We’ve got a good news, bad news situation here, friends. First, the good news — which is actually great news: An official casting announcement for the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has apparated online, revealing several new and returning cast members for Newt Scamander’s next adventure. Among the newcomers are a pair of mysterious roles played by Jessica Williams and Claudia Kim.
After years of false starts and delays, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales finally began filming in Australia yesterday. And that’s not a moment too soon for the franchise’s star, Johnny Depp, who hasn’t headlined a hit since 2011’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. So, this brings up two important questions. First, will a fifth Captain Jack Sparrow adventure resuscitate Depp in a post-Mortdecai world? Secondly, can new directors Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning inject new life into a series that ran out of steam two movies ago?