Here’s all the movie and TV news you need to know from the past week, it’s the News Shotgun.
Stan Winston getting a documentary: The legendary special effects master Stan Winston is the subject of the upcoming documentary Monster Maker.  Barney Douglas, who directed the 2022 documentary McEnroe, is directing the film, which will feature archival footage and home videos along with new interviews from people like Jeff Goldblum, James Cameron, Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy.
RIP Kjell Nilsson: Imposing bodybuilder and character actor Kjell Nilsson passed away this past week at age 76. Best known for playing Lord Humungus in The Road Warrior, he also appeared in The Pirate Movie, Man of Letters and The Edge of Power.  His final credit was in 2023’s Howlin’ Refrain, and after acting, he spent his time working for an Australian software company. Born in Sweden, he moved to Australia in 1980 to train the Swedish weightlifting team for the Moscow Olympics.
Warner Bros. acquires Siren Head movie: Most likely hoping for some Backrooms-style success, Warner Bros. has acquired the film version of the viral meme Siren Head.  With a script co-written by Zach Cregger, Brian Duffield is set to direct the film, who directed the Hulu film No One Will Save You. Trevor Henderson created the Siren Head IP, featuring a 40-foot-tall humanoid creature that is hand-drawn and then digitally composited into real photographs of the wilderness and rural settings of North America. The creature can emit a disorienting audio broadcast from the speakers that are in place of a head to disable its prey.
Paul Dano joins Possession remake: Paul Dano has joined the cast of the upcoming remake of the cult-classic horror Possession.  He’ll join Margaret Qualley and Callum Turner, who were previously cast. The original film starred Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill as a couple in post-Cold War Berlin whose “relationship spirals into supernatural terror.” The new film is being directed by Parker Finn, who directed the Smile films.
Nemesis renewed for Season 2: Netflix’s crime drama Nemesis has been renewed for a second season. Created by Courtney A. Kemp and Tani Marole, Nemesis is a Heatesque thriller in which expert criminal Coltrane Wilder (Y’lan Noel) finds himself up against a relentless detective, Isaiah Stiles (Matthew Law).
Neagley gets a release date: Reacher spin-off Neagley has a September 16th release date, right after the Season 4 finale of Reacher.  Maria Sten stars in the series as Frances Neagley, Reacher’s former protege and closest ally. When a close friend of hers is killed in a suspicious accident, she becomes laser-focused on getting justice. Greyston Holt, Adeline Rudolph, Jasper Jones, Matthew Del Negro, Damon Herriman. Alan Ritchson will make a guest appearance as Reacher.
Simu Liu joins Homewrecker: Simu Liu has signed on to round out the starring trio of the upcoming sci-fi thriller Homewrecker.  Allison Williams and Michelle Randolph co-star along with French actress Anaïs Parello. The film is directed by Xavier Gens, who directed the shark film Under Paris for Netflix. The movie’s plot is, “During a heart-breaking domestic revelation, three star-crossed Americans are suddenly forced to work together to survive a terrifying unexplained global event that threatens to destroy life as they know it.”
Live-action Last Kids on Earth series coming to Disney+: After an animated series on Netflix, the franchise is coming to Disney+ with a new live-action series. The series is created by Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux, and Kevin Tancharoen and follows a group of mismatched teens who become the unlikely heroes tasked with stopping the end of the world when monsters overrun their small town.
Tom Hardy returning to Mobland: After some behind-the-scenes drama, Tom Hardy will not be leaving Mobland after its upcoming second season, making a third season seem close to a lock. Hardy got into a conflict with the show’s showrunner, Jez Butterworth, during production on Season 2, but a recent meeting in London helped resolve things. Season 2 is expected to debut sometime later this year on Paramount+.
RIP Michael Byrne: Prolific character actor Michael Byrne passed away at age 82 this past week. Byrne appeared in films such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Braveheart, and Tomorrow Never Dies, and on TV shows such as Coronation Street and Casualty.
Netflix developing live-action Persona series: Netflix is developing a live-action series based on the fan-favorite RPG franchise Persona.  Shawn Levy and Robert Atwood, who produced Stranger Things for Netflix, are on as executive producers, while Christopher Monfette, who worked on Star Trek: Picard and 9-1-1, is writing the series, executive producing, and serving as showrunner. There’s no word on whether it will be based on a specific game in the franchise or tell its own original story.
