Here’s all the movie and TV news you need to know from the past week, it’s the News Shotgun.
David Harbour cast as Trautman for John Rambo: David Harbour will co-star with Noah Centineo in the upcoming Rambo prequel movie, John Rambo.  Harbour will play Major Trautman, Rambo’s commanding officer in Vietnam who was memorably played by Richard Crenna in the original films. Jalmari Helander, who directed the Sisu movies, is directing the film, and Stallone is on board as a producer.
Li Jun Li joins The Last of Us: The Last of Us HBO series has found another cast member with Sinners co-star Li Jun Li playing Miriam. She is the mother of Lev (Kyriana Kratter) and Yara (Michelle Mao), and a member of the Seraphite cult, which plays an important role in Abby’s (Kaitlyn Dever) side of the story.
The Phantom TV series in development: Just in time for this week’s Everything Actioncast on the 1996 film, a new live-action series based on The Phantom is in develpment. Reginald Hudlin, who directed Candy Cane Lane and the documentary Sidney, is directing and producing the new series in cooperation with King Features.  The Phantom recently appeared in a beat ’em up video game in 2024 and a new comic series from Mad Cave Comics in 2025. King Features’ parent company, Hearst, also said that The Phantom is getting a “significant immersive location-based entertainment experience”.
Live-action FernGully remake in development: Cult 90s animated classic FernGully: The Last Rainforest is being remade as a live-action film by Amazon MGM. Marielle Heller, who directed Nightbitch, is writing and directing the remake. The original film followed the magical inhabitants of an Australian rainforest as they fought to save their home from logging and the evil polluting entity known as Hexxus. Robin Williams, Tim Curry, Christian Slater, and Samantha Mathis co-starred in the original film.
Law & Order: Organized Crime canceled: Christopher Meloni won’t be back for another season as Elliot Stabler, as Law & Order: Organized Crime has been canceled after five seasons. The series aired on NBC until the most recent fifth season, which debuted on Peacock before heading back to NBC. The series was more serialized than the other L&O series, and it was one of the lowest-performing, rating-wise, of the Dick Wolf NBC shows.
Matt Smith and Imogen Poots co-starring in The Salamander Lives Twice: Matt Smith and Imogen Poots are headling a new mystery-thriller for Embankment Films, The Salamander Lives Twice.  The movie follows Smith as a “debonair stranger” who washes ashore on a mysterious island with a briefcase he can’t open and no memory of who he is. He encounters the island’s sole inhabitants, a mother and daughter, and their giant, naked butler. Poots plays the daughter, Goggy.  The movie comes from Tom Harvard and Ant Timpson, who previously collaborated on the films Bookworm and Come to Daddy.
Top Gun 3 officially in development: Announced by Paramount at CinemaCon, Top Gun 3 is officially in development with Tom Cruise returning to star as hot-shot fighter jet pilot Maverick. A script for the film is being written, and new Paramount CEO David Ellison said it is a major part of their upcoming theatrical slate.
Kyle Gallner and Raul Castillo join Inground: Kyle Gallner and Raul Castillo will join Alexandra Daddario in the upcoming horror thriller, Inground.  The film follows “a recently divorced father who attempts to reconnect with his young son by building a swimming pool in his backyard that they can both enjoy over the course of a long, hot summer. What begins as an exciting project turns into a terrifying nightmare.” Aaron Katz is directing the film, and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions is producing the film.
Sydney Sweeney starring in The Caretaker: Sydney Sweeney will star in the upcoming Universal horror movie The Caretaker.  Based on the novel by Marcus Kliewer, the movie follows, “a troubled young woman takes a caretaking job at an isolated coastal house, only to discover she must follow a series of increasingly disturbing rules to contain a reality-warping force — one that may already be slipping beyond her control.” David Bruckner, who directed the Hulu reboot of Hellraiser, is writing and directing the film.
Game of Thrones film gets a working title: Game of Thrones foray into theaters has been given the working title Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest.  The film focuses on Aegon I Targaryen, the first Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, who conquered Westeros and created the Iron Throne. Beau Willimon, who created House of Cards and wrote on Andor, is writing the film.
The Burbs renewed for Season 2: Peacock is heading back to The ‘Burbs as the series was renewed for a second season. A reboot of Joe Dante’s film, the series stars Keke Palmer alongside Jack Whitehall as a couple who move into a seemingly normal cul-de-sac neighborhood but grow suspicious of what their new neighbor is up to. The show got a high-profile debut on Super Bowl Sunday, had the highest Day 1 ratings in Peacock’s history, and has racked up 1.7 billion minutes of viewing time to date.
New Longlegs movie in development: Osgood Perkins and Nicolas Cage are teaming up for another movie set in the Longlegs universe. Perkins said the movie isn’t a sequel to the 2024 horror hit but set in its universe. Perkins will write, produce, and direct the new film while Cage will produce and star. The new film is being distributed by Paramount, moving from Neon, which distributed Longlegs.
Young Sherlock renewed for Season 2: The Sherlock Holmes prequel series Young Sherlock has been renewed for a second season on Prime Video. It was the number-one series in 95 countries and has racked up over 45 million viewers, making it one of the top 10 Prime Original series. Guy Ritchie will direct the first episode of the second season and continue to serve as an executive producer.
Michelle Monaghan joins Your Friends & Neighbors: James Marsden is currently the big new addition to Your Friends & Neighbors Season 2, and Michelle Monaghan is joining the series for Season 3. While character details have not been revealed, she could be a love interest for Jon Hamm’s Andrew “Coop” Cooper. Monaghan is no stranger to Apple TV, appearing in Bad Monkey and co-starring with Mark Wahlberg in The Family Plan movies.
Doug Liman’s Bitcoin movie finds main cast members: Doug Liman’s upcoming thriller Bitcoin has found its main cast members with Gal Gadot, Isla Fisher, Casey Affleck, and Pete Davidson. Affleck stars as computer scientist Craig Wright, who claimed to be the inventor of Bitcoin, which led to a massive investigation and legal proceedings.
Adria Arjona joins Man of Tomorrow: Adria Arjona has joined Man of Tomorrow in the role of Maxima. The sequel to last year’s Superman is being written, produced, and directed by James Gunn. Maxima was introduced in the comics in Action Comics #645 and is an alien warrior queen who arrives on Earth looking for a suitable mate and decides that it’s Superman. Writer Roger Stern and artist George Pérez created her.
The Madison renewed for third season: Already renewed for a second season before the first season debuted in March on Paramount+, the show now has a third season on the way. Created by Taylor Sheridan, the series stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell and follows a family as they move from Manhattan to Montana following a personal tragedy. The show generated almost a billion minutes viewed in its first week of release, and the first episode alone drew 8 million views globally in its first 10 days, the most-watched debut for a Sheridan series.
Dexter: Resurrection has added another cast member with Dan Stevens: Stevens will play Owen Stark, the Five Boroughs Killer, who is a second villain alongside Brian Cox’s New York Ripper. Uma Thurman also co-stars in the second season of the series as Charley, a former Special Ops soldier who worked for Peter Dinklage’s Leon Prater.
Bloodborne movie in development: Sony announced at CinemaCon that an animated, R-rated adaptation of Bloodborne is in development. Seán McLoughlin, aka JackSepticEye, is a producer on the film.
Linda Cardellini joins They Know: Linda Cardellini will co-star with Bill Hader in his feature film directorial debut, They Know. Cardellini will play Hader’s ex-wife, who starts dating a mysterious man that Hader’s character believes is having a strange influence on their children. Along with starring and directing the film, Hader also co-wrote the script with Barry collaborator Duffy Boudreau.
Southern Bastards rounds out leads: Hulu’s upcoming adaptation of the graphic novel series Southern Bastards has rounded out its lead cast. Erin Kellyman will play Roberta, a former Marine who is facing charges for an incident in Afghanistan. She flees to her hometown of Craw County, where she uncovers a vast criminal organization being led by the town’s popular football coach, Coach Boss. Tim McGraw will play Boss, and Kevin Bacon was previously cast as Earl, Roberta’s estranged father and the son of the former sheriff.
99 Nights in the Woods film in development: One of the most popular games in Roblox, 99 Nights in the Woods is being developed into a feature film. Created by Grandmas Favourite Games, the game sees players trying to survive the titular 99 nights in a haunted forest, trying to rescue four lost children and survive the vicious beasts that lurk in the darkness. The game is the seventh most-played in Roblox history, with a peak player count of 14.2 million. 20th Century Films acquired the rights to the game and Alec Kieft, Matthew Hufton and Cameron Angland, the co-founders of Grandmas Favourite Games, will serve as executive producers.
Zach Cregger producing dark comedy Little One: Along with the upcoming Resident Evil movie and Gladys, Zach Cregger has signed on to produce the upcoming dark comedy, Little One.  The film will be the directorial debut of Alex Kavutskiy, a friend of Cregger’s who wrote on the recent Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat and the Adult Swim special Cool Dad.  The movie follows a sudden change in a child’s behavior that threatens to tear apart a seemingly picture-perfect family. In addition to directing, Kavutskiy wrote the script.
Kristen Bell joins Violent Night 2: Kristen Bell signed on to the upcoming sequel Violent Night 2, playing Mrs. Clause opposite David Harbour’s ass-kicking Santa. Andrew “King Bach” Bachelor, Joe Pantoliano, Jared Harris, Daniela Melchior, and pro wrestler Maxwell Jacob Friedman also star in the film. Tommy Wirkola returns to direct the film, and the first film’s screenwriters, Pat Casey and Josh Miller, are back to write the sequel.
Brad Pitt starring in Heart of the Beast: Brad Pitt is reteaming with director David Ayer for a new survival thriller, Heart of the Beast.  Pitt will play a former Special Forces soldier who is in an accident that strands him deep in the remote wilderness of Alaska. Joined by his loyal German Shepherd, a former combat dog, the pair must try to make their way back to civilization, facing wolves, bears, and the brutal Alaskan wilderness. Paramount is distributing the movie.
New World War Z film in development: While details were extremely scarce, Paramount confirmed that a new World War Z film is in development at CinemaCon. Brad Pitt starred in the adaptation of the fantastic Max Brooks book, which detailed a global war against the undead. The movie grossed over $540 million worldwide, but a sequel has been in development hell for the last 13 years. David Fincher was attached at one point, but that version never materialized.
