AI Tom Hanks; RIP Cindy Williams; Rupert Grint Wants Potter Series

A new Robert Zemeckis movie will de-age Tom Hanks and Robin Wright using AI technology; R.I.P. Laverne & Shirley star Cindy Williams; Rupert Grint, the actor who played Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise, supports the idea of a Potter TV show. All in today’s Movie News Rundown.

R.I.P. Cindy Williams: The Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley star died on Monday at the age of 75. Her assistant told The New York Times that the actress had a brief illness before she died “peacefully,” but did not give a specific cause of death. She was also in American Graffiti and appeared on Laugh-In and Saturday Night Live in the 70s. She kept acting in movies and television until her last credit in 2020 for Canaan Land.

AI Technology Strikes Again: This time, it’s bringing back young Tom Hanks — and his Forrest Gump co-star Robin Wright. They’re starring together again after 30 years in a new Robert Zemeckis movie called Here, which will follow them across generations. According to Variety, the AI technology will be used to de-age the stars to make them look younger and use a terrifying concept called AI-generated face replacement. The story takes place in New England, starting in the wilderness and moving through time as a house is built there, telling a story of “love, loss, hope, struggle and legacy.”

Calling All To Kill a Mockingbird Fans: Who have a lot of money burning a hole in their pocket — Gregory Peck’s script from the 1962 classic film is being put up for auction by Heritage Auctions along with a whole bunch of other items from Peck and his wife Veronique’s estate. The bidding for the script starts at $4,000 when the auction goes live on Feb. 23, along with other old Hollywood artifacts like Peck’s personal director’s chair, an autographed photograph of Neil Armstrong signed to the Pecks, a poker table gifted to the Pecks by Frank Sinatra.

Rupert Grint Supports Potter 2.0: The Ron Weasley actor said he likes the idea of a Harry Potter television series, which has been rumored at Warner Bros. for multiple years. “I’d love to see Harry Potter be adapted into a TV show,” Grint told GQ UK. “I think it would really work. I’m sure the films will get remade, anyway.” He’s ready to let go of Ron, though. “I think there’d be a feeling of passing the baton, letting someone else play Ron,” he said. “It’s weird because I’m protective over him, I could relate to him so much, and then I was picked to bring him to life. That’s hard to let go. But it would be nice to, as well.”

Death to Bane Dreams: Dave Bautista once dreamed of playing Bane, one of Batman’s iconic arch-nemeses previously played by Tom Hardy in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. But now the Knock at the Cabin star says those dreams are dead in a new interview with Insider.

A Talk With James Gunn: This is the decision Bautista came to after speaking with the DC Studios co-head: “I think for the DC Universe to be revived, you need to start from scratch, and I think you need to start with younger actors,” Bautista said. “You need to start to plan for the next 15 years, and I just don’t think you can do that with me.” And I understand that. And, also, I have to say that I appreciate that because I don’t want to play a character that I can’t bring justice to it. I don’t think at this point in my career that I can bring justice to Bane anymore. I just don’t know if I could handle the physical part, and I don’t think I would have the longevity to plan ahead for films. So, I just don’t know if I’d be that guy.”

J-Lo Wedding Industrial Complex: In this very interesting think-piece from Vulture, writer Rachel Handler breaks down the significance behind the fact that Jennifer Lopez has worn a wedding dress on-screen no less than nine times, including in The Wedding Planner, Marry Me, Selena, and her new movie Shotgun Wedding. She’s also been married four times and engaged five times in real life. “If two is a coincidence, and three’s a pattern, then four is a cry for help,” Handler writes. Fascinating.

Murder Mystery 2 Trailer: Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston are back and ready for another miscommunicated crime spree in the trailer for Netflix’s Murder Mystery sequel. They’re in a familiar pickle — after the events of the first Murder Mystery, Nick and Audrey Spitz have become detectives and are working on getting their private eye business up and running. But when they’re invited to the tropical destination wedding of their pal the Maharaja (Adeel Akhtar), another mystery unfolds right before their eyes — and they realize they’re at the heart of it once again. Watch the trailer below.