Move over, Robert Downey Jr., there's a newly resurrected Marvel star in town. Well—it's not as exciting as an RDJ return, but it's still notable: according to The Hollywood Reporter, James Spader will reprise the role of Ultron in the upcoming Vision series for Disney+. This one's a bit of an easier get, because Spader only has to do the voice acting for Ultron. It also marks Spader's first role in anything since the conclusion of his long-running NBC series, The Blacklist.
Narratively, it does make sense to bring Ultron back, because he's the one who created Vision in the second team film, Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Tony Stark (Downey) created Ultron to protect the planet, and Ultron created Vision to help destroy humanity. Vision turned against Ultron and became an Avenger instead, fell in love with Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen), died, was partially resurrected by Wanda's magic, was destroyed again in WandaVision, but ultimately had his memories preserved in an all-white android body created by the U.S. government. That's the version of Vision we'll be meeting in the Disney+ series. Ultron was also destroyed at the end of Age Of Ultron, so we'll have to wait and see if he's returning as a flashback, or maybe as some sort of figment of Vision's consciousness, or if he'll be out-and-out resurrected.
Elsewhere in the world of casting, Jack Black and Paul Rudd are circling a horror comedy Anaconda reboot, football star Travis Kelce landed a couple of jobs, Anya Taylor-Joy is returning to Netflix, Michaela Coel has created her next role, and more.
- •Alejandro G. Iñàrritu’s collab with Tom Cruise has assembled an all-time stacked cast, including Sandra Hüller (fresh off an Oscar nomination for Anatomy Of A Fall), John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me By Your Name), Jesse Plemons (Kinds Of Kindness) and Sophie Wilde (Talk To Me). Riz Ahmed is also in talks to join. [via Deadline]
- •Mark Wahlberg will star in the Stephen Chbosky-directed Weekend Warriors, an adaptation of the German-language film Weekend Rebels, which was about "a father and his autistic son, who wants to find a favorite Premiere League soccer club and makes his father take him to see every single team so he can decide." [via Deadline]
- •The Michelle Pfeiffer-led Yellowstone sequel series has added more cast, including Patrick J. Adams (Suits), Beau Garrett (Firefly Lane), Elle Chapman (A Man Called Otto), and Amiah Miller (My Best Friend's Exorcism). [via Deadline]
- •It was a big week for One Piece. A number of new cast members have been added for the second season, including Charitha Chandran (Bridgerton) as Miss Wednesday, Sendhil Ramamurthy as Nefertari Cobra, Mark Harelik (Presumed Innocent) as Dr. Hiriluk, and Katey Sagal (Sons Of Anarchy) as Dr. Kureha, replacing the previously teased Jamie Lee Curtis. [via Deadline]
- •For fans of the late, great Single Parents, Taran Killam will return to sitcom in a "major recurring role" on High Potential, the Kaitlin Olson procedural. Killam will play Olson's ex, who she relies on to help take care of her kids. [via Deadline]
- •Also returning to network television is Gina Rodriguez, who will play "Marion Alba, a charismatic, confident Assistant District Attorney new to Atlanta" on ABC's Will Trent. [via Deadline]
- •Jay Ellis (Insecure) and Thomas Cocquerel (The Gilded Age) join Sarah Snook, Dakota Fanning, Abby Elliott, Jake Lacy, Sophia Lillis, and Michael Peña in Peacock's All Her Fault. [via Deadline]
- •The dubious-looking Glen Powell vehicle Chad Powers has added Quentin Plair (Apples Never Fall) and Wynn Everett (Ordinary Joe) to its cast. [via Deadline]
- •The Girlfriend, Prime Video's new drama starring Olivia Cooke and Robin Wright, has added Tanya Moodie (Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2), Shalom Brune-Franklin (Baby Reindeer), Karen Henthorn (Passenger), Anna Chancellor (My Lady Jane), Leo Suter (Vikings), and Francesca Corney (The Buccaneers). Wright is also set to direct. [via Deadline]
- •Jimmy Tatro (American Vandal) has joined the Vince Vaughn movie Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice, which makes a lot of spiritual sense. [via Deadline]
- •The Boys' Claudia Doumit joins the M3GAN Cinematic Universe in SOULM8TE. [via Deadline]
- •Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley), Krysta Rodriguez (Halston), and Alan Cumming will star in Lunch Hour, which is about "soup-loving married man meets the soup-loving married woman of his dreams. Thereafter, both throw caution to the wind and engage in a messy affair for the ages." [via Deadline]
- •USA Network's The Rainmaker, based on a John Grisham novel (and once adapted by Francis Ford Coppola), is gathering its cast: P.J. Byrne, Lana Parilla, and Milo Callaghan were added this week to star opposite John Slattery. [via Deadline]
- •Bruce Dern (Nebraska), Hunter Parrish (Weeds), Julia Fox (Uncut Gems), and Joanna Cassidy (Blade Runner) have been cast in Northbound, about "an octogenarian rogue named Arthur (Dern)" who "enlists his grandson Kevin (Parrish) to help him escape a nursing home." [via Deadline]
- •Netflix's YA rom-com My Oxford Year has assembled a big ensemble, as has Prime Video's YA drama series The Runarounds (from the creators of Outer Banks). [via Deadline & more Deadline]
