Here’s all the movie and TV news you need to know from the past week, it’s the News Shotgun.
The Last Frontier canceled on Apple TV: Apple TV has canceled its thriller series The Last Frontier after one season. The show starred Jason Clarke as Alaskan US Marshall Frank Remnick, who has to deal with a crashed prisoner plane that unleashed a group of dangerous criminals, including a black ops CIA operative codenamed Havlock. The series received mixed reviews from critics, with a 46% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but it’s not clear exactly why Apple pulled the plug.
NCIS: Tony & Ziva canceled: Also on the chopping block, Paramount+ has canceled its NCIS spin-off series, Tony & Ziva, after one season. The show followed Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo as the titular couple, forced on the run across Europe with their daughter after Tony’s security company is attacked. There was no specific reason given for the cancellation.
Sony purchases Peanuts: Sony has agreed to acquire Canadian company WildBrain’s 41% stake in Peanuts Holdings for about $457 million, giving Sony an 80% controlling interest in the Peanuts franchise alongside the Schulz family’s remaining 20%. The deal makes Peanuts a consolidated Sony subsidiary, with Sony Music Entertainment Japan and Sony Pictures overseeing the brand’s management and expansion. WildBrain will use the proceeds to eliminate its debt while remaining a key partner, handling distribution, licensing in select territories, and producing new Peanuts content, including projects with Apple TV.
Labubu movie finds director: The film based on the popular Labubu fad has found a director in Paul King, who most recently directed Wonka and the first two Paddington movies. The movie is a live-action adaptation of the plush collectible line, which originated 10 years ago as a picture book series and was later expanded into various blind-box collectible lines by Pop Mart.
Chris Evans returns for Avengers: Doomsday. Chris Evans has been officially confirmed to return as Steve Rogers/Captain America for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. In a teaser shown before some showings of Avatar: Fire and Ash, Evans is seen living on a peaceful farm and raising a newborn. Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to release on December 18th next year.
Oscars moving to YouTube in 2029: The Oscars are leaving broadcast television for streaming, with Google/YouTube securing the rights to air the Academy Awards starting in 2029. ABC has been the home of the Oscars since 1976. YouTube will stream the 101st Academy Awards, and its deal gives it the rights to the ceremony through 2033. Along with the ceremony, there will be several other events on the platform, including the Governors Awards and the Nomination ceremony, as well as behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and more.
RIP Gil Gerard: Actor Gil Gerard passed away this week at age 82. Gerard was best known for playing Buck Rogers on the series that started in 1979 on NBC, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. He also appeared in films like Airport ’77 and The Nice Guys.
Soulm8te dropped from schedule: Universal and Blumhouse have removed the sci-fi thriller Soulm8te from the upcoming release schedule and are reportedly shopping it to other buyers. The movie was set in the M3GAN universe and followed a man who buys a companion robot to deal with the grief of losing his wife, but things quickly turn deadly. It’s not clear whether, if it’s sold, it would retain any connection to M3GAN. Claudia Doumit, Lily Sullivan, Isabelle Bonfrer, Emma Ramos, and Sydney Blackburn star in the film, directed by Kate Dolan.
Kingmakers movie in development: Upcoming video game Kingmakers is being adapted into a film by Shawn Levy’s production company, 21 Laps. The game, developed by Redemption Road Games and published by tinyBuild, is a strategy-action game in which players travel back to medieval times, armed with an arsenal of modern weaponry, and attempt to change the past to save the future. Christopher MacBride, who rewrote the script for Face/Off 2 recently for Paramount, is writing the screenplay for Kingmakers.
Point Break TV series in development: AMC is developing a sequel TV series to the 90s cult classic Point Break. The new series will be set 35 years after the events of the first movie and feature a dangerous new heist crew who have ties to the Ex-Presidents. David Kalstein, who created Butterfly for Amazon, is the series’s creator.
Gaston live-action movie in development: Following on the heels of Cruella and Maleficent, Gaston is the latest Disney villain to get a spin-off movie. A live-action film is in development with Dave Callahan writing the script. Callahan wrote movies such as Godzilla vs. Kong, Shang-Chi, and The Expendables. The only details available are that it has “swashbuckling” elements. There is currently no director attached.
RIP Rob Reiner: Rob Reiner, the acclaimed actor, director, and filmmaker behind classics such as This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, Misery, When Harry Met Sally…, and A Few Good Men, was found dead at age 78 earlier this week in his Brentwood home alongside his wife, Michele Singer. The couple’s son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested in connection with their deaths. Along with directing, Reiner was famous for his on-screen appearances, including playing Michael “Meathead” Stivic on Archie Bunker. His last film was this year’s Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.
