Gold Derby’s top news stories for April 17, 2025.
Karla Sofía Gascón finds next movie
Controversial Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón, whose Oscar campaign was derailed when offensive tweets she made came to light, has found her next role. She’ll be playing a psychiatrist “who embodies both God and the devil” in psychological thriller The Life Lift, opposite actor-filmmaker-provocateur Vincent Gallo, who will play a man who finds post-it notes in his apartment building’s elevator that order him to kill his neighbors. The film is being directed by Stefania Rossella Grassi and is slated to shoot later this year.
Clueless series with Alicia Silverstone in the works at Peacock
A new series take on the classic 1995 teen comedy Clueless is in development at Peacock. Alicia Silverstone, the star of the original movie, is set to return as Cher Horowitz, the witty, well-dressed protagonist. Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage and Dollface creator Jordan Weiss are writing and executive-producing. It’s the second Clueless series developed for Peacock; a reboot focused on Dionne, Stacey Dash‘s character in the movie, was developed in 2019 but didn’t go to series.
Glen Powell and Judd Apatow team up for country singer comedy
Glen Powell, the fast-rising Twisters star, is teaming up with influential comedy filmmaker Judd Apatow for a comedy movie about “a country western singer in free fall.” Powell and Apatow are writing the script together and producing. Powell will star, and Apatow will direct.
Jennifer Lopez to star in The Last Mrs. Parrish for Robert Zemeckis
Netflix has set up thriller The Last Mrs. Parrish with Jennifer Lopez producing and starring and Academy Award winner Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump) directing. Andrea Berloff and John Gatins are writing the adaptation of Liv Constantine‘s bestselling novel. The Last Mrs. Parrish is described as a “psychological thriller that centers on a twisted con-artist who targets a wealthy couple — the Parrishes — as her next victims. She infiltrates the pair by befriending the wife and seducing the husband, with the master plan of becoming the next Mrs. Parrish, only to discover that the wife’s life is far more complicated than she could have imagined.”
Padma Lakshmi to host cooking competition America’s Culinary Cup
Two years after leaving Top Chef, the iconic, Emmy-winning cooking competition series she hosted for 19 seasons, Padma Lakshmi is returning to the kitchen for America’s Culinary Cup, a new cooking competition that will air on CBS during the 2025-26 broadcast season. Lakshmi is the show’s creator, executive producer, and host. The show will feature top chefs going head-to-head in a“one-of-a-kind competition designed to challenge their creativity, endurance, presentation, leadership and more,” per the series’ logline.
28 Years Later, the zombie movie coming out 23 years after 28 Days Later, got an intense new trailer. The spot features fast zombies infected with the rage virus biting people and Ralph Fiennes gently saying “There are many kinds of death, and some are better than others.” The action horror film is directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland and stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Jack O’Connell. It’s about a group that has survived for decades by isolating on an island. When one member goes to the mainland, he finds that the zombies — and the human survivors — have mutated. It’s in theaters on June 20.
The Sandman Season 2 reveals premiere dates
Netflix announced premiere dates for the two parts of The Sandman Season 2, confirming that it will be the final season for the fantasy series based on the comics by Neil Gaiman, who was accused of sexual assault and abuse by multiple women while Season 2 was in production. Volume 1 premieres July 3 with six episodes, followed by the five episodes of Volume 2 on July 24.
100 Foot Wave rolls to Season 3 premiere date
100 Foot Wave, HBO‘s Emmy-winning surfing documentary series, will return for its third season on May 1. The five-part season will follow Garrett McNamara and his fellow big wave surfers as they travel the world in search of massive waves to ride. It’s directed and executive-produced by Emmy winner Chris Smith. New episodes debut on HBO and stream on Max.
History Channel sets Leonardo DiCaprio’s Sitting Bull documentary premiere date
Sitting Bull, a two-part, four-hour documentary about the legendary Lakota warrior from Leonardo DiCaprio‘s Appian Way Productions, will premiere May 27 and May 28 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the History Channel. Mo Brings Plenty (Yellowstone) narrates the series, and Kul Wičaša Lakota actor Michael Spears (1923) plays Sitting Bull, who helped lead confederated Native American tribes to victory against the U.S. Army in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
MacGuffin Awards set date
The 2nd Annual MacGuffin Awards, honoring prop masters in film, television, and short-form, will take place Sept. 13 at the Paramount Theater in Los Angeles. The awards are presented by the Property Masters Guild. Submissions open on May 1.
Cannes’ Annecy Animation Showcase announces lineup
The Annecy Animation Showcase, which occurs during the Cannes Film Festival as a precursor to the Annecy Festival in June, released its 2025 lineup, consisting of five films from leading independent animation studios.
Julián, directed by Louise Bagnall (Ireland, U.K., Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg)
Producer: Cartoon Saloon
Language: English
Genre: Comedy Drama
Completion: 2026
Adapted from the children’s book Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love.
Sunny, directed by Michael Arias (Japan, U.S.)
Producer: GKIDS
Language: Japanese
Genre: Drama
Completion: 2029
Foster children in 1970s Japan form a found family.
Ana, en passant, directed by Fernanda Alves Salgado (Brazil, Portugal)
Producer: Apiario Creative Studio
Language: Portuguese, French
Genre: Drama
Completion: 2026
A young woman navigates the complex aftermath of her grandmother’s death.
Dante, directed by Linda Hambäck (Sweden, Denmark, Norway)
Producer: Lee Film
Language: Swedish
Genre: Comedy
Completion: 2026
A mystery comedy.
Mu Yi and the Handsome General, directed by Julien Chheng (France)
Producer: Studio La Cachette
Language: French
Genre: Comedy
Completion: 2026
A coming-of-age tale about a girl who meets an injured general.
