At this point it feels like we should start adding an Obituaries section to the weekly pop culture recap. After kicking off 2022 with the news that Betty White died on New Year’s Eve, this past week trailblazing actor Sidney Poitier (94) and beloved sitcom dad Bob Saget (65) both passed from natural causes.
Here’s some other headlines that caught our eye this week.
Television
We got our first proper look at Bel-Air, the dramatic reimagining of Will Smith’s star-making 90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Smith is producing the one-hour drama series, which began life as a fan film short by writer-director Morgan Cooper. Cooper continues to lead the project, which focuses on a Philadelphia teen who goes to live with wealthy relatives in California after brushes with gang and police violence. Bel-Air comes to Peacock on February 13.
In other television news, Amazon’s Fallout series, based on Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic game franchise is entering production this year. Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel) and Graham Wagner (Silicon Valley) are showrunners, while Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the creators of HBO’s Westworld will executive produce – and direct an episode or two. More here.
Meanwhile, the CW may be up for sale, but that doesn’t mean the network isn’t still investing in new youth-orientated series. Like a gender-swapped take on the Zorro story, spearheaded by brother-sister creative team Robert and Rebecca Rodriguez. More on the series here, which is different from the hacker Zorro film also in development.
Film
What would a year be without a disturbing horror film from the A24 stable? Introducing X, about young filmmakers, who, in 1979, set out to make an adult film in rural Texas. The problem is that they haven’t told the reclusive elderly couple whose farm they’re shooting on. X is from The House of the Devil, V/H/S, and The Innkeepers filmmaker Ti West. It stars Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow, and Scott Mescudi. The movie comes to cinemas on March 18.
Idiosyncratic filmmaker Wes Anderson is returning to the imagination of Roald Dahl. After adapting Fantastic Mr. Fox as a stop-motion film several years ago, Anderson is now tackling the short story collection The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More.
Although Netflix – which now owns the rights to all things Dahl – have yet to issue a statement on the project, and it’s still unclear what form it will take, we already know some of the ensemble cast. Benedict Cumberbatch will play title character Henry Sugar, who uses magic to fleece casinos. He’s joined, to date, by Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Rupert Friend and Richard Ayoade. More here.