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In a cinematic first, both Queen Elizabeth II from “The Crown” and the real Queen Elizabeth feature in “Paddington in Peru.”

Olivia Colman’s all-singing, guitar-wielding and “The Sound of Music”-inspired nun — who runs a “home for retired bears” — is one of the noisier (and wildly entertaining) new additions to the franchise. But the late monarch’s appearance is a little more subtle — a brief glimpse of a photo showing her having afternoon tea with Paddington taken from a short video that was made as part of her 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Blink-and-you-miss-it maybe, but it’ll likely stir up a few emotions.

For many, Her Majesty pulling a marmalade sandwich out of her handbag in the Jubilee sketch was their last image of the Queen. When she passed away just a few months later, among the flowers and cards left across the U.K. in tribute were hundreds of...

Exclusive: Following their 2018 critically acclaimed hit Stan & Ollie, Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly are reuniting for The Players, a comedy based on the rivalry between 1800s thespians Edwin Forrest and William MacCready. Two-time Academy Award nominee Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty) is directing the project from a script penned by Stan & Ollie and Philomena writer Jeff Pope.

The Players, which is set to begin production early next year in Europe, is set in 1847 New York, where Edwin Forrest (Reilly) holds the undisputed title as the country’s top Shakespearian actor. Playing magnificently to a sold out, raucous crowd every night, Edwin is “The Star”. But when critically celebrated English thespian William MacCready (Coogan) arrives from London to perform his sophisticated Hamlet, Edwin’s title is thrown into jeopardy. Each man wants what the other has, and the rivalry between them starts a hilarious and unforgettable battle of egos.

Being the Man With No Name in the mid-60s, Clint Eastwood’s era as the lead of the Spaghetti Westerns granted the actor immortal status. With a single Sergio Leone trilogy, Eastwood was able to climb to such an echelon of Hollywood celebrity that the actor is still running strong as a guy behind the lens.

Leonardo DiCaprio, left, on the set of J. Edgar with director Clint Eastwood and writer Dustin Lance Black [Credit: Warner Bros.]

Clint Eastwood’s Hollywood handbook is so expansive in its content that if one wanted to accrue some foresight and knowledge into a certain area of expertise related to acting, Eastwood would readily have it. The Western legend has been around since the early 1950s and as of yet, shows no signs of quitting or stepping down without one last hurrah.

Judi Dench Has Complaints Against Clint Eastwood Judi Dench in J. Edgar...

With the recent (extremely disappointing) release of "Joker: Folie a Deux," there is nothing standing between the old DC and the new DC Universe, which kicks off later this year when the animated "Creature Commandos" arrives on Max. Then DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran's plans kick into high gear next summer when Gunn's new "Superman" movie hits theaters. What are those plans, exactly? An ever-growing list of movies and TV shows has already been confirmed, and put simply, the DC Universe is getting a reboot. Unfortunately, there is still some confusion for the time being.

The easiest thing would be for Warner Bros. and DC Studios to say "we're starting over completely fresh. Nothing from the former Dceu counts, but everything going forward does." Unfortunately, it's not so simple. Certain projects that were in the works before are going to be ushered in as part of the future.

Is The Crown Season 5 Hinting at Future Royal Scandals? Let’s Break It Down!(Photo Credit – YouTube)

Buckle up, folks! The drama train’s already chugging full steam ahead for Season 5 of The Crown, dropping on November 9. The chatter’s hotter than a cup of English tea, with columnists firing off their spicy hot takes, politicians making headlines, and even award-winning actors throwing shade. The real kicker? Everyone’s asking if The Crown has taken its royal dramatization a tad too far!

Since its royal debut in November 2016, The Crown has spun a fictional web around Queen Elizabeth II’s reign—officially wrapped up on September 8, 2022. It’s not the first pop-culture offering to dip its toes in royal waters. Remember A Royal Night Out, where Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret had a cheeky incognito adventure on V-e Day? Or The Queen, which tackled the whirlwind aftermath of Princess Diana’s tragic passing?...

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Family Pack is a French adventure fantasy comedy film directed by François Uzan who also co-wrote the screenplay with Céleste Balin and Hervé Marly. Based on the best-selling game The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow, the Netflix film follows a family who are transported back in time after playing a card game where they have to unmask werewolves if they want to return home. Family Pack stars Franck Dubosc, Jean Reno, Suzanne Clément, Grégory Fitoussi, Bruno Gouery, Jonathan Lambert, and Lisa Do Couto. So, if you loved the fun adventure, hilarious comedy, and compelling characters in Netflix’s Family Pack here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Sony Pictures

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is an adventure comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan from...

How about some meaty casting news for your Thursday morning? Or, more specifically, make that some _Beef_y casting news. Last night, Netflix announced that they're cooking up a second helping of their feuding anthology series Beef — and they've assembled quite the leading quartet to bring Season 2 to life. Per the streamer's own website, Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton, and Cailee Spaeny are set to star in the sophomore instalment of creator-showrunner Lee Sung Jin's A24 produced show.

Whilst the Emmy award-winning first season of Beef saw Ali Wong and Steven Yeun locked in a battle of wits after a road rage incident, the inciting incident for this second run of episodes will be a young couple witnessing a big ol' barney between their boss and his wife — a ruckus that sets in motion mind games involving a country club and its billionaire Korean owner. We don't have...

We might be adults or quite old now, but when it comes to Harry Potter movies, the child in us is always ready to say Wingardium Leviosa or Expelliarmus! Growing up, we all wished to be at Hogwarts to fight the dark goblins and have the magic wand. That’s the amount of craze that the Harry Potter movies hold. They created a world of magic and mystery that captivated all of us all these years.

The movie series based on Jk Rowling’s novels starred Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint as the iconic characters of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. It goes way back to when the first-ever Harry Potter movie was released in November 2001 and ran across eight films over 10 years.

Related “That’s the whole point…”: Even Diehard J.K. Rowling Haters Will Agree, The Step Harry Potter Reboot Series Just Took Makes...

A few notable celebrities’ passing has left Hollywood mourning. The year 2024 saw the passing of many stars who have touched the lives of millions with their talents and personas. The departure of these icons has left their fans worldwide grieving. Here are 5 notable stars we lost this year.

1. Maggie Smith

There’s no denying that the sudden passing of Maggie Smith left a void in the hearts of her fans. With two Oscars, four Emmys, and a Tony award to her name, Dame Maggie Smith, who was 89 at the time, died in the hospital on 27th September 2024, as reported by the BBC.

Maggie Smith | Credits: Alamy/Carnival Films/Album

Smith played the role of the strict but fair Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films. This role gained her fans worldwide. Smith had dedicated her life to acting and had the gift of acting from childhood. In the mid-1950s,...

On multiple occasions, we at Comic Basics have mentioned that Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom reveal at this year’s Comic-Con would be one of the biggest moments in the entertainment industry, and it certainly lived up to that expectation.

The buzz surrounding this revelation continues, with discussions about its implications even among MCU cast members.

In a recent interview with Josh Horowitz, actor Sebastian Stan discussed his career, aspirations, and various topics, including his upcoming projects like The Apprentice, where he will portray Donald Trump, and Thunderbolts, which will see him reprise his role as Bucky Barnes.

While the entire interview is quite fascinating, one particular moment caught our attention: Stan’s comments regarding Downey’s return to the MCU as Doctor Doom. Curious about what he had to say? Keep reading to find out!

Sebastian Stan’s popularity has soared following his role in the MCU. Although Bucky is a secondary character,...

On more than one occasion, we on Fiction Horizon have reported how Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom reveal at this year’s Comic-Con would be the biggest entertainment industry bomb of the year, and it turned out to be one. Everyone is still talking about it and the consequences of that revelation, even the MCU cast members themselves.

In a recent interview with Josh Horowitz, actor Sebastian Stan talked about his career, his wishes, some casual topic, as well as his upcoming projects, mainly The Apprentice, in which he will play Donald Trump, and Thunderbolts*, which will see him return to the role of Bucky Barnes.

The interview is very interesting overall. However, one moment stood out to us. It pertains to the revelation that Downey will return to the MCU, this time as Doctor Doom. What did Stan say? Keep reading to find out!

Sebastian Stan’s popularity...

Alvin Rakoff, the Canadian-born filmmaker who directed Laurence Olivier in A Voyage Round My Father, has died. He was 97.

His death was confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter by his longtime publicist, Nick Pourgourides. He passed away on Oct. 12 surrounded by family at home in Chiswick, a neighborhood in London.

Rakoff as a writer, director and producer of over 100 TV, film and stage productions, as well as novels, directed Olivier and co-stars Alan Bates and Jane Asher in the 1982 TV drama A Voyage Round My Father, a film written by John Mortimer and which earned the director his second Emmy Award.

Alvin and Olivier also worked together on Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson and A Talent for Murder, both shot in 1983. The two-time Emmy Award winner also gave a young Sean Connery his first leading role in the 1957 film Requiem for a Heavyweight, and Alan Rickman as a young actor was...

Alvin Rakoff, the veteran Canadian filmmaker best known for pics like the 1982 feature A Voyage Round My Father starring Laurence Olivier, died in Chiswick, London, October 12 surrounded by his family. He was 97.

Rakoff’s former personal agent confirmed the news with Deadline this morning.

Born on on February 6, 1927, in Toronto Rakoff was the third of seven children. After graduating from the University of Toronto with a psychology degree, Rakoff spent time as a news reporter. His first job as a writer was with the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC), which later sponsored Rakoff to visit the UK. Within days of arriving, he sold his first fiction script to the BBC. He was soon invited to join the BBC’s director’s training course and, the following year at the age of twenty-six, Rakoff became the youngest producer/director in the BBC drama department.

As Rakoff once recalled: “I trained at the BBC as a director-producer.

Alvin Rakoff, the Canadian director who made films including Say Hello To Yesterday and who helped launch the careers of Sean Connery and Alan Rickman, has died at the age of 97.

Rakoff died on October 12, “peacefully…surrounded by his loving family in the same, beautiful old house in Chiswick he had bought back in 1971”, according to Nick Pourgourides, a long-time representative of the filmmaker.

Rakoff directed 11 feature films across a near 70-year career, including 1969 crime film Crossplot starring Roger Moore and Claudie Lange; 1970 drama Hoffman led by Peter Sellers; and 1971 romantic comedy Say Hello To Yesterday starring Jean Simmons.

He...

Canadian director, writer and producer Alvin Rakoff, best known for directing Laurence Olivier in “A Voyage Round My Father,” has died at the age of 97.

The cause of death was “old age,” his publicist told Variety. He died on Oct. 12 at home, surrounded by his family.

Over a career spanning more than four decades, which began when television was still only available in black-and-white, Rakoff was involved in over 100 television, film and stage productions as well as writing novels. According to his representatives, he was still working into his ’90s.

Rakoff was the third of seven children born to Sam and Pearl Rakoff in Toronto in 1927. His parents owned a dry goods shop but the director grew up in poverty after the Great Depression hit in 1929. He would later recount the experience in his novel “Baldwin Street.”

After seeing his first film in a theater at the age of 6, his...

Exclusive: Bonnie Arnold and Louise Goodsill have teamed up to adapt Juniper’s Christmas from bestselling author of Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer.

The deal was struck by Emily Hayward-Whitlock at The Artists Partnership in association with Sophie Hicks at Sophie Hicks Agency.

“Eoin has created a fresh and imaginative rendering of a contemporary Santa and a brave young heroine, Juniper Lane, who sets out to save Christmas and Santa himself,” Arnold and Goodsill said in a statement. “It’s a special book with unforgettable characters that we look forward to making into a wonderful film for all to enjoy — a family adventure filled with joy.”

Published by Macmillan Children’s in the U.S. and HarperCollins in the UK in October 2023, Juniper’s Christmas tells the story of eleven-year-old Juniper Lane as she’s thrown into a Christmas...

“I’ve been thinking for a long time, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to have an exhibition?’” says costume designer Sandy Powell, whose numerous credits include Shakespeare In Love, most of Martin Scorsese’s recent output and the upcoming Snow White. But, for the three-time Oscar and BAFTA winner — and double Costume Designers Guild Award recipient — a career retrospective isn’t necessarily about flexing. She just wants to share.

“Because I have quite a large collection of my own costumes, which I’ve been sneakily collecting over the years,” says Powell, with a smile. So, when the Savannah College of Art and Design (Scad) came calling “out of the blue,” she immediately jumped on board.

“To get the conversation started, I met Sandy in person a few times, including teatime in London,” says Rafael Gomes, curator and creative director for Scad Fash museums. He then held regular Zoom meetings with...

There have been some rather wild celebrity cameos on the satirical Prime Video superhero series "The Boys," but one of them was almost absolutely out-of-this-world. Throughout the show, we've gotten to know a few of the underwater friends of the Aquaman-esque supe The Deep, played by Chace Crawford, and although they've pretty much all met horrible onscreen deaths, it's clear that The Deep cares about them an awful lot. So, when it came time to cast the voice of The Deep's octopus girlfriend, Ambrosius, theoretically the most important cephalopod of them all (sorry Timothy), the team behind "The Boys" wanted to get the voice absolutely perfect.

But who would fit the bill? The character should sound sort of wise and distinguished, to contrast with the buffoonish Deep, and ideally the voice actor should be just recognizable enough to be a fun surprise. In the end, the always-incredible Tilda Swinton lent...

Although the James Bond torch has yet to be passed, the franchise will have to Die Another Day.

Amazon MGM Studios global head Jennifer Salke recently gave an update on the franchise after Daniel Craig took his final bow as 007 in No Time to Die (2021), as the UK’s Eon Productions continues to maintain the majority of creative control.

“There are a lot of ideas [about potential actors] that have popped up that I thought are interesting,” she told The Guardian. “I think there are a lot of different ways we can go. We have a good and close relationship with Eon and Barbara [Broccoli] and Michael [G. Wilson]. We are not looking to disrupt the way those wonderful films are made. For us, we are taking their lead.”

Salke added, “The global audience will be patient. We don’t want too much time between films, but we are not concerned at this point.

Jeremy O. Harris wants his upcoming feature “Erupcja” to inspire rising filmmakers — and perhaps inspire change among distributors.

The Tony winner told Variety that he hopes his secret film “Erupcja” (Polish for “eruption”) with director Pete Ohs could help resurrect the arthouse “micro-budget” films of decades past.

“I’m hoping that what comes from this is a lot more young filmmakers feeling less pressure to have their first, second, third, fourth, fifth feature be the $10 million, $20 million, $30 juggernaut they want with every person that’s like, the most famous person online,” Harris said. “And maybe, you know, something that’s like, truly honest, fun, and unique to them, that’s smaller, that maybe takes a really brave, exciting distributor to jump onto.”

Of course, this one has a pretty famous person online: Charli Xcx co-stars with Harris. The two also co-produce.

Harris added, “There’s so much pressure on everyone,...

Maggie Smith was a legend in her own right and had an illustrious career spanning several decades. All the Harry Potter fans would remember her as Professor Minerva McGonagall, a tough and rule-abiding witch. But in reality, Smith was the complete opposite of her character, widely beloved for her kind and composed demeanor. While the entire world was grieving the loss of such a talented actress, it was her friend, Judi Dench, whose reaction to Smith’s death further broke everyone’s heart.

Maggie Smith in a still from Harry Potter | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

The last couple of weeks have been quite tough on English actress Judi Dench, who lost not one but two of her closest friends, that too within a week. When she was asked the same question during a recent interview, her answer had everyone crying in the corner.

Actress Judi Dench’s Emotional Response to...

A week after Maggie Smith‘s death, best friend Dame Judi Dench is at a loss for words.

When asked about Smith’s death at age 89, as well as the death of friend and collaborator Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Dench broke down into tears during a conversation on Saturday at the Cheltenham Literature Festival.

“I suppose the energy that’s created by grief…” started Dench before choking up, according to The Times, after interviewer Brendan O’Hea asked what she meant by comparing her grief around late husband Michael Williams’ 2001 death to petrol.

Smith “passed away peacefully” on Friday, Sept. 27, her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin announced in a joint statement.

She and Dench appeared together in such films as A Room with a View (1985), Tea with Mussolini (1999) and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015), as well as numerous stage productions.

Judi Dench and Maggie Smith in A Room with a View (1985). (Cinecom/Courtesy Everett Collection)

Robert Fox,...

Every now and then, a film quietly re-emerges, surprising everyone with a new wave of attention. Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is doing just that, soaring to the top of Netflix’s global charts—almost eight years after its theatrical release. For a movie that didn’t exactly set the world on fire back in 2016, this sudden resurgence feels like a classic case of “right place, right time.”

Burton’s name alone carries a certain expectation—he’s the king of cinematic oddities, after all. From Beetlejuice to Edward Scissorhands, his films typically ooze with dark charm and bizarre whimsy. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children certainly fits into this mold, with its off-kilter characters and gothic visuals. But back in 2016, the reception was mixed—critics didn’t fully embrace it, and while the movie made a respectable $296 million at the box office, it didn’t...

Emma Corrin, hot from playing villainous Cassandra Nova in Deadpool & Wolverine, will join Cate Blanchett in the eagerly awaited new adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull at London’s Barbican Theatre in 2025.

Another addition to an already sizzling company is Kodi Smit-McPhee, who shot to fame in Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog. He also appears with an incandescent Angelina Jolie in Netflix’s awards-season hopeful Maria.

It’s a family reunion, of sorts, for Blanchett and McPhee. They play mother and son in Alfonso Cuarón’s brilliant seven-part Apple TV+ drama Disclaimer, which premieres on the streamer October 11. The two Australian-born actors also play related characters in The Seagull: Blanchett takes on the part of theatrical grand dame Irina Arkadina and McPhee plays her son Konstantin.

Cate Blanchett at this year’s Cannes Film Festival

The Seagull‘s director Thomas Ostermeier chose Corrin, who shot...

In the movie Hook, Steven Spielberg’s 1991 Peter Pan sequel starring Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman, Williams’ Peter visits the London home of his wife’s family, where he reconnects with her grandmother, a very grown up Wendy Darling played by Dame Maggie Smith. She first appears as a ghostly silhouette at the top of a staircase before descending and creeping into the light. Smith was only in her 50s when she shot the movie but had been aged up to look impossibly frail and elderly — her hair a bushy nest,...

Her stage work in the 1970s in Canada gave her a chance to reinvent herself and reach wonderful levels of performance

Maggie Smith was an actor of legendary wit and style who, even off stage, seemed to have the capacity to deliver a one-line zinger. There’s a lovely moment in Roger Michell’s TV film Nothing Like a Dame in which the assembled quartet (including Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins) are asked to talk about the difficulty of living with a title. Joan Plowright says it’s worse for her because she not only has the handle of a Dame but that of a Lady through her marriage to Laurence Olivier. With exquisite timing and hitting the perfect verb, Maggie looks at her old friend and says: “Joan, darling, you’ll just have to grapple with it.”

Smith’s achievements on stage and screen are well documented, but I...

We’ve lost one of the most delightful gems in the treasure chest of cinema. Regrettably, no amount of Hogwarts’ finest will bring back the Dame of dignity, Maggie Smith, who, at 89, has left us spellbound for eternity. Her passing marks a poignant moment in the annals of film (& theater), where her performances—especially as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter series—resonated with wisdom and strength.

Maggie Smith in Othello (1965) | Credit: Warner Bros.

It’s no wonder that heartfelt tributes are pouring in, reflecting a life not just lived but extraordinarily honored. That being said, there’s one Harry Potter photo featuring Smith, Michael Gambon, and Alan Rickman together that resonates deeply. Now that all three have left us, this image hits differently.

A Fond Farewell to Dame Maggie Smith

Dame Maggie Smith has taken her final bow at the age of 89. She captured our hearts with her Oscar-winning...

Barbara Leigh-Hunt, who appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy, dozens of other films and TV and on West End and Broadway stages, has died. She was 88.

Her family said today that she died September 16 at her home in Warwickshire, England, but did not give the cause.

Barry Foster and Barbara Leigh-Hunt in ‘Frenzy’

Leigh-Hunt was best known in the U.S. for her key role in Hitchcock’s penultimate thriller Frenzy (1972). She played Brenda Blaney, who is brutally raped and killed by the notorious “Necktie Murderer” in London. She was the ex-wife of Richard Blaney (Jon Finch), who is suspected of the crime that actually was committed by his friend Bob Rusk (Barry Foster), to whom he turns unwittingly for help.

“I was invited out to Pinewood Studios to speak with Hitch for about half an hour,” she told the BBC in a 2017. “To me he was a cinematic god,...

“She always looks so extreme,” a fellow teacher observes of Maggie Smith’s trademark rigidity in “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” (1969), putting her finger on the straight-backed, nose-high hauteur audiences enjoyed for more than half a century.

A shrill and tragically short-sighted instructor at a school full of impressionable-aged girls, Jean Brodie proved to be the defining credit of the English stage legend’s screen career, to the extent that her strict-but-caring Harry Potter character, deputy headmistress Minerva McGonagall, could be the selfsame martinet, curdled by several more decades of disappointment. (Kids who grew up on the J.K. Rowling adaptations will surely appreciate “Prime” once they’re older.)

That’s not to say she was never better. In fact, Smith, who died Friday, never gave a bad performance, and just as fine wines improve with age, that also goes for the legendary actor’s biting brand of vinegar, which...

Maggie Smith was a constant in the life of producer Robert Fox for half a century. She could “make grown men cry,” says Fox, because “if you weren’t 100 percent on top of your game, you were dead in the water, and she was right.”

Fox produced Dame Maggie in some of her greatest stage hits from Peter Shaffer’s Lettice and Lovage to David Hare’s The Breath of Life, in which she and her best friend, Judi Dench, shared top billing at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket.

Dame Judi got the No. 1 dressing room. “But Maggie wasn’t fussed because she joked that Judi, she’d say, “had all those people in from Surrey to see her, so she needs the space.’ She wasn’t at all unhappy about it. She’d watch all of Judi’s guests troop in to see her. She’d say: ‘Look, there they go.

Dame Maggie Smith leaves behind a towering legacy in the wake of her death at the age of 89. The legendary actress spent almost 70 years dominating the stage and screens big and small on both sides of the pond. She won two Oscars, five BAFTAs, four Emmys, and a Tony over the course of many decades, during which she never stopped working and never stopped stealing scenes. She was a generational talent who meant something different to each generation: one of the faces of the ‘60s British invasion of Hollywood; a theatrical legend; character actress; comedic gem; and everyone’s favorite wizarding school deputy headmistress. Smith worked until almost the very end, which included being a supermodel for a 2023 Loewe campaign.

But it was the scathingly witty Dowager Duchess who came to define the final years of her illustrious career and made her one of the most beloved TV stars of the 2010s.

Maggie Smith is remembered on social media after her death today at 89, and fans have shared several clips that have gone viral.

In a funny clip for a show called Tea with the Dames, the duo, also featuring Judi Dench, said they wanted to act as long as they could.

“We’re going to work forever if we’re asked,” Dench said, with Smith adding, “But you’re always asked first if I may say so.”

Dench laughed and said, “Don’t turn me on.”

“I’m turning on you…it’s all coming out now,” Smith quipped before they both laughed.

rip to one of the greatest, maggie smith, may you continue to be cutthroat wherever you may be pic.twitter.com/MVyEUpRd37

— amy elouise (@foxgrove_) September 27, 2024...

Tributes have flooded in for iconic UK actress Maggie Smith following her death on Friday in London at age of 89-years-old.

U.S. actor Rob Lowe, who appeared alongside Smith in Suddenly, Last Summer (1989), was one of the first to take to social media in her memory, recalling the actress as a formidable figure.

“Saddened to hear Dame Maggie Smith has passed. I had the unforgettable experience of working with her; sharing a two-shot was like being paired with a lion,” he said in a post on X.

“She could eat anyone alive, and often did. But funny, and great company. And suffered no fools. We will never see another. God speed, Ms. Smith!”

Related: Daniel Radcliffe Remembers ‘Harry Potter’ Costar Maggie Smith For “Fierce Intellect” And “Gloriously Sharp Tongue”

Saddened to hear Dame Maggie Smith has passed. I had the unforgettable experience of working with her; sharing a two-shot...

Maggie Smith, who died Friday at 89, earned three Primetime Emmy awards for her role as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham in all six seasons of the British period drama Downton Abbey. She also reprised her role in the two Downton Abbey films: her character died in 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era.

Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes is among those paying tribute to Smith, releaeing the following statement: “Maggie Smith was a truly great actress and we were more than fortunate to be part of the last act in her stellar career. She was a joy to write for, subtle, many-layered, intelligent, funny and heart-breaking. Working with her has been the greatest privilege of my career, and I will never forget her.”

Michelle Dockery, who portrayed Lady Mary Crowley, said in a statement provided to Deadline: “There was no one quite like Maggie. I feel tremendously lucky to have known such a maverick.

British actress Maggie Smith has died at the age of 89 in a London hospital, according to a statement released by her sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, both actors themselves. “She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother,” they said, per the AP.

Maggie Smith was regularly cited as one of the preeminent British actresses of her generation, alongside the likes of Judi Dench and Vanessa Redgrave. She won two Oscars during her long career, for 1969's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and for 1978's California Suite, and was nominated for many more, including Othello, Travels With My Aunt, Room With a View and Gosford Park.

Roles like these brought her the respect of her peers and the admiration of fans; it was always obvious that Maggie Smith was an intelligent performer who could twist any line...

Maggie Smith, an acting giant who became beloved to younger generations through her work on the “Harry Potter” films and “Downton Abbey” TV Series, is dead at 89, IndieWire has confirmed.

Smith won two Academy Awards: Best Actress for 1969’s “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and Best Supporting Actress for 1978’s “California Suite.” She also won five BAFTAs, four Emmys, three Golden Globes, and a Tony Award.

She was perhaps best known the world over in her last days, however, for her work as Professor McGonagall in eight “Harry Potter” films, as well as her role as the Dowager Countess Grantham on “Downton Abbey.” But those titles, though bringing her to a new generation and showing how she could impart her own indelible spin on even franchise material, were just the tiniest part of a career of legendary depth and breadth.

Smith was born December 28, 1934 in Essex. Her father was...

Maggie Smith, the two-time Oscar and four-time Emmy winner whose work in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Downton Abbey — plus everything before and after — made her one of the most formidable British actors of all time, died Friday. She was 89.

Her sons, actors Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, told the BBC that she died “peacefully in hospital … an intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.”

Best known in recent years for matriarchal roles in seven of the Harry Potter films and the ITV-pbs series Downton Abbey, Smith earned early acclaim with a best actress Oscar...

British stage and screen actress Maggie Smith, the “Downton Abbey” and “Harry Potter” star who numbers two Oscars, three Emmys and countless stage awards to her credit, died Friday in London. She was 89.

“It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith,” her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin said in a statement. “She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.”

In her late 70s, Smith drew an entirely new legion of fans thanks to her starring role in...

Dame Maggie Smith, the British actress who starred in Harry Potter films, the wildly popular Downton Abbey series and scores of other movies, TV shows, West End and Broadway productions in a career that brought two Oscars, five BAFTAs, four Emmys and a Tony Award, died today. She was 89.

Smith’s death was confirmed by her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin. In a statement shared with UK media, they said: “She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”

Smith was one of the finest British screen and stage stars of her generation and will be remembered for her performances in iconic films and TV shows, including Harry Potter and Downton Abbey. Her...

Dame Maggie Smith, the legendary British actor known for roles in A Room With A View, Downton Abbey, the Harry Potter franchise and more, has died. Her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin confirmed the news to the BBC. She was 89 years old.

"It is with great sadness we have...

Mark Zuckerberg really doesn’t want to have answer some hard questions about Meta’s Artificial Intelligence push and goals However, a federal judge this week has told the Facebook founder that is exactly what he has to do.

“Plaintiffs have made an evidentiary showing that Zuckerberg is the chief decision maker and policy setter for Meta’s Generative AI branch and the development of the large language models at issue in this action,” U.S. District Judge Thomas Hixson noted on September 24 in the potential class action initially filed by authors Sarah Silverman, Richard Kadrey, and Christopher Goldenm last year, and now including Ta-Nehisi Coates and others.

Along with a more Imperiled suit against OpenAI, the writers took Meta to court in mid-2023 over copyright infringement concerns that their work and books have been illegally downloaded and used to train the company’s large language model AI software.

Bedwetter...

Oscar-nominated Rosamund Pike will make her debut at London’s National Theatre in 2025, and they’ve given her the starring role in the world premiere of a new work by Suzie Miller, the playwright who created Prima Facie, the legal drama that catapulted Jodie Comer to Olivier and Tony Award trophies.

Pike has been cast in Miller’s Inter Alia, in which she’ll play a British High Court judge forced to reckon with conflict in her private and professional life. The production will reunite Miller with director Justin Martin, who also directed Comer in Prima Facie in the West End and on Broadway.

Inter Alia will be part of the final season of National Theatre director and co-chief executive Rufus Norris, who steps down from his post on March 31, 2025 after a decade at the helm of the UK’s flagship theatrical institution. Norris...

The 2009 film "Nine" — not to be confused with the 2009 film "9" — was an Oscar darling in the most frustrating possible way. It was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Supporting Actress (Penélope Cruz), Best Art Direction, Best Costumes, and Best Original Song. That was just enough nominations for mad Oscar completists to have to see "Nine," a movie that, many agreed, looked dull and baffling. The critics seemed to think so, anyway, as "Nine" only has a 39% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It's the lowest approval rating of any film to star Daniel Day-Lewis.

"Nine" requires some explanation. Firstly, the film was based on a Broadway musical that debuted in 1982. The original production starred Raul Julia, playing a character that was very similar to, but legally distinct from, real-life Italian master Federico Fellini. The character, named Guido Contini, found both his marriage and his creative spirit flagging in the face of a midlife crisis.

A quarter century after winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “Girl, Interrupted,” Angelina Jolie is hoping to pick up the Best Actress trophy for her performance in “Maria.” In terms of Oscar history, she’d join Meryl Streep, Jessica Lange, Cate Blanchett, and Renée Zellweger, who all won for featured performances before prevailing again for star turns.

Jolie’s role, that of real-life opera singer Maria Callas, has already been proven to be awards-worthy and won Jane Seymour an Emmy nearly four decades ago. This English rose featured in the 1988 TV movie “Onassis: The Richest Man in the World,” opposite Raul Julia as Aristotle Onassis and Anthony Quinn as his father, Socrates. This remains her only Emmy win from five nominations.

Zellweger won Best Actress for her sensitive portrayal of Judy Garland in the 2020 flick “Judy.” Back in 2001, Tammy Blanchard and Judy Davis took home Emmys for their work...

Actress Monica Bellucci is currently starring in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, a sequel to the 1988 horror-comedy film Beetlejuice. While promoting the film, Bellucci discussed her time in the James Bond franchise, having appeared in 2015’s Spectre, starring Daniel Craig as the iconic British super spy. As a result, Bellucci holds the record of being the oldest actress to be cast in the role of a Bond Girl.

Monica Bellucci played the oldest Bond Girl in Spectre (Credit: Eon Productions).

However, Bellucci revealed that she did not think director Sam Mendes wanted her for the part of a Bond Girl. Instead, Bellucci felt she was approached to play an entirely different character altogether. Here is what Bellucci had to say about her connection to the Bond franchise and why she should still return to it in the role she originally thought she was being offered as the franchise moves to a new era.

The BBC is urgently pulling all episodes of its hit show The Repair Shop featuring Jay Blades, after the presenter was charged with alleged domestic abuse offences Friday.

Viewers expecting to tune in Friday evening for an episode of another crafting show featuring Blades saw a change in the TV schedule, following Blades’ appearance in court yesterday to face the charges.

Blades is not set to appear in next week’s episode of The Repair Shop, but the show is midway through its 13th series and The Times reports that the broadcaster is now making urgent plans to to avoid broadcasting episodes in which Blades appears.

The primetime restoration show draws a weekly audience of approximately 2.5million viewers, and there are 300 episodes available on the BBC’s catch-up service iPlayer. These will remain in place with Blades being featured, according to The Times.

Blades has become a household name since appearing in the show,...

Jay Blades, the UK television star best known for his work fronting hit BBC series The Repair Shop, has been charged with engaging in controlling and coercive behavior.

Blades appeared in Kidderminster Magistrates Court on Friday and has been bailed to appear at Worcester Crown Court on October 11.

A West Mercia Police spokesperson said: “54-year-old Jason Blades of Claverley in Wolverhampton has been charged with controlling and coercive behaviour … The charges follow the launch of an investigation after we were called to an address on 3 May.”

In the same month, Blades separated from his wife, Lisa Zbozen, after 18 months of marriage.

Blades has established himself as a household name after first appearing in The Repair Shop in 2017. Produced by Warner Bros. Discovery-owned Ricochet, the show follows a group of experts who lovingly restore peoples’ treasured possessions.

King Charles III (then the Prince of Wales) appeared on The Repair Shop...

This month marks the return of one of the most twisted beloved modern movie characters: Betelgeuse. Of course, we all know the bio-exorcist by his easier-to-spell name, Beetlejuice. After over three decades, Beetlejuice is back with the long-awaited and appropriately named sequel "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice." You already know that most (though not all) of the cast of the original 1988 Tim Burton horror-comedy is back, including Michael Keaton as the Juice himself. One big talking point Keaton has hit on in the pre-release marketing is that, in all the years of development, he pushed hard to ensure that his character was...not in a lot of the movie. It's not just false modesty -- Beetlejuice is only in 17 minutes of the movie bearing his name, but he makes a massive impact all the same. And Keaton's performance as Beetlejuice is just one of many that manages to be memorable and iconic without being overbearing.

Matt Smith, star of House of the Dragon and The Crown, has doubled down on his criticism of trigger warnings.

In an interview with The Times of London, the actor, who shot to fame in Doctor Who, said that flagging potentially upsetting content was dumbing down storytelling for audiences.

“Too much policing of stories and being afraid to bring them out because a climate is a certain way is a shame. I’m not sure I’m on board with trigger warnings,” Smith said.

“It’s Ok to feel uncomfortable or provoked while looking at a painting or watching a play, but I worry everything’s being dialed and dumbed down. We’re telling audiences they’re going to be scared before they’ve watched something.”

Smith, who is starring in British horror film Starve Acre, recalled renting Slither, Basic Instinct, Disclosure, and Friday the 13th when he was “too young.

Clint Eastwood has made some of the most revolutionary films in his career both as an actor and a director. He has been making films since the 60s and still continues to be inspired and fascinated by the art of filmmaking. While mostly known for his spaghetti westerns with Sergio Leone, he has made some brilliant westerns of his own along with some Oscar-winning dramas.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Naomi Watts in J. Edgar | Credits: Warner Bros

Eastwood directed the biographical film J. Edgar in 2011, based on the famed first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. To ensure the film was as historically accurate as possible, the director went deep into his research and even went the extra mile, meeting the then-director of the FBI in person. Eastwood and the FBI disagreed on the inclusion of one disputed aspect of Hoover’s life in the film.

The FBI Was Apprehensive...