News Shotgun 9/28/24
Here’s all the movie and TV news you need to know from the past week; it’s the News Shotgun.
Chucky canceled at SyFy/USA: Charles Lee Ray’s TV killing spree has ended as SyFy/USA has canceled Chucky after three seasons. The show was run by original Child Play director and series shepherd Don Mancini, with Brad Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, Fiona Dourif, Lachlan Watson, and Alex Vincent reprising their roles from the movie series. It’s unclear why the series was canceled, as it was a strong rating performer in the 18-49 demo and the number-one show for that demographic. It was also well-received by critics.
The Simpsons Tapped Out ending next year: After 12 years, the popular mobile game The Simpsons: Tapped Out is shuttering. EA announced the game’s end in an in-game pop-up. In-app purchases have been disabled, and the game will be removed from the iOS/Android app stores on October 31st, 2024. On January 24th, 2025, the game will be permanently disabled. The game lets players create their version of Springfield, building iconic buildings and populating them with various characters. The buildings would earn currency, and players would frequently check in to collect it and use it to purchase new buildings and characters.
Robocop TV series in development: Amazon MGM is developing a Robocop TV series, with James Wan on board as an executive producer. The show will have the same premise as the iconic movie, with a police officer being turned into a cyborg to combat the growing crime rate, but there are no other details about the new series.
Matthias Schoenaerts is the Villain of Supergirl: Matthias Schoenaerts, who previously appeared in movies like Rust and Bone, Red Sparrow, and The Danish Girl, will be the main villain of the upcoming Supergirl movie. Based on the comic Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King and Bilquis Evely, Supergirl, who will be played by House of the Dragon’s Milly Alcock, is trapped on an alien planet whose sun negates her powers. Schoenaerts is playing Krem of the Yellow Hill, a nasty resident of the planet who kills the father of a young alien girl, which draws Supergirl into the conflict. Craig Gillespie is directing the movie scheduled for June 26th, 2026.
The Woman in Cabin 10 adds cast members: Netflix’s upcoming thriller The Woman in Cabin 10 added several cast members this week, with Guy Pearce, Hannah Waddingham, Kaya Scodelario, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw joining the cast. Based on the book by Ruth Ware, Keira Knightley is starring in the series as a reporter traveling on a luxury yacht who sees a passenger being thrown overboard but is then told that nothing happened and everyone on the yacht is accounted for.
Freddie Prinze Jr. joins I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot: Freddie Prinze Jr. will be reprising his role from I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel in the upcoming reboot sequel of the series. Chase Sui Wonders, Madelyn Cline, Sarah Pidgeon, Tyriq Withers, and Jonah Haur-King are starring in the new movie, which will most likely have a similar premise to the original film where a group of teens are involved in some accident/death and cover it up, only for a mysterious killer to come forth and start to kill them because they “know what they did.” Jennifer Love Hewitt, who starred in the original two movies, is still negotiating to return along with Prinze Jr.
Michelle Pfeiffer starring in Margo’s Got Money Troubles: Michelle Pfeiffer has signed on to star in the upcoming AppleTV+ series Margo’s Got Money Troubles. Created by David E. Kelley, married to Pfeiffer, the show is “set in the world of OnlyFans with a wrestling twist” and co-stars Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman.
Lewis Tan joins action/comedy Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice: Mortal Kombat star Lewis Tan has signed on to join the upcoming action comedy Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice ensemble. He joins the previously cast Vince Vaughn, James Marsden, Eiza Gonzalez, Jimmy Tatro, and Arturo Castro. There are no character or plot details, but it’s pitched as a buddy action comedy set in the criminal underworld. BenDavid Grabinski, who wrote on Scott Pilgrim Takes Off and the Are You Afraid of the Dark? reboot, is directing the movie.
Kyle Chandler is starring in Green Lantern TV series: Kyle Chandler is in talks to star in the upcoming HBO DC series based on Green Lantern. He would play Hal Jordan, and the show is being pitched as an intergalactic cop series with Jordan and fellow Lantern John Stewart teaming up to solve a murder on Earth. Aaron Pierre and Stephan James are in the running to play John Stewart. Ozark creator Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King are the series’ creators.
Maika Monroe starring in new The Hand That Rocks the Cradle: After tracking down a deranged Nicolas Cage in Longlegs, Maika Monroe is going to be the unhinged one as she is starring in a remake of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. Monroe will play the role that Rebecca de Mornay portrayed, a woman whose husband is caught as a sex offender and kills himself. The shock causes her to have a miscarriage, and she snaps, deciding to take revenge on the woman who was the victim of her husband and her family. Michelle Garza Cervera is directing the movie.
RIP Maggie Smith: The legendary Dame Maggie Smith passed away this week at age 89. She was best known recently for playing Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series and as the Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey. She first appeared on-screen in 1955 and won two Oscars and three Emmys in her career, which included appearances in movies like Gosford Park, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, California Suite, Clash of the Titans, Sister Act, and more.
