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THE FLASH Actor Hartley Sawyer Has Been Fired From The CW Series Following Controversial Tweets

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The Flash actor Hartley Sawyer (Ralph Dibny/Elongated Man) has been fired the DC TV series after several Tweets that have been deemed to contain misogynist and racist references recently resurfaced.

Sawyer posted the controversial Tweets before signing on to play Dibny on The Flash, and even though he has since deleted his account, screenshots of the offending posts have been circulating online over the past week or so.

“Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for season seven of The Flash,” reads a statement from The CW, producers Warner Bros. TV and Berlanti Productions and executive producer Eric Wallace (via THR). “In regards to Mr. Sawyer’s posts on social media, we do not tolerate derogatory remarks that target any race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation. Such remarks are antithetical to our values and polices, which strive and evolve to promote a safe, inclusive and productive environment for our workforce.”

Sawyer issued an apology on Instagram, pointing out that the Tweets were made in jest while adding that they were “really horrible attempts to get attention at that time,” and that he is deeply sorry if his words caused any harm.

You can check out a thread of the Tweets in question below along with Sawyer’s Instagram post.

a collection of @HartleySawyer‘s misogynistic, racist, fatphobic, etc. tweets (sorry if there’s duplicates) pic.twitter.com/Kv0afDbiP1

— steph (@themirrorin6x17) May 30, 2020

My words, irrelevant of being meant with an intent of humor, were hurtful, and unacceptable. I am ashamed I was capable of these really horrible attempts to get attention at that time. I regret them deeply. This was not acceptable behavior. These were words I threw out at the time with no thought or recognition of the harm my words could do, and now have done today. I am incredibly sorry, ashamed and disappointed in myself for my ignorance back then. I want to be very clear: this is not reflective of what I think or who I am now. Years ago, thanks to friends and experiences who helped me to open my eyes, I began my journey into becoming a more responsible adult – in terms of what I say, what I do, and beyond. I’ve largely kept that journey private, and this is another way that I have let so many down. I still have more work to do. But how I define myself now does not take away the impact of my words, or my responsibility for them. I am very sorry.

A post shared by Hartley Sawyer (@hartleysawyer) on

My statement regarding Hartley Sawyer and THE FLASH. pic.twitter.com/hni0MxOWZU

— Eric Wallace (@ewrote) June 8, 2020

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THE MANDALORIAN Season 2 Enlists EXTRACTION’s Sam Hargrave As Second Unit Director

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Extraction wowed viewers with its scintillating fight/chase sequences when it hit Netflix earlier this year, and director Sam Hargrave has now brought some his action expertise to the galaxy far, far away.

According to Collider, the filmmaker/stuntman was hired as second unit director for the upcoming second season of The Mandalorian, and was able to finish working on the live-action Star Wars series before the COVID-19 pandemic caused mass production delays.

While chatting with the site, Hargrave revealed that Lucasfilm actually came to him while he was in the middle of post production on Extraction, as Jon Favreau and co. were looking for someone who had experience with action to “bring a new perspective and take things to another level for the next season.”

“I like the people over there — Favreau’s great — so I went over and it was a really fascinating adventure,” the director explained. “They have a crazy way of shooting. Some of the stuff is traditionally shot, with the live-action and blue screen on the backlot, but they’ve also got this technology called ‘The Volume’ where it’s just, like, the inside of a live game engine. It’s quite insane what technology nowadays is available to filmmakers. It was really eye-opening, the potential of this technology that Jon and they guys had been working on. It was a really fun learning experience.”

Hargrave went on to say that, even though he wasn’t involved in the editing process, he feels confident that they were able to work together to “up the ante.”

“The difference is, with Extraction, I’m in the editing room so I can be extremely confident [the action] is going to be what it’s going to be. I’m not editing these episodes. […] But I know the footage we delivered, as a second-unit, they seemed to be happy with. We worked closely with the stunt team there, with Bryan Watson and the team that had done the first season; they did a really great job.”

Are you guys looking forward to seeing what Hargrave brings to the table when The Mandalorian Season 2 premieres on Disney+ this October?

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MAD MAX: FURIOSA Officially Confirmed To Be In Development; Charlize Theron Will Not Be Back

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While there have been rumblings about this project for several years now, director George Miller has finally confirmed that he is indeed in the very early stages of development on a Mad Max: Fury Road prequel that will center on the fan-favorite Furiosa, who was played by Academy Award-winner Charlize Theron in the 2015 action blockbuster.

However, while the role was made iconic by Theron, Miller has also confirmed that the Oscar-winner will not be back to reprise her role and that he’s already actively auditioning younger actresses in their 20s to take over the part. 

Last we heard, The New Mutants star Anya Taylor-Joy was rumored to be a frontrunner for the highly coveted part.

Miller admits he did intend on bringing Theron back, but ultimately came to the realization that the de-aging technology isn’t quite there yet for a big-budget action movie. “For the longest time, I thought we could just use CG de-aging on Charlize, but I don’t think we’re nearly there yet. Despite the valiant attempts on ‘The Irishman,’ I think there’s still an uncanny valley. Everyone is on the verge of solving it, particular Japanese video-game designers, but there’s still a pretty wide valley, I believe.”

The screenplay was completed by Miller and his writing partner Nick Lathouris before Mad Max: Fury Road had even begun principal photography, but a production start date has not yet been set. So, the film is still likely a few years out as outside of casting, Miller first has to complete Three Thousand Years of Longing, starring Tilda Swinton (Doctor Strange; Avengers: Endgame) and Idris Elba (Thor: Ragnarok; Avengers: Infinity War), which was to begin filming this spring but was pushed back due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Additionally, Miller has revealed that both Oscar-winning production designer Colin Gibson and Oscar-winning cinematographer John Seale will be back for the untitled Furiosa prequel.

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Dwayne Johnson And Emily Blunt Superhero Comedy BALL AND CHAIN Flies To Netflix

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We found out last week that Jungle Cruise costars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Emily Blunt are set to re-team for a new superhero romantic comedy called Ball and Chain, and now THR is reporting that the project has landed at Netflix.

The movie is based on the ’90s comic book series of the same name by Scott Lobdell, and has Academy Award-nominated writer Emily V. Gordon (The Big Sick) penning the script. Johnson and Blunt will play a super-powered couple struggling in their marriage while attempting to come to terms with the fact that their abilities only work when they’re together.

Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia will produce for Seven Bucks Productions, along with Kevin Misher for Misher Films. Johnson is also on board as a producer, while Blunt is making her producing debut on the project via her Ledbury Productions.

“Dwayne and Emily have a chemistry together that is unmatched in our business right now. They are the perfect duo to bring Emily V. Gordon’s electric superhero story to life, and take the world of Ball and Chain to new heights,” said Scott Stuber, Head of Netflix Film.

We’ll get to see that chemistry for ourselves when Jungle Cruise hits theaters next July.

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BOBA FETT Project Rumored To Be In Development For Disney+ Following THE MANDALORIAN

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In one of the most exciting news stories of 2020 so far, we learned that Temuera Morrison will play Boba Fett in season two of The Mandalorian. It’s thought that his role in the series will be a minor one, though there have been rumblings that he will have a larger part to play in season three. 

Ultimately, it’s impossible to imagine the iconic bounty hunter not getting a decent amount of screentime moving forward because fans won’t be happy if he comes back and then vanishes again!

Now, a new rumour doing the rounds (via The Direct) claims that a Boba Fett project (meaning either a movie or TV show) is in the works for Disney+. Josh Trank was originally attached to helm a movie starring the character, but that was scrapped not long after being announced.

Since then, the character has remained in limbo, and after Solo: A Star Wars Story underperformed, it was starting to look like other Legacy characters being given the spotlight was in doubt. Something has changed, though, and Disney+ could be a good fit for Fett.

Who knows, perhaps we’ll get a Fett/Captain Rex team-up series, which would be a heck of a lot of fun. 

For now, though, this is just a rumour…
 

Click on the “Next” button below to check out
more big reveals about The Mandalorian season two! 
 

10. WWE Wrestler Sasha Banks Could Be Playing Sabine Wren

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Rumour has it that, alongside some other familiar faces, we’ll get to see Sabine Wren in The Mandalorian season two. Given who else is showing up, it wouldn’t make much sense for us not to catch up with the character, especially when she once wielded the Darksaber.

As for who is playing her, it’s widely believed that it could be WWE wrestler Sasha Banks. She was quietly added to the series earlier this year, and, well, the visual similarities are undeniably striking.

Some fans won’t like the fact a wrestler is playing a character as important as this one, but Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and company must have seen something special in her, so we need to have faith. We just have to hope the fan-favourite Mandalorian is handled well.
 

9. Post-Production Is Taking Place Remotely

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While we’re unsure what the plan is for shows like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and WandaVision, new Disney CEO Bob Chapek recently confirmed that shooting on season two of The Mandalorian wrapped before COVID-19 started closing down productions, and noted that post-production is now taking place remotely. 

Season two is tentatively scheduled for October, and that’s obviously going to remain the case as Chapek confirmed in a recent interview that, “there will be no delay on [The] Mandalorian.”

That’s definitely good news, and it gives us something to look forward to. However, if work is finished soon and those Marvel TV shows are delayed, perhaps we’ll end up seeing it a little sooner?
 

8. Some Big Name Directors Have Been Added To The Mix

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It’s believed that both Dave Filoni and Bryce Dallas Howard will each direct an episode of The Mandalorian season two, but we’re still not sure who is set to be in charge of the rest. 

However, on Star Wars Day, we got some clarification when Peyton Reed (Ant-Man and The Wasp) and Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) both confirmed that they have helmed episodes this year.

Taika Waititi sadly won’t be back, but we can clearly trust Lucasfilm when it comes to enlisting top filmmakers for this Disney+ series. Oh, and there will once again be eight chapters!
 

7. Katee Sackhoff Brings Bo-Katan Kryze From Animation To Live-Action

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Battlestar Galactica star Katee Sackhoff first played Bo-Katan Kryze in The Clone Wars, and later reprised the role in Star Wars Rebels. While Sabine Wren wielded the Darksaber for a time, it was last seen in Kryze’s possession, so it makes perfect sense for her to play the character in live-action. 

This will make some fans wonder why Ashley Eckstein isn’t starring as Ahsoka Tano, of course, but it’s still a cool move on Lucasfilm’s part, even if it’s likely to only be a brief cameo. 

The Mandalorian‘s first season ended with the reveal that Moff Gideon has the Darksaber, so we’re obviously going to learn how he got his hands on it…sadly, that doesn’t bode well for Kryze!
 

6. Temuera Morrison Is Set To Play Boba Fett (Really!)

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Yes, it’s hard to believe, but Attack of the Clones star Temuera Morrison really is going to play Boba Fett in The Mandalorian season two. Just like in the Expanded Universe, he managed to find his way out of the Sarlaac Pit, and was clearly hot on the heels of Mando after coming across Fennec Shand’s body during the first season. 

We have no idea what his motivations are, but the fact he’s a clone – which Baby Yoda also appears to be – is likely to come into play and, well, we’re kind of hoping that he’s an anti-hero here!

Either way, this is beyond exciting, and there are already rumblings that the plan is for Boba Fett to have a much larger role when season three arrives (fingers crossed for a spinoff series). 
 

5. Oh, And He’s Probably Playing Captain Rex Too

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The second Morrison was cast, fans started wondering whether we could see him as Captain Rex as well. After all, the former Clone Trooper was still alive and well at the end of Star Wars Rebels, and he’s one of the biggest breakout stars from both that and The Clone Wars. 

Unsurprisingly, just a couple of days after the news about Boba Fett broke, it was reported that the actor is likely going to appear as Rex in The Mandalorian, and that’s equally as exciting in many way.

The show will need to explain why Morrison has multiple roles (Attack of the Clones was a long time ago, and we’re willing to bet many viewers have never seen the animated spinoffs), but if The Child is indeed a clone, then we can likely expect a lot of loose plot threads to tie together.
 

4. Maul Could End Up Making An Appearance

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Solo: A Star Wars Story brought Darth Maul back to a live-action setting, but that’s not something we’re expecting The Mandalorian to touch on as the villain’s story ended in Star Wars Rebels.

A resurrection is definitely off the cards, but if we’re going to be treated to an episode delving into the history of the Darksaber, then Maul showing up (even for just a voiceless cameo) has to be inevitable, right? Well, we certainly hope so anyway, and a social media tease from Ray Park may have confirmed his involvement in this next batch of episodes. 

Sam Witwer voices Maul these days, while Park continues to play him, and the actor sharing the Sith logo alongside “This is the Way” has obviously sent speculation into overdrive in recent weeks. 
 

3. The Episode Titles

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These are reportedly the episode titles for season two of The Mandalorian:

– Chapter One: The Search
– Chapter Two: The Confrontation
– Chapter Three: The Bounty
– Chapter Four: The Republic
– Chapter Five: The Loyalist
– Chapter Six: The Sorcerer
– Chapter Seven: The Return
– Chapter Eight: The Empire

Given what we now know about what’s to come in the show, it’s not that difficult to figure out what some of these might be referring (does “The Return” = the return of Boba Fett?), and while they’re not 100% confirmed, the mention of “The Empire” is undeniably intriguing, don’t you think?
 

2. Season 3 Is Already In Pre-Production

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We obviously haven’t seen The Mandalorian season two yet, but the show has already been renewed for a third year. Apparently, writing has been happening for a while now, while the production design department actually began working on designing sets in late April.

Things will have obviously been slowed down by COVID-19, but Disney is clearly confident in the show continuing for the foreseeable future, and this likely means we won’t get all the answers we’ve been waiting for during season two (like The Child’s origin story, for example). 

Now, we just have to keep our fingers crossed that it’s able to premiere next fall on Disney+…
 

1. Rosario Dawson Brings Ashoka Tano To Live-Action

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We’re sure you’re aware of this, but we had to end this recap with arguably the biggest The Mandalorian season two news we’ve had to date. Ashoka Tano has been a firm fan-favourite since first being introduced in The Clone Wars and after following her story there, and in Star Wars Rebels, a live-action debut has felt like an inevitability for a while now. 

Unfortunately, as we mentioned, it won’t be Ashley Eckstein who brings her to life. Instead, Lucasfilm has gone with A-List actress Rosario Dawson which is definitely an understandable decision. 

Some fans will be disappointed by this decision, of course, but if there are big plans for Ahsoka moving forward, it makes sense for a bigger name like Dawson to play her. She’s a perfect fit for this version, and there are already rumblings that she could get a spinoff series of her own. 
 

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