Blair.
Proudly, he adds that on his fridge is the badge palace officials handed him at the event,...
- 12/13/2023
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Marking the end of its reign, Netflix has released the trailer for Part 2 of the sixth and final season of “The Crown,” premiering on Dec. 14.
The series’ final six episodes will focus on Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton) and Prince Charles (Dominic West), in addition to the now-older William and Harry, portrayed by Ed McVey and Luther Ford, respectively, in the season’s second half. Notable storylines include Charles’ wedding with Camilla Parker Bowles (Olivia Williams) and William’s budding romance with Kate Middleton, played by Meg Bellamy. The first half of Season 6, which premiered on Nov. 16, mainly followed Princess Diana, portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki, and the lead-up to her fatal car crash.
The logline teases, “Still coming to terms with his mother’s death, Prince William heads back to Eton amidst an increase in attention from young female fans touched by his plight. The struggle to re-adjust leads to tensions with his family,...
The series’ final six episodes will focus on Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton) and Prince Charles (Dominic West), in addition to the now-older William and Harry, portrayed by Ed McVey and Luther Ford, respectively, in the season’s second half. Notable storylines include Charles’ wedding with Camilla Parker Bowles (Olivia Williams) and William’s budding romance with Kate Middleton, played by Meg Bellamy. The first half of Season 6, which premiered on Nov. 16, mainly followed Princess Diana, portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki, and the lead-up to her fatal car crash.
The logline teases, “Still coming to terms with his mother’s death, Prince William heads back to Eton amidst an increase in attention from young female fans touched by his plight. The struggle to re-adjust leads to tensions with his family,...
- 12/1/2023
- by Caroline Brew
- Variety Film + TV
The Crown is preparing for the end, and the trailer for the final six episodes brings to life what creator Peter Morgan has told audiences to expect from the hit Netflix drama: A love letter to the Queen.
The final episodes will draw to a close the genre-defining prestige royal saga that has been on screens since 2016, says the logline, and the footage centers around Queen Elizabeth, played by Imelda Staunton, as she battles sentimentality that the royal family is out of touch with the country, while reflecting on her reign as the longest-serving monarch in history and the life she put aside to become Queen.
In a poignant moment that speaks to the late Queen, The Crown‘s monarch says, “I will always be by your side.”
The series paused filming on the final season when Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8, 2022 at the age of 96.
The trailer opens...
The final episodes will draw to a close the genre-defining prestige royal saga that has been on screens since 2016, says the logline, and the footage centers around Queen Elizabeth, played by Imelda Staunton, as she battles sentimentality that the royal family is out of touch with the country, while reflecting on her reign as the longest-serving monarch in history and the life she put aside to become Queen.
In a poignant moment that speaks to the late Queen, The Crown‘s monarch says, “I will always be by your side.”
The series paused filming on the final season when Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8, 2022 at the age of 96.
The trailer opens...
- 12/1/2023
- by Jackie Strause
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Netflix is teaming up with Sonia Friedman Productions to produce the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which is “rooted in the mythology” of the hit streaming series Stranger Things and is set to officially open at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End on December 14th. The show will then run through next August. (Tickets are available Here.) With the opening date right around the corner, Netflix has shared a batch of images from the show’s previews that give a look at what it’s going to be like to experience this Stranger Things story as it plays out on the stage. The images can be seen at the bottom of this article.
Written by Stranger Things writer and co-executive producer Kate Trefry from an original story she crafted with the Duffer Brothers and Jack Thorne, Stranger Things: The First Shadow has the following synopsis: Hawkins,...
Written by Stranger Things writer and co-executive producer Kate Trefry from an original story she crafted with the Duffer Brothers and Jack Thorne, Stranger Things: The First Shadow has the following synopsis: Hawkins,...
- 12/1/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Meg Bellamy and Ed McVey in ‘The Crown’ season 6 part 2 (Photo Credit: Netflix)
Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning series The Crown will come to a close with the upcoming release of season six part two. The final episodes of the series will introduce Ed McVey in the role of Prince William, Meg Bellamy as Kate Middleton, and Luther Ford taking on the role of Prince Harry.
The newcomers join returning series stars Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, and Dominic West as Prince Charles. Claudia Harrison is Princess Anne, Olivia Williams stars as Camilla Parker Bowles, and Bertie Carvel is Tony Blair.
“Prince William (McVey) tries to integrate back into life at Eton in the wake of his mother’s death as the monarchy has to ride the wave of public opinion,” reads Netflix’s synopsis. “As she reaches her Golden Jubilee,...
Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning series The Crown will come to a close with the upcoming release of season six part two. The final episodes of the series will introduce Ed McVey in the role of Prince William, Meg Bellamy as Kate Middleton, and Luther Ford taking on the role of Prince Harry.
The newcomers join returning series stars Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, and Dominic West as Prince Charles. Claudia Harrison is Princess Anne, Olivia Williams stars as Camilla Parker Bowles, and Bertie Carvel is Tony Blair.
“Prince William (McVey) tries to integrate back into life at Eton in the wake of his mother’s death as the monarchy has to ride the wave of public opinion,” reads Netflix’s synopsis. “As she reaches her Golden Jubilee,...
- 11/29/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Ahead of the show’s final installment, Netflix has released the first look photos for “The Crown” Season 6, Part 2 giving fans a preview of newcomers Ed McVey and Meg Bellamy as they step into the roles of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Picking up in the aftermath of Princess Diana’s untimely death, the finale follows Prince William (McVey), as he tries to integrate back into life at Eton as the monarchy has to ride the wave of public opinion. As she reaches her Golden Jubilee, the Queen (Imelda Staunton) reflects on the future of the monarchy with the marriage of Charles (Dominic West) and Camilla (Olivia Williams) and the beginnings of a new Royal fairytale in William and Kate (Bellamy). Part 1 followed the building romantic relationship between Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, leading up to their untimely deaths.
Rufus Kampa previously played the younger version of Prince William in Part 1 alongside Fflyn Edwards,...
Picking up in the aftermath of Princess Diana’s untimely death, the finale follows Prince William (McVey), as he tries to integrate back into life at Eton as the monarchy has to ride the wave of public opinion. As she reaches her Golden Jubilee, the Queen (Imelda Staunton) reflects on the future of the monarchy with the marriage of Charles (Dominic West) and Camilla (Olivia Williams) and the beginnings of a new Royal fairytale in William and Kate (Bellamy). Part 1 followed the building romantic relationship between Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, leading up to their untimely deaths.
Rufus Kampa previously played the younger version of Prince William in Part 1 alongside Fflyn Edwards,...
- 11/28/2023
- by BreAnna Bell
- Variety Film + TV
The Crown is preparing to release its final six episodes, and on Tuesday Netflix teased nine photos from the Emmy-winning historical drama’s last hurrah.
The first look photos for the second half of season six — which will mark the end of the hit royal drama — show a grown-up Prince William and Prince Harry following the death of their mother Princess Diana (played by Elizabeth Debicki), and introduces Meg Bellamy as the highly anticipated Kate Middleton. One of the photos is of Kate’s famous see-through dress, which marks the moment she first caught William’s eye when he was in the audience at her 2002 University of St. Andrews charity fashion show.
The first half of the final season consisted of four episodes (which are now streaming) and focused on Diana’s final months, including her overlooked relationship with Dodi Fayed (played by Khalid Abdalla) and their last moments together...
The first look photos for the second half of season six — which will mark the end of the hit royal drama — show a grown-up Prince William and Prince Harry following the death of their mother Princess Diana (played by Elizabeth Debicki), and introduces Meg Bellamy as the highly anticipated Kate Middleton. One of the photos is of Kate’s famous see-through dress, which marks the moment she first caught William’s eye when he was in the audience at her 2002 University of St. Andrews charity fashion show.
The first half of the final season consisted of four episodes (which are now streaming) and focused on Diana’s final months, including her overlooked relationship with Dodi Fayed (played by Khalid Abdalla) and their last moments together...
- 11/28/2023
- by Jackie Strause
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Netflix expands upon the “Stranger Things Universe” with the brand new “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” a live stage play that’s headed to London for the holidays.
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is said to be a “new story live on stage,” and it’s set in Hawkins, 1959. “The First Shadow” takes place “before the world turned upside down.”
The World Premiere takes the stage December 14 at the Phoenix Theatre on London’s West End, with previews beginning November 17. Check out your first look above!
Netflix has also revealed the first act title of the play: “Chapter One: The Girl From Nowhere.”
The cast includes Louis McCartney (Silent Roar, Hope Street, Game of Thrones) as Henry Creel, Ella Karuna Williams (The Equalizer) as Patty Newby and Patrick Vaill (Oklahoma!, Macbeth, Dash & Lily) as Dr. Brenner.
Oscar Lloyd (The 47th, Hotel Portofino, 4 O’Clock Club) takes on the role as Jim Hopper,...
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is said to be a “new story live on stage,” and it’s set in Hawkins, 1959. “The First Shadow” takes place “before the world turned upside down.”
The World Premiere takes the stage December 14 at the Phoenix Theatre on London’s West End, with previews beginning November 17. Check out your first look above!
Netflix has also revealed the first act title of the play: “Chapter One: The Girl From Nowhere.”
The cast includes Louis McCartney (Silent Roar, Hope Street, Game of Thrones) as Henry Creel, Ella Karuna Williams (The Equalizer) as Patty Newby and Patrick Vaill (Oklahoma!, Macbeth, Dash & Lily) as Dr. Brenner.
Oscar Lloyd (The 47th, Hotel Portofino, 4 O’Clock Club) takes on the role as Jim Hopper,...
- 11/17/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
The Hawkins, Indiana, stage show just got a little creepier and a little nearer to launch.
The Stranger Things stage play has unveiled a first look production image and the name of its first act, as a public preview kicked off today in London. We first told you about the play last year and you can now check out the image below.
The original stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow officially opens next month on December 14 at the Phoenix Theatre in the West End, and will be a prequel to the Netflix sci-fi drama set in Hawkins in 1959.
The first act will be titled ‘Chapter One: The Girl From Nowhere,’ it was revealed today. The play features several characters who play key roles in the TV series, which is set in the 1980s.
Stranger Things co-creators the Duffer Brothers, His Dark Materials scribe Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry are writing the play,...
The Stranger Things stage play has unveiled a first look production image and the name of its first act, as a public preview kicked off today in London. We first told you about the play last year and you can now check out the image below.
The original stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow officially opens next month on December 14 at the Phoenix Theatre in the West End, and will be a prequel to the Netflix sci-fi drama set in Hawkins in 1959.
The first act will be titled ‘Chapter One: The Girl From Nowhere,’ it was revealed today. The play features several characters who play key roles in the TV series, which is set in the 1980s.
Stranger Things co-creators the Duffer Brothers, His Dark Materials scribe Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry are writing the play,...
- 11/17/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
The team behind Stranger Things: The First Shadow has released a new image of the stage production and the title of its first act.
In the latest incremental update on the show, which was released the same day as previews for The First Shadow are set to begin at the Phoenix Theatre on London’s West End, the title of the play’s first act was revealed as being “Chapter One: The Girl From Nowhere.”
The new image of the production — the first major still of the play outside of previously released cast portraits and key art — features a teen Henry Creel (Louis McCartney), surrounded by a mix of smokey yellow, orange, purple and black light, which only somewhat obscures the presence of a familiar threat: a demogorgon.
During Netflix’s Geeked Week, the production released a light teaser of the upcoming show set to open Dec. 14, offering a few...
In the latest incremental update on the show, which was released the same day as previews for The First Shadow are set to begin at the Phoenix Theatre on London’s West End, the title of the play’s first act was revealed as being “Chapter One: The Girl From Nowhere.”
The new image of the production — the first major still of the play outside of previously released cast portraits and key art — features a teen Henry Creel (Louis McCartney), surrounded by a mix of smokey yellow, orange, purple and black light, which only somewhat obscures the presence of a familiar threat: a demogorgon.
During Netflix’s Geeked Week, the production released a light teaser of the upcoming show set to open Dec. 14, offering a few...
- 11/17/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Netflix’s “Stranger Things” may be heading into its final season, but fans of the sci-fi phenomenon needn’t despair. A new Hawkins-set adventure, “The First Shadow,” is just beginning on London’s West End.
“The First Shadow” takes fans back in time to Hawkins High in 1959, before Jim Hopper (Oscar Lloyd) took in a strange child called Eleven, Joyce Maldonado’s (Isabella Pappas) son went missing and Bob Newby (Christopher Buckley) was, well, mauled to death by Demodogs. As the series’ signature ’80s neon and synthesizers transform into leather and rock ’n’ roll, the play (which starts previews on Friday before opening on Dec. 14) promises to immerse audiences even deeper into the mysterious world of “Stranger Things,” thanks to masterful special effects.
“It’s like being in a fucking action film — like being in an episode of ‘Stranger Things,’ but you’re doing it live every night,” Lloyd tells Variety.
“The First Shadow” takes fans back in time to Hawkins High in 1959, before Jim Hopper (Oscar Lloyd) took in a strange child called Eleven, Joyce Maldonado’s (Isabella Pappas) son went missing and Bob Newby (Christopher Buckley) was, well, mauled to death by Demodogs. As the series’ signature ’80s neon and synthesizers transform into leather and rock ’n’ roll, the play (which starts previews on Friday before opening on Dec. 14) promises to immerse audiences even deeper into the mysterious world of “Stranger Things,” thanks to masterful special effects.
“It’s like being in a fucking action film — like being in an episode of ‘Stranger Things,’ but you’re doing it live every night,” Lloyd tells Variety.
- 11/17/2023
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Nicole Kidman experienced a career highlight scoring a Best Actress Oscar win in The Hours. But she admitted she had to stop herself from going too far in her role as Virginia Woolf a couple of times.
How Nicole Kidman found herself becoming too much like Virgina Woolf Nicole Kidman | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Because of circumstances surrounding her personal life, and her devotion to The Hours, Kidman went to extreme lengths to play Virginia Woolf. The Being the Ricardos actor asserted that she lived by herself in a cottage to get a better feel for the late author.
“I wanted to be isolated so that I could be with my thoughts and basically do what Virginia did — read a lot and feel isolated. It was a little like I was captive. For different roles, you do different things. For this, it was very important for me to go into her psychology,...
How Nicole Kidman found herself becoming too much like Virgina Woolf Nicole Kidman | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Because of circumstances surrounding her personal life, and her devotion to The Hours, Kidman went to extreme lengths to play Virginia Woolf. The Being the Ricardos actor asserted that she lived by herself in a cottage to get a better feel for the late author.
“I wanted to be isolated so that I could be with my thoughts and basically do what Virginia did — read a lot and feel isolated. It was a little like I was captive. For different roles, you do different things. For this, it was very important for me to go into her psychology,...
- 11/15/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The Crown, which has won 21 Emmy Awards during its run on Netflix and is one of the streamer’s most enduringly popular original series, will soon step down from the throne. The show’s sixth season will be its last telling the story of Queen Elizabeth II and Britain’s royal family in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The critically acclaimed series has chronicled some six decades of Elizabeth II’s reign, recasting its central characters every two seasons as the show moves through recent history as characters age. Claire Foy played the young Elizabeth for The Crown’s first two seasons and was followed by Olivia Colman in seasons three and four; both won Emmys for their work. Imelda Staunton took over the role in season five and will finish out the show as it moves into the early 2000s.
As with previous seasons, the story of...
The critically acclaimed series has chronicled some six decades of Elizabeth II’s reign, recasting its central characters every two seasons as the show moves through recent history as characters age. Claire Foy played the young Elizabeth for The Crown’s first two seasons and was followed by Olivia Colman in seasons three and four; both won Emmys for their work. Imelda Staunton took over the role in season five and will finish out the show as it moves into the early 2000s.
As with previous seasons, the story of...
- 11/14/2023
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a prequel play to the Netflix hit drama Stranger Things, is headed to London’s West End this month. In honor of “Stranger Things” Day, or the day Will Byers went missing in Hawkins back in 1983, Netflix released a new clip previewing Stranger Things: The First Shadow, with key creatives and cast behind the play describing the on-stage plot and special effects.
Matt and Ross Duffer, who both created the Netflix series, collaborated with writer Kate Trefry and screenwriter Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the...
Matt and Ross Duffer, who both created the Netflix series, collaborated with writer Kate Trefry and screenwriter Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the...
- 11/6/2023
- by Kalia Richardson
- Rollingstone.com
Netflix is teaming up with Sonia Friedman Productions to produce the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which is “rooted in the mythology” of the hit streaming series Stranger Things and is set to have its world premiere at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End on December 14th. The show will then run through next August. (Tickets are available Here.) With the premiere date swiftly approaching, a promo video that goes behind the scenes of the stage play has arrived online, and you can check it out in the embed above!
Written by Stranger Things writer and co-executive producer Kate Trefry from an original story she crafted with the Duffer Brothers and Jack Thorne, Stranger Things: The First Shadow has the following synopsis: Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his...
Written by Stranger Things writer and co-executive producer Kate Trefry from an original story she crafted with the Duffer Brothers and Jack Thorne, Stranger Things: The First Shadow has the following synopsis: Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his...
- 11/6/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Duffer Brothers and ‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ Team Tease Henry Creel Origins in Stage Play
Stranger Things: The First Shadow — the stage play based on the hit Netflix series — promises to be a “cinematic” experience that lays the groundwork for the series biggest villain, Henry Creel.
In a new three-minute featurette released Monday for the streamer’s annual “Stranger Things Day” (the annual event marks the day when Will Beyers, in 1983, went missing in Hawkins, Indiana), Stranger Things co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer were joined by the production’s creative team and cast, including director Stephen Daldry, as they teased what fans can expect out of the upcoming live stage show.
According to Matt, the show came about after hearing “Stephen Daldry was interested in doing a play — he’s a director of all these movies and he’s an incredibly accomplished theater director.”
Ross recalled, “We were in the middle of breaking season four with our writers. We started going, ‘Ok, well, there’s...
In a new three-minute featurette released Monday for the streamer’s annual “Stranger Things Day” (the annual event marks the day when Will Beyers, in 1983, went missing in Hawkins, Indiana), Stranger Things co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer were joined by the production’s creative team and cast, including director Stephen Daldry, as they teased what fans can expect out of the upcoming live stage show.
According to Matt, the show came about after hearing “Stephen Daldry was interested in doing a play — he’s a director of all these movies and he’s an incredibly accomplished theater director.”
Ross recalled, “We were in the middle of breaking season four with our writers. We started going, ‘Ok, well, there’s...
- 11/6/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A new look at “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” a prequel play based on the blockbuster Netflix series that begins previews on stage in London this month, has been released.
The promotional video – which includes numerous backstage looks at the production, as well as some new interviews with “Stranger Things” creators Ross and Matt Duffer – debuted on Monday as part of “Stranger Things Day.”
Here’s the logline for the new play, which takes place in 1959 and focuses on the origins of Henry Creel (who later becomes the villainous Vecna and is played by Jamie Campbell Bower in the Netflix series):
Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his...
The promotional video – which includes numerous backstage looks at the production, as well as some new interviews with “Stranger Things” creators Ross and Matt Duffer – debuted on Monday as part of “Stranger Things Day.”
Here’s the logline for the new play, which takes place in 1959 and focuses on the origins of Henry Creel (who later becomes the villainous Vecna and is played by Jamie Campbell Bower in the Netflix series):
Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his...
- 11/6/2023
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Netflix is kicking off “Stranger Things Day” this morning with a first look at “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” a live stage play that’s headed to London later this month.
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is said to be a “new story live on stage,” and it’s set in Hawkins, 1959. “The First Shadow” takes place “before the world turned upside down.”
The World Premiere takes the stage December 14 at the Phoenix Theatre on London’s West End, with previews beginning November 17. Go behind the scenes in the video below!
The cast includes Louis McCartney (Silent Roar, Hope Street, Game of Thrones) as Henry Creel, Ella Karuna Williams (The Equalizer) as Patty Newby and Patrick Vaill (Oklahoma!, Macbeth, Dash & Lily) as Dr. Brenner.
Oscar Lloyd (The 47th, Hotel Portofino, 4 O’Clock Club) takes on the role as Jim Hopper, Jr., Isabella Pappas (Finding Alice, The Villains of Valley View,...
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is said to be a “new story live on stage,” and it’s set in Hawkins, 1959. “The First Shadow” takes place “before the world turned upside down.”
The World Premiere takes the stage December 14 at the Phoenix Theatre on London’s West End, with previews beginning November 17. Go behind the scenes in the video below!
The cast includes Louis McCartney (Silent Roar, Hope Street, Game of Thrones) as Henry Creel, Ella Karuna Williams (The Equalizer) as Patty Newby and Patrick Vaill (Oklahoma!, Macbeth, Dash & Lily) as Dr. Brenner.
Oscar Lloyd (The 47th, Hotel Portofino, 4 O’Clock Club) takes on the role as Jim Hopper, Jr., Isabella Pappas (Finding Alice, The Villains of Valley View,...
- 11/6/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
While much time still stands before the conclusion to the Duffer Brothers’ “Stranger Things” Netflix series, with Season 5 awaiting a deal for its actors, the prequel play — “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” — will give audiences a glimpse further into the past and the origins of the Upside Down.
Set in 1959 Hawkins, the play will focus on the arrival of Henry Creel to “a regular town with regular worries.” Teenage Jim Hopper, Bob Newby and Joyce Maldonado also star, as does a younger Dr. Martin Brenner (Patrick Vaill), who began the cruel experiments on Young Henry.
As with any new iteration of “Stranger Things,” there’s a new crucial character — this time, it’s Patty Newby (Ella Karuna Williams). There is also a Principal Newby (Matthew Pigeon), but that figure is of less importance to the plot.
“The main thrust of the story is Patty and her little budding romance with Henry,...
Set in 1959 Hawkins, the play will focus on the arrival of Henry Creel to “a regular town with regular worries.” Teenage Jim Hopper, Bob Newby and Joyce Maldonado also star, as does a younger Dr. Martin Brenner (Patrick Vaill), who began the cruel experiments on Young Henry.
As with any new iteration of “Stranger Things,” there’s a new crucial character — this time, it’s Patty Newby (Ella Karuna Williams). There is also a Principal Newby (Matthew Pigeon), but that figure is of less importance to the plot.
“The main thrust of the story is Patty and her little budding romance with Henry,...
- 11/6/2023
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
Fans of “Stranger Things” can now get a close look at the process behind “The First Shadow,” the stage adaptation that’s soon hitting London’s West End.
In time for what Netflix calls “Stranger Things” Day — the date that Will Byers (Noah Schnapp in the TV series) went missing in Season 1 — the streamer released a video giving a preview into “Stranger Things: The First Shadow.” This comes after Netflix’s recent reveal of the first images from the play, which showed Henry Creel (Louis McCartney) standing off with Dr. Brenner (Patrick Vaill), Lonnie Byers (Chase Brown) holding Joyce Maldonado (Isabella Pappas) and more.
In the featurette, key creatives discuss how the “The First Shadow” came together and what it entails, including playwright Kate Trefry, who teases, “There are so many Easter eggs. It’s Easter morning.”
“The main thrust of the story is Patty [Newby, played by Ella Karuna Williams] and her little,...
In time for what Netflix calls “Stranger Things” Day — the date that Will Byers (Noah Schnapp in the TV series) went missing in Season 1 — the streamer released a video giving a preview into “Stranger Things: The First Shadow.” This comes after Netflix’s recent reveal of the first images from the play, which showed Henry Creel (Louis McCartney) standing off with Dr. Brenner (Patrick Vaill), Lonnie Byers (Chase Brown) holding Joyce Maldonado (Isabella Pappas) and more.
In the featurette, key creatives discuss how the “The First Shadow” came together and what it entails, including playwright Kate Trefry, who teases, “There are so many Easter eggs. It’s Easter morning.”
“The main thrust of the story is Patty [Newby, played by Ella Karuna Williams] and her little,...
- 11/6/2023
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has released the trailer for Part 1 of the sixth and final season of “The Crown,” slated for release on Nov. 16.
The final season will be split into two parts, with the first four episodes exploring the new relationship between Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed before their tragic car accident. The second half, consisting of six episodes and premiering Dec. 14, centers back on Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles. Screen time is also dedicated to Prince William and Prince Harry grappling with their royal duties in the wake of their mother’s untimely death.
The trailer hints at the overwhelming media frenzy that played a role in Princess Diana’s death, in addition to depicting the family’s relationship to the press after her passing.
Series creator Peter Morgan recently spoke to Variety about reports that Princess Diana’s ghost would appear in the final season. “I never imagined it as...
The final season will be split into two parts, with the first four episodes exploring the new relationship between Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed before their tragic car accident. The second half, consisting of six episodes and premiering Dec. 14, centers back on Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles. Screen time is also dedicated to Prince William and Prince Harry grappling with their royal duties in the wake of their mother’s untimely death.
The trailer hints at the overwhelming media frenzy that played a role in Princess Diana’s death, in addition to depicting the family’s relationship to the press after her passing.
Series creator Peter Morgan recently spoke to Variety about reports that Princess Diana’s ghost would appear in the final season. “I never imagined it as...
- 10/26/2023
- by Jaden Thompson
- Variety Film + TV
In the official trailer for The Crown‘s sixth and final season, the rest of the royal family takes a backseat to the tragic story of Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki), who is shown struggling with her global fame, being hounded by paparazzi and beginning her ill-fated car ride with Dodi Fayed (Khalid Abdalla).
A glimpse of the accident’s aftermath is shown, too, with Prince Charles (Dominic West) intoning: “This is going to be the biggest thing that any of us has ever seen.”
The final season will cover the years 1997-2005 and is being being split into two parts: The first four episodes will drop Nov. 16 and “depict a relationship blossoming between Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed before a fateful car journey has devastating consequences.”
The six final episodes will drop Dec. 14 and feature the wedding of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker Bowles (Olivia Williams), while also focusing on Charles’ sons,...
A glimpse of the accident’s aftermath is shown, too, with Prince Charles (Dominic West) intoning: “This is going to be the biggest thing that any of us has ever seen.”
The final season will cover the years 1997-2005 and is being being split into two parts: The first four episodes will drop Nov. 16 and “depict a relationship blossoming between Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed before a fateful car journey has devastating consequences.”
The six final episodes will drop Dec. 14 and feature the wedding of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker Bowles (Olivia Williams), while also focusing on Charles’ sons,...
- 10/26/2023
- by James Hibberd
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As the prequel play Stranger Things: The First Shadow prepares for its Dec. 4 debut at London’s Phoenix Theatre, we finally have our first look at some key cast members in action.
Among the new images are Henry Creel and Dr. Brenner (played by Louis McCartney and Patrick Vaill, respectively) in a high-stakes face-off (above), in addition to Lonnie Byers holding Joyce Maldonado (played by Chase Brown and Isabella Pappas). Stranger Things creators Ross and Matt Duffer can be seen enjoying the cast’s rehearsal, while the greater ensemble is also pictured below.
More from TVLineHeather Graham Dares Brandy Norwood to Deliver Best.
Among the new images are Henry Creel and Dr. Brenner (played by Louis McCartney and Patrick Vaill, respectively) in a high-stakes face-off (above), in addition to Lonnie Byers holding Joyce Maldonado (played by Chase Brown and Isabella Pappas). Stranger Things creators Ross and Matt Duffer can be seen enjoying the cast’s rehearsal, while the greater ensemble is also pictured below.
More from TVLineHeather Graham Dares Brandy Norwood to Deliver Best.
- 10/25/2023
- by Nick Caruso
- TVLine.com
We’re getting the first look at Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a live stage show based on the hit Netflix series. Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions have released some rehearsal images for the stage show that opens at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End on Dec. 14, with previews beginning Nov. 17.
The First Shadow is set in Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy… and the shadows of the past have a very long reach.
Written by Kate Trefry, and directed by Stephen Daldry, with co-direction by Justin Martin, the cast includes Shane Attwooll (Chief Hopper), Kemi Awoderu...
The First Shadow is set in Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy… and the shadows of the past have a very long reach.
Written by Kate Trefry, and directed by Stephen Daldry, with co-direction by Justin Martin, the cast includes Shane Attwooll (Chief Hopper), Kemi Awoderu...
- 10/25/2023
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Stranger Things’ Play Unveils Intense First Look at Cast Rehearsals, Sets Discounted Ticket Lottery
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is shaping up to replicate the high stakes of the Netflix drama, as demonstrated by photos released from rehearsals of the West End stage play.
Among the first looks are images of Henry Creel and Dr. Brenner (played by Louis McCartney and Patrick Vaill) in an intense face-to-face standoff and Lonnie Byers sitting with and holding Joyce Maldonado (played by Chase Brown and Isabella Pappas), as well as of the larger company and “Stranger Things” creators Ross and Matt Duffer.
Additionally, the production has set a discounted ticket initiative titled “Shadow Seats” in partnership with TodayTix. For each performance of the show’s run, there will be 11 pairs of tickets available for £19.59 per seat, with some located in the front row of the stalls. Shadow seats will not be visible on the main booking page, instead appearing for sale via the lottery on the TodayTix...
Among the first looks are images of Henry Creel and Dr. Brenner (played by Louis McCartney and Patrick Vaill) in an intense face-to-face standoff and Lonnie Byers sitting with and holding Joyce Maldonado (played by Chase Brown and Isabella Pappas), as well as of the larger company and “Stranger Things” creators Ross and Matt Duffer.
Additionally, the production has set a discounted ticket initiative titled “Shadow Seats” in partnership with TodayTix. For each performance of the show’s run, there will be 11 pairs of tickets available for £19.59 per seat, with some located in the front row of the stalls. Shadow seats will not be visible on the main booking page, instead appearing for sale via the lottery on the TodayTix...
- 10/25/2023
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Opening the 11th edition of the International Classic Film Market which runs alongside the Lumière Film Festival in Lyon, the floor was given to Hella Wenders and Claire Brunel, the managing directors of the Foundation set up by Wim Wenders, the recipient of this year’s lifetime achievement Lumière Award.
Thanks to public and private funding, the non-profit foundation was able to buy back the rights to the German filmmaker’s entire body of work in 2012, which includes 52 films both long and short, with a very clear objective: To preserve, maintain and disseminate Wenders’ works, and make it permanently accessible to the public worldwide.
In a conversation earlier this year with Gianluca Farinelli, who heads the Bologna Film Archives and its film restoration lab, a world leader in film preservation, Wenders explained it simply.
“Movies are only living because there’s an audience that sees them. […] If anyone wants to...
Thanks to public and private funding, the non-profit foundation was able to buy back the rights to the German filmmaker’s entire body of work in 2012, which includes 52 films both long and short, with a very clear objective: To preserve, maintain and disseminate Wenders’ works, and make it permanently accessible to the public worldwide.
In a conversation earlier this year with Gianluca Farinelli, who heads the Bologna Film Archives and its film restoration lab, a world leader in film preservation, Wenders explained it simply.
“Movies are only living because there’s an audience that sees them. […] If anyone wants to...
- 10/18/2023
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
Elizabeth Debicki in ‘The Crown’ Season 6 (Photo Credit: Netflix)
Netflix has released photos from part one of the sixth and final season of The Crown, with the first batch featuring Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana and Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed. The photo drop also includes pics of Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II, Dominic West as Prince Charles, and Salim Daw as Mohamed Al Fayed.
Part one of the final season focuses on the relationship between Princess Diana and Dodi, a relationship that ended with the horrific car crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris.
“I think it’s a really unique challenge as an actor, to portray those days,” said Elizabeth Debicki in an interview with Netflix’s Tudum prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike. “I really just trusted in Peter’s emotional blueprint that he created for us to follow. It’s his interpretation...
Netflix has released photos from part one of the sixth and final season of The Crown, with the first batch featuring Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana and Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed. The photo drop also includes pics of Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II, Dominic West as Prince Charles, and Salim Daw as Mohamed Al Fayed.
Part one of the final season focuses on the relationship between Princess Diana and Dodi, a relationship that ended with the horrific car crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris.
“I think it’s a really unique challenge as an actor, to portray those days,” said Elizabeth Debicki in an interview with Netflix’s Tudum prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike. “I really just trusted in Peter’s emotional blueprint that he created for us to follow. It’s his interpretation...
- 10/16/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
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