Say what? Kristen Wiig is in talks to play Cheetah in the sequel to the smash hit Wonder Woman. Plus, Bryan Cranston joins Angelina Jolie in a Disney movie, and Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington team up.
Here’s some of the latest casting news for this week:
KRISTEN WIIG TURNING NASTY FOR WONDER WOMAN 2
So this is interesting. Funnylady Kristen Wiig is in talks to play Cheetah, a formidable foe for Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman in the upcoming sequel.
Director Patty Jenkins is returning to the helm, but the only plotline we’ve got so far is that it’ll take place in the 1980s during the Cold War. The DC comics villain Cheetah has superhuman strength and agility. In the comics, her human name is Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva, a British anthropologist and heiress who gains the powers of the cheetah after an expedition to an African jungle. Of course, not to be confused with Marvel’s Black Panther.
Here’s the thing about Wiig’s casting, if it happens. Will she play it more comedic? More like a campy Catwoman? Because if she portrays it more on a serious level, it’s going to be hard for us to accept. We’ll want her to do something wacky at some point. Not that Wiig couldn’t handle the role, it’s just hard to see her do something quite this different from her usual fare. (via The Hollywood Reporter)
BRYAN CRANSTON, SAM ROCKWELL AND ANGELINA JOLIE GO DISNEY
Actor Bryan Cranston plays one of the human characters in the Disney live-action/CG hybrid film The One and Only Ivan, joining Angelina Jolie and Sam Rockwell, who voice an elephant and gorilla, respectively.
Based on the Newbery Medal-winning book written by Katherine Applegate, here are the plot deets: “The story centers on a silverback gorilla named Ivan (Rockwell) who lives in a cage in a shopping mall along with an elephant named Stella (Jolie) and a stray dog called Bob. Ivan does not remember life before the mall, but when a baby elephant named Ruby enters and Ivan finds himself taking care of her, he begins to rediscover his previous life and concocts a plan to take the baby elephant away from their abusive owner.”
Oh no, no, nope, this is going to make me cry, 100 percent.
Cranston will play the desperate owner of a failing circus, which The Florida Project breakout Brooklynn Prince and Ariana Greenblatt are also on board. And Mike White wrote the adaptation, which makes me even more interested in it because he is actually very adept at writing great character studies, like The Good Girl, Beatriz at Dinner and Brad’s Status. (via The Hollywood Reporter)
REESE WITHERSPOON AND KERRY WASHINGTON TO STAR IN LIMITED SERIES
Big Little Lies star Reese Witherspoon has found another book to turn into a limited ABC TV series, and she’s bringing the lovely Kerry Washington along with her. The two are set to star in Little Fires Everywhere, based on Celeste Ng’s bestseller about a wealthy family living in Shaker Heights, Ohio, whose matriarch (Witherspoon) rents a room to a single mom (Washington) and her teenage daughter, and how their lives intertwine with the controversial adoption of a Chinese-American baby. It sounds about right for both the actresses. (via The Hollywood Reporter)
VIOLA DAVIS AND LUPITA NYONG’O TO PLAY MOTHER AND DAUGHTER
Oscar winners Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong’o are teaming up to play a powerful mother/daughter combo in The Woman King.
The synopsis from THR reads: “Inspired by true events that took place in the Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries, The Woman King tells the story of Nanisca (Davis), general of the all-female military unit known as the Amazons, and her daughter, Nawi (Nyong’o), who together fought the French and neighboring tribes who violated their honor, enslaved their people and threatened to destroy everything they’ve lived for.” Certainly has that Black Panther vibe.
Here’s the fascinating part: The film is based on an original idea by actress Maria Bello, who will produce via her Jack Blue Productions. Maria Bello? Who knew?
THE PURGE IS TURNING INTO A TV SERIES
Syfy and USA Network are turning the hit horror franchise The Purge into a TV series and have tapped actors Gabriel Chavarria (War for the Planet of the Apes) and Jessica Garza (Six) as its stars.
Again, THR gives us the skinny on who they will be playing. Chavarria plays a marine who comes home on Purge night, ready to defend his family against all costs, while Garza portrays a member of a Purge cult, who is willing to sacrifice her life for the cause – until she discovers how truly horrifying the Purge is, and my guess, goes on the run.
My hope is that this series will become an anthology, with different characters and situations each season. Although, even that might become tiresome because it’s basically the same inherent conflict each time: Surviving the Purge. Guess we’ll have to see.
