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Prequel to ‘Willy Wonka’ set for 2023 release
Willy Wonka will live on for a new generation of film-goers. Warner Bros. is gearing up to release “Wonka,” an origin story focusing on the storied chocolate factory owner. The studio has already announced a release date for March 17, 2023. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Paddington” filmmaker Paul King will direct the project, with “Harry Potter” producer David Heyman on board. Simon Rich wrote the original draft, with Simon Farnaby and King penning the current script. The new story will reportedly focus on “a young Willy Wonka and his adventures prior to opening the world’s most famous...
New York Daily News
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RollerCade roller rink keeps Detroit's skating culture going during coronavirus pandemic
DETROIT – The first three months of 2020 were leading Detroit's RollerCade roller rink into the most successful year it has experienced. The roller rink off Schaefer Highway in southwest Detroit on the way to Downriver had been increasing revenue over the last five years, with 2019 showing an 18% jump. Going into March, ticket sales were rising and the company had a 21% jump when it had to shut down at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. "I really did think it would be like three weeks at the most," said Kyle Black, the owner of RollerCade, said of the length of a shutdown. "I called so...
Detroit Free Press
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‘Cobra Kai’ and ‘My Bodyguard’ and running back to your childhood
Nostalgia is a funny thing because the past was never simpler. But the desire to be anywhere but here and now is strong and Hollywood knows it. The enthusiasm with which the TV and film industry has been mining our childhoods is at least partially driven by marketing: A familiar title or character is always an easier sell than something brand new. The trick is both re-imagining a fictional world while keeping it just recognizable enough to ping all those nostalgia receptors, and “Cobra Kai” on Netflix has straddled that line better than most. Based on the “Karate Kid” films of the ’80s, the sh...
Chicago Tribune
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Marvel chief hints what 'Black Panther 2' will look like without Chadwick Boseman's character
Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, said he has no plans to recast the late Chadwick Boseman's character, T'Challa, but hinted that the sequel will deepen the mythology of the fictional land of Wakanda. Boseman, who died of cancer last August at age 43, played the superhero T'Challa in four Marvel films, including a starring role in 2018′s "Black Panther," which generated more than $1.3 billion worldwide at the box office. The epic film, which won three Oscars, was largely shot in metro Atlanta with EUE/Screen Gems as home base. If Boseman had lived, he certainly would have starred in 'B...
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Review: Part French ‘Ocean’s 11′, part revenge thriller, one thrilling title character makes Netflix’s ‘Lupin’ worth watching
Stylish and sleek, the French series “Lupin” on Netflix carves its way through the corridors of power and wealth — as well as the less glamorous back passageways where support staff are relegated and, for the show’s central character, usefully overlooked — with an entertaining confidence. The game is afoot. It begins with a heist at the Louvre and the show wastes no time, offering up an “Ocean’s 11”-worthy PowerPoint detailing the caper within the first 10 minutes of the first episode. But the story that unfurls reveals itself to be more than just a caper, but an amiable lone-wolf revenge thri...
Chicago Tribune
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Move to Netflix has given 'Cobra Kai' a major kick in popularity
"The Karate Kid" was one of those classic 1980s films that created a raft of catchphrases that became ubiquitous for generations: "Sweep the leg." "No mercy." "Wax on, wax off." More than three decades later, three fans of the "Karate Kid' trilogy came together to pitch a story about a middle-aged Daniel LaRusso and his enemy, Johnny Lawrence, and how they bring a new generation of kids into the world of karate. Actors Ralph Macchio and William Zabka signed on, and in 2018, YouTube Red — its subscription-based premium streaming service — debuted "Cobra Kai" to critical acclaim. YouTube gave th...
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Publishing company cancels upcoming book by Sen. Josh Hawley
KANSAS CITY, Mo.— Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley called Simon & Schuster a “woke mob” for canceling his upcoming book Thursday, the day after an actual mob loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol. Simon & Schuster said in a statement it had decided not to release the Republican senator’s book, “The Tyranny of Big Tech.” The company added that it didn’t come to the decision lightly. Hawley was the first senator to sign on to an objection to the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, joining a challenge to Pennsylvania’s results that ensured Congress would debate the e...
The Kansas City Star
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‘Greenland’ actor Scott Glenn tells how New York helped him find the right career — and ‘The Right Stuff’
Film and TV star Scott Glenn never could’ve scripted the way his career turned out. A veteran of nearly 100 roles spanning more than five decades — including his latest, “Greenland,” on premium video on demand now — Glenn initially dreamed of becoming a poetry writer, and joined the Marines and worked as a newspaper reporter in Kenosha, Wis., before he even thought about acting. Everything changed when Glenn was about 27 and accepted a job that didn’t start for six months with a newspaper in the Virgin Islands. A friend suggested he use the downtime to take acting classes in New York City to i...
New York Daily News
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Netflix releasing 'Cobra Kai' on New Year's Day, a week earlier than expected
The much anticipated third season of Netflix's "Cobra Kai" will be fly kicking its way into 2021 on New Year's Day. Netflix had previously announced the launch date as Jan. 8. The show, which continues the saga of the original trio of 'Karate Kid" movies from the 1980s, was a big hit in 2018 for YouTube Red, the premium paid site for that service. But the company decided to stop doing scripted series and in 2019 freed the producers of "Cobra Kai" to shop the series elsewhere. The three "Cobra Kai" creators — Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg — told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution...
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Tribune Publishing to sell BestReviews website to Nexstar for $160 million
Tribune Publishing and BR Holding Company will sell the BestReviews website to TV station owner Nexstar Media Group for $160 million, the companies announced Wednesday. The deal to sell the profitable e-commerce website is pending regulatory approval and is expected to close before the end of the year. Tribune Publishing bought a 60% stake in BestReviews for $66 million in February 2018, with its founder, BR Holding, retaining 40%. Under the terms of the deal, Tribune Publishing will receive $96 million, less transaction fees and a working capital adjustment. “This cash return strengthens our ...
Chicago Tribune
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