The Boy Who Lived lives again.
J.K. Rowling announced Sept. 12 that she will be writing the script for “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” an adaptation of the Hogwarts textbook the author published as a companion to the novels in 2009. The movie, potentially the first in a series, will follow Hogwarts headmaster Newt Scamander, an expert on magical creatures. However, fans hoping to catch a glimpse of Harry on the big screen will be disappointed: the movie is set 70 years before the events of the beloved septology. Nonetheless, Rowling’s first movie script should be a draw.
Men dominate the country charts, but women dominate the awards.
The Country Music Association honored Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves with six nominations each for its upcoming awards. Despite straying from her country roots, Swift dominated the pop charts and charmed the nation with her Red tour this year while Musgraves broke out with the critically acclaimed album “Same Trailer, Different Park.” To win the coveted Entertainer of the Year award, Swift will have to fend off competition from Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, George Strait and reigning champion Blake Shelton.
Craving a new TV obsession? Better call Saul. After months of media speculation and network hedging, AMC announced Thursday that it has commissioned a spinoff of its monumental drama “Breaking Bad.” The hourlong comedy will focus on peripheral Bad character Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk, “The Spectacular Now”), a lawyer who handles Walter White and Jesse Pinkman as well as a wide range of Albuquerque clients. While the series has no official title or even a series order (AMC signed a licensing agreement and plans to order the show to series soon), fans on Twitter have been calling the potential spinoff “Better Call Saul” in a nod to the character’s signature slogan.
Who’s hosting the 39th season of “Saturday Night Live”? The latest “SNL” season will kick off with a familiar face: beloved former cast member Tina Fey will host for the second time. She’ll be joined by musical guest Arcade Fire, previewing their upcoming new album. Two weeks later, Bruce Willis takes the lead with musical guest Katy Perry. Perhaps most controversially, though, Miley Cyrus will serve as the host and musical guest in between the Fey and Willis shows. Expect lots of hacky sketches about twerking and an obligatory “Miley Cyrus Show” appearance.
Sequels encounter trouble in paradise.
Is Hollywood catching on to the increasing trend of sequel fatigue at the multiplex? This week, Constantin Films announced it will indefinitely delay production on the sequel to “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones,” and Disney pushed back the scheduled release date for the fifth installment in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series. Constantin hoped to launch a new young-adult franchise with “The Mortal Instruments,” but the movie attracted critical yawns and earned only $28 million during its first three weekends. “Pirates,” meanwhile, is missing a fundamental piece: according to producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the script isn’t finished. Perhaps the delay will give Disney time to rethink the title: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” isn’t exactly poetic.
mlieberman@theeagleonline.com
