Latest news with #prequel
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Watch: Claire's mom travels back in time in 'Outlander: Blood of My Blood'
July 10 (UPI) -- Starz is previewing the Outlander prequel series Blood of my Blood ahead of its Aug. 8 premiere. The trailer released Thursday shows Claire Randall's mother Julia (Hermione Corfield) travel back in time to 18th-century Scotland, where she meets Jamie Fraser's mother Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater). Julia helps bring together Ellen and Jamie's father Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy), who are from two rival Scottish clans. Meanwhile, Claire's father Henry (Jeremy Irvine) searches for Julia in their present time of early 20th-century England. According to an official synopsis, "Outlander: Blood of my Blood is a romantic saga that unfolds across time." The series stands on its own, but a press release states that fans of the original series will learn "new perspectives" about the original characters when watching it. "From the battlefields of World War I to the rugged Highlands of the 18th century Scotland, two fated couples must defy the forces that seek to tear them apart, intersecting in surprising and unforeseen ways," the official description continues. Tony Curran, Seamus McLean Ross, Sam Retford, Rory Alexander and Conor MacNeill also star. Outlander: Blood of My Blood premieres Aug. 8 at 8 p.m. EDT on Starz.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Outlander: Blood of My Blood' Was Renewed for Season 2 Before It Even Premiered
Good news has arrived for Outlander fans. The new stand-alone prequel series, Outlander: Blood of My Blood, starring Harriet Slater, Jamie Roy, Hermione Corfield, and Jeremy Irvine, has officially been renewed for a second season—months before its premiere. Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming show. Yes! On June 23, Starz announced that the series had already been renewed for a second season ahead of season 1's premiere on Aug. 8, 2025. 'The passion and talent our cast and crew have poured into Outlander: Blood of My Blood has been extraordinary and we're thrilled to continue these epic love stories in season 2,' Matthew B. Roberts, showrunner and executive producer, said in a statement. 'Just as audiences fell in love with Jamie and Claire, we hope viewers will be enamored by these new couples when they meet them this summer.' Kathryn Busby, President of Programming at Starz, also spoke about the news. 'The world of Outlander has captivated audiences with its sweeping storytelling and unforgettable characters,' she said. 'With Blood of My Blood, we've expanded the universe in a way that honors the original, while charting bold new territory.' She continued, 'Fans—longtime and new—will be drawn to the powerful love stories at the heart of this next chapter, and we're proud to continue building on the franchise's legacy with Matt and our longtime-partners at Sony who have worked tirelessly to make Outlander the global phenomenon it has become.' It has. Production on season 2 officially kicked off today in Scotland. A release date for season 2 has not been confirmed yet, but stay tuned. This story will be updated. You Might Also Like The 15 Best Organic And Clean Shampoos For Any And All Hair Types 100 Gifts That Are $50 Or Under (And Look Way More Expensive Than They Actually Are)
BreakingNews.ie
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Glenn Close and Billy Porter to star in The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping
The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping is to star Glenn Close and Billy Porter when it is released next year. Due for release in November 2026, the sixth film in the fantasy franchise will star Close, 78, as escort Drusilla Sickle, and Porter, 55, as stylist Magno Stift – who is also her onscreen husband. Advertisement It comes after Conclave star Ralph Fiennes was cast as villain President Coriolanus Snow in the prequel, which will be an adaption of the fifth book in the series written by Suzanne Collins. The book was published in March 2025 and is a prequel to the original trilogy, which was adapted into the films starring US actress Jennifer Lawrence. Close is best known for her appearances in Fatal Attraction (1988), Dangerous Liaisons (1989), and 101 Dalmatians (1996), where she played Cruella De Vil, while Porter is best known for his performances on Broadway in shows such as Kinky Boots. The new film follows a young Haymitch Abernathy, one of the few Hunger Games winners from the same district as the original trilogy's protagonist Katniss Everdeen, played by Lawrence. Advertisement Played by Zombieland actor Woody Harrelson, Haymitch is first introduced to readers in the original trilogy as the alcoholic mentor to tributes Katniss and Peeta Mellark, played by Bridge To Terabithia's Josh Hutcherson, before they are sent off to fight to the death in a televised arena. The prequel follows Haymitch as he is drawn to fight in the 50th Hunger Games, a violent entertainment set up to maintain control in the fictional country of Panem, and faces double the amount of tributes, two boys and two girls, who are selected from each district. The movie will be directed by Francis Lawrence, who also directed the Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part I, and Mockingjay Part II. The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping will be released in cinemas on November 20th, 2026. Advertisement
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Upcoming 'Hunger Games' prequel is full of Indiana connections — including Glenn Close
Another actor with ties to the Hoosier state has joined the cast of the upcoming "Hunger Games" prequel film. Deadline announced Glenn Close will be in the cast of "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping," based on the book by Indiana University alum Suzanne Collins. It's one of several recent announcements about who will star in the movie, which is the fifth in the franchise and takes place before the original trilogy. Here's a look at the cast. According to Deadline, Glenn Close will play Drusilla Sickle. She's described as "the cruel escort to the District 12 tributes." Billy Porter also is a new cast addition. He'll play Magno Stift, Sickles' estranged husband and designer. Glenn Close chose to donate her extensive costume collection to the Indiana University School of Art, Architecture + Design in 2017, according to a news release. 'My costume collection has been a treasured possession,' Close said in the release. 'It represents not only the characters I have played in the last 35 years, but also the thousands of hours spent in fitting rooms, collaborating with brilliant costume designers and builders. These garments represent a process that is at the very core of my craft." According to a news release from 2021, Close said she saved and preserved the costumes because of her respect for the collaboration between actors and designers. 'I would love to compute how many hours went into building these clothes,' she said at the time. 'I think it would be astounding. And that to me, those women in the back room at the tables cutting, sewing, beading – they're the people we should be celebrating, as well.' Glenn Close: Actress visits IU exhibit of her costumes Here's a look at all of the cast announcements made so far, according to reports from Deadline, Variety and IMDB: Iona Bell as Lou Lou Glenn Close as Drusilla Sickle Kieran Culkin as Caeser Flickerman Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket McKenna Grace as Maysilee Donner Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee Maya Hawke as Wiress Whitney Peake as Lenore Dove Baird Ralph Fiennes as President Snow Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee Billy Porter as Magno Stift Molly McCann as Louella McCoy Lily Taylor as Mags Ben Wang as Wyatt Callow Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy Previously: New cast member announced for 'Hunger Games' prequel a familiar face for 'Stranger Things' fans Lionsgate lists the film's release date as Nov. 20, 2026. The prequel falls chronologically between Collins' last release, "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," and the first "Hunger Games" book. Here's the order: "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" (2020): Takes place during the 10th Hunger Games competition and centers around a young Corialanus Snow. "Sunrise on the Reaping" (2025): Takes place during the 25th Hunger Games, the first Quarter Quell, when twice as many tributes were required. Haymitch Abernathy is the main character. "The Hunger Games" (2008): Takes place during the 74th Hunger Games, when Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute to replace her sister. "Catching Fire" (2009): Takes place during the 75th Hunger Games, another Quarter Quell. This time, participants are drawn only from previous Hunger Games winners. "Mockingjay" (2010): Takes place during the revolution that follows the Quarter Quell. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Glenn Close cast in 'Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.'
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Reese Witherspoon's Legally Blonde prequel Elle is branded a 'pointless money grab' that 'nobody wants to see' by disgruntled fans
As casting announcements continue to be made about the upcoming Legally Blonde prequel, disgruntled fans have dubbed the Reese Witherspoon-produced series a 'pointless money grab' that 'nobody wants to see'. Titled Elle, the production is set to sashay onto screens in summer 2026, and features 24-year-old rising star Lexi Minetree as a young Elle Woods. But while some fans are keen to see their favourite Harvard-bound heroine in her formative years, others are asking: do we really need to see what Elle was like before she knew what 'habeas corpus' meant? The new show promises to explore Elle's early life, presumably in the sun-drenched halls of her Beverly Hills high school, before she turned heartbreak into Harvard acceptance. But if early internet reactions are anything to go by, not everyone is buying the glittery reboot. While there's certainly excitement around the casting of fresh-faced Minetree, critics have taken to social media to call out what they see as yet another example of a sequel/prequel/spin-off nobody actually asked for. One user on X said: 'This is so funny to me because why does Elle Woods need a prequel? 'She is one of the most fully formed characters. We fully understand her whole deal and where she came from basically instantly.' Echoing this sentiment, another person added: 'Also there's no room for good character arc! 'Nobody wants to see how Elle became the person she was at the start of the movie… the movie has her arc, so any arc they give her in the show is going to ring false.' The original 2001 film Legally Blonde, starring Reese Witherspoon in arguably her most well-known role, was praised not just for its bright visuals and punchy dialogue, but for its portrayal of Elle's transformation. From ditzy fashion student to rising legal star, her backstory isn't a mystery, it's clear from the first five minutes, argued fans. Another user said: 'Doesn't even make sense… The entire point of Legally Blonde is to show Elle's character arc from superficial to empathetic. 'She wouldn't have had a major character growth story before the events of the film or else it negates the entire point of the film.' Others questioned the narrative logic. If viewers know Elle's long-time boyfriend Warner Huntington is going to dump her, do they really want to watch them date, they asked. 'Are we supposed to cheer for her and that man when we know what's going to happen?' one commenter asked. Having already been stretched into three additional films and a hit musical, the prequel series is the latest reimagining. Pictured left, Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, and right, Lexi Minetree as Elle Woods Another said: 'There is no depth to cover.' Legally Blonde has already been stretched across three films, a successful Broadway musical and countless Halloween costumes. The idea of mining the character further suggests, for some, less a hunger for storytelling and more a hunger for nostalgia-fuelled profit. 'It's just a money grab,' one viewer wrote. Others have suggested the new show is aimed at a younger demographic - perhaps those who weren't yet born when Elle first stood in her pink power suit and told the Harvard admissions board, 'What, like it's hard?' The series might bring a beloved story to Gen Z viewers who didn't experience the original in real time. And with the growing popularity of female-led coming-of-age series, perhaps the producers are hoping Elle will follow in the footsteps of shows like Gossip Girl (rebooted), The Summer I Turned Pretty and XO, Kitty. 'I think the reason we see so many sequels, prequels, remakes, live-action remakes, etc. is that our culture is stagnating, and creativity is on the decline,' said one commenter. But many have questioned whether another iteration of the Legally Blonde series is really necessary Whether the series turns out to be a fun addition to the Legally Blonde universe or simply another unnecessary spin-off, Elle Woods remains as beloved as ever. Meanwhile, filming of the new series is well underway and the cast were spotted shooting a scene in Los Angeles earlier this month. Minetree, who Reese cast as the young Elle Woods after a four-month nationwide search, was seen filming shopping scenes with her co-stars on the iconic Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Reese will executively produce the show, 24 years after starring as the well-known character in the first film. In February, Reese announced the news that Lexi got the role of Elle and in May, 2024, Reese reprised her role as Elle Woods to announce the new series. The star is developing the Legally Blonde spinoff with the help of her production company Hello Sunshine.
