Bunch of Casting News

After years of speculation, it appears that a Harry Potter TV series for HBO Max is finally gaining momentum. According to Deadline, Warner Bros is in talks with author JK Rowling to join the project as a producer, with creative control over any exploitation of her work. The idea is for each season of the series to focus on one book in the Harry Potter book series, which consists of seven novels. Once Rowling comes on board, the project, which is in its nascent stages, is expected to look for a writer. Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav has emphasized the importance of franchises and has identified mining the Harry Potter IP as a priority. In the past, Warner Bros has had success with Harry Potter-themed events and products, including a reunion special and a video game. With Rowling on board, the Harry Potter TV series for HBO Max is one step closer to becoming a reality.

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World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has been sold to Endeavor Group Holdings in a deal valued at $21bn. The merger of UFC, which is owned by Endeavor, and WWE is set to create a “global live sports and entertainment company”. The newly combined company is expected to have a collective fanbase of over a billion people. WWE shareholders are set to receive 49% of the new company, while Endeavor shareholders will own a controlling 51% stake. Vince McMahon, WWE’s executive chairman, said the new company “will be well positioned to maximize the value of our combined media rights, enhance sponsorship monetization, develop new forms of content and pursue other strategic mergers and acquisitions to further bolster our strong stable of brands.” UFC’s CEO, Ari Emanuel, will be the CEO of the new company, and the new company’s board of directors will have 11 members, with six of them appointed by Endeavor and the remaining picked by WWE.

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Disney has announced that it is developing a live-action reimagining of its animated hit Moana, with Dwayne Johnson set to reprise his role as the demigod Maui. The project was unveiled during Disney's annual shareholders meeting, with Johnson revealing that Moana, Gramma Tala, Te Fiti, Heihei, and of course, Maui, will all appear in the new movie. Johnson, who is also producing the film, said in a statement that the story is "emblematic of our people’s grace and warrior strength", and that the opportunity to reunite with Maui was one that "runs very deep" for him. Moana, released in 2016, was a critical and commercial success for Disney, earning over $600 million at the box office and winning two Academy Awards. The story follows a young girl chosen by the ocean to reunite a mystical relic with the goddess Te Fiti, aided by the exiled demigod Maui. The live-action version of Moana is the latest in a string of Disney live-action remakes, following Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Mulan, and the upcoming The Little Mermaid. Auli‘i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the original, will serve as an executive producer for the new film. There is currently no word on who will direct the project. #Moana #Disney #LiveAction #DwayneJohnson #Maui #AuliiCravalho #Remake #Film #Entertainment #Hollywood

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The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has updated its provisional findings on Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The regulator has said that it no longer believes the deal will significantly reduce competition in the console gaming space, following new evidence that alleviated some of its concerns. The CMA had previously expressed worries that the acquisition could affect PlayStation’s ability to compete with Microsoft. However, Microsoft has told regulators it would make new Call of Duty games available on PlayStation on the same day as Xbox for a decade, and that it would bring the game to third-party cloud gaming platforms. The CMA’s final report is expected by April 26.

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Questlove, who recently won an Oscar for his documentary Summer of Soul, will direct and oversee the music for the upcoming Disney live-action hybrid remake of The Aristocats. The project will be written by Will Gluck and Keith Bunin and will be similar in style to recent Disney remakes like The Lion King and Aladdin. The original 1970 animated classic follows a mother cat and her kittens on a journey with an alley cat to find their way home and features a popular soundtrack, which Questlove will presumably put his own spin on. Source: EW

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Dreamworks has announced that a sequel series to its 2010 animated movie “Megamind” will premiere in 2024. The show, titled “Megamind: TV Series,” will follow the villain-turned-hero as he becomes a social media influencer, with Will Ferrell’s return as the titular character yet to be confirmed. The new show will be produced by “Megamind” writers Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons, as well as Eric Fogel and JD Ryznar. The original movie grossed $321.88 million worldwide and established a dedicated fanbase.

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According to The Wall Street Journal, Disney has closed its metaverse division and laid off all its 50 members as part of its broader restructuring process. The division was tasked with finding interactive ways to tell Disney’s stories using new technologies and was led by company veteran Mike White, who will remain at the company in an unknown role. The division’s closure also means the cancellation of White’s plan to launch a subscription service for Disney, which would have united Disney+ with the company’s retail operations and theme park apps. Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek was optimistic about the company’s metaverse ambitions, calling it the “next great storytelling frontier.” However, under the pressure of cost-cutting measures, Disney has announced three rounds of layoffs, with the metaverse team being one of the first teams impacted. While Bob Iger, who replaced Chapek as CEO in November 2022, has shown an interest in the metaverse by joining the board of an animated avatar startup, it is unclear if Disney will continue to pursue its metaverse ambitions. The company will notify the last affected employees by the beginning of summer. The closure of Disney’s metaverse division is a setback for the company’s ambitions to blend physical and digital experiences in new and innovative ways. However, given the company’s commitment to cost-cutting measures, it remains to be seen if Disney will continue to pursue its metaverse ambitions in the future.

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Rumors have been circulating for years about the highly-anticipated Left 4 Dead 3 game, but a recent discovery in the Counter-Strike 2 files has given fans a glimmer of hope that the game may be in development. A screenshot posted on the Steam subreddit by user u/PaP3s showed code titled “Left4Dead3” located inside the CS2 files. The code indicates that the game is in version 2, with the owner being triage, severity high, priority none, category —, product left3dead3, and component other. While this discovery is still just a rumor, it has given fans of the Left 4 Dead series hope that Valve, the game’s developer, is finally prioritizing the creation of a new installment in the series. The fact that the code was found inside the Counter-Strike 2 files is significant, as it indicates that Valve may have been waiting to roll out Source 2 before beginning work on Left 4 Dead 3.

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