Marvel’s Blade Finds New Director with Yann Demange
Marvel’s new Blade adaptation has found a new director with Yann Demange, who directed the pilot of HBO’s horror series Lovecraft Country. This puts the project back on track after losing its original director Bassam Tariq over creative differences. Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali is attached to star. According to sources, Ali was directly involved in selecting Emmy Award winner Michael Starrbury to write the new Blade feature adaptation. The plan is still to go into production in Atlanta in 2023, with a release date set for September 6th, 2024.
Brandy to Play Cinderella in Descendants Movie The Pocketwatch
Singer and actor Brandy is reprising her role as Cinderella in the upcoming Disney+ film The Pocketwatch, which takes place in the same universe as The Descendants. Rita Ora has also recently joined the cast of The Pocketwatch. She will be playing the Queen of Hearts. The Pocketwatch is directed by Jennifer Phang, written by Dan Frey and Russell Sommer, ad executive produced by Phang, Suzanne Todd, and Gary Marsh.
Lee Herrick Chosen as California Poet Laureate
California governer Gavin Newsom has appointed Fresno-based writer and professor Lee Herrick to be the state’s poet laureate. Herrick is the author of three poetry collections — Scar and Flower, Gardening Secrets of the Dead, and This Many Miles From Desire — as well as publishing in many literary magazines, anthologies, and textbooks. “I am deeply honored, humbled, and excited to be named California Poet Laureate,” Herrick said in a statement. He will serve a two-year term and will receive a stipend from the California Arts Council.
Ellen Wittlinger, Author of Hard-Hitting Queer YA, Has Died
Ellen Wittlinger died November 17, 2022. She was an early writer of queer YA books and broke ground with her hard-hitting realism.