Tag Archives: Westworld

Tessa Thompson to Star in the sci-fi thriller “Ash”

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Tessa Thompson is ready to kick ash…

The 38-year-old part-Panamanian and part-Mexican American actress will star opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the sci-fi thriller Ash, which the Grammy-winning musician and filmmaker Flying Lotus — otherwise known as Steven Ellison — will direct as his sophomore feature.

Tessa Thompson,Neill Blomkamp will executive produce the film, which its financier XYZ Films will rep for worldwide sales at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival.

The new film, for which the multi-hyphenate will also compose an original score, watches as a woman (Thompson) wakes up on a distant planet and finds the crew of her space station viciously killed, and must then decide if she can trust the man (Gordon-Levitt) sent to rescue her. But as their investigation into what happened sets in motion a terrifying chain of events, he begins to wonder how innocent she really is.

Jonni Remmler wrote the original screenplay for the film, looking to go into production in New Zealand next year.

It is Flying Lotus’ follow-up to the Sundance-premiering body horror anthology, Kuso. XYZ Films and GFC Films will produce, with Blomkamp exec producing alongside Echo Lake Entertainment.

“It’s an absolute dream come true to collaborate with some of the most talented actors out there!,” said Flying Lotus.

Thompson is an Emmy– and BAFTA Award-nominated actress and producer who reprised her Marvel role as Valkyrie for the recent Thor: Lover and Thunder, also recently returning for the fourth season of HBO’s Westworld.

Other notable big-screen credits from recent years include Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut Passing, and Prime Video’s Sylvie’s Love, which she also executive produced, as well as Selma, Dear White People and the Creed films.

Among Thompson’s upcoming projects is Creed III, which is currently in post-production, with its release set for next March. Her production company Viva Maude is actively in development on projects including Secret Lives of Church Ladies, Luster and Who Fears Death.

Manny Montana to Star in Marvel Studios’ Disney+ Series “Ironheart”

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Manny Montana is putting his (iron)heart into his work…

The 38-year-old Mexican American actor, who rose to acclaim on NBC’s Good Girls, will star as a series regular opposite Dominique Thorne in Marvel Studios’ Disney+ series Ironheart.

Manny MontanaDetails about his character are being kept under wraps.

Ironheart, which is now filming, stars Thorne as Riri Williams, a genius inventor and creator of the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man.

In addition to Williams, Montana joins Anthony Ramos, with Lyric Ross believed to have a role in the series.

Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes are directing, with Ryan Coogler’s Proximity among the production entities. Coogler, Ironheart head writer Chinaka Hodge, Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian serve as executive producers alongside Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, and Zoie Nagelhout.

Montana starred on NBC’s Good Girls for four seasons as one of the core series regulars. He’s recurring on the current season of FX’s Mayans M.C. and also recurs on the upcoming season of HBO’s Westworld.

Ariana DeBose to Appear on Season Four of HBO’s “Westworld”

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Ariana DeBose is heading West(world)…

The 31-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress, who won an Oscar for her performance in West Side Story, has joined the cast of HBO’s Westworld as a recurring guest star for the upcoming eight-episode fourth season, which premieres on June 26 and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

Ariana DeBose,DeBose joins returning main cast members Evan Rachel Wood, Emmy winner Thandiwe Newton, Ed Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Luke Hemsworth, Aaron Paul and Angela Sarafyan.

Westworld, a dark odyssey about the fate of sentient life on Earth, was created for television by Jonathan Nolan & Lisa Joy, who are executive producers with Alison Schapker, Denise Thé, J.J. Abrams, Athena Wickham, Richard J. Lewis and Ben Stephenson. Production companies: Kilter Films and Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television; based on the film written by Michael Crichton.

Here’s a first look at her character this season:

Ariana DeBose

Joy Zapata to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award from Make-Up & Hairstylists Guild

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It’s a career-capping honor for Joy Zapata.

The Make-Up & Hairstylists Guild has announced its 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award winners, including the Latina Emmy-winning hairstylist.

Joy ZapataZapata’s co-honoree is Oscar– and multiple Emmy-winning makeup artist Michèle Burke.

Both will be honored at the ninth annual The Make-Up & Hairstylists Guild Awards on February 19 at the Beverly Hilton.

Zapata has won four Emmys for hairstyling — including two in 2017 for Westworld and Harispray Live! 

She also took home a statuette for Westworld the following year along with one for Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1993.

She amassed two other Television Academy nominations for Trek: The Next Generation during the ’90s and another for Path to War in 2002.

Her dozens of film credits stretch from TRON and Commando to L.A. Story and Legally Blonde to A Star Is Born and Malignant.

“We are thrilled to honor Joy and Michèle, both extremely deserving of this award,” said Julie Socash, President of the Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild. “Their longevity of successes and achievements are inspiring to us all, and they have created a legacy of characters that are permanently embedded in our memories forever.”

Tessa Thompson’s Viva Maude Partners with Gaumont to Develop Raven Leilani’s Novel “Luster” for HBO

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Tessa Thompson is celebrating her luster…

Gaumont has teamed up with the 38-year-old half-Afro-Panamanian and part Mexican American actress’ Viva Maude production company to develop for HBO Luster, the bestselling debut by Raven Leilani.

Tessa Thompson,

Scripting the project will be handled by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury, and Lileana Blain-Cruz, recipient of the Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award. They are joint winners of the Obie Award for Marys Seacole, and are among the founders of the exploratory theatre collaboration, Afrofemononomy.

Edie is a young Black artist living a precarious existence in New York City when she takes a white lover in an open marriage, eventually moving in with him and his wife in the suburbs. There she not only finds herself in an increasingly tense relationship with the couple, but also becoming an unlikely mentor to their adopted Black daughter Akila. The debut novel quickly became a number one bestseller on the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and other lists.

Raven Leilani's Novel "Luster"

The potential English language drama series for HBO marks the first collaboration between Gaumont and Viva Maude’s Thompson and Kishori Rajan.

Nicolas Atlan, President of Gaumont US said company toppers are “beyond thrilled to be developing Luster with HBO and Viva Maude’s Tessa Thompson and Kishori Rajan. We were riveted by this groundbreaking book, written by the incredibly talented Raven Leilani, and are blown away at how quickly the series creative team which includes our writers, Lileana Blain-Cruz and Jackie Sibblies Drury, has come together. We can’t wait to get started.”

It’s not clear at this point if Thompson will star. She has a strong relationship with HBO from Westworld. She is generating awards buzz for the Sundance hit Passing, and wrapped the lead role of Valkyrie in the Taiki Waititi film Thor: Love and Thunder.

Said Thompson of the book: “Luster marks the daring debut by Raven Leilani, a seminal voice for her generation. In her work, which defies categorization, there is an astonishingly singular quality that speaks to spirit of the types of narratives Viva Maude aims to showcase — bold, beautifully crafted, unapologetically human, imaginative and unconventional — it is thrilling to be teamed with Gaumont and the stunning talents of Jackie Sibblies Drury and Lileana Blain-Cruz to develop this story at HBO, the perfect home.”

Debra Moore Muñoz Signs Overall Content Deal with FX Productions

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Debra Moore Muñoz has a new content deal…

The Mexican-American writer and producer, a co-executive producer and writer on FX’s Mayans M.C., has signed an overall deal with the show’s producer, FX Productions, to develop new content for FX through her company Apogee Films, Inc.

Debra Moore Muñoz

Muñoz is a first generation American who was born and raised in Los Angeles. She attended Columbia University in New York City, then returned to LA to begin her career in film development.

She worked on projects like Exodus: Gods and Kings, The Heat and St. Vincent before transitioning into television, serving first as a general assistant, then as a writers’ assistant on Westworld from 2016 to 2018.

In 2019, she was included on the 2019 Black List for her script Refuge, which follows a brother and sister through Central America as they seek safety in the United States.

In 2021, Muñoz joined the writing staff of Mayans M.C., which stars JD Pardo as Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes, a new member of the Mayans M.C. charter on the border of California and Mexico. EZ and his brother Angel (Clayton Cardenas) uncover the truth behind their mother’s murder while their father Felipe (Edward James Olmos) struggles to reconcile the choices he and his sons have made. Muñoz was recently promoted to co-executive producer.

“Debra has emerged as one of the brightest writers and producers in the industry and FX was fortunate to have her on the writing staff of ‘Mayans M.C’. since its inception,” said Nick Grad, FX’s president of original programming. “We look forward to collaborating with her for new projects that draw on her enormous talents.”

Ana de Armas Earns Saturn Awards Nomination for “Knives Out” Performance

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Ana de Armas is ringing in some new recognition…

The 46th annual Saturn Awards nominations have been revealed by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, with the 32-year-old Cuban-Spanish actress receiving a nod.

Ana de Armas, Knives Out

de Armas received a Best Supporting Actress in a Film nomination for her acclaimed performance in Knives Out.

In the television categories, Tessa Thompson has earned a Saturn Awards nod.

The 37-year-old part-Panamanian and part-Mexican American actress is nominated in the Best Supporting Actress on a Television Series category for her work on HBO’s Westworld.

The Saturn Awards honor the year’s best in genre films, TV, home entertainment and theater.

Organizers are planning an awards ceremony for later this year.

Here are this year’s nominees:

FILM

Best Comic-to-Motion Picture Release
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Bloodshot (Sony Pictures)
Joker (Warner Bros. Pictures)
The New Mutants (20th Century Films / Walt Disney Studios)
The Old Guard (Netflix) 

Best Science Fiction Release
Ad Astra (Searchlight Pictures)
Gemini Man (Paramount Pictures)
Lucy in the Sky (Searchlight Pictures)
Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (Lucasfilm Ltd. / Walt Disney Studios)
Tenet (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Terminator: Dark Fate (Paramount Pictures) 

Best Fantasy Film Release
Bill & Ted Face the Music (Orion Pictures)
Jumanji: The Next Level (Sony Pictures)
The Lion King (Walt Disney Studios)
Maleficent: The Mistress of Evil (Walt Disney Studios)
Once Upon a Time In Hollywood (Sony Pictures)
Sonic the Hedgehog (Paramount Pictures)
The Witches (HBO Max) 

Best Horror Film Release
Doctor Sleep (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Freaky (Universal Pictures)
The Invisible Man (Universal Pictures)
It Chapter Two (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Midsommar (A24)
Ready or Not (Searchlight Pictures)
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (CBS Films / Lionsgate) 

Best Action/Adventure Film Release
1917 (Universal Pictures)
Bad Boys for Life (Columbia Pictures)
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (Netflix)
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (Universal Pictures)
The Gentlemen (STX Films)
Mulan (Walt Disney Studios / Disney Plus) 

Best Thriller Film Release
Da Five Bloods (Netflix)
The Good Liar (Warner Bros. Pictures)
The Irishman (Netflix)
Knives Out (Lionsgate)
Mank (Netflix)
Uncut Gems (A24) 

Best Actor in a Film
Daniel Craig, Knives Out (Lionsgate)
Delroy Lindo, Da Five Bloods (Netflix)
Ewan McGregor, Doctor Sleep (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Gary Oldman, Mank (Netflix)
Aaron Paul, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (Netflix)
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker (Warner Bros. Pictures)
John David Washington, Tenet (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best Actress in a Film
Rebecca Ferguson, Doctor Sleep (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Yifei Liu, Mulan (Walt Disney Studios / Disney Plus)
Elisabeth Moss, The Invisible Man (Universal Pictures)
Natalie Portman, Lucy in the Sky (Searchlight Pictures)
Daisy Ridley, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios)
Margot Robbie, Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Charlize Theron, The Old Guard (Netflix)

Best Supporting Actor in a Film
Adam Driver, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (Lucasfilm Ltd. /Walt Disney Studios)
Chris Evans, Knives Out (Lionsgate)
Bill Hader, It Chapter Two (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Ian McDiarmid, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (Lucasfilm Ltd. /Walt Disney Studios)
Robert Pattinson, Tenet (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Donnie Yen, Mulan (Walt Disney Studios / Disney Plus)

Best Supporting Actress in a Film
Zazie Beetz, Joker (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Ellen Burstyn, Lucy in the Sky (Searchlight Pictures)
Jamie Lee Curtis, Knives Out (Lionsgate)
Ana De Armas, Knives Out (Lionsgate)
Linda Hamilton, Terminator: Dark Fate (Paramount Pictures)
Amanda Seyfried, Mank (Netflix)
Jurnee Smollett, Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (Warner Bros. Pictures) 

Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Film
Ella Jay Basco, Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Julia Butters, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Sony Pictures)
Kyliegh Curran, Doctor Sleep (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Roman Griffin Davis, Jojo Rabbit (Searchlight Pictures)
Lexy Kolker, Freaks (Well Go USA)
JD McCrary, The Lion King (Walt Disney Studios)

Best Film Director
J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios)
Niki Caro, Mulan (Walt Disney Studios / Disney Plus)
Mike Flanagan, Doctor Sleep (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Christopher Nolan, Tenet (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Gina Prince-Bythewood, The Old Guard (Netflix)
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time In Hollywood (Sony Pictures)
Leigh Whannell, The Invisible Man (Universal Pictures)

Best Film Screenplay
Mike Flanagan, Doctor Sleep (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Lauren Hynek, Elizabeth Martin, Mulan (Walt Disney Studios / Disney Plus)
Bong Joon Ho, Han Jin-won, Parasite (Neon)
Christopher Nolan, Tenet (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Todd Phillips, Scott Silver, Joker (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time In Hollywood (Sony Pictures)
Chris Terrio, J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (Lucasfilm Ltd. /Walt Disney Studios)

Best Film Editing
Maryann Brandon, Stefan Grube, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios)
Bob Ducsay, Knives Out (Lionsgate)
Mike Flanagan, Doctor Sleep (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Jennifer Lame, Tenet (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Fred Raskin, Once Upon a Tim In Hollywood (Sony Pictures)
Jinmo Yang, Parasite (Neon) 

Best Film Production Design
Rick Carter, Kevin Jenkins, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios)
Nathan Crowley, Tenet (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Mark Friedberg, Joker (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Barbara Ling, Once Upon a Time In Hollywood (Sony Pictures)
Patrick Tatopoulos, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (Walt Disney Studios)
Ra Vincent, Jojo Rabbit (Searchlight Pictures) 

Best Film Composer
Ludwig Goransson, Tenet (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Nathan Johnson, Knives Out (Lionsgate)
Jaeil Jung, Parasite (Neon)
Thomas Newman, 1917 (Universal Pictures)
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Mank (Netflix)
John Williams, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios) 

Best Film Costume
Erin Benach, Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Bina Daigeler, Mulan (Walt Disney Studios / Disney Plus)
Michael Kaplan, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios)
Arianne Phillips, Once Upon a Time In Hollywood (Sony Pictures)
Mayes C. Rubeo, Jojo Rabbit (Searchlight Pictures)
Albert Wolsky, Ad Astra (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Film Make-Up
Bill Corso, Dennis Liddiard, Stephen Kelly, Bianca Appice, Bill & Ted Face the Music (Orion Pictures)
Robert Kurtzman, Bernadette Mazur, Doctor Sleep (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Shane Zander, Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr., It Chapter Two (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Arjen Tuiten, David White, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (Walt Disney Studios)
Norman Cabrera, Mike Hill, Mike Elizalde, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (CBS Films / Lionsgate)
Amanda Knight, Neal Scanlan, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios) 

Best Film Visual / Special Effects
Scott R. Fisher, Allen Maris, Ad Astra (Searchlight Pictures)
Mark Hawker, Yael Majors, Greg Steele, Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Kristy Hollidge, Nicholas Brooks, It Chapter Two (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Ken Egly, Robert Legato, The Lion King (Walt Disney Studios)
Roger Guyett, Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach, Dominic Tuohy, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios)
Andrew Jackson, Andrew Lockley, Scott Fisher, Mike Chambers, Tenet (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Neil Corbould, Eric Barba, Vinod Gundre, Sheldon Stopsack, Terminator: Dark Fate (Paramount Pictures)

Best Independent Film Release
Angel of Mine (Lionsgate)
Encounter (Vega Baby)
The Aeronauts (Amazon)
Color Out of Space (RLJ Entertainment)
Freaks (Well Go USA)
Palm Springs (Neon)
Possessor (Neon / Elevation Pictures) 

Best International Film Release
Jojo Rabbit (Searchlight Pictures)
The Nightingale (IFC Films)
Official Secrets (IFC Films)
Parasite (Neon)
Sputnik (IFC Midnight)
The Whistlers (Magnolia Pictures) 

Best Animated Film Release
Abominable (Universal Pictures)
The Addams Family (United Artists Releasing)
Frozen II (Walt Disney Studios)
Onward (Walt Disney Studios)
Spies in Disguise (20th Century Pictures)
Trolls: World Tour (Universal Pictures) 

TELEVISION

Best Superhero Adaptation Television Series
Batwoman (The CW)
The Boys (Amazon)
The Flash (The CW)
Stargirl (The CW)
Supergirl (The CW)
The Umbrella Academy (Netflix)
Watchmen (HBO) 

Best Science Fiction Television Series
Doctor Who (BBC America)
Lost in Space (Netflix)
Pandora (The CW)
Raised by Wolves (HBO Max)
Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access)
Star Trek: Picard (CBS All Access)
Westworld (HBO) 

Best Fantasy Television Series
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (Netflix)
For All Mankind (Apple TV)
Locke & Key (Netflix)
The Magicians (SyFy)
Outlander (Starz)
The Twilight Zone (CBS All Access)
The Witcher (Netflix) 

Best Horror Television Series
Creepshow (Shudder)
Evil (CBS)
Fear the Walking Dead (AMC)
Lovecraft Country (HBO)
Servant (Apple TV)
The Walking Dead (AMC)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Best Action/Thriller Television Series
Better Call Saul (AMC)
Castle Rock (Hulu)
The Outpost (The CW)
Pennyworth (Epix)
Riverdale (The CW)
Snowpiercer (TNT)
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (Amazon) 

Best Television Presentation (under 10 Episodes)
Amazing Stories (Apple TV)
Dracula (Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor (Netflix)
His Dark Materials (HBO)
The Mandalorian (Disney Plus)
Perry Mason (HBO) 

Best Animated Television Series
Bojack Horseman (Netflix)
Family Guy (Fox)
Primal (Adult Swim)
Rick and Morty (Adult Swim)
The Simpsons (Fox)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Disney XD) 

Best Film Presentation on Streaming Media
Enola Holmes (Netflix)
Extraction (Netflix)
Shirley (Hulu)
The Vast of Night (Amazon) 

Best Actor on a Television Series
Henry Cavill, The Witcher (Netflix)
Mike Colter, Evil (CBS)
Grant Gustin, The Flash (The CW)
Sam Heughan, Outlander (Starz)
Jonathan Majors, Lovecraft Country (HBO)
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul (AMC)
Patrick Stewart, Star Trek: Picard (CBS All Access) 

Best Actress on a Television Series
Caitriona Balfe, Outlander (Starz)
Melissa Benoist, Supergirl (The CW)
Regina King, Watchmen (HBO)
Sonequa Martin-Green, Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access)
Thandie Newton, Westworld (HBO)
Candice Patton, The Flash (The CW)
Rhea Seehorn, Better Call Saul (AMC) 

Best Supporting Actor on a Television Series
Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul (AMC)
Tony Dalton, Better Call Saul (AMC)
Michael Emerson, Evil (CBS)
Doug Jones, Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access)
Richard Rankin, Outlander (Starz)
Norman Reedus, The Walking Dead (AMC)
Luke Wilson, Stargirl (The CW) 

Best Supporting Actress on a Television Series
Natasia Demetriou, What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Cynthia Erivo, The Outsider (HBO)
Melissa McBride, The Walking Dead (AMC)
Colby Minifie, Fear The Walking Dead (AMC)
Danielle Panabaker, The Flash (The CW)
Sophie Skelton, Outlander (Starz)
Tessa Thompson, Westworld (HBO)

Best Performance by a Younger Actor on a Television Series
Freya Allan, The Witcher (Netflix)
Brec Bassinger, Stargirl (The CW)
Isa Briones, Star Trek: Picard (CBS All Access)
Maxwell Jenkins, Lost in Space (Netflix)
Madison Lintz, Bosch (Amazon)
Cassady McClincy, The Walking Dead (AMC)
Erin Moriarty, The Boys (Amazon)

Best Guest Starring Performance on Television
Jon Cryer, Supergirl (The CW)
Giancarlo Esposito, The Mandalorian (Disney Plus)
Mark Hamill, What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, The Walking Dead (AMC)
Kate Mulgrew, Mr. Mercedes (Audience)
Billy Porter, The Twilight Zone (CBS All Access)
Jeri Ryan, Star Trek: Picard (CBS All Access) 

HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Best Classic Film DVD/BD Release4D Man Kino
The Day the Earth Caught Fire (Special Edition) Kino
Dr. Cyclops (Special Edition) Kino
Hercules in the Haunted World (Special Edition) Kino
The Magic Sword Kino
Robocop (Director’s Cut) Arrow
The War of the Worlds (1953) Criterion 

Best Television Series DVD/BD Release
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Complete Collection, Kino Lorber
Creepshow: Season One, Image Entertainment
The Librarians: The Complete Series, Electric Entertainment
Mission: Impossible – The Original TV Series, Paramount Home Entertainment
The Outsider: The First Season, HBO
Shazam: The Complete Live Action Series, Warner Archive Collection
The Simpsons: The Nineteenth Season, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment 

Best Film Collection DVD/BD Release
Abbott & Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection, Shout Factory
The Fly Collection, Shout Factory
Gamera: The Complete Collection, Arrow
Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975, Criterion Collection
Hitchcock: British International Pictures Collection, Kino
Laurel & Hardy: The Definitive Restorations, MVD Entertainment
Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman, Criterion Collection 

Best 4K Film Release
The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection, Universal Home Entertainment
Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut, Lionsgate
Flash Gordon Limited Edition, Arrow
Jaws 45th Anniversary, Universal Home Entertainment
Knives Out, Lionsgate
Mad Max, Kino Lorber
The Shining, Warner
War of the Worlds (2005), Paramount Home Entertainment

LIVE STAGE PRODUCTION

Best Live Stage Production
Anastasia, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Frankenstein, A Noise Within
Good Boys, Pasadena Playhouse
Once, Cerritos Center/3D Theatricals
Shrek Musical, Cerritos Center/3D Theatricals
Witch, Geffen Playhouse

Warner Bros. to Release Sci-Fi Thriller “Reminiscence” with Natalie Martinez in September

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Natalie Martinez is ready to reminisce this Labor Day weekend…

Warner Bros. has scheduled Westworld co-creator Lisa Joy’s feature directorial debut Reminiscence, featuring the 36-year-old Cuban American actress, for theaters and HBO Max on September 3, Labor Day weekend.

Natalie Martinez

Starring Hugh Jackman, the sci-fi thriller had a previous release date of April 16.

The film follows Nick Bannister (Jackman), a private investigator of the mind, who navigates the darkly alluring world of the past by helping his clients access lost memories. Living on the fringes of the sunken Miami coast, his life is forever changed when he takes on a new client, Mae (Rebecca Ferguson). A simple matter of lost and found becomes a dangerous obsession. As Bannister fights to find the truth about Mae’s disappearance, he uncovers a violent conspiracy, and must ultimately answer the question: how far would you go to hold on to the ones you love?

In addition to Jackman, Ferguson and Martinez, the film also stars Thandie Newton, Cliff Curtis, Marina de Tavira, Daniel Wu, Mojean Aria, Brett Cullen, Angela Sarafyan and Nico Parker.

Jackman has dropped a small teaser on his social media channels:

Tessa Thompson Launches Production Company ‘Viva Maude’

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Tessa Thompson is expanding her Hollywood reach…

The 37-year-old part-Panamanian and part-Mexican American actress is moving into the production arena with a new production company, a first-look deal at HBO and HBO Max and executive-producing two big book adaptations – Who Fears Death and The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.

Tessa Thompson,

Thompson, who stars on HBO’s Westworld, has launched Viva Maude with a two-year deal at the WarnerMedia-owned cable network and streaming service.

“I’m beyond thrilled to officially launch my production company, Viva Maude, which has been a real passion project and labour of love over the last few years,” said Thompson. “I’m elated to begin this partnership and to bring entertaining and impactful television projects to my friends and collaborators at HBO and HBO Max. Together we are committed to developing interesting and inclusive stories with inventive creators and to discover new voices and visionaries.”

Thompson, who stars in and executive produced the Amazon Studios feature film Sylvie’s Love, will exec produce the two projects in development at HBO and HBO Max as part of the deal.

Who Fears Death is an adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor’s eponymous book. In the works at HBO since 2017 with Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin as one of the exec producers, Aïda Mashaka Croal, a writer on Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, has also come board as showrunner, writer and exec producer.

Who Fears Death tells the coming of age tale of Onyesowu in post-apocalyptic North Africa where her story makes her an outcast.  She must go on a journey from self-reproach to love, but to do so she’ll have to overcome untold obstacles—defeating her hated sorcerer father and becoming the instrument of prophetic deliverance for a land of oppressed people, all the while fighting to master the terrifying powers growing inside her.

At HBO Max, Thompson is also exec producing an adaptation of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. The short story collection, written by Deesha Philyaw, was published in September and was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction. It contains nine stories about Black women, church, and sexuality.

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies explores the raw and tender places where Black women and girls dare to follow their desires and pursue a momentary reprieve from being good. Different generations of women characters grapple with who they want to be in the world, caught as they are between the church’s double standards and their own needs and passions. With their secret longings, new love, and forbidden affairs, these church ladies are as seductive as they want to be, as vulnerable as they need to be, as unfaithful and unrepentant as they care to be, and as free as they deserve to be.

Thompson will exec produce with author Philyaw, who is also writing the adaptation.

Thompson’s other credits include Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Endgame, Annihilation, Sorry to Bother You, Selma, and Dear White People and she co-stars alongside Ruth Negga in Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut feature film Passing as well as Creed III and Thor: Love and Thunder.

She is also a producer on QCode’s fiction podcast The Left Right Game, which Amazon purchased the rights to adapt into a television series, with Thompson exec producing the series.

Kid Cudi Launches Production & Music Management Company ‘Mad Solar’

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Kid Cudi is expanding his entertainment empire…

The 36-year-old half-Mexican American Grammy-winning recording artist and actor, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, has partnered with Dennis Cummings and Karina Manashil to launch the production and music management company Mad Solar with the backing of Bron, which provides corporate back office and production support, including financing, marketing, and sales.

Kid Cudi

“Beyond excited to be launching my production company Mad Solar and partnering with Bron, whose creative vision and storytelling has transformed the industry,” Mescudi said. “I am so very proud of the slate that we are developing and can’t WAIT for you all to see what we got cookin’.”

Mad Solar is producing the upcoming Netflix animated series Entergalactic, which Mescudi co-created alongside Kenya Barris. Based on original music by Mescudi, the series, which Mescudi writes, executive produces and stars in, follows a young man on his journey to discover love.

Additionally, Mad Solar has teamed with A24 and Bron Studios on the horror film X. Written and directed by Ti West, X stars Mia Goth, Mescudi and Jenna Ortega. Mescudi is an executive producer on the film, which will begin production early 2021.

“Scott Mescudi’s growth as a creative and an entrepreneur has been impressive,” said Aaron L. Gilbert, Bron chairman. “For Bron, the strategic relationship with Mad Solar is key in our efforts to support the entertainment industry’s top creatives, as well as expand Bron’s access to the best in class music and sports talent through Mad Solar’s management division.”

Mescudi can be seen in Season 3 of HBO’s Westworld and Nick Jarecki’s indie feature Dreamland opposite Gary Oldman. He also had a key supporting role in MGM’s Bill & Ted Face The Music and played one of the leads of Luca Guadagnino’s HBO series We Are Who We Are.