When I think of Cameron Diaz’s most iconic movies, The Holiday, My Best Friend’s Wedding, There’s Something About Mary, and Shrek immediately come to mind. Notably, all of those are either great rom-coms or are centered around a romance. Now, after making her big return to acting last year in Back in Action, she’s about to be back in action in the rom-com genre.

After retiring from acting and taking a break that lasted 11 years, Cameron Diaz is back in the game in full force. In the time since the release of Back in Action (which you can stream with a Netflix subscription), she lined up five more projects that she’ll be acting in. This includes Shrek 5, which will be released in 2027, as well as Outcome, which is on the 2026 movie schedule. However, today, we’re going to focus on the untitled romantic comedy she’s set to star in alongside Stephen Merchant.

At the moment, this romantic comedy is untitled; however, we did get some major casting news about it. Per Deadline, Diaz is set to star alongside Merchant, who is also the director and co-writer of the film. Sherry Cola and Josh Segarra are also set to star in this movie, and it was recently revealed that Lisa Gilroy, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Dustin Ybarra and Fabrizio Guido have joined the ensemble as well. All these folks are very funny, which will serve this movie’s premise perfectly.

The film will follow a British workaholic (Merchant) who works at a bougie hotel in New York. He is in need of a wife, and Diaz’s character, who is a struggling stand-up comedian, needs health insurance. So, they set up a fake marriage that (obviously, because this is a rom-com) leads to actual love.

Notably, this film is being produced by Merchant and Lee Eisenberg, as well as the folks over at Point Grey Pictures, which includes Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.

Now, no matter what, I’d be stoked for this movie. The premise is so fun, and I love the idea of Diaz playing a stand-up comedian. However, it’s an incredibly exciting project because it marks her first true rom-com since 2014. That year, she starred in Sex Tape with Jason Segel as well as The Other Woman, which is more of a revenge comedy with a sprinkle of romance than a true rom-com. So, this new project is a true return to form for the beloved actress

Before Diaz’s retirement, her career was partially defined by the rom-coms she did. She’s a shining star in the genre, and so to see her come back to it in full force brings me an immense amount of joy.

While Back in Action saw her and Jamie Foxx playing a couple, it was way more an action movie than a rom-com. This project with Stephen Merchant sounds like a true romantic comedy, and it seems like it will have a whole lot of rom and com in it, so you best believe I’ll be seated whenever it's released.

Speaking of a release date, it’s currently unknown when this movie will come out. However, have no fear, you won’t have to wait that long to see Diaz back on screen. That's because her next movie, Outcome, which is directed by Jonah Hill and stars Diaz and Keanu Reeves, will be available for those with an Apple TV subscription on April 10. Then, you can really start counting down the days to the release of this new romantic comedy.

Dunder-Mifflin is one of the most famous fake business brands in entertainment, but it won’t be the setting of Greg Daniels’ upcoming The Office spinoff, which was recently confirmed to be on the way for fans with Peacock subscriptions. Now that the news has been fully cemented, the O.G. UK series’ co-creator Stephen Merchant has shared his thoughts about the expanding fictional universe, and offered up a jokey suggestion that I hope gets ignored at all costs. (Sorry, Stephen.)

Merchant, who is set to return to the role of Gregory Dillard in Season 3 of Prime Video’s The Outlaws, spoke with Deadline at the BAFTA TV Awards and offered his preliminary opinion about Daniels’ bringing a new approach to this beloved comedy universe. But I think we can all agree his Zoom-related idea shouldn’t be given any real consideration, at least when it comes to the project’s overarching aesthetic. In Merchant’s words:

While I can pretty easily get behind just about any kind of project’s formatting — regardless of visuals, language barriers, musical choices, questionable characters, etc. — there’s something entirely unpleasing about shows that hinge on webcams being used as the windows into the main characters’ lives. It’s not the absolute worst, and has been utilized quite properly by certain projects in the past two decades, but I don’t think I could make it through an entire TV season of workplace comedy taking that approach. (Lisa Kudrow’s Web Therapy is something of an exception, since that show is based around the visual concept.)

I’m definitely behind the idea of the new Office spinoff reflecting the most up-to-date take on workplace life, assuming there is in fact a central brick-and-mortar workplace to attend, which is pretty much a necessity in the world of print newspapers. So if Greg Daniels wanted to take Stephen Merchant’s Zoom-y suggestion with just one employee working from home, that could be interesting, but that’s about it.

For what it’s worth, Daniels’ presumably won’t be seeking out any advice from either Stephen Merchant or Ricky Gervais for the new project. The Ladies Man vet clarified that his involvement in the streaming spinoff is pretty much limited to being labled an “executive producer.” As he put it:

He didn’t seem to be fully cognizant about all of the details about the spinoff, which speaks to the idea that Daniels and co-developer Michael Koman (of Nathan for You fame) will keep to themselves when building out this small-town universe. Here’s hoping they at least bring Merchant in for a guest-starring role; while he didn’t appear in the U.S. version of The Office alongside Michael Scott, he did cameo in The Good Place, which was created by former Office writer/producer Michael Schur, so the connections are all seemingly in place.

Peacock’s series order confirmed that the new spinoff will star Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore, and will take place within a fledgling local newspaper in the Midwest, with the documentary crew following the publisher’s plans to bring the publication back up to snuff via a staff of volunteering reporters. So it’s still a paper company, just not the same kind of paper.

When asked if Greg Daniels’ idea to shake up the setting for the U.S. series could spark inspiration to craft a similar spinoff for the U.K. comedy that introduced David Brent to the world, Stephen Merchant didn’t toss the idea out straightaway. Saying “Maybe,” the writer said he wants to see how well Gleeson’s spinoff does before deciding whether that’s a creative well worth returning to. (Hopefully without any Zoom calls in the mix.)

While waiting for the new project to show up on Peacock, presumably after the 2024 TV season is over, fans can find former live-action co-stars John Krasinski and Steve Carell reuniting for IF, Paramount Pictures’ new animated comedy that also co-stars Ryan Reynolds and Emily Blunt.

Some characters in TV and film steal the show every time they’re on screen. Fans of the original UK version of The Office know all about that thanks to “Big Keith,” the accountant played by Ewen MacIntosh. Unfortunately, fans must now say goodbye to the actor. It's being reported that MacIntosh passed away on February 19. Ricky Gervais and others who knew the actor well are now saying farewell.

CNN reports that MacIntosh passed away on Monday. The exact cause of death was not disclosed, but a statement from the actor’s management company states that he had been in ill health for the last couple of years, but passed away peacefully. With the news of Big Kieth’s passing Ricky Gervais, who starred in and co-created The Office, took to Twitter to announce the actor’s death to fans, saying…

The other half of the creative team behind The Office, Stephen Merchant, also reacted to the news of MacIntosh’s death on Twitter. He told a story about the actor doing an improv scene so well that it resulted in the character becoming a bigger part of the show than originally intended. Merchant said… 

Fans of The Office will know just how funny MacIntosh was. He was able to be hilarious frequently without saying much of anything. That’s quite a talent. Check out MacIntosh in this scene from The Office for a look at MacIntosh's excellent comedic timing. 

Ewen MacIntosh had nearly 80 TV and film credits to his name at the time of his passing, including appearances on Little Britain and in Yorgos Lanthimos' utterly bizarre The Lobster. And yet, the 14 episodes of The Office he appeared in, his first TV role, were far and away his biggest. Despite the series' brief run, it was a major comedic influence, most notably for creating the American version of the show, which ran for a decade. 

Based on the responses online from friends and fans, Ewan MacIntosh was truly a well-loved individual who was, by all accounts, just as funny in reality as he was on the screen. He will clearly be missed. 

Fans looking for The Office streaming in order to relieve the series don't have to go far. The entire run of the original UK series is available for Hulu subscribers.

There are few stars bigger than Dwayne Johnson right now, and part of the reason you can tell that is that it seems there’s very little about the man that people are not interested in. When The Rock talks about his kids his Instagram pics go viral and when he shows off what he’s eating for dinner it blows up on social media. Dwayne Johnson’s diet is absolutely insane, and it’s apparently so insane that he doesn’t even eat at restaurants, he just brings his own food.

Stephen Merchant, who wrote, directed and appeared in the pro-wrestling movie Fighting with My Family, which was produced by Dwayne Johnson, recently appeared on Sirius XM where he talked about his experience watching The Rock eat. Because he’s on such a regimented diet he has food packaged and ready for his various meals, but Merchant says Johnson can’t even eat at restaurants because they would mess with the diet. The actor explains…  

When you’re Dwayne Johnson and you’re a major actor and film producer I would expect that there are a lot of lunch meetings happening over things like avoiding sports cliches or whatever. Thus, one can imagine there are many instances of Johnson sitting down at a restaurant and, rather than ordering off the menu, asking the restaurant to heat up the food he brought. I guess when The Rock asks that, you just go ahead and do it.

Stephen Merchant isn’t the first to talk about Dwayne Johnson’s eating habits. We’ve heard other co-stars and collaborators talk about the amount of food he eats, and the frequency with which The Rock eats it. It takes a lot of calories to keep somebody who looks like Dwayne Johnson going. The food is also specific because it’s part of what his body needs in order to keep up his incredible physique. Though that doesn’t mean that Johnson doesn’t get to eat stuff that looks delicious.

The one time Dwayne Johnson does eat a lot is on his cheat days, and we’ve seen the absolute massive amounts of food that The Rock puts away on these days. He gets to eat whatever he likes on cheat days, and he does not mess around. 

Maybe he could actually eat at a restaurant if it was cheat day, but that bill is going to be absolutely massive. Good thing Johnson is one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood.

Most simply couldn’t eat like The Rock, some have tried. And it honestly can’t be easy for him. Having to have such a structured diet probably isn’t always that fun. Most of us enjoy eating in restaurants when we can and it’s unfortunate that The Rock doesn’t get to do that. 

Among Netflix’s many original holiday offerings this year is A Boy Called Christmas, which tells the fantastical tale of Santa Claus in his youth. The epic streaming release features an impressive host of talent including Harry Potter’s Maggie Smith, The Hunger Games’ Toby Jones and The Shape of Water’s Sally Hawkins. It was surely a dream come true for its young lead Henry Lawfull to work with so many great talents, but for his sidekick mouse, played by Stephen Merchant, he missed out on what could have been an all-time great comedic duo. 

Stephen Merchant is, of course, the co-creator of the original version of The Office and Extras, along with other comedic endeavors. In A Boy Called Christmas, he voices the role of Miika the Mouse, who a young Father Christmas has in his pocket for the entire adventure. When CinemaBlend spoke to Merchant about the role, he said the following about the unique experience: 

Because Stephen Merchant is one of the few animated characters in the film, he had a vastly different experience than the rest of the cast. As he said, he didn’t get to meet his co-stars, even though he’d worked with Henry Lawfull in particular closely from afar. Merchant said there is one cast mate from A Boy Called Christmas he’s especially dying to work with. In his words: 

If you’re aware of Stephen Merchant’s comedic style and Kristen Wiig’s sensibilities, you know this is a comedic match made in heaven. If you put the two of them together, they would have us belly laughing until our chest hurt. To our surprise, he’s not only never worked with her, they haven’t even met. Ever? What! 

In A Boy Called Christmas, Kristen Wiig plays Aunt Carlotta, another scene-stealing antagonist who serves as Nikolas’ temporary guardian early in the film. According to Pop Culture, the co-writer/director of the movie, Gil Kenan was a huge Saturday Night Live fan, along with just generally loving all of the actress’ work, and he reached out to her for the role, based on the character in Matt Haig’s book of the same name. 

Kristen Wiig was apparently looking for a different kind of role when he approached her and the stars aligned. There’s some seriously inspired casting going on in A Boy Called Christmas, but wow, does a Stephen Merchant and Kristen Wiig collaboration still need to happen now that it’s been brought up. 

Based on the novel Caging Skies by Christine Leunens, Jojo Rabbit walked a fine line between comedy and tragedy in its oddly whimsical coming-of-age look at a young boy learning about the realities of his world while living in WWII Germany, accompanied by an unlikely father figure in the form of a wisecracking imaginary Hitler. It's a tricky balance for a dark satire with many dramatic elements, but for many viewers, it proved to be a success. It earned nearly $100 million at the box office worldwide and it turned writer/director/co-star Taika Waititi into an Oscar winner for his adapted screenplay.

In a cast filled with newcomers and established talents, Jojo Rabbit's general success served as a launching pad for its youngest stars, while also proving to be another critical and commercial success for its award-recognized veterans, including Scarlett Johansson, who was Oscar-nominated for her performance. Now that it's been one year since its release, what is the cast of Jojo Rabbit up to now? Let's find out now!

Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo)

As our titular child protagonist, Jojo, Roman Griffin Davis provides Taika Waititi's satire with the inquisitive and comical childlike perspective through which we see the changing landscape of Germany amid the final days of WWII. The lead performance wasn't merely Davis' breakthrough role; it was also his introductory part. And he made a good impression. The child actor received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy. Additionally, Davis won the Critics Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer.

Certainly, given his acutely comedic and emotionally vulnerable work in this Oscar-winning farce, Roman Griffin Davis seemingly has a promising future ahead of him. But, at the moment, the up-and-coming teenage actor has only one additional credit to his name: the forthcoming Christmas comedy Silent Night, which also stars Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Annabelle Wallis, and Lily-Rose Depp.

Thomasin McKenzie (Elsa)

In the role of Elsa, a teenage Jewish girl hiding in Rosie's attic who helps Jojo learn the error of his hateful thinking brought on from a wayward childhood under the Nazi regime, Thomasin McKenzie plays a key dramatic role in this darkly farcical film. The young actress found her breakout role in 2018's acclaimed Leave No Trace, though it's this prominent performance in this Best Picture-nominated movie that propelled her rising career further. Prior to both of these films, McKenzie appeared in New Zealand's soap opera, Shortland Street. Other notable credits on her resume include The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The King, and The Cul De Sac. Additionally, McKenzie appeared in The True History of the Kelly Gang and Lost Girls earlier this year.

Next, Thomasin McKenzie stars in The Power of the Dog, Last Night in Soho, The Justice of Bunny King, and M. Night Shyamalan's Old, which is now filming.

Scarlett Johansson (Rosie)

Playing Rosie, Jojo's good-hearted mother who's secretly hiding a Jewish woman in her home, Scarlett Johansson played an emotional role in Jojo Rabbit. The actress was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for this performance, one of her first Oscar recognitions alongside her Best Actress nomination for Marriage Story that same year. She has also garnered praise for her past performances in Her, Match Point, Lost In Translation, Under the Skin, The Prestige, Vicky Christina Barcelona, and Ghost World.

Additionally, Scarlett Johansson is well-known for her performances in films like Don Jon, The Nanny Diaries, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, In Good Company, The Island, He's Just Not That Into You, We Bought a Zoo, Chef, Lucy, and Ghost in the Shell. Also, she plays a recurring role as Black Widow in the MCU.

Next, as noted here, Scarlett Johansson plays the title role in Marvel's Black Widow and she'll be heard in Sing 2. She'll also star in Bride, an artistic re-imagining of Bride of Frankenstein's lore, and she's expected to star in the upcoming Little Shop of Horrors remake.

Taika Waititi (Adolf)

In addition to writing and directing Jojo Rabbit, Taika Waititi adopted the role of an imaginary version of Adolf Hitler, who serves as a sarcastic (and poor) mentor figure and loyal companion to our propaganda-believing young protagonist. Now an Oscar-winning filmmaker thanks to this film, his profile only continues to balloon, though he was previously known for directing Thor: Ragnarok, where he also played the part of Korg.

Additionally, Taika Waititi co-helmed What We Do In The Shadows, which he also starred in, and called the shots on Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and Eagle vs. Shark. His other acting credits include Green Lantern and Avengers: Endgame, where he reprised his role as Korg. Additionally, Waititi can be heard in Disney+'s The Mandalorian, which he also helped direct.

Next, Taika Waititi co-wrote, produced, and directed Next Goal Wins, which is in post-production. He also has roles in Free Guy and The Suicide Squad. And he's set to direct Thor: Love and Thunder and an upcoming Star Wars movie.

Sam Rockwell (Captain Klenzendorf)

Playing the part of Captain Klenzendorf, the army officer who runs the Hitler Youth camp, Sam Rockwell plays a prominent adult role in this child-based coming-of-age comedy. An Oscar-winning actor for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and nominated for his portrayal of George W. Bush in Vice, Rockwell is also known for Moon, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Matchstick Men, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Choke, Frost/Nixon, Iron Man 2, Seven Psychopaths, Charlie's Angels, Galaxy Quest, The Green Mile, The Way Way Back, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Recently, Sam Rockwell played Bob Fosse in FX's Fosse/Verdon, which he also produced. He was also seen in Richard Jewell and heard in Trolls World Tour and Disney+'s The One and Only Ivan. Next, he's in talks to play Merle Haggard in a biopic. Additionally, he'll be seen in The Heart and heard in The Adventures of Drunky.

Archie Yates (Yorki)

In the role of young Yorki, Jojo's best friend, Archie Yates provided a scene-stealing performance in Jojo Rabbit. Similar to his co-star, Roman Griffin Davis, Yates made his screen debut in his comical supporting role, and even in a cast of proven talents, he was easily among the standouts. Additionally, alongside Davis, the child actor received a Critics' Choice Movie Award nomination for Best Young Actor.

Shortly after Jojo Rabbit's release, it was announced that Archie Yates would frontline an upcoming Home Alone reboot, which would debut on Disney+. Joined by Ellie Kemper and Rob Delaney, Yates plays Max, a different character to Macaulay Culkin's Kevin, as this movie tells a separate story in that universe. Written by SNL's Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell, and directed by Dan Mazer, this reboot is currently in post-production. Additionally, Yates was heard in this year's animated short film, Paper Birds.

Stephen Merchant (Deertz)

In the role of Deertz, a Gestapo agent, Stephen Merchant provided a surprisingly menacing role in Jojo Rabbit's midsection. Considering his history as a comedic performer, it was intriguing to see him use his lanky figure to menacing results. Most prominently, Merchant is best known as the co-creator, co-writer, and co-director of BBC's The Office, which inspired the popular American version of the same name.

Additionally, Stephen Merchant was the star, writer, director, and creator of HBO's Hello Ladies, and he also co-created Extras and Life's Too Short. He co-wrote and co-directed Cemetery Junction and, most recently, wrote and directed Fighting with My Family. And he co-developed Lip Sync Battle.

Meanwhile, as an actor, Stephen Merchant starred in Hot Fuzz, Logan, Hall Pass, and The Girl in the Spider's Web. Next, Merchant will write, direct, and star in BBC's The Offenders. He's also filming a role in Lockdown.

Rebel Wilson (Fräulein Rahm)

As Fräulein Rahm, an instructor of the League of German Girls in the Hitlerjugend camp, Rebel Wilson is one of the most famous faces in Jojo Rabbit, though she only has a limited role. Best known for her work in the Pitch Perfect trilogy, Wilson also starred in How to Be Single, Isn't It Romantic?, The Hustle, Pain & Gain, Bachelorette, Bridesmaids, What to Expect When You're Expecting, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, Grimsby, and, most recently, Cats.

In addition to these big screen titles, Rebel Wilson created and played the lead in ABC's short-lived Super Fun Night. The actress was also a series regular on The Wedge back in 2006-2007. She now hosts two new reality competition series, Pooch Perfect and LOL: Last One Laughing, as of this year. Additionally, she starred in Les Norton last year. Next, Wilson is expected to star in The Almond and the Seahorse.

Alfie Allen (Finkel)

Playing the part of Finkel, Captain Klenzendorf's second-in-command, Alfie Allen appears frequently throughout Jojo Rabbit. The younger brother of musician Lily Allen, and the inspiration for her 2006 single, "Alfie," the actor has been forging a career for himself throughout the past two decades, but he finally found fame through his long-standing role as Theon Greyjoy in Game of Thrones, for which he was Emmy-nominated in 2019. Additionally, Allen is known for his antagonistic role in the original John Wick. His other notable credits also include Atonement, The Predator, Elizabeth, The Other Boleyn Girl, Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London, and Hulu's Harlots.

Most recently, Alfie Allen was seen in How To Build A Girl and the mini-series, White House Farm, which was also known as White House Farm Murders and The Murders at White House Farm, earlier this year. Next, he stars in Night Teeth and La Cha Cha.

Luke Brandon Field (Christoph)

In the role of Christoph, a bully who gives Jojo the nickname that's seen in the title, Luke Brandon Field plays a small-but-distinctive role in Jojo Rabbit. This movie is quite easily the actor's most high-profile, though his other credits include the TV series, You Look Stunning Too, as well as indie films like One Last Night, Bob Thunder: Internet Assassin, American Poltergeist, Blackwood, Magic Boys, Where the Road Meets the Sun, and this year's All for Nikki. He also provided a voice in The Legend of Joan of Arc.

Next, Luke Brandon Field stars in the short film, In the Dark. He's currently filming a role in Whisper and he'll also soon appear in The Other Prince of Wales.

Did you love Jojo Rabbit? Who was your favorite actor from Taika Waititi's award-winning period piece farce? Please be sure to let us know in the comments below.

Taika Waititi is best known to audiences for his unique comedic sensibilities, but what makes Jojo Rabbit such a fascinating movie for the filmmaker is the way in which it balances tonal extremes. Being a satire that features the writer/director playing an imaginary version of Adolf Hitler, there are many incredibly funny scenes, but they are brilliantly intertwined with dramatic and horrific moments of reality that creep in.

What the film does in this respect is fascinating, but that’s not only a viewpoint coming from this audience member – it’s also a sentiment that I recently learned is also shared by really the entire cast:

Earlier this month I went to the Los Angeles press day for Jojo Rabbit, and while sitting down with Scarlett Johansson, Thomasin McKenzie, Roman Griffin Davis, Stephen Merchant, Sam Rockwell, and Alfie Allen one aspect of the movie I asked all of them about was Taika Waititi’s approach to tone. And while they had different perspectives on it, at the end of it all it was an aspect of the film that impressed all.

For Scarlett Johansson – who plays the mother of the titular Jojo, an imaginative, naïve child swept up in the Nazi movement during World War II in Germany – the specialness of Jojo Rabbit and it’s approach to both humor and dark drama was something that she recognized even before production started and she read Taika Waititi’s script. She admitted that just briefly describing the plot of the film makes it sound a bit odd, but that she knew from the start that it was a balancing act that the movie would be able to pull off:

Continuing, she noted that the way that you read a script doesn’t always perfectly translate to what you wind up seeing in the finished cut of any given film, but she never doubted the skills of Taika Waititi to adapt the material. Said Johansson,

In contrast, Stephen Merchant, who plays a committed Nazi who conducts house-by-house searches for Jews in hiding, wasn’t fully sure how it was all going to play out until he actually saw the finished film – but then he was in absolute awe of its genius. He may not have been able to fully conceive of Taika Waititi’s singular vision for Jojo Rabbit when he was on set, but he was floored by it when he saw how it came together:

Further adding to the compliments, Stephen Merchant – who notably co-created the legendary series The Office – and this incredible thing to say about his Jojo Rabbit director:

It really is a stunning piece of work, and one that you can now experience for yourself. Jojo Rabbit is now out in limited release, and it’s definitely one that you’ll want to see.

The 2011 feature The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was intended to launch a film series based off the Millennium book series, which was created by Stieg Larsson and is now being written by David Lagercrantz. Had things gone according to plan, the next movie up would have been The Girl Who Played with Fire, but due to behind-the-scenes delays, that sequel was cancelled. Now the Millennium film series is picking back up again with The Girl in the Spider's Web, and it was announced today that Logan's Stephen Merchant and Black Widows' Synnøve Macody Lund have joined the adaptation's cast.

Rather than completely reboot the Millennium film series, The Girl in the Spider's Web will continue where The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo left off, albeit with a brand new cast. Stephen Merchant and Synnøve Macody Lund are the latest actors to be added to the group, though Variety didn't learn any details about who they will play. The Girl in the Spider's Web's cast also includes Claire Foy taking over from Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander, Sverrir Gudanson succeeding Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomqvist, Sylvia Hoeks as Camilla Salander, Lakeith Stansfield as Alona Casales, Claes Bang as the main villain and Cameron Britton as one of Lisbeth's "close associates."

Primarily known for his comedic works like The Office (the original one) and Extras, Stephen Merchant delved into drama last year when he played Caliban in Logan, Hugh Jackman's final outing as Wolverine. 2017 also saw him appearing in Table 19, and additionally, he was supposed to cameo in Beauty and the Beast, but his appearance was deleted. Merchant's other upcoming projects include Sherlock Gnomes and Fighting with My Family, the latter of which he also directed. As for Synnøve Macody Lund (who was originally a film critic and journalist), she's primarily known for her work on Nordic productions like the TV shows Black Widows and Acquitted, as well as the movie Haunted, so The Girl in the Spider's Web will introduce her to a lot of American moviegoers.

Directed by Don't Breathe's Fede Álvarez and written by Steven Knight, The Girl in the Spider's Web will follow Lisbeth Slander and Mikael Blomqvist as they get caught up in a web (get it?) of spies, cyber criminals (known collectively as The Spider Society) and corrupt government officials. Pretty standard really, given the adventures these two have had before on the printed page.

The Girl in the Spider's Web will be released in theaters on November 9 (putting it in competition with The Grinch that opening weekend), so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more news about the project. You can also look through our 2018 release schedule to learn what other movies are coming out later this year.

Scenes end up not making the final cut of a film for all sorts of different reasons. Rarely, however, do significant actors find their entire cameo moment on the cutting room floor. However, that's exactly what happened to Stephen Merchant, who was going to appear in Beauty and the Beast but had his entire role excised from the movie. It may have been for the best, it was an odd role. He played the toilet.

Deleted scenes are always one of the more interesting parts of any Blu-Ray movie release and this is no less true for Disney's live-action version of Beauty and the Beast. The disc contains a number of interesting scenes that were not used, but there are two scenes that are of particular note. Both scenes take place during the tail end of the film. In the first, during the battle between the townspeople and the enchanted objects of the castle, Le Fou is looking for a place to hide from the battle when he ducks into a side room and closes the door. As it turns out, he's found the bathroom. It also turns out that the toilet is one of the enchanted objects. The toilet begins to move in place and laugh. Le Fou realizes what's happening and starts to use an expletive that is appropriate considering his location. Then we cut to the hall outside the room (before Le Fou has a chance to finish swearing) to see him running out screaming.

It's not too shocking to see why this scene may have been cut. The literal toilet humor feels out of place with the rest of the movie. It's just not where the film found its jokes previously and having this scene show up at the end feels strange. The near swearing, while funny, also doesn't fit with the rest of the film, as the language never gets close to anything else like that. It also brings up an infinite number of questions about how the enchantment works in the movie that we really don't want to be asking.

However, cutting the Le Fou/toilet scene meant that another scene had to go. After the curse has been lifted Le Fou is exiting the castle when he comes upon a man, soaking wet, and looking like, well, shit. Le Fou wonders aloud what the terrible smell is before he realizes the man he's standing next to is the human form of the toilet he had previously encountered. And as it turns out, it's Stephen Merchant. Le Fou tries to make small talk, asking the man what he's going to do with himself now. The response?

Since the toilet doesn't really speak in the earlier scene, there's no indication that this character is one might recognize, as is the case with the rest of the enchanted objects. Seeing Stephen Merchant is a funny moment all to itself. While cutting the earlier scene makes sense, it's unfortunate that it meant this latter scene also had to go, because it's pretty good.

You can check out this, and other deleted scenes from Beauty and the Beast on the Blu-Ray disc, which is now available.

The trailer and photos released for Logan so far have made it perfectly clear that this will be one of the darkest X-Men movies released yet, if not ranking at the top of the list. Taking place in the year 2024, the mutant population has significantly decreased, and things aren't that great for the survivors. Many of you already know about the troubles plaguing Wolverine and Professor Charles Xavier in Logan, but take a look at the uncomfortable situation Caliban will find himself in at some point during the movie.

Empire Magazine (via X-Men Films) released this photo of Stephen Merchant's Caliban imprisoned in a cage in Logan. No information was provided about how Caliban ended up in that cell, but it's obvious he wants out bad. If I had to guess, I'd say that Caliban has been captured by Transigen, the mysterious organization that's reportedly experimenting on mutants in Logan. Its members include head of security Donald Pierce (played by Boyd Holbrook) and surgical head Zander Rice (played by Richard E. Grant), i.e. the third Wolverine spinoff's two primary villains.

Caliban was briefly spotted in the Logan trailer with his face covered (he sunburns easily, I suppose), and since then the official Instagram account has released other looks at Stephen Merchan as the mutant. However, few detail have been revealed about how he fits into the plot. Like his comic book counterpart, he'll have the ability to sense and track mutants, and in this movie, he'll help Wolverine take care of the mentally-unstable Professor X. It's unclear whether Caliban already knows Wolverine and Professor X before the movie or if they'll meet him once the story has progressed. If it's the latter, maybe Wolverine's the one who rescues him from his imprisonment above. Regardless, Caliban sounds like he'll be a valued ally to Logan's eponymous protagonist.

It's worth pointing out that the X-Men movie series hasn't been the greatest stickler of continuity, and Caliban is yet another example of that. Earlier this year, Caliban was played by Tómas Lemarquis in X-Men: Apocalypse, where he was seen in the 1980s working as a sinister underground broker who helped mutants relocate and provided coveted information for the right price. However, over four decades later, he hasn't aged a bit and is helping Wolverine take care of Professor X. What's up with that? Still, this wouldn't be the first time we've seen multiple versions of the same character, be it Jubilee, Psylocke, Blob or even Deadpool...okay, it was acceptable to ignore Wade Wilson's previous cinematic iteration. Anyway, given Stephen Merchant's comedy and acting chops, we're hopeful his version of Caliban will be something special.

You can see Caliban on the big screen when Logan arrives in theaters on March 3, 2017.

As the third Wolverine spinoff, Logan, looms closer, we're starting to learn more about who the movie's principal players are. One of those folks will be played comedian Stephen Merchant, but when his casting was announced six months ago, no character details were revealed. However, a more recent report said Merchant will play Caliban, and thanks to a new photo, it looks like the claim may be true.

Director James Mangold posted this look at Stephen Merchant's character on Twitter earlier today, and judging by his baldness and Albino visage, it looks like he will indeed be portraying Caliban in Logan. According to the previously-mentioned report, Caliban will help Wolverine take care of Professor Charles Xavier in 2024, who has become unstable as he approaches being nearly 100 years old. Beyond that, it's unclear how he might factor into the plot.

In case you need more proof that Stephen Merchant is playing Caliban in Logan, the actor posted a different photo on his Instagram page, which has him wearing a get-up similar to what Caliban wore in his earliest comic book appearances.

Introduced in 1981, Caliban is a member of the Morlocks, mutants who live underground because humanity has shunned them, whether it's because of their physical appearance of some other reason. His main mutant ability is being able to sense other mutants and what their powers are as far as 25 miles away. He's been a flip-flopper when it comes to his relationship to the X-Men. At times he's helped the mutant superheroes, while in other instances, he's been manipulated into fighting them. In one of the latter cases, he was transformed by Apocalypse into Death, one of the Four Horsemen. When that happened, Caliban not only grew into a massive brute, but also gained additional abilities, like enhanced strength, boosted senses and being able to absorb "fear-generated psionic energy" from others and redirect it back at them.

Caliban most recently appeared in X-Men: Apocalypse (played by Tómas Lemarquis) as an underground broker who located other mutants with his ability for a price. Psylocke was his bodyguard until Apocalypse recruited her as one of his Four Horsemen. The X-Men movie series has a history of occasionally featuring different versions of the same character (like how Jubilee cameoed in 2000's X-Men before X-Men: Apocalypse, which takes 17 years prior), but for now, we're assuming that both these versions of Caliban are one and the same, which means he's aged well over the last 40 years.

Logan hits theaters on March 3, 2017.

Sheldon and Amy have been through a lot together on The Big Bang Theory. What once was a great relationship, for certain values of great, is now no more. So after a relationship ends, what comes next? New relationships of course. New people that make you extremely happy, and if they happen to upset your ex, that’s okay too. (Am I reading too much into this?) It looks like both Sheldon and Amy have moved on, and Sheldon is about to start dating a former Top Model while Amy is going to begin to hang with Ricky Gervais best bud.

Actress Analeigh Tipton and comedian Stephen Merchant will be appearing as guest stars on an upcoming episode, according to TV Line, and while CBS isn’t talking about who they’ll be playing, members of the studio audience for Episode 9 of Big Bang's current season are claiming that they’ll both be playing dates for Sheldon and Amy.

Analeigh Tipton got her start on America’s Next Top Model and has actually appeared on Big Bang Theory previously, starring as herself in a storyline related to her former show. Since then, she’s had small roles in various TV and film projects, and is probably best known most recently for her lead in the short-lived sitcom Manhatten Love Story. With an actress who’s a literal model, they could very well be going the “trophy girlfriend” route if Sheldon is just looking to make Amy jealous. Hopefully there’s a little more to it than that. Just because she’s pretty doesn’t mean the character is without a brain.

Stephen Merchant is probably most famous for his work behind the scenes, as he’s been a writer and producer along with his friend Ricky Gervais on several projects, including the British version of The Office and Life’s Too Short. Onscreen, he starred in HBO’s Hello Ladies and was the voice of Wheatley in Portal 2. It’s this last role that we hope has the most influence on his character here. A human version of the bumbling robot core is exactly the type of new boyfriend who would be perfect for Amy.

We look forward to seeing both new characters when they debut later this season. Episode 9 should be hitting CBS in mid-November.

Stephen Merchant has a dirrty side. The actor/comedian/writer recently pulled out his chaps to sing the Christina Aguilera hit “Dirrty” on Spike TV’s Lip Sync Battle, and it was hilarious. Take a look.

In the video from Thursday's episode of Lip Sync Battle, comedian Stephen Merchant pulled out all the stops during his lip sync performance on the pretend singing show. Merchant, who serves as executive producer on the hit show, wowed the crowd with his hilarious version of the pop song, and even donned a pair of chaps to help sell the performance. As Merchant put it:

That he did.

Merchant’s lip sync performance isn't until about halfway through the video, but it is definitely worth the wait. The I’ll Give a Year actor first appeared in a cage, much like the one Christina Aguilera used in her video back in 2002. It all goes downhill—or uphill depending on how you look at it—after that. The comedian spares no expense in flaunting his assets or his appropriately labeled “nasty” underoos. His dancing may have been a little offbeat, but Merchant more than made up for it with his version of “dirrty” dancing, which of course incited the crowd more. I couldn’t tell who was having more fun, the host LL Cool J and supermodel co-host Chrissy Teigan, Merchant’s competition Malin Akerman or the crowd. The Hello Ladies actor clearly brought the house down with his performance. Christina Aguilera should take a note.

Then again, Malin Akerman did give the comedian a run for his money. Her performance was first and she undoubtedly set the bar pretty high with her lip sync performance of Jason Derulo’s “Talk Dirty.” For her lip sync performance, the Sin City Saints actress donned what looked like something from LL Cool J’s 1990s closet, but as you can imagine, she made it super cool again. The actress brought her A-game, doing her best interpretation of Jason Derulo—fully assuming her character by engaging with and even slapping dancers on the derriere. Both LL Cool J and Chrissy Teigen were uber impressed with Akerman’s wardrobe and style, with co-host Teigen calling Akerman “the most adorable gangster I’ve ever seen.” Even Merchant had to give her credit for her outstanding performance, but he still won, obviously.

It was only a matter of time before Jimmy Fallon’s staple bit caught fire enough to warrant its own series. Fans have been flocking to YouTube to watch "Lip Sync Battle" segments over the last few months, and now, they'll be able to head to cable to watch their favorite celebrities rock out to their favorite jams in a brand new series.

According to Deadline, the series will air on Spike TV. It is being spearheaded by Fallon’s production company, likeable comedian Stephen Merchant and Casey Patterson of Viacom Entertainment Group. Here's an official statement from the production company...

In addition to Merchant and Fallon, The Office alum John Krasinkski will also be producing the new half hour original series. Every episode of Lip Sync Battle will feature celebrities going one on one, choosing their own set list and battling for the rights to be king or queen of the mic. The series is set to tape in January in New York City and has a firm premiere date of April 2, 2015. Their is no word yet on just who will be hosting the new show that is already generating positive buzz, but we will keep you filled in on details in the coming months.

The history of TV has featured a ton of beloved late night bits. Almost none of them have gotten their own series. Pretty incredible when you think about it. There is no doubting the power of YouTube, though. In fact, one of the "lip sync battles" between Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Stephen Merchant and Jimmy Fallon has gotten more than 30 million views. You can watch the three belt out Elton John's "Tiny Dancer", Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" and more below...

Right now it seems like anything Tonight Show host Fallon touches has the potential to turn to gold. No reason not to ride the wave and see how the staple bit does on cable TV. And with Fallon’s direct involvement and an impressive roster of executive producers, fans are already clamoring to hear their favorite hits get the lip sync treatment.

Lip syncing isn't always a good thing. Most people don't want to shell out money to see a famous celebrity belt out pre-recorded greatest hits, for example, but done right, it can be a real art form and the source of humor and entertainment. Take for example, last night's episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Of course we know Fallon can sing, and he's known to some pretty great musician impressions, but during last night's episode of the NBC late night talk show, Fallon took to the stage with two of his guests -- Don Jon's' Joseph Gordon Levitt and Hello Ladies star Stephen Merchant -- to do a bit of lip-syncing with a game Merchant says he made up with his pals John Krasinski and Emily Blunt.

The object of the battle is for the three men to take turns lip-syncing sections of well known songs, each trying to lip-sync better than the others. They don't know what songs the other ones have picked, so its all as much as show for the participants as it is for the audience. Merchant kicks off the battle with DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince's "Boom! Shake the Room," which he actually kind of nails. Fallon attempts to follow that act with "Don't You Want Me" by The Human League. And then it's Gordon-Levitt's turn. He's another one known for his musical interests, and he gets his lip-sync on with Elton John's "Tiny Dancer." Not to be confused with Tony Danza. While I feel like Gordon-Levitt should get lots of points for his dancing and facial expressions, I think Merchant won Round 1 with his rap.

Merchant went without a microphone for Round 2, which is an expert move and not something amateur lip syncers should even consider attempting at home. Merchant needed his hands free for his enthusiastic performance of Beyonce's "Single Ladies." Fallon followed that with A-ha's "Take on Me." He used a microphone, but I actually think his 80s dance moves topped Merchant's Beyonce impersonation. Gordon-Levitt brought the whole show home -- without microphone -- with a lip sync performance of Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass," a song he calls a contemporary pop classic. It's a hugely ambitious song to tackle, especially sans mic, but between his lip syncing and the dancing, I agree with Fallon that Joseph Gordon-Levitt won this battle.

Earlier today, HBO announced that its comedy series, Eastbound & Down, would end after Season 4. While that’s bad news for fans of the series, the network also announced some good news today. Not only has Boardwalk Empire finally gotten a Season 4 premiere date, but Larry David’s original movie, Clear History, and Stephen Merchant’s new comedy, Hello Ladies, are also headed to the schedule very soon.

First to premiere is Clear History, which will hit HBO’s schedule on August 10 at 10 p.m. ET. The long-awaited movie stars Larry David—with a beard of all things—as a former marketing executive who was publicly humiliated and put through the wringer after giving up a share of a company that later made oodles and gobs of money. There are a slew of famous names involved in the cast, and if you are interested in the project, you can check out the lengthy list, here.

September will be a big month for HBO, with the aforementioned premiere of Eastbound & Down, as well as Boardwalk Empire and Hello Ladies. Boardwalk Empire will hit the schedule first, on September 8 at 9 p.m. ET. The gangster-oriented drama seems as if it will be just as chilling in Season 4, and HBO has already released an epic teaser to prove it.

Finally, Hello Ladies will hit the schedule on September 29 at 10:30 p.m. ET. Stephen Merchant’s new HBO comedy is the most under-the-radar of the upcoming fodder. HBO hasn't been heavily marketing the fish-out-of-water comedy, but it has been coming together for months, with Merchant signed on as a tall and gawky Englishman hoping to find love in Los Angeles. Apparently, there’s a reason they don’t make “Los Angeles is for Lovers” t-shirts.

You can read more about the new projects over at TV By The Numbers, as the outlet has posted HBO’s full press release.

HBO has ordered a new comedy pilot from Stephen Merchant, co-creator of the original U.K. comedy The Office. Merchant is set to both direct and star in Hello Ladies, and is writing it as well. The pilot will be executive produced by a couple of his former Office colleagues, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, making for a little reunion on the pilot set.

Hello Ladies is about an unusually tall British man (Merchant, who comes it at 6’7”) who is bound and determined to make his way into the world of Los Angeles’ most beautiful people. Working against his search for love and acceptance in LA’s elite, glamorous circles are the facts that he’s somewhat gawky, obviously desperate, and not quite as charming as he likes to think he is. The idea, according to Deadline, came from Merchant’s standup comedy routine and sounds like it’s at least partially autobiographical. Apparently poking fun at himself isn’t a problem for Merchant.

Eisenberg and Sutpnitsky are the team behind recent feature Bad Teacher and upcoming Sandra Bullock vehicle The Heat. Merchant worked with Ricky Gervais on project such as Extras and Life’s Too Short in addition to The Office, and he's featured in The Ricky Gervais Show, which airs on HBO stateside. HBO will start production on the pilot before the end of the year, so we could be seeing it in 2013 if it goes well. The project has a good, proven comedy team behind it, and will be able to get away with a lot more since it’s for HBO than it would on network TV, so it could certainly have some promise.

If you’ve heard Ricky Gervais’s hilarious podcast then you know that, even though Ricky’s a really funny guy, the podcast isn’t actually funny because of him. It’s funny because Karl Pilkington has a head like an orange. He may be the stupidest man in all of England. Ricky and his partner Stephen Merchant, because they're smart, have mined this piece of comedic gold for all its worth on their podcast, and now they’re sending it on the road.

Ricky has a new show coming to the UK’s Sky 1 and it’s a must see for fans of The Ricky Gervais Show. It’s called An Idiot Abroad and in it, Ricky and Stephen have decided to torture Karl by forcing him to travel around the world visiting different places even though Karl hates and fears everything that’s different and in general, doesn’t understand anything about the world around him. The show’s first trailer has arrived and, it’s everything you could hope this show would be. Namely, a lot of Karl wandering about looking confused, frightened, and bored by everything around him. It’s genius. Take a look:

If that’s your first exposure to Karl Pilkington, congratulations, and welcome to a whole new kind of wisdom. Here’s a sampling of just a few, special, Karl Pilkington sayings, to let you know what you’re in for when you watch his new show:

Even more Karl Pilkington wisdom can be found on Pilkipedia.

Unfortunately, as far as we can tell, there are currently no plans to bring Karl’s show over to America. The Ricky Gervais Show podcasts have been airing in a very strange, animated format on HBO and Ricky is, obviously kind of a comedic god even here in the US. So there should be an audience for it, but no one’s bringing Karl and his head like a fucking orange over to the United States. And that’s a shame.

Maybe we can convince them to send Karl our way. If you liked the trailer, live outside the UK, and would like to see Karl Pilkington in An Idiot Abroad, let them know in the comments section below. Demand it!

In June, Valve announced they were pushing Portal 2 into 2011. Fortunately, you won't be waiting until the spring or summer to get your hands on it.

Valve revealed to Game Informer that the first-person shooter/puzzle game will be released on February 9th, 2011. It's in development for the Xbox 360, PS3, Mac, and PC and should hit all platforms simultaneously. GI is based in the US so the date may only apply to that territory, though.

Game Informer also learned that Stephen Merchant is part of the game's voice cast. He'll be playing the robot Wheatley, introduced in the E3 Demo. Merchant was the co-writer and co-director of the British version of The Office as well as Extras. He played the part of Darren Lamb, a hilariously terrible show biz agent, in Extras as well so he's got the acting chops.

Ricky Gervais may be out of the movie biz. Or at least the theatrical movie biz. His next movie is something called Cemetery Junction and though it was originally slated for theatrical release, The Playlist says it’s skipping theaters and going straight to the DVD on August 17th. Surprised? You shouldn’t be.

Ricky Gervais has done two movies so far, and both have been box office challenged. Ghost Town deserved to do better than it did, it’s actually really great. The Invention of Lying on the other hand wasn’t particularly great and it’s box office totals were non-existent. Worse Invention of Lying failed in spite of Ricky overloading the film with famous celebrity supporters like Tina Fey and Jennifer Garner. Whether his movies are bad or good seems, however, to be irrelevant. The truth is that very few, outside of maybe you and me, appear to want to see Ricky Gervais movies.

Worse, Cemetery Junction doesn’t even star Gervais. The trailer, which we weren’t very impressed with here indicates that Ricky’s only a very minor character in the film which, as a matter of fact, is not a comedy but really some sort of odd drama starring a bunch of unknowns. It kind of makes sense that Sony wouldn’t want to spend money distributing it. Whether or not it’s any good, there’s almost no chance they’ll ever make any of their money back.

That means it’s up to us. Sure Invention of Lying kind of sucked but Ricky’s still a comedic genius. If you want Ricky Gervais back in the movie business then pick up a copy of Cemetery Junction on August 17th.

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are a proven comedy writing and production team. They brought the original of The Office, Extras, and more recently introduced us to Karl Pilkington in HBO's animated The Ricky Gervais Show. Now they're looking at Warwick Davis, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Davis is an actor, and a little person, best known for his roles in Willow, the Leprachaun series and perhaps the Harry Potter films, though he was under a lot of makeup in the latter. He was the ewok Wicket in Return of the Jedi as well, but that was a full-on costume. Now, Gervais and Merchant are developing Life's Too Short, a half-hour single-camera sitcom that will follow Warwick in his day-to-day life.

Considering the pair have mastered awkward and inappropriate in their earlier work, I should imagine Life's Too Short will be offensive and uncomfortable for many viewers. It will also likely be quite brilliant. Gervais and Merchant have even written minor roles for themselves. I would imagine some comedy could be found in the physical size difference between the 3'6" Warwick and the 6'7" Merchant just by having them interact on the screen together.

The production is for the BBC, though with the talent attached I'd say it's a fair bet it will make it stateside as well. There's no word on when the project might be ready for air.

Seeing this clip may be something of a shock to you if you haven't already gotten a handle on exactly what Cemetery Junction is: a very serious, brooding look at youth in the 70s, a coming of age tale. What is shocking is that the incomparable Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant were at the helm as a tag team of directors, and the film is (SPOILER ALERT) not a comedy.

Even with the film's content being what it is, the pair introduce a clip over at Empire with about as much levity as if they were doing their usual chuckle-filled podcast. It's a joy to see the two together, but they do nothing to set the tone of the clip.

Empire has the clip exclusively and are withholding the embed code. I'm not brave enough to go rooting through their HTML and partake in some serious code thievery so you'll have to click over and check it out. It's a bit slow, but ultimately shows that behind the camera, Gervais and Merchant know how to film a scene. If you're looking for the typical Gervais/Merchant style comedy, Cemetery Junction is not going to deliver, but should you expect a bit of witty comic relief? With these two involved, absolutely.

Head on over to Empire to scope out the clip for yourself.

Ricky Gervais gave everyone a bit of a shock this week when he and writing/directing partner Stephen Merchant delivered a thoroughly unfunny trailer for Cemetary Junction. The teaser trailer released a few months back promised comedy, but the ever-unpredictable Gervais pulled a bait and switch, handing over a coming of age drama based in the 1970’s. Oh, Ricky. You never cease to amaze me.

The film is preparing itself for an April 7th release in the UK, so the marketing blitz is continuing with this new one sheet released by RickyGervais.com. If there was no title card at the bottom you would think this were a remake of The Outsiders,but the photography is sharp and the design includes full body shots of the characters instead of just giant floating heads looming about the frame. It’s elegant in its simplicity and I like that.

With Ricky Gervais still gaining popularity in America, it’d be hard to imagine this won’t get a US release, so keep checking back for news about a US distributor picking it up. For now, enjoy the poster below.