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Apple has tapped “Black Panther” and “Us” star Winston Duke to lead its basketball drama “Swagger,” from NBA superstar Kevin Durant.

Duke will star as Ike, a youth basketball coach and former star player. The series will go into production this month.

“Swagger” is inspired by Durant’s youth basketball experiences, and explores the world of youth basketball, and the players, their families and coaches who walk the fine line between dreams and ambition, and opportunism and corruption.

The series is written, directed and executive produced by Reggie Rock Bythewood who also serves as showrunner. “Swagger” comes from Imagine Television, Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures, and CBS Television Studios. Other executive producers include Brian Grazer, Francie Calfo, Durant, and his manager, Rich Kleiman. James Seidman is the

Kenneth Branagh’s first foray into the rich world of Agatha Christie murder mysteries, the 2017 surprise hit “Murder on the Orient Express,” boasted a starry cast of big names, including Michelle Pfeiffer, Penélope Cruz, Johnny Depp, Willem Dafoe, Lucy Boynton, and Daisy Ridley, so it’s no surprise that his imminent sequel is just as star-studded. As production commences on “Death on the Nile,” based on Christie’s novel of the same name, the full cast has been announced, and it’s a doozy.

Branagh returns as both director and star, slipping back into the famed mustache that makes his hairy Belgian detective Hercule Poirot so hard to miss. He’ll be joined by a motley assortment of potential murderers, including Tom Bateman (who reprises the role of Bouc from “Murder on the Orient Express”), Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey,

Following the success of “Double Shot at Love,” the “Jersey Shore” duo of Paul Delvecchio (DJ Pauly D) and Vinny Guadagnino will star in a new docuseries for MTV set in Las Vegas.

“DJ Pauly and Vinny’s Vegas Pool Party” (working title) follows the two as they take over Las Vegas and give their friends a shot at the Vegas life.

Deadline first reported the news.

More to come…

“Claws” is coming to an end. TNT renewed the drama series for a fourth and final season Tuesday.

“For the past three seasons, Claws has handled delicate and culturally relevant themes like race, class, gender, age and sexual orientation with grace and humor via superb storytelling,” said Brett Weitz, General Manager for TNT, TBS and truTV. “Fans cherish the over-the-top Clawsian moments that have defined its run, and we will do them justice as we wrap up the tale of Desna and her crew.”

A premiere date for Season 4 has not yet been set. Season 3 recently finished airing in August.

The series is described as following the queenly rise of Desna Simms (Niecy Nash), who, alongside her crew of manicurists from the Nail Artisans of Manatee County salon, rises to power in the crime world

Hot off a big Emmy win for When They See Us, Ava DuVernay is set to launch her second project based on a DC Comics property

Already primed to directed a big screen adaptation of Jack Kirby’s New Gods, as Deadline reported last year, Oscar nominee DuVernay is now getting behind the camera for HBO Max with the DMZ pilot the soon-to-be streamer has ordered.

Adapted from the Vertigo imprint published and Brian Wood written comic of a second American Civil War in the near future, the A Wrinkle in Time helmer will direct the project with showrunner and EpP Roberto Patino writing. Prophetically well timed if yesterday’s tweetstorm by Donald Trump is any roadmap, the Manhattan set DMZ will be produced by DuVernay’s Array Filmworks in association with Warner Bros. Television.

“DMZ is a special project to me as it marks a key collaboration with my company Array Filmworks,

When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump last Tuesday, and while it was a blow to the president, cable news scored a big ratings win.

Fox News led the cable news channels in last Tuesday’s inquiry-announcement primetime coverage, averaging 3.5 million total viewers, according to Live + Same Day data from Nielsen. Of that, 620,000 people to tune in were adults in the 25-54 range, which is the most coveted demographic for cable news advertisers.

For that same 8 p.m.-11 p.m. window, MSNBC averaged 2.6 million total viewers and CNN posted 1.3 million. In the key demo of viewers from 25 to 54, MSNBC scored 516,000 viewers while CNN had 444,000 people tune in.

Also Read: Nancy Pelosi Announces Impeachment Inquiry Into Donald Trump

When the White House released a memo on the call between Trump and the Ukrainian president on Wednesday, CNN saw the highest primetime ratings growth vs.

Angelina Jolie is again up to her wicked ways in “Maleficent Mistress of Evil.” But for the Oscar winner, playing the Disney villain is about a lot more than winged costumes and horns.

“It reminds me and I hope others that there’s a part of us that is just unbridled. We just have to be who we are. We can’t be less than what we are. We can’t be less honest. We can’t be less fierce,” Jolie told Variety. “We have to find ourselves and be free with it and be okay with it.”

Horn-wearing fans and reporters alike clamored to get close to the star on the red carpet outside the El Capitan Theatre on Monday night as Jolie reflected on how she relates to the character’s latest dilemma — parenting young adult Aurora (played by Elle Fanning).

“For Maleficent, considering she is the mistress of evil,

Kevin Smith is intent on making “Clerks 3,” and on Tuesday, he announced in an Instagram post that “I assure you, we’re open,” revealing that he’s writing a new screenplay for the film and will reunite with the film’s original stars, Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson.

Smith had previously tried to make “Clerks 3” a few years ago, but couldn’t get the project together, which was compounded by Anderson’s unwillingness to return. However, in the Instagram post, Smith said that he patched things up with Anderson and that he’s just begun writing a new take on the story.

“It’ll be a movie that concludes a saga. It’ll be a movie about how you’re never too old to completely change your life. It’ll be a movie about how a decades-spanning friendship finally confronts the future. It’ll be a movie that brings

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the anti-abortion “fetal heartbeat” bill in Georgia that would have banned abortions as early as six weeks.

According to USA Today, District Court Judge Steve C. Jones issued a preliminary junction on Tuesday to stop the bill from going into effect on January 1. Gov. Brian Kemp signed the bill in May, and the current Georgia law allows abortions up to the 20th week of pregnancy.

If the state appeals the decision, the case will go to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, the National Review reported. TheWrap has reached out to a spokesperson for Gov. Kemp about whether he plans to appeal.

Also Read: A Georgia Crew Member to Hollywood: Don't Boycott, #StayAndFight (Guest Blog)

“Under no circumstances whatsoever may a State prohibit or ban abortions at any point prior to viability, no matter what interests the State asserts to support it,” Jones wrote,

Morgan Freeman will produce and star in Peter Greenaway’s drama “Lucca Mortis,” Variety has learned exclusively.

Morgan will portray a writer whose last big adventure will very likely be death. Based in New York City’s Little Italy, he takes a sabbatical and travels with his family to Lucca, Italy in order to trace his ancestral roots and clean up the loose ends in his life.

Morgan will produce with Lori McCreary through their Revelations Entertainment alongside Greenaway’s longtime producing partner, Kees Kasander. “Lucca Mortis” is Kasander’s 15th film with Greenaway. The film is scheduled to begin shooting around March 2020.

Greenaway is one of Britain’s leading auteurs whose notable past works include “Prospero’s Books,” “The Cook, the Thief, His Wire & Her Lover,” “The Draughtsman’s Contract” and “Drowning by Numbers.”

Freeman won an Academy Award for “Million Dollar Baby” and was nominated for “Street Smart,

New Zealand’s Drax Project are enjoying burgeoning global success thanks to a unique musical blend. All of the band’s members attended music school, where they studied jazz. You can hear that influence in their use of saxophone, subtle melodies and delicate vocal interplay, which can bring to mind vintage street corner doo wop and pre-rock and roll crooner confections. Yet, they’re a modern boy band through and through, mixing pop, R&b and hip-hop in a way that places them in a tradition of acts from Boyz

Walt Disney Animation Studios has appointed four filmmakers to work on original content for the studio. Directors Carlos Lopez Estrada (“Blindspotting”) and Suzi Yoonessi, along with Disney veterans Josie Trinidad and Marc Smith are each developing new animated films for theatrical release.

The announcement comes as Disney and Walt Disney Animation’s chief creative officer Jennifer Lee works to increase the studio’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. Among its upcoming slate, Disney animation has “Raya and the Last Dragon” starring Awkwafina and written by Adele Lim.

“We aim to have Walt Disney Animation Studios serve as the premiere home for filmmakers interested in telling engaging stories within the limitless animation medium,” Lee, who wrote and directed “Frozen” and its forthcoming sequel, said in a statement. “Carlos and Suzi are two incredible, inventive filmmakers who have both received acclaim for their work. Josie and Marc, master, lead story artists, have

Rap beef is evolving. Earlier this year, Joe Budden and Nicki Minaj staged an inter-podcast scuffle that managed to say more about the act of aging gracefully (or, in that case, not) in hip-hop than anyone would like to admit. Now, two NBA players with successful side careers as musicians prove that the weird can always get weirder. Five days ago, Shaquille O’Neal posted a song aimed at Damian Lillard after the Portland Trailblazer claimed that he was the better rapper than the larger-than-life legend. For all those scoffing

Movie theater owners are taking the lead in setting requirements for new digital cinema technology.

The National Association of Theatre Owners said Tuesday that its executive board approved a resolution that spells out how digital cinema technology will be evaluated. Nato promised that its technology committee will initiate and conduct an open process to understand and evaluate digital cinema technologies, and create metrics to analyze future technologies.

The resolution said the process will include various stakeholders, including filmmakers, distributors, manufacturers, service providers and exhibitors. The initiative contrasts with efforts during the early 2000s, when studios were paying for the digital cinema transition through virtual print fees, which gave them a big say in setting requirements for digital cinema technology.

“Digital cinema has opened up the door to a wide range of technological advances,” said AMC Nato technology committee chairman John D. McDonald, who also serves as executive vice president of operations at AMC.

The 22nd edition of the Hollywood Film Festival, running Oct. 1-6 at Raleigh Studios, promises a bevy of talented filmmakers. Cinematic voices from 58 countries sent in submissions to this year’s event, which serves as a global stage for storytellers to present their work. More than just a competition, Hff strives to create relationships between filmmakers and producers and representatives, fashioning an open environment in an industry that is experiencing significant change across all sectors.

“We don’t want to feel like every other film festival, and our goal is to be different and inclusive,” says Brad Parks, chairman and executive director of Hff. “We see ourselves as the United Nations for filmmakers.”

Though it began its life as a glitzy, celeb-friendly awards-season kickoff event, the fest was taken in a new direction when it was purchased from founder Carlos de Abreu. Now, it strives to be a progressive-minded entity,

Magne Furuholmen, the keyboardist and co-songwriter for Norwegian synthpop band A-ha, has responded to a recent re-election ad from President Donald Trump that visually borrows from the group’s classic video for “Take on Me.”

“You write a song in your youth and you don’t write for a particular group of people one way or another; you write it for everyone. But then stuff like this happens,” Furuholmen tells Rolling Stone.

The video for “Take on Me,” released in 1985 and directed by renowned British videographer Steve Barron, became famous

Cherie Johnson is joining Soleil Moon Frye in reprising her original role in the “Punky Brewster” revival.

The revival of the 1980s sitcom has been given a pilot order at NBCUniversal’s upcoming streaming service, Peacock, which is set to launch in 2020.

Johnson will once again play Cherie, Punky’s (Frye) best friend since they were kids. NBCU gives this character description: “To ‘Punky’s’ kids, she’s ‘Aunt Cherie.’ Her life-long friendship with ‘Punky’ inspired her to become a social worker, helping orphaned kids.”

The pilot hails from Ucp and Universal Television. In the revival, a multicamera continuation of the original story of a bright young raised by a foster dad, Punky (Frye) is now a single mother of three trying to get her life back on track when she meets a young girl who reminds her a lot of her younger self, according to NBCU.

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Search “Damian Lillard game winner” on YouTube and you’ll get a handful of spectacular highlights, including a 37-foot stunner he hit in the first round of the NBA playoffs in April. The star point guard for the Portland Trail Blazers has been clutch going back to his Aau days, but as he tells Rolling Stone in the latest installment of the first time, the first game winner he ever hit ended up not mattering at all.

In the clip, Lillard recalls how in eighth grade, his Aau team got

The Chinese mountain-climbing adventure “The Climbers” works best when it’s an old-fashioned macho melodrama about the hardships faced by the first mountaineering team to document their summit of Mount Everest’s treacherous North-side in 1975.

In these scenes, writer-director Daniel Lee (“Black Mask”) and his colleagues deliver a less flamboyant but equally nationalistic mountain-climbing answer to “Top Gun,” one that’s mostly focused on the camaraderie and heartbreak that the (predominantly male) National Mountaineering Team faces whenever their stubborn but resourceful leaders Wuzhou Fang and Qu Songlin (Zhang Yi) press on in the face of avalanches, snow drifts, and other killer weather conditions.

Most action set pieces — which are the movie’s biggest selling point, given its IMAX presentation here in America — are marred by cheap-looking computer graphics and image-compositing, especially whenever the mountaineering team is super-imposed on the side of Everest during helicopter or crane shots. But impressive sound design,

Jimmy Spicer, a hip-hop pioneer with a flare for storytelling and the endurance to rap over one side of a 12-inch record, died last Friday of lung and brain cancer in a Brooklyn hospital at the age of 61. His 14-minute debut single, “The Adventures of Super Rhyme (Rap),” came out in 1980 and featured Spicer’s rhymes about Superman, Dracula, Aladdin, and anything else that came to mind. It would prove to be an influential early hip-hop landmark. His next singles, “The Bubble Bunch” and “Money (Dollar Bill Y’all),” established