Ontario School Board Removes Agatha Christie Book from Curriculum Due to Anti-Semitic References
The Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) has requested that teachers longer assign Agatha Christie’s mystery novel And Then There Were None due to anti-Semitic references in the text. “The text was first published around 1939 and is no longer relevant or engaging to students,” said a spokesperson for the UCDSB. “The Upper Canada District School Board regularly reviews its curriculum offerings and course materials to ensure we are offering fresh, engaging, timely and relatable materials to students.”
Rachel Zegler to Star in The Hunger Games Prequel Film
Lionsgate’s adaptation of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has some more casting news: Rachel Zegler of West Side Story has been cast as the female lead Lucy Gray Baird. Zegler joins actor Tom Blyth who was recently announced as the young Coriolanus Snow, that role played by Donald Sutherland in the original trilogy. “Like everybody, I first saw Rachel Zegler in West Side Story, and like everybody, I knew I was watching a star who would command the screen for a generation,” said the film’s director Francis Lawrence. “Lucy Gray is a perfect match for her as an actress: the character is bold, independent, and defiant, but also vulnerable, emotional, and loving. Rachel will make this character unforgettable.”
Kevin McKidd and Vinette Robinson Cast in ITV Adaptation of Six Four
U.K. broadcaster ITV is adapting Hideo Yokoyama’s Six Four into a four-part crime thriller, and Grey’s Anatomy star Kevin McKidd is set to star alongside Boiling Point’s Vinette Robinson. This adaptation moves the story from Japan to Glasgow and follows the O’Neills—police detective Chris and his wife, former undercover officer Michelle—whose teenage daughter goes missing. The cast also includes also includes Richard Coyle, James Cosmo, Alex Ferns, Iona Anderson, Andrew O’Neill, and Nilani Chetty. Author Yokoyama said, “I’m surprised and delighted in equal measure when people have found something universal in my work. That little boy who was so obsessed with the stories of Sherlock Holmes would be excited to hear about this. I offer my heart-felt gratitude to everyone connected with the production who decided to make this series and I can’t wait to see it.” Filming has commenced on location in Scotland.
R.L. Stine is Releasing New Horror for Kids This Summer
R.L. Stine is famous writing horror stories that have been scaring kids and teens for decades. This summer, he is releasing more.