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The Wheel of Time aired its second season last year, adapting the broad strokes of Robert Jordan's books The Great Hunt and The Dragon Reborn as our heroes Rand al'Thor (Josha Stradowski), Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), Egwene al'Vere (Madeleine Madden) and the rest of their friends faced off against the forces of darkness. The Wheel of Time season 2 elevated the series in some exciting ways, especially through its handling of the invasive Seanchan warriors from across the sea who sought to enslave magic users and bring the rest of the world under their imperial control.

Since The Wheel of Time finished its run last August, we've been patiently waiting for the follow-up. The show wrapped filming on its third season in March, which means we'll be watching it sometime in 2025. Two-year gaps have become pretty normal for big budget fantasy shows, but that's still a decent wait. In order to...

European Film Promotion has revealed the 10 emerging actors who will take part in the 27th edition of European Shooting Stars program, which promotes European acting talent. Past Shooting Stars have included Carey Mulligan, Alicia Vikander, Maisie Williams and Riz Ahmed.

From Feb. 16-19, the actors will be presented to the international press and industry, and the German public at the Berlin Film Festival. One of the highlights will be the Shooting Stars Awards Ceremony on Feb. 19 at the Berlinale Palast.

The Shooting Stars for 2024 are Belgium’s Thibaud Dooms, Bulgaria’s Margarita Stoykova, France’s Suzy Bemba, Georgia’s Salome Demuria, Germany’s Katharina Stark, Ireland’s Éanna Hardwicke, Italy’s Valentina Bellè, Lithuania’s Džiugas Grinys, Poland’s Kamila Urzędowska and Sweden’s Asta Kamma August.

The jury that selected the actors comprised of Austrian director, screenwriter and producer Barbara Albert, Lithuanian producer Živilė Gallego, Irish actor Moe Dunford,...

This article contains The Wheel of Time spoilers.

Readers of The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan may already know that the author was heavily influenced by the Dune books of Frank Herbert, but even for those who only know these sci-fi/fantasy classics from their screen adaptations, one parallel became very clear in the latest episode: the character of Aviendha played impressively by Ayoola Smart (Killing Eve). The Aiel prisoner immediately evoked all the desert warrior vibes of a Fremen, making her one of the most compelling new characters of the season.

The Aiel people hail from an arid land to the east of a barrier mountain range, separating them from the kingdoms of the west, just as an ocean separates the Seanchan from the known world of The Wheel of Time. The show has made clear that Aiel are mistrusted in this land because of a great...

The Wheel of Time is finally back with its highly anticipated second season. After initially premiering in 2021, the Prime Video fantasy series is here again to answer many unanswered questions and weave a few more questions in to keep the audience interested.

Created by Rafe Judkins, the fantasy series is based on a novel series of the same name by Robert Jordan with Brandon Sanderson. The Wheel of Time follows the story of Moiraine, a member of a magical organization. She takes five young people on a perilous journey, believing that one of them is a reincarnation of the Dragon. A very powerful individual who is destined to save the world or destroy it.

The Wheel of Time Season 2 – Episode Guide (When are the Episodes Coming Out?)

The Wheel of Time Season 2 premiered with its first three episodes on Prime Video on September 1, with the rest of the episodes coming weekly.

Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike) and Lan Mandragoran (Daniel Henney) in ‘The Wheel of Fortune’ season 2 (Photo Credit: Prime Video)

Prime Video’s released seven posters featuring 14 characters from the upcoming second season of The Wheel of Time. The posters were released with details on each character and, according to the streaming service, the posters contain easter eggs hidden in the pairings and costumes.

Season two will kick off with the release of the first three episodes on September 1, 2023. The second season’s based on Robert Jordan’s second novel of the series, The Great Hunt. It will also include some of Jordan’s third novel, The Dragon Reborn.

The Wheel of Time Season 2 Poster Descriptions:

The heart of the series, Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike), and her Warder, Lan Mandragoran (Daniel Henney), who, after her loss of magical abilities, will both struggle to adjust to their new relationship. The Dragon Reborn,...

Prime Video on Wednesday morning released a first look at the new cover for the second book in Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time Fantasy saga, which features a pair of stars from its TV adaptation.

A handful of additional photos for Season 2 of the Prime Video series, premiering Friday, Sept. 1, were also released (all seen down below).

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Moiraine Damodred played by Rosamund Pike in ‘The Wheel of Time’ (Photo: Amazon Content Services LLC and Sony Pictures Television Inc)

Prime Video has finally officially announced a premiere date for season two of The Wheel of Time. The eight episode first season debuted in November 2021 and finished up in December 2021. The much-anticipated, long-awaited second season will premiere on September 1, 2023.

The premiere date announcement was accompanied by the first eight photos from season two.

Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) returns to lead the cast of the fantasy series based on Robert Jordan’s bestselling novels. Pike is back as Moiraine Damodred, Josha Stradowski (Gran Turismo) plays Rand al’Thor, Daniel Henney (Criminal Minds) stars as Lan Mandragoran, Zoë Robins (Power Rangers Ninja Steel) is Nynaeve al’Meara, and Madeleine Madden (Dora and the Lost City of Gold) stars as Egwene al’Vere. Marcus Rutherford (Obey) is Perrin Aybara, Dónal Finn (Rogue Heroes) plays Mat Cauthon,...

During Saturday’s virtual JordanCon panel, Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time announced new recurring cast members for Season 2.

The series, which is based on Robert Jordan’s best-selling fantasy novels, has added Maja Simonsen (Emily in Paris) as Chiad, Ragga Ragnars (Vikings) as Bain, Jay Duffy (Derry Girls) as Dain Bornhald and Rima Te Wiata (Kiri and Lou) as Sheriam Bayanar.

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Get your mirror plates ready, and don’t leave any food out in the open because Cocaine Bear is about to rage on Peacock. The laugh-out-loud R-rated comedy is coming to the streaming service 50 days after its theatrical debut on April 14. Elizabeth Banks directs from a script by Jimmy Warden about a massive black bear that rampages through the woods after finding bags of cocaine in the woods.

If you’re unaware of the true story that inspires Cocaine Bear, well, it’s a doozy. In 1985, convicted drug smuggler Andrew Thornton was on a smuggling run from Columbia and had dumped several packages full of cocaine before jumping from the plane himself. Unfortunately, he hit his head on the tail of the aircraft and wound up in a free fall to the ground, where he was found dead in someone’s driveway. Several months later, authorities discovered a 175-pound black...

Cocaine Bear Review — Cocaine Bear (2023) Film Review, a movie directed by Elizabeth Banks, written by Jimmy Warden and starring Keri Russell, Ray Liotta, Aiden Ehrenreich, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Isiah Whitlock Jr., Brooklynn Prince, Christian Convery, Margo Martindale, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Kristofer Hivju, Hannah Hoekstra, Ayoola Smart, Aaron Holliday, J.B. Moore, Leo Hanna, Kahyun [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: Cocaine Bear (2023): Elizabeth Banks Directs a Fast Paced Crowd-Pleaser with Plenty of Stylish Action...

The cocaine was dropped in September, and the bear was found in December.

According to officials interviewed by reporters in 1985, police officers located the 175-pound apex predator surrounded by 40 opened containers of the drug in question. The story — as printed in The New York Times at least — was brief, barely even 100 words long. But the details — the plane piloted by a cop turned smuggler, the offloaded drugs, the Draconian Nixon-era “War on Drugs,” the forest, the bear on blow — are catnip for the imagination.

Elizabeth Banks’ highly anticipated adventure Cocaine Bear gorges on the “what ifs” of the case. What if the bear encountered people before it died? What if there were witnesses to its blood-thirsty addiction? What if it was a mother, and a symbol for humanity’s idiotic hubris in the natural world?

Don’t be turned off by that last question — heady and philosophical as it seems...

The title says it all. Just like Snakes on a Plane was about just that, the new horror comedy Cocaine Bear is about a 500-pound bear on a jihad after coming upon a ton of cocaine dropped into rural Georgia on a drug run gone wrong. The bear ingests the coke, and soon you have a beast roaring out of control and devouring whatever human comes onto his path. It is all not to be taken seriously, but fortunately director Elizabeth Banks is smart enough to give audiences hungry for a Jaws in the wilderness some nice scares mixed in with the laughs plus a bit more bang for their buck than just a marketable title.

With a game ensemble playing none-too-bright potential meals, the intelligence level of many on display makes The Dukes of Hazzard look like Schindler’s List. I was rooting for the bear,...

This week brings the larger-than-life horror comedy Cocaine Bear, from director Elizabeth Banks (Charlie’s Angels) and arriving exclusively in movie theaters on February 24, 2023.

The movie, written by Jimmy Warden, “finds an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists, and teens converging in a Georgia forest where a 500-pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount of cocaine and gone on a coke-fueled rampage for more blow … and blood.”

The raucous feature is stacked with an all-star cast, including Keri Russell, Ray Liotta, Alden Ehrenreich, O’Shea Jackson, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

Cocaine Bear also happens to be based on a true story. No, seriously.

Almost forty years ago, news of the now infamous “Cocaine Bear” hit the trades mere days before Christmas. A brief three-sentence article from United Press International that appeared in The New York Times, published on December 23, 1985, said it all yet begged so many unanswered questions.

United Press International...

Margo Martindale is one of the stars of Cocaine Bear, the dark comedy action film directed by Elizabeth Banks. The story is based on true events from 1985 when an American black bear ingested a duffel bag full of cocaine.

Martindale is in disbelief she is even in the movie sharing with EW, “I never thought at age 70 I would be doing an action movie, but I guess I did!”

The Emmy-award-winning actor plays a forest ranger that comes across the animal that gives the film its title.

“She’s no-nonsense,” Martindale said. “She’s devoted to her craft, wanting to go up in the ranger world, does everything by the book, and has her heart set on [a character played by] Jesse Tyler Ferguson.”

Martindale was surprised at how physical she had to be while filming as she had to do her own “stunts.”

“I thought when I read the script, well, I’m...

Inspired by true events, Universal’s Cocaine Bear is headed our way from director Elizabeth Banks (Charlie’s Angels), arriving exclusively in movie theaters on February 24, 2023.

Universal has unleashed a brand new image gallery this afternoon, which you can browse below. Additionally, a Pac-Man-style Cocaine Bear online video game can be played here!

The game is titled Cocaine Bear: The Rise of Pablo Escobear and it puts you in charge of the titular Cocaine Bear. The task? Devour cocaine and eat human beings, of course.

The movie is inspired by true events that took place in Kentucky in 1985, and it was written by Jimmy Warden. Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) produced.

The basic gist of the story is that a 175-pound black bear was found dead from an overdose after ingesting massive amounts of cocaine dropped into the woods by a drug smuggler.

Deadline details, “The movie...

Moiraine Damodred’s (Rosamund Pike) journey continues in Prime Video’s “The Wheel of Time,” which nabbed an early Season 3 renewal ahead of its sophomore premiere.

The news, which broke during San Diego’s Comic-Con, comes amid the series’ release of an epic behind-the-scenes first look, at what’s next in the fantasy world, which you can watch at the top of this file.

The hit genre series promises epic battles and explosive scenes set amid sprawling beach backdrops and high castle walls in the social media clip posted to the show’s Twitter account.

Also Read:

‘The Wheel of Time’ Season Finale Postmortem: Rafe Judkins on Those Big Twists and What’s Next

From executive producer Rafe Judkins and based on the books by Robert Jordan, “The Wheel of Time” Season 1 finale released back in late December, culminating in a carnage-filled battle with the Dark One and the Dark One’s armies.

Even though a Season 2 launch date still eludes The Wheel of Time, Amazon is not wasting any time moving forward with plans for a third season.

At San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday afternoon, the streamer announced that it has renewed the epic fantasy drama for a third season.

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“I’m so thrilled that we’ll be making a third season of The Wheel of Time,...

Sean “Diddy” Combs will host the 2022 Billboard Music Awards, NBC and MRC announced Friday. The BBMAs will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 15 and will be broadcast at 8 p.m. Et/5 p.m. Pt on NBC, in addition to streaming live on Peacock.

“This will be unlike any awards show – I’m bringing the love and setting the frequency at an all-time high,” said Combs. “The Billboard Music Awards truly represent the artists and where music is today, so I’m excited to curate the biggest live performances and surprises. The world has to tune in to see.”

This year’s show marks 25 years since Combs, an accomplished producer, designer and philanthropist, won his first Bbma in 1997, for his album “No Way Out.” Combs is currently working on his seventh studio album, more than 15 years since his last solo album, “Press Play” debuted at No.

The Wheel of Time has added a Wise One to its ranks: Ayoola Smart, whose previous TV credits include Killing Eve (as Kenny Stowton’s onetime flame Audrey), has joined Season 2 of the epic Prime Video adaptation in the recurring role of Aviendha.

An Aiel Maiden of the Spear, Aviendha in Wheel of Time lore is a Wise One of the Nine Valleys sept, and one of the three lovers that Rand al’Thor takes (though we of course will see if the TV series offers a new spin on the heroine).

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Actress Ayoola Smart has joined the cast of Prime Video’s “Wheel of Time” Season 2.

Smart will play Aviendha.

Executive producer Rafe Judkins made the announcement at a panel for the series at JordanCon 2022.

No further details were announced or if her story will follow Robert Jordan’s books. If the character does, Aviendha should be interacting with Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), Egwene (Madeline Madden) and Rand (Josha Stradowski).

Smart played Audrey in the third season of BBC America’s “Killing Eve.”

As Season 1 came to an end in December 2021, Stradowski offered TheWrap hints at what’s next for Rand, who chose not to return to his friends after his battle with the Dark One.

“Rand always had a pretty good idea of who he was, and what he wanted in life, and that changed when Moiraine entered the village,” but there’s more change than he could have imagined, Stradowski said.

Ayoola Smart, who has featured in Killing Eve, is joining the cast of Amazon’s The Wheel of Time.

Smart, who played Audrey in season three of the BBC America series, will play Aviendha, a Wise One of the Nine Valleys sept of the Taardad Aiel and one of the three lovers of Rand al’Thor.

She is the latest actor to join the series’ second season in a recurring role following the casting of Guy Roberts, Arnas Fedaravicius and Gregg Chillingirian.

Showrunner Rafe Judkins revealed the news during a virtual panel at JordanCon 2022.

The fantasy adaptation of Robert Jordan’s books premiered in November 2021 and the second season is currently in production.

The Wheel of Time, set in a sprawling, epic world where magic exists, but only women can use it, is co-produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television and comes from Agents of S.H.I.E.

Chicago – The story of a drop-out rock and roll star… usually disappearing at the height of their fame… has fascinated the movies in both fiction (“Eddie and the Cruisers”) and documentary (“Waiting for Sugarman”). “Juliet, Naked” takes the premise and creates a charming, romantic story about fandom and redemptive decisions.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

All the cast is at the top of their game with a solid and very funny script. The Year of Ethan Hawke continues with another great performance by the man as the disappeared rocker. And Irish actor Chris O’Dowd nearly steals the picture as an obsessed fan, who inadvertently begins the demise of his long time relationship. Rose Byrne is his live-in girlfriend and the centerpiece of the proceedings, and she proves again that beyond her radiant good looks lies a deft and subtle comic actor. “Juliet, Naked” is a fun and intuitive life transition story, and is recognizable on many emotional levels.

Earlier this week, I took a look at Ethan Hawke’s latest directorial effort. Today, we’ll be looking at his newest starring role. The movie in question is Juliet, Naked, which is based on the charming Nick Hornby book of the same name. This week, the adaptation hits theaters, offering up something mellow and nice for audiences. Hawke getting to play an elusive rock star would suggest a far harder edged affair than this, but it makes for a nice little change of pace. You won’t necessarily see any raves about this kind of flick, but you need them. They’re comfort food, cinematically speaking. The film is described, via IMDb, as such: “Juliet, Naked is the story of Annie (the long-suffering girlfriend of Duncan) and her unlikely transatlantic romance with once revered, now faded, singer-songwriter, Tucker Crowe, who also happens to be the subject of Duncan’s musical obsession.

Exclusive: Film starring Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke begins UK shoot.

Four new cast members have been announced for the upcoming Nick Hornby adaptation Juliet, Naked.

Joining Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke and Chris O’Dowd in the cast are Azhy Robertson (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, pictured top, far left), Lily Brazier (People Just Do Nothing, middle right), Ayoola Smart (Vera, middle left) and stand-up comedian and Silicon Valley star Jimmy O. Yang (far right).

The project, directed by Jesse Peretz, has started filming on location in London and the south-east coast of the UK.

International sales are being handled by London based sales company Rocket Science.

Byrne plays Annie, who is stuck in long-term relationship with Duncan (O’Dowd) - an obsessive fan of obscure rocker Tucker Crowe (Hawke). When the acoustic demo of Tucker’s hit record from 25 years ago surfaces, its release leads to a life-changing encounter with the elusive rocker himself.

Robertson plays Tucker...