Just having wrapped production in Toronto, Sofia Coppola‘s upcoming PRISCILLA centers on Priscilla Presley and her marriage to Elvis and time living at Graceland. Coppola writes, directs and products. To be distributed by A24, the Film is based on the Memoir Elvis and Me, and stars Cailee Spainey (Mare of Eastown) and also Jacob Elordi (Euphoria). PRISCILLA began filming in Toronto late October, wrapping this past week before continuing prodution in Los Angeles. Just based on A24 being such a force at the Toronto International Film Festival this year, we’re wondering if they might have their sights on the Festival Circuit too with this one!

You already know how much we love HBO‘s Mare of Eastown and Euphoria so it should come as no surprise how excited we were to meet both Spainey and Elordi. We’re so lucky to have hosted this production in our City with filming spanning all parts of the City including Mississauga to downtown! We loved Baz Luhrmann‘s ELVIS and cannot wait to see Coppola explore Priscilla Presley‘s (who happens to be producing this also) perspective and experience next.

Elordi was just so amazing, and we spotted him with his Golden Retriever named Layla, who was on her best behaviour. How cool is it that he was sporting a PRISCILLA sweatshirt with a print of the Script cover? And Spainey was just absolutely sweet and surprised even to be recognized, donning a Supreme Beanie. The emerging star actually has been here before, having filmed 2020’s The Craft: Legacy here in Toronto. Her plate is rather full and coming-up for her, is Alex Garland‘s upcoming Civil War, alo starring Kirsten Dunst and Wagner Moura filmed partly in the U.S. and U.K.

Just earlier this week another Euphoria star was in Toronto. More here.

See some Snaps:

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Apple TV+ today unveiled the premiere date and a first look at “Hello Tomorrow!,” the new 10-episode dramedy starring and executive produced by Emmy and Critics Choice Award winner Billy Crudup (“The Morning Show”). The highly anticipated half-hour series is set to make its global debut on Friday, February 17, 2023 with the first three episodes, followed by one new episode weekly, every Friday through April 7, 2023 on Apple TV+.

Set in a retro-future world, “Hello Tomorrow!” centres around a group of traveling salesmen hawking lunar timeshares. Crudup stars as Jack, a salesman of great talent and ambition, whose unshakeable faith in a brighter tomorrow inspires his coworkers, revitalizes his desperate customers, but threatens to leave him dangerously lost in the very dream that sustains him.

The ensemble cast starring alongside Crudup includes Haneefah Wood (“Truth Be Told,” “One Day at a Time”), Alison Pill (“Them,” “The Newsroom”), Nicholas Podany (“Harry Potter And The Cursed Child”), Dewshane Williams (“The Umbrella Academy,” “In the Dark”), Emmy Award winner Hank Azaria (“Brockmire,” “Ray Donovan”), Matthew Maher (“Our Flag Means Death”), and Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver (“Silver Linings Playbook,” “Animal Kingdom”).

“Hello Tomorrow!,” produced by MRC Television, is co-created by Amit Bhalla and Lucas Jansen. Stephen Falk (“You’re the Worst”), Jonathan Entwistle (“The End of the F***ing World”), Bhalla and Jansen serve as executive producers alongside Crudup. Blake Griffin, Ryan Kalil and Noah Weinstein serve as executive producers for Mortal Media.

(Photo credit: Apple TV+)

Christian Bale is back in THE PALE BLUE EYE, arriving January only on Netflix. We have an official Trailer for your viewing pleasure!

Synopsis:
West Point, 1830. In the early hours of a gray winter morning, a cadet is found dead. But after the body arrives at the morgue, tragedy becomes savagery when it’s discovered that the young man’s heart has been skillfully removed. Fearing irreparable damage to the fledgling military academy, its leaders turn to a local detective, Augustus Landor (Christian Bale), to solve the murder. Stymied by the cadets’ code of silence, Landor enlists the help of one of their own to pursue the case, an eccentric cadet with a disdain for the rigors of the military and a penchant for poetry—a young man named Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling).

Cast:
Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Gillian Anderson, Lucy Boynton, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Toby Jones, Harry Lawtey, Simon McBurney, Hadley Robinson, Timothy Spall, Joey Brooks, Brennan Cook, Gideon Glick, Fred Hechinger, Matt Helm, Jack Irving, Steven Maier, Charlie Tahan and Robert Duvall.

THE PALE BLUE EYE arrives January 6, 2023 on Netflix.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

Universal Pictures Canada x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win Advance Screening Passes to see PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH.

Advance screenings will be held Monday, December 19^th in:

• Toronto: Scotiabank Theatre at 7:00 pm
• Montreal (EN): Scotiabank Theatre at 7:00 pm  
• Montreal (FR): StarCité Montreal at 7:00 pm
• Vancouver: International Village at 7:00 pm

Synopsis:

For the first time in more than a decade, DreamWorks Animation presents a new adventure in the Shrek universe as daring outlaw Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for peril and disregard for safety have taken their toll. Puss has burned through eight of his nine lives, though he lost count along the way. Getting those lives back will send Puss in Boots on his grandest quest yet.

Academy Award® nominee Antonio Banderas returns as the voice of the notorious PiB as he embarks on an epic journey into the Black Forest to find the mythical Wishing Star and restore his lost lives. But with only one life left, Puss will have to humble himself and ask for help from his former partner and nemesis: the captivating Kitty Soft Paws (Oscar® nominee Salma Hayek). 

To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. In the comments there, please indicate your City.

Rules and regulations here.

Universal Pictures Canada release PUSS IN BOOTS December 21, 2022.

(Photo/video credit: Universal Pictures Canada)

Universal Pictures Canada x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win Advance Screening Passes to see M3GAN.

Advance screenings will be held Wednesday January 4^th in:

• Toronto: Scotiabank Theatre at 7:00 pm
• Montreal: Scotiabank Theatre at 7:00 pm  

Synopsis:

From the most prolific minds in horror—James Wan, the filmmaker behind the Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring franchises, and Blumhouse, the producer of the Halloween films, The Black Phone and The Invisible Man—comes a fresh new face in terror. M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a life-like doll programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. Designed by brilliant toy-company roboticist Gemma (Get Out’s Allison Williams), M3GAN can listen and watch and learn as she becomes friend and teacher, playmate and protector, for the child she is bonded to.

When Gemma suddenly becomes the caretaker of her orphaned 8-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw, The Haunting of Hill House), Gemma’s unsure and unprepared to be a parent. Under intense pressure at work, Gemma decides to pair her M3GAN prototype with Cady in an attempt to resolve both problems—a decision that will have unimaginable consequences.

Produced by Jason Blum and James Wan, M3GAN is directed by award-winning filmmaker Gerard Johnstone (Housebound), from a screenplay by Akela Cooper (Malignant, The Nun 2) based on a story by Akela Cooper and James Wan.

The film also stars Ronny Chieng (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Brian Jordan Alvarez (Will & Grace), Jen Van Epps (Cowboy Bebop), Lori Dungey (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, extended edition) and Stephane Garneau-Monten (Straight Forward). 

To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. In the comments there, please indicate your City.

Rules and regulations here.

Universal Pictures Canada release M3GAN January 6, 2023.

(Photo/video credit: Universal Pictures Canada)

Today, Disney+ released the trailer and key art for season 2 of acclaimed animated series “Star Wars: The Bad Batch.” When the new season opens, months have passed since the events on Kamino, and the Bad Batch continue their journey navigating the Empire after the fall of the Republic. They will cross paths with friends and foes, both new and familiar, as they take on a variety of thrilling mercenary missions that will take them to unexpected and dangerous new places. “Star Wars: The Bad Batch” season 2 stars Emmy Award® nominee Dee Bradley Baker (“American Dad!”) as the voice of the Bad Batch and Emmy Award® nominee Michelle Ang (“Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462”) as the voice of Omega. Emmy Award® winner Rhea Perlman (“The Mindy Project,” “Cheers”) returns to guest star as Cid, Noshir Dalal (“It’s Pony,” “The Owl House”) returns to guest star as Vice Admiral Rampart and Emmy Award® winner Wanda Sykes (“The Upshaws,” “Black-ish”) makes her guest starring debut in the series as as Phee Genoa.

“Star Wars: The Bad Batch” is executive produced by Dave Filoni (“The Mandalorian,” “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”), Athena Portillo (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” “Star Wars Rebels”), Brad Rau (“Star Wars Rebels,” “Star Wars Resistance”), Jennifer Corbett (“Star Wars Resistance,” “NCIS”) and Carrie Beck (“The Mandalorian,” “Star Wars Rebels”) with Josh Rimes (“Star Wars Resistance,” “Star Wars: Visions”) and Alex Spotswood (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” “Star Wars Rebels”) as producers. Rau is also serving as supervising director with Corbett as head writer and Matt Michnovetz as story editor.

(Photo/video credit: Disney+)

Singer/Songwriter Dominic Fike gained popularity uploading songs on Soundcloud, leading eventually to a record deal with Sony Music and hits like “3 Nights” and “Phone Numbers”. It was a prominent role as Elliot on the second season of HBO‘s acclaimed series EUPHORIA that put him on the map internationally and while we wait for that third season, he is focusing on new music, with his Out of Order Tour.

Following a show at Montreal’s L’Olympia last night, he played a packed house at History in Toronto. Fike has been amazingly-kind to stop to meet fans outside the venues on this Tour and did just that following his show, stop to chat, sign autographs and snap Selfies in the cold!

We adore Euphoria so much and can’t wait to see where his story line with Rue and Jules takes him this next season. Fike was so nice to stop for a Selfie with beanie and I. She even gave him a kiss which he loved! Thrilled also to get me Seasons One and Two Blu-ray signed. Something to cherish.

Fike has been spotted with his Co-Star and partner Hunter Schafer on this Tour, and she has been very careful to avoid the attention, allowing Fike his moment to shine with his many admirers. He heads next to Detroit and the tour ends in Arizona mid-December.

See our Snaps:

(Photo/video credit: Sony Music Entertainment/Mr. Will Wong)

Corus Entertainment’s top 10 specialty network*, Showcase has announced today its winter schedule of new buzzworthy, compelling dramas and returning seasons of fan favourite series, all available to stream live and on demand with STACKTV.

Kicking off Showcase’s winter slate is fish out of water drama series Irreverent premiering on Sunday, January 8 at 9 p.m. ET. Irreverent follows a criminal mediator from Chicago who is forced to flee his life, and everything he knows, and hide out in a small Australian reef community in Far North Queensland, posing as the new church Reverend. “Reverend Mackenzie Boyd” (not his real name) has made a mess so bad, he can never go home, but he’s going to need all his considerable street smarts to pull off posing as clergy – something he doesn’t know the first thing about. If he slips up, he’s dead, and after a lifetime of crime, doing good works isn’t something that comes naturally. But in this small beach town, with no phone or internet, he finds a community filled with people desperate for connection and crying out for a leader. What at first seems like a perfect hiding place from the Chicago mob quickly becomes Mack’s home. But as he reluctantly settles into his new life, the Chicago mob commences the hunt. The only way he’ll be able to stay off their radar will be to maintain the illusion that he is a Reverend. To do that though, Mack will have to appear to care. Trouble for Mack is, after all that pretending, it may just become a little bit real. Produced by Matchbox Pictures, which is a part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group, the series stars Colin Donnell, PJ Byrne, Kylie Bracknell, Briallen Clarke, Tegan Stimson, Ed Oxenbould, Wayne Blair, Russell Dykstra, Calen Tassone, and Jason Wilder.

Also joining the lineup is The Calling, a new drama from Emmy Award®-winning executive producer David E. Kelley, Academy Award®-winning director Barry Levinson, and co-composers Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro, which debuts on Monday, January 16 at 9 p.m. ET. The series tells the story of NYPD Detective Avraham Avraham (Jeff Wilbusch), whose belief in mankind is his superpower when it comes to uncovering the truth. Guided by a deep sense of spirituality and religious principles, Avraham is left to question his own humanity when a seemingly routine investigation turns upside down. The Calling also stars Juliana Canfield, Karen Robinson and Michael Mosley. The series is produced by Keshet Studios, the U.S. production arm of global content producers and distributor Keshet International, and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.

The timely and provocative cyber thriller The Undeclared War, which was directed and co-written by seven-time BAFTA winner Peter Kosminksy and stars Academy Award® winner Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg, Adrian Lester, Alex Jennings, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, and Hannah Khalique-Brown, premieres Thursday, January 19 at 9 p.m. ET. Set in 2024, The Undeclared War tracks a leading team of analysts buried in the heart of GCHQ, secretly working to ward off a series of cyber-attacks on the UK in the run up to a general election. When a routine stress test of internet infrastructure goes awry, 21-year-old GCHQ intern Saara Parvin (Khalique-Brown) suddenly finds herself operating on the invisible frontier of high-stakes cyber warfare. In a thrilling cat and mouse game, Saara and the team at GCHQ must try to stay one step ahead and anticipate their opponents’ every hidden move. The clock is ticking as a battle with high stakes and unpredictable enemies takes place entirely online, with very real consequences.  But how do you win a war most of the public don’t know you’re fighting? The series is co-produced by Playground and Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Returning to the network, critically acclaimed drama series All American is back for Season 5 on Monday, January 2 at 10 p.m. ET, and finds Spencer and his friends thriving as young adults on the cusp of real adulthood. This season brings its fair share of sexy, messy love lives, hard lessons learned on and off the field, fun college drama, and parties galore. But even when life gets difficult for our crew, they will always find a way to rise from the ashes.

DC origin series Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler picks up again for Season 3 on Wednesday, January 11 at 9 p.m. ET. The new season of this psychological thriller begins after a five-year time jump: The civil war is over, and a cultural revolution has changed the world for better or worse – ushering in a new age of superheroes and supervillains.

Following the success of Season 1, last Spring’s #1 new specialty drama** Bel-Air will return for Season 2 in 2023. Produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, and Westbrook Studios, Bel-Air imagines the beloved ’90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air through a new, dramatic take on Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. The second season of Bel-Air picks up with Will at a crossroads in his life as a new figure comes into his life who challenges what he’s learned in Bel-Air and competes for control of his influence. He juggles this while navigating his home life with the Banks family and trying to rebuild the trust that was broken at the end of last season. We’ll also see Hilary evolve as she becomes more of a boss in her influencer world and how that spills into her relationship with Jazz, as well as highlight the relatable struggles around Viv and Phil balancing marriage and family while trying to forge their own career paths and reconnect to the things that are important to them.

Acclaimed the world over since its debut in 2007, KOOZA has mesmerized close to 8 million spectators with over 4,000 performances in 65 cities across 22 countries. Following its 2022 relaunch and record-breaking attendance breakthrough in Montreal, KOOZA is continuing its momentous success touring across North America and the world including Mexico City and Houston, before heading to Toronto.

“KOOZA evokes the yesteryear of traditional circus with a timeless wonder. It is an emotional roller coaster ride that will make you laugh out loud in one breath, and gasp in awe and anticipation in the next breath,” said Mike Newquist, President, Touring Shows Division, Cirque du Soleil. “Last year the world was rebuilding, and now is a time to have fun again, to laugh again, and to believe in the possibilities — which is what KOOZA encapsulates.”

Get ready to be swept away by the sheer magic and mischievous clowns of KOOZA, presented by Sun Life. with incredible daredevil performances.
WATCH the infamous ‘Wheel of Death’ act.

Cirque du Soleil’s thrilling and internationally acclaimed production of KOOZA is coming to Toronto, ON from April 7 to June 18, 2023, at a new location on the former site of the Mr. Christie’s Factory, 2150 Lake Shore Blvd. W.

A THRILLING RIDE
Undeniably the most daring Cirque du Soleil touring production to-date, KOOZA is packed with nail-biting, mind-boggling acrobatics. Inspired by traditional circus arts from around the globe, the show’s performances display remarkable showmanship, exceptional execution and incredible agility.

A magnificent return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil, KOOZA pays tribute to traditional circus in all its splendor with audacious acrobatic prowess and bold slapstick comedy. Filled with chills, thrills, laughter and wonder, KOOZA unfolds a non-stop, adrenaline-packed series of edge-of-your-seat surprises. Under the watch of a mysterious trickster with electrifying powers, KOOZA follows the self-discovery adventures of the Innocent who is magically transported to an exotic yet zany kingdom. For more information, visit cirquedusoleil.com/kooza.

TICKET INFORMATION
Get early access to KOOZA tickets to save 30% when joining Club Cirque. Starting a membership with Club Cirque is easy and free,visit cirqueclub.com to find out all the fan perks. General on-sale to start on December 12, at cirquedusoleil.com/kooza.

WAR CHILD CANADA held its THE WORLD THAT’S POSSIBLE Gala last night at The Royal Ontario Museum. With a star-studded roster of names, the affair raised funds in support of the millions of children and families impacted by war and violence in Afghanistan, Yemen, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, and Iraq.

Dining on a menu crafted by both Chef Mark McEwan and Chef Shen Ousmand of the Aga Khan Museum, guests enjoyed performances by the likes of Metric, Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother) and Chantal Kreviazuk, the latter honoured with the Founder’s Award for her work with the organization. Originally slated to attend were War Child Ambassadors Amanda Seyfried and husband Thomas Sadoski, along with JP Saxe, although obligations held them from making in to Toronto. Deborah Cox, who had received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame this past weekend, also made an appearance.

The evening was hosted by ET Canada‘s Sangita Patel and also included a Silent Auction.

Radnor graced the audience wth a special appearance and acoustic performance on guitar and can be seen most recently on Apple TV+‘s acclaimed new Series FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE, alongside Claire Danes, Lizzy Caplan and Jesse Eisenberg. So gracious of him for one, to come to our City in a rare appearance, but also to stop for a quick Photo while in the scramble looking for his SUV.

More on the organization and event here.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)