One of the best movies of the 2000s, Mean Girls remains a cultural touchstone more than two decades after its release. The beloved 2004 teen comedy launched and/or leveled up its now-wildly successful cast. However, it wasn't easy for every member of the ensemble to land a role as one of the students at North Shore High. For Lizzy Caplan, securing the role of Janis Ian was no small task and, as she recently recalled, she faced resistance from execs, who wanted a then-popular reality TV star for the gig.

While appearing on Penn Badgley’s Podcrushed podcast, Caplan recounted her life-changing experience with Mean Girls. She explained that, from the start, she was high on the project and determined to be cast. When it comes to the Cobweb star's experience, the process sounds a lot more complex than how the Glen Coco actor snagged his spot:

I’m not surprised in the slightest that the Masters of Sex alum was obsessed with landing the gig based on the screenplay alone. Also, it was her first major role she would land in her twenties, besides Smallville. Caplan had nothing but positive things to say about making the film as well, equating it to a college-esque experience. Oh, how I wish I could've been a fly on the wall during production on what's now considered one of the best high school movies.

Before all the fun, though, Lizzy Caplan had to actually land the role, though, and she was apparently facing some generally stiff competition. As she explained on the podcast, executives were keen on casting a different star for the role of the dry-witted Janis. To be honest, on paper, the casting idea probably would've made sense at the time. Just to give you a hint as to who Caplan name-dropped, they were famous MTV star during the early aughts:

On the one hand, this makes sense, given that MTV's The Osbournes was huge at the time, and Kelly was a famous face. She also could've possibly channeled Janis' droll nature effectively. Plus, having another marquee name attached to the Tina Fey-penned film could've (theoretically) helped attract more potential audience members.

But, on the other hand, I can’t imagine Mean Girls without Lizzy Caplan. She simply played Janis perfectly, bringing a mixture of skepticism and believability to her. Still, it is interesting to think about what Osbourne might've done with Janis. I mean, would she have had a British accent, and would she be more cynical? There’s so much to consider!

Although she was contending with a group of people who were in Kelly Osbourne's corner, Lizzy Caplan didn't back down. In fact, her team was able to lend her a keen assist, and fans may be surprised to learn that wigs were involved in helping the Freaks and Geeks star earn the part:

I’m so pleased to know Mean Girls still holds such a special in Caplan's heart. Also, I appreciate that she and her team went the extra mile by going through gothy wigs. It can't be said with certainty that she wouldn't have gotten that part without that hair-raising method, but it definitely didn't hurt. Caplan also brings up a good point in that it's not often that whether in acting or any career that a person gets an opportunity to celebrate with sheer bliss.

Even though I do think Kelly Osbourne could've solidly played Janis, I'd say everything worked out as it should've. Lizzy Caplan is now synonymous with so many of the endlessly quotable Mean Girls lines, and I wouldn't love it any other way. Stream the film now with a Paramount+ subscription, and check out Caplan in her 2025 movie release, Now You See Me: Now You Don't.

As demonstrated through five years of making The Crown – a series featuring the likes of Claire Foy, Matt Smith, Vanessa Kirby, Oliva Colman, Helena Bonham Carter, Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce and many more – Peter Morgan knows how to put a stellar ensemble cast together, and it appears that he is once again utilizing that skill for his next project. The veteran writer will soon be starting production on a new adaptation of author Ira Levin's 1976 novel The Boys From Brazil, and he has brought together some phenomenal talent to tell the dramatic story on screen.

According to Variety, Netflix is officially moving forward with Morgan's limited series, which will have a five-episode run, and the cast that has been brought together includes Jeremy Strong, Gillian Anderson, Shira Haas, Daniel Brühl, August Diehl, and Lizzy Caplan. Anderson's inclusion is notable, as she previously worked with the showrunner playing Margaret Thatcher in Seasons 3 and 4 of The Crown, but it's also noteworthy that this will be the third time that Brühl and Diehl have worked together (the other two titles being Inglourious Basterds and The King's Man).

Jeremy Strong – who has recently been working on The Social Reckoning with writer/director Aaron Sorkin – will be playing Yakov Liebermann, a Holocaust survivor who makes it his life mission to search the globe for Nazi fugitives and bring them to justice (the character inspired by the legendary work of Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal). In the decades-spanning story, a plot is uncovered that sees a scientist named Dr. Johann-Friedrich Meinhardt (August Diehl) is living in South America and working on an experiment to create biological clones of Adolf Hitler.

This marks the second time that The Boys From Brazil has been adapted, as directed Franklin J. Schaffner previously helmed a 1978 feature memorably starring Gregory Peck, James Mason, and Laurence Olivier. The series is Peter Morgan's first project since The Crown concluded in 2023 – his filmography also including standout titles such as Frost/Nixon (based on his play of the same name), The Last King Of Scotland, The Queen, and Rush.

Filming of the new limited series will be an international affair, as production is set to begin next month and will take place in the UK, Germany, Bulgaria and Spain. Unfortunately, one bit of information we don't presently have is a targeted release date (the earliest it could arrive for Netflix subscribers is probably late 2026).

Given all of the talent involved, one expects that this will be a very high-profile project on Netflix's upcoming slate, so stay tuned for more updates about the project as it moves further through development and we get more news about what's in store.

As the Now You See Me 3 movie, known affectionately as Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, approaches closer on the 2025 movie release calendar, our curiosity only grows about what the magician-centric sequel has in store for us. Now Jesse Eisenberg has offered an enigmatic, but exciting answer to whether Lizzy Caplan’s Lula May might make a return alongside the original Four Horsemen reuniting.

What Jesse Eisenberg Said About Lizzy Caplan's Possible Return In Now You See Me 3

Ever since the first Now You See Me 3 trailer dropped online, we’ve had a lot of questions about the plot of the movie, including why certain characters are missing. Following Lizzy Caplan’s character from the 2016 sequel not being part of any of the marketing, Entertainment Weekly asked Jesse Eisenberg if audiences can expect to see Lula May in the third movie. In his words:

So Eisenberg isn’t willing to give up whether his Now You See Me 2 co-star is back with the original Four Horsemen for the new movie. However, it sounds like any unannounced cast members to the movie have been purposely omitted from marketing in order to give audiences some fun thrills. In the same interview, Eisenberg also teased a twist that will “blow your mind,” speaking to how he actually had to read through the script a few times, which he had a blast filming in Budapest with his co-stars, in order for the ending to sink in.

What Other 'Surprise Appearances' Could Eisenberg Be Teasing?

Now, we haven’t heard any rumors that Lizzy Caplan might be in the new Now You See Me 3, but the actress was asked about whether she’d be in it back in February by ScreenRant, to which she said “I don’t know,” leading us to question why she didn’t outright deny it.

Per Eisenberg’s comments, there are definitely some cast members we don’t know about, and aside from Caplan, there’s also some other possibilities to talk through. For one, Variety previously reported that Mark Ruffalo’s Dylan Rhodes, who was central to the first two movies, would be returning, but he has also not been in any of the trailers or marketing.

Two other names worth looking out for are Michael Caine’s Arthur Tressler, who was a secret villain in Now You See Me 2 (though it’s worth noting this one is less likely because Caine's retired from acting) and Daniel Radcliffe’s Walter Mabry, who was the sequel’s front-facing villain and was also revealed to be Arthur’s son. Then there’s always the “surprise” wild card, which could be some big actor we have no idea is in the threequel that hasn’t been in the previous movies.

All in all, there’s a lot to be excited for Now You See Me 3, and its twists and turns are definitely included. The movie hits theaters on November 14. While you wait, you can watch the first two movies with a Netflix subscription.

The superhero genre continues be a powerful force in the entertainment industry, with a number of shared universes competing for box office supremacy. While the MCU (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription) is still going strong, Fox's X-Men franchise ended with Dark Phoenix. A number of movies were scrapped when Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, including Channing Tatum's long-developing Gambit movie. Actress Lizzy Caplan was set to appear in that project as well, and she just revealed information about the scrapped movie that's making me wish we actually got to see it.

Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order will remember how the Gambit movie sat in development hell in years before it eventually got dropped. While Tatum finally got to play that role in Deadpool & Wolverine, Caplan spoke to Business Insider about what his solo movie could have been like. She spoke about how close the movie got to filming, offering:

Honestly, my FOMO is through the roof. While production never actually began, it sounds like the Gambit movie was going to bring something unique to the superhero genre, and especially the X-Men movies. And I can only imagine how endlessly charming Tatum and Caplan would have been in this superhero flick if it came to fruition.

It certainly sounds like Caplan was eager to get started on the Gambit movie before it got dropped. Later in that same interview she shared just how surprising it was that the blockbuster was cancelled, especially with an A-lister like Tatum attached. As she put it:

She's got a point. While lots of movies end up lost to development hell, the superhero genre's popularity often helps blockbusters make their way to theaters. Alas, Gambit was dropped seemingly as a result of Disney acquiring Fox and the mutants finally being able to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Luckily for the Magic Mike star, he finally got to play Gambit in Deadpool 3. While Tatum's accent went viral, folks did seem to respond to his take on the fan favorite X-Man. And many of those fans are hoping that he gets to reprise that role in an upcoming Marvel movie sometime in the future. We'll just have to wait and see what the studio is planning for the X-Men as a whole.

The Mean Girls world continues to remain quite the topic of conversation, with Lindsay Lohan referencing MG and Conclave getting equated to religious Plastics. However, there's a question about Janis Ian and that Lesbian vs Lebanese line being discussed that is surprising to me. The Tina Fey film easily ranks as one of the best high school movies, loaded with smart and poking jokes, the Lesbian vs Lebanese line included. As a pretty avid Fey and Mean Girls fan, I have some thoughts about the gag’s use in the endlessly quotable Mean Girls.

If you know anything about Tina Fey, you know she’s no joke as a writer or comedian. It's why the Mean Girls theory about the Lesbian vs. Lebanese word mix-up exists. Essentially, it’s made out that Regina has confused the word Lesbian for Lebanese, as she spread a rumor that Janis was a lesbian. Later in the film, Janis tells Kevin G. that she's Lebanese, leading people to believe that Regina mixed up the two words.

Fans on Reddit have been discussing this hinging line that Regina George delivers about Janis Ian and letting all fans in on the joke. Some commenters are going into detail to clear up the confusion and showcasing how the whole Lesbian-Lebanese bit is a cornerstone of the Mean Girls world. DebateObjective2787 explained that the joke subtly gets layered near the end of the film and shared that it’s not an uncommon bit in media:

The exchange in question, shows Regina talking to Cady about her past friendship with Janis. The two were best friends in middle school but the friendship shifted after Rachel McAdams' character started seeing her first boyfriend. Janis was, ‘obsessed’ with knowing the head Plastic’s whereabouts, which led Regina to snub Janis (and their friendship) of an invitation to her upcoming all-girl birthday pool party because she thought she was a lesbian. Check the clip out below for yourself:

That ex-friendship recall scene is key for the movie that’s as good as the book. It gives the viewer insight into why there’s such a divide between Cady’s social circles and showcases why the now polar opposites split. The moment highlights Regina’s fakeness and Janis’ loyalty all while quietly setting up the Lesbian vs Lebanese theory. Although we never see the moment George misinterprets the two words, all the groundwork is laid and can more or less be inferred after you hear Janis say she's Lebanese at the dance.

While the Mark Waters-directed film sets up the point more delicately, it’s not the first time I, or other fans, have seen this bit. As mentioned, other series have played with the word mixup, as MarinaAndTheDragons shared the Golden Girls exchange:

Even though it’s not a super common sighting, you can bet they aren’t as creatively crafted as Tina Fey’s. And while I do think the general idea of the joke’s structure and punchline are low-hanging fruit, the Saturday Night Live alum gave it new life. The quiet reveal lands with two other characters rather than Regina and Cady. Janis shares that she’s Lebanese while dancing with Kevin G near the end and, if you’re like me, you see this bit as signature 30 Rock-Fey material.

If you’re wondering, Fey also had a hand in the enjoyable musical iteration of Mean Girls that came out last year. The Baby Mama actress didn’t incorporate the gag in the present movie-Broadway-musical movie (which is available with an Amazon Prime subscription or Paramount+ subscription) but had a different subplot to replace it. Ian is a rumored Pyro (the story revealed that she had set fire to a plush toy that led to other items catching fire), instead of a possible lesbian. In this new film, she simply is queer. It slightly changes the tone between the two adversaries, but not in a bad way.

It’s great to see fans explaining the Janis Ian Mean Girls gag and that Fey’s iconic writing is still knocking it out of the park for other fans to discover.

Since first coming out in 1987, Fatal Attraction has been considered one of the best erotic thrillers, thanks in part to its cast anchored by Michael Douglas and Glenn Close. More than 35 years later, the movie is finally getting the remake treatment in the form of a new show, also called Fatal Attraction, but with a different, yet equally great pair of actors playing lovers in a passionate and volatile affair.

If you started the show, or plan on watching it at some point in the near future, you are probably wondering where you’ve seen the Fatal Attraction cast before. Well, worry not, because we are able to break down all the major characters from the Paramount+ original series and why they all look so familiar, starting with stars Joshua Jackson and Lizzy Caplan.

Joshua Jackson (Dan Gallagher)

Michael Douglas famously played Dan Gallagher in Adrian Lyne’s Fatal Attraction, but the Paramount+ remake series sees Joshua Jackson take on the role of the married deputy district attorney who enters into an extramarital affair with Alex Forrest, a relationship that he couldn't put a stop to even if he wanted.

Jackson is no stranger to the small screen, as the format has been a constant in his career dating back to the early 1990s. Over the years, Jackson has led series like Dawson’s Creek, Fringe, The Affair, Little Fires Everywhere, and most recently, the first season of the Peacock true crime show, Dr. Death. He has also popped up in episodes of When They See Us, Gravity Falls, The Outer Limits, and The Simpsons.

Over on the film side, Jackson has landed major roles in movies like The Mighty Ducks, Cruel Intentions, The Skulls, and Bobby. 

Lizzy Caplan (Alex Forrest) 

Lizzy Caplain takes on the role of Alex Forrest, a character famously played by Glenn Close in the original version of the story from decades earlier.

Like her co-star, Caplan is a seasoned pro when it comes the realm of TV, having been a part of the Freaks and Geeks cast, leading shows like the first run of Party Down (she didn’t return for the revival series), True Blood, Castle Rock, Inside Job, Fleishman Is In Trouble, and Masters of Sex, which earned her an Emmy nomination in 2014.

Caplan also has a number of film appearances under her belt, with movies like Orange County, Mean Girls, Hot Tub Time Machine, and the first installment in the Cloverfield franchise, to name only a few.

Amanda Peet (Beth Gallagher)

Next up for the Fatal Attraction cast is Amanda Peet, who takes on the role of Dan Gallagher’s wife, Beth. The character was portrayed by Anne Archer in the 1987 version.

Peet is another member of the cast with a great deal of experience on the small screen, with major roles on a list of shows that includes Jack & Jill, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Togetherness, Brockmire, and Dirty John. That’s on top of one-off appearances on shows like Law & Order, Seinfeld, How I Met Your Mother, and The Romanoffs. 

Over the years, Peet has also appeared in a few dozen movies, including everything from The Whole Nine Yards to Something’s Gotta Give and Saving Silverman to Syriana. Her most recent big-screen feature was Sleeping with Other People in 2015.

Toby Huss (Mike Gerard) 

Toby Huss shows up on Fatal Attraction as Mike Gerard, a longtime friend of Dan Gallagher's who also happens to be the chief of investigations in his District Attorney’s office.

Fans of a certain age will probably recognize Huss from his portrayal of Artie, “The Strongest Man in the World” on the iconic Nickelodeon show The Adventures of Pete & Pete, but if not, there have been plenty of TV shows over the years to feature the actor. Starting with his live-action work, Huss has been on Halt and Catch Fire, GLOW, Dickinson, 30 Rock, The Office, Reno 911!, and Carnivale. His voice-actor work includes Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill (he voiced characters like Cotton Hill and Kahn Sr.), The Cleveland Show, and countless others.

His film appearances include Jerry Maguire, Balls of Fury, The Front Runner, Birds of Paradise, Blonde, and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, in which he played Weird Al’s estranged father. 

Brian Goodman (Arthur Tomlinson) 

Brian Goodman takes on the role of Arthur Tomlinson, Beth Gallagher’s business partner and best friend on Fatal Attraction.

Throughout his career, Goodman has appeared on shows like 24, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Lie to Me, Rizzoli & Isles, Sons of Anarchy, Revenge, Chance, and multiple others dating back to the early 2000s. During that same stretch of time, Goodman has been in movies like Munich, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Black Butterfly, and The Last Castle. 

Alyssa Jirrels (Ellen Gallagher) 

Alyssa Jirrels appears in Fatal Attraction as Ellen Gallagher, Dan and Beth’s daughter. The role was played by Ellen Hamilton Latzen in the original movie.

Prior to joining the cast, Jirrels landed roles on shows like Boo, Bitch, the 2020 Saved by the Bell revival, American Housewife, NCIS: Los Angeles, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Mick, and various others 

Reno Wilson (Detective Earl Brooker) 

Reno Wilson joins the Fatal Attraction cast as Detective Earl Brooker, who's with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Ever since making his professional acting debut on The Cosby Show back in the late 1980s, Wilson has landed steady roles on a number of shows like The Chronicle, Blind Justice, Heist, Friday: The Animated Series, Mike & Molly, and Good Girls. Wilson has also made one-off appearances on shows like Martin, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, NYPD Blue, American Dad!, and Scrubs, to name a few. His film appearances include everything from The Great White Hope, Fallen, Crank: High Voltage, Tooken, Bolden, and various installments in the Transformers film franchise. 

You can see these actors, as well as other members of the Fatal Attraction cast, in action by watching the show streaming, but only if you have a Paramount+ subscription. If you want to know more about the new and returning shows coming to the streamer, as well as other platforms and channels, make sure to check out our 2023 TV schedule.

Stream Fatal Attraction on Paramount+.

Party Down wasn’t the most popular show in the world when it initially debuted on Starz. However, over the past 14 years since it premiered, it’s found a new audience streaming on platforms like Hulu and Amazon. This paved the way for the long-awaited Season 3, which thankfully sees the return of just about every original cast member, but not all of the stars have returned. Series staple Lizzy Caplan was unable to come back, but according to her co-stars, there’s no bad blood, and they’re even holding out hope that she could return for Season 4.

I recently caught up with Party Down vets Martin Starr who plays Roman, and Ryan Hansen, who plays Kyle. When the subject of Lizzy Caplan’s absence came up, they responded with the following:

"Martin Starr: I mean, there's only one person that didn't make it and that's, you know, my old third grade best friend, Lizzy Caplan.
Ryan Hansen: And we missed her a lot, and she obviously wanted to be a part of it so bad but she couldn't make it, and it was devastating. But we love her.
Martin Starr: Yeah. And hopefully, if we get to come back and do a fourth season, I have a feeling she will be able to make it so hopefully we'll figure it out next time. But yeah, the timing just didn't work out this go ‘round. But she's doing really great. She's got a little baby, she's living a great life, she's happy. She's got a wonderful, loving, caring, awesome husband, Tom.
Ryan Hansen: Yeah, we love Tom. Big fan of Tom."

Wow! As you can tell by the video above this article, the love among Party Down cast members is palpable. Starr wasn’t kidding, as he and Caplan  have been friends since they were in third grade. He and Ryan Hansen even seem to have a solid relationship with her husband and fellow actor Tom Riley. More importantly, Martin Starr alluded to the idea that she would be down to come back for a Season 4, implying that the rest of the cast and crew have already had conversations about it.

While Season 3 will see the return of big names in comedy, including Jane Lynch, Adam Scott, Ken Marino and Megan Mullally, there will also be plenty of new cast members you’ve probably seen before. It picks up 10 years after Season 2 and contains six episodes, and that’s just the beginning of what you can read about Season 3 of the comedy series.

You can stream Party Down Season 3 right now! While most Starz subscribers may be waiting for the huge Outlander Season 7 premiere coming our way this summer, as a Party Down fan, I can assure you that the new episodes are worth the watch and capture the spirit of the first two seasons. Of course, there’s also plenty of other 2023 TV premieres to keep an eye on. 

The FX on Hulu brand has given audiences some incredible shows since FX+ was given a fresh coat of paint and new name in early 2020, with shows like Reservation Dogs, Under the Banner of Heaven, and The Bear being considered some of the best offerings on TV right now. The latest addition to the library, Fleishman Is in Trouble, has all the trappings of the brand’s next big hit, thanks to its story (based on Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s 2019 novel of the same name), style, and a tremendous collection of actors with all kinds of accolades.

If you have watched the first two episodes of the 2022 TV show, which premiered on November 17, 2022, or you are planning on catching up later on, there’s a good chance you are wondering where you’ve seen the members of the Fleishman Is in Trouble cast before. Well, you’ve come to the right place because we’re about to break it all down now…

Jesse Eisenberg (Toby Fleishman)

Jesse Eisenberg leads the Fleishman Is in Trouble cast as Toby Fleishman, a recently-divorced 40-year-old doctor in Manhattan who is getting used to the app-based dating world and a single parent after his wife ups and leaves without notice.

Throughout his career, Eisenberg has played an intelligent and overly-ambitious billionaire in The Social Network and an over-the-top version of Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, respectively, while also playing more sincere characters in titles like The Squid and the Whale, Adventureland, and the Zombieland franchise. The new FX on Hulu miniseries is Eisenberg’s first major TV role since his days on Get Real more than 20 years ago.

Claire Danes (Rachel Fleishman)

Multi-time Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy winner Claire Danes appears in the Fleishman Is in Trouble cast as Toby’s ex-wife Rachel, who, after years of marriage, decides she needs something new and different from life.

Danes is no stranger to the medium of TV, as she first rose to prominence on the quintessential ‘90s series My So-Called Life, and then later on with the decorated Showtime original series, Homeland. She has also appeared on Temple Grandin, Master of None, and The Essex Serpent over the years. Danes’ film credits include Baz Luhrman’s reimagining of Romeo + Juliet, The Hours, Shopgirl, and The Family Stone, to name only a few.

Lizzy Caplan (Libby Epstein)

Taking on the role of Toby’s best friend Libby Epstein (who also provides the show’s narration) is Lizzy Caplan, who brings years of experience to the Fleishman Is in Trouble cast.

Just like the co-stars listed above, Caplan got her start in show business on TV, with a four-episode run on Freaks and Geeks, the short-lived dramedy series that helped launch the careers of some of today’s biggest stars. Over the years, Caplan has landed leading roles on Party Down, Masters of Sex, and Castle Rock, to name just a few. She’s next set to take on the role of Alex Forrest in the upcoming TV-adaptation of Fatal Attraction.

Adam Brody (Seth Morris)

Adam Brody appears in the Fleishman Is in Trouble cast as Seth Morris, one of Toby’s best friends who helps guide him through the post-divorce life.

Brody, who came into prominence with his portrayal of Seth Cohen on the Fox teen drama series The O.C., following appearances on shows like Grounded for Life and The Sausage Factory, has continued to be a go-to name over the years. Movies like Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Sleeping with Other People, Promising Young Woman, and Ready or Not have all featured the actor in some capacity. He is next set to reprise his role of the superhero version of Freddy Freeman in the upcoming Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Christian Slater (Archer Sylvan)

Christian Slater appears on Fleishman Is in Trouble as Archer Sylvan, a character Deadline described as being a “Tom Wolfe-esque” figure who writes an article about the dissolution of marriage, reflecting the show’s central conflict.

Slater is mostly known for appearing in movies like Heathers, True Romance, Interview with the Vampire, and Stephen King’s Dolan’s Cadillac, but he has more than a few TV credits to his name that are worth mentioning. First, there’s his decorated performance on Mr. Robot that earned him a Golden Globe and multiple nominations, but he has also appeared on Dr. Death, The West Wing, Alias, and a few dozen other programs going back to the early 1980s.

Josh Radnor (Adam Epstein)

Josh Radnor also joins the Fleishman is in Trouble cast as Libbey Epstein’s husband, Adam. 

Whenever Radnor’s name (or face) comes up, it’s hard not to instantly think of Ted Mosby, the character he played for nine seasons on the CBS sitcom, How I Met Your Mother. After that, he landed a major role on Grey's Anatomy. Randor’s other TV credits include Rise, Hunters, Mercy Street, and Six Feet Under, to name a few. He has also popped up in movies like Liberal Arts, Social Animals, and Not Another Teen Movie.

Michael Gaston (Dr. Bartuck)

Taking on the role Dr. Bartuck, Toby’s overbearing boss, is Michael Gaston. 

Throughout his career, Gaston has appeared on shows like Five Days at Memorial, Jack Ryan, For Life, The Leftovers, Mad Men, Jericho, The West Wing, and a few dozen others, including brief, one-off roles on shows like Law & Order and The Sopranos. His film work includes W., Inception, First Reformed, and Cop Land, to name just a few.

Meara Mahoney-Gross (Hannah Fleishman)

Meara Mahoney-Gross appears on Fleishman Is in Trouble as Hannah, the daughter of Toby and Rachel who finds herself caught in the middle of her parents’ divorce and new lives.

Mahoney-Gross has only been acting for a few years, but she has already appeared in movies like The Tender Bar and Don’t Look Up.

Maxim Swinton (Solly Fleishman)

Maxim Swinton shows up on Fleishman Is in Trouble as Solly, the young son of Toby and Rachel.

Over the course of the past few years, Swinton has made appearances on shows like Halston, NOS4A2, Blindspot, Bull, and The Blacklist: Redemption, to name a few.

The first two episodes of Fleishman Is in Trouble are currently available to stream if you have a Hulu subscription, and new episodes are set to premiere every Thursday through the end of the year.

There was once a time where TV adaptations of popular movies were looked at with deep skepticism, often because they sometimes ended up as cheap versions or knockoffs of the original source material. Some, like M.A.S.H. and In The Heat of the Night, lived up to the lofty expectations from audiences, but many others did not. Soon, anyone with a Paramount+ subscription will get to see if the forthcoming Fatal Attraction TV show will live up to the Academy Award-winning 1987 psychological thriller of the same name. 

If this is the first you are hearing about the Fatal Attraction TV show, worry not because we have a decent amount of information on the streaming series from the actors who will be taking over the roles made famous by Glenn Close and Michael Douglas to what we can expect to see from the show when it makes its eventual debut.

What Is The Fatal Attraction Premiere Date?

There isn’t all that much time to wait until the arrival of Fatal Attraction, as the series is set to premiere Sunday, April 30th.. In the matter of a few weeks, the list of great Paramount+ original shows will be a little bit longer with this TV adaptation of the iconic ‘80s erotic thriller.

The Fatal Attraction Cast Includes Joshua Jackson And Lizzy Caplan

When Fatal Attraction came out in theaters in 1987, it quickly became not only one of the best Glenn Close movies, but also one of the most intense cinematic experiences of all time. But instead of Close’s Alex Forrest terrorizing Michael Douglas’ Dan Gallagher this time around, it will be Lizzy Caplan obsessing over Joshua Jackson’s version of the character over the course of the streaming series, as Paramount+ announced in January 2022. Caplan and Jackson have each found success with psychological thrillers as of late with Caplan portraying a different version of Annie Wilkes on the second season of Hulu’s Castle Rock and Joshua Jackson received praise for his take on Christopher Duntsch in Peacock’s Dr. Death.

Other members of the Fatal Attraction cast include Amanda Peet as Beth Gallagher, Alyssa Jirrels as Ellen Gallagher, Toby Huss as Mike Gerard, Reno Wilson as Detective Earl Brooker, and Brian Goodman as Arthur Tomlinson. 

The Fatal Attraction Teaser Is Full Of Steamy Romance And Tense Situations

Those who were wondering if the Fatal Attraction series would have as much passionate and forbidden romance, tense situations, and intrigue as Adrian Lyne’s psychological thriller were given even more reason to be excited in early March 2023 when Paramount+ released the first teaser trailer for the upcoming adaptation. Check it out below:

The brief video, which clocks in at a little more than a minute long, packs in a lot in a short amount of time, including some tantalizing and thrilling moments in an elevator, in the rain, and just about everywhere else before shifting to an incredibly tense and uncomfortable interaction to close it out. If this is any indication of the show’s direction, Fatal Attraction is going to be right up there with its big-screen predecessor.

The Fatal Attraction TV Show Will Reimagine The Events Of The Original Movie Through A Modern Lens

In January 2022, when announcing the casting of Joshua Jackson in of the show’s lead roles, Paramount+ revealed that the upcoming series will be a reimagining of the original Fatal Attraction film but that it will explore the various themes of the movie like love, marriage, and infidelity “through the lens of modern attitudes” when it comes to the depiction of strong women, personality disorders, and coercive control.

These statements don’t give too much away about the scope and tone of the show but maybe it will have a more delicate touch than that of the original Fatal Attraction and the ending Glenn Close didn’t like. 

Alexandra Cunningham Is Serving As Both Writer And Showrunner Of Fatal Attraction

The Paramount+ Fatal Attraction TV show is being spearheaded by Alexandra Cunningham who is serving as the series’ showrunner and executive producer in addition to co-writing the series alongside Kevin J. Hynes. Cunningham, whose writing credits include NYPD Blue, Bates Motel, and Desperate Housewives, created the Bravo drama series Dirty John before turning her attention to the upcoming psychological thriller. Hynes previously wrote and served as an executive producer on shows like Perry Mason, Dirty John, and Scorpion.

In May 2022, Deadline announced that Silver Tree, who has previously worked on shows like The Flight Attendant and You, would be adding to her resume by serving as a director on Fatal Attraction. The number of episodes Tree directed, or if other directors will be stepping in, has yet to be revealed.  

The Fatal Attraction TV Show Will Have A ‘Strong And Nuanced’ Point Of View

If you watc Fatal Attraction in 2023, certain aspects of the movie probably won’t sit as well with you as they did upon its release 3 years ago, specifically when it comes to the treatment of the film’s female characters. That appears to be something the new Paramount+ streaming series plans to address. In a statement from President of Paramount+ Original Scripted Series Nicole Clemens (via Variety) touched on what showrunner Alexandra Cunningham will bring to the table, saying:

Exactly how the Fatal Attraction creative team plans on offering a different perspective to the story (or possibly an alternate ending) and what changes will be made remains to be seen, but considering the track record of those involved, we should be in for something a little different than before.

Fatal Attraction Will Consist Of Eight Episodes

Sunday, April 30th. New episodes will go on to debut each Sunday for the next three weeks, with the final two episodes becoming available to stream on Sunday, May 28, Paramount+ has announced.

Expect to hear a lot more about Fatal Attraction as we get closer to its April 30th premiere. In the meantime, don’t forget to check out our 2023 TV schedule for all the latest on all those new and returning shows.

There are more iconic, influential, and, perhaps, even more beloved found footage thrillers (namely The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity). However, as far as I am concerned, it was the mysterious monster movie Cloverfield that really jump-started the subgenre back into the mainstream.

Released in January 2008 - following a killer marketing campaign - the thrilling creature feature from producer J.J. Abrams and director Matt Reeves follows a group of twenty-somethings struggling to survive a strange creature’s attack on New York City. More than a decade later, a direct sequel (which 10 Cloverfield Lane and Netlfix’s The Cloverfield Pardox do not exactly count as) is apparently in the works. Without giving too much away, I would not expect to see many of the original Cloverfield cast members appear, but if you are curious where you could spot them next, read on.

Michael Stahl-David (Rob Hawkins)

Leading the Cloverfield cast as Rob Hawkins - whose surprise going-away party before moving to Japan for business occurred on the night of the Cloverfield monster’s attack - is Michael Stahl-David, who would go on to to play Bobby Kennedy in 2016’s LBJ alongside Woody Harrelson and star in Netflix original TV shows like Chambers and Narcos. He more recently had a recurring role on the Fox drama Almost Family, and will next star on the CBS medical drama Good Sam.

Odette Annable (Beth McIntyre)

As Rob’s best friend and (partially) unrequited love interest, Beth, we have Odette Annable (née Yustman), who had previously debuted alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Kindergarten Cop and almost immediately took advantage of her growing Scream Queen reputation by leading The Unborn a year after Cloverfield. Following her recurring role on Supergirl, Annable joined Fox’s Fantasy Island reboot cast in 2021 and, soon after, was promoted as a series regular for Walker Season 2 on The CW.

Mike Vogel (Jason "Hawk" Hawkins)

Coincidentally, Mike Vogel appeared in Blumhouse’s feature-length Fantasy Island reboot in 2020 and was previously known for thrillers like the 2003 Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, comedies like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and his recurring role on the Fox sitcom Grounded for Life before joining the Cloverfield cast as Rob’s brother, Jason. His most recent return to horror was on American Horror Story Season 10 as John F. Kennedy and he will reprise his starring role on Netflix’s Sex/Life cast when Season 2 premieres in 2022.

Jessica Lucas (Lily Ford)

Yet another one of the Scream Queens from the Cloverfield cast is Jessica Lucas, who later starred in 2013’s Evil Dead remake and multiple notable TV series, including Gotham and The CW’s reboots of both 90210 and Melrose Place. After leading the procedural drama The Murders in her native Canada, Lucas most recently joined The Resident cast and, while there is no word on her chances of appearing in the Cloverfield sequel, she has one of the better chances since we never actually saw the fate of her character: Jason Hawkins’ girlfriend, Lily Ford.

T.J. Miller (Hudson "Hud" Platt)

The man behind the shaky camera capturing the action of Cloverfield is “Hud,” played by T.J. Miller making his acting debut years before joining the Silicon Valley cast and playing Weasel in Deadpool made him something of a household name. The comedian did another well-received creature feature called Underwater and a comedy opposite Drew Barrymore called The Stand-In in 2020, though a number of controversies surrounding his personal life may have slowed down his acting career in recent years. It doesn't look like he has any movies or TV shows lined up for the future, but he continues to do stand-up comedy. 

Lizzy Caplan (Marlena Diamond)

Playing Hud’s crush, Marlena, in Cloverfield is Lizzy Caplan, who is likely known even better for previously playing Janis Ian on the Mean Girls cast in 2004 or her Emmy-nominated turn as Virginia Johnson on Showtime's Masters of Sex from 2013 to 2016. The Castle Rock star (she played Misery’s Annie Wilkes in Season 2) is playing another classic movie villain in Paramount+’s series remake of Fatal Attraction, is leading the upcoming horror movie Cobweb, and will star opposite Jesse Eisenberg in the FX miniseries Fleishmann is in Trouble.

Margot Farley (Jenn)

As Jenn, one of the most prominently seen guests at Rob’s going-away party, we have Margot Farley, who had previously appeared in the 2004 film Spartan and the CBS drama The Unit in a recurring role. She would reunite with Cloverfield producer J.J. Abrams for a brief role in the first of his Star Trek movies and played a cop on an episode of ABC’s Revenge starring Emily VanCamp, but has not appeared in much since the 2016 movie Catfish Blues. 

Theo Rossi (Antonio)

Jenn’s boyfriend, Antonio, is played by Theo Rossi, who joined the Sons of Anarchy cast as “Juice” not long after Cloverfield came out and later appeared on the Marvel series Luke Cage as “Shades.” In 2021, he had two notable roles in Netflix originals (Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead and the Kevin Hart-led dramatic series True Story) and, in 2022, he stars opposite Bruce Willis in the action film Vendetta and in the coming-of-age drama Dear Zoe with Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink.

Billy Brown (Staff Sgt. Pryce) 

In a brief (but memorably gruesome) Cloverfield scene, our main characters meet Staff Sgt. Pryce - played by fellow Sons of Anarchy vet Billy Brown, who also had a small role in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, 2009’s Star Trek, and a brief stint on the Dexter cast as Det. Mike Anderson. The voice actor (known for the likes of Adventure Time and Marine recruitment ads) more recently wrapped up his stint as a series regular on the How to Get Away with Murder cast in 2020.

Ben Feldman (Travis)

Making another brief (but memorably awkward) appearance as Travis (Beth’s date to Rob’s going-away party) is Ben Feldman, who is one of the more recognizable Cloverfield cast members today for another brief but memorable horror movie appearance in 2009’s Friday the 13th and a more prominent role in fellow found footage favorite As Above So Below in 2014. The former Superstore cast member is now lending his voice to Disney+’s Monsters at Work cast as main protagonist Tylor Tuskmon.

Travis is another character who, given his absence for a latter chunk of the first film, could potentially show up in the Cloverfield sequel, which could be a cool idea given Ben Feldman’s notoriety these days. What I would to see in the follow-up, honestly, is a proper and respectable tribute to these characters, whom I came to really love to a heartbreaking degree. I could also say the same about the movie itself.

Fans have had their pink bowties in hand ever since Starz announced the revival of its cult classic 2009 series Party Down earlier this year. The comedy about a group of wannabe actors and celebrities who are stuck in the catering business boasted a star-studded cast of Ken Marino managing the likes of Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan, Martin Starr, Jane Lynch and many  more. But when the series returns for a six-episode run, not all of the original stars will be able to return.

While Ken Marino, Adam Scott, Jane Lynch, Ryan Hansen, Martin Starr and Megan Mullaly will all return, Deadline reports that Lizzy Caplan will not be back as the downtrodden comedienne Casey Klein, due to conflicts in the production schedule. As Party Down is expected to begin production in January 2022, Caplan had an existing commitment to Fleishman Is in Trouble, an FX limited series that will prevent her from being part of the revival.

This news is obviously crushing for fans of the series, as Lizzy Caplan’s on-screen chemistry with Adam Scott — and the Mean Girls star's overall disgruntled demeanor — was a huge part of the series original two-season run. Along with its A+ cast, the comedy also featured a starry ensemble behind the scenes as well, notably with Rob Thomas and Paul Rudd creating the series alongside Dan Etheridge and John Enbom. They will also return for the revival, with Enbom serving as showrunner. 

Party Down ran for two seasons on Starz from 2009-2010, and although it had trouble finding a strong audience in its time, the die-hard fans it's collected since have been clamoring for a revival of some sort for over a decade. Ken Marino starred as Ron Donald, the incapable manager of the titular catering company. With this, Ron found himself in charge of hapless employees such as Henry Pollard (Adam Scott). As fans probably remember, Henry found 15 minutes of fame on a beer commercial with the oft-quoted line, “Are we having fun yet?” Meanwhile, Lizzy Caplan played Casey Klein, who connected with Henry as her marriage deteriorated and her comedy career showed flashes of potential.

I’m excited to catch up with these beloved characters ten-plus years later. Did Roman DeBeers (Martin Starr) find success in the world of “hard sci-fi”? Did Kyle Bradway (Ryan Hansen) smolder his way to stardom? Assuming the catering company will still be the focus of the series, it’s a safe bet that many of our heroes never did find fame — or at least lasting fame. It’ll also be fun to see Jane Lynch and Megan Mullaly catering together, as Mullaly replaced Lynch on the staff in Season 2.

And if the series is anything like the original, fans are likely to see some impressive names as guest stars when Party Down returns. Actors like Kristen Bell, J.K. Simmons and Ken Jeong left lasting impressions in their guest appearances back in Seasons 1 and 2, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of those faces pop up again. With production on the revival starting in early 2022, you'll be able to watch Party Down Season 3 in February 2023.

Party Down, the Starz comedy about a catering company in Hollywood, was an instant classic, boasting series regulars like Adam Scott and Martin Starr in its group of lovable losers moonlighting as caterers who are trying to break through to stardom. It’s been over a decade since we’ve seen the Party Down gang slinging d’oeuvres under the incapable leadership of Ron Donald (Ken Marino). When it was announced recently that the Starz underground hit would be rebooted, fans raised their beers to a collective cheer of “Are we having fun yet?” So as we plan to reunite with our favorite disgruntled waiters — and wonder what astonishing A-list guest stars might grace our screens in this reboot — let’s take a look at what the Party Down cast has been up to since the series last aired in 2010.

Ken Marino (Ron Donald)

Ken Marino, who played the most unlikely candidate for responsibility possible in Party Down’s Ron Donald, is seemingly the exact opposite off-screen, as Marino has stayed busy both in front of and behind the camera. He reprised his role as rival private investigator Vinnie Van Lowe in the long-awaited new season of Veronica Mars in 2019, and also had recurring roles on such shows as Fresh Off the Boat, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and most recently, the Showtime dark comedy Black Monday. He’s taken his turn behind the camera directing the web series Burning Love, a hilarious satire of the Bachelor franchise, and a handful of episodes of Adult Swim’s Children’s Hospital — acting in both shows as well.

Ken Marino has two movie director credits, with How to Be a Latin Lover and Dog Days, and if that’s not enough, he wrote Wanderlust, co-starring Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd and the bewitching Kathryn Hahn. Marino also had a hand in the screenplay for Role Models. In 2020, Marino reunited with the cast that started it all — MTV’s sketch comedy The State — to raise funds for the NAACP and the California Immigrant Resilience Fund, which helps undocumented California residents affected by the COVID pandemic. I mean, these credits are good, but how do they stand up next to running a Soup R’ Crackers?

Adam Scott (Henry Pollard)

Adam Scott’s Henry Pollard was a one-hit wonder on Party Down, finding 15 minutes of fame on a beer commercial with a memorable tagline before flaming out and quitting acting. Scott’s career as an actor has thankfully gone the other direction, and he’s stayed pretty busy since his fictional catering days. We liked him and we loved him as Ben Wyatt on Parks and Recreation, and he also had recurring television roles in hits such as The Good Place and Big Little Lies. Many of these actors run in the same circles (see Veronica Mars), and Scott reunited with Ken Marino for Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later and the web series Burning Love. On the big screen, he and Lizzy Caplan reignited their red-hot chemistry to again play lovers in Bachelorette. Other movie credits include The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, Krampus and Sleeping with Other People.

Adam Scott has also found success in the world of podcasts. His initial project, U Talkin’ U2 to Me?, dissected his love for the iconic band U2. That led to R U Talkin’ R.E.M. RE: ME?, a similar show about REM, and in 2020 launched U Talkin’ Talking Heads 2 My Talking Heads. Next up he’s slated to star in the Ben Stiller-directed workplace thriller Severance on Apple TV+, which is currently filming and set to air sometime this year.

Lizzy Caplan (Casey Klein)

Lizzy Caplan was wonderful as sarcastic aspiring comedian Casey Klein, but much of her post-Party Down career has skewed away from comedy. Caplan picked up nominations for a Primetime Emmy, two Satellite Awards and a Critics’ Choice Award for her portrayal of Virginia Johnson in the Showtime series Masters of Sex. Most recently Caplan was in the Apple TV+ thriller series Truth Be Told with Octavia Spencer and played Annie Wilkes in the Season 2 of the Stephen King-inspired Castle Rock. Caplan’s next project stays in the horror realm, with Cobweb, starring opposite The Boys’ Antony Starr. The movie, which filmed in Bulgaria in late 2020, is in post-production.

It hasn’t been all horror and thriller for Lizzy Caplan, however, as the Mean Girls alum has also had recurring roles in New Girl, The League and Children’s Hospital. Movie credits include The Interview from James Franco and Seth Rogan, as well as the sci-fi thriller Extinction, (no word from Party Down’s Roman on if that counts as “hard sci-fi”).

Martin Starr (Roman DeBeers)

We fell in love with Martin Starr as a lovable nerd on Freaks and Geeks, and aspiring sci-fi author Roman DeBeers could certainly be an older version of Bill Haverchuck — albeit more cynical and beaten down by life. Hopefully Starr’s acting career is slightly less frustrating than trying to make it in the world of hard sci-fi. Starr co-starred as the fantastically named Bertram Gilfoyle on all six seasons of HBO’s five-time Emmy nominee Silicon Valley. Starr also had small roles in the CBS comedy series Life in Pieces and Hawaii Five-O and played multiple characters on Comedy Central’s Drunk History.

Martin Starr’s been no stranger to the big screen either, playing Daniel in Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead, and teaming up with his Apatow buddies in Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's apocalyptic comedy This is the End. And speaking of old buddies, Starr had a couple of projects with Party Down guest star Kristen Bell, playing Stu Cobbler in Veronica Mars and Bell’s friend Todd in the uncomfortable drama The Lifeguard. Starr has also joined the MCU, playing Mr. Harrington, the teacher with the unenviable task of keeping tabs on teens like Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Far from Home and Spider-Man: Homecoming. Up next for Starr is a supporting role in the dark superhero film Samaritan, starring Sylvester Stallone and set for a June 4 release.

Ryan Hansen (Kyle Bradway)

As previously noted, the cast of Party Down is strongly connected to Veronica Mars, and none more than Ryan Hansen, who played the douchey Dick Casablancas on the smart mystery series. Hansen and Kristen Bell became best friends, and his resume boasts numerous projects with The Good Place star, including Burning Love and Hansen’s YouTube Red series Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television. Hansen had a hilariously awkward guest role as Bell’s lover on her Showtime series House of Lies. He also played a part in the movie Hit & Run with Bell, which Bell’s husband Dax Shepard wrote, directed and starred in.

That doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of his work either, but some of Ryan Hansen’s projects have failed to find critical acclaim. Hansen took a couple of swings on NBC comedies, playing the lover of Kate Walsh’s Rebecca Wright in the lone season of Bad Judge and starring as Ben Lewis on the short-lived comedy Friends with Benefits, but Hansen’s bread and butter seems to lie in guest roles and recurring spots. He’s made appearances on Key and Peele, Parenthood, The Mindy Project and Santa Clarita Diet. He had a recurring role as Andy in Season 2 of 2 Broke Girls, played Doug Weiner in the Hulu series Resident Advisors and played Brent in the TV Land series Teachers. Hansen had roles in three movies that came out in 2020: Friendsgiving, Fantasy Island and Like a Boss, all of which were panned by critics.

Megan Mullally (Lydia Dunfree)

Megan Mullally joined the Party Down crew in Season 2 as the well-meaning but desperately lonely Lydia Dunfree. While Lydia struggled as momager for thankless daughter Escapade, Mullally’s path couldn’t be further from her character’s, as she was a force to be reckoned with both before and after Party Down on pretty much any platform she chose in entertainment. Most recently, on top of reprising her role as Karen Walker on Will & Grace, the actor has lent her voice to a number of animated projects including Bob’s Burgers and The Great North. In 2015 her voice acting led to a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for her work on Sofia the First: The Enchanted Feast.

Mullally was also a series regular on Children’s Hospital and had a memorable recurring role as the second ex-wife of Ron Swanson (played by real-life husband Nick Offerman) Tammy Two in Parks and Recreation. In 2014 she starred in Annapurna off-Broadway with Offerman and on Broadway in It’s Only a Play alongside Matthew Broderick, Stockard Channing, Nathan Lane and more. In 2021 she is slated to play Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes at the Barbican Theatre in London. And don’t forget to add “author” to the multi-hyphenate’s resume. In 2018 she and Offerman published The Greatest Love Story Ever Told about their “epic” romance.

Jane Lynch (Constance Carmell)

No personal business on company pond for this hard worker. Constance Carmell’s optimistic attitude always had her willing to go the extra mile to hone her craft. (Have you seen her cow? “Are you milking me for information, Old MacDonald? I’m not in the mooooood.”) And if that’s the effort Jane Lynch puts into her real-life acting career, it’s working. Unfortunately Lynch had to leave the catering company after Season 1 because of a contractual obligation to Glee for her brilliant role as Sue Sylvester, but that worked out in her favor, if not ours, as it led to five Primetime Emmy Awards from twelve nods, two SAG Awards from six nominations and one Golden Glove from two nominations.

Lynch has had recurring TV roles on numerous shows, such as Criminal Minds and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She’s leant her voice to animated TV and movies alike in The Simpsons, Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph Breaks the Internet and UglyDolls. She’s hosted game shows, such as the reboot of Weakest Link and Hollywood Game Night. Lynch even has her own record label, KitschTone Records, on which she released a Christmas album with her cabaret group See Jane Sing.

Lynch has also tried her hand at theater, making her Broadway debut as Miss Hannigan in Annie in 2013. She’s also done a ton of charity work, most notably to support equal rights in the LBGTQ community. In 2013, Lynch was honored by The Trevor Project for her advocacy of marriage equality. In 2020 she co-hosted the live telethon Love in Action to help raise funds for the Los Angeles LGBT Center during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Party Down fans, myself included, are eager to see our favorite caterers don their pink bowties again and reveal if the last 10 years has brought them any of the same success as the actors who portray them (assuming not, if they are in fact still catering). Be sure to check back for more information on the reboot, and find something else to stream on Starz in the meantime.

This past April, Mean Girls celebrated its 16th anniversary. It's hard to imagine the movie being the same age as its main characters. Alas, in the nearly 20 years since the teen comedy came to theaters, the cult classic — written by Tina Fey and starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams — has been quoted regularly by people everywhere, elevated the careers of many of its stars, and inspired a direct-to-video sequel and a musical adaptation, which premiered on Broadway in 2018. 

Indeed, Mean Girls has come a long way from its self-help book inspiration, becoming one of the most defining high school movies of the '00s. Now that the adored comedy has found enormous commercial and critical success, what have the primary cast members been working on? Some are staying extremely busy, while others haven't found the same fame. Let's find out what the Mean Girls cast is doing now!

Lindsay Lohan (Cady Heron)

As Cady Heron, the home-schooled teenager who transfers into public high school and forms a friendship with The Plastics, Lindsay Lohan found enormous notoriety (and infamy) after Mean Girls. The former Disney star transitioned into more mature roles following The Parent Trap remake, Life Size, and Freaky Friday, which was also directed by Mark Waters, and Mean Girls was what turned the actress into a teen superstar. Though she returned to Disney with Herbie: Fully Loaded, Lohan appeared in more PG-13 movies like A Prairie Home Companion and Just My Luck, before her tabloid troubles negatively impacted her career. 

She continued to make movies, including Machete, Chapter 27, and The Canyons, but she hasn't found the same career success since her height in the mid '00s. Recently, Lohan starred in MTV's Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club. She also ventured into the business world with nightclubs and beach clubs in Greece.

Rachel McAdams (Regina George)

Playing Regina George, the rich popular teenage girl and the leader of The Plastics, Rachel McAdams rose to fame through Mean Girls. Only a couple short years after she made her Hollywood debut in 2002's The Hot Chick, McAdams went on to appear in The Notebook (which also came out in 2004), Red Eye, Wedding Crashers, State of Play, The Time Traveler's Wife, Sherlock Holmes, Midnight in Paris, Morning Glory, About Time, Game Night, Doctor Strange, The Vow, and Spotlight, for which she earned an Oscar nomination. 

She also starred in the second season of HBO's True Detective. Most recently, McAdams was seen in 2018's Disobedience, though she briefly stepped away from acting when her first son was born that same year. But she makes her acting return in the upcoming Netflix music-comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. It'll be released in June.

Amanda Seyfried (Karen Smith)

Playing Karen Smith, the bubbly airhead friend of Regina and Gretchen, Amanda Seyfried made her film debut in 2004's Mean Girls. Certainly, that's a pretty fetching way to start your movie career. In the years that followed, Seyfried starred in the Mamma Mia movies, Les Miserables, Dear John, Red Riding Hood, In Time, Jennifer's Body, Chloe, Alpha Dog, Lovelace, First Reformed, Ted 2, Letters to Juliet, and many other movies. 

She also had significant roles in TV shows like Big Love, Veronica Mars, and Twin Peaks' newest season. Most recently, Seyfried starred in last year's The Art of Racing in the Rain and voiced Daphne in the recently released Scoob! Next, she'll be seen in You Should Have Left, Things Heard & Seen, Mank, and A Mouthful of Air, which she also produced. Seyfried also became a mother in 2017 with the birth of her daughter.

Lacey Chabert (Gretchen Wieners)

As the unfortunate-named Gretchen Wieners, the member of The Plastics who is desperate to win over Regina's approval, Lacey Chabert didn't find the same success as her fellow Mean Girls stars, but she forged a strong television and voice acting career. For some, her voice work in The Wild Thornberrys is as memorable as her role in this 2004 teen comedy, though she's also known for Party of Five. 

Chabert also notably voiced Meg Griffin in Family Guy's first season before Mila Kunis took over the part. In addition to voice-only roles in Bratz movies and TV shows, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Young Justice, Transformers: Rescue Bots, Robot Chicken, and more, Chabert is known for starring in several Hallmark movies. 18 of them, to be exact, starting with 2010's Elevator Girl and leading up to January's Winter in Vail. It's a partnership Chabert is eager to continue.

Jonathan Bennett (Aaron Samuels)

As Aaron Samuels, Regina's ex-boyfriend who later became Cady's love interest, Jonathan Bennett stole lots of hearts in the role. Following the film's release, Bennett appeared in Smallville, Cheaper by the Dozen 2, The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning, Elevator Girl, and the title role of Van Wilder: Freshman Year. 

In 2014, he was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars and eliminated in Week 6. Notably, in 2015, Bennett became the host of Food Network's Cake Wars. It ran until 2017. In 2018, he released a pop culture cookbook with Nikki Martin called The Burn CookBook. Last year, Bennett became a houseguest on Celebrity Big Brother. Additionally, in 2017, Bennett came out as gay. He recently starred in The Haunting of Sharon Tate, as well Supergirl and Station 19. He'll next appear in Sorry I Killed You and Snow Falls. He currently hosts Halloween Wars.

Tina Fey (Ms. Sharon Norbury)

In addition to writing the screenplay, Tina Fey plays Ms. Sharon Norbury, the dryly funny calculus teacher, in Mean Girls. Serving as Saturday Night Live's head writer and one of the anchors of Weekend Update during this time, Fey proved herself to be a smart, observant, and piercingly funny writer and performer before Mean Girls came out, but this famous film helped the actress/writer become one of the most prominent comedy voices of the early 21st century. 

Following Mean Girls, Fey became the star/creator of NBC's 30 Rock and the co-creator of Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. She also starred in Baby Mama, Date Night, Muppets Most Wanted, Sisters, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, and Wine Country. She published a memoir, Bossypants, and wrote the Mean Girls musical, which will become a movie itself. She'll soon be heard in Pixar's Soul and she co-created NBC's upcoming sitcom, Mr. Mayor.

Lizzy Caplan (Janis Ian)

As Janis Ian, the outcast girl who befriends Cady and hatches a plan to take Regina down, Lizzy Caplan gained wider recognition through Mean Girls, and she has continued to find a great deal of success in film and television. Her first acting role was on Freaks and Geeks, though she was later seen in Party Down, Cloverfield, Hot Tub Time Machine, 127 Hours, The Interview, Now You See Me 2 and True Blood. Most notably, Caplan played the lead role in Showtime's Masters of Sex, for which she was Emmy-nominated. Recently, Caplan starred in Hulu's Castle Rock and AppleTV+'s Truth Be Told.

Daniel Franzese (Damian Leigh)

As Damian Leigh, the best friend of Janis and Cady, Daniel Franzese was often a scene-stealer in Mean Girls. Also known for Bully and Party Monster, Franzese has since been seen in War of the Worlds, CSI, Party Down, Burn Notice, Recovery Road, GLOW and Conviction. 

Franzese has also been active on the stage, writing, directing and performing productions like I’ve Never Really Made the Kind of Money to Become a Mess and JERSEY SHORESICAL: A FRICKIN ROCK OPERA! He also played a prominent role in HBO's excellent Looking. In 2015, Franzese became an ambassador for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. He came out as gay in 2014. Franzese also tours doing stand-up comedy. Most recently, he was a guest judge on an episode of RuPaul's Drag Race.

Amy Poehler (June George)

Playing June George, the irresponsible mother of Regina who tries regaining her youth by living vicariously through her teenage daughter, Amy Poehler has a splashy supporting turn in Mean Girls. Though she'd later find future success with Parks and Recreation and a leading voice role in Pixar's Inside Out, Poehler was best known for Saturday Night Live at this time, particularly her long stint on Weekend Update. 

While she continues to take on acting roles, notably in Sisters, The House, and Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later fairly recently, Poehler has tackled more projects behind-the-camera lately. Notably, Poehler made her feature directorial debut with Netflix's Wine Country. She's currently in post-production on her sophomore feature, the music-dramedy Moxie, and she co-created Russian Doll and Duncanville, where she provides a voice. Poehler also reprised her role as Leslie Knope for a recent Parks and Recreation special.

Neil Flynn (Chip Heron)

As Chip Heron, Cady's dad, Neil Flynn played a small-but-vital role in Mean Girls. As an actor, Flynn is ultimately more well-known for his TV work. More specifically, TV viewers probably know him best as The Janitor from Scrubs. Following that show's run, Flynn starred in another long-running sitcom, ABC's The Middle. He also made appearances in That '70s Show, CSI, Seinfeld, Smallville, and more over the years. Neil Flynn played a minor role in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and he appeared as himself on three episodes of Jeopardy in 2015. Now, Flynn stars in NBC's sitcom, Abby's.

Tim Meadows (Principal Ron Duvall)

As Principal Ron Duvall, Tim Meadows was another SNL veteran who starred in Mean Girls. In fact, through his ten year stint on the NBC sketch comedy show, Meadows became one of its longest-running cast members. Additionally, Meadows starred in other SNL movies like Coneheads, Wayne's World 2, It's Pat, and his own starring vehicle, The Ladies Man. He also worked with other SNL veterans in The Benchwarmers, Semi-Pro, Grown Ups 1 & 2, Jack & Jill, and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. He also did regular work for Lil' Bush, The Bill Engvall Show, Glory Daze, Mr. Box Office, Bob's Burgers, Marry Me, and No Activity. 

Additionally, Meadows played a reoccurring character on The Goldbergs, and he got his own spin-off series, Schooled, which premiered last year. He was also the only original cast member to appear in the direct-to-video sequel, 2011's Mean Girls 2.

Who is your favorite Mean Girls star? Who is your favorite Mean Girls character? What's your favorite Mean Girls quote? Let us know in the comment section below!

It’s difficult to estimate how much of an effect Stephen King has had in pop culture, but he’s certainly both popular and a master of horror and suspense, to the point where a slew of his projects have been turned into movies and TV series based on his books. Castle Rock is a little different, as it features different takes on iconic Stephen King characters; however, a line from a popular Stephen King novel certainly influenced Season 2.

If you’ve been keeping tabs on Hulu’s Castle Rock at all, you should know that Season 2 will prominently feature Annie Wilkes, a character from Stephen King’s book Misery. In this series, Annie Wilkes will be younger than the character audiences have known over time and she will be played by Lizzie Caplan, who recently revealed the line from Misery that influenced her performance.

She said when of researching the gig:

For the TV role, we’ve seen Lizzy Caplan definitely looking unsettling, particularly with her take on how Annie Wilkes walks. Apparently, she took to Stephen King’s work to figure out her own take on the famous character, but the line from the book is not the only Stephen King influence over the way she portrays the character on the streaming service.

In fact, Caplan also told TV Line she really enjoys getting to use the language fans remember from Misery, particularly the use of words like “cockadoodie.”

Prominently on the big screen, Annie Wilkes was played by Kathy Bates in a 1990 film adaptation, also starring James Caan that also memorably features “cockadoodie,” which you can relive below.

Previously, Lizzy Caplan has talked about how her version of Annie Wilkes is different from the one Stephen King envisioned on the page. Her version of Annie and Kathy Bates’ version are going to be different as well, particularly in that Caplan’s is an earlier version of the character. Although at 27, Caplan is just five years younger than Bates was when Misery came out.

In the first trailer for Castle Rock Season 2, Caplan’s Annie Wilkes is shown to be a mother to a teenaged daughter named Joy, as well, separating this version from the versions that came before as well. Influences from other Stephen King works will also permeate Castle Rock Season 2, and I can't wait to see how the whole story ends up playing out with those various connections tying into one narrative whole.

Castle Rock is returning to Hulu for Season 2 this week. For other big returns, be sure to take a look at our fall TV premiere schedule.

Hulu offers more than just The Handmaid’s Tale (and extensions of that smash hit) to audiences. Other original programming, like Castle Rock, is proof that the streaming service is more than capable of delivering quality horror shows as well. The show, which exists within a unique multiverse based on Stephen King’s horror books, will be venturing into a whole new world in Season 2. However, don’t expect Lizzy Caplan to be emulating Kathy Bates’ version of Annie Wilkes.

Lizzy Caplan, most notable for playing the snarky Janis Ian in the forever quotable Mean Girls, is no stranger to the television landscape. She’s appeared in Masters of Sex, Angie Tribeca, and New Girl. However, landing the role of a young Annie Wilkes in Season 2 of Castle Rock may be one of her most challenging roles to date.

Stephen King’s world is vast and Castle Rock provides a fascinating new perspective of his books, uniting them in a shared universe. King’s books are so popular, though, that many of his characters have already been played in movies. It can often become difficult for actors to portray characters without trying to copy what’s been done before.

The same happened with Lizzy Caplan as she prepared for Castle Rock Season 2. Speaking with Variety, the actress discussed the ways in which her take on Annie Wilkes will be different than Kathy Bates’ portrayal of the character in 1990’s Misery.

It’s clear Lizzy Caplan doesn’t want to take away from what Kathy Bates did with the character, which makes sense considering there are so many layers to Annie Wilkes left to explore.

Lizzy Caplan goes on to explain that the Annie of Castle Rock is at a different stage in her life than she was in Misery, making it easier for Caplan to work in a fresh take. It also helps that Season 2 will be more of a prequel to Misery rather than an exact adaptation.

No matter what Lizzy Caplan does with the role, she's talented enough to pull it off and make it her own.

Castle Rock returns to Hulu for Season 2 on October 23. In the meantime, be sure to check out our complete guide to every new and returning show premiering through November.

After its successful first season introduced viewers to new and twisted worlds inspired by Stephen King, Hulu's Castle Rock is returning for another novel-mashing season of psychological terror, and the critically acclaimed anthology series has dropped its first extended trailer. The pulse-pounding promo did not disappoint by way of letting viewers know just how freaky the new season will be when it arrives in late October, and it contained a fair amount of characters and moments that will likely be familiar to the King of Horror's faithful fanbase.

While there's no doubt that Castle Rock Season 2 will deliver a smorgasbord of Stephen King easter eggs whenever it actually premieres, we've gathered together all of the trailer's big King references to try and get an idea of what we're all in for this season. Understandably, our discussion begins with the unsettling woman at the center of it all.

Annie Wilkes, From Misery

Masters of Sex and Party Down vet Lizzy Caplan is set to portray one of Stephen King's most chillingly human villains, the obsession-driven caretaker Annie Wilkes who first appeared in the harrowing 1987 novel Misery. However, it doesn't appear that Annie will be taking any bestselling authors hostage in Castle Rock, which she did with Paul Sheldon in King's novel. But she apparently will maintain her disinterest in profanity, as she's heard using a signature "cockadoodie" reference in the trailer.

For Hulu's TV show, Lizzy Caplan's Annie Wilkes is a nurse who's going through some psychotic tendencies while caught up in King's notorious town of Castle Rock. Interestingly, this version of Annie is the mother of a young teen daughter Joy, as played by Eight Grade's Elsie Fisher. Does that mean we'll get introduced to Misery Annie's ex-husband Ralph Dugan, or does Elsie have another father?

Annie Wilkes' History, From Misery

Though Castle Rock Season 2 is apparently changing up parts of Annie Wilkes' story from how it was laid out in Stephen King's novel Misery, it appears as if the creative team is indeed keeping the character's sordid past intact. In the book, Paul Sheldon stumbles upon a scrapbook revealing a whole host of murders that Annie had committed in years past, cluing him in on just how dangerous a situation he was in. It only got worse soon after, when Annie lopped his foot off with an axe. (Note the trailer's nod to Rob Reiner's change for his superb film, when Caplan's Annie picks up that mallet.)

As seen in the trailer, Annie Marie Wilkes is definitely not a symbol of the medical industry's innocence, and she is in fact being sought out by the FBI after skipping town to avoid being prosecuted for murder. Will she indeed by a patient-killing Angel of Mercy as it went in Stephen King's source material? Also, will this version of Annie be responsible for killing her own father, too?

Shawshank Prison, From "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption"

One of the most famous prisons in modern fiction, Stephen King’s iconic Shawshank Prison first appeared in his 1972 short story The Fifth Quarter, initially written under the pen name John Swithen and later collected within the pages of Nightmares and Dreamscapes. The novella-filled Different Seasons is where Shawshank got fully developed, though, largely through the tale Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, which was later adapted into the universally beloved movie starring Castle Rock’s Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman.

Castle Rock fans are also aware that Shawshank played heavily into Season 1, as it was the prison where Bill Skarsgård's The Boy was first found, and where Noel Fisher's correctional officer went berserk. It's unclear, however, if Shawshank will be making any official appearances in Castle Rock Season 2, or if the sign above was just shown in the trailer to indicate that the upcoming storyline is set at least 18 miles away.

Marsten House, From 'Salem's Lot

Stephen King's 1975 novel 'Salem's Lot remains one of the most strikingly memorable vampire novels in horror, and it's no surprise that Castle Rock's creators are bringing the town of Jerusalem's Lot to live-action. While Season 2 has offered up no signs thus far that bloodsuckers will enter the mix as a threat against Annie Wilkes or others, the trailer specifically shows audiences a sign for Marsten House, a very specific reference that could lead to many more.

In 'Salem's Lot, Marsten House is a magnet for evil, and was the home of serial killer Hubie Marsten, who'd killed himself and his wife Birdie before the events of the novel. The character Ben Mears moves back to Jerusalem's Lot in order to write about the spooky old house, and discovers its new resident is Kurt Barlow, an Austrian vampire that looks like a slightly chubby Nosferatu. My money is on Ben Mears popping up in Castle Rock Season 2 as a journalist, though I would be ecstatic if Stephen King's Kurt Barlow would find new life beyond the 1979 and 2004 miniseries.

Reginald "Pop" Merrill, From "The Sun Dog"

As it was mentioned previously, actor Tim Robbins was in one of the most celebrated Stephen King adaptations of all time, The Shawshank Redemption. He returns to King's universe for Castle Rock Season 2, where he'll be playing another familiar character, though one who isn't exactly the most respectable person. As Reginald "Pop" Merrill, Robbins will be heading up the Merrill crime family, though his days as a leader are numbered, with cancer threatening his life.

In Stephen King's world, Pop Merrill shows up most prominently in the Four Past Midnight novella "The Sun Dog," which centers on a teen's cursed Polaroid camera that threatens to rip the fabric of reality thanks to the titular entity that unexplainably appears in every single photo. Pop Merrill ran a junk shop called The Emporium Galorium, where the teenaged Kevin took his camera for potential repairs that never happened. Things did not go well for Pop by the end of that story, later allowing for Leland Gaunt to freely open his Needful Things shop in Castle Rock, which obviously occurs in the novel Needful Things, in which Pop gets name-checked.

John "Ace" Merrill, From "The Body," Needful Things

Since you can't have one bad apple Merrill family member without another one nearby, Castle Rock Season 2 is also introducing viewers to Pop's nephew John "Ace" Merrill, as portrayed by House of Cards vet Paul Sparks. (Matthew Alan will portray Ace's brother Chris Merrill, though Chris doesn't seem to exist in Stephen King's works.) Ace is looking to take over the family business when Pop dies, and I can't imagine that will go over well for anyone, considering Ace shows up in the trailer in quietly menacing ways.

Without a protagonistic bone in his body, Ace Merrill factored heavily into the short story "The Body" as the leader of a gang of bullies aiming to stop the story's main characters from finding the dead body they're looking for. (He was portrayed by Kiefer Sutherland in Rob Reiner's adaptation Stand By Me.) Ace was also a secondary villain in the aforementioned Needful Things, where he becomes a loyal assistant to the evil Leland Gaunt. Interestingly, Ace's main foe in that book was Sheriff Alan Pangborn, who was portrayed in Castle Rock Season 1 by Scott Glenn.

Song "I'll Be Seeing You," From The Stand

While everything else on this list is fixated on visual elements seen in the trailer, Castle Rock's Season 2 promo also contains an audio reference from Stephen King's bibliography. The song that's heard during the trailer, which picks up more intensity near the end, is the track "I'll Be Seeing You," which was penned in 1938 and has been recorded by everyone from Bing Crosby to Frank Sinatra to Jimmy Durante to Linda Ronstadt. The trailer version is obviously a more haunting and freaky version.

Within Stephen King's works, the song "I'll Be Seeing You" pops up in what is arguably the author's magnum opus, The Stand, which is one of King's most musically geared stories. Within the apocalyptic novel's uncut version released in 1990, Billie Holiday's version of "I'll Be Seeing You" pops up near the end of Book II.

While there were obviously a decent number of Stephen King references to be found above, several were surface-level, and fans are no doubt in store for lots more to come once the ten-episode season kicks off in earnest. Could King have tipped them off to details about his latest novel The Institute – which already has a limited TV series in the works from David E. Kelley – for some super-current easter eggs?

Sharpen your horror wits for the return of Castle Rock when Season 2 premieres on Hulu on Wednesday, October 23, at 12:01 a.m. PT.

It's 2019, and the world is jam-packed with adaptations from one of the greatest authors of the modern era. From the slew of Stephen King adaptations that are out there, however, there is one newer one that dares to make an original tale using characters from the author's novels, references, and his most iconic fictional location. Castle Rock was an ambitious idea, but a strong cast and great story made it one of 2018's best shows.

Now, the series is set for Season 2, and is looking to re-invent the wheel with a fresh story that, as of this writing, doesn't seem to have a major connection to Season 1's story. Here's what we know about the upcoming season so far, including who's involved, and what Stephen King works fans may want to check out ahead of its airing.

What Will Castle Rock Season 2 Be About?

The official synopsis for Castle Rock Season 2 tells of a feud between warring clans that will boil over when a very famous Stephen King character gets stuck in Castle Rock. That character is none other than Annie Wilkes, who audiences may remember from the hit novel and film Misery. The synopsis sounds a lot like a prequel of sorts to Misery, as the character is only characterized as a "budding psychopath."

Annie isn't the only Stephen King character along for the ride, as Reginald "Pop" Merrill and John "Ace" Merrill will be featured in an adventure that seemingly pits the family against a budding Somali community in Castle Rock. Explicit tensions have yet to be laid out, but we do know that a Somali community center is planned for the area, which could have those against the Somali presence up in arms. For now, we can only speculate!

When Will Castle Rock Season 2 Premiere?

While Castle Rock was given a season renewal fairly early into its Season 1 run, we still have yet to receive a timetable for when to expect it. Season 1 was a summer release, but with production on Season 2 only just starting in March, it doesn't seem likely the show will be ready by this summer. Still, with production underway, it's not entirely impossible for this to arrive sometime before 2019's end.

Who Has Been Cast For Castle Rock Season 2?

Season 1 of Castle Rock featured an impressive cast, and it looks like Season 2 will have the same level of talent on board. The Season 2 cast is stacked with talented veterans, actors and actresses in their prime, and young rising stars with promising futures. Let's take a look at the famous faces set to appear in the anthology's next chapter.

Lizzy Caplan - Annie Wilkes

The Mean Girls and Masters of Sex actress is playing the role of Annie Wilkes, which was formerly played on screen by Kathy Bates. Bates won an Oscar for her portrayal, so Caplan has some shoes to fill as she'll try to play the character in the days before she was trapping authors within her house and breaking their ankles in a gruesome way. Ugh, hopefully there won't be any of that in Castle Rock.

Elsie Fisher - Joy

Eighth Grade breakout actress Elsie Fisher has landed yet another big role, and Castle Rock has her in a part that will play right off of Lizzy Caplan. Fisher will play Annie Wilkes' home-schooled teenage daughter, Joy, who begins to wonder if her mother is going off the deep end. We're assuming she eventually finds out that's the case, and hopefully gets away from her mother before some of that rubs off on her (or she ends up dead)!

Tim Robbins - Reginald "Pop" Merrill

Castle Rock is continuing its trend of enlisting actors with a history of appearing in Stephen King films by tapping The Shawshank Redemption's Tim Robbins to play a character from King's works: Reginald "Pop" Merrill. Things aren't looking great for Pop as he's said to be dying of cancer and facing a "reckoning" of sorts with his crime family. Not an ideal situation, but a role that Robbins will surely knock out of the park.

Paul Sparks - John "Ace" Merrill

Another member of the Merrill family is on board, as House Of Cards' Paul Sparks is taking on the role of John "Ace" Merrill. Ace is taking over the family's criminal business and apparently causing some mess with the neighboring Jerusalem's Lot that could cause some issues. That's not surprising, given Ace isn't an upstanding character in The Stand or the Stephen King novel Needful Things, so don't expect too much positivism from this character.

Matthew Alan - Chris Merrill

13 Reasons Why actor Matthew Alan is coming on as yet another member of the Merrill family, although it sounds as though he'll be more of a peacekeeper in the Merrill family. He's looking to keep tensions low between the family and the Somalians, probably because he's aware more than anyone how ugly things can get if tensions boil over.

Yusra Warsama - Dr. Nadia Omar

Yusra Warsama is one of the fresher faces on Castle Rock, with Hulu's original series listed as one of her more prominent roles. She's had some other work in shows like Call The Midwife, but her role as Dr. Nadia Omar may be a bigger chance to showcase her acting talents. Dr. Omar is a Somali medical director at a hospital in Jerusalem's Lot that will face some challenges which will put her knowledge to the test.

Barkhad Abdi - Abdi Omar

Captain Phillips breakout actor Barkhad Abdi is in Castle Rock, although sadly, not as a captain. Instead, he'll play Dr. Nadia's older brother who is leading a charge to build a Somalian community center in the area, and help deepen the group's roots in the area. He's also noted to be tough, so don't be surprised if he'll push back should the Merrill family or anyone else attempts to stop his plans.

Will Castle Rock Season 2 Connect To Season 1?

For now, it appears as though the stories of Castle Rock Season 2 and Season 1 are separate. With that said, both are set in the iconic town, and there's been no definitive word that none of the characters or events of Season 1 will be referenced or appear in the new adventure. As of this writing, however, we haven't learned that any actors from Season 1 will be reprising their roles.

Which is disappointing in some respects, especially with that surprising reveal at the end of Season 1 that teased one character with a huge connection to The Shining. Again, there's still a chance that that reveal or something else from Season 1 comes into the Season 2 story in some way, but we just don't know. For now, it appears this tale is strictly about the Merrills battling with Somalians, and Annie Wilkes slowly losing her mind.

What Stephen King Works Will Castle Rock Season 2 Reference?

Castle Rock isn't an adaptation of any particular Stephen King work, but rather a universe where the characters of his books co-exist and appear in entirely new adventures. Season 1 had a fair amount of references to Stephen King works, and it looks like quite a few King books and their characters will come into play in Season 2.

Misery

Misery is the tale of Paul Sheldon, who ends up injured and in the care of his super fan Annie Wilkes. It doesn't take long for Paul to realize Annie has a couple of screws loose, and he eventually learns she's a prolific killer who has killed some 70 odd people throughout her life. Infants, the elderly, the severely injured, and many other types have fallen victim to Annie, who just can't quit killing.

As previously mentioned, Season 2 of Castle Rock is a prequel to Misery. Given the character's age in the show, we can safely assume Annie's killed a healthy number at this stage in her life. This may speak further to that mental decline she's suffering from, which may slowly transition her to the person fans know from the book and movie. Her having a daughter was previously unknown, so we can't wait to see what happens there.

The Sun Dog

The Sun Dog is a novella that's a part of Stephen King's collection Four Past Midnight. It's the story "Pop" Merrill primarily appears in, and one that details his business as a money lender at high interest rates. He's also a dealer of paranormal goods on the side, which is primarily what The Sun Dog is about. Without getting into spoilers, one can assume Castle Rock Season 2 takes place before the events of this novella.

We're not for sure, but there's a good chance Pop's shop The Emporium Galorium will appear in this season, as well as some paranormal goods that could impact other characters. Castle Rock may sidestep that part completely, of course, although chances are Pop and the Merrill family have been brought into this adventure for more than just name recognition.

The Body

Another Stephen King novella, which many people more commonly associate with the wonderful film adaptation Stand By Me. This is an adventure that features a teenage John "Ace" Merrill, who is a rather brutal teenage bully of the young boys in the book. He's later revealed to have chilled out in his older years, and described as haggard later in life.

Adult John Merrill may not be as dangerous as he was in his youth, but it's never too late for that type of behavior to resurface at any point in life. John seems to play some part in the tension between the Somalians in Season 2, so don't be surprised if he isn't as relaxed in this adventure as latter King works he was featured in may imply.

Needful Things

Needful Things follows a future arc in Ace Merrill's story, in which he returns to Castle Rock desperate for money to pay off some drug dealers he's indebted to. He finds work, which inevitably finds him at odds with Sheriff Alan Pangborn. The two clash throughout the novel at various points, and while Ace isn't quite the dominant teenage bully he was, he's still capable of some truly wicked things.

The important thing to note here is the history Ace has with Alan Pangborn, who was one of the central characters in Castle Rock Season 1. Obviously, the Alan Pangborn we know who was played by Scott Glenn was killed at the end of Season 1, so, unless there are more transdimensional breaks the only option for Glenn to reprise his role as the sheriff would be a flashback to when Pangborn and Ace had their issues. Obviously, neither of these possibilities have been confirmed right now, so we'll have to wait to see what happens.

Who Will Serve As Castle Rock's Creative Team For Season 2?

Castle Rock Season 1 showrunners Dustin Thomason and Sam Shaw did a great job bringing Stephen King characters together for a critically acclaimed original story. Fans will be happy to know that both men will be returning for Season 2, and hopefully avoiding a sophomore slump as they essentially try to make lightning strike twice with a fresh concept.

Also back on board behind the scenes are executive producers J.J. Abrams, and the man who made this all possible: Stephen King. King's continued involvement is no surprise, especially given he was so high up on the show in Season 1. King's not above bashing things based on his work, and when someone is bold enough to be critical of a master filmmaker like Stanley Kubrick, it's safe to say no adaptation of King's work is above the author's criticism.

Where Can I Watch Castle Rock Season 1?

Castle Rock Season 1 is currently streaming on Hulu, and a great watch for those looking for a classical creepy Stephen King-inspired tale. Binge it now, or re-watch the episodes as CinemaBlend continues to seek out updates on Season 2 and what's in store for the show's next chapter.

Yes, Annie Wilkes and her cock-a-doodie fan stalking are getting something of an origin story in Castle Rock Season 2! Hulu has cast Lizzy Caplan (Mean Girls, Masters of Sex) as younger "budding psychopath" Annie in a prequel to the Misery role that earned Kathy Bates an Oscar.

And that's not all...

Castle Rock Season 2 will also see the addition of several other characters, per THR, including more you may recall from previous Stephen King stories. But first, here's more of the plot:

• Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade) will play Annie’s home-schooled teenage daughter, Joy, who is starting to have questions about her mother's sanity. Pray for that poor child.

• Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption) is returning to Stephen King country as Reginald "Pop" Merrill. Pop -- a character from Stephen King's 1990 novella The Sun Dog who was also mentioned in Needful Things -- is the head of the Merrill crime family. He's dying of cancer and at a reckoning with his family.

• Garrett Hedlund (Triple Frontier) will play Pop's nephew John "Ace" Merrill, who is taking over his uncle’s businesses and threatening a fragile peace with nearby Jerusalem’s Lot. Fun fact: Ace Merrill was in Stephen King's novella The Body, which became the movie Stand By Me. He was played by Kiefer Sutherland in the movie. Ace was also a character in Needful Things.

• Matthew Alan (13 Reasons Why) will play Chris Merrill, Pop's nephew and Ace's brother, who struggles to keep peace between the Merrills and the Somali community.

• Yusra Warsama (Call the Midwife) will play Dr. Nadia Omar, the Harvard-trained Somali medical director of a rural hospital in Jerusalem's Lot. Her rational and scientific mind will be put to the test.

• Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips) will play Abdi Omar, Nadia's tough, older brother who leads the charge to build a Somali community center that will deepen the roots of his people in Maine.

That cast. Season 2 already sounds amazing.

When Hulu renewed Castle Rock for Season 2, we already knew it would come with a new cast and a new story. It's not clear yet how much it may intersect with the events of Season 1, which starred André Holland, Sissy Spacek, Melanie Lynskey, Bill Skarsgard, and Jane Levy. It did seem like Jane Levy's Jackie Torrance might have more to say, so we'll have to see if that The Shining tie-in plays out further in Season 2.

Obviously, Lizzy Caplan has the major role in Season 2 as younger Annie Wilkes. Kathy Bates played Annie Wilkes in the 1990 movie Misery, adapting Stephen King's 1987 novel, with James Caan as famous author Paul Sheldon. Annie was Paul's "number one fan," but also a first-class psycho. It should be interesting to see a little more of how she got that way, perhaps akin to Bates Motel showing Norman Bates' journey to his Psycho state.

Castle Rock Season 1 ran for 10 episodes from July to September 2018 on Hulu. Last summer, THR asked co-showrunner Dustin Thomason to clarify the show's vision as an anthology series, asking if fans should expect a hard reset every season. Here's part of Thomason's response:

It sounds like Stephen King fans may want to at least brush up on Misery, Needful Things, The Sun Dog, The Body, and Jerusalem's Lot before Castle Rock Season 2. Hulu has yet to announce a premiere date for the 10 episodes ahead, but stay tuned.

After years of languishing in development hell and suffering several behind-the-scenes setbacks, Gambit finally looks like it's ready to get off the ground. Now scheduled for early 2019, Channing Tatum will succeed Taylor Kitsch as the new cinematic Ragin' Cajun. So far Tatum has been the only actor officially confirmed to star in Gambit, but there's word that Masters of Sex actress Lizzy Caplan is being looked at to co-star alongside the Magic Mike performer.

Lizzy Caplan is reportedly in talks to join Gambit as the female lead, though no details were provided about who she would be playing. Variety's report also didn't mention anything about Lea Seydoux, who was cast as love interest Bella Donna Boudreaux back in 2015. However, given all the issues Gambit has dealt with since then, it's unclear if Seydoux is still involved with the production, and subsequently, we don't know yet if Caplan would be brought in as Seydoux's replacement or if she would play a different character if a deal is reached.

Assuming Lizzy Caplan does join Gambit, this would arguably be her biggest cinematic project yet, having previously appeared in movies like Cloverfield, Hot Tub Time Machine, The Interview, The Night Before, Now You See Me 2 and Allied, among others. Caplan can next be seen cameoing as herself in The Disaster Artist, and she'll costar alongside Michael Pena and Mike Colter next year in Extinction. In the TV realm, Caplan's credits include Freaks and Geeks, True Blood, The Class and Party Down, but she's best known for portraying Virginia Johnson on Showtime's Masters of Sex.

Following the success of fellow X-Men spinoffs Deadpool and Logan, Gambit went through major re-writes earlier this year, and now Gore Verbinski has been tapped to direct the movie, filling the position once occupied by Rupert Wyatt and Doug Liman. No official plot details have been revealed yet, but it was rumored back in September that the main story would revolve around Gambit, a.k.a. Remy LeBeau, being hired to steal a mysterious trunk from the Boudreaux clan, the Thieves Guild's rival organization. Other X-Men characters who were rumored to appear include Dani Moonstar, Multiple Man, Rictor and Marrow. Although Nathaniel Essex, a.k.a. Mister Sinister, was also mentioned in that report to appear in Gambit (having already been teased in X-Men: Apocalypse), another rumor broke last month claiming that Candra will serve as the main antagonist.

Gambit opens in theaters on February 14, 2019. Make sure to look through our X-Men movies guide to see what other projects this franchise has coming up, and as for what will be released in theaters a little sooner, check out our 2018 premiere guide.

At this stage, it's weird that Deadpool 2 remains mostly a mystery. While Fox has committed to the sequel (which was a no-brainer after the first one became the highest grossing X-Men franchise film earlier this year), the project still doesn't have a release date, and no firm details regarding casting. Of course, just because we don't have any official details doesn't mean that rumors haven't been flying around all over the place -- and today we have a report suggesting the production is looking at six actresses to play the role of Domino.

It hasn't even been confirmed that Domino will be a character in Deadpool 2 yet, but Collider claims to have a source close to the production who has fed them a list of names currently being tested for the part. A few months ago it was said that Mackenzie Davis was being eyed for the role, but she isn't included amongst this new batch...

First up we have Lizzy Caplan, who has been known to bounce back and forth between movies (The Interview, Now You See Me 2) and television (Masters of Sex, Party Down). While she doesn't really have much ass-kicking experience on the big screen, one thing she definitely brings to the table is a sense of humor, as she has certainly proven to be equally adept at being both a dramatic and comedic performer.

Unlike Lizzy Caplan, Mary Elizabeth Winstead does have some comic book movie experience -- having played Ramona Flowers in Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - and she would certainly be a great fit to play Domino in Deadpool 2. She has proven time and time again in an extremely wide variety of projects that she is a talented star -- and that extends to her role earlier this year opposite John Goodman in 10 Cloverfield Lane.

Sienna Miller is much better known for her dramatic work in films like American Sniper and Foxcatcher, but she did dabble a bit in action blockbusters when she took on the role of the Baroness in 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. We probably shouldn't talk about how that movie turned out... but one thing also worth mentioning is that Miller is the only actress on the list who has previously worked with Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds (they were both in 2015's Mississippi Grind).

In the world of action movies, there are few stars rising as fast as Sofia Boutella, so it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see her take on the part of Domino in Deadpool 2. She broke out thanks to her ass-kicking performance in Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman: The Secret Service, but continued to earn acclaim thanks to her part as the alien Jayla in Justin Lin's Star Trek Beyond. She would certainly be a fit for director Tim Miller's upcoming blockbuster

Stephanie Sigman is not nearly as well-known as some of the other names on this Deadpool 2 list, but she has certainly been getting more attention in recent years. She first really earned notice thanks to her performance in Gerardo Naranjo's 2011 film Miss Bala, but she has since been in a Bond movie (featured in the opening sequence of Spectre) and more recently has been playing Valeria Velez on the Netflix series Narcos.

Like Stephanie Sigman, Sylvia Hoeks may not be a name that you recognize now, but there is a very good chance you will in the near future. The Dutch actress hasn't done a great deal of work in America just yet, but has recently landed a high-profile gig, as she has a part in Denis Villeneuve's in-production Blade Runner 2049. If that movie doesn't make her a star, playing Domino in Deadpool 2 would.

What do you think of this list of rumored actresses for Deadpool 2? Who would you like to see get the gig? Hit the comments section below with your thoughts, and stay tuned for more news about the developing project!

Now You See Me was a surprise hit when it was release back in the summer of 2013. It ultimately grossed the hugely impressive sum of $351.7 million, even though it went up against the likes of Man Of Steel, Fast & Furious 6, Iron Man 3, and Star Trek Into Darkness during its time in theaters.

Obviously, having made Lionsgate, Summit Entertainment, and K/O Paper Products a substantial amount of money, plans were almost instantly made for a sequel to be put into motion, and the countdown clock for its arrival has begun.

Now You See Me 2 is now just over five months away from hitting theaters, as it’s due to hit cinemas on June 10th. But since quite a lot happened in the original, and the follow-up features some new faces joining the already established cast, we’ve decided to throw together a handy guide for Now You See Me 2 that includes all the rumors and reports regarding the film that have been circulating. Let’s start by taking a look at the first teaser trailer, shall we?

Ready to find out what kind of magical hijinks the large ensemble is up to this time around? Well, you can find out exactly what we know so far about Now You See Me 2 by taking a look below.

SPOILERS AHEAD: The below article features spoilers for Now You See Me. If you want to have a look at Cinema Blend’s spoiler-free review for the original, have a click right here. For those of you that want to learn about Now You See Me 2, proceed ahead … you’ve been emphatically warned though.

The Director

Despite being originally approached, Now You See Me’s director Louis Leterrier decided not to return for the sequel. This left a bit of a vacuum in terms of the vison for Now You See Me 2, but it was eventually revealed that Jon M. Chu was hired to fill the void. While Chu’s resume admittedly includes the likes of Step Up 2: The Streets, Step Up 3D, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, Justin Beiber’s Believe, and the critically mauled Jem And The Holograms, the fact that he oversaw the relentless-yet-nonsensical, G.I. Joe: Retaliation means that he’s already had experience on a thinly plotted but still nevertheless entertaining mainstream flick. It will be a tough ask for Jon M. Chu to emulate the efforts of Louis Leterrier, though, as the French director’s speedy direction immediately moved Now You See Me on before you could consider the plot holes and editing that made the tricks possible. Ultimately, the idiotic conclusion to Now You See Me was one step too far for the film to cover-up. Let’s just hope that its story is a little tighter this time round.

The Story

The current plot details for Now You See Me 2 have confirmed that it will be set one year after the original, while the addition of Arthur Tressler’s (Michael Caine) son, Walter (Daniel Radcliffe), will almost certainly cause the Four Horseman a whole host of problems. This is especially true since it’s already been confirmed that Walter is on a mission to bring The Four Horseman to justice because their antics led to his father losing millions and being imprisoned. The trailer also teased that the sequel will be set in various exotic locations – including London and Las Vegas – and will include the same kind of magical set-pieces that the made the original so enjoyable. If there’s any actual justice in the world, then we’ll also learn more details about Mark Ruffalo’s Dylan Rhodes, as his reveal as the secret member of the Four Horseman was one of the main reasons why Now You See Me deflated. The first trailer for Now You See Me 2 even seemed to make a reference to its ending, suggesting that it was just the beginning, with Morgan Freeman’s Thaddeus Bradley declaring, "First act just a set-up for even bigger reveal."

Dylan Rhodes

Played by the always magnificent, and recent recipient of his third Oscar nomination Mark Ruffalo, Dylan Rhodes’ headstrong pursuit of the Four Horseman drove the plot of the original Now You See Me forward, as he followed the group from city to city seemingly trying to figure them out so that he could arrest them. Of course, we believed that until it was revealed that Rhodes had been working in cahoots with the Four Horseman all along, and that he’d created this entire masterplan to punish Morgan Freeman’s Thaddeus Bradley because his antics had led to the death of his father, Lionel Shrike, decades ago. Dylan Rhodes then introduced the horseman to the Eye, before it was revealed that he was their secret benefactor. It was far-stretched and silly, but Now You See Me had done just enough to warrant such an ending. The sequel now has the responsibility of making Dylan Rhodes a well-rounded character other than the implausible mirage that the original ultimately turned him into. But, since Mark Ruffalo is playing him, there’s every chance that the stunning thespian will be able to do just that and surprise us in even bigger ways than the first film.

J. Daniel Atlas

With Mark Ruffalo’s Dylan Rhodes now revealed as the brains behind the entire operation, does this mean that Jesse Eisenberg’s J. Daniel Atlas’ prominence as leader of the group will deteriorate? Does it even matter? Not really. A part of the success of the original was the patter and, mostly, equal billing of Eisenberg and his three fellow Horsemen. Eisenberg was given the nickname of The Lover, after the sixth Tarot card, and was publicly seen as the leader of the Four Horseman - something that only stoked the arrogance of the already arrogant illusionist and street magician. With Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice due out around two-and-a-half months before Now You See Me 2, you can expect Jesse Eisenberg’s status to get a hefty bump just ahead of the follow-up - which will probably mean that his face (and short hair-do) will be plastered all over the promotional material in the weeks leading up to release. Plus, the trailer made sure to have him front and center as it showed the new Lex Luthor causing mayhem with falling rain before disappearing into a puddle. David Blaine eat your heart out. %NEXT_PAGE%

Jack Wilder

Alongside the returning Jesse Eisenberg will be Dave Franco’s Jack Wilder, a.k.a. Death, who in the original had the rather traumatic job of faking his own death in a high-speed car crash across a Manhattan bridge. It was revealed in the chaotic conclusion that Jack was still alive and well, and he even still had possession of his Tarot card, which, naturally, was for Death. Dave Franco’s cheeky, nervous charm was a key component in the dynamic of the Four Horsemen, and his return is integral to making the transition from the original into the sequel as smooth as possible. Just don’t trust any scene that shows him dying in Now You See Me 2. %NEXT_PAGE%

Merritt McKinney

Woody Harrelson wouldn’t just let Dave Franco and Jesse Eisenberg return for Now You See Me 2 without him. The most experienced member of the Four Horsemen, Harrelson’s Merritt McKinney was named after The Hermit tarot card. He is a self-proclaimed psychic, as well as a mentalist and hypnotist. He was also rather famous in his youth too. Unfortunately, his treacherous brother ran away with all of his money, which left him with a long hard trek back to professional glory - something that he achieved with the Four Horseman throughout the original. And while the first trailer for Now You See Me 2 didn’t really show too much of Merritt, we can expect Woody Harrelson to provide a mixture of sturdy comic relief and dramatic weight throughout. After all, he is Woody Harrelson, and the reality is that the guy is great in everything he does. %NEXT_PAGE%

Lula

One of the main changes to Now You See Me 2 is that Isla Fisher’s Henley Reeves/The High Priestess won’t be returning as a member of the posse. Instead, Lizzy Caplan’s Lula has filled the female shaped hole in the Four Horseman. The trailer showed Lizzy Caplan appearing onstage alongside Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson, and there is even a shot of her as she confidently strolls through Las Vegas as part of the notable quartet. In fact, we even got a tease of her magic abilities, as she shook dozens of birds out of her jacket. Of course, she also displayed the dry wit that has been a trademark of Lizzy Caplan’s throughout most of her career. The actress is just about as good a replacement for Isla Fisher for which the sequel could have hoped. Those of you disappointed that the Australian dropped out can blame both her pregnancy and the fact that she almost died shooting the original Now You See Me. %NEXT_PAGE%

Thaddeus Bradley

Obviously, the inclusion of Morgan Freeman in any film is encouraged, but it will be especially interesting to see Freeman’s Thaddeus Bradley in Now You See Me 2, as the ex-magician, who had no problem profiting by selling the secrets behind other magicians’ tricks for 30 years, will be on the hunt for vengeance. The end of Now You See Me saw Dylan Rhodes revealing to Thaddeus that he was the mastermind behind the Four Horsemen, and that he’d framed Thaddeus as the supposed Fifth Horseman. The trailer has also proven that Freeman’s Thaddeus Bradley will still be involved, while it also appears as though he’ll be pulling the strings from prison. We have a pretty good idea of who he’ll be working with on this mission too … %NEXT_PAGE%

Arthur Tressler

Like Morgan Freeman’s Thaddeus Bradley, Michael Caine’s Arthur Tressler found himself being scuppered by the Four Horseman over the course of Now You See Me, ultimately taken for a good bit of cash. Originally the foursome’s sponsor and financier, the insurance magnate was later the victim of one of their tricks when they robbed millions from his bank account, and then showered it upon one of their crowds… which just so happened to be filled with victims of Hurricane Katrina that had been denied insurance claims by Tressler’s company. Obviously, Tressler wasn’t too happy with this, and the trailer proves that, probably with the help of Thaddeus, he’s seeking vengeance. This fury has even extended to his immediate family. This especially extends to Arthur Tressler’s son, who is a new and much welcomed face to Now You See Me 2’s impressive ensemble. %NEXT_PAGE%

Walter Tressler

While Daniel Radcliffe playing Michael Caine’s son is already immediately recognizable as a perfect casting choice, the fact that he’s apparently playing an inept magician just makes his appearance umpteen times better. The trailer showed Radcliffe’s Walter Tressler failing at his own sleight of hand, before then apparently welcoming the Four Horsemen to his rather lavish Las Vegas hotel suite. Due to the fact that the clip was only a minute long we still don’t know anything at all about his plan, but the fact that he’s playing the son of one of Now You See Me’s victims suggests that he’ll be hell bent on avenging his father. While, hopefully, the follow-up will sneak as many Harry Potter references as they can in there too. Otherwise, casting Daniel Radcliffe will just have been a huge waste. Why cast The Boy Who Lived in a movie about magic and not at least make some kind of reference to his time as a kid wizard? I’m going to wager guess that Daniel Racliffe’s Walter Tressler won’t just around for the one film, either. Now You See Me 3 has already been pre-emptively green-lit, and much like many other names in the cast, his is one that the producers will want to keep around. %NEXT_PAGE%

Natalie Austin

Another new addition to the Now You See Me 2 team is Sanaa Lathan (The Perfect Guy, The Best Man). The actress has been brought on to play the brand new government-employed authority figure – specifically FBI agent Natalie Austin). No doubt, Lathan will be on the hunt to try and snare the Four Horsemen as they conduct their magical escapades and various Robin Hood-esque illegal activities, while she’ll also probably be more than aware of the murky past of her predecessor, Dylan Rhodes. It’s hard to see Now You See Me 2 following the path of the original by revealing Austin to be the sixth member of the Horseman team, so we can expect her to be driven and honest in her pursuit of capturing the magical ensemble.

Amidst the chaos that has formed from the Sony hacking scandal some interesting information has been leaked that sheds light on the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot, Ghostbusters 3. One specific hacked e-mail dropped big names that reportedly want in on the movie including Emma Stone, Melissa McCarthy, Amy Schumer, Lizzy Caplan and Jennifer Lawrence.

According to The Daily Beast, Ivan Reitman and studio head Amy Pascal discussed the five women above, claiming all had agreed to be in the film. In addition, they discussed wanting to create a new environment where the movie could exist on his own but yet connect to the original enough where it would make sense as a reboot. Please the old generation and attract the new.

If that e-mail holds truth, that is an all-star cast for the reboot. And if it’s the five of them as the new female pack of Ghostbusters, it’ll be a pretty hilarious ride.

We know so far that the new film will be directed by Paul Feig, who we’ve seen create some incredible female driven comedies including Bridesmaids. And though there has not been an official release of the cast, Feig said in a past interview with Entertainment Weekly that his favorite thing to do is work with funny women, and all he wants is a powerful cast that can do justice to the Ghostbuster team. After Bill Murray suggested his idea of an all-female cast, including Emma Stone and Melissa McCarthy who the e-mail mention, Feig allegedly responded that his only real concern was figuring out which women to invite. After all, there are a ton of funny ladies who could bring different things to the role.

And the five women mentioned in the hacked e-mail are just that. Feig has worked with Melissa McCarthy on Bridesmaids and The Heat and Caplan had a short run on Freaks and Geeks, so Schumer, Stone, and Lawrence are all new to a Feig film, but definitely worthy. If Feig combines the smart and witty comedy of Bridesmaids with the goofy and happy comedy of a Ghostbusters film, packed in with five strong female leads, and this could just be the best laugh we’ve gotten in a while. Hopefully in response to this Sony leak, some more definitive information on the movie will come, including a release date.

More details surrounding Now You See Me 2 have been released. But rather than building up anticipation for the magical sequel it has immediately underwhelmed.

That might seem a bit harsh, but wait until you see it for yourself. It will almost make you forget how entertaining the original was. You can read the first blurb for Now You See Me 2 below.

Yawn. Seriously where is the clever wordplay and hint of invention that was obvious all the way through Now You See Me until its preposterous final act? Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman, Woody Harrelson, Michael Caine, and Dave Franco will each return for the follow-up. Meanwhile Masters Of Sex’s Lizzy Caplan and Kill Your Darlings’ Daniel Radcliffe will join them this time round too. Lizzy Caplan will portray a character named Lula while Harry Pot- I mean Daniel Radcliffe will star as Walter. Daniel Radcliffe’s character has already been confirmed to be Michael Caine’s son in the film, something that the veteran actor revealed himself earlier in October. It was also recently reported that Lizzy Caplan will replace Isla Fisher in the upcoming sequel. Lizzy Caplan is set to take the female lead role in the film after the Hot Rod actress was forced to withdraw due to her pregnancy.

Now You See Me 2 has actually undergone quite a few changes. Louis Leterrier was supposed to return following his success on the original. However he has now pulled out and been replaced by G.I. Joe: Retaliation's Jon M. Chu. Will all of these alterations behind the scenes affect the final film? Perhaps. But with Jesse Eisenberg’s profile set to get a bump thanks to his performance as Lex Luthor in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, there is still every chance that Now You See Me 2 will replicate the surprising success of its predecessor when it is released in 2016.

A part of me is intrigued by Now You See Me 2. While the original was almost completely scuppered by its ending - which, SPOILER WARNING, saw Mark Ruffalo’s FBI agent, Dylan Rhodes, revealed as the real leader of the Four Horsemen - it was still for the most part preposterously entertaining. Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco each developed an enjoyable patter between themselves, and while Isla Fisher will be missed, the addition of Lizzy Caplan and the fact that the always charismatic Mark Ruffalo will also be heavily involved now suggests that a new intriguing dynamic will permeate throughout the film. When you throw in Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Jay Chou into the mix too then there is enough acting talent there to keep even the most mediocre cinematic effort afloat.

Now and again, a celebrity couple will slip either a major life event or a break-up past the press without anyone figuring out what happened for a few months. Recently, That Thing You Do actor Johnathon Schaech was able to hide a wedding between July and September, but with all due respect to his surreptitious skills, he apparently doesn’t have anything on Matthew Perry and Lizzy Caplan who somehow hid a break-up for more than a year.

That’s right. This bizarre but seemingly perfect couple apparently called it quits before Will Arnett and Amy Poehler. Given that secrecy, not a whole lot is known about why the split happened, but according to US Weekly, the separation happened more than a year and a half ago. Assumedly, there aren’t a ton of hard feelings related to it either because both have been interviewed numerous times for random things since the split and neither has thrown up any middle fingers.

Apart from acting in the severely underrated comedy Go On, Perry has spent the past few years transforming a Malibu home into a sober living facility for men trying to get back on their feet after rehab. The actor has had some high profile struggles with addiction over the years, but following a rehab stint in 2001, he’s gotten his life together and stayed on the straight and narrow. Caplan too has been keeping very busy, though in a far more conventional way. She’s appeared in films like Hot Tub Time Machine and Bachelorette and recently booked a starring role on Masters Of Sex.

Pop Blend sends out its sincerest well-wishes to both Perry and Caplan. It would have been nice if they could have been able to make it work over the long haul. Together, they would have made the most adorable parents and long-term partners, but hopefully, they’ll each be able to use the free time and openness to discover true happiness somewhere else.

It looks like Lizzy Caplan will be reuniting with Freaks and Geeks stars James Franco and Seth Rogen for The Interview, a comedy to be directed, written and produced by Rogen and Evan Goldberg. We learned back in March that Rogen and Franco were re-teaming on screen for The Interview, which would star the duo as a talk show host and producer who accidentally wind up in the middle of a plot to assassinate the prime minister of North Korea. At that time, it was said that Franco was being sought to play the role of the talk show host, while Rogen was already on board, presumably to play the talk show producer.

Today, Deadline reports that Caplan will join Franco and Rogen, playing the role of Agent Lacy in the movie. No further details about her part were mentioned, but if these two men are caught up in this plot to assassinate the prime minister of North Korea, Caplan's Lacey may be one of the agents pursuing them.

Caplan's known for a number of comedic performances, including the mouthy Janis Ian in Mean Girls and the more dryly witty role of Casey Klein in Starz's under appreciated comedy Party Down. But she's also known to dabble in drama from time to time, both on the big and small screen, with credits that include Cloverfield and the role of the ill-fated Amy Burley in True Blood. These days, you can find her starring in the TV drama Masters of Sex, which just premiered Sunday night. Her role as Virginia Johnson is a bit different from anything else she's done -- that I've seen anyway -- but it suits her nicely, as does the time period. With that said, it's great to hear she's not abandoning comedy altogether.

Caplan shares a feature credit with Franco in 127 Hours and a small screen credit with Rogen with Undeclared, in which Caplan is credited for the part of "Beautiful Girl" in one episode. But I don't think we've seen her, Franco and Rogen together in anything scripted since Caplan was in Freaks and Geeks. While Rogen and Franco co-starred in the 1999-2000 dramedy, Caplan recurred as the disco-loving Sara who took a liking to Nick (Jason Segel) in the later part of the series' brief run.

For those who want to see Caplan flexing her dramatic muscles for Showtime, watch the full first episode of Masters of Sex below.

The Leslye Headland written and directed Bachelorette made its official debut at Sundance earlier this year, but the film won't arrive in theaters until September, with an On Demand release coming up in just a few weeks. The film boasts a pretty fantastic cast of females (and some great supporting males), with Rebel Wilson, Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher and Lizzy Caplan playing a group of former high school friends reunited to celebrate one of their approaching nuptials.

As you'll see in the trailer (via iTunes) the story follows Rebel Wilson's character Becky, a bride-to-be who's looking forward to celebrating her bachelorette party with her old friends (Dunst, Fisher and Caplan). Only it seems she and they have different ideas in mind for how this party's going to go. Despite Becky's efforts to keep the party tame, the evening takes some wild turns and shenanigans ensue.

I'm not sure which I liked better, Dunst's facial expression when she learns her friend is getting married, or Fisher's various hand-gestures to describe what she has in mind for the party. Bachelorette certainly has a great cast. In addition to the four leading ladies, the film also stars James Marsden, Kyle Bornheimer and Adam Scott, the latter of whom co-starred with Caplan in Party Down. Beyond the obvious star-power, the film looks like it's aiming for goofy and wild female-focused fun, and there's certainly plenty of appeal in that. Also, I think it's worth mentioning that Headland was a writer for FX's short-lived but excellent detective drama Terriers, which boosts my anticipation up a few more notches.

Produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, Bachelorette arrives in theaters September 7, however the film will be available to rent on iTunes on August 10.

Beyond their big-budget blockbusters, Marvel has been extending their productions into a string of short films that have peppered the home-video releases of features like Thor and Captain America. More than just fan service, these shorts—or "One-Shots" as Marvel dubs them—give love to arcs that—like one shot comics—don't require much time to offer a satisfying punch and story. Buzz has been percolating on their latest secret short, and now EW has a first look and some intriguing details on Item 47.

Available on The Avengers Blu-ray due out September 25th, this One-Shot picks up where the film left off, centering on Benny and Claire, two New Yorkers who come across one of the guns dropped by Loki's alien forces and take this uncanny chance to become a modern Bonnie and Clyde. Lizzy Caplan (Party Down, pictured below) and Jesse Bradford (Flags of Our Fathers) star in the short, which is said to be Marvel's most ambitious One-Shot yet.

Named for the to the gun seen above, Item 47 is Marvel's longest short to date—clocking at 12 minutes, which is three times longer than its predecessors. It's also their most elaborate, featuring multiple sets, visual effects, and action scenes. This new production level belies a new tactic for Marvel, one where the studio could use these One-Shots to lay the groundwork for expanding and exploring the movie Marvel universe and introducing new characters like a new S.H.I.E.L.D. agent played by Titus Welliver, who along with Maximiliano Hernández of Thor, hunts down Benny and Claire.

Beyond being a bonus to fans who bought the Marvel home releases, the shorts could prove a testing ground to see how audiences respond to other Marvel heroes (say Black Panther, Wasp or even Ant-Man) that have not yet been integrated into the Marvel movies. Marvel Studios co-president Louis D’Esposito, who helmed Item 47 admits:

Item 47 will screen at San Diego Comic-Con next week. Download The Avengers Second Screen app to uncover a secret Marvel screening on July 12th, as well as access to an undisclosed clip.

With a cast that boasts buzzed about comedic actors—like Community's Alison Brie and Party Down's Lizzy Caplan and Martin Starr—as well as a unique perspective on the romantic comedy, Save the Date drew plenty of attention at this year's Sundance Film Festival, including a nod for the Grand Jury Prize in the drama category. Yet somehow the sophomore effort from writer-director Michael Mohan (One Too Many Mornings) did not score a distribution deal…until now.

Variety reports that at long last IFC has purchased all North American rights to the unconventional romantic comedy that stars Brie and Caplan as two sisters whose misadventures in romance involve wedding planning, rock stars, and a mild-mannered marine biologist, making it the last major purchase out of Sundance. However the trade reveals it wasn't cold feet that kept IFC from closing the deal on Save the Date, it was the film's producers who were approached by several possible suitors, but were holding out for their Mr. Right…or at least the right offer. As to what IFC offered that won the producers over, details on the deal are not being revealed; not even a save the date for Save the Date's release has yet been announced.

Nonetheless, this appears a shrewd move for IFC. Save the Date was initially counted as part of the Bridesmaids effect that hit Sundance, in that it's a rom-com that centered on female characters and approached sex and romance in a more frank/less glossy manner than the overeager efforts of Katherine Heigl and Kate Hudson. With Bridesmaids pulling in more than $280 million worldwide, there's clearly a market for this sort of cinema, yet by selling to IFC Save the Date's producers seem more interested in shopping the film to an audience who may appreciate its unique merits rather than those who might seek it out for its superficial similarities to the bawdy game-changer. This is likewise good news for Brie, Caplan and Starr who are all steadily carving out impressive careers with sidesplitting yet layered performances.

Showtime's original series slate is certainly shaping up nicely. The network has recently made an effort to land film stars to head their most recent series - including William H. Macy in Shameless, Claire Danes in Homeland and Don Cheadle in House of Lies - and, with these speedy renewals, it's a strategy that seems to be working out quite well. Of course, that doesn't mean there haven't been a few casting bumps along the way, most notably with British star Paul Bettany walking away from the upcoming Masters of Sex pilot. However, Showtime has done a tremendous job picking up the pieces by filling the empty slot with Michael Sheen as well as finally locking Lizzy Caplan in to co-star.

Deadline reports that Sheen, best known for his superb and overlooked work as Prime Minister Tony Blair in The Queen or as TV personality David Frost in Frost/Nixon, will be stepping in for Bettany as William Masters. Sheen once again finds himself playing a real figure as Masters of Sex is based on the true story of 'human sexuality pioneers' Masters and Virginia Johnson and is adapted from Thomas Maier’s book "Masters of Sex: The Life And Times Of William Masters And Virginia Johnson, The Couple Who Taught America How To Love." As the longest book title ever suggests, the pilot will focus on Sheen's Masters and his partner Virginia Johnson, a co-leading role for which Lizzy Caplan has just been confirmed.

The series is about the two sexuality researchers and follows their lives, romance and influence on both pop culture and the just blossoming sexual revolution. Hired to pen the adaptation is TV veteran Michelle Ashford (The Pacific) with Academy Award winner John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) attached to direct the pilot. Yes, this pilot is shaping up rather nicely and looks like a promising potential pickup. Sheen and Caplan are two wonderful actors who haven't quite gotten the recognition they deserve but hopefully their addition to this prestige project might help change that.

Apart from the roles mentioned above, Sheen was nominated for an Emmy for his work on HBO's The Special Relationship, was unforgettable as Wesley Snipes on 30 Rock and is also part of the glorious ensemble in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. Caplan was lovely and hilarious on Starz Party Down as well as a standout in her small arcs on True Blood and (so far) The New Girl. Overall, really exciting hires for an enticing new pilot slated to begin shooting in New York in March.

The generic, wedding-centric title Save the Date might suggest the kind of bland, lifeless romcoms you go to the Sundance Film Festival to get away from. But the movie is one of many at this year's festival that seems to revive the whole idea of watching two people fall in love onscreen, following two sisters in two very different relationship stages as each makes mistakes and slowly figures out what it really takes to commit to somebody. Featuring strong performances from both leads Lizzy Caplan and Alison Brie, along with lovely supporting work from their male suitors Martin Starr, Geoffrey Arendt and Mark Webber, the movie treads the familiar ground of love and family while telling a uniquely layered story of its own.

Caplan and Brie make for perfect casting as a pair of sisters tightly woven into each other's lives, as Beth (Brie) is engaged to the drummer (Starr) of a band called Wolf Bird, while Sarah (Caplan) is just moving in with the band's lead singer Kevin (Arend). We see from the very way that Sarah packs up her apartment she's not completely ready for commitment, but Kevin is oblivious, popping the question to her in the most public, and eventually most humiliating, way possible. Wolf Bird goes on tour, and Sarah makes her way out of the fog of a breakup partly through a quick new relationship with Jonathan (Webber), a meek marine biologist who's been crushing on her for ages. The relationship is obviously moving too fast, which perfectionist Beth can't help pointing out, but she's also caught up the details of a wedding her fiance is less interested in planning, and seems to think the messy details of her sister's life are just one more obstacle she has to deal with on the way to happily ever after.

Each of the characters in Save the Date spring from familiar movie types, from the type-A girl meddling in the lives of her loved ones to the heartbroken rock singer letting out his feelings onstage. But director Michael Mohan allows layers to develop in all of them, giving us time in each relationship to see how they worked and why they didn't, and letting every characters' choice come from a real place, not the demands of a script in a hurry to get to the happy ending. Occasional illustrations of the actors done by Sarah give the movie a nice quirky sheen, but it's the honesty and warm spirit of the movie that really sells it-- sure it's about hip LA people who are all easy on the eyes, but these are all people you probably know, and it's hard not to identify with them even when they're making colossal mistakes.

Caplan is having a good year at Sundance between this and Bachelorette, and carries a lot of the film's emotional heavy lifting without reaching too hard for it. Webber is having an even better Sundance, appearing as a similarly scruffy dream boyfriend in For A Good Time Call and directing himself in the micro-budget weepie The End of Love-- with a mild-mannered charm in Save the Date that doesn't cross over into being a doormat, he makes a strong impression by letting his co-stars take most of the attention. But maybe the film's biggest surprise is Martin Starr, known as Freak and Geeks's scrawny Bill Haverchuck, who emerges with a surprisingly soulful and subtle performance as a supportive fiance who knows exactly how to pick up the pieces.

Save the Date coasts a little too easily to its conclusion, and ends on a note of ambiguity that feels more like a safe choice than an actual gamble, but it's so pleasant getting there that it seems churlish to complain. The movie doesn't yet have a distributor in place, but it should only be a matter of time before Mohan's stylish, refreshing spin on the rom-com genre finds its way to larger audiences.

We’ve been waiting for Lizzy Caplan to blast into the stratosphere, the reach a level currently occupied by the likes of Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman or Jennifer Lawrence. We noticed Caplan way back on Freaks and Geeks, then watched her excel in Tina Fey’s Mean Girls, Matt Reeves’ Cloverfield and the vastly underrated cable-TV comedy Party Down. Despite some interesting and exciting work, Caplan has yet to fully take off. And her latest picture, Queens of Country, looks like it will follow the same trajectory – very strange and probably very funny, but too surreal for a mainstream audience. The film’s first full trailer is below:

Caplan plays Jolene Gillis, a line-dancing country music fanatic who finds an iPod stuffed with country music staples. Convinced that the owner is her soul mate, Jolene sets out to find him … much to the chagrin of her current boyfriend. Rance (Ron Livingston). Her journey somehow finds room for a dominatrix, a cross-dressing Joe Lo Truglio, and a nearly unrecognizable Maynard James Keenan, best known as the singer for Tool.

You see? Too surreal for a mainstream audience. But co-directors Ryan Page and Christopher Pomerenke do appear to have found a comfortable resting spot somewhere between Christopher Guest and the Coen Brothers, which isn’t a bad place to be when you are gently spoofing an offbeat community of unique individuals. “Who are you, Mr. Lost iPod Man?” Caplan asks at the trailer’s close. We’ll find out when this comedy opens at some point in 2012.

Our coverage of the Edinburgh International Film Festival kicks off with a review of The Last Rites. Follow along with all our EIFF coverage all week long on our dedicated film festival dispatch right here.

On paper, The Last Rites of Ransom Pride sounds like a surefire winner; a western about a tough gun-toting heroine trying to take her deceased outlaw lover's body back home for burial while being pursued by men who had a grudge against him and the estranged family of the man who blame her for his downfall. Add to that a stellar cast including Lizzy Caplin, Kris Kristofferson and Peter Dinklage and what can go wrong? As it turns out; everything.

From the get go alarm bells are sounding. The opening credits are a barrage of in-your-face fast cut, heavy rock straight out of the school of poor Zack Snyder emulation. Not the western you were looking for. This spazmodic approach rears its head throughout the movie as the end of every scene is met with a fast-cut reverse recap of the events just seen. Presumably the director saw Vantage Point and liked what was done there oblivious that the use of this process there was justified and here it is just irritating padding. The rest of the movie outside this is painfully po-faced and so makes these transition scenes even more jarring. The acting by almost everyone is at best flat, at worst, terrible. Only Peter Dinklage really makes any impression in what amounts to a cameo role. In fact that pretty much describes every aspect of the movie. Last Rites has no real characters, they are simply cardboard figures who chop and change feelings and motivation to suit the whims of the childish screenplay and to get to the next poorly choreographed shootout.

Shooting on digital is a risky business and requires a deft hand and some great cinematography to stop the end product looking cheap. Ransom Pride has neither so continually has the look of a softcore Cinemax movie with none of the bonus nudity. When it's not so plainly lit that the sets look exactly like sets rather than locations, then it's so dimly lit that it's hard to make out what's going on. And speaking of seeing what's going on, I may be no history expert but I'm pretty sure semi-automatic pistols weren't around in 1911. It's this level of anachronistic sloppiness that only helps to increase the level of contempt you feel while watching the movie.

Managing to assemble a big name cast may be admirable, but without some kind of vision and talent behind them to craft the end product, then the end result is always going to be what we have here; a pretty much unwatchable mess. I can only imagine the actors took on the role because it was a decent quick paycheck for a piece of work that would never get a wide enough release to damage their credibility.

People have told me that some have said if you can't say anything nice at a festival don't say anything. However, people less fortunate than me are going to pay hard earned money to sit through a movie like Ransom Pride unawares. Surely it's my duty to warn them against the bad as much as it is to praise the good. Consider yourself warned.

Like Doc Brown says, if you’re gonna build a time machine, do it with style. Chris Lloyd made his out of a DeLorean but John Cusack and Rob Corddry have an even better idea: Theirs is a hot tub.

They’re already set to star in a comedy called Hot Tub Time Machine, and now the hilariously titled film is lining up a supporting cast. HR says underrated comic genius Craig Robinson is on board along with Sebastian Stan and Lizzy Caplan. Also in the cast is Crispin Glover. Glover ought to know a thing or two about a good time travel movie by now, since he had a run in with the aforementioned Doc Brown's time-tinkering machinations in Back to the Future as George McFly. Time travel seems to be his density.

The movie’s title tells you everything you need to know about the plot. A group of friends go to a ski lodge where they party as teens, and are transported back to 1987 through their hot tub. I guess they turned up the bubbles or something. The frequently deranged Mr. Glover plays “a one-armed, accident-prone bellhop” at the Silver Peaks Lodge. Stan is a ski-jock and arch nemesis of Rob Corddry while Caplan is the movie’s obligatory female love interest for Cusack.