Here are the top celebrity and entertainment stories from Fox News Flash. Check out the entertainment highlights from this past week.
NEW Fox News articles can now be heard on audio! When Hollywood does something well, it often repeats it.
The successful reboots and revivals of “Doctor Who,” “Gilmore Girls,” and “Veronica Mars” are just a few examples. But striking the appropriate balance during a reset is difficult.
Why studios enjoy revisiting well-known storylines and characters was explained to Fox News Digital by brand expert Evan Nierman, founder of Red Banyan PR.
“If you veer too far from the original, you run the danger of upsetting or alienating hordes of committed followers. Studios that masterfully blend novelty and nostalgia can make billions of dollars when they do this “said he.
Dolph Lundgren (
) Criminal Minds, I (Getty)
“‘Jurassic World’ has been one such success, establishing a media franchise of enormous dimensions both physically and symbolically,” Nierman concluded. Top Gun: Maverick has wowed audiences with ground-breaking footage and aerial stunts while also including a ton of visual and narrative allusions to the original.
So prepare to experience nostalgia. Here is a glance at what Hollywood is currently developing.
The DRAGO
Dolph Lundgren is set to star in a “Rocky” spinoff. The actor admitted the series does not have an “approved script” or a director. (BorjaB.Hojas/COOLMedia/NurPhoto)
The Drago spinoff is controversial, and “Rocky” creator and star Sylvester Stallone has made it clear he’s not happy about it. Dolph Lundgren is set to star in the role he made famous in the 1980s, but it’s technically still in development. Lundgren says there is “no approved script,” “no deals in place” and “no director” attached to the project.
“I was personally under the impression that my friend Sly Stallone was involved as a producer or even as an actor,” he clarified.
Lundgren claimed the recent news was a press leak, however the series has been previously discussed by Lundgren and others.
“By the way, I think theres some talk about doing a whole spinoff on Drago with MGM. So you may get more of that,” Lundgren told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021.
Writer Robert Lawton also spoke to Variety about the series after news was announced he was attached to the project.
“Im incredibly humbled and grateful for this opportunity, and Im approaching it as an enormous fan of the Rocky franchise, who happens to be a screenwriter,” Lawton told the outlet.
Sylvester Stallone took to Instagram over the weekend, expressing his frustration with the expansion project.
“ONCE AGAIN, IRWIN WINKLER, this PATHETIC 94 year old PRODUCER and HIS MORONIC VULTURE CHILDREN, Charles And David, are once again picking clean THE BONES of another wonderful character I created without even telling me” he wrote on Instagram. “I APOLOGIZE to the FANS, I never wanted ROCKY characters to be exploited by these parasites” Stallone added.
CRIMINAL MINDS
“Criminal Minds” is being rebooted for a special 10-episode season. (Getty )
Paramount confirmed in July that there will be a 10-episode reboot of “Criminal Minds.” The project will include key actors from the original series, including Joe Mantegna, Kirsten Vangsness, Adam Rodriguez, A.J. Cook, Aisha Tyler and Paget Brewster.
“For 15 seasons, Criminal Minds was at the forefront of cutting-edge scripted drama as it explored the psychology behind crime thrillingly,” Nicole Clemens, president of Paramount Original Scripted Series said in a statement.
“The series never stopped evolving during its run, and we are beyond excited to bring it back into a new era with new stories for a new generation of viewers at Paramount The whole cast and creative team are building a season full of new twists that we are sure will electrify audiences.”
Production is set to begin Aug. 21 for the series, according to Deadline.
FATAL ATTRACTION
Paramount is revisiting the psychosexual thriller film “Fatal Attraction” in a television series format. Lizzy Caplan and Joshua Jackson will be joined by Amanda Peet.
The series will showcase a modern take on the themes of marriage and infidelity, according to Deadline.
HOCUS POCUS
The 1993 Disney movie “Hocus Pocus” starred Sarah Jessica Parker (left), Bette Midler (middle), and Kathy Najimy. At Disney, a follow-up to the movie is being developed. (Freeform)
Fans will be able to watch the three witches made famous by the 1993 comedy “Hocus Pocus,” played by Bette Midler, 76, Sarah Jessica Parker, 57, and Kathy Najimy, 65, in their respective roles.
After someone re-lit the Black Flame Candle, the witches have returned to Salem and are searching for children.
The movie’s synopsis reads, “It’s been 29 years since someone lighted the Black Flame Candle and resurrected the 17th-century sisters, and they are searching for retribution.” In order to prevent the ravaging witches from spreading a new type of havoc on Salem before dawn on All Hallow’s Eve, it is now up to three high school kids.
According to a source in the production, the Disney follow-up will “not disappoint” fans.
“Bette still exudes the same enthusiasm as she had in the original. She actually raises the stakes, “People magazine was told by the source.
Fans of “Hocus Pocus” won’t be let down, the insider continued. All of the audience members’ favorites from the first film are back, and then some.
On September 30, “Hocus Pocus 2” will be streamable.
Another spinoff for “Yellowstone,” this time in the shape of a prequel, is coming.
Its title, “1923,” refers to the circumstances that the Dutton family experiences following the original “Yellowstone” prequel, “1883.”
“1923” will feature Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford as the leads.
The show’s release date has not been announced.
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are set to appear in a “That 70s Show” spinoff. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney) Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are set to make appearances in the “That 70s Show” spinoff “That 90s Show.” The two first met on the set of the sitcom before marrying in 2015. “It was really nostalgic to be back on the set,” Kutcher, who played Michael Kelso on “That 70s Show,” told Variety. “It’s all the same folks that made ‘That 70s Show, so it was pretty bizarre.” The spinoff series will follow characters Eric Forman and Donna Pinciotti’s daughter as she visits her grandparents for the summer. Kunis and Kutcher will be joined by Topher Grace (Forman), Laura Prepon (Donna) and Wilmer Valderrama for guest appearances. FRASIER Filming for the “Frasier” reboot is tentatively set for this fall, according to the sitcom’s star Kelsey Grammer . The actor starred in the original series, which ran from 1993 until 2004. “We’re in the final stages of the final script for the first episode of Frasier, and it looks pretty good,” the actor shared during a July 4 episode of “The Talk.” “I’ve had a couple of runs through it, and I cried. So, you know, I’m happy.” Grammer first began talking about rebooting “Frasier” in 2017, but Paramount didn’t pick up the series until early 2021.
THAT 70s Show There will be a new season of “Flintstones.” Pebbles Flintstone’s adult life will be followed in the television series “Bedrock.” (Hannah-Barbera)
Variety reports that a remake of the “Flintstones” animation from the 1990s is in the works. The next animated series “Bedrock” will include the same cast and take place 20 years after the first.
Pebbles Flintstone will be voiced by Elizabeth Banks when she enters adulthood.
There were the Flintstones and Bedrock “far before the Simpsons and Springfield, the Griffins and Quahog or even when the Belchers started slinging hamburgers on Ocean Avenue,” said Michael Thorn, head of entertainment for Fox Entertainment.
“Their influence on the animation world is indisputable, and we at Fox are excited to tackle the task of updating it for today’s audience in collaboration with Warner Bros., Elizabeth, and Lindsay. There is virtually no pressure at all.”
The series has not yet received a release date.
Fox News Digital’s entertainment reporter is Lauryn Overhultz.
