Following in the footsteps of Richard Harris and Michael Gambon, John Lithgow is set to play Dumbledore in the new Harry Potter TV series. Set to join the 2026 TV schedule in December, we’ll get to see the 3rd Rock From the Sun actor sporting the long beard and being a magical mentor to The Boy Who Lived. Speaking of magic and The Boy Who Lived (in the movies), Daniel Radcliffe actually ran into Lithgow at his show, and naturally, they talked about Harry Potter.

Last month, Daniel Radcliffe did wish to meet John Lithgow and speak about the anticipated Harry Potter series. Well, dreams came true at the Lithgow's Broadway show Giant. The Harry Potter alum told People what meeting the new Dumbledore actor was like, and, of course, his magical new HBO series was involved:

Aww, that already sounds like something Albus Dumbledore would do. It’s a breath of fresh air to know Lithgow is bonding well with the young stars and that filming is going well. Previously, the Dexter star spoke of what a “big decision” it was to take on playing the Hogwarts headmaster, knowing it would be at least an eight-year commitment.

As Lithgow assumed this could be the last big role he’d do in his career, he picked a great one, as he'll get to spread Dumbledore’s wisdom to a new generation. Plus, you’ve gotta admit he looks kind of like Richard Harris when he portrayed the magical role in the first two Harry Potter movies.

Back in 2019, Daniel Radcliffe said he knew a reboot series would be inevitable, but would be “intrigued” to see when that moment came. Now that we’ve got an HBO series coming to the streaming schedule in December, here’s the Tony winner’s reaction to John Lithgow’s positive praise of his new series:

With The Wizarding World coming back to life once again with a new generation of actors in the iconic roles, it’s good that everything is going swimmingly. As Daniel Radcliffe has taken on movies, TV shows, and Broadway since his Harry Potter run, he’s already said we shouldn't hold out hope for a cameo in the HBO series. I can’t say I blame him, as the upcoming TV show should be a project of its own.

However, the Miracle Workers actor did say he’s already looking forward to watching the fantasy revival series once it hits streaming. I already can’t wait for him to send out positive praise for the new series and John Lithgow’s performance.

If Daniel Radcliffe is going to meet the new Dumbledore backstage at his Broadway show, you know Harry Potter is a given conversation. But I’m sure Radcliffe loved hearing about how well the new show is going for everyone.

Make sure to add the upcoming Harry Potter series to your watchlist, as it will be available to stream with an HBO Max subscription on Christmas Day. You can also watch the original film series on the streamer or with a Peacock subscription.

John Lithgow was asked about his favorite book from the Harry Potter franchise, and what felt like a fluff question actually became a significant update about Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The series is going to make its release date on the 2026 TV schedule, as filming just wrapped on the first season.

Lithgow was on the red carpet at the Tony Awards, and CBS Mornings caught up with the actor and asked him about his favorite Harry Potter book. That's not the bombshell. What really shook me up was that rather than answer the question, he casually just mentioned production has wrapped on Season 1, meaning we're on track to watch it with an HBO Max subscription this Christmas:

There's a lot of storytelling to get through, and as John Lithgow said above, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone will get much more time to recap Book 1 than the original movie did. The teaser hasn't shown us much more than what we'd seen previously, but as someone who grew up with the books, I'm really hoping we finally get to see Peeves and the other ghosts.

John Lithgow continued his comments, further deflecting the original question, but adding great details about the series. As many guessed, the Harry Potter show will use its extra time to get into a lot of the smaller adventures of the books that the films ended up cutting for time:

While there are some key moments left out of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I'd like to think the changes between the show and movies will be more apparent in later books. Personally, I know I'm very excited to see Goblet of Fire revisited, and given the proper time to get into the various competitions, the different wizarding schools, and subplots in between.

I do wonder why John Lithgow dodged the question about his favorite Harry Potter book. He revealed in an interview with Smartless that he was halfway through Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets a while back, so it's possible he hasn't made his way through the entire series.

In the end, maybe it was better he gave a response tied to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone than admit he was still making his way through the books. Whatever his reason was for dodging the question, I'm thrilled to see him play Albus Dumbledore. While he faced some struggles on whether he should play the role or not after disagreeing with author J.K. Rowling's viewpoints on various topics, it'll be great to see his take on an iconic character we've seen many actors play in pop culture.

As mentioned, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is coming to HBO and HBO Max on Christmas. I'm curious to see how many people tune in to watch it in between the holiday festivities, and if it ends up breaking some records on the platform.

As we inch closer to the Christmas premiere of HBO’s Harry Potter show, there has continued to be interest in how the movies’ ensemble feels about the new cast. Most recently, Daniel Radcliffe spoke about one of the actors set to play a major role in the series, while also admitting that he’s excited to ask him about this new book-to-screen adaptation of Harry Potter.

The actor in question is John Lithgow, who is playing Dumbledore in the HBO show. This all came up because Radcliffe and Lithgow are both nominated for Tony’s this year. So, while discussing their work on stage with ET, the original Harry Potter actor also chatted about how he’s “so excited to meet” Lithgow and “grill him about the upcoming Harry Potter TV series,” as the caption noted.

During the interview, Radcliffe was asked about being nominated alongside Lithgow, and he said:

Right after that, the interviewer said, “I was gonna say…” while footage of Lithgow as Dumbledore played over the clip. In response to that, Radcliffe said:

I can’t say I blame him. I would too! Radcliffe grew up on the Harry Potter movies (which you can stream with an HBO Max subscription), and to this day, it’s what he’s best known for. Also, John Lithgow is an absolute legend, so it tracks that the Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins actor wants to chat with him about what’s to come on the 2026 TV schedule.

Overall, it’s clear that Daniel Radcliffe admires Lithgow a lot. As I mentioned, this all came up because both men are nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play at the Tonys. While the Harry Potter actor is being recognized for the play Every Brilliant Thing, the new Dumbledore actor was nominated for Giant, which Radcliffe couldn’t help but gush about:

Well, talk about high praise! And the fact that he’s also playing Dumbledore in this new show must make matters even more exciting.

Considering how close Harry is with the headmaster in Harry Potter, the legends who played him in the movies (the late Michael Gambon and Richard Harris) and the icon that’s taking over the part, it’s no wonder Radcliffe has “so many questions” for Lithgow.

I’m sure he’ll get to ask them too. I mean, the two actors should both be at the Tonys. Plus, we know Radcliffe sent the show’s Harry, Dominic McLaughlin, a letter when he was cast. So, I’d assume that if the opportunity arises, he’d also take a moment to ask the new Dumbledore about the project, too.

As a long-time fan of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I knew the new cast of actors for the upcoming HBO TV adaptation would face many hurdles. It's no easy task taking over such beloved characters in a high-profile series. However, what I didn’t expect were all the awkward problems John Lithgow had to face as Dumbledore, and it mostly came down to sporting one of the most recognizable wizard’s beards in pop culture.

John Lithgow recently chatted with Today opened up about how tough it was to rock the chin curtain. With his usual laid-back vibe, he talked about how the beard got snagged on just about everything. He shared:

Yikes. I guess manscaping as a powerful wizard carries just as many annoyances as it does for us bearded folk in the Muggle world. I wouldn’t have even considered the challenges a beard of that length might introduce, especially when it's time to hit the restroom. But with his signature smile and charm, the 3rd Rock from the Sun star seems barely bothered by the extra work the floor-length face-fungus presented him during his time on the new book-to-screen adaptation.

What I found particularly interesting was the way in which Lithgow described his time on the set of Hogwarts. When asked about the magic he must have felt stepping into the world created for the show, he recalled:

That explanation really piqued my interest. From the start, fans have known that HBO wants to keep the new show separate from the Harry Potter film series, establishing its own identity. What’s cool is that they seem to be using some leftover sets from the “movie days,” as the Blow Out star put it. It’s pretty common for productions to recycle sets and props from other shows, but I thought this little detail from the interview was a fun tidbit to note.

I never considered how much thought went into making sure Lithgow chose the right way to portray Dumbledore before filming his first scene. He mentioned that his initial scene for the series was the opening one at Privet Drive:

Nearly the entire cast of the upcoming Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone are the first people to step into these roles since they were made famous by their film counterparts. Interestingly, John Lithgow is the fourth actor after Richard Harris, Michael Gambon, and Jude Law, so one wonders if he’s feeling a bit less pressure putting on the moon-shaped glasses and, yes, that oh so famous beard.

But, by the sounds of things, that isn’t the case. It's clear John Lithgow is taking this part very seriously and has put a lot of thought into his performance. The Conclave star's attitude toward the project has me incredibly excited to see him when the series hits the 2026 TV schedule later this year.

The first season of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, debuts on HBO on Christmas Day 2026, and will then stream for all with an HBO Max subscription soon after.

Production on HBO’s Harry Potter show is ongoing and, in the meantime, this new take on the Wizarding World remains a much-discussed topic amongst fans. Simultaneously, there’s also been much discussion about J.K. Rowling – the other of the fantasy book series – and some of the personal views she’s expressed in recent years. A handful of cast members from the series have been asked for their take on the matter, including John Lithgow. With that, Lithgow has now seemingly come to terms with one thing involving Rowling.

It was first reported over a year ago that Lithgow was being courted to play the role of Albus Dumbledore on the HP series, and his casting was confirmed shortly after. Since then, the 80-year-old Oscar nominee has been fielding various questions about his involvement in the show. As previously alluded to, the veteran actor has also been asked about Rowling’s comments on transgender individuals, which have garnered backlash. That topic came up again when Lithgow spoke with The New York Times, and he said:

Back around the spring of 2025, John Lithgow spoke about his “big decision” to play Dumbledore and stated that Rowling – who he reportedly hasn’t met, as of this writing, per NYT. At the time, Lithgow said the author was “absolutely not” a variable that factored into his choice to sign on for the show. Around the time that Lithgow addressed his casting, fans also took to social media to share supportive sentiments.

Lithgow was asked about Rowling again while taking part in a Q&A for an unrelated project. While discussing the matter, Lithgow explained that he took “the subject and the issue extremely seriously.” At the time, the Conclave actor also said the Harry Potter series was “so much about acceptance” and made reference to themes like “good versus evil” and “kindness versus cruelty.” Later in the discussion, Lithgow also said it “upsets [him] when people are vehemently opposed to my having anything to do with” Potter.

Another star of the upcoming TV show who was asked about J.K. Rowling was new Rubeus Hagrid actor Nick Frost. When asked about Rowling, Frost said she was “allowed her opinion and I’m allowed mine, they just don’t align in any way, shape or form.” The Hot Fuzz alum was also asked if the series might be overshadowed by the controversy and opined that “maybe it shouldn’t blow over.” Frost then said, “we shouldn’t just hope it will go away, because it makes it easier,” and he closed out his thoughts by stating, “maybe we should educate ourselves.”

In terms of the behind-the-scenes logistics of the Potter series, Francesca Gardiner – whose credits include His Dark Materials and Killing Eve – serves as showrunner. J.K. Rowling is credited as an executive producer and, in the lead-up to filming she shared updates on the development. Most notably, last summer, she took to social media to praise the scripts and, in a separate post, she explained that while she wasn’t writing for the show herself, she had “worked closely” with the writers’ room.

Production on the first season of Harry Potter – which is set to be released in 2027 – is set to continue in the U.K. until the middle of this year. All the while, John Lithgow has expressed his commitment to the part and has been reckoning with it being “the last big role [he’ll] probably play.”

HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter TV series has garnered a lot of attention since it was announced a few years ago, and not all of that has been for positive reasons. J.K. Rowling – the author of the best-selling book series on which the Potter show is based – has garnered backlash for her comments regarding transgender individuals. Following this, a number of disappointed fans have begun publicly questioning those who’ve joined the show. Now, the series' Dumbledore actor John Lithgow is sharing his take on the matter and discussing his commitment to playing his character.

John Lithgow appeared at the International Film Festival Rotterdam this weekend and promoted his new movie, queer drama Jimpa. As part of that Q&A ( via THR ) Lithgow was asked about his involvement in the Wizarding World show. Aside from discussing the “insane” eight-year contract he signed to play powerful wizard Albus Dumbledore, the 80-year-old actor also broached the topic of Rowling’s controversial viewpoints:

Since J.K. Rowling began sharing views on trans people, some fans have argued that they run counter to the themes present within the Harry Potter books. The principles Lithgow named are among the values that have been argued for by fans. Considering those ideas, the Oscar-nominated actor admitted to being surprised that Rowling would share these specific viewpoints. He also mentioned the writer's lack of involvement in the upcoming TV show.

Lithgow’s comments suggest that Rowling may not be involved in the day-to-day work that happens on the series, which is currently filming in the UK. Despite that, Rowling has been in the mix, sharing thoughts on scripts and apparently helping with the casting process.

In 2025, Rowling also said she’d been open to casting people who held political and societal opinions that differed from her own. Reports of John Lithgow’s casting initially surfaced in February 2025 and, now, he seems grateful to be playing the beloved Dumbledore:

The Shrek alum is far from the first actor associated with Harry Potter to address J.K. Rowling’s views. New Hagrid actor Nick Frost asserted that his own views did not align with Rowling’s and seemed to be against the notion of letting this ongoing conversation “blow over.” OG Hermione actress Emma Watson has also spoken about Rowling, admitting that while she doesn’t see eye-to-eye with the author on certain topics, she does still care for her. Though Watson also wished she and her former collaborator could’ve had a formal conversation about the situation. Rowling eventually responded and chastised Watson’s comments.

At this point, it would appear that the conversation swirling around J.K. Rowling isn’t slowing down. John Lithgow, for his part, seems quite cognizant of the situation while simultaneously focused on completing the job he was hired for, and does seem extremely passionate about. Fans will be able to see Lithgow’s Dumbledore when the Harry Potter series drops sometime in 2027.

Everyone loves a ruthless TV villain. From Cersei Lannister to J.R. Ewing to Mr. Burns, great villains come in all kinds of ways on our television schedule. They may be cold and calculating, or they may be impulsive and crazy, but a great villain always makes for a much better show. This is a list of just a few of my favorite and most ruthless villains in TV history. Enjoy! If you don't, they may come for you.

J.R. Ewing (Dallas)

J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) was a villain who was so cunning and so ruthless that when he was shot on the Season 3 finale of Dallas, literally all of America waited months to find out who shot him. It wasn't just one of the best cliffhangers ever; it was a cultural moment that I don't think will ever be matched.

Livia Soprano (The Sopranos)

When you're a mob boss and your worst enemy is your mother, you know you're in a bad spot. Livia Soprano, Tony's domineering and, frankly, nasty, mother, played by the late Nancy Marchand, was a brilliant antagonist for the powerful boss of the family. She was so underhanded and so unhinged at times, you never knew just what she was capable of or if there was any good in her at all. It would have been amazing to see where her character went, had we not tragically lost Marchand during the show's run.

Kilgrave (Jessica Jones)

Kilgrave, played by David Tennant in Jessica Jones, just might be my favorite comic book villain in the modern era. The fact that his ability to change the reality you understand in your own head is diabolical and terrifying. Tennant's performance is flat-out amazing.

Gus Fring (Breaking Bad)

Giancarlo Esposito's performance as Gus Fring, the mortal enemy of Walter White (Bryan Cranston) in Breaking Bad, is simply terrifying. He's calm and cold while exacting terrible violence. He's ruthless in his pursuit to control the game, and he's completely without remorse. It's the perfect combination to make an amazing villain.

Nina Myers (24)

There is nothing more ruthless than turning on your co-worker and country, like Nina Myers (Sarah Clarke) did in Season 1 of 24. It was a moment that completely blew viewers' minds, who never could have predicted that Jack Bauer's right-hand woman would end up the villain.

Negan (The Walking Dead)

I'll make a confession here: Negan (Jefferey Dean Morgan) was too much for me. I started to tune out of The Walking Dead right about the time he entered. He was just too violent and too mean for me to keep going. The Walking Dead had a number of great villains, but for me, he's the king of the worst.

The Trinity Killer (Dexter)

The only person to actually match wits with Dexter on the show of the same name was, of course, Arthur Mitchell, aka The Trinity Killer, played by the brilliant John Lithgow. He was an unbelievable foe for everyone's favorite anti-hero/serial killer and a big reason the show was as successful as it was over the years.

Aunt Lydia (The Handmaid's Tale)

The Handmaid's Tale is one of the hardest shows to watch, ever. There is just so much evil throughout virtually every moment of the show. That evil is personified by Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), the "aunt" who is "caring" for June Osborne/Offred and her fellow handmaids. It's impossible to sum up just how evil she is.

Moriarty (Sherlock)

One of the greatest villains in Western literature is Moriarty from the Sherlock Holmes books. On the show Sherlock, Moriarty is portrayed perfectly in a modernized way by Andrew Scott. He is a master criminal, sure, but really, he just wants to torment our hero, Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch)

Mr. Burns (The Simpsons)

Any villain who once tried to block out the sun to drive up profits for his company belongs on this list. Mr. Burns' attempt to shroud Springfield in darkness on The Simpsons led to dozens of suspects after he was shot. Of course, it was actually CM Burms' attempt to steal candy from a baby that actually got him shot. It's a toss-up as to which is worse.

Homelander (The Boys)

One of the most disturbing villains you can watch with a Prime subscription has to be Homelander from The Boys. He finally answers the question: "What if Superman were evil?" Luckily, he's as funny as he is scary, which makes him as watchable as any other baddie on this list.

Cersei Lannister (Game Of Thrones)

One show that gave us all multiple villains that could be on this is Game of Thrones. Perhaps the most coniving, most ruthless, and most disturbing of them all was Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey). She made it (almost) to the bitter end of the show after setting herself up as the villain very early on. She wasn't alone, but she was the most dangerous in the game.

Vern Schillinger (Oz)

Vern Schillinger (J.K. Simmons) is the personification of evil on Oz. The racist prisoner was ruthless, but he was also weak in a lot of ways, making him even more dangerous.

Al Swearengen (Deadwood)

There are no villains on this list with the verbal panache of Al Swearengen on Deadwood. Ian McShane's performance, delivering those amazing lines like only he could, made Swearengen a fan favorite, despite just how awful he could be. Just hope he doesn't turn that silver tongue on you, or you might get fed to the pigs next.

Ben Linus (Lost)

This first season on Lost saw the castaways mostly fighting among themselves. There was no real "villain" until the 14th episode of the show's second season. That is when Henry Gale is captured by Rousseau. Soon, we would all learn his real name, Ben Linus, and his real motive, and they weren't benevolent. Actor Michael Emerson played the role perfectly.

Wilson Fisk (Daredevil)

Matching his brains with tremendous brawn, Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) has everything he needs to be one of the most powerful baddies on this list. In both the original Daredevil, which streamed on Netflix before moving to Disney+, and Daredevil: Reborn, Kingpin is as formidable as any villain ever. It doesn't hurt to have the talented D'Onofrio playing the supervillain, one of Marvel's best.

Alexis Carrington (Dynasty)

What J.R. Ewing did for Dallas, Alexis Carrington (Joan Collins) did for Dynasty. The show was a direct response to Dallas, and it had the same vibe, and Alexis was just as conniving and ruthless as J.R.

Skeletor (He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe)

This one is personal. When I was a kid, I was actually a little scared of Skeletor in the original He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe cartoon. He's been the central villain throughout all of the various versions of the franchise. He was thwarted most of the time, but he never stopped coming at He-Man and his cohorts.

Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal)

One of the most ruthless and terrifying villains on TV and on the silver screen has to be Hannibal Lecter. The cannibal psychiatrist was played by Mads Mikkelsen on the show Hannibal, after Sir Anthony Hopkins won an Oscar playing the role in The Silence Of The Lambs. Whomever plays him, he's pure evil.

Marlo Stanfield (The Wire)

One of the things that makes The Wire such an amazing show, one of the best shows ever in the peak era of television, was that there were very few pure villains. Every character, cop or criminal, was presented in shades of gray. Some good, some bad. One character that was pretty much all bad, however, was Marlo Stanfield (Jamie Hector). His takeover of the drug trade in Baltimore was as ruthless a takeover as you could imagine. He was cold and calculating, but he wasn't afraid to be as violent as he could.

Sue Sylvester (Glee)

Sue Sylvester might not be the most violent or the most criminal villain on this list, but that doesn't mean that she is any less ruthless in the pursuit of her goals than anyone else on this list. The great Jane Lynch was born to play the role, too. She was not only ruthless, she was hilarious. The perfect example of a character we all love to hate, and that's a complete compliment to the great Ms. Lynch.

Damon Pope (Sons Of Anarchy)

It wasn't often that SAMCRO ran up against a foe that they couldn't take out pretty easily in Sons of Anarchy. Damon Pope, played by Harold Perrineau, was one exception to that rule. Pope was the main antagonist in Season 5 of the show, and he was responsible for one of the most brutal deaths in SOA history when he arranged Opie's death in front of his brothers. I still get sick to my stomach just thinking about it.

Joffery Baratheon (Game Of Thrones)

In a show full of villains, Joffrey Baratheon was the most unpredictable and the most ruthlessly violent. He was a terrible sadist, as shown over and over, and he had absolutely no morals. He is among the most hated TV villains of all time.

Thomas Barrow (Downton Abbey)

Downton Abbey isn't a show that jumps out as having any ruthless villains, but Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier) definitely fits the bill here. He's conniving, sniveling, and awful. Sometimes his motives don't even seem reasonable, but that doesn't stop him from trying to undermine his perceived enemies.

Ralph Cifaretto (The Sopranos)

The Sopranos never really found a villain quite as evil as Livia Soprano, but when Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) returns from Miami in Season 3, we did get a formidable foe to Tony. He was rash and violent, but he also always found a way to justify his questionable decisions, even when they went against Tony's orders.

Amanda Woodward (Melrose Place)

As a spinoff of Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place was decidedly more "adult," not just in the age of the characters, but in the way those characters acted and were treated. 90210 didn't really have villains, but Melrose had Amanda Woodward, played by the wonderful Heather Locklear. While she did garner some sympathy as the seasons rolled on, in the beginning, she was 100% villain.

Newman (Seinfeld)

There aren't a whole lot of villains in sitcoms, at least, not any as devious as Jerry's neighbor Newman (Wayne Knight). He was buddies with Kramer, but a sworn enemy of Jerry's, and it made every single interaction between the two characters hilarious. The disdain they had for each other was palpable every time they met. Newman and Jerry got along.

Sideshow Bob (The Simpsons)

While Mr. Burns is a villain to everyone in Springfield (even Smithers most of the time), Sideshow Bob (voiced by Kelsey Grammer) is a villain to just one poor kid in town, Bart Simpson. Over the years, the Bond Villain-like Bob has come up with all kinds of schemes to take out who he thinks is his nemesis, but he is thwarted each time. It's made for some of the best episodes of The Simpsons.

Sylar (Heroes)

Sylar (Zachary Quinto) was not only ruthless on Heroes, but he was insanely powerful, and that made him one of the scariest villains on this whole list. Zachary Quinto played the role masterfully,

The Governor (The Walking Dead)

Of all the villains in The Walking Dead, The Governor, played by David Morrissey in Seasons 3 and 4, is one of the most menacing. Maybe it's the eye patch, but there was always something very unsettling about him, even when he wasn't being totally awful (which was rare). The villains got more violent as the show went on, but they didn't get any scarier than The Governor.

Villanelle (Killing Eve)

Villanelle's cat-and-mouse game with Eve (Sandra Oh) is what makes the show so great. Jodie Comer, who plays Villanelle, and Sandra Oh have great on-screen chemistry, which is often underrated when it comes to great villains on TV. Sometimes, the back-and-forth is what makes the adversaries great.

Rowan Pope (Scandal)

It's always bad when your most ruthless enemy is part of your family. For Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington), her father, Rowan Pope (Joe Morton), was the one enemy who knew how to really twist the knife in the normally unflappable Olivia.

As bizarre as it is to consider for too long, Michael C. Hall’s appetite-heavy killer-of-killers will soon be back on the small screen in a completely new way, with the sequel series Dexter: Resurrection taking both him and Jack Alcott’s Harrison Morgan into the hustle and bustle of New York City. The new series will feature an appearance from John Lithgow’s Trinity Killer, among other former franchise stars, but what about that standalone idea that was previously discussed?

It turns out Dexter producer Clyde Phillips, who took on showrunning duties for Resurrection, hasn’t dropped the ball at all in regards to a potential spinoff digging into the backstory of Lithgow’s Arthur Mitchell, arguably Dexter’s most vicious villain. In fact, he told Collider that the only thing keeping it from happening right now is a lack of a greenlight from the powers that be. As he put it:

Talk about confidence in an idea. Clyde Phillips & Co. not only crafted a working outline for the Trinity Killer’s rise to infamy, but they went ahead and scripted the entire shebang. Without a thumbs up from network execs, that’s quite a big risk to take; or if not necessarily a risk, than potentially a lot of time being spent focusing on a lost cause. But hopefully that won’t be the case.

Arthur Miller gave audiences one of the most shocking TV moments of all time, not just for Dexter, but any show, in the final episode of Season 4. It absolutely changed the course of Dexter’s life, as well as that of his and Rita’s son. Surely he had a similarly devastating effect on other family’s lives prior to that, though, which is the kind of subject matter I’d assume the prequel-ized series would follow.

Within Dexter’s canon, Arthur’s prolific run as a serial killer lasted for three decades, all while he maintained a public life as a beloved and well-respected high school teacher and church deacon. Despite being highly abusive towards his wife and children, he’s also viewed as being a family man, though his views on families are a bit more twisted than most. He crossed the country committing his patterned crimes, evading capture and recognition, and it sounds like the creative team knows exactly where those crimes are happening.

Will we get to see another awkward Thanksgiving dinner quite like this one, though?

It’s unclear whether or not John Lithgow himself would ever be seen on the show, or if he would only appear through voiceovers and narration. It stands to reason he won’t have a ton of time in the near future to take on many TV roles, since he’s set to play Dumbledore in the upcoming Harry Potter series.

For now, all we need to do as fans is watch the hell out of Dexter: Resurrection so that Showtime and Paramount+ and all the execs involved make the right call and order up the Trinity Killer spinoff before it’s too late.

While the new Harry Potter series has begun casting and there’s been excitement from fans, the discourse surrounding J.K. Rowling’s trans stance has also surrounded the series. It’s something John Lithgow was made aware of around the time he said yes to playing the new version of Dumbledore in the upcoming book-to-screen adaptation, but he says it wasn’t a “big” factor when determining whether or not he would take the role.

Instead, his biggest concern had to do with his own mortality and the length of the Potter series. Previous reports indicated that Max would like to release the Harry Potter series over the course of the next decade, which means Lithgow will be contracted to the gig for quite some time. Unlike the young cast, he says that’s a much bigger factor to consider.

When speaking with the The Times in a recent interview, he directly addressed Rowling and the actual ‘big decision’ he had to make.

Harry Potter roles like Professor Dumbledore are considerably meaty, and Warner Bros. reportedly isn’t holding back with the budget on the new Rowling series, either. So, it’s easy to see why the gig might be both appealing and daunting, particularly at the ripe age of 79. (The actor turns 80 in October.) If the show gets off the ground later in the year and premieres in 2026 as expected, that means Lithgow would be around 90 by the time the whole thing wraps.

It’s definitely something to consider. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t note the original Harry Potter movies dealt with a disruption in the middle after Richard Harris died following Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets wrapping filming. He was only 72. That was obviously a huge loss to that franchise, and while I would hope Lithgow has all the time in the world to complete filming the new series, he did absolutely factor the time component in.

Lithgow did say he was made aware of the Internet controversy surrounding the prolific author as he was signing on for the series. He told the outlet a friend of his who is the “mother of a trans child” did inform him, but when asked if it was ever a consideration factor for taking on a role in the popular franchise he said “heavens no” when it came into someone's politics factoring into his decision to take a role. He elaborated:

Rowling is involved in the new Harry Potter series as an executive producer, but separate writers, directors and showrunners are being hired for the new version, which fans will be able to view with a Max Subscription.

As the 2025 TV schedule continues to deliver its own run of delights, the future still calls to fans of upcoming projects. Of course, one of those huge draws happens to be the recently cast Harry Potter HBO series, which has already seen some controversy. In terms of the casting of John Lithgow as Professor Dumbledore, you probably couldn’t find a greater point of debate, but you’ll also find a crowd of fans who are actually all in on the veteran actor’s upcoming role.

John Lithgow's Revealed Cautious Feelings About Playing The Next Dumbledore

With a mixture of wisdom and confidence, Mr. Lithgow’s recent appearance on BBC’s The One Show had the man himself talking about how he’s “very excited, very intimidated” about taking on this legendary Wizarding World role. Speaking about playing the legendary Hogwarts headmaster, the Conclave actor said:

And as you’ll see in the clip below, the support he has from his hosts is another source of optimism:

Considering that John Lithgow thinks this will be the “last big role” in his career, that attitude is kind of required. After all, you wouldn’t want to see anyone heading into this new Harry Potter incarnation with anything short of confidence. While it’s true that some fans have their reasons to be upset by Lithgow’s casting, there are others who are actually rather excited for the road ahead.

Many Fans Are Supporting John Lithgow Playing Dumbledore

As seen in the comments of the video shared above, some are looking forward to this potential Max subscription driver and they are a-ok with the next Dumbledore in the Harry Potter mythos. As an alum of everything from Dexter to 3rd Rock from the Sun, and with two Oscar nominations and countless accolades under his belt, John Lithgow’s reputation certainly precedes him.

Keep in mind, what you’re about to read is just a sample of the love pouring out from the fan community:

• “He will be brilliant as Dumbeldore, I have complete faith in him he is a brilliant actor” - @hickey_daniel
• “Just read the books honor them and you‘ll be fine ❤️ I think he‘s gonna be great” - @stefaninasmusic
• “I’m so happy for him and excited to see how he portrays the best character in the world” - @joshua_itssme
• “Can we adopt him??” - @highlandfever
• “Not appalled at all! Think he will be fab! Loved third rock from the Sun growing up and he was the absolute best villain as Arthur Mitchell in Dexter 😍” - @haypatt

Looks like Dexter: Resurrection’s inclusion of Lithgow in its cast was the right move after all. While I’m unsurprised that there were several mentions of Arthur “Trinity Killer” Mitchell in the feedback from fans, as well as some continued nay-saying, it’s nice that the positive vibes seem to be winning out in this Harry Potter casting.

There’s always going to be controversy involving this Max-based reboot of a beloved franchise, especially considering author J.K. Rowling’s views on transgender identity politics are still a huge part of the conversation. However, when limited to the realm of the creative, the presence of Mr. Lithgow is something most can rally around as a positive.

Alright…let’s talk about the new Harry Potter series.

Before we get into this, if you know me, you know I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. No, really. I don’t just say that because it gets clicks. I am the biggest Harry Potter fan I know, and I’m pretty sure that if I lived alone, I would have an entire bookshelf dedicated to the series that I love.

While the author behind said series has gotten herself in hot water before, I’ve always loved the franchise for the memories it brings and the validity it has allowed me to feel over the years. It was the first book series I ever read and one that I still hold dear in my heart. It’s what inspired me to love fantasy shows and movies as much as I do—why I even want to write a fantasy novel of my own one day.

But with any successful franchise like Harry Potter, which has fans like me who rewatch the Harry Potter films over and over again, there comes a time when a new adaptation comes.

And now, news of the latest cast for the HBO Harry Potter show has come out. While it’s not the core trio, it’s some of the biggest adult names in the series – and I do have an issue.

However, it’s not with the cast member that you think. Let’s get into it.

I Actually Don’t Mind Snape’s Casting One Bit

As the headline suggests, I’m actually not mad about Snape’s casting one bit. In fact, I couldn't care less.

I know there will be some people out there who will think I am absolutely bonkers for even suggesting this otherwise, but I’ll tell you why in a few short sentences. My first reason is that Paapa Essiedu is a phenomenal British actor. Aside from his stage work, he has appeared in some of the most critically acclaimed movies and television shows of the last decade, like I May Destroy You, Men, The Outrun and more. I would obviously trust a talented actor to take on a role like this.

But the big reason that people are upset is how he looks, and while there’s a laundry list of things I could say in response to that, this is my respectful way – it literally does not matter what Snape looks like. All that matters is that he has the same story that he does in the Harry Potter series, that he secretly loved Lily Potter, that he’s a double agent for the Order and Voldemort, that he still antagonizes Harry – his looks have nothing to do with his character.

Are they distinct within the franchise? Sure, but just because they’re different doesn’t mean they can’t be changed as long as the heart of the character remains the same. So for that, I really couldn’t care less. Just from looking at him, I can easily see him pulling off a version of Snape.

Will he be like Alan Rickman’s Snape? No, of course not, but I can at least see it.

I’m Not A Huge Fan Of John Lithgow Playing Dumbledore

The cast member I actually have an issue with is John Lithgow. I really, really don’t think he should have been picked as Dumbledore.

Dumbledore plays such a pivotal role in the world of Harry Potter. I mean, it’s really hard to pull off that part when both Richard Harris and Michael Gambon played the role so well and practically embodied these portrayals. But I do believe some actors out there would do it well.

Lithgow is an iffy choice for me.

Don’t get me wrong, the actor is outstanding. I’ve seen many of his films and movies. I was first introduced to him in one of the best Showtime series, Dexter, but he’s appeared in far more shows and films aside from that. Some big ones include The World According to Garp, Footloose, Interstellar, Late Night, Conclave, Perry Mason, The Crown, and so many others.

But I, for my life, can’t see him pulling off Albus Dumbledore. Of all people to pick, I can’t see him as someone who’s very kind and sweet but also powerful and can be a menace when he wants to be. I’ve never really seen him in a role like that, and maybe that’s what is throwing me off.

He’s Also Not Even British

I also find Lithgow’s casting troubling. He’s not even British.

Granted, this isn’t the first time an American has put on a British accent, and Lithgow has done it plenty of times. I think he’s done it enough that people have begun to assume that he is British.

But every other cast member announced is from the U.K. Harry Potter has always prided itself on hiring English actors to play these roles because the story takes place in the United Kingdom. Lithgow is the outlier here.

It’s not the first time that an American actor has put on an English accent on TV – heck, Peter Dinklage of Game of Thrones cast fame is originally from New Jersey, but you would never know it. However, it just feels strange for something like Harry Potter to do it.

I Think There Were Also Several Other Great Options From England

While Lithgow was a decent pick, many other English actors are well within the age range that could have played Dumbledore. Liam Neeson is honestly a great one – while he’s not from England, he is an Irish actor who could potentially pull off Dumbledore. Or, maybe the son of Richard Harris – Jared Harris – would have been a great pick.

Or, and hear me out, we could have had a primary HBO return and had Sean Bean come back as Dumbledore, another great English actor.

I don’t know. There are just so many options out there, and yet they went with Lithgow.

I’m Still Excited For The Series, But A Little Wary

Look, this makes it sound like I’m not going to watch the show because Lithgow is in it. That’s not the case because I most definitely am, and you can believe I will have my whole Harry Potter outfit planned and ready with homemade butterbeer and pumpkin pasties.

But at the same time, I can’t help but be a little wary now. The idea of casting American actors in a show that takes place in the United Kingdom primarily makes me a little nervous as to what they are planning with this new iteration. And while I will support anything with Harry Potter because I love the series so much, I’m cautiously approaching this show with a careful eye.

This is HBO, and usually, they make great shows, but a girl is nervous – here’s hoping they somehow find a way to pull it off. I think it’s time for another Harry Potter movie marathon.

The Wizarding World is about to welcome a new Dumbledore, as John Lithgow has been cast in the role for the latest iteration of the J.K. Rowling's franchise. The two-time Oscar nominee and Emmy-winning actor knows precisely how much the role means to fans. As the beloved performer reflects on joining the upcoming Harry Potter Max series as the beloved Hogwarts headmaster, he shares how the decision wasn’t just about taking on a fan-favorite character. Believe it or not, it may mark the final major role of his legendary career.

John Lithgow recently participated in a lengthy interview with Variety, with a clip being shared to the outlet's Instagram. The veteran actor discussed his casting and the weight of the commitment. He stated:

For fans who grew up with the franchise, the thought of the Dexter alum actor (another series reboot he’s returning to) lending his gravitas and warmth to Dumbledore is already stirring up excitement. Yet hearing the actor himself recognize the magnitude of it makes it all the more poignant.

The 79-year-old actor also reflected on stepping into the role of Dumbledore, following in the footsteps of the late Michael Gambon, who portrayed the character in six of the original Harry Potter films. Gambon took over the role from Richard Harris, who passed away after the second film's release. He continued:

I agree with the Cliffhanger actor; there are many outstanding performances across the best Michael Gambon movies. However, the inclusion of the veteran 3rd Rock From the Sun star in this high-profile reboot has piqued my interest.

Lithgow's casting comes as Warner Bros. Discovery moves ahead with its ambitious reimagining of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. Announced in 2021, the series promises to be a faithful adaptation that spans a decade, with each book transformed into a separate season. This approach aims to introduce a new generation of actors to portray Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the rest of the Hogwarts ensemble. Dumbledore, one of the most pivotal characters in the entire saga, serves as the story's emotional core, making the New York-born star's involvement a significant choice.

John Lithgow has done everything from Broadway shows to The Crown, where he won an Emmy for his role as Winston Churchill. Taking on the Harry Potter series is a new challenge for him. He not only has to capture Dumbledore's wisdom, quirks, and emotional depth, but he’s also stepping into a world that means a lot to millions of fans.

Potter Heads will have to hang tight to see this new take on Dumbledore since the series is still in the early stages of development. Just make sure you've got that Max subscription ready to catch Lithgow’s unique blend of heart, humor, and authority as he rocks those half-moon glasses and that iconic beard.

Here I was, thinking the casting directors behind the upcoming spinoff Dexter: Resurrection had already gone the furthest they possibly could to get me ecstatic about the upcoming spinoff. And here they go again, reminding me how silly such assumptions can be. Because somehow, the sequel series’ star-studded lineup has become even more magnificent with the addition of two all-time great franchise vets.

No, I’m definitely not talking about Colin Hanks’ uncomfortable AF cult member Travis — though I suppose that casting announcement is all but imminent — but rather the award-winning duo of Jimmy Smits and recent Oscar telecast highlight John Lithgow. Let’s take a closer look!

Jimmy Smits Will Return As Miguel Prado

One of the best character actors to ever grace the halls of Miami Metro, Jimmy Smits gave Michael C. Hall's forensics expert a run for his blood-speckled money back in Season 3, where he was introduced as ADA Miguel Prado, the brother of a man Dexter killed without fully knowing of his guilt. As fans will no doubt remember, Miguel quickly gains Dexter's trust and becomes a temporary partner in vigilantism.

Of course, Miguel's greed and impulsive actions quickly made their partnership untenable for someone who likes his secrecy, and his deal with The Skinner ultimately seals his fate. Dexter lethally thwarts his attempts to kill LaGuerta, and Miguel is later (falsely) identified as a victim of the Skinner.

No details from Deadline about how Miguel Prado will resurface, but one has to think that it'll be via dreamstate or some hallucination that Dexter has, possibly while still in the hospital.

It'll be the first time that Smits officially returns to the Dexter-verse, though eagle-eyed fans have seen Miguel Prado in more recent times. The character popped up for a quick scene in Dexter: Original Sin to meet with LaGuerta, and fans like myself are hoping that future seasons explore what he was like as an up-and-coming attorney.

John Lithgow's Trinity Killer Is Back Again, Sort Of

Having recently been tapped to take on the iconic role of Dumbledore for the upcoming Harry Potter TV series, on top of a winning horror turn in The Rule of Jenny Pen, John Lithgow is officially making his latest return to the Dexter-verse as arguably the franchise's most captivating antagonist, the Trinity Killer. (Hey, I love the Ice Truck Killer as much as anyone, but Lithgow's chops are too pronounced.)

While it seemingly wasn't fully confirmed until now, Lithgow did address his killer reprisal previously, which coincided with news of David Dastmalchian joining the Dexter: Resurrection cast. It doesn't sound like we'll be seeing a ton of Arthur Miller when he pops up again somewhere within Dexter's harrowing memory banks. Here's how the actor put it when speaking with Variety at the time:

I'm not sure I can make much sense of that statement. So Trinity Killer is a phantom who goads the hospital-bound Dexter as he slowly returns to form after seemingly being killed in Dexter: New Blood's finale? I suppose that tracks in a "life flashes before your eyes" kind of way. And I guess it makes sense that Dexter would see Arthur again in the newest series after he'd previously made a spinoff return to haunt young Harrison's memories of his mother Rita's death.

Still no word on Jennifer Carpenter's return, which I have an interesting idea for, but there are likely still a couple more months of filming to go!

We'll all find out what these returning characters are up to when Dexter: Resurrection arrives on Showtime (and Paramount+) later in the 2025 TV schedule.

Shrek has become a cultural touchstone for multiple generations, as viewers of varying ages continue to be charmed by the gruff but lovable ogre's adventures. Moviegoers may not have known what to expect from the franchise's inaugural installment from 2001, and that was also true of cast member John Lithgow. The veteran actor was indeed impressed when he was pitched his character, Lord Farquaad. But it turns out the Hollywood heavy hitter had one thing pegged incorrectly about the film.

John Lithgow's been busy as of late, promoting his 2025 movie schedule release, The Rule of Jenny Pen, following awards season. He'll also remain booked, as he's been cast as Dumbledore in Max's Harry Potter series, . Ahead of that, though, the star caught up with Variety (via YouTube) to reminisce about his career highlights, starting with the villainous ruler of Duloc. And, right off the bat, he revealed the major misconception he had about the DreamWorks production:

While I think a Shrek TV show could be a lot fun, I’m glad it just exists as a movie franchise. It's honestly surprising to hear that Lithgow didn’t think he was working on a movie, especially given the studio involved. Still, Lord Farquaad does give off the vibes of a classic Saturday morning villain. On a side note, I also wish I could've been a fly on the wall for those pitch meetings.

Of course, in time, John Lithgow realized what he'd become a part of. However, he still had a to learn a thing or two when it came to being part of an animated production. The Old Man alum went on to explain that he became somewhat overwhelmed by the behind-the-scenes logistics, specifically just how long the work lasted in total:

Animated movies take a while to produce for more than a few reasons, such as script rewrites, character design tweaks and more. In the case of this film, Chris Farley originally voiced the titular ogre and recorded lines before his tragic death in 1997. Mike Myers then stepped in to take the role and, as John Lithgow recalled, Myers had to end up re-recording the entire film, because the producers preferred he use a Scottish accent.

The cast and crew's work paid off, though, as the franchise is still going strong over 20 years later. Fans were just recently treated to a Shrek 5 first look, which revealed new character designs for the main character, Donkey and Princess Fiona. Shrek and Fiona's now-teenage daughter, Felicia (voiced by Zendaya), also appeared in the footage. Fans debated the animation style, with one even "fixing" it and being praised for the tweaks.

It remains unclear as to whether (the deceased) Lord Farquaad will return, though John Lithgow is open to reprising the role. And, should Lithgow rejoin the franchise at some point, I'm sure he'll be fully aware he's working on a film -- and one that could take years to complete.

Relive all the Shrek fun by streaming the first three films with a Peacock subscription and the fourth with a Max subscription.

The horror genre has a unique place in the entertainment industry. Some of the best horror movies were made on a minimal budget, allowing there to be massive profit if a title hits big. Horror has been experiencing a renaissance for years now, attracting some A list talent to join in on the fun. Case in point: the upcoming horror movie The Rule of Jenny Pen, which stars icons Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow. And the latter actor shared with CinemaBlend how he was inspired to sign on, specifically after hearing the vision of filmmaker James Ashcroft.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Rush and Lithgow about their collaboration on The Rule of Jenny Pen, and the latter actor couldn't say enough positive things about the movie's director. I asked about the film's grueling tone, where he revealed his original reaction to the movie's script. In the 3rd Rock from the Sun (which was arguably one of the best NBC shows) alum shared:

Points were made. This latest horror flick is set in a nursing home, where Lithgow's villainous Dave Crealy is terrorizing his fellow residents with the movie's titular puppet. CinemaBlend's The Rule of Jenny Pen review praised the "nasty" film, although it sounds like the cast had a great time filming the project.

The setting of the movie is definitely captivating, with Geoffrey Rush equating Jenny Pen to Alien when speaking about the way the nursing home immerses viewers into the story. Despite how hard it is to watch the residents being victimized, John Lithgow explained how Ashcroft actually tried to be very "compassionate" about the story. In his words:

While there are scenes in The Rule of Jenny Pen that are hard to get through, it's only because we're meant to care for the elderly residents and want the best for them. That's where the compassion part comes in, and why Dave Crealy is so easy to hate as the villain of the project.

In our interview, John Lithgow also shared that director James Ashcroft's family is actually uniquely tied to the process of caring for the elderly. Namely because his wife and her family a run them. As he told me:

I feel they did just that, even if the movie was grueling at points... even has a horror fan. The circle of life means that so many of us have cared for elderly relatives, allowing for an easy emotional anchor in The Rule of Jenny Pen. Add in the two legendary actors at the forefront of the story, and the project has a lot going for it.

Moviegoers can judge for themselves as The Rule of Jenny Pen gets its wide theatrical release on March 7th as part of the 2025 movie release list. And it's just one of many horror titles expected to arrive this year.

It’s been nearly two years since Warner Bros. Discovery announced that a Harry Potter TV series was in the works. Updates on the HBO show have been shared sporadically, but it seems that it’s truly starting to take shape. To that point, it was reported earlier this month that John Lithgow was being eyed for the role of Albus Dumbledore. Now, the actor himself is confirming his casting. That’s exciting enough, but what I really love are the sweet sentiments he shared when confirming his casting.

79-year-old John Lithgow delightfully confirmed his involvement in the upcoming Harry Potter TV show during an interview. While speaking with Screen Rant, he recalled just how he found out he landed the gig, before sharing his feelings about signing on. All in all, one gets the impression that the Oscar-nominated actor is more than ready to don the iconic beard and headmaster robes:

The celebrated actor has had quite an illustrious career and remains in high demand. So it’s funny to think that even at this point, he can still be surprised when landing a new job opportunity. What I really appreciate is just how honest he is about feeling somewhat uneasy when it comes to portraying Professor Dumbledore. He also candidly brings up the fact that he’ll be somewhat up in age by the time the series comes to an end. I’ve long been a fan of the Terms of Endearment star, and this lovely sense of openness boosts my admiration.

In taking on the role of Dumbledore, John Lithgow is following in the footsteps of three actors. The first is Richard Harris, who played the jovial wizard during the first two chapters of the Harry Potter film saga. Following Harris’ death in 2002, Michael Gambon was tapped as his replacement, and he received praise while portraying the powerful wizard during five of the six subsequent films. And, finally, Jude Law played a younger version of the character in two of the three Fantastic Beasts films. While Lithgow has big shoes to fill, I’m confident he can bring the necessary gravitas to the role.

As showrunner Francesca Gardiner continues to flesh out the cast, fans are surely eager to find out who will be playing the franchise’s core trio of Harry, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. To the public’s knowledge, auditions are currently underway, and it was revealed by Gardiner in late 2024 that various child actors auditioned for Potter (about 32,000, specifically). Fans seem open to casting changes, though there seem to be certain characteristics that they want to be retained for these iterations of the Hogwarts students.

It’s very likely that, if all goes according to plan, casting news will continue to come down the pike as the year goes on. The upcoming show is expected to hit the small screen sometime in 2026, so fans will still have to wait a little while for it. For right now, though, I simply remain intrigued by the production and hope that anyone else who is cast possesses the warmth and charm of John Lithgow.

While you wait to see this new take on Dumbledore, stream all eight Harry Potter movies and the Fantastic Beasts films using a Max subscription.

The 2025 TV schedule is still reeling in the wake of FX’s The Old Man being canceled. The Jeff Bridges drama co-starred beloved actor John Lithgow, a presence whom fans have always enjoyed on the big and small screen. Well if the rumors are true, the Conclave co-star might be headed back to TV work in the near future, as he’s reportedly in final negotiations to play Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore for Max’s Harry Potter series.

Previous speculation on this role saw Mark Rylance as a Dumbledore contender. However, the latest from Deadline has The Crown vet now supposedly two steps away from becoming Hogwarts’ top wizard. As you’ll see from the social media reactions sampled below, though, these whispers have inspired a wide variety of responses.

Here are some of the more negative ones:

• “Trinity Killer as Dumbledore is wild.” - @DexDraven
• “lord farquaad as dumbledore is crazy casting.” - @americanrequiem
• “Did we run out of British people” - @msnetiker
• "Love Lithgow but this has to be the absolute worst casting I could imagine for Dumbledore." -@HillbllyAnalyst

So, that's the camp that is not here for this. However, there are plenty of fans who are quite excited and intrigued by this news, as you can see below:

• “I’d love this. Dumbledore was an eccentric goofball in the books and that was missing in the movies.” - @CortFreeman
• "Weird choice. Maybe it could work but still odd..." -@1MrPapi
• “People, please watch the reboot Perry Mason, Dexter, and The Crown if you want to see John Lithgow in a serious role. I have faith he can pull off Dumbledore. He's the right age. Lithgow is more than just Lord Farquaad. Expand your horizons.” - @gnpws13
• "This is actually a perfect casting." -@colinkorbelas

That is a really varied spread of reactions to a potential twist in what we know about Harry Potter’s Max series. Personally, I’m on the Pro-Lithgow side of the argument, mostly because he is an actor we know to have a mastery over accent work. Just watch The Crown and that will become clear.

However, the one major factor that sees John Lithgow’s casting looking like a brilliant move is the fact that both cinematic Dumbledores were played off as figures of authority. We barely ever got to see Hogwarts’ headmaster be the silly, goofy man he truly is. So as producer David Heyman is promising a Harry Potter series truer to the books, Lithgow potentially being in the mix sounds like a step in that direction.

Of course, HBO brass are still keeping mum on what may or may not be going on with its streaming series. This means you should treat these rumblings as you would a carton of Bertie Botts’ Every Flavor Beans: with great care and skepticism. And to those against John Lithgow potentially being brought in for Harry Potter, you should consult the words of Ralph Fiennes, as his Conclave co-star and Potter franchise alum’s remarks on keeping an open mind should apply to the casting process as well.

The fact that the class of 2025 Oscar nominees includes eight nominations for Conclave is rather apt, considering the picture’s central tale is all about electing a new pope. Such a process would inspire some to feel slighted for not even ranking among the heavy hitters, and once again life has imitated art in that very respect.

Though I haven’t forgotten Denzel Washington’s continued 2025 awards season snubs, I find myself mad all over again after reading John Lithgow weigh in on a key Conclave omission. Sitting down with Variety during a podcast interview at Sundance, the legendary actor and Jimpa star addressed the fact that director Edward Berger failed to secure a nod for his Conclave helming duties.

Ever honest, yet diplomatic, Lithgow’s following thoughts on the matter are relatable:

Landing on the list of CinemaBlend’s best movies of 2024, as well as Top 10 lists of critics and voting boards alike, Conclave is pretty popular for a PG-rated film with a very Catholic foundation. It’s a far cry from the project that secured Edward Berger’s 2023 Oscar win, the brutal war epic All Quiet on the Western Front; so even fans of the director’s work might have been a bit taken aback at first.

However, there’s no lack of intensity in this character driven story, which has landed a wide swath of nominations at this year’s Academy Awards. It even gave the iconic Isabella Rossellini her first Oscar nod, as her portrayal of Sister Agnes is up for Best Supporting Actress. It may be a disappointing result, but it doesn't change the fact that Berger's 2024 indie hit is an artful success.

Conclave may not be the most nominated picture in the lot, but it’s one of the big ticket titles that’s up for the glory of 2024’s Best Picture. While Berger’s lack of a Best Director nomination isn’t as shocking as the egregious Challengers Oscar shut out, I still agree that it is a disappointing absence. But to paraphrase John Lithgow’s feelings above, it’s Awards Season, baby!

The good, the bad, and the ridiculous all get to mingle between now and the night those envelopes are opened on live TV. As such, the 97th Academy Awards will end the suspense of who will take home golden glory on Sunday, March 2nd, starting at 7 PM ET on ABC and Hulu. Meanwhile, the exemplary work of Mr. Lithgow and the Conclave cast is currently available to stream through a Peacock subscription.

Just because we’re nearing the end of the 2024 TV premiere schedule and approaching the holidays doesn’t mean that networks and streaming services are done adding to list of shows getting canceled this year. Never that. Though the cancellation grapevine was largely quiet in recent weeks as all things Fall TV fully settled in, we now know now just one, but two different shows recently got the axe, and I suppose it’s a silver lining that neither of them was a first-season victim.

Let’s take a look at both fan-favorite shows that fell on the chopping block, as well as what might have been the reason why neither one survived to make it to the 2025 premiere schedule.

FX Canceled The Old Man, No Season 3 Happening

D.ebuting in 2022 after both a lengthy, COVID-delayed production and a hiatus stemming from its leading actor’s cancer treatments, The Old Man stars Jeff Bridges as a former CIA operative who goes on the run after killing a home intruder. The cat to Dan Chase’s mouse is an FBI higher-up who knew Chase from their shared military past, but won’t let that get in the way of his mission to put Chase down.

By and large, The Old Man appeared to be a big winner for FX and Hulu, as it was the biggest cable premiere of the year, and rather quickly earned a Season 2 renewal, along with a variety of awards nominations and recognition. Unfortunately, the second season’s production also suffered delays due to the Hollywood strikes in 2023, and the second season eventually arrived 27 months after Season 1 concluded.

With just 15 episodes across five years of existence, The Old Man’s cancellation news was revealed by Deadline, and was likely a mixture of low ratings and minimal audience awareness, with the budget also likely coming into play. Back in 2019 when the show was coming together, Jeff Bridges was already reportedly making $1 million per episode.

Netflix Seemingly Canceled Girls5Eva, No Season 4 Happening

While Netflix hasn’t yet shared anything public about the show’s fate, Busy Philips addressed its non-future on her podcast Busy Philips Is Doing Her Best. When guest Danny Pellegrino inquired about Girls5Eva’s fate, here how Philips answered:

Speaking a bit off the cuff, Philips pointed out that she thinks the show’s name in and of itself was a barrier for certain viewers, and that she isn’t really anticipating any cancellation confirmation from the streaming giant. Her reasoning:

So because Netflix was only tethered to the musical comedy for a single season, its limited commitment has concluded, and its creative execs are no longer on the leash to make decisions for it. Since Busy Philips doesn’t confirm whether or not Peacock once again has final control, it’s unclear what might happen next, if anything.

For what it’s worth, Philips doesn’t fully think her faux foursome Girls5Eva are truly gone forever, saying that the characters are “too good.” She says she’s joked with her co-stars about potentially bringing the group’s performances to Radio City, with the possibility of spinning it all into a live stage musical on Broadway. And you can bet they’ll have a Netflix-spoofing song about being canceled.

For now, fans can still watch The Old Man with a Hulu subscription, while a Netflix subscription can still be used for watching Girls5Eva.

Think of your favorite movie character of all time. There is a good chance that the actor who ended up playing that part is not the first actor the studio approached. See for yourself by taking a look at this list of celebrities who decided to pass on a movie role that would turn out to make cinematic history.

Will Smith (Neo In The Matrix)

It is actually pretty easy for us to picture what the Matrix movies might have been like with Will Smith as Neo. However, the Academy Award winner seems to believe that Keanu Reeves was the better choice to play the chosen one in the mind-bending, dystopian sci-fi movie classic, claiming in a video on his YouTube channel that he would have "ruined it."

Jodie Foster (Princess Leia in Star Wars)

Fresh off her Academy Award-nominated breakthrough role in 1976's Taxi Driver, a teenage Jodie Foster was offered the chance to be a part of the Star Wars movies as Princess Leia Organa. As she revealed to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, the two-time Oscar winner had a contractual obligation to an unnamed Disney movie, allowing Carrie Fisher to win the role.

Tom Hanks (Jerry Maguire In Jerry Maguire)

Tom Hanks was on top of the world with two Oscar wins (for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump) when he was offered to play a sports agent down on his luck in Jerry Maguire. He ended up passing on the eponymous role from Cameron Crowe's 1996 dramedy and later told Access Hollywood (via FandomWire), "I think you look at it now and it couldn’t have been anybody other than Tom Cruise," who would receive a nod from the Academy for his performance.

Leonardo DiCaprio (Patrick Bateman In American Psycho)

Christian Bale once told GQ that every one of his roles was first offered to Leonardo DiCaprio and one confirmed example is Patrick Bateman in 2000's American Psycho. The future Oscar winner told The Morning Call that he passed on playing the sadistic yuppie because he felt the script “didn’t mean anything in the end," but rumor has it Bale's stepmom, Gloria Steinem, convinced DiCaprio that it would be bad for his post-Titanic, romantic heartthrob reputation at the time.

Jean-Claude Van Damme (The Predator In Predator)

The titular terrifying alien enemy from 1987's Predator looked a lot different when Jean-Claude Van Damme was still in the role, according to THR's oral history. The Belgian actor star actually shot some footage in the original insect-like suit before deciding he would rather not be hidden in his own movie, leading to a redesign of the costume and the casting of 7'2" Kevin Peter Hall.

Jack Nicholson (Michael Corleone In The Godfather)

While we cannot imagine anyone other than Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, Jack Nicholson probably would have been great in the Godfather movies. However, the three-time Oscar winner refused the offer, explaining to Movieline in 2004 (via ScreenRant) that he believed "Italians should play Italians."

John Travolta (Forrest Gump In Forrest Gump)

When speaking with MTV News (via Collider), John Travolta revealed that he had no regrets about turning down the title role of the Best Picture Oscar winner Forrest Gump and it is no wonder why. Not only did Tom Hanks embody the role to Oscar-winning acclaim but Travolta found career-rejuvenating success with Pulp Fiction in 1994 instead.

Burt Reynolds (James Bond In Live And Let Die)

In 2015, Burt Reynolds told USA Today that, when approached to be Sean Connery's replacement in the James Bond films, he believed the public would not accept a 007 with an American accent. However, he would later come to believe that, "It was a stupid thing to say. I could've done it and I could've done it well."

Eddie Murphy (Winston Zeddemore In Ghostbusters)

While appearing on The Tonight Show in 2019, Eddie Murphy was asked by Jimmy Fallon if it is true that he passed on playing Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbusters. The comedian confirmed that it was true but added that it allowed him the opportunity to lead an even bigger hit from 1984: Beverly Hills Cop.

John Lithgow (Seth Brundle In The Fly)

Jeff Goldblum's iconic role from David Cronenberg's 1986 remake of The Fly was previously offered to John Lithgow, who told IndieWire that he said no, not wanting to play "something so grotesque.” Having witnessed Seth Brundle's transformation into a half-human, half-insect in the intense body horror movie, we cannot say we blame him.

Tom Selleck (Indiana Jones In Raiders Of The Lost Ark)

Having already worked with Harrison Ford three times before, George Lucas was reluctant to cast the Han Solo actor as Indiana Jones, opening up the opportunity for a rotation of actors, including Tom Selleck. As he recalled on Today, the actor was forced to pass on 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, due to his commitment to the CBS crime drama, Magnum P.I.

Christopher Lee (Dr. Loomis In Halloween)

While already a horror movie icon at the time for his acclaimed portrayal of Dracula and role in 1973's The Wicker Man, Christopher Lee could have added one of the all-time best horror movies, 1978's Halloween, to his resume. According to The Digital Fix, he would come to regret the decision to pass on the role of Michael Myers' psychiatrist, Dr. Sam Loomis, who was immortalized by Donald Pleasance instead.

Christina Applegate (Elle Woods In Legally Blonde)

Before Reese Witherspoon made Elle Woods an icon among fictional lawyers in Legally Blonde and among fictional politicians in the sequel, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, the role was offered to Christina Applegate. The former Married... with Children star later explained to Entertainment Tonight that she was afraid of repeating the ditzy blonde but jokes it was a "stupid move."

Emily Blunt (Black Widow In Iron Man 2)

Scarlett Johansson was perfect as Natasha Romanoff but Emily Blunt would have made a killing as the Avenger also called Black Widow. The English actor explained to Howard Stern that she could not originate the role for the MCU in 2010's Iron Man 2 because she was contractually obligated to appear in that year's adaptation of Gulliver's Travels.

Emma Watson (Mia In La La Land)

Playing Mia in 2016's La La Land earned Emma Stone her first Oscar win but the role of the aspiring actor had originally gone to another Emma: Emma Watson. The Harry Potter movies star said in a SiriusXM Town Hall interview (via Us Weekly) that her commitment to Beauty and the Beast and the hard work required to star in the musical led her to pull out.

Gwyneth Paltrow (Rollergirl In Boogie Nights)

Heather Graham made her mainstream breakthrough in 1998's Boogie Nights as "Rollergirl" – a role that was previously offered to Gwyneth Paltrow. The future Oscar winner told Howard Stern (via Us Weekly) that she passed because she feared the role, which required her to completely disrobe and simulate lewd acts on camera, would "kill" her conservative grandfather.

Jennifer Hudson (Precious In Precious)

Jennifer Hudson had previously said in her memoir, I Got This: How I Changed My Ways And Lost What Weighed Me Down, that she turned down the title role of Precious because she did not want to take a role that involved her weight. The Oscar winner later retracted that statement when speaking to The Huffington Post, explaining that Was not interested in what the role, which ultimately went to Gabourey Sibide, would have required her to do at that point in her career.

Matt Damon (Jake Sully In Avatar)

Sam Worthington became a household name when he led James Cameron's astonishingly successful sci-fi epic, Avatar, as Jake Sully – a role previously offered to Matt Damon. The Oscar winner once joked to Access Hollywood that not participating in the 2009 film cost the movie "a lot."

Ian McKellan (Albus Dumbledore In Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban)

The Lord of the Rings movies' Gandalf actor, Sir Ian McKellan, could have added another famous wizard to his resume and become the Harry Potter franchise's new Albus Dumbledore. Instead, the part went to Michael Gambon after, as he told BBC News, McKellan turned it down because he couldn’t “take over the part from an actor who I’d known didn’t approve of me,” referring to the late Richard Harris who was a vocal critic of the actor.

Drew Barrymore (Sidney Prescott In Scream)

Given Drew Barrymore's A-list status in 1996, audiences assumed that she was the lead of Wes Craven's Scream, which could have been the case, as she confirmed on Hot Ones. However, she requested to be killed off in the beginning as Casey Becker, knowing it would shock the audience, paving the way for Neve Campbell to become a Scream Queen in the role of Sidney Prescott.

Angela Bassett (Leticia Musgrove In Monster’s Ball)

Halle Berry became the first Black Best Actress Oscar winner for her performance in Monster's Ball as Leticia Musgrove – a role that was offered to Angela Bassett. According to EW, the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star felt the part of a Black call girl was too stereotypical.

Sean Connery (Gandalf In The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring)

Sir Ian McKellan mentions in an oral history about the Lord of the Rings series for The Independent that an earlier choice to play Gandalf the Grey was Sir Sean Connery. New Line Cinema executive Mark Ordesky notes that the former James Bond actor passed on the role of the wizard simply because he "did not get it."

Bette Midler (Annie Wilkes In Misery)

Despite having no qualms about playing an actual evil witch in 1993's Hocus Pocus, Bette Midler did have some reservations about playing Annie Wilkes in Rob Reiner's adaptation of Stephen King's Misery from 1990. The actor and singer told Variety that was interested in playing the sadistic nurse because of her violent, unfunny, and irredeemable qualities.

Warren Beatty (Bill In Kill Bill)

In 2003, Quentin Tarantino told BBC that he originally started writing the title role of Kill Bill with Warren Beatty in mind because he wanted to work with him and the Oscar winner was set to play the target of Uma Thurman's vengeful Bride for a bit. However, after realizing that David Carradine was a better fit, followed by consideration of the time commitment and martial arts training involved, the actor and filmmaker amicably agreed to part ways.

Michelle Pfeiffer (Clarice Starling In The Silence Of The Lambs)

Michelle Pfeiffer once told Today's Hoda Kotb (via People) that her reasons for passing on roles in the likes of Pretty Woman and Basic Instinct typically had to do with scheduling conflicts. However, she told The New Yorker she passed on playing Clarice Starling (which ultimately went to Jodie Foster) in 1991's The Silence of the Lambs because the “evil” in the film made her nervous.

Al Pacino (Han Solo In Star Wars)

In his memoir, Sonny Boy, Al Pacino reveals that, before Harrison Ford was cast in Star Wars, he was offered the role of Han Solo. The Oscar winner explains that he could not "make anything out of" George Lucas' script and chose not to play the pilot of the Millennium Falcon.

Bela Lugosi (The Creature In Frankenstein)

According to the book, The Immortal Count: The Life and Films of Bela Lugosi by Arthur Lennig (via SlashFilm), the star of 1931's Dracula had the opportunity to play two Universal Monsters in the same year, having also been offered to play The Creature in Frankenstein. However, the actor believed such a role was "beneath him," paving the way for Boris Karloff to rise up in the ranks of horror royalty as Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s creation.

Haley Lu Richardson (Dani Ardor In Midsommar)

Haley Lu Richardson, known for one of the best M. Night Shyamalan movies, Split, passed on the role of Dani Ardor in Ari Aster's 2019 sophomore effort, Midsommar. The A24 horror masterpiece was ultimately led by Florence Pugh, whom Richardson told Backstage she has nothing but praise for, despite not yet having the courage to watch the movie.

Julia Roberts (Annie Reed In Sleepless In Seattle)

The two most prestigious queens of the rom-com genre would have to be Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan but only one could play Annie Reed in Sleepless in Seattle. Roberts told InStyle (via ABC News) that she was offered the part but could not do it, adding that Ryan and Tom Hanks "are just such a jewel of a fit in that."

Jamie Lee Curtis (Regan MacNeil In The Exorcist)

Jamie Lee Curtis became horror royalty with her feature film debut in 1978's Halloween but her reign could have begun earlier if not for one thing: her mother, Janet Leigh. Curtis told EW that, when she was asked to audition for Regan MacNeil in 1973's The Exorcist (which would go to Linda Blair), the Psycho star spoke on the then-13-year-old's behalf and refused the offer.

Lee Marvin (Quint In Jaws)

Robert Shaw's performance as Quint in Jaws is nearly as famous as the man-eating shark itself but the English actor was actually not Steven Spielberg's first choice. The filmmaker told Vanity Fair that he previously approached Lee Marvin but the Dirty Dozen star was not interested.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Amber In Clueless)

Elisa Donovan's character in Clueless, Amber, very nearly went to the future star of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar. Adam Schroeder, the co-producer of the 1995 high school movie classic, told Vanity Fair that the actor's commitment to the soap opera All My Children at the time forced her to recede from consideration.

2001's Shrek is a true animation classic. It was the first recipient of the Oscar for Best Animated Feature and is now recognized as one of the best movies of the 2000s. The movie would ultimately spawn sequels, two television specials, two spin-off films centered on Puss in Boots and even a stage musical. So it’s no wonder that earlier this year, a fifth sequel was confirmed to be in the works. Now, as the sequel remains in development, John Lithgow is opening up about possibly reprising his role as Lord Farquad.

So far, the only confirmed cast members for the upcoming Shrek 5 are Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murpny, who famously play Shrek, Princess Fiona and Donkey, respectively During an interview with People, John Lithgow was flat-out asked whether or not he would be willing to return as the short monarch of Duloc, and he provided a very direct answer:

Well, that's certainly good to hear, and it would probably be music to fans' ears. Of course, despite the Accountant star's positive thoughts, that still doesn't mean the studio itself has plans to bring Farquad back into the fold. Not only that, but there's also the matter of the fate that befell the antagonist at the conclusion of the first film years ago. John Lithgow referred to that when sharing the following sentiments:

At the end of the OG movie, Lord Farquad was eaten by Dragon, who originally guarded Cameron Diaz’s Fiona. To add insult to injury, Dragon also burped out his crown. While an additional scene showed the ruler trying to stay alive within the beast's gut, he'd likely be digested by now.

There are other ways that Farquad can be brought back, though, including the use of flashbacks that take place amid the events of the first film or before them. He could also come back as a ghost, which was how he was included in the now-defunct Universal Studios attraction Shrek 4-D. Despite those potential methods of reviving the character, it would seem that John Lithgow hasn't received a call:

Since it was announced this past summer, Shrek 5 has had fans hyped. Shortly after it was revealed, many took to social media to share memes. Heck, even Al Pacino is ready for the flick and has the phone case to prove it. There are a lot of expectations riding on the film and, hopefully, it'll meet them. At the same time, let's also hope there's a role for John Lithgow's Lord Farquad in this latest ogre-centric tale.

While the movie won't be released until the summer of 2026, there's something you can do in the meantime. You can stream the first four Shrek movies and find out how to do so by streaming our handy guide.

For nearly every BatFan, there is just one cinematic portrayal of the Joker that they consider to be the definitive iteration of the Clown Prince of Crime on screen. Some think of the late Heath Ledger’s Academy Award-winning performance in 2008’s The Dark Knight as the greatest of all time, while many others would say no one has beaten Jack Nicholson from Tim Burton’s 1989 classic, but quite a few believe neither of them hold a candle to Mark Hamill’s vocal performance in Batman: The Animated Series and several great animated Batman movies, too. Lest we forget, however, that these legends were never the only ones considered for the iconic role.

It is very rare that an actor chosen to bring a popular comic book character to life on the big screen is the first choice for the job. For instance, the list of actors who could have played Batman is pretty long and the amount of actors considered to portray Superman is hefty enough to give the Man of Steel himself a challenge. The Dark Knight’s maniacal arch-nemesis is absolutely no exception, and you might find yourself asking if we are the ones playing a joke when you check out the following collection of actors who could have joined the live-action DC movies’ legacy as the Joker.

Adrien Brody

In the eyes of many, The Dark Knight is the greatest live-action Batman movie ever and a key reason why is Heath Ledger’s unforgettably grim portrayal of the central villain. However, before the Australian was cast in his definitive role, an actor who already had an Oscar under his belt tried out for the part.

As MTV reported in 2010, The Piano star Adrien Brody confirmed a rumor that he met with director Christopher Nolan for the role of the Joker while speaking at that year’s South By Southwest Festival. He had nothing but praise for the late actor who ended up winning the part, but admits he would have been honored to take on the role, which would have marked his comic book movie debut — a bucket list item the Asteroid City cast member still has yet to cross off.

Brad Dourif

Academy Award nominee Brad Dourif is an undisputed horror icon for originating one of the most beloved horror movie villains (Chucky from the Child’s Play franchise) and owning the screen in the underrated The Exorcist III, in addition to his memorable turn in the Lord of the Rings movies as Grima Wormtongue. Yet, he came close to adding another dastardly character to his repertoire which would have increased his notoriety by a hundredfold.

According to Business Insider, when asked if he would ever voice the Joker during a panel at the New York Comic Con in 2013, Dourif replied with the surprise reveal that he almost played the character in live-action. Apparently, he was Tim Burton’s original choice to play Jack Napier in 1989’s Batman, but Warner Bros. rejected the idea, leading to Jack Nicholson’s famous casting.

Ryan Gosling

While I certainly understand most of the gripes fans have with Jared Leto’s Joker, I am not someone who outright hates the Academy Award winner’s portrayal in 2016’s Suicide Squad, and even believe Zack Snyder’s Justice League shows the potential this iteration had. However, speaking as a fan of Ryan Gosling, I would have kicked the future Morbius star out the door in favor of the future Barbie cast member in a heartbeat.

Indeed, according to The Wrap, Gosling was approached to play the DC Extended Universe’s version of the Clown Prince of Crime in David Ayer’s villain crossover flick. Unfortunately, he was not willing to agree to a multi-picture deal and, thus, the role went to his future Blade Runner 2049 co-star.

John Lithgow

Because of his friendly aura and innocent appearance, it is easy to forget that John Lithgow is a phenomenal force when it comes to playing bad guys — such as his Emmy-winning performance as, arguably, the all-time best antagonist on Dexter, Arthur Mitchell, or the voice of Lord Farquad from the Shrek movies, to name just a few. For that reason, I would have loved to see what he would have done with the role of The Joker.

As a guest on The Discourse podcast (via The Playlist), Joe Dante recalled how, in the early 1980s, he was offered the chance to bring Batman to the big screen following the success of Gremlins, and wanted to give the villainous role to Lithgow, whom he had met on the set of Twilight Zone: The Movie. He wound up becoming so excited by the idea of the actor as The Joker that it made him less interested in the title hero, ultimately driving him away from the project altogether.

Frank Sinatra

The first feature-length live-action Batman movie, Batman: The Movie, was spun-off from a classic, campy series from the mid-1960s that starred Adam West in the title role. That era’s Joker was played beautifully by Cesar Romero, but rumors have suggested that an actor who hoped to take on the juicy role before his casting was Academy Award winner Frank Sinatra.

As it turns out, the rumor is true and was confirmed by Burt Ward in the book, Truth and Rumors: The Reality Behind TV's Most Famous Myths (via The FW). The Robin actor claimed that the renowned actor and musician "was very upset because he couldn’t play The Joker." With all due respect to Romero, it is a sight I would been very curious to see.

Robin Williams 

Perhaps the most well-known and infamous example of an actor who could have played The Joker is the late Robin Williams. Reason being: he truly did come very close to landing the role for Batman ’89 but, as the Academy Award winner claims, his offer was not particularly genuine.

In a 1993 interview for Mrs. Doubtfire (from take2markTV), Williams claims that Warner Bros. offered him the role as “bait” to attract the attention of their primary choice, Jack Nicholson. He would echo that statement years later in an interview with Empire, in which he mentions that a similar situation happened with Batman Forever, in which he was given the opportunity to play The Riddler before the part went to Jim Carrey.

While these beloved actors may not have gotten the last laugh, we can at least agree that, in most cases, the role of The Joker ultimately went to the right person.

We see it quite often – comedians and comedic actors cut their teeth performing stand-up or appearing on beloved sketch comedy shows before knocking everyone’s socks off with a remarkable and remarkably emotional dramatic role. Sometimes, these earn the actors and actresses Academy Awards or at least their first Oscar nomination for unforgettable performances that make us cry as much as they once made us laugh.

That being said, here are 32 examples of people known for their comedy being great in dramatic roles…

Robin Williams

Even before Robin Williams earned a much-deserved Oscar for his performance in Good Will Hunting, the comedian proved time and time again that he was more than capable when it came to dramatic roles. In fact some of Williams’ best movies like Dead Poets Society and Awakenings showed early on what he could achieve in a less comedic capacity. And let’s not forget his frightening turns in One Hour Photo and Insomnia.

Jim Carrey

After being an almost guaranteed box office draw in the mid 1990s, Jim Carrey showed he was more than just an over-the-top slapstick comedian with roles in The Truman Show and Man on the Moon. However, Carrey’s most notable dramatic turn, and probably his best overall performance can be found in 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Eddie Murphy

For years, Eddie Murphy was well-known for beloved comedic roles in classics like Coming to America, 48 Hrs., and Beverly Hills Cop, but he’s also displayed a more dramatic side over the years. At the top of this list is Dreamgirls, the 2006 musical drama that saw him take on the role of James “Thunder” Early, a performance that should have earned him an Oscar.

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg is an all-time great comedian who has made audiences laugh with her stand-up specials and various film and TV projects for the better part of the past 40 years. During that time, Goldberg has also given us some of the richest and most nuanced dramatic performances like her take on Celie Harris Johnson in Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple, which earned her a Golden Globe and numerous other accolades.

Adam Sandler

When he wants, Adam Sandler can stand toe-to-toe with just about any living actor. Though he’s mostly known for his various comedies like Happy Gilmore, The Waterboy, and the Grown Ups movies, let’s not forget his outstanding dramatic performances in Punch-Drunk Love, Reign Over Me, and Uncut Gems. Watching Sandler in the Safdie Brothers’ 2019 crime thriller is like watching a completely different actor.

Steve Carell

Around the same time Steve Carell was making us fall over with laughter with his portrayal as Michael Scott on The Office, he was also giving audiences some of the best dramatic performances in movies like Little Miss Sunshine and Foxcatcher. Even since then, Carell has continued to steal the show with heart-wrenching turns in Beautiful Boy and Last Flag Flying.

Jamie Foxx

Jamie Foxx made a name for himself as one of the funniest comedians on the planet in the early ‘90s thanks to shows like In Living Color and The Jamie Foxx Show, which he followed up with some truly great movies in the final decade of the 20th century. But in 2004, Foxx showed off his dramatic chops in Michael Mann’s thrilling Collateral and the must-watch music biopic, Ray, a performance that earned him an Oscar.

Aubrey Plaza 

To some, Aubrey Plaza will always be remembered for her hilarious portrayal of April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation, but the comedian has given some commanding dramatic performances over the years as well. Movies like Emily the Criminal and Black Bear, as well as the second season of The White Lotus, have shown she’s a force to be reckoned with.

Melissa McCarthy

Okay, Melissa McCarthy may be one of the funniest comedic actors on the planet right now, but let’s not overlook her gripping portrayal of literary fraudster Lee Israel in 2018’s Can You Ever Forgive Me, a movie that saw her hold her own with Richard E. Grant. That’s not nothing.

Will Ferrell

Though Will Ferrell’s dramatic roles still have the comedian's unique style of humor, his performances in Everything Must Go and Stranger Than Fiction are still worth bringing up. He’s less manic and a tad bit quieter in these two movies, but that charm is still there, which really messes with your head.

Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller has shown over the years that he can do more than play the lovable loser in movies like Meet the Parents, detestable villains in Dodgeball, or caricatures of models in Zoolander. In fact, he’s given quite a few outstanding dramatic performances in everything from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty to the gutting Permanent Midnight.

Mo'Nique

In addition to being a prolific comedian with multiple stand-up specials including The Queens of Comedy, as well as having a lead role on the long-running sitcom, The Parkers, Mo’Nique is also an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA winner thanks to her lights out performance in the 2009 drama film, Precious. 

Bette Midler

Bette Midler has made us laugh ourselves out of our seats countless times over the years, but her performance as Cecilia Bloom in Beaches has been making everyone cry for decades now. It’s impossible to listen to “Wind Beneath My Wings” without thinking of that masterful dramatic turn.

Richard Pryor

Legendary stand-up comedian Richard Pryor had a series of comedies with frequent collaborator Gene Wilder at the height of his career, but the comic also gave a dynamic dramatic performance in Paul Schrader’s 1978 crime film, Blue Collar. The movie, which showed the actor’s range, also featured Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto. Talk about a cast.

Lily Tomlin

Lily Tomlin, an actress who continues to thrive decades into her career, is best known for performances in comedies like 9 to 5, shows like Grace and Frankie, and various stand-up specials and Broadway productions. But Tomlin can also pull off dramatic roles like her Academy Award-nominated performance in Nashville, her feature film debut.

Albert Brooks

Albert Brooks is wonderfully hilarious in movies like Finding Nemo, Broadcast News, and so many others, but his trademark happy-go-lucky and funny sensibility and charm went out the window with his bone-chilling portrayal of Bernie Rose in Drive. Ice cold.

Marlon Wayans

Here’s something wild to think about: Marlon Wayans played the stereotypical stoner Shorty in the parody horror flick Scary Movie and Tyrone in Darren Aronofsky’s devastating drama Requiem for a Dream in the same year. During the latter film’s development, the star of The Wayan Bros., the comedian had to go through five auditions.

Kristen Wiig

Some of Kristen Wiig’s best movies are those that lean more towards the dramatic side of the spectrum, with Mother, The Skeleton Twins, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty all coming to mind. This isn’t to say her comedic work isn’t great, as Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar is legitimately one of the funniest movies of the 2020s.

Jason Segel

Jason Segel, through shows like Freaks & Geeks and How I Met Your Mother, has shown time after time that he’s undeniably hilarious. However, through work in movies like The End of the Tour and the 1999 dramedy SLC Punk, the actor has proven he can handle more dramatic performances as good as the rest.

Steve Martin

On top of being the all-time best SNL host, Steve Martin is also one of the most prolific actors of our time. But in addition to all of that, the actor, writer, musician, and what we can assume is a generally good hang, Martin can also pull off more dramatic roles. This can best be seen in the 2005 romantic drama, Shopgirl, which was based on one of his novellas.

Maya Rudolph

Two years after her Saturday Night Live tenure came to an end, Maya Rudolph gave a passionate and beautiful performance in Sam Mendes’ 2009 dramedy, Away We Go. The role, which saw her play the pregnant wife trying to find a place to settle down, allowed the comedic actress to play a more grounded, and sincere character.

Goldie Hawn

In 1991, Goldie Hawn took on the role of Adrienne Saunders in Damian Harris’ psychological thriller, Deceived, which saw her play the wife of the manipulative Frank Sullivan (John Heard in a devilish role). Though the movie wasn’t all that well-received, Hawn was still masterful in it, showing a great deal of range in the process.

Seth Rogen

Seth Rogen has given one wonderfully funny performance after another for nearly the past quarter-century, but the actor and writer behind movies like Superbad and Pineapple Express can handle his own when it comes to drama. Danny Boyle’s 2015 biopic, Steve Jobs, saw the comedian portray Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, which required him to go head-to-head with Michael Fassbender’s tech CEO in some extremely intense scenes.

Kevin Hart

Kevin Hart made the jump to serious drama in The Upside in 2019, an English remake of the french film, The Intouchables. However, this wouldn’t be a one and done type situation for the comedian. He would give another emotional performance in the 2021 Netflix drama, Fatherhood, in which he played a widower trying to raise his daughter in the wake of his wife’s sudden passing.

Jack Black

After dipping his toes in the drama waters with his charming performance in The Holiday, Jack Black played his darkest role yet in the 2011 crime biopic, Bernie. In Richard Linklater’s movie, Black took on the role of mortician Bernhardt “Bernie” Tiede, who was later convicted of murdering his friend and millionaire Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLane). 

Anna Kendrick

Anna Kendrick is best known for her starring roles in musical comedies like the Pitch Perfect franchise and the Trolls animated movies, but the comedic actress has also given commanding dramatic performances. This includes the likes of Up in the Air, 50/50, Alice Darling, and A Simple Favor, all of which show her dynamic range.

Awkwafina

If you look at Awkwafina’s best movies, you’ll see a lot of great comedies like Crazy Rich Asians, Ocean’s Eight, and Quiz Lady. However, you’ll also find Lulu Wang’s 2019 drama, The Farewell, which saw the comedian pull off a whole range of emotions throughout its story. In fact, she even won a Golden Globe for her performance.

John Lithgow

John Lithgow has had a remarkable career full of great comedies, including 3rd Rock from the Sun and Shrek, but he’s also given some impressive dramatic performances throughout his career. Be it shows like Dexter and The Crown or a list of movies that includes Killers of the Flower Moon, Terms of Endearment, and Interstellar, the decorated actor has always been able to pull off some impressive feats.

Jerry Lewis

One-half of Martin and Lewis with Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis was one of the funniest names in show business throughout his career, be it with his Vegas shows or various movies like The Nutty Professor and The Ladies Man. But Lewis also gave a terrific dramatic performance in Martin Scorsese’s The King of Comedy, which saw the legendary comedian play a late night TV host kidnapped by an obsessed fan (played by Robert De Niro).

Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston will always be remembered for her take on Rachel Green in the landmark sitcom, Friends, but the actress has since taken on some rather dramatic roles that worked quite well. One of the most notable is the 2014 drama, Cake, which saw Aniston take on the role of a woman coming to terms with the death of her son.

Jonah Hill

Jonah Hill spent the better part of the 2000s appearing in comedies like Superbad, Grandma’s Boy, and Accepted, but he started to take more dramatic roles in the 2010s. One of the most promising was his part in 2011’s Moneyball, which saw him play Billy Beane’s (Brad Pitt) incredibly intelligent (and sometimes awkward) assistant to great effect.

Steve Coogan

Steve Coogan is lights out in comedies like the Night at the Museum movies and Tropic Thunder, but he was equally as good in the 2013 drama film, Philomena, which saw him take on the role of a journalist helping a woman (played by Judi Dench) track down the son she was force to give up for adoption decades earlier.

Each of these comedians found a way to turn audience expectations on their head and give us some all-time great dramatic performances. It’s safe to say we’ll never forget some of these beloved, and wonderfully emotional roles and the people who brought them to life.

Apple TV+ has put out some awesome movies over the last few years, ever since the service's launch. From the Academy-Award winning CODA, to some of the latest films like Causeway, the streamer has been knocking it out of the park with some of its original films. And now Sharper has made its way to the scene. 

Sharper tells the story of a young man who wants to seek revenge on his family after they don’t accept who he is, and he uses his skills in order to achieve all his desires from the rich. The Sharper cast is filled to the brim with stars, so here is where you might have seen them before their appearances in the movie. 

Julianne Moore (Madeline)

First up on the list is Julianne Moore, who portrays Madeline in Sharper. If you haven’t heard of Moore, I’m pretty sure you’ve been living under a rock for your whole life, because she has been in many, many movies over her career that you might have seen her in. 

Her television appearances haven't been as frequent as her film work has,  as while she did get her start on the soap opera, As the World Turns, she’s mainly stuck to guest roles and miniseries parts in properties such as 30 Rock, Lisey’s Story, Mary and George, and many more. 

I personally know Moore from both The Hunger Games franchise, where she played one of the villains, as well as her Academy-Award winning role in Still Alice. But she’s been in so many other movies that you might recognize her from, including Don Jon, Far From Heaven, Boogie Nights, The Big Lebowski, Maggie’s Plan, The Fugitive, the Liam Neeson-led film, Non-Stop, Magnolia, the hilarious romantic comedy, Crazy Stupid Love, and so many more. 

She’s truly become one of our biggest stars – and Sharper is only going to add to her already impressive resume. 

Sebastian Stan (Max)

Next up is Sebastian Stan, another one of the main stars, and he plays Max. If we’re being honest, I’ve known of Stan for a long time (like millions of others), mainly because I’ve followed him since his time in Captain America: The First Avenger, where he first played Bucky Barnes, leading to his work in several Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. Most recently, he reprised the role in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier cast, and is set to return for the Thunderbolts movie.

However, Stan has done plenty of other great movies during his time in Hollywood, starting off with a lot of smaller movies and moving into bigger ones that won him a lot of praise. Some of his biggest roles have been in The Martian, Logan Lucky, I, Tonya (alongside Margot Robbie), We Have Always Lived in the Castle, The Last Full Measure, The Devil All The Time, the Darron Aronofsky feature, Black Swan, and in 2022, he was featured in the horror movie, Fresh.

Stan has also had plenty of work in television, as well. Older fans such as myself might recognize him from one of his earliest roles as a recurring character on the CW show, Gossip Girl, but he’s been in many others, such as Pam and Tommy, which saw him be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award, Political Animals, Kings, and the fantasy show, Once Upon a Time. 

Justice Smith (Tom)

Justice Smith is who we’re talking about next, and he plays Tom. While Smith is certainly the youngest on this list, he’s done plenty in his career so far. I actually knew about him from the severely underrated show, The Get Down, on Netflix, but he’s also been in the HBO Max original, Generation.

Smith has appeared in a variety of films, including the sexy Amazon Prime movie, The Voyeurs, Paper Towns, and both Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and its sequel, Jurassic World: Dominion. The actor also had a starring role in one of my favorite video game adaptations, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, and is set to have a starring role in the upcoming 2023 film, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves. Truly, someone so young who is making a name for himself.  

Briana Middleton (Sandra)

Next up on the list is Briana Middleton, who portrays Sandra in Sharper. Middleton is relatively new to Hollywood, as she hasn’t had the chance to appear in any television series just yet. But she has appeared in movies such as The Tender Bar, and Augustus. 

Hopefully, after her role in Sharper, you’ll be seeing a lot more of her soon enough. 

Darren Goldstein (Pat)

Darren Goldstein portrays Pat in Shaper, and the actor has appeared in a variety of movies in very small roles, including Almost Christmas, The Girl on the Train, Win Win, Five Days Gone, and Detroit. He was also a part of the TV film, Paterno. 

Goldstein has been successful elsewhere, with work in television as well, appearing in many recurring roles on shows such as the hype-deserving Ozark, Ryan Murphy-created American Crime Story, The Affair, and Under the Banner of Heaven, along with several other guest roles. And, I’m sure we’ll only get to see more of him. 

John Lithgow (Richard)

Last but not least, we have John Lithgow, who is arguably one of the biggest names on this list and has been in Hollywood for a long time. He portrays Richard in Sharper, and has had a very successful career in both TV and film, so let’s start off with his television work. 

Besides his excellent guest roles on many TV shows, he had a major role during Season 4 of Dexter as a villain, was a part of the main cast of 3rd Rock From the Sun, and has had parts in shows such as The Crown, Trial and Error, Twenty Good Years, Once Upon A Time In Wonderland, and The Old Man. 

On the big screen, Lithgow has been seen for a very long time, so it might be hard to name everything you might know him from. Some of his most known films are the dance movie, All that Jazz, Obsession, The Big Fix, Rich Kids, Blow Out, The World According to Garp, Terms of Endearment, The Manhattan Project, The Pelican Brief, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dreamgirls, Kinsey, and so many others. Truly, an actor for all time. 

With such a stellar yet small cast, Sharper is most certainly a great way to see everyone at their best, and hopefully, you've found new movies or shows where you can enjoy watching each of the actors.  

It has been a little while since we have seen Jeff Bridges kick some butt on screen, which is why it is exciting to see him play the lead role on The Old Man. The new thriller, developed by Robert Levine and Jonathan E. Steinberg from a novel by Thomas Perry, follows a retired CIA agent living in seclusion until he finds that there are people on his trail with murderous intent. 

The drama premieres on FX Thursday, June 16, 2022 at 10 p.m./9 p.m. ET, and Bridges is joined by an exciting ensemble of wonderful actors on The Old Man cast. But, we shall begin with the Academy Award winning lead in our following breakdown of who plays whom in the action-packed new show.

Jeff Bridges (Dan Chase)

Dan Chase (the titular “Old Man”) is executive producer Jeff Bridges’ first major role following his battle with lymphoma - a diagnosis that shocked millions in 2020. It is also his latest gruff hero character, following his Oscar-nominated performances in 2010’s True Grit and 2016’s Hell or High Water. The actor and musician is also known for the TRON movies, as the title role of The Giver, and The Dude in the 1998 cult classic stoner comedy The Big Lebowski.

The Iron Man star (who played the first MCU villain in said 2008 blockbuster) actually has seven Oscar nominations - also including ones for 1971’s The Last Picture Show, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot from 1974, John Carpenter’s Starman, and the political drama The Contender - and a win for 2009’s Crazy Heart. Bridges got his start acting alongside his father, Lloyd Bridges, on TV shows Sea Hunt and The Lloyd Bridges Show before becoming one of Hollywood’s most beloved leading men.

John Lithgow (Harold Harper)

Playing retired FBI agent Harold Harper is John Lithgow - another beloved leading man with two Academy Award nominations under his belt (for The World According to Garp and Terms of Endearment). He has, however, won several Emmy Awards - including one for the original Amazing Stories in the 1980s, three for 3rd Rock from the Sun, one as the Trinity Killer from the Dexter cast, and one as Winston Churchill on Netflix’s The Crown. 

Some of Lithgow’s most notable antagonistic roles include Eric Qualen in 1993’s Cliffhanger, Lord John Whorfin in the multiverse-spanning cult favorite The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension in 1984, Lord Farquaad in the Shrek movies, and Roger Ailes in 2019’s Bombshell. Also in 2019, he played Judd in Pet Semetary, joined the cast of HBO’s Perry Mason the following year, and briefly appeared as a part of Showtime’s Dexter: New Blood cast in 2021.

Amy Brenneman (Zoe McDonald)

As Zoe McDonald, a recent divorcée who rents out a room to Chase, we have Amy Brenneman - whose previous action genre credits include Michael Mann’s Heat, Daylight with Sylvester Stallone, and her two-time Emmy-nominated performance on NYPD Blue in the 1990s. She made her film debut in Bye Bye Love in 1995, played the ghost of Christina Ricci’s mother in Casper the same year, and Reese Witherspoon’s mother in Fear in 1996.

Her best known roles are mostly on television, such as the title character of the legal drama, Judging Amy (for which she received three other Emmy nominations), Dr. Violet Turner on the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off Private Practice, and her mostly silent performance with The Leftovers cast on HBO. She also had a recurring role on Season 3 of Amazon Prime’s Goliath, led another Amazon original series in 2021 opposite Lily Rabe called Tell Me Your Secrets, and also starred on the AppleTV+ mystery series, Shining Girls, this year.

Alia Shawkat (Angela Adams)

As a woman hunting Chase named Angela Adams, we have Alia Shawkat - an Arrested Development cast veteran who hunted a missing friend on the dark comedy series Search Party. Her darkest credit to date, however, is likely Jeremy Saulnier’s A24 horror movie, Green Book.

Shawkat made her feature film debut in 1999’s Three Kings, first led her own series at 12 with State of Grace on Freeform (when it was still called ABC Family), and went on to gain a reputation as a versatile talent with movies like Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, Whip It, or series like Transparent on Amazon Prime and Big Mouth on Netflix. She most recently starred in the Being the Ricardos cast as I Love Lucy writer Madelyn Pugh.

E.J. Bonilla (Raymond Waters)

As another CIA agent hunting Chase named Raymond Waters, we have E.J. Bonilla, whose breakout gig was on daytime soap opera Guiding Light in his late teens before playing the male lead of the coming-of-age romance, Don’t Let Me Drown (his feature-film debut), in 2009. What followed was several notable guest spots and recurring roles on hit seres like Blue Bloods, Revenge, Unforgettable, and Bull, to name just a few.

He starred in the award-winning gay romance Four in 2012, played the title role of 2013’s The House That Jack Built (not to be confused with Lars von Trier’s controversial thriller from 2018), and played a soldier in National Geographic’s 2017 miniseries, The Long Road Home. Bonilla had a big year in 2019, appearing in the Will Smith-led sci-fi flick Gemini Man, the star-studded crime thriller The Kitchen, and making his directorial debut with the short comedy film, STFU.

Gbenga Akinnagbe (Julian Carson)

Special ops contractor Julian Carson (another person tracking Chase) is played by Gbenga Akinnagbe, who made his debut in HBO’s The Wire cast as “Officer in Courtroom” before being given a recurring role as Chris Partlow in 2004 and, later, starring on the short-lived series adaptation of Barbershop. His feature film debut was the 2007 Oscar-nominated dramedy, The Savages, which he followed with the 2009 remake of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, the Mel Gibson-led thriller Edge of Darkness, and the comedy, Lottery Ticket, in 2010. 

Akinnagbe has made notable recurring TV appearances on Showtime’s Nurse Jackie, FX’s Damages, USA’s Graceland, and CBS’ The Good Wife, to name a few. He also played a Secret Service agent in Independence Day: Resurgence, Aubrey Pollard, Sr. in Detroit, Mook in Hulu’s Wu-Tang: An American Saga, and he also co-directed and starred in DC Noir in 2019.

Bill Heck (Young Dan Chase)

Playing Chase before he became The Old Man is Bill Heck, who last played a TV character’s younger self when he guest-starred on Ray Donovan as Jon Voight’s character, Mickey Donovan, in a flashback and again on Ray Donovan: The Movie in 2022. Heck started out making guest appearances on shows like Numb3rs and NCIS before making his feature film debut with Nonames in 2010, and landed a starring role on NBC’s short-lived Taxi Brooklyn in 2014. 

After making his superhero movies debut with 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as an unnamed pilot, he voiced X-Men character Gambit on an audio drama called Wolverine: The Long Night in 2019. Heck’s other best-known movies include the Coen Brothers’ Netflix original western The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and Amazon Prime’s I’m Your Woman, and he also played major roles on Netflix’s Locke & Key and Amazon’s series adaptation of I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Will any of these supporting characters in The Old Man cast be able to catch Jeff Bridges’ Dan Chase? Find out by catching the series premiere on FX or streaming the next day on Hulu.

In what remains one of his boldest, most personal, and most devastating films, Christopher Nolan traveled to the hidden recesses of places unknown, both physically and emotionally, in 2014's Interstellar, an intergalactic odyssey that's one of his most daring achievements. 

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, and John Lithgow, this blockbuster didn't receive the same acclaim as the filmmaker's Dark Knight trilogy, but it has received more appreciation with time. Now that seven years have passed since the film blasted into theaters worldwide, we'll discover what the Interstellar cast is doing right now.  

Matthew McConaughey (Joseph Cooper)

As Joseph Cooper, a widowed NASA pilot-turned-farmer who becomes the head of this perilous space expedition, Matthew McConaughey gives one of his best performances at the forefront of Interstellar. Most notably, the actor won an Oscar for his lead role in Dallas Buyers Club. Also, McConaughey is known for his breakout supporting turn in Dazed and Confused. Away from film, the actor was Emmy-nominated for producing and starring in HBO’s True Detective Season 1.

Most recently, Matthew McConaughey starred in The Gentlemen, which he co-produced, lent his voice to the podcast, Hank the Cowdog, which he also produced, and he was seen in the Fast Times at Ridgemont High Table Read. Also, this past year, he published his memoir, Greenlights. Next, McConaughey will be heard in Sing 2 and the short film, Come Home. Moreover, the actor considered a potential political bid, but opted not to run.

Anne Hathaway (Dr. Amelia Brand)

In the role of Dr. Amelia Brand, the expedition’s chief scientist/biologist, Anne Hathaway is the female lead for the majority of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. The actress won an Oscar for her thunderous supporting turn in Les Miserables. Also, Hathaway is known for starring in The Princess Diaries movies, The Devil Wears Prada, Colossal, Love & Other Drugs, The Intern, Get Smart, and Ella Enchanted. Last year, she starred in The Witches and The Last Thing He Wanted.

Earlier this year, Anne Hathaway starred in HBO Max’s Locked Down and she was seen in Amazon Prime’s Solos. Next, Hathaway will appear in Apple TV+’s WeCrashed. Currently, she’s filming James Gray’s Armageddon Time. Hathaway will also star in Sesame Street, She Came to Me, Bum’s Rush, and The Lifeboat.

Jessica Chastain (Murphy Cooper)

Playing the part of Murphy Cooper, Joseph’s grown-up daughter who follows in her distant father’s footsteps and becomes a Plan A NASA scientist, Jessica Chastain is a lead character in the second half of Interstellar. The acclaimed actress was Oscar-nominated for her lead performance in Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty and she was nominated for her supporting turn in The Help. Her other notable film credits include The Tree of Life, Molly's Game, It: Chapter Two, The Martian, A Most Violent Year, and Dark Phoenix. Last year, Chastain starred in and produced Ava. 

Most recently, Jessica Chastain produced and starred in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, for which she’s expected to receive her third Oscar nomination. She also led and produced HBO’s Scenes from a Marriage and she appeared in the short film, The Sands Between. Next, Chastain will star in The Forgiven, The 355 (which she also produced), and The Good Nurse. Additionally, the esteemed actress is slated to headline and produce The Division and Spectrum Originals’ George and Tammy.  

John Lithgow (Donald)

As Donald, Cooper’s elderly father-in-law, John Lithgow plays a feeble patriarch in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. A well-versed veteran of the stage and screen, the actor is most well-known for Emmy-winning work on 3rd Rock from the Sun, Dexter, and The Crown. Additionally, Lithgow was Oscar-nominated for his supporting turns in The World According to Garp and Terms of Endearment. Outside of acting, Lithgow is the author of Dumpty: The Age of Trump in Verse and 2020's Trumpty Dumpty Wanted a Crown: Verses for a Despotic Age.

Most recently, Lithgow appeared in Pet Sematary (2019), and reprised his role as Arthur Mitchell in Dexter: New Blood. Next, he’ll star in FX’s The Old Man and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Currently, he's filming Sharper and The Untitled Cabrini Film. 

Michael Caine (Professor John Brand)

In the role of Professor John Brand, Amelia’s father and Cooper’s former mentor, Michael Caine reunites with Christopher Nolan for Interstellar. Considered to be the director’s good luck charm, the actor has frequently worked with Nolan, appearing in The Dark Knight trilogy, The Prestige, Inception, and Dunkirk (the latter only in a voice role). 

Additionally, Caine won Oscars for his supporting turns in Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules. He was also Oscar-nominated for his performances in Alfie, Sleuth, Educating Rita, and The Quiet American. 

Most recently, Michael Caine starred in Best Sellers and reunited with Nolan for Tenet. Furthermore, Caine appeared in Twist and Come Away. Next, he'll be seen in Medieval. Earlier this year, there were reports that the veteran movie star was set to retire, but Caine disputed those claims. 

Wes Bentley (Doyle)

Playing the part of Doyle, a high-standing NASA member, Wes Bentley has a brainy supporting role in Interstellar. Best known for his chilling performance as Ricky Fitts in American Beauty, which earned him a BAFTA nomination, the actor is also recognizable from The Hunger Games, Mission: Impossible — Fallout, Pete’s Dragon, The Best of Enemies, Knight of Cups, Final Girl, Welcome to Me, Underworld: Awakening, and Ghost Rider. 

On TV, Wes Bentley currently can be seen on Paramount Network’s Yellowstone in the role of Jamie Dutton. He also appeared in several seasons of FX’s American Horror Story, including Freak Show, Hotel, and Roanoke. Away from the screen, Bentley was acclaimed for East 13th Street/CSC Theatre’s production of Venus in Fur. Most recently, he was heard in Adult Swim’s Blade Runner: Black Lotus.

Casey Affleck (Tom Cooper)

As Tom Cooper, the adult version of Joseph’s son, Casey Affleck has a prominent part in Interstellar’s second half. The actor won an Oscar for his tremendous lead performance in Manchester by the Sea. Previously, Affleck was acclaimed for his starring roles in Gone, Baby, Gone and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Affleck wrote, directed, and starred in Light of My Life. Also, he previously directed and edited I’m Still Here. 

Earlier this year, Casey Affleck starred in Our Friend and Every Breath You Take, which he produced. He also had a supporting turn in The World to Come, which he also produced. Currently, Affleck is filming the musical biopic, Dreamin’ Wild, where he plays Donnie Emerson. He’s also slated to star in Stoner and Slingshot. 

Timothee Chalamet (Young Tom) 

In the role of Young Tom, Joseph’s teenage son, Timothee Chalamet received one of his first screen credits in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. A few years after the rising talent appeared in this hit blockbuster, the actor gained acclaim for his Oscar-nominated lead role in Call Me By Your Name, as well as his standout supporting turn in Lady Bird. Later, Chalamet was celebrated for his work in Little Women and Beautiful Boy. On television, Chalamet was seen on Showtime’s Homeland. 

Most recently, Timothee Chalamet starred in Dune. He also had a fun supporting role in Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch. Next, the actor will appear in Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up. He’ll also star in Luca Guadagino’s Bones & All. Currently, Chalamet is filming Wonka, adopting the purple top hat. He’ll also reprise his role as Paul Atreides in Dune: Part Two, and possibly play Bob Dylan in Going Electric.

Mackenzie Foy (Young Murphy)

Playing the part of Young Murphy, the child version of Joseph’s rather bright-eyed daughter, Mackenzie Foy has a very notable role in the first half of 2014’s Interstellar. The actress is known for playing Renesmee in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 and 2. Foy’s other film credits include The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, and  Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise. As a voice actress, she can be heard in The Boxcar Children and The Little Prince. Furthermore, Foy was seen on R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour, Hawaii Five-0, and Flashforward. 

Last year, Mackenzie Foy starred in Disney+’s Black Beauty. Next, the actress is slated to star in The Man Who Saved Paris, though development remains slow.

David Gyasi (Romilly) 

As Romilly, a physicist and astronaut participating in the Endurance mission, David Gyasi plays a supporting character in Interstellar. Previously, the actor appeared in Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. Gyasi’s other film credits include Cloud Atlas, Annihilation, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Red Tails, and What a Girl Wants. More recently, Gyasi appeared in Come Away and the short film, Living Things. He also produced/starred in Hell on the Border. 

Away from film, David Gyasi played Major Alex “Lex” Carnahan in The CW’s Containment. His other TV credits include The A Word, Chuggington, Carnival Row, White Heat, and Dream Team. Most recently, Gyasi was seen in Ear for Eye. 

Matt Damon (Mann)

In the role of Mann, an isolated NASA astronaut sent to an icy planet during the Lazarus program, Matt Damon had a surprise part in Interstellar. Most notably, Damon wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting, for which he won an Oscar. From there, Damon starred in titles like the Bourne series, Saving Private Ryan, The Rainmaker, the Ocean's movies, The Martian, True Grit, and Ford v Ferrari.

Most recently, Matt Damon produced, co-wrote, and starred in The Last Duel. He also starred in Stillwater and had a cameo in No Sudden Move. Next, Damon will be seen in Thor: Love and Thunder and reunite with Nolan for Oppenheimer. 

Interstellar is available to stream on Paramount+. To read more about the film's ambiguous ending, other Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway movies, and a whole lot more, be sure to follow CinemaBlend for the latest film news.  

This article contains spoilers from the original Dexter series on Showtime. (If you're not caught up on the series ahead of Dexter: New Blood, be warned!) 

In 2013, fans of the hit Showtime original crime drama Dexter voiced their dissatisfaction over the series finale which sees Michael C. Hall’s titular, heroic sociopath abandon his double life in Miami in an unspecified - and much colder - location. Well, it appears that these grievances were heard because a new limited series follow-up is coming to the 2021 fall TV schedule to, hopefully, offer a more proper conclusion to the story of America’s favorite serial killer. Unfortunately, very few of the surviving members of the original Dexter cast are making a return for the new season, but you are certainly bound to see a few familiar faces on the Dexter: New Blood cast, including (and unsurprisingly) the Golden Globe-winning lead.

Michael C. Hall (Dexter Morgan)

Reprising his best known role as Dexter Morgan - who now goes by Jim Lindsay on Dexter: New Blood - is Michael C. Hall, who first broke out to Emmy-nominated acclaim as David Fisher on HBO’s Six Feet Under cast before taking center stage on Dexter, which led to big screen roles like the 2009 sci-fi thriller Gamer or the 2013 drama Kill Your Darlings to name a few. He has also voiced a vampiric version of Batman in the DC animated movie Justice League: Gods and Monsters, played a suburban dad looking for his missing daughter in the Netflix miniseries Safe in 2018, and the 2019 Netflix movie In the Shadow of the Moon as a man of the law. Earlier in 2021, Hall starred in the thriller John and the Hole and voices Leonard Swett in an upcoming documentary about the Gettysburg Address.

Clancy Brown (Kurt Caldwell) 

Dexter now resides in the small town of Iron Lake, which is unofficially led by truck stop owner Kurt Caldwell - played by Clancy Brown, who is known for being many things throughout his extensive career from an iconic horror movie actor (most recently in Shudder’s The Mortuary Collection), a leading star of HBO’s Carnivále cast, and even a superhero movies star as the voice Surtur in Thor: Ragnarok, among other comic book roles. In fact, he may be even better known for voice acting, such as in several DC TV shows and Marvel TV shows, but most famously as Mr. Krabs on SpongeBob SquarePants. After Dexter: New Blood, you will see the actor in person in upcoming movies Last Looks and John Wick: Chapter Four, which is now in post-production.

Julia Jones (Angela Bishop) 

As Iron Lake’s first Native American police chief Angela Bishop we have Julia Jones, whose earliest career highlights include the 2010 DC Comics-inspired western Jonah Hex, playing shapeshifter Leah Clearwater in the Twilight movies, and a recurring role on the ER cast in 2008. She more recently had a recurring role on the Westworld cast, played a grieving mother in Wind River in 2017, starred in the 2019 action thriller Cold Pursuit opposite Liam Neeson, and appeared on Episode 4 of The Mandalorian as Omera. Outside of Dexter: New Blood, 2021 saw Jones join Peacock’s Rutherford Falls cast and lend her voice to a series of Disney Channel original shorts called The Ghost and Molly McGee. 

Alano Miller (Logan) 

As Iron Lake police sergeant and assistant high school wrestling coach Logan, we have Alano Miller, who started out making guest appearances on several hit series (including FX’s Damages) before landing a recurring role on the Jane the Virgin cast that led to bigger things, such as an spot on one of the best Atlanta episodes ever as a devious talk show host in 2016. That same year, he landed a role in the historical biopic Loving, played Cato Powell on WGN’s historical series Underground, and a few more period pieces such as AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire and the Amazon Prime original movie Sylvie’s Love in 2020. Season 2 of his romantic OWN original series Cherish the Day (from creator Ava DuVernay) is expected to premiered in 2022.

Johnny Sequoyah (Audrey) 

As Angela Bishop’s arrogant teenage daughter Audrey, we have Johnny Sequoyah, who made her uncredited acting debut at age 11 in the 2013 comedy Ass Backwards before becoming the central focus of the short-lived supernatural NBC drama Believe, which was co-created by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón, in 2014. That same year, she starred in the dramedy film Among Ravens and a drama called Black Eyed Dog before appearing in the 2015 horror film Wind Walkers, the 2016 fantasy movie Albion: The Enchanted Stallion, and the pilot episode of American Housewife on CBS.

Jack Alcott (Harrison Morgan)

Jack Alcott is the fifth actor to play Dexter’s son, Harrison Morgan (who goes by Randall on Dexter: New Blood), which is easily the young actor’s biggest role to date in a career dominated by appearances in short films for years. However, the year 2020 began to bring new changes with his guest spot as a younger version of The Blacklist cast member Diego Klattenhoff and a starring role on the Showtime original western miniseries The Good Lord Bird as creator and star Ethan Hawke’s onscreen son. 

Jennifer Carpenter (Debra Morgan) 

Of course, no one else could play Dexter’s adoptive sister, who appears on Dexter: New Blood from beyond the grave, than Jennifer Carpenter, whose other best known roles come mostly from horror movies such as The Exorcism of Emily Rose (in which she plays the titular possessed teen) and Quarantine (the 2009 English-language remake of [REC]). Debra Morgan is also one of a few characters she has played with a badge, including an FBI agent on CBS’ Limitless series spin-off and on NBC’s short-lived The Enemy Within as a traitorous former CIA operative. In 2021, the Brawl in Cell Block 99 star also appeared alongside Amanda Seyfried in the drama A Mouthful of Air and Carpenter has a new horror movie in the works called She’s Still Here. 

Jamie Chung (Molly) 

Also a bit of a Scream Queen (especially for her role on the Lovecraft Country cast) is Jamie Chung, who plays a recurring character on Dexter: New Blood named Molly, but “Blockbuster Queen” might be more accurate for all the huge Hollywood movies in her 16-year career, such as 2014’s Sin City: A Dame To Kill For and the last two Hangover movies, to name a few. She also played Mulan on the Once Upon a Time cast, appeared on many superhero TV shows like Big Hero 6: The Series (on which she reprises her role from the original film), and recently lent her voice to the animated series Star Wars: Visions on Disney+. Chung also appears on the Apple TV+'s Mr. Corman and is currently working on the mythological animated series Twilight of the Gods and the mystery comedy movie Reunion.

David Magidoff (Teddy Reed) 

In what might be his comparatively darkest role yet (Teddy Reed on Dexter: New Blood) is comedian David Magidoff, who debuted on NBC’s 1950s-set drama American Dreams and made his feature film debut with Sex and Death 101 a year after landing a recurring role among the Veronica Mars cast in 2006. Guest spots in other hit TV shows - such as Fox’s Lethal Weapon reboot and even a few Disney Channel originals like Austin & Ally - followed before 2019 when he landed major roles on Apple TV+’s The Morning Show cast and Top Elf on Nickelodeon. More recently, Magidoff acted opposite the Impeachment: American Crime Story cast in its premiere and you might have also spotted him hosting HQ Trivia.

Michael Cyril Creighton (Fred Jr.) 

A Dexter: New Blood cast member who previously worked with Michael C. Hall in the 2018 comedic caper Game Night is Michael Cyril Creighton - a theatre-trained actor whose theatre-inspired web series Jack in a Box (which he also created and won a Writer’s Guild of America Award for) eventually earned him guest spots on FX’s Louie  and Netflix's Orange is the New Black. He has also appeared in a few Oscar darlings, including the 2016 Best Picture winner Spotlight and the Best Picture nominee The Post in 2017. Creighton also appeared in a much lighter crime series in 2021, namely Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, and is now working on a series remake of A League of Their Own for Amazon Prime.

John Lithgow (Arthur Mitchell)

Perhaps the most exciting familiar face appearing on Dexter: New Blood is two-Oscar-nominee John Lithgow, who channeled his villainous side (as seen in Cliffhanger or as Lord Farquaad from the Shrek cast) into Emmy-winning performance as the Trinity Killer in Dexter’s fourth (and arguably best) season. The Third Rock from the Sun cast member (who won his sixth Emmy playing Winston Churchill on The Crown) recently revisited his more innocent side when joining HBO’s Perry Mason cast, but has not abandoned the darkness when playing Judd in 2019’s Pet Sematary remake and Roger Ailes in Bombshell that same year. Lithgow has another limited crime series in the works called The Old Man, stars in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming Killers of the Flower Moon, and is filming the drama Sharper and an untitled Mother Cabrini biopic as we speak.

The new blood on the Dexter: New Blood cast looks promising enough to suggest this new season will make a killing. See for yourself when the special limited series event premieres Sunday, November 7, 2021, on Showtime.

Martin Scorsese’s next movie, Killers of the Flower Moon, has been filming since April, but casting news has continued to trickle in over the following months. Just last week, Brendan Fraser, who recently appeared in No Sudden Move and will soon be back as Cliff Steele/Robotman for Doom Patrol Season 3, was announced as part of the on-camera lineup. Now it’s been revealed that Fraser and the rest of the all-star cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio, will be joined by John Lithgow.

Following his Emmy-nominated performance as E.B. Jonathan in HBO’s Perry Mason, and ahead of his reprisal of Arthur Mitchell in the Dexter: New Blood limited series, it’s been announced that John Lithgow has signed onto Killers of the Flower Moon. According to Deadline, Lithgow will play Prosecutor Leaward in Martin Scorsese’s follow-up to 2019’s The Irishman. Fraser will be playing fellow lawyer W.S. Hamilton, but it’s unclear if his character is working with Leaward as part of the prosecution team or if he’ll be part of the defense instead.

In any case, this marks John Lithgow’s first time starring in a Martin Scorsese movie, so it’s good these two icons of Hollywood finally crossed paths for a project. This will also be Lithgow’s first film appearance since 2019, although that was a big year for him, as he starred in four movies. Late Night kicked off the bunch, followed by The Tomorrow Man, his turn as Jud Crandall in the Pet Sematary remake and Bombshell, where he played late Fox News CEO Roger Ailes.

Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio have been looking to make a Killers of the Flower Moon movie since 2017, one year after Imperative Entertainment won the bidding war for the film rights to David Grann’s same-named nonfiction book. However, Scorsese’s work on Netflix’s The Irishman necessitated that Killers of the Flower Moon be temporarily tabled. But by June 2019, that proverbial ball started to get rolling again, and a little under two years later, principal photography finally kicked off.

Along with Leonardo DiCaprio (who’s also producing), John Lithgow and Brendan Fraser, Killers of the Flower Moon’s cast includes Robert De Niro, (who suffered a leg injury shortly after shooting his scenes), Jesse Plemons, Lily Gladstone, Sturgill Simpson, Louis Cancelmi, William Belleu, Tatanka Means, Michael Abbott Jr., Pat Healy and Scott Shepherd. The 1920s-set movie follows follows the FBI investigation into the murders of members of the Osage Nation, which came to be known as the Reign of Terror.

As a co-production between Paramount Pictures and Apple TV+, Killers of the Flower Moon will play in theaters worldwide, and then it will subsequently be made available on the latter streaming service. A release date hasn’t been set yet, but you can learn what movies are on the calendar with our 2021 release schedule and 2022 release schedule.

Based on the explosive accounts of several former Fox News employees who exposed CEO Roger Ailes for rampant sexual harassment (as well as the toxic workplace that surrounded and emboldened him), Bombshell seemed destined to be one of December 2019's biggest releases — particularly as it featured one of the year's most high-profile acting ensembles.

An A-list cast that includes Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow, Kate McKinnon, and Allison Janney, the film from Emmy-winning director Jay Roach was predicted to be an awards contender from the moment it was first announced. Sure enough, it received three Oscar nominations, for Best Actress (Theron), Best Supporting Actress (Robbie), and Best Make-Up and Hairstyling, notably for the impressive transformations that turned Theron and Lithgow into Megyn Kelly and Ailes, respectively.

While the movie underperformed financially, Bombshell remains a sizable streaming hit, particularly for the impressive talent involved. Now that it has been a little over a year since the drama premiered in theaters, what is the high-profile Bombshell cast working on? Let's take a look and find out!

Charlize Theron (Megyn Kelly)

Playing the part of Megyn Kelly, a Fox News anchor caught in personal and professional conflict during the end of her tenure at the station, Charlize Theron received another Oscar nomination for her portrayal of the real-life broadcast television personality in Bombshell. An Oscar-winning actress for her leading role in Monster, Theron is an A-list superstar who's best known for North Country, The Italian Job (2003), Young Adult, The Devil's Advocate, The Cider House Rules, Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde, Prometheus, Snow White and the Huntsman, Tully, Mighty Joe Young, The Fate of the Furious, Hancock, and Long Shot, as well as Æon Flux, Reindeer Games, That Thing You Do!, In the Valley of Elah, The Road, and Arrested Development. She can also be heard in Kubo and the Two Strings and The Addams Family (2019).

Most recently, Charlize Theron starred in Netflix's The Old Guard, which she also produced. Next, Theron will appear in F9, which is expected to come out later this year. She'll also be heard in The Addams Family 2.

Nicole Kidman (Gretchen Carlson)

As Gretchen Carlson, a Fox News broadcast journalist, Nicole Kidman plays one of the lead roles in 2019's Bombshell. An Oscar-winning and two-time Emmy-winning actress, Kidman is known and acclaimed for her performances in The Hours, Rabbit Hole, Moulin Rouge!, Eyes Wide Shut, To Die For, Dogville, Cold Mountain, Big Little Lies, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Paddington, The Others, Far and Away, and Top of the Lake: China Girl, as well as Hemingway & Gellhorn, Lion, Birth, Destroyer, Boy Erased, The Beguiled, and Stoker. She's also recognized for her work in Batman Forever, Aquaman, Australia, Bewitched, Practical Magic, Days of Thunder, and The Upside.

Most recently, Nicole Kidman starred in HBO's The Undoing. She also played a splashy supporting role in Netflix's The Prom. Next, Kidman appears in Nine Perfect Strangers, Hulu's mini-series based on Liane Moriarty's novel, and she's set to be seen in The Northman, a Viking drama from director Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse). Additionally, Kidman's signed on to star in Amazon Prime's Pretty Things and Things I Know To Be True.

Margot Robbie (Kayla Pospisil)

In the role of Kayla Pospisil, an ambitious young TV producer (and a fictitious personality based on several people who worked for Fox News), Margot Robbie received her second Oscar nomination for her supporting role in Bombshell. A rising superstar after her scene-stealing performance in The Wolf of Wall Street, Robbie garnered her first Oscar nomination for I, Tonya and she was notably seen in Suicide Squad, Focus, Mary Queen of Scots, The Legend of Tarzan, and Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood.

Shortly following Bombshell's release, Margot Robbie starred in Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, which she also produced. A few months later, Robbie starred in and produced Dreamland. She also produced December's Promising Young Woman. Next, the actress will be seen in The Suicide Squad, reprising her role as Harley Quinn, and she'll be heard in Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway. Additionally, she's expected to star in Babylon and the newest film from writer-director David O. Russell. Robbie will also serve as a producer on Netflix's Maid.

John Lithgow (Roger Ailes)

Playing Roger Ailes, Fox News' CEO and chairman, John Lithgow adopted heavy make-up to become the main antagonist in Bombshell. A well-versed veteran of the stage and screen, Lithgow is most well-known for Emmy-winning work in 3rd Rock from the Sun, Dexter, and The Crown. He also appeared in Terms of Endearment, Harry and the Hendersons, Dreamgirls, Footloose, The World According to Garp, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, This is 40, Love is Strange, Interstellar, Pitch Perfect 3, Daddy's Home Two, Late Night, and Pet Sematary (2019). Also, the actor is heard in Shrek. In addition to his screen work, Lithgow won two Tony Awards for 1973's The Changing Room and 2002's Sweet Smell of Success.

Most recently, John Lithgow starred in HBO's Perry Mason. Next, the actor will star in FX's The Old Man. Additionally, outside of acting, Lithgow wrote 2019's Dumpty: The Age of Trump in Verse, a book of poems and illustrations, along with its follow-up, Trumpty Dumpty Wanted a Crown: Verses for a Despotic Age, which was published this past September.

Kate McKinnon (Jess Carr)

In the role of Jess Carr, Kayla's savvy Fox News co-worker and eventual love interest, Kate McKinnon had a scene-stealing character in Bombshell. Most notably, McKinnon is a long-standing standout on NBC's Saturday Night Live, having won two Emmys for her work on the sketch comedy series. Her popularity on SNL eventually led to starring roles in Ghostbusters (2016), Rough Night, The Spy Who Dumped Me, and Office Christmas Party. Additionally, the film/TV actress can be seen in Yesterday and Masterminds, as well as heard in The Venture Bros., Finding Dory, Ferdinand, China, IL, and The Angry Birds Movie.

Currently, Kate McKinnon can be seen in the latest ongoing season of SNL. She can also be heard as the voice of Ms. Frizzle in Netflix's The Magic School Bus Rides Again. The actress also does voice work for Nature Cat and Heads Will Roll. Up next, McKinnon will play Elizabeth Holmes in Hulu's mini-series, The Dropout, and Carole Baskin in NBC's Joe Exotic. She's also set to star in an adaptation of Deb Lucke's The Lunch Witch.

Connie Britton (Beth Ailes)

As Beth Ailes, Roger Ailes' wife, Connie Britton played a prominent supporting character in Bombshell. Most notably, Britton is best known for her television work in NBC's Friday Night Lights, for which she received two Emmy nominations, ABC/CMT's Nashville, another Emmy-nominated performance, and the first and eighth seasons of FX's American Horror Story, where she was, once again, Emmy-nominated. She also played a main cast role in the first season of Fox's 9-1-1, and she starred in Spin City and Dirty John. Outside of TV, Britton appears in Friday Night Lights (2004), The Brothers McMullen, The Last Winter, This is Where I Leave You, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, The To-Do List, The Land of Steady Habits, and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World.

Most recently, Connie Britton was briefly seen in Promising Young Woman. She also reprised her role as Abby Clark in a couple of episodes of Fox's 9-1-1. Next, Britton appears in Joe Bell, which recently premiered at TIFF. She's also starring in the upcoming mini-series, The White Lotus.

Malcolm McDowell (Rupert Murdoch)

Playing the part of Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul behind Fox News, Malcolm McDowell had a small-but-imposing role in Bombshell. Most famously, McDowell was the lead in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. He can also be seen in Time After Time, Halloween (2007), Star Trek: Generations, Caligula, If..., O Lucky Man!, Britannia Hospital, Cat People, Tank Girl, The Artist, Easy A, Franklin & Bash, Mozart in the Jungle, Entourage, and Heroes, and he can be heard in Bolt and Metalocalypse.

Most recently, Malcolm McDowell appeared in Amazon Prime's Truth Seekers. He can also be seen in The Big Ugly and Timecrafters: The Treasure of Pirate's Cove and heard in The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two and an episode of Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? Additionally, McDowell was the narrator for Free Lunch Express. Next, the actor lends his talents to a number of upcoming films and shows, including Wizardream, Just Noise, Trick and Treats, She Will, ARK: The Animated Series, The Virus, Monster Butler, Midnight Reckoning, The Mystery of Casa Matusita, and Experiment 77, to name only a few.

Allison Janney (Susan Estrich)

In the role of Susan Estrich, a legal counsel for Roger Ailes, Allison Janney played a notable supporting character in Bombshell. An acclaimed actress with seven Emmys and an Oscar to her name, among other accolades, Janney is best known for The West Wing, Masters of Sex, Mom, and I, Tonya, as well as Drop Dead Gorgeous, Nurse Betty, Hairspray (2007), The Way Way Back, The Help, Juno, American Beauty, 10 Things I Hate About You, Private Parts, Primary Colors, The Hours, Tammy, Spy, Tallulah, Ma, Get On Up, and The Girl on the Train. She can also be heard in Finding Nemo, Minions, Over the Hedge, and The Addams Family (2019).

Currently, Allison Janney is still playing the lead role in CBS's Mom. She also lends her voice to DuckTales. Following Bombshell's release, Janney appeared in Troop Zero, Bad Education, Lazy Susan, and the short film, The Great Man Himself. Next, the actress will be seen in Breaking News in Yuba County and To Leslie. She's also signed on to star in The Heart and Lou.

You can watch Bombshell on Hulu here. You can also stream it on Amazon Prime here.

No one could have imagined any reason to root for a serial murderer until Michael C. Hall played one with an unprecedented heroic charm on one of the most killer original series from Showtime. Of course, even bloodthirsty sociopaths are nothing without the company they keep and rest of the stellar cast members from Dexter were definitely worth keep around, even if not all their characters managed to survive.

Developed by former The Sopranos writer James Manos Jr., Dexter is based on a series of novels told from the point of view of a forensic analyst who spends his spare time using his homicidal tendencies as a force for good, butchering the worst criminals imaginable. The dark drama, which lasted eight seasons from 2006 to 2013, sees Dexter struggle to keep his second life as one of Miami’s most prolific killers a secret from his family, his colleagues in law enforcement, and the despicable personalities he targets (until they become his prey, that is).

Whether or not you particularly enjoyed the controversial series finale, it is hard to deny that the show was home to some criminally good performances throughout. So, where has the Dexter cast of lent its talents to since? Find out here in this career update of the following 11 actors behind some of the most memorable roles on Dexter.

Michael C. Hall (Dexter Morgan)

Following up his Emmy-nominated role on Six Feet Under, Michael C. Hall landed the title role of Dexter, for which he won a Golden Globe in 2010, and seems to have been active to outgrow the character ever since. His first big acting effort after the seres' end was as the lead of the 2014 Broadway run of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and followed by notable big screen appearances, like Game Night, and a few projects for Netflix, namely the feature-length In the Shadow of the Moon and miniseries Safe. 

His next big TV role is post-World War II crime drama Shadowplay and, in an intriguing role reversal, he will play victim in the thriller John and the Hole, which has no set theatrical release yet.

Jennifer Carpenter (Debra Morgan)

Best known for playing this Miami homicide detective, Jennifer Carpenter also had a real relationship with Michael C. Hall that ended in amicable divorce while playing adoptive siblings (even though Debra's admission to having romantic feelings for Dexter made it not such a stretch after all). Outside frequent collaborations with Brawl in Cell Block 99 director S. Craig Zahler, the 40-year-old actress' best known work since Dexter has also been on the small screen, such as upgrading to the FBI for Limitless on CBS and downgrading to a traitorous former CIA agent on NBC's short-lived The Enemy Within. She more recently lent her voice to an animated Mortal Kombat movie her upcoming drama A Mouthful of Air is expected for 2021.

James Remar (Harry Morgan)

Playing one of the more unusual characters in the series was James Remar as Harry Morgan, a detective who inspired his adoptive son, Dexter, to use his homicidal tendencies for good at a young age before becoming his "conscience" of sorts after death. The 66-year-old veteran actor has continued turn in stellar performances of a wonderful variety, including voicing Tonraq on The Legend of Korra, a cast member from Bounty Law in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, and an ally to the titular hero of Arrow spin-off Black Lightning.

David Zayas (Angel Batista)

Quickly after retiring his role as detective turned lieutenant Angel Batista on Dexter, David Zayas did a 180 as Sal Maroni, one of the Batman's most notorious mob enemies, on Fox's Gotham. However, the Puerto Rican actor would go back to playing good guys more frequently not long after, such as on the Netflix original crime drama Bloodline and in a few of the several gigs he has lined up, including Eli Moran, in which he plays a coach and mentor to a young basketball prodigy.

Julie Benz (Rita Bennett)

The series would also became a romantic tragedy thanks to Julie Benz, whose stint as the Dexter's wife, and the mother of his child, Rita, ended with her character's murder in Season 4. Ironically, one of her first notable post-Dexter roles was as Patrick Wilson's dead wife in medical drama A Gifted Man, followed by playing mayor to a post-apocalyptic society in the Syfy original series Defiance, a police inspector in Hawaii Five-0, and other TV roles that were, indeed, "defiant" to her past efforts. Benz most recently returned to Showtime in a recurring role opposite Kirsten Dunst on the '90s-set comedy On Becoming a God in Central Florida.

C.S. Lee (Vince Masuka)

The sex-obsessed Vince Masuka, played by South Korean-born C.S. Lee, was also one of the greatest threats to Dexer's secret life, being the very accomplished and very clever lead forensic investigator at Miami Metro. He would play a similarly threatening (but far more difficult to get along with) version of that character on Chuck, who leans a bit more in the opposite direction of the adulterous recovering alcoholic he played on Season 4 of Chicago Med. Also known for playing a state attorney in Season 2 of True Detective, Lee's most likable role to date may also be his most recent performance as a priest in the Netflix original coming-of-age drama All Together Now, which also stars Moana's Auli'i Cravalho.

Luna Lauren Velez (Maria LaGuerta)

Speaking of unlikable people, Maria LaGuerta's job may be upholding the law, but her true role is one of Dexter's main antagonists - a persona that actress Luna Lauren Velez would, thankfully, not have to repeat for her recurring spot on How to Get Away with Murder or in the Academy Award-winning animated comic book movie masterpiece Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, in which she voiced the role of Miles Morales' mother, Rio. In addition to landing a role in 2018's The First Purge, Velez returned to playing a cop in the pilot for a reboot of the '90s crime drama New York Undercover, which has yet to be picked up, and also plays a police captain in the upcoming TV movie Murder opposite Michael Chiklis.

Desmond Harrington (Joey Quinn)

Prior to and since playing Detective Joseph Quinn, Desmond Harrington has led a career of great variety, especially on the small screen, which has seen him reunite with several of his Dexter co-stars - including Jennifer Carpenter on Limitless and C.S. Lee on Sneaky Pete. More recently, the star of Nicolas Winding Refn's 2016 thriller The Neon Demon played FBI Head Louis Freeh on the second season of Manhunt, a retelling of the same story that inspired Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell, and will play prolific novelist Jack Kerouac in the John Kennedy Toole biopic Butterfly in the Typewriter, which is currently in pre-production.

Erik King (James Doakes)

While certainly not a bad guy, Sgt. James Doakes (portrayed unforgettably by Erik King) could be appropriately referred to as an enemy to Dexter Morgan and was even the first character on the series to identify him as The Bay Harbor Butcher. The actor would take on a whole different profession in his recurring role on the fourth season of brutal Cinemax crime drama Banshee and would pull another 180 playing a church pastor on yet another crime thriller, the 50 Cent-produced Crackle original The Oath, which also stars Sean Bean. He also appeared in the 2018 music drama Vox Lux, opposite Natalie Portman, and more recently scored a recurring role on CBS All Access exclusive The Good Wife spin-off, The Good Fight.

Yvonne Strahovski (Hannah McKay)

Also known for pulling a few 180's in her day is Yvonne Strahovski, best known as secret agent Sarah Walker on Chuck and the voice of Miranda Lawson in the Mass Effect games before joining the cast of Dexter in Season 7 as Hannah McKay, a fellow sociopathic murderer whom Dexter falls for. The Australian model and actress would go on to play a cult escapee in the Netflix original miniseries Stateless following her Emmy-nominated turn as Serena Joy Waterford in The Handmaid's Tale. She will next join Chris Pratt and Betty Gilpin in the futuristic combat thriller The Tomorrow War, which is expected to release in 2021.

John Lithgow (Arthur Mitchell)

Those who might have doubted that John Lithgow could give an Emmy-winning performance as the Trinity Killer on Dexter must have forgotten about his sinister roles in Cliffhanger and Raising Cain. With the exception of his charming role as struggling attorney Elias Jonathan on HBO's revamp of Perry Mason, the former Third Rock from the Sun star has been leaning into that sinister side much more frequently, from helping a desperate father raise hell in the 2019 Pet Sematary remake to playing disgraced former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes in Bombshell. Lithgow is continuing that streak with the upcoming FX crime miniseries The Old Man.

What do you think? Have we covered all of your favorites actors from Dexter, or did you want to hear more about Jadon Wells (who played Dexter’s son Harrison Morgan in Season 8) and the CrossFit videos he is known for these days? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for additional news related to the hit crime drama, as well as even more updates on the cast members from your favorite movies and TV shows, here on CinemaBlend.

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Netflix has films that appeal to horror junkies, thrill-seekers, even hopeless romantics, and so many other movie genres. Its wide selection of movies is what makes it one of the most popular streaming services. And if you’re a fan of dance movies, then Netflix has plenty, including their latest film Work It.

Work It stars Sabrina Carpenter, Liza Koshy, Keiynan Lonsdale, and Jordan Fisher. The film follows teen Quinn (Sabrina Carpenter) as she forms a new dance group in order to impress an admissions representative at Duke University. The film takes a similar path as other dance movies: a studious girl spends her entire high school life studying, then she discovers the power of dance. Work It has all the ingredients of a fun dance movie, including the learning how to dance montage.

If you’ve already watched Work It, and are now in desperate need of some more dance movies in your life, then I have a few suggestions.

Save The Last Dance

What It's About: Julia Stiles plays aspiring ballerina Sara, who moves to an inner-city after her mother dies in a car accident. Sara gives up her dancing dreams because of the accident, that is until she meets Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas), who helps her find her love of dancing again.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Work It and Save the Last Dance are kindred spirits in that they are both about teen girls who find their rhythm while falling in love. Unlike Quinn, Sara has a dance background, so dancing is already part of her nature, but she also must learn the complicated hip hop dance style.

Stream it on HBO Max here.

Rent It here.

Leap!

What It’s About: Leap! is an animated film featuring voice acting by Elle Fanning, Nat Wolff, and Carly Rae Jepsen. It’s about two orphans who run away to Paris. There, Félicie (Fanning) starts to train to become a ballerina.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Leap! is a lighthearted dance film that also revolves around someone who doesn’t have any formal dance training, but gets mentorship from a fallen expert. Félicie and Quinn both train and find their groove and achieve their dance dreams. For Quinn it’s winning the major Work It competition, for Félicie, it’s to perform alongside principal dancers.

Stream it on Netflix here.

Rent it here.

Footloose

What It’s About: Dancing is outlawed in small-town Bomont, Oklahoma, but rebel Ren (Kevin Bacon) refuses to just live a life without dancing and rock music. Footloose’s cast includes Lori Singer, Dianne Wiest, John Lithgow, Chris Penn, and Sarah Jessica Parker. The original film was released in 1984, and a remake was made in 2011.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Footloose and Work It highlight the power of dance and its symbolic tie to freedom and passion.The teens in Work It and Footloose discover their true identities through dancing.

Stream it on Hulu here.

Rent it here.

Center Stage

What It’s About: Center Stage follows several young dancers as they try to prove themselves at a prestigious dance academy. It details the personal and professional struggles they undergo to be considered one of the best ballet dancers. Much of Center Stage’s storyline revolves around Jody (Amanda Schull) not quite fitting the dance mold, but having a strong desire to prove herself. Center Stage’s cast includes Zoe Saldana, Peter Gallagher, Ethan Stiefel, Sascha Radetsky, and Susan May Pratt.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Work It and Center Stage both include a cast of real professional dancers, as most of the main cast of Work It has experience in dancing as well as acting. Jordan Fisher even won Dancing with the Stars. Both films are also underdog stories told in the dance world.

Stream on IMDBTV here.

Rent it here.

Battle

What It’s About: Battle is a Norwegian drama about Amalie (Lisa Teige), a rich girl who has her life turned upside down when her father loses his entire fortune. Amalie and her father have to move to a rougher area. Amalie still keeps her dance dreams, but ends up practicing in a free dance studio where she meets Mikael (Fabian Svegaard).

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Battle very much feels like a Norwegian Saved the Last Dance, so it’s all about a girl who is used to structured dancing finding a passion for hip-hop and the cute guy who instructs her. Work It also feels like a younger sibling to Save the Last Dance in how it takes a girl used to structure and discipline and allows her to find the beauty of listening to her heart and the beat.

Stream it on Netflix here.

Dirty Dancing

What It’s About: Dirty Dancing is a romantic movie about a resort dance instructor falling for one of the girls vacationing there. Baby (Jennifer Grey) and Johnny (Patrick Swayze) get to know each other and start to fall in love through dancing, but Baby’s father doesn’t trust Johnny, especially because he comes from a working-class family.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Work It plays up how Quinn and Jake (Jordan Fisher)’s attraction grows every time they dance together. Dirty Dancing and Work It demonstrate the seductive nature of dance and how it can create authentic chemistry between people.

Stream it on Hulu here.

Rent it here.

You Got Served

What It’s About: You Got Served is a dramedy about a street dance crew that battles other hip hop dancers. The dance crew has ups and downs before they try to win the big prize at the major dance competition hosted by MTV. You Got Served’s cast mainly consists of B2K band members, including Marques Houston, Omarion Grandberry, J-Boog Houston, Raz-B Thornton, and Lil Fizz Frederic. Steve Harvey also appears in the film as Mr. Rad, the owner of the club where many of the dance battles take place.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: You Got Served is a bit more serious than Work It but they’re both overall fun dance movies that don’t take themselves too seriously. Each film also has the power of friendship and being there for one another as one of the driving themes.

Stream it on IMDBTV here.

Rent it here.

Dance Academy: The Comeback

What It’s About: Dance Academy was an Australian teen series that aired from 2010 to 2013. In 2017, it had a continuation movie that followed some of the main characters from the series trying to make it in the dance world. The Dance Academy: The Comeback cast includes Xenia Goodwin, Alicia Banit, Jordan Rodrigues, Dena Kaplan, Thomas Lacey, and Keiynan Lonsdale.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Work It had a subplot about ambitious dancers trying to prove themselves to get into top-notch dance programs and universities. If Work It only focused on that aspect, then it would probably have a more similar plot to Dance Academy: The Comeback about the journey of young dancers. Both films also share Lonsdale as an actor.

Stream it on Netflix here.

Rent it here.

Fame

What It’s About: Fame follows a group of New York City teens as they attend a performing arts school. It follows the students from freshmen to senior year. The Fame cast includes Gene Anthony Ray, Irene Cara, Debbie Allen, and Lee Curreri.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Fame depicts various art forms and shows the obstacles that come with being an artist. It mixes these issues with typical teen problems, like meeting parental standards. Work It dealt with Quinn’s struggle to please her mother, while also feeling the draw towards dance. Fame and Work It share in that they don’t just address the struggles of a career n the arts, but also typical teen everyday difficulties.

Rent it here.

Bring It On

What It’s About: Torrance (Kirsten Dunst) has just become the cheer captain of the cheerleading squad the Toros. The Toros have won multiple national titles, but Torrance learns that they have won most of them by stealing dance moves from the Clovers team. Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, and Gabrielle Union also star. Bring It On later inspired a franchise of sequel films.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Bring It On is more of a cheerleading movie than a dance one, but they both deal with characters who have to start from scratch and find their own style of dance to compete on a grand scale level against a much better team.

Rent it here.

Strictly Ballroom

What It’s About: Baz Luhrmann directed and co-wrote Strictly Ballroom, an Australian romantic comedy about Scott (Paul Mercurio), a professional ballroom dancer who loses his partner and must train a newbie, Fran (Tara Morice) to compete in a major championship.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: If you were charmed by Quinn and Jake’s dance romance, you’ll be even more dazzled by Fran and Scott’s love story. Strictly Ballroom is a quirky dance movie that has a similar tone to Work It in its playful nature, but also passion and excitement for dance.

Rent it here.

Step Up

What It’s About: Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan star in Step Up as Tyler and Nora, two dancers from different backgrounds forced to pair up. Of course, after a combative partnership, they learn to understand each other and work together, and also fall in love. Step Up eventually had five spin-off films (and counting).

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Step Up and Work It both highlight how dancing can break down barriers and help people form bonds. They show how dance is universal and how the combination of dance styles leads to really fun final dance numbers.

Rent it here.

Billy Elliot

What It’s About: 11-year old Billy Elliot dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer. Billy has to hide that he takes lessons because his father and brother disapprove of his dream. Jamie Bell plays Billy.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Billy finds himself not being supported by his father because of how a boy ballet dancer will look to others. Quinn faces some similar parental disapproval from her mother, who believes she should just focus on her school work. Billy Elliot and Work It both end with the parents seeing the error of their ways and learning to support their children’s passions.

Rent it here.

Flashdance

What It’s About: Jennifer Beals plays Alex, a young woman who dreams of becoming a professional dancer.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Flashdance and Work It both focus on young women who have no professional dance training, but their determination allows them to try (and succeed) to compete when they go up against more seasoned professionals. Both films are also about taking chances, even when the odds seemed stacked against you.

Rent it here.

Work It is a cheery dance movie that doesn’t take itself seriously, allowing it to hit the right notes and beats. The films on this list have a similar love of dance spirit.

Stream Work It on Netflix.

Can you believe it's almost been 20 years since Shrek came out? Because I can't. DreamWorks Animation's 2001 CG-animated comedy made a huge, sloppy splash upon release, and we're still feeling its reverberating waves throughout pop culture today. Would we have Despicable Me without Shrek, for instance? The satirical take on the familiar fairytale tropes provided hearty laughs for audiences of all ages, while its winning romanticism and heartfelt message provided an emotional sincerity that allowed the movie to become the animated hit we know it as today. 

While it spawned a few sequels that didn't capture the same critical appeal, the Shrek franchise was a very lucrative property, complete with a spin-off, several specials, and a potential fifth film looming forward. Though the movie features many famous voices, the main cast all saw their profiles rise thanks to this Oscar-winning hit. Here's what Shrek's voice cast is doing now.

Mike Myers (Shrek)

As the titular ogre, Mike Myers brought Shrek to life and helped the character become an unlikely household name. Once set to star Chris Farley before the actor's tragic and untimely death, Myers became more-than-a-suitable replacement, bringing heart, humor, warmth, and passion to the role of this eventually smitten social outcast with a great deal of irreverence for fairytale lore. As an actor, the Saturday Night Live veteran was previously best known for his work in Wayne's World and the Austin Powers trilogy, both of which he helped write. Following his portrayal of the green character, in addition to the sequels that followed, Myers starred in The Cat in the Hat, Inglorious Basterds, and The Love Guru, the latter of which he also wrote and produced. Additionally, he recently starred in Bohemian Rhapsody and Terminal in minor roles, the former as a tribute to Wayne's World.

Recently, Mike Myers played Tommy Maitland, a gregarious English emcee, in ABC's short-lived two-season revival of The Gong Show. It was played as a secret in the first season, though the promotions were open about it before the second. Additionally, Myers served as a producer, though he was credited as his character. Outside of his acting work, Myers directed the 2013 documentary Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon, and in 2016, he published his first book, Canada. 

Next, Myers has signed on to star and executive produce a currently untitled comedy series for Netflix, which will last six episodes and feature Myers playing a variety of characters. Details are slim otherwise, and it's unknown if the show is still in development and when we can expect it to premiere. There's also the lingering promise of Austin Powers 4, though the tragic death of Verne Troyer puts those possibilities in doubt.

Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona)

As Princess Fiona, the young woman locked away in a castle who finds an unlikely suitor in Shrek, Cameron Diaz played the most transformative role in Shrek, it's safe to say. Originally set to be played by Janeane Garofalo, Diaz became another late addition to the cast, though she certainly provided a memorable voice-only performance in the animated hit. 

In the years since Shrek's release, Diaz has notably been seen in Gangs of New York, In Her Shoes, The Holiday, Bad Teacher, My Sister's Keeper, Knight and Day, The Box, The Green Hornet, and The Other Woman, to name a few titles. After she appeared in 2014's Annie remake, Diaz stepped away from acting and this film remains her last title. Diaz married musician Benji Madden in 2015, and the married couple welcomed their first child, Raddix Chloe Wildflower Madden, on December 30th, 2019.

Outside of acting, Cameron Diaz published The Body Book: Feed, Move, Understand, and Love Your Amazing Body in 2013. The former actress also recently published The Longevity Book: The Science of Aging, the Biology of Strength, and the Privilege of Time. Additionally, with Katherine Power, Diaz launched an organic wine brand called Avaline earlier this year.

Eddie Murphy (Donkey)

As the fast-talking, wise-cracking Donkey, Eddie Murphy turned this little creature with a big heart into one of the most beloved animated characters of the early 21st century. It also gave Murphy's career a fallback after his career was threatening to stall. The Saturday Night Live veteran is one of the most acclaimed stand-up performers ever, and his film work in 48 Hours, Trading Places, Coming to America, The Nutty Professor, Doctor Dolittle, and the Beverly Hills Cop movies made him one of the most bankable comedy stars of the '80s and '90s. 

As a voice actor, outside of Shrek, Murphy also lent his talents to Mulan and the animated series, The PJs. He also earned an Oscar nomination (and almost a win) for his acclaimed supporting turn in Dreamgirls. It's believed that his acting work in Norbit might've prevented him from getting his much-expected Oscar glory.

After an unremarkable string of movies, including Meet Dave, Imagine That, Tower Heist, and A Thousand Words, Eddie Murphy made a triumphant comeback in 2019's biopic, Dolemite is My Name, based on the life of Rudy Ray Moore. He received a Golden Globe nomination for this performance. Up next, Murphy will reprise his role of Prince Akeem in Coming 2 America, which is expected to come out later this year. There's also development on Beverly Hills Cop 4 currently in the works, which is expected to be released via Netflix. Additionally, last year, Murphy returned to host Saturday Night Live for the first time in decades.

John Lithgow (Lord Farquaad)

As Lord Farquaad, the tyrannical ruler of Duloc, John Lithgow gave a booming voice to an antagonistic character of short stature. A well-versed veteran of the stage and screen, Lithgow has lent his talents to numerous projects over the years, including 3rd Rock from the Sun, for which he won three Emmys, Dexter, for which he won another Emmy, The Crown, for which he won another Emmy, Terms of Endearment, Harry and the Hendersons, Dreamgirls, Footloose, The World According to Garp, and, most recently, Pet Sematary (2019) and Bombshell. 

Some other recent acting credits include Rise of the Planet of the Apes, This is 40, Love is Strange, Interstellar, Pitch Perfect 3, Daddy's Home Two, and Late Night. In addition to his screen work, Lithgow has won two Tony Awards for 1973's The Changing Room and 2002's Sweet Smell of Success.

In addition to this acting work, John Lithgow also published Dumpty: The Age of Trump in Verse, a book of poems and illustrations, with a follow-up, Trumpty Dumpty Wanted a Crown, expected to be released in September. Lithgow can currently be seen in HBO's Perry Mason. He's also expected to star in the new FX series, The Old Man.

Conrad Vernon (Gingerbread Man)

As Gingerbread Man, better known by his loving nickname "Gingy," Conrad Vernon played an endearing voice throughout the Shrek series. His likable supporting role in this DreamWorks Animation franchise is a scene-stealer, as the wailing high-pitch squeak of this edible persona is always quick for hearty laughs. While this performance is a winner, voice acting isn't his claim-to-fame. 

Vernon works primarily behind-the-scenes, notably serving as a story artist and additional dialogue on Shrek before he got a big boost with the sequel. Specifically, he became a co-director on Shrek 2, paving the way for him to helm/co-helm Monsters vs. Aliens, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, Sausage Party, and 2019's The Addams Family. He also did story artistry for Trolls and The Emoji Movie, the latter of which he directed in select sequences. Next, Vernon is expected to call the shots on the upcoming Addams Family sequel.

Vincent Cassel (Robin Hood)

As "Monsieur" Robin Hood, Vincent Cassel provided a uniquely arrogant and slimy version of Robin Hood, one who proved to be more antagonistic than past iterations of the character. A French actor who rose to prominence with his acclaimed performance in 1995's La Haine, Cassel is also well-known for his performances in Eastern Promises, Ocean's Twelve and Thirteen, Black Swan, and Jason Bourne. 

Most recently, Cassel was seen in this January's Underwater. He also appeared in the newest season of HBO's Westworld. While Shrek is the only time Cassel has notably done voice-only work in an American film, Cassel has done the French-language versions of other prominent American films, including all the Ice Age movies, where he voiced Diego, as well as Robots and Lascars.

Cody Cameron (Pinocchio/Three Little Pigs)

As both Pinocchio and The Three Little Pigs, Cody Cameron's voice work in Shrek gave life to four of the funniest standout characters in the animated hit, and he'd get more time to play them in the sequels to follow. Outside of his voice work, Cameron was also a story artist and dialogue writer for the film, and he would continue to expand his resume behind the scenes. He was also a story artist on Shrek 2, Madagascar, Shrek the Third, Surf's Up, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and, most recently, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. He would go on to direct Open Season 3, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, and several episodes of Netflix's new animated series, Green Eggs and Ham, based on the Dr. Seuss book of the same name.

Chris Miller (Magic Mirror/Geppetto)

As the charismatic voice behind Magic Mirror, as well as the briefly-heard Geppetto, Chris Miller gave life to a memorable new take on the reflective character — in more ways than one. As a voice actor, Miller continued to play different characters throughout the Shrek franchise, though he worked primarily behind-the-scenes at DreamWorks Animation. He was a story artist and dialogue writer for Shrek, and he was head of story on Shrek 2. He also did story artist work on Antz, Madagascar, Monsters vs. Aliens, and, most recently, The Addams Family. Miller later went on to co-write/co-direct Shrek the Third and he directed the 2011 Shrek spin-off, Puss in Boots. 

Beyond providing the voice of Magic Mirror, Miller is also known as the voice of Kowalski in the Madagascar movies.

Aron Warner (Big Bad Wolf)

Though he played a very limited role in the first Shrek movie (he's not even credited for it on IMDb), Aron Warner's voice performance as Big Bad Wolf became a growing part of the Shrek sequels, notably with Shrek 2's cold opening. Outside of his voice portrayal, Warner served as a producer on the first three Shrek films and he was an executive producer on Shrek Forever After. Warner previously produced Antz and he became an executive produce Free Birds, The Book of Life, and, most recently, last year's The Angry Birds Movie 2. He was also one of the writers behind Shrek the Third.

Christopher Knights (Thelonius/Blind Mouse)

As Thelonius, Lord Farquaad's henchman who is always wearing a cloaked hood over his head, Christopher Knights played one of the best, most scene-stealing characters in Shrek, and it's a deep shame that the character didn't play an active role in the sequels. Nevertheless, as one of the blind mice, Knights continued to be heard throughout the franchise, and he also lent his voice to other DreamWorks Animation projects, notably as the voice of Private in the Madagascar movies and The Penguins of Madagascar spin-off. 

Outside of his voice work, Knights was the first assistant film editor on the first Shrek, and he remained an associate editor on the sequels to follow. He was also an associate editor on Shrek 4-D, Megamind, and Abominable. He was also the editor on 2014's rom-com, Lust for Love.

Who is your favorite Shrek character? Which voice do you like the most in this animation sensation? Let us know in the comment section below!

Whenever it comes time to make a list of movie villains who stand the test of time and scare us all out of our wits repeatedly, there is never any doubt that the name Hannibal Lecter will show up somewhere near the top of the ranking. As played by Anthony Hopkins in 1991's The Silence of the Lambs, the character left its stamp on popular culture, going down in film history as one of the creepiest bad guys ever created.

With most roles that end up becoming this beloved and well-known, though, there was someone else who can very close to playing the part. And, we know now that that person is Bombshell's John Lithgow. The actor talked recently about how close he came to nabbing the soon-to-be iconic role of the psychopathic cannibal and what his hopes were for the gig at the time.

Ooooh! So close, right? John Lithgow made a very good point, while he was chatting with Deadline, when he noted that he wondered aloud to The Silence of the Lambs director Jonathan Demme why they'd brought in him for a meeting after offering Hannibal Lecter to Anthony Hopkins not long before. Were they simply hoping that if Hopkins turned it down they'd have Lithgow readily available to say yes and sign on the dotted line?

Either way, the point turned out to be moot, and as we all know Anthony Hopkins did not turn down his shot at taking on the mantle of Hannibal Lecter. Not only did this lead to him immediately getting a spot in the annals of film history, but it also turned into a Best Actor Oscar for Hopkins and to him reprising the deadly role in two sequels, 2001’s Hannibal and 2002’s Red Dragon.

John Lithgow, for his part, hasn't been hurting for work in the decades since he lost out on portraying Hannibal Lecter. Recently, the two-time Academy Award nominee has gotten accolades for bringing Winston Churchill to The Crown on Netflix and playing Roger Ailes in the aforementioned Bombshell.

Though, those of you who remember his wackily comedic turn on the space-aliens-in-America sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996-2001) might be surprised that he was ever up for a part as intense as Hannibal Lecter. But, he has played many bad guys and psychopaths (but not The Joker) in his time on screen, and here's Lithgow being super villainous in the 1993 Sylvester Stallone actioner Cliffhanger to prove it:

Well, aside from the shocking similarity in how John Lithgow and Anthony Hopkins looked back in the day, I'd say that Lithgow's skills as a movie bad guy were plentiful enough for him to make a convincingly creepy Hannibal Lecter. He's willing to self-deprecatingly admit, though, that his version of the classic character would have merely been "taller" than the one we eventually got.

If you haven't seen The Silence of the Lambs, or Cliffhanger, for that matter, both are available to watch on a variety of streaming services. For what's coming to the big screen next year, be sure to check out our 2020 movie release schedule!

So often are romantic comedies about young love – all you need is Netflix’s heartthrob Noah Centineo and a fashionable “it” girl to star. Upcoming indie The Tomorrow Man instead focuses on the blossoming romance of two 70-somethings, played by the incredibly talented John Lithgow and Blythe Danner, as they start dating and learn each other of their skeletons in the closet. Thich includes Lithgow’s character having a doomsday bunker all set up, because it’s important to show your girl you’re prepared should the world end! Check out the trailer below:

Wow, anyone else getting some emotional Up flashbacks? The romance from Bleeker Street will be the debut feature-length film for writer/director Noble Jones, and features some seasoned talent from John Lithgow (who will soon star in the Pet Sematary remake) and Blythe Danner, who have not yet worked together until this film.

The Tomorrow Man trailer opens with Ronnie Meisner (Danner) catching the attention of Ed Hemsler (Lithgow) at a grocery store. Ed approaches the woman in the parking lot and drums up the courage to ask her out on a coffee date. As they start spending time with another, it looks like Ronnie is a bit of a matter-of-fact girlfriend who says it like it is. For instance she not shy about expressing her interest in her war documentaries.

During another one of their meetings Ed asks her if he can answer a question for her about himself, and she gives him a bit of a stand-offish “I don’t know what I want to know yet” But she’ll let him know when she does. It makes for a cute-but-awkward start to their romance. Things start to pick up in the trailer when Ed decides to show her his secret supply of Spam and all kinds of food and supplies, secretly locked away.

After that, the two seem to start really hitting it off. (Guess obsessive doomsday prepping was really her thing?) Ronnie has a “walk of shame” and Ed introduces her as his girlfriend to his son and his wife. We then find that Ed seems to be obsessed with preparing for the future where his doomsday supply can be of use and Ronnie is struck with the tragedy of her own daughter’s death.

The emotional core of the film that premiered at Sundance in January seems to lie in the intersection of the couple’s polar opposite focuses in life. Ed is looking toward tomorrow as Ronnie is always looking back at her treasured past when her daughter was alive and well. The highlight of the trailer is when Ronnie says “You only think about tomorrow but I’m here right now!” to him as he lays in a hospital bed.

The Tomorrow Man looks to be an emotional and eccentric romance. We’re certainly curious if Ed’s doomsday supply will factor into the film’s plot line. The movie will hit theaters on May 29.

An impressive all-star-led film about Roger Ailes, former chairman and CEO of Fox News, has been in development for a few months now, and in recent weeks it has been gearing up for the start of production. However, in a surprising turn of events, the film will now likely face delays, given that Annapurna Pictures has dropped the title.

The untitled Roger Ailes project, starring John Lithgow, Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie, is currently without a studio, according to The Hollywood Reporter - which cites that the move may have been made because of the film's $35 million budget. That means that it is currently homeless, but that state may not last long. Filling the vacuum, BRON Studios, which has produced titles including Fences, The Birth of a Nation, and A Simple Favor, has signed on to co-finance the production, and Focus Features, Amblin and Participant Media are reportedly in talks to acquire the film.

The project about Fox News stars John Lithgow as the late Roger Ailes, who was tapped by media mogul Rupert Murdoch in 1996 to helm Fox News and Television. The executive was fired in 2016 by Murdoch after women, including television hosts Gretchen Carlson and Megyn Kelly, accused him of sexual misconduct in the workplace. Malcolm McDowell signed on to play Murdoch yesterday and Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron have signed on to play Carlson and Kelly, respectively.

Margot Robbie is also set to star in the upcoming film as Kayla Pospisil, a fictional Fox associate producer. The film is being helmed by the director behind Trumbo, Austin Powers and Meet the Parents, Jay Roach, and the screenplay writer of The Big Short, Charles Randolph, is penning the script. Also featured in the star-studded main cast is Saturday Night Live's Kate McKinnon.

The film's female stars have each been starring in one impressive role after the other in recent years, and this project would surely continue the trend. Kidman is riding high this year thanks to her Golden Globe win earlier this year for Big Little Lies, and could be an Oscar contender with her mesmerizing transformation in the upcoming Destroyer. Robbie has disappeared in her recent roles as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, and pro ice skater Tonya Harding in I, Tonya, and will soon be seen in Mary Queen of Scots and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Theron, meanwhile, demonstrated her action chops in Atomic Blonde, and earlier this year earned rave reviews for her turn in Tully.

The Fox News project starring a talented ensemble cast currently does not have a release date, but that should change when the film finds a new production company/distributor. We'll continue to follow the development of this project as it continues.

There are few novelists quite as iconic and prolific as Stephen King. As such, the horror writer's iconic works are constantly being adapted for TV and film, with both IT and Hulu's Castle Rock being recent hits. But the fur will fly with the upcoming remake of Pet Sematary, which is set to arrive next year. Fans are eager for more information, and some new images were just released-- a day before the film's trailer is set to arrive.

Well, this certainly hits the nail on the head. Horror fans are eager to see the reanimated creatures wreak havoc, and the above image is our first look at a zombie cat. While still small and relatively cuddly, it's clear that what's new pussycat is absolutely nothing good. It's likely that this cat actually belongs to the family in which Pet Sematary revolves around. In both the novel and original movie, it's the surprise resurrection of their cat Church from its grave in the titular cemetery that puts the plot in motion.

Animals have always been a creepy part of Stephen King lore, but Pet Sematary and Cujo remain the writer's most iconic pet-driven properties. Both have already been made into movies before, coming out in 1989 and 1983 respectively. The pressure is on to deliver a new Pet Sematary as good as the original, although the massive success off IT may have helped open some minds.

Next up we see Amy Seimetz's Rachel Creed, who should be one of the film's protagonist. Rachel moves to a new town with her family in the movie, and soon finds that country life sometimes includes zombified animals. She's seen holding her small child Gage, who typically has a fascinating and terrifying affect on the story that changes the course of Pet Sematary forever.

It should be interesting to see how closely the new Pet Sematary follows Stephen King's novel of the same name, and how many creative liberties are ultimately taken by directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer. Gage's plot line will likely remain untouched, as it catapults the overall story into further chaos.

In this photo we see a glimpse of the great John Lithgow, who will play friendly neighbor Jud Crandall. From the looks of things, it seems that he'd helping Louis Creed (Jason Clarke) figure out the mysterious of Pet Sematary. Lithgow is the biggest start in the small cast, and is also the only main character who isn't a member of the Creed family. He'll help give the project some star power which, combined with the Stephen King mania currently taking hold, will amp up excitement for the upcoming adaptation.

These first images are sure to help satiate the appetites of cinephiles who can't wait to hear more about Pet Sematary. Luckily for them, there's more zombie animal goodness coming in the near future. The film's first trailer will finally arrive tomorrow, and show how the upcoming movie handles its resurrected creatures, and the creepy world created by Stephen King.

Pet Sematary is set to hit theaters on April 5, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

2017 was an impressive year for adaptations of Stephen King stories. Sure The Dark Tower underwhelmed critically and communally and The Mist was canceled after just one season, but those were outweighed by the cinematic versions of IT, Gerald's Game and 1922, as well as the Mr. Mercedes TV series. And the Stephen King adaptation train isn't stopping anytime soon, with one of the upcoming projects being Pet Sematary, which was previously made into a movie back in 1989. We've now learned that John Lithgow is joining the new movie as Jud Crandall, one of the original novel's most important characters.

John Lithgow is the second actor to be added to the Pet Sematary remake, as Jason Clarke was previously cast to play Doctor Louis Creed, the main character who becomes friends with neighbor Jud Crandall. Lithgow inherits the role from The Munsters actor Fred Gwynne, who played Jud in 1989's Pet Sematary. The remake is being directed by Starry Eyes' Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch, with Nightyflyers' Jeff Buhler having written the script. EW also noted in its report that coincidentally, Lithgow recently played Winston Churchill in Netflix's The Crown, and the name of the cat that comes back to life in Pet Sematary is named Church, short for Churchill.

Published in 1983, Pet Sematary follows Doctor Louis Creed moving to the small town of Ludlow with his wife, two children and their cat. After striking up a friendship with Jud Crandall, the old-timer shows Louis and his family the cemetery where the town buries its pets. However, later in the story, following the death of Church the cat, Jud shows Louis an area beyond the pet "sematary": a burial ground used by Native Americans that brings whatever is buried there back to life. Unfortunately, the animals resurrected from this mystic ground remain "a little dead" once they're back up and walking, and when Louis put his son Gage in there after the two-year-old is run over by a truck, needless to say it doesn't go well.

In addition to The Crown, John Lithgow's credits in recent years include The Accountant, Miss Sloane, Beatriz at Dinner, Daddy's Home 2, Pitch Perfect 3 and Season 1 of the TV series Trial & Error. The Pet Sematary remake has languished in development hell for years, but now that it's finally getting off the ground, Lithgow sounds like he'll be a worthy addition to the cast, although it's worth noting that he's ten years younger than Jud Crandall was in the book.

With production set to kick off this summer, Pet Sematary is scheduled to be released in theaters on April 19, 2019. Keep checking in with CinemaBlend for continuing coverage about the movie, and don't forget to look through our 2018 release schedule to find out what else this year has in store theatrically.

This is an idea for a spinoff, or really a prequel for Pitch Perfect 3. If you haven't seen the movie yet, I did have to get into spoiler territory, here.

There's been quite a bit of talk over the last couple of weeks regarding whether or not Pitch Perfect 4 will ever happen. In addition, we've even seen director Trish Sie weigh in on whether or not the franchise could get rebooted by Universal if Pitch Perfect 4 doesn't happen. I'm here to say, "Stop it guys." We already know that Pitch Perfect 3 is being touted as the final movie, and the public's appetite for reboots is really hit or miss. However, there's totally a spinoff idea, or really a prequel idea, that was already teased in Pitch Perfect 3 that could make for a fun, zany movie starring none other than Fat Amy and her father.

I'm going to go ahead and kick off this article by noting that I had a lot of fun during Pitch Perfect 3. Sure, the plot was over-the-top, but most of the jokes landed for me. If they didn't land for you, another movie probably wouldn't either. But if they did land for you, Pitch Perfect 3 already gave us the seeds of a storyline involving Fat Amy, her father and her mother's death. In the new movie, we learned that Fat Amy only decided to go to Barden after her mother died and she successfully ran away from home to cut contact with her criminal father, Fergus, played by John Lithgow (with an outlandish Australian accent). Her father finds her during the course of the new movie and nearly tricks Fat Amy into giving him an inheritance her mother left her, but she saves the Bellas from her father's wrath using martial arts tricks we didn't know she had.

I'd love to see Universal go back to a time before the events in Pitch Perfect 3, before the events in Pitch Perfect 2 and before the events in Pitch Perfect 1. I want to see Fat Amy training in martial arts and living on a luxury yacht with her father. I want to see John Lithgow's character cultivate his daughter into a mini version of his criminal self. I want to see them commit crimes, and I want to see her shake free of that environment. This new movie could literally close on the moment she meets Beca and the Bellas in Pitch Perfect 1, so it could even feature enough cameos from the OG cast to entice the fans, as well.

Look, I'm unabashedly a Fat Amy fan. I recognize that not everyone feels the same way, and if I'm alone on an island as Fat Amy's fanbase, a team-up between Rebel Wilson and John Lithgow may not be the best bang for Universal's buck. Regardless, I stand firmly by the idea that John Lithgow makes everything better (See: Dexter, The Crown, and even Daddy's Home 2), and if Universal is going to make another movie in the Pitch Perfect universe, this is the story I'm most interested in.

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There's no place like home for the holidays. Every year we're told as much, and it's a sentiment that still holds up. But if your home was filled with vicious relatives that couldn't get along and a chaotic atmosphere that only brought more disaster with each coming day, you'd probably find a nice hotel somewhere and ride out the storm in the comfort of some solitude. But if you can't escape real life relatives that do activities things during the holidays, you can take comfort in one thing you can skip this holiday season: Daddy's Home 2.

Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) and Brad (Will Ferrell) have changed a lot since the first time we saw them. Their co-dad'ing skills are sharp, their friendship is strong, and everything seems to be working out fine. With the Christmas season upon them, and the pressure of another two house celebration getting to everyone involved, it's decided that this year will be one, big, two family celebration -- complete with two very different grandpas (Mel Gibson and John Lithgow). Needless to say, chaos ensues, old wounds are opened, and a cell tower is destroyed.

If you haven't seen Daddy's Home and are afraid you've missed all the set-up you need to enjoy for Daddy's Home 2, don't be: almost every gag from the first film is repeated in the sequel, right down to the product placement friendly dialogue praising the glory of the Ford Flex. Admittedly, comedy sequels are hard, as coming up with fresh gags for an established pair is rough, resulting in some more obvious dialogue. But if you didn't laugh at Will Ferrell crashing a motorcycle into a Ford Flex in Daddy's Home, then you'll probably grimace when he manages the same feat with a snowblower.

And for a film that's supposed to celebrate Christmas, Daddy's Home 2 barely touches the yuletide season-- except for some late third act action and a running joke involving Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas Time?" Other than that, the same mean spirited dickery that prevailed throughout Daddy's Home shines right through its successor, only there's now two granddads, another mom, and another stepdad in the mix. And despite the comedic chops of folks like John Cena, Mel Gibson, and John Lithgow, there's no saving Daddy's Home 2 from taking after its cinematic father.

There are a couple positives that come out of Daddy's Home 2, and for a moment it feels like a totally different movie could have saved the franchise. Between the moments of tit-for-tat between Mel Gibson and John Lithgow, and one multi-dad gag involving the thermostat of the cabin they're all sharing, there's actually some laughs to be mined from this boring ore. The chemistry between the granddads is so good in the fleeting moments it's allowed to shine that if they were to propose a spin-off following the two men's exploits, as hinted at the end of thefilm, an R-rated version of such a prospect could be a funny concept. At the very least, it'd be funnier than two Daddy's Home movies put together. Hell, the PG-13 Christmas action thriller within the movie, Missile Tow, would have been a better experience, as that film was at least intended to be ridiculous and cliched, with Liam Neeson as its knowing lead.

Daddy's Home 2 is as much of a mean-spirited, emasculating, uneven celebration of both the alpha and beta male stereotypes as Daddy's Home was before. They just decided to dress it in an ugly Christmas sweater this time out. Being the total antithesis of a feel good holiday movie, it provides us with two more entertaining films that could have taken its place, and lets us only dream about those better days. It is as lazy as it is unfunny, dragging an hour and forty minute window into an eternity of pain. If anything, this is the movie Mark Wahlberg should hope Jesus forgives him for.

You may not know it, but Daddy's Home was actually a pretty big when it hit theaters in 2015. At least, it was a big enough hit to ensure that Daddy's Home 2 would be heading our way this November. Though by the looks of the first trailer for the sequel, it looks like that's nothing but good news. Watch the trailer for the film below, and prepare to debate.

No offense to Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell, who engage in banter as endearing as ever in the first minutes of the Daddy's Home 2 trailer, but the real heroes are none other than their respective fathers. Wahlberg's father will be played by historic hard-case Mel Gibson and Ferrell's is the always delightful John Lithgow. With Christmas serving as a big reunion that includes the shared family between Ferrell and Wahlberg, having four (potentially five) dads in the mix could spell for even bigger laughs than that first film.

It has to be said that we first heard that Daddy's Home 2 was happening, we were surprised as anyone. But with the first film scoring almost $243 million at the worldwide box office right as Star Wars: The Force Awakens was obliterating records left and right, clearly Paramount felt it had a winner to spin the wheel with a second time. Judging by the presence of both Mel Gibson and John Lithgow in this film, it looks like the studio knew what it had to do to give Daddy's Home 2 some extra powder in the canon, and their antics only look to be working at full tilt.

However, there's one factor of Daddy's Home 2 that we've seen a woeful lack of in this trailer, as well as overall. As we know, John Cena is looking to reprise his role of Roger, the biological dad who share's fatherly duties with Mark Wahlberg when it comes to his stepdaughter. Now maybe it's just because we need to be introduced to Gibson and Lithgow's grandfather characters before we get wind of what function Cena will be serving. But the trailer has us worried since Cena's cameo is more built into the fabric of the potential franchise, and has yet to be hinted at- despite being teased as a more substantial role for him in Daddy's Home 2.

Still, Daddy's Home 2 has still knocked its first trailer out of the park, despite the lack of John Cena. And for comparison, you can watch the trailer for Daddy's Home on the next page, just to see if you're on the same page as us. Meanwhile, Daddy's Home 2 is looking to take on the box office with its November 10th release date.

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The legacy of Tim Burton's original Batman film is well established at this point. Whether you like the distinctive filmmaker's particular vision of Gotham City or not, there's no denying that his cast and crew had an enormous impact on the future of the comic book movie genre. On that note, while Jack Nicholson's Joker has become one of the (if not THE) definitive silver screen versions of the villain, Burton almost went in a wildly different direction by casting The Crown's John Lithgow as the Clown Prince of Crime. Lithgow recently opened up about the potential casting and admitted that he talked Burton out of casting him because he didn't believe the project would be taken seriously, saying:

Until Tim Burton's Batman debuted in theaters, the concept of a mature Batman film likely didn't seem feasible to mainstream audiences. In terms of live-action portrayals, the only real barometer that someone like John Lithgow had at the time was the campy Batman '66 TV series and Caesar Romero's energetic take on Joker. From that perspective, Lithgow's decision to get out of the gig seems understandable, albeit misguided in hindsight.

Once Lithgow convinced Burton that he wasn't right for the role, the director made his way down the list to other highly respected actors like Robin Williams and Jack Nicholson -- at which point the folly of his decision probably became quite apparent to him. Of course, the rest is history, because we all know who the role eventually went to in the end.

This isn't the only instance in which John Lithgow came close to portraying Batman's arch nemesis. He similarly was up for the role when director Joe Dante attempted to take a crack at the black-clad hero in the 1980s -- although that project ultimately fell through when Dante found himself too drawn to Joker as a focal point for the story. If he had only known the type of cultural fixture that Mr. J would ultimately become in movies like The Dark Knight and Suicide Squad, he probably would've followed through with the film.

At this point, it is worth mentioning that John Lithgow eventually would go on to carve out his own legacy as one of pop culture's most famous psychopaths. Although he admitted to Vulture that he regrets not taking the role of The Joker, he still managed to go on to portray The Trinity Killer on twelve episodes of Showtime's Dexter. It might not be a classic comic book character, but that terrifying performance has ensured that Lithgow will go down as one of the most chilling on-screen bad guys of all time.

At the end of the day, it's probably for the best that things turned out the way that they did. Jack Nicholson made history with his Joker performance, and Tim Burton's Batman has become a watershed moment in the history of the genre. The Caped Crusader will make his next appearance on the silver screen when Zack Snyder's Justice League debuts in theaters later this year on November 17.

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Believe it or not, Daddy's Home isn't another one of those movies the Mandela effect erroneously convinces the internet it exists. Nor was it an SNL sketch during a guest hosting stint with Will Ferrell or Mark Wahlberg. It was an honest to goodness movie, and it actually made some money: $240.4 million to be exact. Apparently this was enough for Paramount to officially greenlight Daddy's Home 2, and it looks like they're trying to pull out the big guns in the supporting cast. In particular, John Lithgow and Mel Gibson are being made offers to join the Ferrell/Wahlberg madness.

Deadline broke the fairly recent news that Lithgow and Gibson's names have come up in the early talks for Daddy's Home 2, with no specific roles listed at the time of negotiation. Though it's not hard to assume that they'd be playing the fathers of Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, respectively, which would only amp up the chaos in the sequel. After all, if Ferrell v. Wahlberg wasn't chaotic enough for folks the first time, John Lithgow and Mel Gibson going head to head should be the bigger draw that folks need to either return to or start the Daddy's Home series.

Both Mel Gibson and John Lithgow are coming off of some pretty big resurgences in their career. In Gibson's case, he has earned critical acclaim from Hacksaw Ridge, and that has given him the prestige season juice needed to make a prospect like Daddy's Home 2 a lucrative one. And when you look at Lithgow's past year, you'll see his award-winning portrayal of Winston Churchill in the acclaimed Netflix series The Crown, as well as roles in The Accountant and Miss Sloane helping bump up his profile. With the recent good fortune in both actor's corners, Daddy's Home 2 looks like it could be a mutually beneficial prospect.

While Daddy's Home may have been a mid-road success, there's a possibility that said success could have emboldened the folks behind Daddy's Home 2 to ramp up the madness. With bigger laughs and more chaos in the works, having two men known for their comedic skills and their own on-screen bouts of madness would be just the thing to give Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg a run for their money. Here's hoping John Lithgow and Mel Gibson are signed soon, as that may speed up the process to making the film a reality.

Back in 1989, Tim Burton's theatrical take on Batman revolutionized the character in the minds of an audience who mainly still knew the Caped Crusader as the guy who slid down fire poles and had groovy dance moves. The movie was a triumph, but it wasn't Warner Bros' first attempt to get a Batman movie off the ground. In the early 80's, there was an entirely different version of the movie floating around, with Joe Dante approached to direct. He considered having John Lithgow cast as the Joker, which is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this movie.

According to Psychotronic Blog, after the success of Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie, Warner Bros. decided it was Batman's turn for the big screen treatment. There was (a now famous) script for the film written by Tom Mankiewicz, who polished the notoriously awful early drafts of Superman: The Movie, as well as some James Bond films like Live and Let Die and The Spy Who Loved Me. Mankiewicz's Batman was similar in tone to Donner's Superman, and would have been an origin story for the Caped Crusader. Other details include that it would have had multiple villains (Joker and Penguin) and that it had a big Bond-esque set-piece for the climax. One of the possibilities to direct the film was Joe Dante, who was coming off hot after Gremlins.

Dante was interested in the project, but ended up declining the offer. He was on the fence, and apparently he started thinking a lot about the Joker and who would have played the villain. His number one choice for the part was John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the Sun), though the actor was never offered the part. As Dante remembers there was a specific reason he realized he wasn't right for the job. He said:

When remembering the script, Dante recalls that its tone was somewhere between the 1960's Adam West TV version and Chris Nolan's famous Dark Knight trilogy, and that it was very "outlandish." It's important to note that Mankiewicz's script was entirely different from Sam Hamm's script for Tim Burton's 1989 Batman. That script was created from the ground up, with plenty of classic Burton flair.

It's the Batman movie that never was, but it would be incredibly interesting to see. 1989's Batman is responsible for shaping the perception of Batman and cementing his place in movie theaters. It makes you wonder how different things would be if Tom Mankiewicz's script had ever gotten off the ground.

It’s been known for quite some time that Pixar’s upcoming The Good Dinosaur experienced a bevy of behind-the-scenes creative clashes. The studio made an abrupt director swap and overhauled the entire script, creating delays that cost the film its original 2014 release window. In the latest development, it has been revealed that the extent of its changes went even further, replacing nearly every member of its voice cast.

According to an official reveal, the voice cast that we knew of The Good Dinosaur is now as extinct as the film’s titular clade. Save for Frances McDormand, the vocal performances that previously included Lucas Neff, Neil Patrick Harris, John Lithgow, Bill Hader, and Judy Greer have been nixed. It’s actually a rather shocking revelation, especially considering that, apparently without this critical piece of context, the film’s debut teaser trailer hit just one week ago.

As of now, the official cast for The Good Dinosaur centers on 13-year-old Raymond Ochoa, replacing Lucas Neff as the film’s 70-foot-long Apatosaurus protagonist named Arlo. Coming from a quartet of brothers who are also working actors, Ochoa has made a number of live-action television appearances on shows like The Night Shift and Rizzoli & Isles. He is primarily known for voice work in notable animated features like Monsters University, Mars Needs Moms, and Disney’s A Christmas Carol, however, this role as the titular character in a major Pixar feature is clearly a step up in noteworthiness.

Filling out the rest of the cast, we have Jeffrey Wright as Poppa, Arlo’s father, Anna Paquin as a T-Rex named Ramsey, Sam Elliott as a T-Rex named Butch, Steve Zahn as a pterodactyl named Thunderclap, AJ Buckley as a T-Rex named Nash, Marcus Scribner as Arlo’s brother Buck, and Jack Bright as Arlo’s adopted human pet/friend, Spot. Additionally, in what appears to be the only remaining original cast member, Frances McDormand voices Arlo’s mother.

This surprising cast replacement seems to be the culmination of what was a creative crisis at Pixar over The Good Dinosaur that saw previous director Bob Peterson removed, later replaced by current director Peter Sohn. Yet the project also proved to be exceptionally difficult for a number of big brass at Pixar, rendering it somewhat of a hot potato, passed around from one creative maestro to the next. In fact, the delays were so egregious that the deferment of its 2014 date caused the studio to actually sit out a whole year without a new release; something that they had not done since 2005.

Based on what was said last year by now-former cast member John Lithgow, the script went from simple alterations to the point of being rewritten entirely, requiring the voice cast to re-record their performances. How little did we know. In fact, Lithgow seemed to have every intention on returning to voice what he called a "completely reimagined" story and even expressed excitement over the new, completely altered script. Today’s reveal confirms that these encore performances never came to fruition.

Of course, Pixar has every intention making up for their 2014 inertia, starting with the buzz-worthy, psychologically satirical journey into the mind of a young girl, Inside Out, which hits theaters next week on June 19. Five short months later, The Good Dinosaur looks to prove the old adage, "better late than never," when their hypothetical world of extinction-avoiding dinosaurs hits theaters on November 25.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 just may have put the final nail in the coffin of the Sony owned film franchise, at least if the box office results and the studio's shifting plans for the future of the brand have anything to say about it. Some think it's a good idea to quit, and others think it's a good idea to press forward. But some, including legendary actor and Spider-Man 2 vet Alfred Molina , believe that it might be the time to bring back some of the magic from the Sam Raimi trilogy. Mainly, the part of the magic that Alfred Molina provided.

In an interview with Collider, Molina was promoting his new film Love Is Strange. Now if you have Doc Ock in a room, you're naturally going to ask if the man who betrayed Indiana Jones would ever want to strap on the tentacles again. However, if you've got something like The Amazing Spider-Man 2 setting up the return of said iconic villain, then that question is an unavoidable fish to shoot in a barrel. Sure enough, the question was asked and Molina's response was predictably awesome:

Seeing A-list actors have so much fun with comic book flicks that they'd come back to reprise their roles is one of those awesome joys of the business that is show. It's easy to write off well known actors as taking an easy pay day by starring in a film like Guardians Of The Galaxy, but when you've got Glenn Close ready to reprise her role of Nova Prime, you can tell there's more than just dollar signs in her eyes. Just as she should be brought back on for Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 as soon as possible, it could benefit the Spider-Man franchise if it brought back one of the best (if not THE best) performers to grace its stage.

Oh, and while you're at it, John Lithgow also sounds interested in climbing onto the Spidey train, as he interjected, "Maybe they’ll come after me for Doc Ock … how about Doc Ock’s evil twin?" Drew Goddard, have you thought about who you're going to cast as your new Vulture? If not, you may have found your guy. Love Is Strange is set for release on August 22nd, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will be on Blu Ray tomorrow. Spider-Man 2 has been on Blu Ray for quite a while now, so you probably already have it on your shelf somewhere. Might we suggest checking behind your copy of The Dark Knight?

You can watch Molina's Spider-Man related interview in full, below...

Hollywood’s streets are littered with the scraps of "What if?" stories that have tumbled off faulty casting couches. What if Tom Selleck had starred in Raiders of the Lost Ark instead of Harrison Ford? What if Eric Stoltz had stayed in Back to the Future instead of Michael J. Fox? And a new, horror-centric one just crossed our desk that we’re eager to share.

In an interview with the Toronto-based In Magazine (via The Playlist), the great John Lithgow admits that he was offered the part of Seth Brundle in David Cronenberg’s 1986 version of The Fly, but passed on the role because it was "icky." Said Lithgow:

At the time, John Lithgow was either coming off of either Peter Hyams’ 2010, or possibly The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, which could have been a labor-intensive shoot. It’s likely Lithgow read the screenplay for The Fly, or even spoke with David Cronenberg about the heavy make-up process that woud be involved with telling author George Langelaan’s story, and didn’t want to endure the lengthy pre-visualization process that would be necessary to create this:

Jeff Goldblum, on the flipside, was coming off of 1983’s The Big Chill, and had 1985’s Transylvania 6-5000 in the can before he took on The Fly. And while David Cronenberg’s movie has been one of the movies that turned him into a viable leading man, it probably still ranks right behind Jurassic Park on a list of "definitive" roles for Jeff Goldblum. I mean, how does Brundle Fly possibly hope to contend against the ridiculously confident Dr. Ian Malcolm?

John Lithgow, meanwhile, didn’t suffer by passing on The Fly. He had a hit on his hands a few years after with Harry and the Hendersons, and has stayed consistently busy in movies and on television. He might have made for an excellent Brundle, but his performance remains on the heap of "Could Have Been" opportunities that fans cling to, in dreams.

With the massive hits that were his Dark Knight trilogy under his belt, Christopher Nolan has the kind of box office drawing power that means he can play by his own rules. Unfortunately for us, his rules include revealing to the press as few details about his Dark Knight Rises follow-up as possible. Sure, we know Interstellar boasts a cast that includes Casey Affleck, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, and Matthew McConaughey, many of whom play scientists who explore worm holes in space/time. But beyond that, we’ve been left little clues about what Nolan has planned for Interstellar. But with the sci-fi mystery now in production, Nolan’s secrets are beginning to spill.

The Macleod Gazette, the local newspaper of Fort Macleod, Alberta, has stumbled across some tantalizing details about Interstellar as Nolan and company shoot on location in the Canadian town. For one thing, this paper has discovered the film is shooting under the code name Flora’s Letters, which is far more innocuous sounding and in line with code names Nolan used for The Dark Knight ("Rory's First Kiss") and The Dark Knight Rises ("Magnus Rex.")

More intriguingly, the Gazette follows the rundown of the premise we know—scientists who travel to a different dimension—but add these explorers’ motivation. Reportedly, this future-set film centers on the tremendous destruction climate change has wrought on agriculture. As a result, these time/space-tripping scientists are said to be seeking out a place where crops can be grown. This is the first we’ve heard anything about Interstellar involving climate change, but gives some insight into the scene setup the reporter goes on to detail.

On Tuesday August 27th, locals spotted Interstellar crew members pouring sand all over Fort Macleod’s Main Street, setting the stage for the following day’s shoot. On Wednesday, McConaughey and John Lithgow were spotted driving a pick-up truck down the street in a manufactured dust storm, which within the film is likely the result of climate change. Remarkably, passersby were allowed to frequent the still-open businesses in between takes, which involved crew members manning fans to blow dust that created billowing dust clouds above the area that could be seen at a distance.

It’s worth noting that the Gazette doesn’t provide a source for their plot details. And considering Paramount Pictures has refused to comment on recent rumors that Matt Damon has been added to the production after its start date, I can’t imagine they’ll rush to confirm any of the above. Funny enough, when Damon’s potential involvement was announced, Katey joked Nolan might be building an Elysium/Interstellar crossover. While that will not be true on a literal level, the two would both be science fiction features with a political message if these reports prove accurate. In the meantime, we’ll continue to scour for any information Nolan and his crew drop—intentionally or otherwise.

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Interstellar is set to hit theaters on November 7th, 2014.

We've long since passed the days when Pixar was famous for casting little-known character actors to be the main voices in their features, but at least the animation studio continues to know how to pick actors we adore anyway. At today's D23 animation presentation-- which Eric has been liveblogging here-- director Peter Sohn announced the voice cast for The Good Dinosaur, the animated film that's due May 30 next year. A family of dinosaurs is at the center of the story, with the youngest named Arlo as our hero, voice by Lucas Neff. His father, Poppa, is voiced by John Lithgow, with Momma brought to life by Frances McDormand. Bill Hader, Neil Patrick Harris and Judy Greer round out the cast as Arlo's siblings, and Neff, Greer and Hader were all onstage at the presentation to talk about the film. The film takes place in a world in which the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs never happened, and humans live alongside dinosaurs. Still, just like the toys in Toy Story or the bugs in A Bug's Life, the dinosaurs of The Good Dinosaur are still the focus of this world that also includes humans. In the footage shown off at D23 the dinosaurs were depicted like farmers, or more like farm equipment, digging ditches and clearing down trees and otherwise participating in the way humans transformed the earth. In a bizarre twist from the footage that seems impossible to understand without actually seeing it, Arlo discovers a bug that is terrorizing his crops… and finds out the bug is actually human?

After sequels like Cars 2 and Monsters University, and particularly this weekend's lame spinoff Planes, an original, possibly bizarre Pixar movie sounds like exactly what we need to fall in love with the studio all over again. The concept behind The Good Dinosaur is intriguing, and maybe even a little surreal… and the superb voice cast doesn't hurt. Neff is the only really unknown of the bunch, but with a role on the critically beloved Raising Hope-- and the Pixar stamp of approval, of course-- we'll grandfather him with the rest of the cast we want to hang out with every single day for the rest of our lives.

Stay tuned for more updates from D23 and more detailed info on what we learned about The Good Dinosaur!

Christopher Nolan has added yet another top-notch, award-winning star to the cast of his upcoming sci-fi thriller Interstellar. New reports have revealed that John Lithgow, most recently seen in Judd Apatow's family dramedy This is 40, has signed on for a role in the new Nolan movie. The Wrap first reported the news, but neither Paramount nor Nolan responded for comment before the story's publication.

Details about the story are slim at this point, but it's been said that the movie will follow a team of explorers who travel through a wormhole to another dimension. Jonathan Nolan, Christopher's brother, wrote the original screenplay, which Christopher rewrote and merged with pre-existing idea he had when he came aboard to direct. The film is partially inspired by the works of Caltech physicist Kip Thorne, who The Wrap says is both an executive producer and a technical consultant.

There are no character details about the role that Lithgow will be playing, but he joins a cast that is stacked with talent. Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Casey Affleck, Ellen Burstyn and Nolan regular Michael Caine are all set to star in the film, with Homeland's Timothee Chalamet and Twilight's Mackenzie Foy recently coming on-board as well. The movie is currently in pre-production, but Paramount has already announced that they will be releasing it on November 7, 2014, meaning that production will likely start before the end of the year. At CinemaCon earlier this year it was officially announced that Nolan would once against be making use of IMAX cameras in the filming of Interstellar, similar to what he did with both The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. We don't know how much of the movie will be filmed in the expanded format, but it's said to be a "significant portion."

Lithgow doesn't take on that many film projects nowadays, but he has kept busy with significant roles in movies like Rise of the Planet of the Apes and The Campaign. He recently completed production on The Homesman, the new western from writer/director Tommy Lee Jones about a claim jumper and a pioneer woman who transport three clinically insane women from Nebraska to Iowa. Jones, Meryl Streep, Hilary Swank, Tim Blake Nelson, Miranda Otto, Hailee Steinfeld, James Spader and William Fichtner co-star in the film, which is predicted to come out later this year. He also has a role in the upcoming One Upon A Time spinoff Once Upon A Time In Wonderland, which will be on television starting next year. In the show he will be playing the role of The White Rabbit.

No matter how many new projects Lithgow takes on, I'm still not sure I will ever be able to get over his absolutely brilliant, Emmy winning performance on the fourth season of Dexter. If you don't understand why, just watch the clip below and it won't take you long to figure it out.

The 2009-2010 Creative Arts Primetime Emmy Awards were handed out tonight and HBO came out on top, earning itself a total of seventeen awards. John Lithgow, Ann-Margret, Anne Hathaway, Neil Patrick Harris and Betty White also have cause to celebrate.

While the Primetime Emmy Awards won’t be handed out until next Sunday, tonight the Creative Arts Awards were distributed, awarding seventeen Emmy’s to HBO, seven of which went to The Pacific, including one for Outstanding Casting for a miniseries and Outstanding Art Direction. Disney Prep and Landing won four awards, including Outstanding Animated Program.

The guest-star awards were also handed out, with John Lithgow winning a much deserved award for his stellar performance in Dexter. Betty White won for her hosting gig on Saturday Night Live. Neil Patrick Harris won for his role as Bryan Ryan in the Glee episode “Dream On.” Anne Hathaway won for her voice-work on The Simpsons’ “Once Upon a Time In Springfield.” And Ann-Margret received an Emmy for her guest role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

The 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards air live Sunday, August 29th at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.