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Ernie Hudson on the "insanity" of the DC protests, and the culture clash of shooting new film 'Redemption Day'

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Steve Iervolino/ABC News(NEW YORK) — Ghostbusters and Oz star Ernie Hudson can be seen in the thriller Redemption Day, which is now streaming.  But as the actor tells ABC Audio, the chaos which unfolded in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, when protestors stormed the U.S. Capitol, is what’s top of mind for him right now.

“Yeah, man, this is a whole other, you know, uncharted territory. You know, I knew we’d get past the pandemic, but getting past our insanity, that’s a whole other issue,” the affable actor and producer said.

Hudson added, “You know, I don’t know where we’re going to end up. I know we will never get back to where we were, but we’ll see what happens.” 

As for Redemption Day, Hudson plays the military dad of Gary Dourdan’s character, a U.S. Special Forces vet who mounts a rescue mission after terrorists kidnap his wife. Hudson says the film’s shooting location was key to coming aboard.

“One of the main reasons for doing it is — I mean, I love the script and the character, and Gary Dourdan, who stars in it, had worked on the show that I produce and star in called The Family Business. So I wanted to work with him,” he explains.

He laughs, “But my wife’s favorite movie is Casablanca. So when she heard it was shooting in Morocco, that was a done deal.”

Hudson notes that shooting in the country was an “adjustment” for him. 

“It was just different…and I think of that in a positive way,” he says. “Beautiful landscape. But it was a great…learning trip. But it definitely was different and more so than I thought going into it.”  

Redemption Day also stars Andy Garcia, Martin Donovan and Serinda Swan.

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jordan Peele says he retired from acting because he's uncomfortable watching himself in films

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ABC/Randy Holmes(LOS ANGELES) — (NOTE CONTENT) After announcing in 2018 that he was retiring from acting to pursue filmmaking, Jordan Peele is now opening up about why he’s no longer interested in being seen on screen.

In a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Peele says it’s always been uncomfortable watching himself perform.

“I like watching my movies. I can watch the films I direct [but] watching me perform just feels like…a bad kind of masturbatory,” Peele said. “It’s masturbation you don’t enjoy. I feel like I got to do so much and it is a great feeling. When I think about those great moments when you’re basking in something you said that feels funny. When I think about all that, I think I got enough.”

As you may recall, the former Key & Peele star struck Hollywood gold with his 2017 directorial debut, Get Out. That film, which won him the Best Original Screenplay Oscar, positioned him to make other notable projects including his second film, Us, and to produce Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman and the forthcoming Candyman film.

Peele is currently developing a new project for Universal Pictures, the studio behind Get Out and Us, with Jesse Plemons and Daniel Kaluuya rumored to star.  The yet-untitled project already has a theatrical release date set for July 2022.

By Candice Williams
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Nerd worlds collide: Rick and Morty alum, 'Loki' show producer writing Star Wars movie for Marvel's Kevin Feige

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Kevin Feige – Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for HFA(LOS ANGELES) — The first Star Wars movie produced by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige will be written by Michael Waldron, The Hollywood Reporter notes — and he comes with some serious geek cred.

Not only did Waldron write for the bonkers, beloved, Emmy-winning animated show Rick & Morty, but he wrote and produced the upcoming Loki series for Disney+, and worked with Feige, the father of the blockbuster-minting MCU on the upcoming Marvel sequel Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.

Nothing is publicly known about Feige’s Star Wars project, but as a lifelong fan, his jumping from overseeing the Marvel Universe to playing in Lucas’ galaxy far, far away — even for one film — made headlines when it was confirmed by then-Disney Chairman Alan Horn back in 2019.

At the time, Horn noted of Feige’s joining up with Lucasfilm and its head Kathleen Kennedy, “[K]nowing what a die-hard fan Kevin is, it made sense for these two extraordinary producers to work on a Star Wars film together.”

For his part, Feige — arguably the most financially successful producer of all time, thanks to his stewardship of the multi-billion-dollar Marvel Cinematic Universe — wouldn’t divulge any secrets about his Star Wars project, only assuring the trade, “I love that world and I love the notion of exploring new people and new places in that universe.”

Loki, starring Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson, hits Disney+ in May.

Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm are owned by Disney, parent company of ABC News.

 

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Let the games begin! ABC's 'The Hustler' and 'The Chase' kick off tonight

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ABC(LOS ANGELES) — ABC debuts two new quiz shows tonight: The heart-racing quiz show The Chase, and the Clue-meets-Who Wants to be a Millionaire competition, The Hustler.

The Hustler, a murder-mystery type game show is hosted by Craig Ferguson, who explained the game to ABC Audio:

“Five people. One of them is the hustler, and nobody knows who that is except the hustler themselves.  I don’t know.  And through a series of questions and rounds, they try and figure out who the Hustler is.  A couple of the contestants are whittled down if the hustler can conceal their identity all the way to the end they win a lot of money. And if the other two remaining contestants can figure out who the hustler is, they split the money.”

Ferguson even gets to play the game himself, although he admits he’s not very good at it.

“Any betting that was going on backstage, which was not happening — it was totally happening — I never got it right.”

The Chase, hosted by The View‘s Sara Haines, features Jeopardy! super champs Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter, and James Holzhauer as “chasers,” testing their trivia knowledge against contestants who are trying to win cash. If the chasers win, the contestant goes home empty-handed.

Jennings tells ABC Audio he and Holzhauer take a completely different approach to the game.

“I genuinely feel bad and James just shakes his head at my naiveté because he he’s out there to win.”

“I believe in meritocracy,” explains Holzhauer.  “These contestants are being given the opportunity of a lifetime…it’s hard to feel bad for people who have this great shot and they blew it.”  

The Chase premieres 9:00 p.m. ET, followed by The Hustler at 10 p.m. ET. 

By George Costantino
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Michael Chiklis says fans of 'The Shield' and 'Breaking Bad' will like his new show, 'Coyote'

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CBS All Access(NEW YORK) — Michael Chiklis won an Emmy for his portrayal of bruising dirty detective Vic Mackey in FX’s groundbreaking drama The Shield, which ran for seven seasons through 2008.  Now the actor is back on the beat with CBS All Access’ new drama, Coyote

Chiklis plays Ben Clemens, a retired U.S. Border Patrol agent who is forced to work for the very people he spent his career trying to keep out of this country. A drug lord takes Clemens’ family and forces the former lawman to smuggle the villain’s pregnant girlfriend across the border.

Chiklis, who’s also an executive producer of the series, tells ABC Audio, “What’s thrilling about this is there’s crossover for sure, people who are fans of The Shield will be fans of this show and fans of Breaking Bad will be, too, because my old dear friend [director] Michelle MacLaren, who shot more episodes of that show than anybody, is my executive producer partner in this.”

He adds, “even though there’s shades of those shows, it’s completely distinct and it’s its own thing. So that’s excellent.”

Chiklis explains further of his character, “He’s absolutely not Vic Mackey, this guy that I’m playing, but the tone and tenor and the authenticity of it and the grit of it is is absolutely there, but obviously dealing with a whole other world and set of circumstances and viewpoints.”

He adds, “We’re really excited about this one.”  

All six episodes of Coyote are now available for streaming on CBS All Access.

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.