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Some 10 years ago, Tim Burton came close to making an Addams Family movie, done in stop motion and in the style of Charles Addams’ classic New Yorker cartoons. That never happened. But something close to it is now in the works: Wednesday, an eight-episode, live-action Netflix series directed and executive produced by Burton, which follows the family’s Goth icon of a daughter. It’s been in the works for a bit now, but they finally cast the parents — and the actors they chose has people really excited.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Catherine Zeta-Jones will play elegant but ghoulish Morticia. It carries on a tradition from the ’90s live-action Addams Family movies of casting an Oscar-winner as the family matriarch. (Anjelica Huston heroically performed the duties in those, while Charlize Theron voiced her in the 2019 animated movie.)

Zeta-Jones, who won her trophy for Chicago, back in 2003, will join Jenny Ortega (Yes Day, You) as Wednesday. She’ll also be hobnobbing with beloved character actor and scene-stealer Luis Guzman, who will step into shoes filled by John Astin, Raul Julia, and Oscar Isaac, playing fastidious and chipper patriarch Gomez.

It’s great and outside-the-box casting. Zeta-Jones hasn’t been as visible as she once was, and Guzman rarely gets roles as sizeable as Gomez in an Addams Family adaptation. Mind you, the show is about Wednesday and not a straight take on the source. Here is the premise, as per THR:

Wednesday is described as a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams’ years as a student at Nevermore Academy. Wednesday attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town, and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago — all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships at Nevermore.

So you may not be seeing Zeta-Jones and Guzman’s Morticia and Gomez as often as you may like. The THR piece even refers to the actress, at least, as a “guest star.” Still, people on social media flipped for the casting.

Some even pointed out the show has turned into a bona fide Traffic reunion. (Zeta-Jones won her Oscar for the Steven Soderbergh drug saga, which boasted some predictably excellent work from Guzman.)

(Via THR)

The Dallas Mavericks have completed their No. 1 priority during the 2021 NBA offseason. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Mavs got All-NBA guard Luka Doncic to put pen to paper on a five-year supermax extension that will bring the franchise centerpiece $207 million over the life of the deal.

“Today is a dream come true,” Doncic said in a statement to ESPN. “The game of basketball has given me so much and has taken me to so many amazing places. I am humbled and excited to remain in Dallas as part of the Mavericks and appreciate the support of my fans.”

A two-time All-NBA selection, Doncic is the first player in league history to get rewarded with a designated rookie max extension. Additionally, the contract includes a player option for the fifth season.

The news of the extension comes after reports indicated that a Mavericks contingent would head to Slovenia, where Doncic is spending his offseason, to present him with the offer.

Already one of the best basketball players in the world, the 22-year-old Doncic made it known that he had no intention of turning down a payday this hefty from the team that acquired him in a Draft day trade with the Atlanta Hawks for Trae Young back in 2018. Last season, Doncic averaged 27.7 points, 8.6 assists, and eight rebounds in 34.3 minutes per game.

The only thing better than artsy shoot-em-ups? Even more artsy shoot-em-ups, of course. According to a Variety report, Amazon has officially purchased the rights to the upcoming film written by John Wick‘s Derek Kolstad entitled Coyote Blue. Much like the neon-lit, hyper-violent John Wick movies, Coyote Blue is slated as an intense action movie with an ultra-lethal leading man fighting to survive, though the synopsis makes it sound a bit different from the revenge story we’ve come to know and love:

“The story revolves around an everyman (Brown) who’s hunted by a ruthless criminal syndicate for his mysterious cargo, and now must navigate the treacherous terrain of Route 66 while unleashing his lethal set of skills in a fight for survival.”

In addition to Kolstad, both the Emmy award-winning Sterling K. Brown and Star Trek: Picard‘s Hanelle M. Culpepper are already attached to the project. Brown, who earned his Emmy for his performance in The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story and has been nominated several other times for his work in This Is Us, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, will be starring as the film’s main character.

For Culpepper, Blue Coyote will mark her feature directorial debut and her second collaboration with Amazon following her work as director on the upcoming television adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys. Coyote Blue also marks the second collaboration between Amazon Studios and Kolstad, as it was recently announced he is currently working on scripting a film adaptation of the Japanese action-horror manga Hellsing.

While we might not have a release date or any more information on Coyote Blue as of right now, with so many exciting projects in the works from everyone involved we’re sure the time will pass a bit quicker and we’ll have more details soon.

Christian Pulisic has decided to make a big-money move, although he’s not going to leave Premier League giants Chelsea any time soon. Puma announced on Monday morning that the USMNT star, who has worn Nike throughout his professional career up to this point, opted to leave his old brand and hop on board with the company that includes Neymar and Antoine Griezmann among its vast roster of footballers.

“Puma just fit in with exactly the message that I want to send,” Pulisic told Complex Sports in an interview about his decision. “I think we’re trying to inspire players just to get out and play any way they can and play the game and grow the game of soccer in America. And it lined up exactly with what I was feeling and it just seemed like a perfect fit.”

While Pulisic is not in line to get a signature boot from the company — well, not yet, at least — Puma and French designer Silni teamed up to make him a customized pair of ULTRA 1.3 boots that he will wear on August 11 when the Blues take on Villarreal in the Super Cup.

The decision to join Puma comes on the heels of Pulisic wrapping up second season in the Premier League. He scored six goals and assisted on four more in nearly 2,500 minutes across all competitions, but managed to carve out a role as an important member of Chelsea’s squad despite it adding two high-profile attacking players during the transfer window. In the last few months, Pulisic has managed to get a pair of trophies with club and country, winning the Champions League with Chelsea before taking home the inaugural Nations League with the United States men’s national team.

Doom Patrol is back and just as weird as ever in the new teaser trailer for season three. Earlier today, HBO Max released a first look at the show’s upcoming season featuring colorful collages and a whole lot of death. According to the YouTube video’s description, the next season picks up right where season two left off and follows the “part support group, part superhero team” fighting for “a world that wants nothing to do with them.”

“Last seen at a decrepit amusement park where Chief (Timothy Dalton) witnessed his metahuman daughter, Dorothy (Abigail Shapiro) engaged in a fiery face-off with “The Candlemaker,” an ancient evil deity who will stop at nothing to fulfill his world-ending destiny, join the Doom Patrol for an action-packed third season.”

For those unfamiliar with Doom Patrol, the ongoing HBO series is a reimagining of one of DC’s cult classic superhero groups of all time: the Doom Patrol. The show follows a group of superhuman individuals who gained their powers through a horrific accident that also left them permanently disfigured and subsequently shunned by society. However, despite this, the team tries to use their powers for good when not battling demons of their own. The current Doom Patrol line up as seen in the current show consists of Robotman aka Cliff Steele (Brendan Fraser), Negative Man aka Larry Trainor (Matt Bomer), Elasti-Woman aka Rita Farr (April Bowlby), Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero), Cyborg aka Victor Stone (Joivan Wade), and last but not least, the team’s leader The Chief aka Niles Caulder (Timothy Dalton).

Doom Patrol‘s third season premieres with three new episodes on Thursday, September 23, giving newcomers plenty of time to catch up and fans the perfect excuse to watch it all again. Following the show’s premiere, subsequent episodes will be launching weekly every Thursday through November 11 on HBO Max.

For years, a constant debate surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers has been whether or not Ben Simmons needs to shoot more threes. Simmons’ jumper has been a weakness ever since he came into the league, but instead of being a poor shooter, Simmons just straight up does not let it rip from downtown — in his four-year career, Simmons is 5-for-34 from three, with 11 of those attempts coming during his rookie season.

There are two schools of thought here. One is that Simmons is already an All-Star basketball player without a jumper and should be viewed as such, the other is that his lack of a jumper will forever make him a basketball player with a hard ceiling. Regardless, an offseason tradition reared its head on Monday when a video popped up of Simmons working on his jumper in an empty gym. Simmons and Rajon Rondo were both getting some shots up, with Simmons knocking down both of his attempts from deep.

Simmons has explained his hesitancy to shoot threes in games before, telling Jackie MacMullan of ESPN last year, “With 3s, it’s never been like that. I’ve got to make it a point of emphasis. I could be one of those guys shooting 30% right now. But I’d rather be one of those guys shooting 40%.”

Of course, the sample we have from his NBA career — and admittedly very small one — shows that Simmons hasn’t cracked half that so far in his NBA career. The question he has to answer now is whether these little steps forward he appears to be in the midst of taking during the offseason can translate to practices and games. By no means does he need to be Joe Harris or anything, and one can make the case he doesn’t really need to let it fly from deep, anyway. But this would be a big tool for Simmons to add to his tool kit, and we’re only a few months away from figuring out if Simmons will have it when next season begins.

The National Association of Theatre Owners shares an acronym with a much more powerful organizing body worldwide, but if you’re interested in seeing a movie in America in the next few months, that group’s take on vaccine mandates is certainly worth knowing. Which is why a report about the group not fighting back against showing proof of vaccination to see movies is certainly interesting news as you plan out potential trips to the theater in the coming months.

The Hollywood Reporter noted on Monday that NATO’s president said it would not publicly object to new mandates that will be in place in cities like New York in the coming weeks that require people to prove they have been vaccinated to continue indoor activities like dining, going to the gym, and seeing movies:

NATO has decided not to take a position either way on the looming New York City ordinance, and won’t object. Nor is it trying to block the proposed L.A. rule.

“In order for the exhibition industry to fully recover, we need more people to be vaccinated. It’s pure science. The rates of shots had went quite well for a while in the U.S. and then they dropped off. We need them to keep going,” National Association of Theatre Owners president John Fithian tells The Hollywood Reporter.

According to the report, the decision to not say anything came after talking with its members, which include theater owners across the country. While some box office numbers cropped up earlier in the spring and summer with some movies returning to the silver screen, numbers have flagged as of late as the Delta variant of coronavirus has caused a spike in cases and hospitalizations in largely unvaccinated portions of the United States.

The decision seems to be practical as well as political. While Fithian admitted that ticket revenue may be lost in the short term by requiring people show proof of vaccination or not be allowed to attend, the decision is also about the long-term goal of ending the pandemic once and for all.

NATO isn’t the actual theater companies running these chains, nor the actual city governments putting these bans in place. But if the people whose theaters have been in flux for more than a year now seem in favor of legislation directly impacting their bottom line, it’s tough to imagine chains like AMC or Regal actually opposing their stance that these measures are, in fact, positive steps in getting things back to normal.

[via THR]

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg didn’t waste any spare words while reacting to the UN’s new climate report. More specifically, that would be the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issuing a number of warnings, including all-important ocean circulation that’s deteriorating, which poses an acute danger to the Gulf Stream. That last detail (that there’s something “off” lately with the Gulf Stream) comes as little news to anyone who lives in a state that’s usually tornado prone but has watched many of those storms largely shift toward eastern states. And this IPCC report is also why you’re seeing “code red for humanity” splashed across many news outlets on this Monday.

Many well-known voices (even those that seem unlikely to weigh in) like Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane have spoken of this report. On Twitter, MacFarlane tweeted about “damning evidence” about mankind’s disastrous effect on the climate. Well, the foremost climate activist on planet Earth (Greta Thunberg) has now added her voice to the chorus. On Twitter, she wrote, “The new IPCC report contains no real surprises. It confirms what we already know from thousands previous studies and reports – that we are in an emergency. It’s a solid (but cautious) summary of the current best available science.” She also warned that humanity must “be brave and take decisions based on the scientific evidence provided in these reports.” As Greta points out, “We can still avoid the worst consequences, but not if we continue like today, and not without treating the crisis like a crisis.”

Hopefully, the IPPC report could prompt true policy change, so that mankind can curtail its addiction to emitting greenhouse gases like there’s no tomorrow. Meanwhile, Greta has also appeared on the cover of Vogue Scandanavia‘s first issue, in which she poses with a horse and also dresses down the fashion industry for contributing to the current climate and ecological crises while using labels like “sustainable.” She labels such tactics as “greenwash.” Oh boy.

HBO’s new limited series, The White Lotus, might not be so limited after all. Ahead of the upcoming series finale, creator Mike White has confirmed that Season 2 talks have been happening, but if they do come to fruition, there would be some significant changes to the show’s satirical take on the wealthy.

While talking to TVLine, White revealed that if a season two happens (the situation is “unresolved” at the moment), he would almost definitely have to switch up most of the cast and the location. “It would have to be a different hotel, like, say, The White Lotus: San Tropez or something,” White said.

However, not all of the cast would be left behind if White pivots The White Lotus from a limited series to an anthology. While he doesn’t think it would be “credible” if the same vacationers were in the same place again, “but maybe it could be a Marvel universe type thing, where some of them would come back.”

Here’s the official synopsis for the limited series and/or its first season depending on how things shake out:

Among the employees at The White Lotus are the fastidious resort manager Armond, who, after a sudden trauma, begins a dramatic downward spiral – and the down-to-earth spa manager, Belinda who gets taken on an emotional roller coaster ride by a needy guest. The vacationers include the Mossbacher family – Nicole, a successful type-A exec, who can’t help but treat her family like disobedient employees; her husband, Mark, dealing with both an embarrassing health crisis and a terminal inferiority complex; their teenaged son, Quinn, a socially awkward gamer, experiencing the wonder of nature for the very first time; their daughter, Olivia, and her friend, Paula, sharp-tongued college sophomores who cast a sardonic eye on the lifestyles and belief systems of everyone around them.

The White Lotus airs new episodes on Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.

(Via TVLine)

Reservation Dogs: (Season 1 premiere) — Taika Waititi’s FX on Hulu followup to What We Do in the Shadows brings us a comedy series that’s co-written by Native American filmmaker Sterlin Harjo. Yes, the lead quartet in this show rocks suits that look strikingly similar to the characters of Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, yet they’re four Indigenous teens who fight crime and also commit it. The show was shot in and near Okmulgee, Oklahoma (the home of the Muskogee Creek tribal headquarters) — where excitement is lacking. Not for long, though, and these teens hope to make it all the way to California. The cast and crew come from indigenous communities, from where Harjo and Waititi are aiming their storytelling styles as well.

The Beast Must Die: (AMC, 9:00pm) — Jared Harris and Cush Jumbo star in this revenge-thriller series (which originally aired on BritBox UK and achieved a viewing record) that has already been renewed for a second season. This week, Frances must face the consequences of her revenge while DI Strangeways is looking for the truth.

Roswell, New Mexico (CW, 8:00pm) — Maria attempts to figure out what her vision means while Liz gets real with Max, and Kyle has a disturbing encounter, and Michael is fueled by another motivation altogether.

The Republic Of Sarah (CW, 9:00pm) — This show follows the ending of tranquility of Greylock, N.H., after a stash of valuable coltan leads to new overlords, and a rebellious teacher (Sarah Cooper) steps in to halt the madness. Soon enough, there’s the prospect of Greylock becoming a sovereign nation. This week, Corrine asks for Sarah’s help while Sarah must also have a tough talk with Danny.

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard, and John Stamos

In case you missed these weekend picks:

The Suicide Squad (Warner Bros. film on HBO Max) — David Ayer’s 2016 Suicide Squad confined itself to a PG-13 rating, but no one expected James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad to stay with PG-13, and in fact, this R-rated (and quite good) extravaganza is releasing simultaneously on streaming and in theaters. Enjoy the “horribly beautiful” assortment of supervillains as they undertake their latest Task Force X mission, and the cast is an enormous, eclectic, and electric. Not only do we have the returning Margot Robbie (as Harley Quinn), Joel Kinnaman (as Rick Flag), Viola Davis (as Amanda Waller), and Jai Courtney (as Boomerang), but John Cena, Idris Elba, Pete Davidson, and more joined the cast. Also: Sylvester Stallone as King Shark. Sold!

Val (A24 movie on Amazon Prime) — Yep, a Val Kilmer documentary surfaced from the indie studio behind Uncut Gems, Midsommar, Ladybird, and The VVitch. That’s news in and of itself, but now, the atypical doc has arrived to celebrate the Top Gun and Batman actor. The mercurial man’s life and craft will take center stage, since he recorded hours of home-footage (like Soleil Moon Frye did, only with more aviator sunglasses) while filming his most iconic roles and being, you know, Val.