Emilio Estevez flies back to acting
Emilio Estevez said “The Mighty Ducks” TV series wooed him out of the director’s chair and back into acting, but only because it was a worthy successor to the 1990s movie franchise.
Estevez reprises his role as youth hockey coach Gordon Bombay for the Disney+ streaming service’s “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers,” debuting March 26.
When approached for the project by Steven Brill, screenwriter for the movies and executive producer of the series, Estevez said he’d be interested if it could capture the “magic” of the films and not just “cash in on the nostalgia.”
“I think that’s ultimately what we’ve done,” he said during a virtual panel Wednesday.
Ratner’s Milli Vanilli
biopic dropped: After being publicly called out for getting back into business with Brett Ratner after at least six women accused him of sexual misconduct, Millennium Media has dropped the director’s planned Milli Vanilli biopic.
Millennium and Ratner’s RatPac Entertainment said Wednesday that Millennium “will not be selling the film at (the European Film Market) or be involved in the production,” but promised this isn’t the end of the story for the lip-syncing duo.
“Multiple competitive bids and a group of private equity investors have emerged that are fully financing the movie to begin production shortly,” the statement read.
The news comes just days after Time’s Up slammed Ratner’s second chance in Hollywood.
Paramount cuts theatrical window: Paramount
Pictures is joining other major Hollywood studios in slashing the traditional 90-day theatrical window.
ViacomCBS on Wednesday announced that some of the studio’s films, including “Mission: Impossible 7” and “A Quiet Place Part II,” will go to its streaming service, Paramount+, after 45 days in theaters.
“A Quiet Place Part II” has been delayed several times over the past year. It was originally set to come out last March, but was pulled from the schedule when theaters closed nationwide.
Both “A Quiet Place Part II” and “Mission: Impossible 7” are scheduled to open in the fall.
Paramount+ launches March 4.
A few films are being produced to go directly to the service, including a new “Paranormal Activity” and a new “Pet Sematary” origin story.
Foster, McPhee welcome son: Actor Katharine McPhee and musician David Foster, who wed in 2019, have welcomed a baby boy, McPhee’s publicist confirmed Wednesday.
McPhee and Foster met in 2006 when Foster was a mentor on “American Idol.” McPhee was the runner-up on season five to Taylor Hicks.
This is the first child for McPhee, 36, and the first son for Foster, 71. He has five grown daughters from previous marriages.
Feb. 26 birthdays: Guitarist Paul Cotton is 78. Actor Bill Duke is 78. Actor Marta Kristen is 76. Singer Michael Bolton is 68. Actor Mark Dacascos is 57. Actor Jennifer Grant is 55. Singer Erykah Badu is 50. Actor Maz Jobrani is 49. Singer Rico Wade is 49. Singer Nate Ruess is 39. Singer Natalia Lafourcade is 37. Actor Taylor Dooley is 28.