Streaming News Roundup: ‘The Color Purple’ Streaming Premiere, ‘Percy Jackson’ Renewed, More
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” Renewed at Disney+
Lightning will strike twice: following a successful, acclaimed first season, Disney+ has officially renewed “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” for a second season.
Adapted from Rick Riordan’s book series of the same name, the series follows the title protagonist Percy (Walker Scobell), a 12-year-old modern demigod who is just coming to terms with his newfound supernatural powers when Zeus (the late Lance Reddick) accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. With help from his friends Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) and Grover (Aryan Simhadri), Percy begins a journey across America to find it and restore order to Olympus. Season 1 also starred Virginia Kull, Glynn Turman, Jason Mantzoukas, Megan Mullally, Timm Sharp, Dior Goodjohn, Charlie Bushnell, and more.
Watch the trailer for “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” below:
According to Disney CEO Bob Iger in the latest quarterly earnings call, Season 1 has been streamed for over 110 million hours across both Disney+ and Hulu. The first season currently holds at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes with 60 reviews.
Further Season 2 casting and a premiere date will be announced later.
“The Color Purple” Comes to Max Next Week
Shug Avery’s comin’ to town! Following its Christmas theatrical premiere, the recent award-winning Warner Bros. movie musical adaptation of “The Color Purple” is headed to Max next Friday, Feb. 16.
Directed by Blitz Bazawule from a screenplay by Marcus Gardley, the movie musical adapts the recent Tony Award-winning revival for the screen (and the original 1985 film) for a new take on the classic story of Celie (played by Fantasia Barrino in her feature film debut), who after being torn away from her sister Nettie (Halle Bailey) and her children, endures a life of further hardships, including an abusive husband (Colman Domingo). With the support of sultry singer Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson) and stepdaughter Sofia (Danielle Brooks, reprising her Tony Award-nominated role on Broadway), Celie ultimately finds extraordinary strength in the unbreakable bonds of a new kind of sisterhood.
Watch the trailer for “The Color Purple” below:
The cast also features Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Louis Gossett, Jr., Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, Ciara, and Jon Batiste, among others. The film is currently nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Brooks.
“Last Week Tonight” Releases Trailer Ahead of Season 11 Premiere
Last week’s news is here at last…next week! HBO’s award-winning current events show “Last Week Tonight” is set to return for its eleventh season next Sunday, Feb. 18, and the cabler has released the official trailer for the upcoming season.
The half-hour news series, led by John Oliver, returns just in time for the 2024 presidential election and continues its format of “more hard facts, medium-deep history, and society’s least-asked-for-stories”
Watch the trailer for “Last Week Tonight” Season 11 below:
The series, a 28-time Emmy winner, has already been renewed through 2026. Season 11 will premiere on HBO and Max on Feb. 18 at 11 p.m. ET/PT.
Paramount+ Releases First Look at New “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” Series
Cowabunga, dude! Paramount+ has debuted the first teaser for “Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” its upcoming original 2D animated series starring the title heroes in a half shell.
The animated series is a continuation of 2023’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” which rebooted the TMNT film series. The film starred an ensemble voice cast with Micah Abbey as Donatello, Shamon Brown Jr. as Michelangelo, Nicolas Cantu as Leonardo, and Brady Noon as Raphael and follows the quartet as they go on a hunt for a mysterious crime syndicate and face an army of mutants.
Watch the trailer for “Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” below:
The new series will follow everyone’s favorite pizza-loving heroes emerge from the sewers onto the streets of New York City and “are faced with new threats and team up with old allies to survive both teenage life and villains lurking in the shadows.”
Also reprising her role from “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” will be Ayo Edebiri as April O’Neil. Additional casting will be announced soon.
“Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” will premiere this summer exclusively on Paramount+.
New José Andrés Special Comes to Prime Video and Freevee
Everyone is welcome at José Andrés’ table. Prime Video and Freevee have announced the new joint special “Dinner Party Diaries with José Andrés,” set to premiere next month on both platforms on Tuesday, March 19.
The half-hour special stars the James Beard award-winning chef, trailblazer, and philanthropist with guests Jamie Lee Curtis, Bryan Cranston, and O’Shea Jackson Jr. as they join him in the kitchen to share stories and get their hands dirty with Spanish-influenced recipes.
Per the logline, Andrés will cultivate “deep connections with his celebrity guests through hilarious and poignant conversations that reflect his authentic relationships” and, inspired by his work with his nonprofit World Central Kitchen, will celebrate “the joy of cooking together and how food is a source of hope.”
Dinner Party Diaries with José Andrés” will premiere on Prime Video and Freevee in the U.S. on Tuesday, March 19.
BritBox Will Stream BAFTA Film, TV Awards Internationally Through At Least 2025
The BAFTA goes to BritBox! The best of British entertainment streamer has inked a new deal with BAFTA to continue to stream a simulcast of the Film Awards to subscribers in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway through 2025.
New this year, though, BritBox will also simulcast the BAFTA Television Awards, marking the first time the ceremony has been broadcast in the aforementioned territories. The annual presentation will be held this year on May 12, with nominations still to be announced.
Watch the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2024 Nominations Announcement below:
This year’s EE BAFTA Film Awards, which will celebrate 38 of the year’s best British and international contributions to film, including “Oppenheimer,” “Poor Things,” “Barbie,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “The Zone of Interest,” and more, will be streamed live from Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London on Sunday, Feb. 18 beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. David Tennant is this year’s host.