Nicholas Hoult to Play Gilderoy Lockhart in ‘Harry Potter’ HBO Series Season 2

 Nicholas Hoult will play Gilderoy Lockhart in the second season of HBO's "Harry Potter" TV series, according to Variety.

The much-anticipated show is scheduled to premiere on December 25 on HBO and HBO Max.

The first season is based on the first book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." The show has already been renewed for a second season, which will be based on "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."

Gilderoy Lockhart is a major character in "Chamber of Secrets." At the start of the book, he is a well-known wizard who has written many books about his heroic deeds.

However, he is also very proud and self-centered.He becomes the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, but it soon becomes clear that he isn’t fit for the job.

Lockhart was previously played by Kenneth Branagh in the 2002 movie version of "Chamber of Secrets."

This will be Hoult's latest role in a major franchise. He has previously played Dr.Hank McCoy/Beast in several X-Men movies and currently plays Lex Luthor in films by James Gunn's DC Studios.He first played Lex Luthor in the 2025 movie "Superman" and will return in the sequel "Man of Tomorrow" in 2027.

Hoult is also known for roles in films such as "Mad Max: Fury Road," "Nosferatu," "Juror #2," "The Menu," and "Renfield." On television, he was in the acclaimed Hulu series "The Great," where he received an Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe nods.

He also played Luthor in the second season of "Peacemaker" and had a breakout role in the UK teen drama "Skins."

Hoult is represented by UTA, 42, and Sloane Offer. Filming for the second season of "Harry Potter" is set to start this fall.

Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry Potter, with Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout as Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.Other cast members include John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Snape, and Nick Frost as Hagrid.

Jon Brown, who wrote for the first season of the series, has been promoted to co-showrunner for Season 2.

He joins current showrunner and series creator Francesca Gardiner.Gardiner serves as an executive producer, along with director Mark Mylod.J.K.Rowling is also an executive producer, as are Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts from Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman from Heyday Films.Warner Bros.Television is the production studio.

Parker Finn’s ‘Possession’ Remake Sets Summer 2027 Release Date

I'll admit, I was a little nervous about Parker Finn's remake of the cult classic, Possession.It's intense, scary, and really personal, and it's one of the best horror movies ever made.But the more I saw about the cast, the more excited I became.Paramount Pictures seems to think they might have a hit, as Variety says they've set a summer 2027 release date.

The movie stars Margaret Qualley from The Substance, Callum Turner from Green Room and Victor Frankenstein, Paul Dano from Prisoners, Diego Calva from Babylon, Madeline Brewer from Cam, Emory Cohen from Marty Supreme, and Nicholas Alexander Chavez from Monster.

The original film is about a woman who starts acting really strange after asking her husband for a divorce.

At first, people think she's cheating, but it turns out to be something way worse.

When it first came out in 1981, the movie was banned.

It was directed by Andrzej Zulawski and starred Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill.Adjani won Best Actress at Cannes for her role.Even today, it's seen as one of the greatest horror films ever made.It's also one of my favorite movies.What Zulawski did with Possession is amazing, and Adjani's performance has only gotten more famous over the years, with movies like The First Omen even referencing it.

We don't know much about the new version's characters, but honestly, I don't care who plays who anymore.

I loved Smile 2 so much and this cast is so good that I'm starting to think this remake of one of my favorite films might actually work.

Robert Pattinson is producing through his company Icki Eneo Arlo, along with Roy Lee from Vertigo Entertainment (known for Weapons and Crystal Lake).

Possession will be in theaters on June 11, 2027, through Paramount.

Summer Box Office Hits $4 Billion for Second Time Since COVID, Thanks to ‘Odyssey,’ ‘Spider-Man’ and More Blockbusters

 It's officially the biggest summer at the box office since the pandemic started, thanks to big hits like "The Odyssey" and "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," as well as surprise hits like "Backrooms" and "Obsession." 

On Monday, the total domestic box office earnings for the summer season reached $4 billion, which is only the second time in the post-pandemic era that this milestone has been hit.

The last time the box office hit $4 billion was in 2023, during the "Barbenheimer" craze, which brought in $4.09 billion from May to August.That was a close call.This year, there are still a few weeks left before Labor Day ends the summer season, so this summer is expected to be the highest-grossing since 2019, according to Rentrak.

Rentrak's head of marketplace trends, Paul Dergarabedian, said, "Hitting this $4 billion threshold for only the second time since the pandemic is really important.

After several tough years, the idea that people would stop going to theaters and only watch things on screens can finally be put to rest."

The four-month summer season is a key time for the movie industry, making up 40% of the yearly box office.

Before the pandemic, summer earnings usually went over $4 billion.In 2013, the highest summer gross was $4.755 billion, and in 2019, the last normal year, summer sales reached $4.3 billion thanks to "Avengers: Endgame" and other big movies.In 2018, the summer reached $4.42 billion, with "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Incredibles 2" being among the biggest hits.

After the pandemic, Hollywood didn't reach the $4 billion mark.

In 2025, the total was $3.655 billion, led by Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" remake.In 2024, the total was $3.67 billion with "Deadpool & Wolverine" and "Inside Out 2" as the top movies.In 2022, the total was $3.4 billion as "Top Gun: Maverick" dominated theaters.In 2020 and 2021, very few movies were released due to the ongoing pandemic.

This summer, studios had a mix of surprise hits and new movies in popular series.

Sony's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is the highest-grossing movie so far, making $655 million domestically and $1.67 billion worldwide.Universal's "The Odyssey," a big Christopher Nolan film, is also doing very well with $460 million in North America and $1.1 billion worldwide.Disney's "Toy Story 5" is yet another blockbuster, making $470 million in the U.S.Lionsgate's "Michael," a biopic about Michael Jackson, started in spring but continued to do well and eventually earned over a billion dollars in July.

Other top movies include "Backrooms," a low-budget horror movie from A24 that made $197 million in North America and $395 million globally, and "Obsession," a Focus Features thriller that earned $263 million domestically and $488 million worldwide.

Disney's "The Devil Wears Prada 2" also did well, making $220 million in the U.S.and $690 million globally.These genre hits helped make up for some expensive movie flops, like Disney's "Star Wars" spinoff "The Mandalorian and Grogu" and its live-action "Moana," as well as DC's "Supergirl" and Amazon MGM's "Masters of the Universe."

Exhibitors are happy with the trend, thinking this year might be the first since the pandemic to break the $10 billion mark in domestic ticket sales.

The summer will end with Warner Bros.' sci-fi mystery "The End of Oak Street" starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, and Sony's paranormal thriller "Insidious: Out of the Further." Then, in the fall, Amazon MGM's "Verity," a Colleen Hoover adaptation, and two Warner Bros.movies, Tom Cruise's "Digger" and "Practical Magic 2" starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, will come out.This is followed by holiday hits like Lionsgate's "Sunrise on the Reaping," a "Hunger Games" prequel, Warner Bros.' "Dune Part III," and Disney's "Avengers: Doomsday."

Dergarabedian predicts that this year will be studied by studios in the future.

He asks, "Is the old-school thinking correct that audiences just want well-known IP, big blockbusters, sequels, and franchises?" Of course they do.But they also want new and original stories that challenge them.

Katseye: Wild Hearts Movie

Katseye: Wild Hearts

2026 | 1h 20m

Genre: Documentary, Music

Release date

August 12, 2026 (United States)

Director

Nadia Hallgren

Stars

Abhinav Singh

Daniela Avanzini

Manon Bannerman

Producers

Lana Barkin

producer

Lauren Cioffi

producer

Mitra Darab

producer

Andrew Ibea

producer

Jay Ihn

producer

Hayan Park

producer

Sarina Roma

producer

Jared Shelton

producer

Kella Birch

supervising producer

Editor

Page Marsella

editor

Country of origin

United States

Language

English

Also known as

KATSEYE: WILD HEARTS

Production companies

Boardwalk PicturesGreenway PicturesHybe x Geffen

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Sets Sights on $2 Billion | How It Stacks Up Against Every Spider-Man Film's Box Office Haul

In just six days, Sony's Spider-Man: Brand New Day became the second fastest movie to reach $1 billion worldwide.Now the question is, when will the good reviews and word of mouth help the fourth Tom Holland Spider-Man movie reach the $2 billion mark.But before Brand New Day can reach that big goal, it still needs to beat the franchise's top movie, 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, which made $1.92 billion worldwide.

Here's how all Spider-Man films do in terms of global box office earnings:

 1. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) - $1,921,426,073

2. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) - $1,664,342,914

3. Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019) - $1,132,723,226

4. Spider-Man 3 (2007) - $887,415,130

5. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) - $880,978,185

6. Spider-Man (2002) - $810,925,307

7. Spider-Man 2 (2004) - $788,253,491

8. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) - $758,725,893

9. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) - $716,934,779

10. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) - $690,824,738

11. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) - $394,884,133

Paramount Offers to Put David Ellison’s Annual 30-Film Theatrical Promise in Writing

 Paramount Skydance is trying to get movie theaters to back its plan to buy Warner Bros.Discovery.To do this, they have made promises about how many movies they will show in theaters each year and for how long.CEO David Ellison has promised to show at least 30 films a year for three years after the deal is done.These films will be available in theaters for a minimum of 45 days before they come out on premium video on demand and 90 days before they appear on streaming platforms.

Three people who know about the talks told TheWrap that Paramount has offered to make these promises into a written agreement with theater chains.

This has helped get support from the two biggest theater chains in the U.S., AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas, and the British chain Vue Cinemas.All of these chains have said they support the merger.

In a statement on Thursday, Regal’s CEO Eduardo Acuna asked the whole movie theater industry and California Attorney General Rob Bonta to work together to settle the issues.

After years of low box office sales due to the pandemic and strikes, theaters have seen a recent surge thanks to big hits like *Michael*, *Toy Story 5*, *Obsession*, and the latest films *The Odyssey* and *Spider-Man: Brand New Day*.

Acuna wrote, “It’s time for all parties to sit down and work out how to formalize these commitments.

With these measures in place, we believe that Paramount can be an effective steward of these studios that mean an enormous amount to people who love movies.”

The written offers are part of a bigger effort by Paramount Skydance to get support from top entertainment leaders for the merger.

The company is also pushing for a settlement with Rob Bonta and the 11 other state attorneys generals who are fighting the deal, ahead of a trial in March 2027.

This week, the UK’s antitrust division approved the merger, even though the Culture Minister was thinking about stopping it.

That leaves the Bonta lawsuit as the last big obstacle before the deal can be completed.

While Paramount has won support from three major theater chains, some smaller chains are still worried.

They say they don’t believe Paramount and Ellison’s promises will make the movie industry better, pointing to how 20th Century Fox’s movie output dropped a lot after Disney bought it in 2019.

Other concerns include how revenue from box office sales is split and “clean screen” terms, which require a film to be shown exclusively for a set time.

These terms, according to Bonta’s lawsuit, could make it harder for theaters if the market becomes more concentrated.

Cinema United, which represents many theater chains, is against buying Warner Bros.

Discovery and supports Bonta’s lawsuit.But the group is open to future talks with Paramount.An insider said Cinema United sent a letter to Paramount back in July listing their concerns, but they haven’t been in contact since.

Regal didn’t comment beyond Acuna’s statement.

TheWrap has asked Paramount for a response.The news about the offers first came from Bloomberg.

AI-Generated Ad for ‘The End of Oak Street’ Draws Backlash for Warner Bros.

An official video promoting Warner Bros.Discovery's upcoming sci-fi movie, *The End of Oak Street*, has drawn a lot of negative reactions online because it uses AI-generated animation.

The video is part of a collaboration between Warner Bros.

Discovery and DogPack, a social media app for dog owners.DogPack creates a podcast called *The Dogbone Podcast*, which uses AI to make animated and voiced conversations between dogs about what they think and what people don't know.

The *End of Oak Street* ad was posted on Friday, shared on Warner Bros.

Discovery's and DogPack's Facebook pages as well as DogPack's Instagram account, with Warner Bros.Discovery tagged.The ad features a conversation between two dog podcast hosts and a character dog named Starbuck from the movie, who belongs to the characters played by Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor.

Alongside the DogPack video, Warner Bros.

also posted an AI-generated clip of dinosaurs attacking people to promote the film on their official Malaysia account.

Comments on Instagram have been mostly negative, with some users calling the video a "huge fk up" and saying it "damaged the odds I will see" the movie.

Although the video wasn't posted directly on X, Threads, or TikTok, it has been shared and criticized on those platforms by other users, including by Nexus Point News.

However, the Facebook post got a more positive reaction, with one user saying, "This is the best use of AI."  

The use of AI in the entertainment industry has become an important topic for creators, and studios are forming more partnerships with the technology.

Even though AI has become more common in filmmaking, it's very rare for a studio to use AI-generated visuals so openly in their marketing materials.

Warner Bros.

Discovery and the film's director, David Robert Mitchell, did not respond to a request for comment.

In an interview with Business Insider last year, DogPack co-founder Dov Punski said the company's *Dogbone Podcast* works because people don't like to feel tricked.

He explained that the podcast isn't trying to deceive anyone, just to provide entertainment.

*The End of Oak Street* opens on Friday.

The film has a reported production budget of $85 million.