HBO is synonymous for acclaimed TV shows, and right one of the most popular originals on the air is The White Lotus. Mike White's dark comedy is currently in the midst of its third season on TV (and streaming with a Max subscription), and there have been a ton of viral moments. Chief among them was Jason Isaacs' nude scene, and White recently explained why he so often includes these sequences in the Emmy-winning series.

Some folks are figuring out how to watch The White Lotus Season 3, but I'm one of the super fans actively tuning in every Sunday. The show has has lots of full frontal during its run on the air, with actors like Isaacs wearing a prosthetic penis in order to film and retain their privacy. While speaking with THR about his acclaimed show, White explained the strategy behind using nudity, offering:

Well, my mind is blown. While the filmmaker seems to be using The White Lotus' nude scenes for particular narratives, he also sees the power in including them at all. And he's not wrong; these full frontal sequences tend to go viral online shortly after the episodes air.

Jason Isaacs' nude scene in The White Lotus shows his character Timothy Ratliff's descent into madness, and also moved the incestuous brother plot line forward prior to Saxon and Lochlan actually making out.

Back in Season 2, Theo James also had a nude scene, complete with a giant prosthetic. Aubrey Plaza's Harper Spiller accidentally sees it when he gets changed, which helped to ratchet up the tension between the two couples. And, just like Isaacs' scene this year, that sequence promptly broke the internet.

Of course, sometimes a nude scene is simply a nude scene. We got another full frontal sequence during Season 3's episode "Full Moon Party", where friends Laurie, Jaclyn, and Kate bring Valentin and his friends back to their suite. One of the buddies goes naked during this montage, and we see yet another penis on The White Lotus.

The White Lotus expertly serves a bunch of a different character's stories, but also is quintessential water cooler talk during each new season. That's because of the way Mike White keeps the audience's attention, through wild plot lines and, yes, some nudity for good measure.

There is one more episode of The White Lotus Season 3 left, airing Sundays as part of the 2025 TV schedule. Only time will tell if Mike White includes one more nude scene on the way out.

SPOILER WARNING: The following gives away some crucial details from the plot of The Monkey, so if you have not seen the new horror movie yet and still decide you want to turn the key and read on, proceed with caution.

After seeing The Monkey, I finally understand why I have been disappointed with writer and director Osgood Perkins’ more earnest thrillers that I have seen – namely Longlegs (which I found underwhelming), and the frankly boring I am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House. I think the man was clearly destined to make horror-comedy movies because he pretty much nails the absurdly macabre tone of his new Stephen King movie based on a short story about a wind-up toy with mysteriously deadly abilities.

That being said, despite its gloriously gory death scenes and brutally dark sense of humor, The Monkey is not quite my favorite movie released in 2025 so far, nor is it the best horror movie I have seen this year. The main drawback for me is admittedly a weird one and actually has something to do with the film’s star, Theo James. Before any fans of the former Divergent cast member aspire to turn The Monkey’s key with me in mind, allow me to explain.

Theo James Is Too Handsome To Play Hal

I agree with CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg, who says in his review of The Monkey that Theo James gives a great performance as the tormented central character, Hal Shelburn, portraying the awkwardly sheepish and tormented soul in a brazenly comical manner. However, am I the only one who believes the English actor is just a little too good-looking for the part?

Hal, serving as the story’s narrator, describes himself as a friendless, pathetic dweeb, essentially, which I realize is clearly the result of his traumatic childhood having had a magically murderous toy monkey in the house. Yet, in my opinion, James’ classic leading man looks do not lend well to that established persona, and just putting glasses on him is not the most convincing way of fixing that.

However, He Is A Good Fit For Bill

Theo James also stars in The Monkey as Hal’s twin, Bill, who blames his brother for causing the death of their mother (played by Tatiana Maslany) and seeks to exact his revenge by finding the lost monkey toy. Quite frankly, I believe that the actor gives the stronger performance as the evil sibling, and I would actually give some of the credit for that to his physical appearance.

That may sound paradoxical since the characters are intentionally identical to one another. However, James’ leading man looks are somehow a better match for the deeply disturbed and wildly unhinged character’s more intimidating aura, which also serves as a more effective way to tell the brothers apart than giving one of them glasses to wear.

Overall, Christian Convery Is The Real MVP

For all of the strengths in Theo James’ performances as Hal and Bill, for me, the better portrayal of both characters comes from Christian Convery playing the twins as teens. The 15-year-old actor, who is becoming a bit of a horror movie icon in the making with his roles in The Monkey and 2023’s Cocaine Bear, is the first person we see playing the siblings in a 1999-set flashback that makes up nearly the entire first act. Quite frankly, I would not have minded if the whole movie was set during their childhood.

The star of Netflix’s DC Comics-based TV show Sweet Tooth might not have even needed to wear glasses when playing the meek Hal with the way he expertly balances the role with the cruel and mischievous Bill. Not to mention, unlike James, I not only believe Convery’s natural look is a good match for each twin’s vastly different persona but that his dual performances are equally perfect.

Despite my slight reservations about Theo James as Hal, his surprisingly funny performance as both him and Bill in The Monkey did help earn him more respect from me as an actor with more versatility than I anticipated when I first saw him in the Divergent movies. Perhaps I will steam The Gentlemen on Netflix or check out his Emmy-nominated turn in The White Lotus Season 2. Plus, I certainly would not mind watching The Monkey again when it becomes available for home viewing.

As a means of spoiler-avoidance, I do my best to avoid watching trailers before seeing a new movie – but conversely, I like to go back and check them out post-screening to see how the film is being marketed. When I recently did this with Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey, something caught my eye, and I felt compelled to ask the writer/director about it earlier this month when I had the chance to interview him during the new Stephen King adaptation’s virtual press day.

In the trailer, there is a brief shot of a massive scorpion crawling into a mug, and I realized that it’s not featured in the final cut of the film. Sitting alongside with The Monkey star Theo James (as featured in the video at the top of this article), Perkins explained that the arthropod is very real and was in a scene that simply ended up on the proverbial cutting room floor. Said Perkins,

I love the image that this conjures of a film crew enthusiastically watching a deadly scorpion hit its marks and erupt in celebration when Perkins called “cut.”

So where did the scene fit in the film? I had assumed it was part of the second act montage that sees the titular monkey slaughtering the citizens of Casco, Maine, but the writer/director corrected me and explained that the scorpion scene was originally in the first act of the movie with young Hal and young Bill (played by Christian Convery). Perkins explained,

This presumably would have fit in with young Hal’s fantasizing about murdering his twin brother, which we get a taste of in the finished cut of The Monkey with the scene where Bill gets a bowling ball dropped on his face while he is sleeping. So why isn’t it featured in the film? Osgood Perkins and Theo James had a quick dialogue about that:

Osgood Perkins: It wasn’t great.
Theo James: It was great!
Osgood Perkins: It's not in the movie anymore. It's not great.

Also starring Tatiana Maslany, Colin O’Brien, Sarah Lev, Rohan Campbell, Elijah Wood, and Adam Scott in addition to Theo James and Christian Convery, The Monkey arrived in theaters this past weekend on a big wave of positive buzz and quickly became a success with its second place finish at the box office. If you’ve already seen it, I can personally attest that it’s even better the second time you watch, so you may want to make it a part of your plans in the coming days (and perhaps you can even pick up the awesome Monkey popcorn bucket exclusively at AMC Theatre locations)

At any given point, there are usually several Stephen King adaptations in the works for either the big or small screen, and the first of those to hit the 2025 movie calendar is The Monkey. Horror movie fans are excited not only to see what might end up being the goriest King movie — and the funniest, if The Monkey’s trailer is any indication — but also because it’s the first project for director Osgood Perkins following the success of last year’s Longlegs. Critics have seen the movie, so let’s see if this sounds like one we have to see in the theater.

Early reactions were promising, even that of Stephen King himself, who called the movie adaptation of his short story “batshit insane” (in a good way). Critics are now able to expand their initial thoughts ahead of its February 21 release, and Eric Eisenberg writes in CinemaBlend’s review of The Monkey that audiences are going to have a ball tuning into the film’s disturbing and gross frequency. He gives it 4 out of 5 stars, saying:

Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting rates it 3.5 skulls out of 5, noting its Final Destination-style executions and elaborate Rube Goldberg machine-like deaths. However, it’s The Monkey’s cast — particularly the dual performances of Christian Convery and Theo James — that makes this ticket worth buying. Navarro continues:

Katie Rife of AV Club gives The Monkey adaptation a B, noting that the movie is never scary, nor is it trying to be. It’s an explicitly gory and ridiculous horror-comedy that’s best if you don’t try to make sense of everything. Rife says:

Siddhant Adlakha of Inverse doesn’t agree with the “don’t dig too deep” advice and differs from other critics by trying to find rhyme or reason to the titular toy’s murders. Adlakha says Osgood Perkins’ exploration of death and remorse is neither funny nor bitter enough to hit home, writing:

Tom Jorgensen of IGN rates the movie an “Amazing” 9 out of 10 and calls it one of the best horror-comedies in recent memory. The Monkey explodes off the screen with its gore and humor, Jorgensen says, writing:

Overall critics seem to really like The Monkey, with the movie compiling an early 92% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. If this sounds like an upcoming horror movie you can’t pass up, The Monkey premieres Friday, February 21.

As a genre fanatic, I can’t wait for a lot of the upcoming horror movies set to hit the 2025 movie schedule, from the live-action Until Dawn to Ryan Coogler’s vampire movie and beyond. One of my more anticipated releases is Longlegs director Oz Perkins’ upcoming Stephen King project, the longform adaptation The Monkey. And somehow the filmmaker’s latest thoughts on the film have boosted my interest even higher.

Perkins and The Monkey star Theo James talked to EW about going in an arguably unexpected creative direction with the movie when expanding it from its roots as a short story later published in the Skeleton Crew anthology. Because despite being a movie about a dinky monkey-and-drum toy that causes unavoidable tragedies and destruction for the twin boys who find it amongst their dead father's keepsakes, it’s kinda sorta maybe also funny?

Though an attempt to bring The Monkey to the big screen was already in the works with James Wan's Atomic Monster, it was Oz Perkins' outside-the-box idea that everyone behind the scenes got on board with, at least after getting used to it. According to the director:

Okay, I'm definitely on board with that concept, especially since the red band teaser trailer that came out around Halloween definitely had a darkly comedic feel to it that I wasn't entirely sure was intentional or not. But yes, indeed, that was the case, and Perkins reflected on his own personal history in explaining his genre-bending approach:

As many are aware, the filmmaker's father is legendary actor and Psycho star Anthony Perkins, who passed away in 1992 from AIDS-related pneumonia after keeping his ailments private for years. His mother, actress and photographer Berry Berenson, was one of the victims onboard American Airlines Flight 11 when it was hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower on September 11, 2001.

There's nothing inherently comedic about either of those circumstances, obviously. But Perkins can appreciate the unique nature of the details and his connection to them, and can use that feeling as a building block for turning The Monkey from a freaky short into a multi-layered movie that can meld pitch-black laughs with a heartfelt exploration of family dynamics across different timelines. I guess one could try to say that about 2017's IT: Chapter One and 2019's IT: Chapter Two, but this still sounds like it's on a different wavelength.

In the interview, Perkins addresses a particular hibachi grill scene sparked from a memory from his own past, which sounds like it goes gloriously over the top, with inspirations from both Death Becomes Her and An American Werewolf in London. As he put it:

Here's hoping the smiles that show up on audience members' faces are more joyous and less nightmarish than the garish grin on this cursed toy. Check out the aforementioned teaser trailer below!

If anything, The Monkey's dark comedy tones sound more reminiscent of Creepshow's humor-heightened horrors, but that wasn't exactly a full-length adaptation of King's work, since only two of the stories in his screenplay were based on his works. And even that movie fell more in line with EC Comics' brand of humor over more modern sensibilities, so I still think The Monkey sounds like nothing else before it where live-action King is concerned.

The Monkey is set to cause havoc in theaters, and everywhere else it shows up, on February 21, 2025.

After his alleged fling with Gigi Hadid ended, it seems that Leonardo DiCaprio has a new flame in his life. The Oscar winner has been spotted spending his days with 26-year-old model Vittoria Ceretti. The two of them have been seen grabbing dinner together in Los Angeles, and enjoying each other’s company in the California sun. While the relationship seems to be very new, the duo seems to be very secure and on the same page, to the point where DiCaprio is allegedly all good with Ceretti recently being pictured kissing White Lotus cast member Theo James.

James and Ceretti were pictured smooching on the beach in Italy together, but the reason why no alarm bells are needed is because the two stars were shooting a commercial for Dolce & Gabbana. So the steamy kiss was just for the camera. Ceretti was seen with DiCaprio days after that on-camera kiss at a popular sushi spot in LA, so the smooch didn’t seem to ruffle any feathers.

Theo James is also married, to be sure, and has been for years. So no harm was done here either. No relationships seem to have been harmed in the making of this fashion advertisement.

Vittoria Ceretti has worked with Dolce & Gabbana several times, so this new commercial seems to be an extension of this collaboration. This is a new partnership for Theo James, who has previously been a brand ambassador for Hugo Boss and has participated in a number of campaigns for the brand. This new commercial is a lot sexier than his previous fashion modeling gigs, as photos published by The Sun show him in a tiny white bathing suit to match Ceretti’s bikini.

According to the Daily Mail, this whole thing is a total “non issue” for DiCaprio. The Titanic actor himself has had a fair share of sexy scenes in movies, and shared a smooch with a number of actresses over the years, notably including sex scenes with Margot Robbie and Kate Winslet. The movie star knows that this is something that comes with the territory, and is reportedly happy for Ceretti, who’s modeling career is taking off even more with this Dolce & Gabbana shoot.

James is a hot star right now, and this campaign will likely get a lot of attention with his emerging star power. Ceretti’s presence also can’t be underestimated, as she has been a Vogue cover model a number of times and has been the face of fashion brands like Chanel and Pucci.

Leonardo DiCaprio also might be having another big-screen make-out session of his own in the near future. He is set to star in Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, alongside actresses like Regina Hall and Teyana Taylor. Very little is known about the upcoming project, or if there will be a romantic plot line at the center. However DiCaprio is Hollywood’s most sought after romantic leading man, and some sort of relationship is bound to be explored. If so, Ceretti also likely understands, as this is something that comes with dating megastar Leonardo DiCaprio.

We will continue following this couple as the romance between Ceretti and DiCaprio continues to blossom. Fans of the actor can check out his latest big screen role in Killers of the Flower Moon, which is currently streaming with an Apple TV+ subscription. You can also check out Theo James in his buzzy series, The Gentlemen, which is now streaming with a Netflix subscription.

Divergent star Theo James may be used to pristine Hollywood glamor now, but there was a time when the big time actor was a university student navigating the dating pool. Just like anyone in their early 20s, James navigated the dating scene, experiencing all the surprises young love and college life had to offer. Unfortunately, even for a heartthrob like him, not every meet-up went as planned. The White Lotus actor recently shared a crazy story about a date going "divergent" when his companion pooped in his tub. 

The star recently attended an Emmys FYC panel moderated by Entertainment Weekly with The Gentleman co-star Daniel Ings. The two talked about their binge-worthy Netflix series and also shared behind-the-scenes stories from the set. The conversation turned silly when they started playing a game of “Two Truths and a Lie,” where James shared that once during a date in college, he woke up to find that his date had left a present in his bathtub. He said of the incident:

During the game, he confirmed that this was an absolutely bonkers true story. His cast member didn’t ask too many follow-up questions about the date but, of course, I have several. Did he ever see her again? Did he ever find out why she decided to poop in the bathtub? Was this a prank, or was it done on purpose? Notable prankster George Clooney once pooped in Richard Kind’s cat’s litter box to freak him out. Was this a similar attempt at humor on Theo James’ date’s part? The questions are endless, but it’s safe to say it was certainly a memorable evening. 

I’ve heard some pretty crazy dating stories, but this is definitely up there. Luckily, the Mr. Malcolm's List alum had future dates that went much better for the actor. He is currently married to Irish actress Ruth Kearney, who he met when they were in theater school together in Bristol, England. They have two children and have been married since 2018. I guess to find true love, you truly have to go through some crap, and, in this actor's case, it was more literal.

One can't help but find the irony in him having such a night that "diverged" from normalcy ahead of him joining Divergent, which he says hurt his career. Nevertheless, I'd say that Theo James has done quite well, as he's amassed more than a few notable projects since that film series ended in 2016. We all go through learning experiences, and there's wisdom to gain from them. And that even includes rare scenarios in which a date poops in your tub. 

Now that you've heard Theo James recount his unbelievable university dating story, check him out in The Gentleman, which is now streaming for Netflix subscribers. That same membership will also get you access to the three Divergent films. James is also part of the  cast of The Monkey, an upcoming horror film that's set to open as part of the 2025 movie schedule.

Some of our best horror movies have been centered around characters who just so happen to be legendary creatures of the night: vampires. And, because of the enduring popularity of these mythological bloodsuckers, not only do we also have a number of TV vamps, but many famous actors who’ve portrayed some version of the famed, usually-human-looking beasts. Here for you now are 32 actors who’ve played a vampire.

Eddie Murphy (Vampire In Brooklyn)

So many vamps have been seen on screen that even a comedy and action movie legend like Eddie Murphy has played one. The 1995 horror comedy, Vampire in Brooklyn, saw the star play the last member of a group of Caribbean vampires, who hits New York to find a mate so that he can continue his family line.

Tom Cruise (Interview With The Vampire)

Who could forget the 1994 film that gave us Tom Cruise as the captivating and cruel (And blond!) bloodthirsty fiend, Lestat de Lioncourt, from author Anne Rice’s legendary novel series, The Vampire Chronicles? Of course, it also gave us Brad Pitt’s tortured vamp, Louis, and made a star out of young Kirsten Dunst.

Dakota Fanning (The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse)

While there are some obvious stars to add to this list, let us not forget that the cast of famous (and soon-to-be-famous) vampires in The Twilight Saga films was quite stacked. That roster included noted child star Dakota Fanning, who portrayed the villainous Volturi guard member, Jane, who was able to mentally create sensations of pain in those who she deemed worthy of punishment.

Evan Rachel Wood (True Blood)

Several vampire-focused TV shows have hit the airwaves over the past 20 or so years, so we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the HBO hit, True Blood. Many of its stars portrayed members of vamp-kind for most or all of the series’ seven seasons, but Evan Rachel Wood made an equally impressive (bloody) splash as the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne Leclerq, during her recurring guest appearances in Seasons 2-4.

Robert Pattinson (Twilight)

Back to Twilight! It’s not worth mentioning this franchise without bringing up lead romantic vamp Edward Cullen, as well as the man who brought him to life in five movies, eventuall live action Batman actor Robert Pattinson. Despite the fact that his love interest’s portrayer, Kristen Stewart, would have dumped Edward “immediately”!

Chloë Grace Moretz (Let Me In)

It’s possible that we don’t get creepier than kid vampires in movies and television shows, and that’s what we got with Chloë Grace Moretz’s Abby in the 2010 film, Let Me In. She befriends a young loner after moving into his apartment complex, but is (you guessed it) hiding nefarious purposes he could have never guessed, which end up taking his life in a most unexpected direction.

Salma Hayek (From Dusk Till Dawn)

This might be the shortest movie vampire appearance on the list, as 1996’s From Dusk Til Dawn saw Salma Hayek play the fanged exotic dancer, Santanico Pandemonium, only for about five memorable minutes that simply cannot be forgotten once witnessed.

Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows)

Undead life isn’t always filled with glamorous globe-hopping adventure, gorgeous mates who can’t resist you and other perks, at least according to 2014’s What We Do in the Shadows, which concerns the rather mundane day-to-day lives of vampire roommates, of whom Taika Waititi’s uptight and nearly 400-year-old vamp, Viago, is among.

Theo James (Underworld: Awakening, Underworld: Blood Wars)

Another big screen franchise that depended on heaps of stars to populate its supernatural world is that of Underworld. Two sequels saw Theo James play the heroic vampire, David, heir to one of the main vamp covens, and lead Selene’s one steadfast ally during an important time in her journey.

Willem Dafoe (Shadow Of The Vampire)

Not many cinematic vampires are said to be based on a real person, but the one played by Willem Dafoe in 2000’s Shadow of the Vampire is. He portrayed a fictionalized version of the real Nosferatu lead actor, Max Schreck, whom the crew begins to suspect is an actual vampire because of his behavior and the strange goings-on surrounding filming.

Gerard Butler (Dracula 2000)

Speaking of vampires who are based on real people…Author Bram Stoker based his Dracula on Vlad the Impaler, and Gerard Butler played yet another version of the ever-popular character in a film from, yes, 2000. This tale sees the ancient vamp accidentally awoken by a group of thieves who find and steal his highly protected coffin, which had been watched over by generations of the Van Helsing family.

Wesley Snipes (Blade)

A Marvel character that will soon have another portrayer when the upcoming Blade reboot finally begins filming, the original action/horror trilogy famously saw Wesley Snipes take on the vampire/human hybrid titular lead, who’s a nearly unstoppable vamp hunter bent on taking down all members of the species who bit his mother and infected him with their supernatural blood while he was still in utero.

Colin Farrell (Fright Night)

If a scary and suave undead night stalker is your type, look no further than Colin Farrell’s Jerry Dandrige in 2011’s remake of the 1985 cult classic, Fright Night. He may have to eventually do battle with a couple of teenagers, but he sure looks darn good doing it.

Ethan Hawke (Daybreakers)

A movie that takes a more science-fiction approach to a world overrun by vampires is the 2009 film Daybreakers, which sees Ethan Hawke play a vamp hematologist who refuses to drink human blood and is looking for a synthetic option to their usual meal of choice that will stop humanity from being wiped out by his more brutal peers.

Luke Evans (Dracula Untold)

Again with Dracula? Why, yes! This time, Luke Evans plays a Vlad the Impaler who only becomes a vampire to have the strength, speed and ferocity to turn back an invading army in an attempt to save the people of his kingdom. Does it work out for him? Well, yes…and no.

Kate Beckinsale (Underworld)

There’s no mentioning the Underworld franchise without giving respect to the main heroine, Kate Beckinsale’s Selene. In the first film she’s a vampire looking to destroy the werewolves that killed her family, but she ends up uncovering a major secret about the two sets of creatures and falling in love with a human, instead.

Alicia Silverstone (Vamps)

This 2012 horror comedy sees Alicia Silverstone play Goody, an old vampire who tries to stay young and hip while helping her much younger bloodsucking buddy, Stacy (Krysten Ritter), get used to her powers as they try to abstain from the red stuff during their immortal and unholy (sorta) lives.

Pedro Pascal (Bloodsucking Bastards)

Ever wondered what working in an office that was slowly being overrun by vampires who care as much about the bottom line as they do about drinking blood would be like? Just watch Bloodsucking Bastards, where beloved The Last of Us cast member Pedro Pascal begins turning his employees into the titular immortals.

Jim Carrey (Once Bitten)

Jim Carrey’s first leading role came in this 1985 comedy, where he played a teen virgin turned into a vampire by an alluring, 400-year-old creature of the night, who seduced him so she could use his blood to keep her youthful appearance.

Paul Reubens (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

In the 1992 horror comedy that eventually led to the long-running series of the same name, the late Paul Reubens starred as Amilyn, a vamp doing the bidding of a much more powerful bloodsucker who’s ruling his kind in Los Angeles.

Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood)

While HBO’s True Blood was positively filled with the undead, few of them made as much of an impact on audiences (and the lead, Sookie) as Alexander Skarsgård’s cunning and alluring (but sorta evil) 1,000-year-old Eric Northman. This also happens to be the role that really made Skarsgård famous.

David Boreanaz (Buffy, Angel)

When it comes to popular TV vampires, no one can discount the reign of David Boreanaz as evil vamp turned heroic vamp (and then sometimes evil vamp again) Angel, whom he played on Buffy the Vampire Slayer beginning with the first episode in 1997, through wrapping his run on the fifth season series finale of his own show, Angel, in 2004.

Sterling K. Brown (Supernatural)

Sterling K. Brown may best be known now for delivering heartfelt emotions as Randall Pearson on This Is Us, but for four episodes across Seasons 2 and 3 of the CW mega-hit, Supernatural, he played Hunter and dedicated vamp-hater-turned-vampire, Gordon Walker, to astounding, understandably cold-blooded effect.

Kiefer Sutherland (The Lost Boys)

Even though Kiefer Sutherland was certainly a star on the rise by the time he starred in The Lost Boys in 1987, his part as apparent vampire motorcycle gang leader David cemented his leading man qualities and turned him into a household name.

Rami Malek (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part II)

Sure, Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the best Rami Malek movies to watch, but let’s not discount his turn as the powerful (and ancient) Egyptian vampire, Benjamin, in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part II, one of the few creatures of the night in the franchise who can directly manipulate things, with his specialty being controlling fire, water, air and earth.

Bryce Dallas Howard (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse)

Yet another actor you may have forgotten was fanged in the expansive Twilight franchise is Jurassic World star Bryce Dallas Howard. She took over the role of evil, vengeful vamp Victoria (who’s looking to kill Bella in retaliation for Edward killing her love, James) from Rachelle Lefevre, for the third movie, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

Tilda Swinton (Only Lovers Left Alive)

As one half of the very old vampire couple at the center of the 2013 dramedy, Only Lovers Left Alive, Tilda Swinton is a wife forced to visit the husband (played by Tom Hiddleston) she’s long been separated from once she realizes his lengthy undead existence has begun to bring him down, as she tries to force him to reevaluate the value of living forever.

Bill Nighy (Underworld, Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans)

Every good vampire needs a parental figure to show them the ropes, and for Underworld’s Selene, that role was filled by Viktor, who was portrayed by Love, Actually star Bill Nighy. His Vampire Elder turned out to be more of a threat than the heroine ever expected, though, leading to some tense moments between Selene and her mentor.

Gary Oldman (Bram Stoker's Dracula) 

Back to Drac! One of the most popular films about the character is still 1992’s Bram Stoker's Dracula, which saw eventual Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban star Gary Oldman play Vlad Dracula.

Christopher Meloni (True Blood)

Where there is one vampire there are generally enough to have a whole hierarchy among their brethren, and as with the series True Blood, sometimes we get to see what that could look like. In Season 5, Law & Order: SVU and Organized Crime star Christopher Meloni portrayed the Guardian, Roman Zimojic, who led the Vampire Authority and (ostensibly) set the rules for all vamps. Many, however, didn’t agree with his desire to have his kind fit in with human society, which caused a lot of problems for the calm, determined and deadly when challenged leader.

Nicolas Cage (Renfield)

If you guessed that this is yet another Dracula story, well, you’re sort of correct. 2023’s horror comedy, Renfield, stars Nicholas Hoult as the count’s titular long-time familiar, who’s tired of helping him kill innocent people and all the abuse he’s taken from the being who gifted him with immortality, as well as super strength and speed (when he eats bugs) 90 years prior. So, he gets help from a support group for people in codependent relationships in order to be able to live his own life again. Nicolas Cage is our Dracula here, and he’s a perfectly winking one, who still manages to be creepy and deadly.

Johnny Depp (Dark Shadows)

Johnny Depp has become known for his outrageous characters, and his Barnabas Collins is no different. The 2012 Dark Shadows film (which was based on the 1966-1971 gothic daytime drama of the same name) follows Barnabas after he’s cursed with vampirism in 1760, buried alive in a coffin, and then accidentally freed in the early 1970s. He rejoins the Collins family at the estate they still hold, while trying to keep his true nature a secret, but hijinks ensue as his past comes back to haunt them. 

This, of course, is just a small sampling of the famous actors who've portrayed vampires over the years, but if you decide to do a vamp movie/TV show marathon, you can start right here and have hours of entertainment.

Early last summer, it was announced that a brand new Stephen King adaptation was in the works – specifically a movie based on the super creepy short story "The Monkey." It was announced that writer/director Osgood Perkins would helm the film, James Wan would produce, and that Theo James would star. We haven't seen any reports about the project since then... but things have been going very well behind the scenes, as it's now being reported that Perkins' The Monkey has already wrapped production and added some stellar talent to join James on screen.

Deadline has the latest info about the project, saying that principal photography came to an end last week. And while there isn't much in the article about the various characters in the story, the excellent cast includes Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Christian Convery, Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campbell, and Sarah Levy. This will mark the first time that any of them have been in a Stephen King adaptation with the exception of O'Brien, who was in John Lee Hancock's Mr. Harrigan's Phone (based on the novella of the same name).

The trade report includes a logline description of the plot, which notably changes things a bit from the source material (hardly a surprise given the limited length of the short story, which was first published in the November 1980 issue of Gallery magazine before being included in the 1985 omnibus Skeleton Crew). The story centers on a pair of identical twin brothers – played as kids by Christian Convery and as adults by Theo James – who suffer quite a bit of trauma when they are younger after they discover their dad's old cymbal-banging monkey toy. Whenever the toy activates, a gruesome, personal death occurs, and the brothers have to figure out a way to destroy it. Over the years, the siblings grow apart, but when the familiar horror of the monkey reoccurs, they have to reunite to destroy the thing forever.

The Monkey is the fifth film from director Osgood Perkins, who made his feature debut with The Blackcoat's Daughter starring Emma Roberts in 2015 and has developed a strong reputation as a horror-centric filmmaker. His last movie to be released was 2020's Gretel & Hansel starring IT's Sophia Lillis, but the filmmaker has clearly been quite busy of late, as his latest feature, Longlegs starring Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe, will be in theaters on July 12.

While it's very exciting to know that The Monkey has completed filming, it's worth noting that there are now three upcoming Stephen King adaptations that are in post-production/have been completed and don't have specific release dates. It was recently announced that Gary Dauberman's Salem's Lot will be released as a Max exclusive at some point this year, but that's the extent of what we know about the release plans. Mike Flanagan's The Life Of Chuck wrapped principal photography last fall, but distribution plans are unknown. Updates will be (not so patiently) awaited.

It would seem that Stephen King is going to be a hot name at this year's Cannes Film Market, which is set to start up next week. Yesterday, we learned that an adaptation of the novella The Life Of Chuck from writer/director Mike Flanagan is going to be shopped at the upcoming event, and we now, less than 24 hours later, have news of another project in the works – this one being a feature version of the short story "The Monkey" that is being developed by writer/director Osgood Perkins and produced by James Wan.

Deadline is reporting that the film's lead has already been cast, as Theo James is attached to star. The original story centers on a father who is horrified when his two sons discover a cymbal-banging monkey toy while the family is cleaning out the attic of a deceased relative. It turns out that this innocent-looking doll is a cursed object from the protagonist's childhood that conjures horror and death, and he must try and find a way to get rid of it. 

The short story was first published as an booklet included with the November 1980 issue of Gallery magazine, but most Stephen King fans are aware of it as a part of the 1985 short story collection Skeleton Crew.

Should it successfully make its way all the way through production, The Monkey will be the second Stephen King movie made by James Wan and his company Atomic Monster – his first being the developing remake of Salem's Lot (which is still waiting to get a release date). It was reported in March 2018 that Wan was developing a feature remake of The Tommyknockers, but there haven't been any updates about that project since, and it's not mentioned in the new trade report. In a statement about the newly developing movie, Wan says,

Osgood Perkins made his directorial debut in 2015 with the horror film The Blackcoat's Daughter (starring Emma Roberts and Kiernan Shipka), and he followed that project up with two more genre feature efforts: 2016's I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House with Ruth Wilson, and 2020's Gretel & Hansel with Sophia Lillis. He is currently in post-production on Longlegs, which features Nicolas Cage as an FBI agent on the hunt for a serial killer with connections to the occult.

Theo James is coming off of a very busy 2022 that included a lauded performance in the second season of the acclaimed HBO series The White Lotus. In addition to The Monkey, his upcoming projects include the series The Gentlemen, which is based on the 2019 Guy Ritchie film of the same name.

Stay tuned for more updates about The Monkey out of the Cannes Film Market and beyond here on CinemaBlend. You can keep track of all the Stephen King adaptations that are currently in the works with our Upcoming Stephen King Movies and TV guide, and read about the long history of past projects with my Adapting Stephen King column.

There are popular movie franchises, and then there’s James Bond. Generations have been brought up on 007’s adventure, dating back to 1962’s Dr. No. Daniel Craig ended his tenure as the MI6 agent with No Time to Die, leading to endless online chatter about who might be taking on the mantle. But would White Lotus star Theo James be down to play Bond? Below are the honest thoughts from the 38 year-old actor.

Prior to starring in the wildly popular second season of Mike White’s The White Lotus, Theo James definitely got some action experience on his resume, thanks to projects like the Divergent and Underworld franchises. He recently appeared on Sirius XM, where he was asked if he’d been down to rock the tux as 007. James responded honestly, saying:

Well, there you have it. Despite Theo James being included in fan theories about Daniel Craig’s successor as Bond, he seemingly doesn’t see himself in the role. And considering he’s an action-experienced Brit who is exceedingly handsome, this might turn a few heads. Who does he think should be the next 007?

Theo James’ comments might be surprising to fans out there. James Bond seems like a dream job for actors, especially considering the fame, money, and career-changing exposure that it gave actors like Pierce Brosnan and Sean Connery. But James seems to think that the character needs a bit of reinvention, and that he seemingly isn’t the right actor to make that happen. But smart money says that won’t stop fans from including him as a possible Daniel Craig replacement. You can see James’ comments for yourself below:

Of course, Theo James isn’t the only name that’s been tossed around as the next James Bond online. Other popular choices include Fifty Shades star Jamie Dornan, Idris Elba, and Henry Cavill– with the latter actor’s departure from the DCEU and The Witcher seemingly opening up his schedule. We’ll just have to continue waiting for new from EON about who might be the next 007.

Most recently it was rumored that Avengers: Age of Ultron actor Aron Taylor-Johnson had met with Barbara Broccoli and the other powers that be over possibly playing James Bond. He seems like another great choice like Theo James, as established English actors who know their way around an action sequence. Hopefully some concrete information is released sooner rather than later. But it does seem like the studio is considering its next steps for Bond.

No Time To Die is currently available on Amazon, while Season 2 of The White Lotus is streaming on HBO Max. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Spoilers below for anyone who isn’t yet current with The White Lotus’ Season 2 episodes, so be warned!

With only one episode left in HBO’s sexed-up and paranoia-driven resort drama The White Lotus, fans are closer than ever to learning the overarching mystery of the dead bodies referenced in Season 2’s opening sequence. But as any viewer is well aware, the identity of the corpse(s) is but one of many questions that deserve answers in the impending finale, with another being “Why in God’s name is Harper leaning into flirting with Cameron and making Ethan jealous?” Thankfully, star Aubrey Plaza provided some key insight into that confused horniness, and how it’s a product of more than what viewers have seen play out.

Episode 6 seemingly brought Ethan to his breaking point, and he so very clearly suspects things are happening between Harper and Cameron, and isn’t so unjustified for such hypotheses. Which is made all the more confusing by the idea that Harper hasn’t said or thought many nice things about Theo James’ womanizer since the season began. Speaking with Vanity Fair, Plaza explained why there’s still some chemistry with Cameron despite any and all negative feelings about his personality, saying:

As much as we’d all like to think we can forever rise above our base instincts in the face of such primal urges, that’s just not always going to be the case. And in Harper’s situation, her potentially eroding marriage and absent sexual relationship with Ethan have left the door open to make some regrettable decisions in the face of philandering hunks. Plaza continued:

The White Lotus has introduced the idea that Cameron has had a long-lasting influence over Ethan’s relationships, both real and idealized, with much unaddressed scar tissue built up there. And while we don’t know if that played into the onset of Harper and Ethan’s marital woes, Aubrey Plaza confirmed that the couple’s problems existed well before their trip to Italy, and that she intentionally played up the idea that they weren’t in positive headspaces from the minute they arrived on the boat. But the island is indeed where these bubbling-up concerns are finally being addressed, which has obviously created more of a powder keg sitch than anything genuinely healthy for their shared future.

The question now, going into the final episode, is whether Harper and Cameron actually will do the dirty deed, whether Ethan will find out, and how anyone will react to it all. I guess that’s more than just one question. Since there’s also the matter of Lucia and Alessio’s questionable relationship, the truth behind Quentin’s relationship with Jack and his motives for befriending Tanya, and whether Dom can do right by a woman for once (and without blaming his dad if it doesn’t happen). 

The White Lotus’ finale will air on HBO on Sunday, December 11, at 9:00 p.m. ET, and all previous episodes can be streamed with an HBO Max subscription. Head to our 2022 TV schedule and our 2023 premiere guide to see what’ll be popping up once this European excursion has run its course.

Theo James’ star recognition came from being cast as Tris’ love interest in The Divergent Series. He starred as the sexy, yet strong Dauntless instructor Four who falls for Tris and shows off his fight skills to take down those who threaten her because of her rare Divergent status. While Divergent gave James great acting exposure, he explained how this teen franchise negatively affected his career.

It can feel like a trap to take part in a teen film franchise. While it's a great business opportunity for exposure, it can lead you to be typecast as only the hero, the hunk or the villain. Theo James spoke to Vanity Fair about how playing Four for three movies didn’t do wonders for his career.

While the British actor has said before that he doesn’t mind playing sidekicks for female-led franchises, it doesn’t mean he wants to be stuck doing that his whole career. I don’t blame him as he probably doesn’t want casting directors to only see him as eye candy for ladies who can throw a punch or two. Another British actor, Robert Pattinson, could relate, as he felt he was losing his sense of self filming The Twilight Saga in not having creative control of a character that was written as a book character first. But luckily, Pattinson ended up finding a number of film projects that proved he was more than Twilight.

Well, James won’t have to worry about there being any more Divergent movies, as the box office flop of a series was originally going to reach its conclusion as a television show, only for that idea to be scrapped. Cast members like Shailene Woodley bailed on the series as soon as the television plans were announced, and network executives weren’t happy about that decision either. This means that The Divergent Series would end as a cliffhanger, with audiences never getting to see the latter half of Allegiant come to life. As for if there will ever be a Divergent 4, producer Neil Burger doubts it’ll happen, which is probably a relief for the 37-year-old actor.

Luckily, Theo James didn’t need The Divergent Series to help him succeed in his career. At first, he hit some snags like how in 2019, he starred and executive-produced an acclaimed tale of Jane Austen’s unpublished book adaptation Sanditon before departing after the first season. Then, his starring role in HBO’s The Time Traveler’s Wife was short-lived after not getting a second season. 

But after playing so many literary characters over the years, the Underworld actor got cast in the second season of HBO’s The White Lotus as hotshot financier Cameron. Theo James told Vanity Fair how he marveled at finally being able to achieve the freedom of making bold character choices. On the other hand, this role isn't going to shed him of his eye candy status with that brief but steamy hotel strip scene. While there’s no escaping those striking good looks, at least this role will give him the chance to expand his acting range.

This film and television actor seems to be making attempts to break the mold of the Hollywood hunk status that The Divergent Series gave him. Hopefully his role in The White Lotus will allow casting directors and audiences to see him in a new light. You can watch Theo James play Four in The Divergent Series, as well as check him out in Season 2 of The White Lotus, with your HBO Max subscription.

Signing on to portray a character based on a bestselling book seems like it could easily be a double-edged sword. If it takes off, playing a popular character can send an actor into a whole new stratosphere of fame. If the established fans don’t like the adaptation, you’re the face that broke their hearts. English actor Theo James has most certainly had experience when it comes to this very thing, considering throughout his career he’s played a number of literary characters. From Divergent, to Mr. Malcolm’s List, I suppose you could say he knows how to grab that sword. 

Theo James, who has also starred in Sanditon, The Witcher and The Time Traveler’s Wife series, recently spoke to CinemaBlend about this topic. Ahead of the release of Mr. Malcolm's List, he shared what his approach has been over the years when it comes to portraying already-beloved literary characters. Said James,

Theo James gained worldwide recognition in 2014 when he played Four alongside Shailene Woodley’s Tris in the Divergent movies. What started as a successful and promising franchise began to fall apart with its sequels, and fans never got to see the Divergent movies conclude, perhaps due to the films being rushed by the studio, per the words of Lionsgate’s own CEO. 

While an experience like Divergent may have burned another actor, Theo James has continued to come back to book adaptations, and even video game adaptation Castlevania. Between 2019 to his exit only recently, he starred in PBS’ Sandition series, which is based on Jane Austen’s work. The actor also led HBO’s The Time Traveler’s Wife, which will not continue into Season 2, but which also featured well-known characters. 

As the actor shared in our interview, with these many roles under his belt, his approach has become to use the source material for background and then trust his own instincts as an actor and he absolutely does not read the online chatter when it comes to how he adapted these characters to fans' liking or not. It’s a smart approach and goes to show Theo James has learned a lot over the years about how to get on with the business of acting. Yet, as he shared as well, he’s “still figuring it out.” 

In recent 2022 movie releases, Mr. Malcolm’s List, Theo James plays the character Captain Henry Ossory in the regency romance based on a book by Suzanne Allain. The character finds himself caught in the middle of an elaborate prank set by Zawe Ashton’s Lady Thistlewaite targeting Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù’s Mr. Malcolm after he stops courting her due to her not meeting the requirements of a secret list – leaving her embarrassed by her peers. She enlists her childhood friend, Freida Pinto’s Selena, to woo Mr. Malcolm with the intention of humiliating him as well. 

You can see Theo James in Mr. Malcolm’s List, now playing exclusively in theaters. 

If discussing a regency romance with diverse casting, we must be talking about Bridgerton, right? Actually, it’s no longer the only one. Recent release Mr. Malcolm’s List follows suit with the hit Netflix series by expanding the genre with more inclusion in its casting (alongside charming us with a sweet love story). But while it may seem like Mr. Malcolm’s List might be a reaction to the success of the Shondaland production, the reality is that the movie has a more unexpected backstory. 

CinemaBlend recently spoke with Mr. Malcolm’s List stars Zawe Ashton and Theo James and asked if Bridgerton had any affect on the making of the movie. Here’s what  told us: 

Zawe Ashton: I actually based my performance on Regé-Jean Page as the Duke [Laughs]. Well, the proof of concept film, the short film of Malcolm's List actually preceded Bridgeton series one. So, it was already happening.
Theo James: But you know, something that has a diverse cast, is in the same period, that then becomes a massive juggernaut. I mean, it's only good news really, because it helps all the causes, you know? So yeah, but it didn't really have any direct impact, but it was just pleasant to see.

Mr. Malcolm’s List started as a book written by Suzanne Allain, and it was adapted by the author. When director Emma Holly Jones heard a reading of the script in 2015 on an episode of the Black List podcast, she decided she wanted to make it her first feature. In 2018, Jones shot the Mr. Malcolm’s List short (with much of the cast in the actual film) and it hit over 2 million views after arriving on the web in early 2019 . Discussing the project's history and the possible link to Bridgerton, Jones recently told us,

So Mr. Malcolm’s List was in the works and pushing the envelope in the regency period romance genre before audiences fell in love with Bridgerton and it became the phenomenon it continues to be. The similarities are noticeable, and yet the two projects both came up around the same time with no real link to one another. 

In addition to upcoming Marvel star Zawe Ashton and Divergent’s Theo James, Mr. Malcolm’s List also features Freida Pinto, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Ashley Park. The movie centers on Julia Thistlewaite (Ashton), who feels humiliated after the titular Mr. Malcolm (Dìrísù) rejects her after a date due to a secret checklist he has for his would-be wife. Julia recruits her childhood friend, Pinto’s Selena, to deviously embody the perfect woman in an effort to get back at Mr. Malcolm. 

After you check out 2022 movie release Mr. Malcolm’s List, now playing in theaters, we can of course look forward to the next Bridgerton season, which will feature Penelope and Colin’s romance (based on the Julia Quinn book, Romancing Mister Bridgerton). It’s certainly exciting to see the regency romance genre not only become popular again with these recent titles, but tell new stories within the genre that we've never seen.

The novel The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger swept readers away in 2003, and inspired the well-received 2009 feature adaptation starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana. Steven Moffat, the famed showrunner behind Doctor Who and Sherlock, has now adapted the best-selling story as a series for HBO, which premieres Sunday, May 15. Critics had the opportunity to screen the six-episode series, and there was an aspect to the plot that they really couldn’t look past in what could be one of the most awkward releases of any TV show debuting in 2022.

Rose Leslie and Theo James star respectively as Clare Abshire and Henry DeTamble, a couple whose relationship is complicated by Henry’s uncontrollable time-traveling disorder, which sends him bouncing around and appearing at different ages in Clare’s life, which is set on its linear timeline path. The issue that many critics can't seem to look beyond revolves around Henry’s tendency to pop into Clare’s life as a naked adult man when Clare is still a child. The reviews call this aspect of the show everything from creepy to straight-up grooming, and all seem to agree that it’s really not okay as a plot device, especially one that repeats itself. With that opinion as a guiding light, let's dive a little deeper into the other problems that reviewers had.

Darren Franich of EW grades the series a D, saying the concept is just so wrong, and the lack of chemistry between the actors makes things weirder, especially when there are actual jokes about grooming on display. This critic says the toughness that Rose Leslie exuded in Game of Thrones and other projects gives way to lovelorn patience here, and Theo James just looks mad:

Angie Han of THR says two adaptations of this novel are more than enough, and it’s time to break up with this story. While this review says the man-befriending-little girl story makes sense within the confines of this plot, it’s a big ask of the audience right off the bat:

Linda Holmes of NPR says The Time Traveler’s Wife has appeal in Rose Leslie and Theo James’ “perfectly workable” chemistry, but this plotline might simply be better on the page than on the screen:

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times rates the series 1.5 out of 4 stars, saying the series left him flummoxed, as it is “oozing with creepiness” and fails to produce the intended rom-com humor. Roeper's review also points out that multiple Henrys can exist in one timeline, making for some ridiculous set-ups:

Carla Meyer of the San Francisco Chronicle goes so far as to say this series should not have been made at all. As pointed out by other critics, the jokes about grooming just prove that the creative team already knew what they were crafting, and they did it anyway:

If you’re a huge fan of the book or the movie, you might be more willing to forgive the problems critics had with the story. For those who do indeed plan to check out this series, The Time Traveler’s Wife premieres at 9 p.m. ET Sunday, May 15, on HBO and is available for streaming with an HBO Max subscription. Signing up will also grant you access to a number of great shows on HBO Max. 

Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD for the Season 2 premiere reveal of what happened to Theo James’ Sidney Parker. 

Sanditon is finally on the verge of returning for Season 2, after an extended hiatus that seemed permanent for quite some time. The first season ended on a heartbreaking twist, when Sidney Parker bucked Jane Austen tradition by not sweeping leading lady Charlotte off to a happily-ever-after. The Season 2 renewal came with the news that Theo James wasn’t returning to reprise the role; now, the show has revealed how Sidney’s absence will be explained, and it’s a whole lot darker than what Bridgerton – which shares some scandalous similarities with Sanditon – is doing to explain Regé-Jean Page’s absence as Simon.

While fans had every reason to expect that Sidney had married Eliza Campion for all the wrong reasons and was living with her off-screen, Sanditon went in a much more final direction. In a clip released ahead of the premiere (via TVLine), Charlotte is back in Sanditon and walking with Arthur Parker, the brother of her former flame.  Arthur said that he’s “no substitute for Sidney” but has made himself useful to their brother Tom – who can probably use all the help he can get, based on Season 1 – even though he can “hardly bring himself to speak Sidney’s name.”

Charlotte responded by saying that it’s “unwise to keep grief bottled up," and Arthur’s response settled the matter of what happened to his brother:

Rest in peace, apparently, Sidney Parker! Although Sanditon evidently left the door a little bit open for a dramatic return due to the lack of a body to bury, Theo James’ statement about why he wasn’t returning for Season 2 didn’t indicate that he had plans to come back down the line either, and it seems that the show didn’t want to go the route of recasting him. 

The look at the Season 2 premiere doesn’t give away exactly what happened to Sidney, but Arthur’s certainty that his brother is gone coupled with not having a grave to mark him makes me think that Sidney died at sea when his ship went down. It would be a straightforward way to kill off the character without leaving a grave, and give fans reason to speculate... unless the premiere settles the matter even more. 

In contrast, Bridgerton is going in pretty much the opposite direction with original leading man Simon Bassett after the departure of actor Regé-Jean Page, when Simon was alive and well at the end of Season 1. Even though the second season of the hit Netflix series won’t premiere for another week, actress Phoebe Dynevor already shared that Simon will be referred to a lot, and Daphne and Simon’s son will appear. 

Of course, Bridgerton Season 1 ended on a much happier note for Daphne and Simon than Sanditon Season 1 ended for Charlotte and Sidney, so there was never going to be a cheery way to write out Sidney while bringing back Charlotte, primed and ready for new love interests. 

The long-awaited Season 2 premiere of Sanditon comes to PBS on Sunday, March 20 at 9 p.m. ET in the 2022 TV schedule, and there is also great news for fans when it comes to streaming the new season. 

Sanditon seemed like a period drama that was doomed to end after just one season when well over a year passed without news of a renewal, but fans finally got some very good news this week with the news that the show will return to PBS with not just one but two more seasons, with Rose Williams reprising her role as Charlotte Heywood. Unfortunately, the news isn't all good. Just a day after the renewal announcement, Theo James, who played leading man Sidney Parker in Season 1, confirmed that he won't be back. But from where I stand, James not returning doesn't have to mean the end of Sidney. Why not a recast?

Part of why so many Sanditon viewers were frustrated with the end of Season 1 was that it ended on a doozy of a cliffhanger with Sidney chasing after Charlotte, giving a moment of hope that he'd seen the error of his ways in choosing Eliza Campion for her money and was making a grand romantic gesture to Charlotte. That wasn't the case, however, and fans who went into this Jane Austen adaptation expecting a Jane Austen ending for the leading woman and man had those expectations thoroughly dashed.

Sure, there were plenty of other dangling plot threads that should be picked up in future seasons, but the book felt very much still open on Sidney and Charlotte, and we'd seen enough of Sidney that it was hard to imagine he wasn't going to get an Austen-esque redemption of some sort and the heroine would get everything she wanted and deserved, even if not necessarily from him. Admittedly, Jane Austen's Sanditon was technically unfinished, so the show wasn't actually changing the ending by splitting them and breaking Charlotte's heart, but there just wasn't any closure, and Theo James' comments indicate that fans shouldn't hold their breath for him to reprise his role as Sidney.

In a statement (via PBS), James said:

I think "broken fairy-tale" is a pretty apt description of how Sanditon Season 1 ended for Charlotte! In Jane Austen terms, it was like if Sense and Sensibility's romantic hero turned out to be Willoughby, or if Pride and Prejudice's Mr. Darcy was every bit as despicable as Lizzie Bennett thought early on. Theo James wishing the Sanditon team success is certainly nice to see; couldn't Sanditon be successful in casting a new actor to step into Sidney's shoes?

PBS has admittedly already said that "Sidney Parker will not return" and an "abundance of romance and adventure lies ahead" for Charlotte, so it seems there are plenty of plans to shape Charlotte's future in an exciting way that doesn't pay off on the love story that many fans may have expected, or continues the Parker family story with Sidney in the mix after what he did for Tom.

And if Sanditon can pull that off, then great! Rose Williams and Theo James had sparkling chemistry with each other that would be hard to replace, but substituting in a new Sidney could still be the way to go, if only to deliver some closure to the storyline. Sidney could return with another actor playing the role to tie off some loose ends and not have the last time we see Sidney as his heartbreaking exchange with Charlotte that was very much not a grand romantic gesture. I also can't be the only one who wanted Sidney to have some kind of breakthrough about his brother and get to a place of letting Tom clean up his own messes.

Looking back at how Sanditon Season 1 ended and now looking ahead at the prospect of two more seasons, I would much rather suspend my disbelief and watch a Sidney who looks different continue the story rather than for Sidney to be plucked out of the narrative altogether. Whether this would simply mean tying off loose ends in just an episode or two before bowing out or creating new ongoing material honestly wouldn't matter all that much to me – there was just so much time and story put into Sidney in Season 1 that it would be a shame to lose it in one fell off-screen swoop.

This isn't even a Bridgerton situation like with Regé-Jean Page. There is plenty of source material that can continue Bridgerton that doesn't need Simon in the mix, and his story came to a natural resting place at the end of Season 1, even if it didn't feel like his story with Phoebe was over. Sanditon ended without resolution for Theo James' character, so my vote is for the character to go to another actor to either finish the story that was begun in Season 1 or carry it into another chapter. Considering what Sidney did to Charlotte at the end of Season 1, I'd be perfectly content with her getting closure and moving on.

Sanditon is about Charlotte more than any other character, and she has relationships beyond Sidney. In fact, my reaction to the news of Theo James' departure was dismay at first, followed by hope that this will mean more of Charlotte and Georgiana Lambe, and more of Esther and Babington. And of course more of Young Stringer, because obviously! Sanditon can survive without Sidney, and in fact he wasn't even Charlotte's only teased love interest. With two more seasons ordered, there is plenty of time for her to fall in love again, with the dashing James Stringer or somebody neither we nor she have met yet.

But just as Charlotte was and is more than her relationship with Sidney, Sidney has ties and relationships that don't need to be totally and abruptly cut because his character wasn't written out back when the original actor was still on board. Would it be hard to find somebody who looks similar to Theo James and can pull off the same degree of smolder? Possibly, but I'd like to see Sanditon give it a shot to at the very least deliver some closure.

I enjoy a good old-fashioned fractured fairy tale every once in a while, but I'd rather not get them from projects with Jane Austen origins and a heroine who deserves a happy ending, and there are ways to add some layers to the tragic romantic twist without just chopping the entire storyline. Whether Sidney really is gone from Sanditon for good, is recast for Sanditon Season 2 and beyond, or is just mentioned by his friends and family while conveniently off-screen remains to be seen.

Filming on Season 2 of Sanditon is expected to begin later in 2021 in and around Bristol in the U.K., with more casting announcements on the way, so hopefully some answers will come sooner rather than later. For some viewing options during the wait for more Sanditon, check out our 2021 summer TV premiere schedule.

While Rose Leslie has been able to go on to other successful projects, it's likely that many fans still know her best as the bow and arrow wielding member of the Free Folk, Ygritte, on Game of Thrones. Now, though, we know that the actress will be returning to HBO in a new series which is also set to star Theo James, of the late, lamented PBS Masterpiece series, Sanditon.

According to Deadline, Rose Leslie is set to join Theo James to play the leads in HBO's upcoming drama series, The Time Traveler's Wife, which will be based on the book of the same name by author Audrey Niffenegger. Leslie will play Clare Abshire, a "fiery, clever and unstoppable" woman who was visited by a man (sometimes old, sometimes young) since she was a small child, who would appear in the woods behind her home. But, this kind and funny gentleman, who would tell her stories of the future, wasn't an imaginary friend, as Clare thought, but a time traveler, and he's not just from the future, but her future, specifically.

As you might have guessed, Theo James will take on the role of said time traveler, Henry DeTamble. Henry's been traveling through time, randomly, since he was eight years old, and he's been dealing with "a rollercoaster of constant danger and white-knuckle survival" until he happens upon Clare in the library where he works. When they meet, he doesn't recognize her, but she explains that they've known each other for all of her life, and the two begin a romantic journey, made all the more difficult by Henry's mysterious condition. The novel was previously adapted into a film starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams in 2009.

This adaptation of The Time Traveler's Wife has been a focus for HBO since the premium cabler nabbed the project in 2018 after winning out over much competition. The show, which received a straight to series order, was adapted from the novel by someone who knows quite a bit about writing the intricacies of time travel for the screen, former Doctor Who head writer Steven Moffat. He will also executive produce the series, alongside Sue Vertue and Brian Minchin. The series is currently in pre-production.

Rose Leslie was a definite fan favorite during her short tenure on Game of Thrones, with her brave, perceptive, and skilled Ygritte soon falling for Jon Snow, despite the differences in their cultures. Even though Leslie was only on the hit fantasy from Season 2 through Season 4, hers is character that few will be likely to forget, and Leslie helped to fully imbue Ygritte with all the traits we enjoyed watching.

With her role in The Time Traveler's Wife, it definitely sounds as though Leslie's Clare will have far less actual fighting and sex-in-a-cave moments, but will still be tough as nails and have to endure quite a bit of emotional distress. Luckily, Leslie is more than apt at bringing fans such dramatic portrayals. I, for one, can't wait to see her paired with Theo James in what sounds like it will be a standout romantic drama.

There's no word on a release date just yet, but for more on what you can watch now, check out our guide to early 2021 TV.

Before Underworld, never had the fantastic world of victorian horror been so… Matrix. That is, by no means, an indictment on the 2003 thriller that brings the mythical conflict between werewolves and vampires to modern times. Other than its bleak color palette, stylized choreography, and dress code that favors skin-tight leather, Len Wiseman’s feature-length directorial debut is unique in its own ways with much to admire, especially making a household name out of Kate Beckinsale.

What about the rest of the cast from Underworld and its three follow-ups with a prequel right in the middle? I can think of a couple other well-known efforts from Scott Speedman, the male lead of the first two films, but, additionally, I would not be surprised if some of you forgot about some of the bigger names who would join the cast later.

In that case, how about we go take a look at the most notable actors known for joining the war between the two most notorious species of the undead? These are the current whereabouts of a handful cast members since rising above the Underworld.

Kate Beckinsale (Selene)

After gaining notoriety in Pearl Harbor and Serendipity, to name a few, playing Selene, the face of the Underworld franchise, made Kate Beckinsale one of the most sought after action stars in Hollywood, but she was sure to never limit herself to just one genre. In between reprising her role as the vampire warrior three more times, the British beauty would take on the affections of the eccentric Howard Hughes in The Aviator, a husband obsessed with an enchanted remote in Click, a sadistic hotel manager in Vacancy, and even more vampires and werwolves alongside Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing. 

Beckinsale has also voiced Queen Ayrenn in two iterations of the online role-player The Elder Scrolls, and will return to action in Jolt and comedy in director Charlie Day’s El Tonto, both of which are in post-production.

Scott Speedman (Michael Corvin)

Selene would find a love interest in medical student Michael Corvin after he becomes a hybrid of the two warring creatures at the story's center, thanks to a bit from her and a lycan named Lucian (a little more on him soon). One of Scott Speedman's more notable roles after starring in two Underworld films saw him, with onscreen wife Liv Tyler, facing off a different kind of monster in the 2009 home invasion thriller The Strangers and later, a creature even more obscure, but equally malevolent, in a small role from the A24 creature feature The Monster. 

The British former Felicity star made his most recent return to television in a recurring role on TNT's series of adaptation of Animals Kingdom and will make in a rare appearance in a comedy, alongside Aubrey Plaza and Michael Caine, Best Sellers, which is now in post-production.

Michael Sheen (Lucian)

As Lucian, the progenitor of the lycan race, Michael Sheen had the advantage of playing both an antagonist in the Underworld franchise and a protagonist, particularly in the 2009 prequel, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, as well as receiving a taste of a bloodsucker's life as Aro in the Twilight films. The 51-year-old British actor has played a hefty variety of characters onscreen, onstage, or on-air, from either fiction or real life, including an angel with a demonic best friend in a miniseries adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Good Omens or Prime Minister Tony Blair, whom he has portrayed in three respective films, two of which he received award nominations for. 

More recently, Sheen appeared as the serial killer father of an criminal psychologist in the Fox drama series Prodigal Son and is preparing to star in existential dramedy The Price of Admission alongside Jeff Goldblum and voice a character in an animated adaptation of Heart of Darkness.

Bill Nighy (Viktor)

It is always exciting to see Bill Nighy make an appearance, but as the sinister Vampire Elder Viktor (whom he would reprise twice) he convinced audiences how much they love him as a villain, made further evident by his performance as Davy Jones in two Pirates of the Caribbean films. Underworld was also the first of several memorable death scenes for the 70-year-old, Golden Globe-winning actor, most notably Shaun of the Dead, as well as many more roles rooted in fantasy, such as Harry Potter ally Minister Rufus Scrimgeour, the target of some secret agent gerbils in G-Force, and a time-traveling father in About Time for Richard Curtis, who directed him in a reprisal of his Love, Actually character in honor of Red Nose Day in 2017. 

Bill Nighy made a return to the world of vampirism on the animated Netflix original Castlevania, but is focusing more on family entertainment for more of his upcoming projects, including a new adaptation of the classic novel Heidi.

Kevin Grevioux (Raze)

In addition to playing Raze, a lycan and the second-in-command to Lucian, Kevin Grevioux was the original creator of the concept for Underworld and would team up with director Len Wiseman and screenwriter Danny McBride (no, not that Danny McBride) to develop the story, in addition to producing the first three installments of the franchise. The film would become his first writing credit, after years in Hollywood landing small roles in big movies (some that were nameless) like Batman Forever and The Mask and even performing stuntwork, before starting his own comic book imprints, later writing a few titles for Marvel and DC, and eventually voicing characters from both respective comic book universes in various animated projects. 

Grevioux continues to work behind and in front of the camera and recently wrapped filming sci-fi adventure The Prey with co-star Danny Trejo.

Rhona Mitra (Sonja)

Rhona Mitra has a career much like Kate Beckinsale's, but in reverse, having starred in multiple thrillers and action projects before she was cast as the Sonja, daughter of Viktor and the female lead of the 2009 prequel Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. The role would spark several more opportunities in the action and fantasy genres (some more successful than others) and mostly on television, two of which also involved vampires, such The Gates, a suburban crime drama on which she played modern day bloodsucker, and The Strain, on which she hunted bloodsuckers this time. The British actress will also soon be seen in the third chapter of the Skyline franchise, Skylin3s, and has joined the star-studded voice cast of the upcoming science-fiction video game Squadron 42.

Theo James (David)

After making his franchise debut as pure-blood vampire David in Underworld: Awakening, English actor Theo James would be promoted to male lead in 2016's Blood Wars. However, he grained further recognition playing second-in-command to a film's female hero 2014 as Tobias "Four" Eaton opposite Shailene Woodley in Divergent trilogy. Even with that success, it seems James has felt a bit homesick for his first big franchise since the last installment, given how many of his subsequent projects have involved fellow Underworld alums, such as voicing a role in Castlevania alongside Bill Nighy, starring in a 2018 musical audio drama adaptation of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds with Michael Sheen, and playing a widowed engineer desperate to achieve the perfect AI in Archive, which he and Rhona Mitra recently wrapped up and is slated for 2021.

Charles Dance (Thomas)

Making his first Underworld appearance in Awakening as David's father, Thomas, was Charles Dance, whom film aficionados may also recognize as Clemens from Alien 3, Commander Denniston in The Imitation Game, or an evil sorcerer taking on Eddie Murphy in The Golden Child. The three-time Emmy nominated, English acting veteran, who recently played a villain in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, has had an equally prolific career on television, including Netflix historical drama The Crown, Amazon exclusive miniseries The Widow (also starring Kate Beckinsale), and, especially, as Tywin Lannister on Game of Thrones. Dance's next big cinematic role will be in Kingsman prequel The King's Man, followed by David Fincher's biopic of Citizen Kane's screenwriter Mank, and he is preparing to making his sophomore writing and directing effort with an adaptation of Alice Thomas Ellis' The Inn at the Edge of the World.

Michael Ealy (Detective Sebastian)

Aldo joining the cast in Underworld: Awakening was prominent actor Michael Ealy, not as a vampire nor a lycan, but a human whose dark past has earned him a rare sympathy toward vampires. You could draw comparisons from Detective Sebastian to his role as a human-like android policeman in a world overrun with conflict between man and machine in the short-lived futuristic crime procedural Almost Human, but probably less so to the other TV cops he has played since on Secrets and Lies and Stumptown. 

Since his sole Underworld franchise appearance, Ealy has also starred in three remakes (About Last Night, Jacob's Ladder, and HBO's hit series adaptation of Westworld) and recently reunited with Deon Taylor, the director of the 2019 thriller The Intruder, for upcoming crime drama Fatale, which will also star Hilary Swank and Mike Colter.

India Eisley (Eve)

It was Detective Sebastian's sympathy toward the vampire race that convinced him to help Selene protect Eve, her daughter with Michael Corvin and played by India Eisley in her first major motion picture performance after breaking out on the teen drama series The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Playing the unprecedented tri-hybrid of vampire, werewolf, and immortal strains sparked her scream queen reputation that would carry on in roles like the title character of twisted fairy tale retelling The Curse of Sleeping Beauty, the psychological Netflix exclusive Clinical, and the upcoming stalker drama Every Breath You Take, also starring Sam Claflin and Michelle Monaghan. 

Following her role opposite Chris Pine in Patty Jenkins' crime miniseries I Am the Night, the 26-year-old has been rumored to co-star with her mother, veteran actress and fellow scream queen Olivia Hussey, in a rare comedic role for the satire One Week In Hollywood.

Be sure to check back for more information and updates on the Underworld franchise as well as the whereabouts of your favorite movie and TV show cast members here on CinemaBlend.

The dystopian young adult novel series genre has given birth to a number of big stars and Divergent is no exception. Based on the trilogy of books by Veronica Roth, the film and its sequels, about a teen whose condition makes her unfit to live in any of the five separate factions her post-apocalyptic society is divided into, made household names out of stars Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, to name a few, who have since diverged relatively far from their franchise counterparts.

What about the rest of the cast? Of course, Kate Winslet and Ashley Judd were already big-time, award-winning stars before starring in Divergent and Zoë Kravitz is everywhere now, but I cannot recall, for instance, the last place I saw Theo James. Not to mention, it has been a while since Jai Courtney has shown up in five movies a year. What’s happening there?

For those who have not been keeping up with the cast of your other favorite YA Novel movie adaptation, I think I can help fill in the gaps. The following is a rundown of the Divergent actors’ careers since they went factionless.

Shailene Woodley (Tris Prior)

After making waves on the teen drama The Secret Life of the American Teenager and 2011 film The Descendants, Shailene Woodley led the cast of Divergent as Tris Prior, a teen born with the titular affliction that makes her a threat to her dystopian society. She has remained a major threat in Hollywood since, playing Edward Snowden's lover in Oliver Stone's biopic, earning her second Golden Globe nomination for HBO hit Big Little Lies, and braving the desolate ocean in the 2018's Adrift.

In addition to being brave for the ocean in collaboration with Greenpeace and helping victims of anxiety with her own charity, Woodley has a number of exciting acting projects in the works, including the 1960s London-set romance Last Letter from Your Lover and voicing her first animated character as the lead in ScaryGirl, alongside Divergent alum Jai Courtney.

Theo James (Four)

English actor Theo James became known to American audiences as Tobias "Four" Eaton in Divergent and, yet he never had a role quite as big as the Dauntless member with a serious crush on Tris Prior. Despite this, he has been a part of numerous high-profile projects, including many Netflix original properties such as post-apocalyptic action film How It Ends and a trio of fantasy series: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, The Witcher, and Castlevania. Additionally, in 2018, he starred in a musical audio drama adaptation of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, landed the male lead role of a 2019 Masterpiece Theater rendition of Jane Austen's Sandition, and recently wrapped filming on Archive, scheduled to release in 2021, in which he plays an engineer developing a human-like AI.

Kate Winslet (Jeanine Matthews)

When she joined the cast of Divergent, Kate Winslet was, essentially, the biggest name attached to the project, mostly due to her unforgettable role in one of the biggest cinematic hits of all time, Titanic. After her character, the ruthless Erudite leader Jeanine Matthews, met a bitter end in the 2015 sequel Insurgent, the Oscar-winner received her seventh nod from the Academy as Johanna Howard in Steve Jobs, tried to help Will Smith get over his grief in 2016's Collateral Beauty, and struggled to survive the wildness with Idris Elba in The Mountain Between Us, to name a few. In the future, the English actor will be seen in a 19th Century romance with Saoirse Ronan in Ammonite, provide the voice of the equestrian title character of a Black Beauty reboot, and is reuniting with James Cameron for Avatar 2.

Ansel Elgort (Caleb Prior)

While he played Shailene Woodley's brother in the Divergent films, Ansel Elgort's biggest claim to fame at time would be playing her lover in The Fault in Our Stars the following year. Yet, the 26-year-old has since grown out of young adult novel adaptations (mostly), especially after playing the lead of Edgar Wright's dazzling action thriller Baby Driver: a role that also allowed him to show off his lesser-known musicianship, which director Steven Spielberg put to the ultimate test in his remake of West Side Story, which is set to come in December 2020. Other than continuing to moonlight as a rapper, Elgort is preparing for his first television role as the lead in the drama series Tokyo Vice and starring alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Zendaya in the crime thriller Finest Kind.

Miles Teller (Peter Hayes)

Another actor who has been romantically involved with Shailene Woodley (onscreen, that is) is Miles Teller, whose relationship with her character in 2013's The Spectacular Now is a far cry from Tris Prior's relationship with Peter Hayes, a hot-headed Dauntless transfer and one of Divergent's main antagonists. At least it was a role that the Whiplash star could have channeled his own personal distaste for the material into and would pave the way for more grounded projects, such as boxer Vinny Pazienza in sports biopic Bleed for This, a solider suffering from PTSD in Thank You for Your Service, and a first responder taking on a historic wildfire in Only the Brave. Teller will appear in, arguably, his biggest role to date as the son of Goose in Top Gun: Maverick and reunite with Woodley in After Exile, playing a man guilty of manslaughter who seeks redemption.

Zoë Kravitz (Christina)

Like Peter Hayes, Christina (played Zoë Kravitz) also transferred from the Candor faction to Dauntless, but, unlike Peter, she happened to get along very well with Tris Prior. The daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, who has also dabbled in making music as the frontwoman of two bands in the past decade, has only gotten bigger since starring in Divergent, from playing a refugee slave wife in Mad Max: Fury Road, Leta Lestrange in the Fantastic Beasts series, and sharing the screen once again with Shailene Woodley in the scandalous HBO drama Big Little Lies. Other than starring as the gender-flipped lead of the Hulu original series adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel High Fidelity, Kravitz recently followed in her step-father, Jason Momoa's, footsteps by being cast as an iconic DC character, Catwoman, in Matt Reeves' highly anticipated reboot, The Batman.

Ben Lloyd-Hughes (Will)

Christina’s love interest, who actually sacrificed his own life for Tris Prior's benefit, was a former Erudite transfer name Will, played by Ben Lloyd-Hughes. Divergent is easily the British actor's biggest role to date, particularly to American audiences, despite a plentiful filmography following the dystopian hit, such starring alongside Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin in the charming romantic drama Me Before You, playing Florence Pugh's brother in the Netflix exclusive horror thriller Malevolent, and appearing as various characters in the made-for-TV Oscar Wilde biopic The Importance of Being Oscar. Lloyd-Hughes recently wrapped filming The King's Daughter, also staring Pierce Brosnan and his Skins co-star Kaya Scodelario, and is preparing for a role in a miniseries called Industry, which is set during the aftermath of the 2008 economic collapse.

Maggie Q (Tori)

The first person to learn of Tris’ divergence is Tori, played by Maggie Q, who was certified badass long before Divergent, from her amusing henchwoman role in Live Free or Die Hard and playing the titular assassin of TV series Nikita. The Hawaiian actress moved on to play characters less involved with physical combat (in live action projects, specifically), such as on the ABC political drama Designated Survivor and Blumhouse's reboot of Fantasy Island, but she kicks plenty of butt from the comfort of a recording studio as the voice of Wonder Woman on the beloved animated series Young Justice. She will explore various kinds of genres in future films, including horror thriller Death of Me, a comedy about a couple's obsessed with settling their dispute called The Argument, and Long Gone Heroes, a war film also set to star Guy Pearce and Sir Ben Kingsley.

Jai Courtney (Eric)

Since and (even before) playing the sadistic Dauntless inductee trainer Eric in the Divergent series until his demise in the second chapter, Jai Courtney has seemingly been on a steadily committed journey to join the legacy of as many film franchises as possible, playing John McClane's secret agent son in A Good Day to Die Hard, landing a small role opposite Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher, and filling the role of Kyle Reese in Terminator Genisys along the way. In what is arguably his most fitting role to date, the Aussie actor will reprise DC villain Captain Boomerang in The Suicide Squad, which director James Gunn has described as neither a sequel nor a reboot, and will voice Dr. Maybee in the Shailene Woodley led animated film Scarygirl.

Are you now eager to revisit Divergent again, or are you just eager to seek out the cast’s further endeavors? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for more information on the sci-fi series and updates on actors from your favorite movies and TV shows here on CinemaBlend.

Netflix's Dark Crystal television series just kicked things into high-gear with the announcement of an all-star vocal cast. Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will tell an epic new story that takes place years before the events of the 1982 film.

The prequel series will return viewers to the world Thra by way of an all-new adventure. That adventure will involve three Gelflings who discover the "horrifying secret" behind the power of the Skeksis. They will then set out on an "epic journey" to ignite a rebellion and in turn, "save their world."

Along for the ride in telling that story are some of entertainment's brightest stars. From Game of Thrones to Outlander, television's titans will be joined by major movie stars.

Giving voice to the three main characters are Kingsman's Taron Egerton as Rian, The Witch's Anya Taylor-Joy as Brea, and Game of Thrones' Nathalie Emmanuel as Deet. Quite a dream trio.

Other actors giving voice to Gelfling characters are Outlander's Caitriona Balfe, The Crown's Helena Bonham-Carter, and Trust's Harris Dickinson. No details about their characters have been given, other than they are playing Gelflings.

Joining Nathalie Emmanuel from the Game of Thrones cast is series alum Natalie Dormer. She will voice a Gelfling character along with Hannibal's Eddie Izzard and Star Trek: Discovery's Shazad Latif.

The Gelfing characters will have no shortage of talented actors giving them a voice. The Divergent franchise and Castlevania voice actor Theo James will star alongside Sherlock's Toby Jones. Also starring will be Cloverfield Paradox's Gugu Mbatha-Raw. The actress is no stranger to Netflix shows. Mbatha-Raw previously starred in a highly-acclaimed episode of the streamer's anthology, Black Mirror.

Taron Egerton's Kingsman co-star Mark Strong will join Egerton in voicing a Gelfling in Dark Crystal. Rounding out the cast of Gelflings is the star of the Tomb Raider reboot, Alicia Vikander. Heading up the listed cast of Skeksis and Mystics is The Good Wife's Harvey Fierstein.

Harvey Fierstein will be joined by Star Wars legend and Knightfall Season 2 star Mark Hamill. The OA and Star Trek: Discovery's Jason Isaacs and Game of Thrones' Ralph Ineson will also lend their voices to the Dark Crystal series.

It is possible; Simon Pegg of the Mission: Impossible and Star Trek film franchise will voice one of the Skeksis and Mystics. Joining him will be Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Andy Samberg.

Friends from College and Key and Peele star Keegan-Michael Key and Trapped's Ólafur Darri Ólafsson will also voice characters. Details other than their playing Skeksis and Mystics is not known.

With a cast as epic as the one Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance has put together, it can only be an epic series. Netflix did not reveal an exact release date for the series. It will premiere at some point in 2019. Many shows have premiered on the streaming giant this fall and will continue to in the new year.

The DC Extended Universe now finds itself in a position that every franchise dreads. One of its biggest stars -- Superman himself, Henry Cavill -- is exiting his contract, and it will soon initiate the search for a replacement. It won't be an easy or informal task, as this is a case of recasting one of the most iconic roles of all time, but the good news is that there are some very interesting potential names on the table that could make things ultimately work out for the best.

Nowadays it's actually kind of hard to find a popular and talented actor under 35 who doesn't already have a superhero role/franchise -- but they do exist, and it's an interesting crop. While comic book movie veteran Michael B. Jordan has been floated as an option, we've plucked out four other performers who we think would be up to the task of playing Superman on the big screen, possibly replacing Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel in the DC Extended Universe. Check out our picks below and on the next few pages, answer our poll at the end, and hit the comments section at the bottom to give us your own thoughts about who should next take on this prestigious role.

Garrett Hedlund

Garrett Hedlund is an immensely talented actor just waiting for the right script and project to make him a real star. He had a bit of a false start with Tron: Legacy back in 2010, and there have been some instances of great performances in some not-so-great movies (On The Road, Country Strong), but there have also been some fantastic small parts in some amazing titles (Inside Llewyn Davis, Mudbound), and work with some awesome directors (Joel and Ethan Coen, Angeline Jolie, Dee Rees). It feels like it's only a matter of time before he gets his superhero break, and Superman might be the right call for him.

Like Clark Kent, Garrett Hedlund hails from the Midwest, born and raised in Minnesota, and certainly has the build for the superhero role - standing at 6'2". He would have to dye is hair, just because a blond Superman would probably look a bit strange, but one extra bonus in the mix is his deep, commanding voice that would definitely give him some authority as the Man of Steel.

Jack O'Connell

Moving on to our second pick we're actually not moving far outside the cast list for the movie Unbroken, specifically shining a spotlight on that movie's star. Jack O'Connell doesn't have the same exact stature as Garrett Hedlund, as he is a few inches shorter at 5'8", but what he doesn't have in height he makes up for in fortitude and projected strength, and that's clay that can be molded into a pretty great Superman.

Like Garrett Hedlund, Jack O'Connell has built a strong career for himself thus far - working consistently for the last 13 years - and is just in need of that one major role that will turn him into a household name. He's bounced between the big and small screens over the years, but obviously landing the part of Superman in the DC Extended Universe would turn him into a blockbuster star. It should also be noted that one significant advantage he has in this arena is that he's only 28 (seven years younger than Henry Cavill), and those extra years could be crucial as Warner Bros. surely wants to find another actor they can lock in for years to come.

Armie Hammer

Those familiar with their superhero history will be quick to note that years ago Armie Hammer nearly got his chance to be a part of a major DC Comics blockbuster. Specifically, when director George Miller was putting together his standalone Justice League feature, he hired the actor to play his Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman. Years later we can only imagine what that project would have looked like - but the great news is that the door for his kind of genre feature has not closed for Hammer, and the possibility of playing Superman could be perfect for him.

There might be a bit of awkwardness in the transition, as Armie Hammer notably co-starred alongside Henry Cavill in the spy feature The Man From U.N.C.L.E., but it should still be recognized that he definitely has what it takes to play the Man of Tomorrow. Like Garrett Hedlund, he'd also have to dye his hair, but he's even taller than Superman is in the comics - standing at a stately 6'5" - and he is consistently in action star shape despite not really doing that many action movies. The guy also has charisma for days, and that's a vital component that can't be ignored.

Theo James

Admittedly the franchise thing hasn't worked out super well for Theo James thus far. It's a record that includes two underwhelming Underworld features, and a leading role in the Divergent series, which notoriously petered out after three movies. That being said, those unfortunate titles should not be a reflection on James, who has some legitimate talent and could be an option as the new Superman for the DC Extended Universe.

While his previously mentioned franchise titles weren't so great overall, they did showcase that the actor can execute a realistic and interesting action sequence, and he does have a proper likability and impressive cachet that could become stronger with an S on his chest. He's a bit shorter than some of the other names on this list, but could stand tall as the Last Son of Krypton if given the proper material.

This poll is no longer available.

We live in an era defined by franchises, but representation continues to be an issue. Female leads are still not the most common sight in Hollywood these days, but they've slowly become more prominent in recent years. This makes it all the more interesting that actor Theo James has starred in two separate franchises led by female protagonists. It's an interesting position to be in as an actor, and James doesn't seem to mind it at all. He explained:

While speaking with Comicbook.com about the upcoming release of his new film, Underworld: Blood Wars, Theo James opened up regarding his involvement in multiple female-led film franchises. With prominent roles in the Underworld franchise as well as the Divergent series, James explained that he very much enjoys the process of working alongside talented actresses in female-led films. The blockbuster genre has grown to include far more female-driven movies than ever before, and James appears incredibly pleased with the transition.

Of course, it probably helps that Theo James gets to work alongside some incredibly talented women. Kate Beckinsale and Shailene Woodley respectively headline the Underworld and Divergent series, so there's very clearly no dearth of acting chops in these films. It's likely easy for one to play second fiddle when tasked with the duties of working with such skilled female performers.

Female representation in major blockbuster franchises has become a fairly prominent topic in Hollywood in recent years. Although the action genre has thrived lately, we've only just begun to truly see women take center stage in major blockbusters. The Star Wars franchise has switched things up by focusing on Daisy Ridley's Rey and Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso, and the superhero genre will soon break new ground with Wonder Woman -- the first major female drive superhero movie. Diversity keeps things fresh and fair, and we're thrilled to see new woman-centric franchises become the norm. There's obviously still a long way to go before things are completely equal, but progress is progress.

Check out the video of Theo James' comments below.

With new female-oriented franchises becoming more and more mainstream with each passing year, we look forward to what the future holds. Make sure to catch Theo James in Underworld: Blood Wars, which will hit theaters on January 6. 2017. Stay tuned for more details!

It’s commonplace, in today’s competitive marketplace, for studios to announce release dates years in advance. Marvel has mapped out its release strategy through 2019. The Star Wars universe theoretically is planned through 2020. And DC plans to make movies until June of 2020, so long as audiences enjoy Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. But what happens when you announce a film that will be the fourth entry in a franchise, yet all indicators point to the audience giving up on your series and having no real interest in its conclusion?  

This is a harsh reality facing The Divergent Series after the third film in the franchise Allegiant, suffered a disappointing weekend. The third Divergent film opened to roughly $29 million, which is far behind the opening-weekend numbers for the first Divergent ($54 million) and its follow up, Insurgent ($52.2M). Allegiant couldn’t unseat Zootopia from the top of the box office charts, and the Disney animated movie – as good as it is – was in its third weekend. On top of that, the CinemaScore for Allegiant, according to Deadline, was a B, down from the A- that Insurgent earned, and the A that Divergent notched.

Of all the problems the Divergent Series, faces, fan apathy has to be the biggest. Critics have been piling on these films from the beginning. Yes, Allegiant posted a humiliating 10% Fresh grade on Rotten Tomatoes, but Insurgent nabbed a 29% and the original film posted a 40%. These films have never been critical darlings, but for the previous two movies, the fans turned out. This time, the fan base seems to have determined that Allegiant was a stinker, and they stopped handing over their money to see the latest chapter in a disappointing series.

What’s worse, The Divergent Series seems to be in a state of creative turmoil. In February, Allegiant helmer Robert Schwentke, who was on the hook to direct The Divergent Series: Ascendant, left the project citing the fact that he "just needed a break." Schwentke eventually was replaced by director Lee Toland Krieger, whose credits include The Age of Adaline with Blake Lively. So, not exactly a sci-fi and action background, and yet Krieger is tasked with sticking the landing for a franchise that has been floundering and lacks strong direction.

In a column analyzing the future prospects of The Divergent Series: Ascendant, Forbes notes that new director Krieger likely will be faced with a smaller budget, having seen the dwindling returns Lionsgate posted on Allegiant. But anyone who saw Allegiant knows that one of its chief drawbacks was the fact that it looked cheap, with low-budget special effects inadequate green-screen work detracting from an already nonsensical plot.

Is that what you want, Divergent fans, from the conclusion to your franchise? A cheaper version of Allegiant, that has to come in under a tighter budget because the studio doesn’t want to throw any more money at a series fans have grown tired of? Sometimes, I think it’s better for a studio to admit defeat. There’s no need to plow ahead on a franchise that the fanbase lost interest in. It’s OK to wash your hands of a series, and put Divergent on a shelf next to The Mortal Instruments or Beautiful Creatures. There’s no shame in not finishing the race. There’s more shame, in my opinion, in finishing with a string of movies that makes a laughing stock of the brand you once celebrated.

This poll is no longer available.

The Hunger Games may be over and done with, at least until Hollywood starts churning out proposed sequels, but there’s still plenty of dystopian young adult action to keep you occupied. The 5th Wave hopes to make a splash at the box office this weekend, but later this year we’ll get a new installment from another ongoing franchise, The Divergent Series: Allegiant, the first part in a two-film finale, and a new trailer just hit the airwaves.

Over the course of the saga, the world of the movies, adapted from the trilogy of novels by Veronica Roth, keeps opening wider and wider, and from the look of this trailer, things are changing in this post-apocalyptic setting like never before.

A key part of the narrative of The Divergent Series is the wall that surrounds a futuristic Chicago, keeping the last remnants of humanity safe and alive, and keeping, well, some mysterious threat on the other side. Allegiant, however, tears down that wall, and what heroine Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley), her hunky boyfriend Four (Theo James), and her other tattooed friends find on the other side is not what they expected at all.

I bet in their wildest dreams they didn’t think they'd run into Jeff Daniels hanging out over there. But there he is, another in a long line of fantastic actors who appear in this saga. Out of all of the YA movies out there, The Divergent Series has consistently managed to put together an impressive array of actors.

After the huge revelations at the end of The Divergent Series: Insurgent—that the wall was really keeping them in, and that the whole faction sorting system they had was just an experiment—it’s time to venture outside and see what’s what. The action finds Tris, Four, and their pals experiencing a brave new world that none of them are prepared for, having never left the city where they were born. In this new environment, fraught will all manner of threats and mysteries, they must decide where their loyalties lie. Eventually a battle ignites that could destroy all of humanity, and Tris will have to make some tough choices about life, love, and many other things.

This installment looks to continue the striking visuals of the last two chapters—though while most of the crazy stuff was confined to dreams or those hallucinatory inner journey things, it looks like Allegiant ramps up things in the real world. They’re cranking up the hard sci-fi vibe quite a bit here, with all kinds of futuristic crafts, those weird bubble things the characters float in, and more. If nothing else, this should be a spectacle to behold

The Divergent Series: Allegiant hits theaters opens March 18, and the saga wraps up with The Divergent Series: Ascendant next year on June 9, 2017. Now let's get to know the cast a little better.

Shailene Woodley

Though she’s only 24-years-old, Shailene Woodley has already been acting professionally since 1999, though it wasn’t until her role in 2011’s The Descendants that she began to break through to a wider audience. Holding her own on screen with George Clooney, she earned a Golden Globe nomination. However, it’s her role as Beatrice "Tris" Prior in The Divergent Series that has been her highest profile part to date, though, outside of that, she fills the time in smaller indie films and more left of center projects.

Theo James

Hunky Brit Theo James is set to return for The Divergent Series: Allegiant and reprise his role as the swoony love interest slash dreamy badass Tobias Eaton, though he goes the by the self-imposed moniker Four. He’s appeared on TV in the likes of Downton Abbey, and though the Divergent movies are his biggest gigs to date, he’s got a lot on his plate, including a return trip to the Underworld movies—he had a small part in the last one and will be back for the upcoming Underworld: Next Generation. And, of course, he’ll show up in the final Divergent movie, Ascendant, next year.

Miles Teller

When you’re putting together a cast of talented young actors on the rise these days, it’s a no-brainer that you’ll want to include Miles Teller on the call sheet. Sure, he fronted the disaster that was the most recent Fantastic Four, but his performances in the likes of The Spectacular Now and, especially, Whiplash, marked him as an actor we need to keep and eye on. He’ll be back as the antagonist-turned-ally Peter, and you just know he’ll have some smart ass quips to deliver in the first part of the final chapter of The Divergent Series.

Jeff Daniels

By far the biggest addition to the cast for The Divergent Series: Allegiant is Jeff Daniels. Any time you add an Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor to your film, it’s a notable occasion. The 61-year-old plays David, who is the head of the Bureau of Genetic Welfare and, in the world outside of the walled-off Chicago, he represents Tris’ greatest enemy. He was also in love with Tris’ mother, played by Ashley Judd, and you just know that he has a personal vendetta that he’s going to use to justify why a powerful older man might go to war with a teenage girl and a bunch of her friends. Daniels is just the latest acclaimed actor to join this saga, as Academy Award winner, and current nominee, Kate Winslet has already shown up to cause a ruckus.

Zoe Kravitz

The daughter of rock star Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet, Zoe Kravitz has been carving out her own bit of stardom thanks to roles in movies like X-Men: First Class and Mad Max: Fury Road. In The Divergent Series, she plays Tris’ bestest friend, Christina (What’s a young adult heroine without a BFF?) and she reprises that role in Allegiant. Christina may not be the biggest part in the saga, but she serves a key grounding function.

Naomi Watts

Parents always complicate young love, at least in the movies, and Four’s mom, Evelyn, played by Naomi Watts, is no exception. The leader of the Factionless, she used her son and his girlfriend as pawns to further her own plans and schemes. She didn’t show up until the second movie, but looks to play an even bigger part in The Divergent Series moving forward, and you just know that her manipulative tendencies are sure to kick into overdrive now that the truth of what lies beyond the wall is out.

A long time ago, in a galaxy called Hollywood, the plans for Star Wars expansion continued with the announcement of a solo Han Solo movie, co-directed by The LEGO Movie hotshots Phil Lord and Chris Miller. The reveal came with precious few details, though it was made clear that the story would be an origin movie of sorts, explaining how Solo became "the smuggler, thief, and scoundrel whom Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi first encountered in the cantina at Mos Eisley."

About the only actor in town who won’t audition for this role is Harrison Ford… who returns to Solo’s story path in J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Disney and Lucasfilm are going to have to go younger when looking for the next actor to fill Ford’s massive shoes. We think the following 10 actors at least deserve a phone call. Do you have other suggestions? Let us know who you think is the perfect young Han Solo in the comments section below:

Dylan O’Brien

Current Age: 23

Where You Have Seen Him: The first Maze Runner film (and its pending sequel), as well as MTV’s Teen Wolf, where he plays "Stiles."

Why He’s Worthy: He’s shown a sarcastic side, but also can play the hero – two traits that a new Han Solo will need.

Colton Haynes

Current Age: 26

Where You Have Seen Him: Another Teen Wolf alum, Haynes also has appeared on Arrow (playing Roy Harper / Arsenal) and got a taste of big-screen action by appearing alongside The Rock in San Andreas.

Why He’s Worthy: If Disney wants to get a young star before he officially breaks out, and groom him to carry a franchise for years, Haynes could be their guy.

Scott Eastwood

Current Age: 29

Where You Have Seen Him: He charmed audiences (and Britt Robertson) in the Nicholas Sparks weeper The Longest Ride. He’s about to contribute to the DC Cinematic Universe in a mysterious Suicide Squad role, but a leap to Star Wars isn’t out of the question.

Why He’s Worthy: He’s a Hollywood "Blue Blood" (the son of Clint Eastwood, obviously), and he has the right mixture of movie-star good looks, irascible charm, and experience with tentpole action. Sign him now, before he blows up.

Liam Hemsworth

Current Age: 25

Where You Have Seen Him: The other Hemsworth has been busy protecting Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games series. He acted alongside Harrison Ford in the little-seen Paranoia, and is about to revisit another sci-fi property in Independence Day: Resurgence.

Why He’s Worthy: Because he’s young, handsome, modeled to be an action hero, and has a special movie-star gene that seems to run in the Hemsworth family. If Disney needs a name, this is the one that they should grab.

Anthony Ingruber

Current Age: 25

Where You Have Seen Him: Did you see The Age of Adaline? No? I know. No one did. But he was in it.

Why He’s Worthy: And in that film, during a key flashback, Anthony Ingruber played a young Harrison Ford, and his impersonation was uncanny. Now, is that enough to get him the role of Han Solo? Nope. But it should be on his reel when he sends it to Disney for consideration.

Theo James

Current Age: 30

Where You Have Seen Him: Though he had a role in Underworld: Awakening, most know him as Four in the Divergent series of films.

Why He’s Worthy: Because he has cut his teeth on a mega-YA franchise, and actors tend to take those parts so that they can springboard them to the next level. James actually rose above the tedium of the Divergent storylines, establishing Four as a three-dimensional character. Could he play Han Solo next?

Cameron Monaghan

Current Age: 21

Where You Have Seen Him: On television, on programs like Gotham, Mercy Street and Shameless.

Why He’s Worthy: Because Disney likely will look to successful TV properties in order to pluck top talent, and Monaghan has been building a fan base. He’s very young for what we assume Disney will want to Han Solo, but at this early stage, you never know what’s on the casting wish list.

Ansel Elgort

Current Age: 21

Where You Have Seen Him: Alongside Shailene Woodley in the cancer drama The Fault in our Stars, as well as the Divergent films. He also made a memorable inpression in the Carrie remake.

Why He’s Worthy: Elgort’s name has been on most "Hot Up-And-Comers" lists for the past two years, and he’s primed for a breakout. Unlike his fellow young (and intense) actors, he has that casual, carefree charm that fits Han Solo. Can he carry an action film? We may find out.

Sam Claflin

Current Age: 29

Where You Have Seen Him: Playing second-fiddle (though lending strong support) to the Hunger Games leads and both Snow White and her Huntsman.

Why He’s Worthy: Claflin has plenty of big-ticket experience (he also played Philip in the most recent Pirates of the Caribbean movie… also by Disney). This is intriguing. His name has been rumored for Gareth Edwards’ Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One. Maybe there’s a reason he’s on Disney’s radar?

Aaron Taylor Johnson

Current Age: 25

Where You Have Seen Him: As Kick-Ass, and in Godzilla, but also as a recent member of The Avengers during the Age of Ultron.

Why He’s Worthy: Because after starting in lower-budget fare, ATJ has worked to prove that he can play on the same court as the blockbuster movie stars. Marvel doesn’t need Quicksilver back for Phase Three (spoiler!!), so Taylor Johnson is free to explore new galaxies as another classic hero.

But who do we think REALLY deserves a look? Click on ahead for our bonus choice. You won’t be disappointed.

BONUS PICK: Jai Courtney

Current Age: Ageless

Where You Have Seen Him: Everywhere, in everything.

Why He’s Worthy: Because this is the Age of Jai, and Hollywood is doing everything in its power to make sure that Jai Courtney puts his fingerprints all over every franchise you have ever loved… from Die Hard to the Terminator. Look into your hearts, people. Jai Courtney as Han Solo. You know it. You love it. Make it so.

This poll is no longer available.

While Kevin Smith’s war with film critics might have cooled off in recent days, it looks like the ongoing hostilities between vampires and werewolves are about to heat up again with the latest casting news for fifth film in the Underworld franchise. That’s right ladies, Theo James will be front and center for all of the vampire vs. lycan action in the latest installment of the ongoing series.

The Wrap reveals that James, who appeared as a vampire named David in the 2012 film Underworld: Awakening, will return for the newest installment where he’ll be serving in a leading-man capacity alongside two as-yet-uncast female leads. The new film appears to be setting up as something of a transition entry for the series, particularly since series regular Kate Beckinsale won’t be returning for another tour of duty.

James is coming back to the franchise thanks to an option in his contract with the studio. Since making Underworld: Awakening, the actor has become a pretty hot commodity – all due to his leading man role alongside Shailene Woodley in Divergent, an adaptation of a best-selling young adult novel from Veronica Roth. The actor is set to be busy, because aside from his obligations on Underworld, he’s also locked into Divergent sequels Insurgent (which has already finished shooting) and Allegiant parts 1 and 2.

Launched in 2003, the Underworld series has been a solid box office performer, if not always a critical darling. The films in the series have grossed an impressive $458 million in ticket sales, no doubt helped along by the image of Beckinsale kicking ass in slow motion while wearing a skintight catsuit. Each new entry in the series has expanded upon the mythology of the world’s fictional universe, including the prequel film, 2009’s Underworld: Rise of the Lycans.

2012’s Awakening exceeded expectations, taking in over $160 million and opening the door for the franchise to continue. Early speculation was that the fifth film in the series would be a reboot, but the return of James could drive a stake into the heart of those stories once and for all. Presumably, if David is returning, then the new film will continue to evolve the storyline of the previous entry – which introduced humanity as a third participant in the continuing battle between supernatural creatures.

The real question is, can this series carry on without Beckinsale in a major role? Underworld: Rise of the Lycans featured Rhona Mitra instead of Beckinsale, and it’s the lowest grossing film in the series to date. It’s too soon to play box office prognosticator on this new entry, but getting the right actresses for the female leads will be critical.

Expect more news from the frontlines of the vampire and lycan skirmish when Underworld 5 reveals its new leading ladies.

From the very moment audiences meet Theo James’ Four in the upcoming adaptation of Veronica Roth’s Divergent, it’s pretty clear that there is more to the character than meets the eye. Sure, he’s as tough and distant as one would expect a soldier to be, but he’s also clearly a character with an interesting past and more than few secrets. Approaching this type of material can be a real challenge for an actor – who has to determine exactly how much of the character is defined by his past – so naturally it was the first thing I wanted to ask James about when I got the chance to sit down with him at a recent press day for the new sci-fi film held in Los Angeles earlier this month.

In the film, James stars as Four, a member of the Dauntless faction that helps maintain security in the futuristic Chicago in the story. He is one of the instructors who both helps train the new recruits what it means to become Dauntless, and push them to the limit to see whether or not they can take it. Tris (Shailene Woodley) – the protagonist of the story and one of the aforementioned recruits – clearly has a strong connection with him, but that relationship is strained by the fact that Four is very standoffish and unwilling to trust anybody. As the plot develops, however, the two begin to grow closer and closer, until Four is just about ready to reveal personal demons that he has been hiding for his entire life.

James has spent most of his career working on the small screen, making his debut alongside Doctor Who’s Billie Piper on the 2010 UK series A Passionate Woman, but has been slowly getting more feature work, with Divergent being his biggest film to date. Take a look back at some of the titles in his past filmography – which actually includes a bit of work with Woody Allen – below:

Divergent arrives in theaters this Friday, and you can watch my interview with star Shailene Woodley HERE.

Advance tickets for Divergent are now on sale, and to mark the occasion, Summit has released a new featurette, which focuses on Theo James' character Four. Known to some for TV series Bedlam and Golden Boy, or for his brief but memorable role in an episode of Downton Abbey, James appears to be up for some stunts, particularly as it relates to fight scenes.

Divergent star Shailene Woodley speaks highly of James' listening capability and reactions as an actor, adding that he's "also really tough on screen and a really strong person." Meanwhile, author Veronica Roth said Theo James' screen test is the only one she saw, and she sounds thrilled with the casting choice. Roth recently shared her thoughts on the film after screening it, and it sounds like she's happy with how Neil Burger has adapted her story. Hopefully fans feel the same way when the movie arrives in theaters later this month.

Theo James' character Four is set to be the focus of a number of prequel stories, which will fill in some of the blanks about the character and are due out later this year. They were originally set to be released ahead of Divergent's arrival in theaters, but only one went out on schedule, while it looks like the other three will be released in July as eBooks and also in a Hardcover version, which will include all four short stories. Four: A Divergent Collection will tell the story of Four, from his transfer from Abnegation to Dauntless through to the events of Divergent, as told from Four's perspective.

As for the original Divergent novel, that ties in to the advance tickets that are now on sale. Those who purchase their advance tickets today (March 4) will receive an Amazon code for a free copy of the first book. While I'm going to guess that those fans of the book who are so eager to see the movie that they're ready to buy their tickets on the first pre-sale day probably already own the book, they might not have the Kindle version, or they might know someone who still hasn't read it, so that's a nice incentive.

Moving on to the latest spot for the film, we have the "Fighting Back" video...

This one shows Tris' mother (Ashley Judd) telling her she's Divergent, Four telling Tris he knows what she is, Christina telling Tris she's really good at the knife throwing, and another good look at Miles Teller's Peter, who seems determined to know how Tris does what she does, asking "What's your trick?" Being Divergent is probably the answer.

Divergent stars Woodley as a teen living in dystopian Chicago where society is broken up into five factions, which determine a person's way of life. As the new spot indicates, being "Divergent" is not one of the factions, and it's not a good thing as Kate Winslet's Jeanine Matthews wants them all destroyed, as they pose a threat to a society that's built on people knowing their place.

Finally, Divergent gets the back-to-the-camera hero shot poster we’ve all been waiting for. I think Captain America would approve. Hot poster trends aside, how great does Shailene Woodley look as the film’s protagonist Tris Prior in the feature adaptation of Veronica Roth’s popular novel? Out on a ledge, the dystopian Chicago backdrop can be seen in the distance, and her trainer and eventual love interest Four (Theo James) looking crouched and ready for whatever's ahead. The words over the title read "What makes you different makes you dangerous," a nod to Tris’ secret nature as a "Divergent" among a society where fitting in is a way of life.

This new poster comes to us from Yahoo, just a day ahead of the anticipated trailer for the film. And it follows the excellent character posters, which showcase the Dauntless characters’ tattoos. Speaking of which, are those ravens flying in a distance in the above image? We can also see a glimpse of the ferris wheel, which serves as a setting for one memorable scene in the story. Beyond those little details, I think the poster does a nice job of showing off its strong female lead.

Directed by Neil Burger, Divergent is set in dystopian Chicago where society is broken up into five factions, which determine people’s way of life. The story follows Woodley’s Tris, who learns that she’s "Divergent," which means she’ll never quite fit in with any one faction. She must keep this a secret as she chooses her faction and begins her training, which puts her in the company of Theo James' Four, a faction trainer who sees Tris' potential. Much of the first book -- and presumably the film -- covers Tris' training as she attempts to adapt to her new faction while trying to keep her divergent status a secret. In addition to Woodley and James, the film’s cast includes Maggie Q, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller, Zoe Kravitz, Ansel Elgort, Ray Stevenson, Kate Winslet and Tony Goldwyn.

We saw some footage from the film over the summer, and tomorrow Summit will release a full trailer. Check out Shailene Woodley teasing the new preview in the video below:

Divergent arrives in theaters March 21.

Summit seems to be aiming for strength and bravery in the way they depict the film's lead character in the art for the film. Check out Woodley’s character poster below for another example:

Even though it's been rushing at a crazy pace toward an August 1, 2014 release date, the Fifty Shades of Grey adaptation was moving forward relatively smoothly until this Saturday, when Charlie Hunnam abruptly dropped out of the lead role. Turns out that's not the only personnel shakeup that happened in the last few days-- THR reports that Patrick Marber, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Notes on a Scandal and Closer, was hired on Friday to do a rewrite of Kelly Marcel's script. THR says in a maybe unintentionally ominous sentence, "The move was made before star Charlie Hunnam decamped." So is Marber the reason Hunnam bailed?

Indirectly, maybe-- THR passes on speculation that Hunnam was unhappy with Marcel's script, but others say that Marber will be doing polish work that's very, very common on major studio projects. Marcel, after all, is also the screenwriter behind the season's highly anticipated Saving Mr. Banks, and also a female screenwriter working on a project with an overwhelmingly female audience. When women are replaced by men on studio projects, as with Brave or Thor: The Dark World it can cause controversy, but Marcel isn't being replaced, and given that the film still plans to start production in November, it's highly unlikely Marber will be scrapping her script entirely.

THR also has a bead on a few actors who may be considered to replaced Hunnam, including UK TV star Jamie Dornen and True Blood hunk Alexander Skarsgard, plus some other names that came up in the first round of casting-- Theo James and Romeo & Juliet's Christian Cooke among them. Garrett Hedlund, who heroically avoided getting cast the first time, is busy making Angelina Jolie's next movie, so he's still off the hook. But now's your turn to start suggesting names you'd like to see, so get on it in the comments! Pretty much any up-and-coming actor who's not as famous as Channing Tatum or Ryan Gosling is fair game at this point.

It's a good week to be a Divergent fan. Sure, we still have to wait until October for the third book in the trilogy to arrive, and then we have to wait until March 21 to see the first film arrive in theaters. But earlier this week we learned that series author Veronica Roth was penning four new e-shorts from another character's perspective ahead of the film's release, and today comes our first look at Entertainment Weekly's Divergent cover, which shows stars Shailene Woodley and Theo James looking tough and beautiful all at once.

Divergent is set in dystopian Chicago where society is divided into five factions, which determine a person's way of life. The story centers on Tris Prior (Woodley), a teen who learns that she's "Divergent," which means she's not meant to fit into any one faction. This condition is something she must keep secret as she chooses her faction and begins her training to find her place among her people. James plays Four, Tris' trainer and the guy who takes an interest in her as she and the other faction initiates start training.

Entertainment Weekly's cover shows Tris looking armed (check out the weapons in her pants pockets!) and tough enough to take on Katniss if she had to, while James stands behind her, tension in his neck, and biceps only slightly less bulging than they were in the Four first look photo. Also worth noting, we can see some of their tattoos. For Four, it's just a hint up by his neck, but for Tris, we see the three ravens she has tattooed by her collarbone, signifying the three family members she left behind when she chose her faction.

The film, which is directed by Neil Burger, is in production in Chicago now, and we still have a while to wait to see the finished result, but EW's cover promises reports from the set and exclusive photos, so keep an eye out for those!

In other Divergent news, die-hard fans may already be aware that Roth released Free Four, a 15-page eBook that tells the Divergent knife-throwing scene from Four's perspective. Earlier this week she announced that she's going to be releasing four other e-shorts from Four's perspective, which will be longer than the Free Four book. The first one will arrive September 24, about a month ahead of the third book, Allegiant's release. Amazon already has the four e-shorts available for preorder. They're currently listed as The Transfer (Sept. 24), The Initiate (December 17), The Son (January 21) and The Traitor (February 11). Between reports and photos from the set of the film and whatever other glimpses we get while the movie's in production, added to Book 3 and these new e-shorts on the way, there's actually a lot of new Divergent content to look forward to as the film approaches.

Today, we have another new look at the upcoming feature adaptation of Veronica Roth's young-adult dystopian novel Divergent. Following the reveal of the film's version of the various faction symbols and a glimpse of star Shailene Woodley standing on the ledge of a building, we have our first up-close look at Theo James' character "Four."

Thanks to EW, we now have our first up-close look at Theo James' character, Four, one of the Dauntless trainers and the male lead character, who forms a bond with Tris. The photo gives us a little glimpse of one of his tattoos, which can be seen up near his neck. EW says this photo is from a scene early in the film when he's showing the Dauntless initiates around the headquarters.

Roth actually wrote a 16-page ebook called "Free Four", which tells the knife-throwing scene from Four's perspective. It offers some interesting insight into the character's mind, if you've already read Divergent.

Directed by Neil Burger, Divergent is set in Chicago in the future where people are divided into five factions, based on their personality, which determine their way of life. The story begins with Tris (Woodley) learning that she's "Divergent," which means she's not cut out for any one faction. This condition is something she needs to keep secret as she chooses her faction and begins her training to find her place among her people.

The film is set to arrive in theaters March 21, 2014. In addition to Woodley and James, it stars Kate Winslet, Maggie Q, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller, Zoe Kravitz, Ansel Elgort, Ben Lloyd-Hughs, Ray Stevenson and Tony Goldwyn. If you haven't read it yet, Amazon has the first book in the soon-to-be trilogy (Allegiant comes out this fall) for $5.99.

UPDATE: Miles Teller has confirmed his participation on Twitter. Still no word on which role he'll play though.

After looking at vaguely recognizable young hunks like Alex Pettyfer and Lucas Till, Summit Entertainment has finally settled on up-and-comer Theo James for the lead male role in Divergent, their upcoming young-adult novel adaptation. James, an English actor who put in a lot of bit work in the likes of Underworld: Awakening and even Downton Abbey, recently broke out as the star of CBS's new drama Golden Boy, playing the ambitious lead character Walter Clark.

In Divergent he'll play Four, one of the leaders of the "Dauntless" faction, which our heroine Beatrice (Shailene Woodley) joins once she's decided she no longer fits in with the faction she was born into. Like another wildly successful young adult adaptation produced by Summit's parent company Lionsgate, Divergent takes place in a dystopian future after the fall of society, in which teenagers are trained to be warriors and struggle to reshape the world for the better. Joining James in the head of the Dauntless faction will be Jai Courtney, who was cast yesterday.

In addition to Summit's official announcement of James joining the cast, Variety has word that three more actors are considering roles-- including Woodley's own Spectacular Now co-star Miles Teller, They have no details on which roles any of the three actors might play, but it's not hard to imagine either Stevenson or Eckhart as Woodley's character's father, and Teller as a fellow Dauntless fighter. Those who know the book better than I do ought to step in here and rescue me with some speculation of their own.

Divergent is coming to theaters on March 21, 2014-- a spot that Summit itself calls "The Hunger Games slot."