The Wizarding World Takes Shape: HBO Announces Key “Harry Potter” Series Casting Updates

HBO’s Harry Potter series is coming into focus. Following the casting news of the core three—Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Scout as Ron Weasley—nine new cast members have just been revealed.

The new cast includes the Malfoys and Dursleys, crucial characters in the Potterverse. The first season of the HBO series will cover the events in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. 

By The Credits  |  June 9, 2025

Interview

Director, Screenwriter

Peak Performance: “Succession” Creator Jesse Armstrong on Trading Media Empires for Tech Titans in “Mountainhead”

Jesse Armstrong takes his exploration of the rich and powerful to new heights—both literally and figuratively—in Mountainhead. In his feature directing debut, the writer/producer who created HBO’s Emmy-winning, zeitgeist-capturing Succession about the family turmoil of the media mogul Roy family, turns his satirical eye on the titans of tech. And it all takes place at the top of a snow-covered Utah summit in a breathtaking,

By Chris Koseluk  |  June 3, 2025

Interview

Costume Designer

From Converse to Converts: How “The Last of Us” Costume Designer Ann Foley Mapped Ellie’s Dark Journey Toward Vengeance

In a world decimated by zombies, human survivors don’t have much time to worry about fashion, which explains why form follows function in The Last of Us. In the HBO Max drama, which concluded its shocking second season with a May 25 finale, characters primarily focus on staying warm and as dry as possible. Most of our major players in season two had two goals: revenge and killing any of the infected who got in their way.

By Hugh Hart  |  May 28, 2025
HBO’s “Harry Potter” Series Casts its Young Harry, Hermione, and Ron

A trio of young wizards has just earned admission to Hogwarts.

HBO’s Harry Potter series has found its Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley in Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Scout, respectively. These three newcomers will take the roles made famous by Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Emma Watson as Hermione, and Rupert Grint as Ron across eight feature films.

“After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann,

By The Credits  |  May 27, 2025

Interview

Cinematographer, Special/Visual Effects

Fire Drill: “Final Destination Bloodlines” DP Christian Sebaldt & VFX Supervisor Nordin Rahhali on Creating a Scorcher

A quarter of a century after the first Final Destination movie landed in theaters, the beloved franchise is back with a vengeance. Final Destination: Bloodlines leans into two things: using practical effects wherever possible and paying homage to the franchise’s core concept—Death can’t be cheated. 

Final Destination: Bloodlines, now in theaters, follows college student Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) as she is plagued by a recurring nightmare that leads her to discover her family on Death’s list.

By Simon Thompson  |  May 22, 2025
No Escaping Success: “Final Destination Bloodlines” Resurrects Franchise With Scary Good Opening Weekend

Final Destination: Bloodlines has scared up a historic box office this past weekend, reinvigorating the franchise and once against dispatching characters in a series of increasingly ludicrous, brilliantly conceived set pieces.

Following its extremely strong reception from critics, audiences flocked to the theater to see the revival of the horror franchise from directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, fueling a $51 million box office domestically and another $51 million overseas, settling at a $102 million total.

By The Credits  |  May 19, 2025
“Mountainhead” Trailer Reveals “Succession” Creator Jesse Armstrong’s Film Debut

There’s no shortage of rich people acting terribly in the actual world, but for those of you who deeply miss the vile, venal shenanigans of Succession‘s Roy family—and we count ourselves among your number—the arrival of Mountainhead is going to do wonders for your soul.

Succession creator Jesse Armstrong is back with this new feature film, which finds four billionaire friends reuniting in a palatial mountain retreat to kick back and enjoy the orchards (upon orchards) of their “labor.”

By The Credits  |  May 16, 2025
Man of Tomorrow, Today: Official “Superman” Trailer Reveals James Gunn’s Bold Vision for Man of Steel

The official trailer for James Gunn’s Superman has arrived, offering a bevy of new footage of the hotly anticipated feature film that will officially kickstart Gunn’s new-look DC Studios.

The trailer opens with a close-up of David Corenswet’s Clark Kent/Superman and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane. As Brosnahan teased recently, the film begins with Clark and Lois already in a relationship, and Clark has given Lois the most unbeatable scoop—she can interview him as his alter ego,

By The Credits  |  May 14, 2025
Speed, Redemption, and Star Power: Brad Pitt Shifts Gears in High-Octane “F1” Trailer

Brad Pitt has got the pedal to the metal in the first look at F1, the upcoming racing epic from Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski. 

Pitt stars as Sonny Hayes, a coulda-been Formula 1 legend who was on the cusp of greatness in the 1990s before an accident derailed his career. Thirty years later, Sonny’s a has-been, a racer-for-hire speeding off into the sunset of an unremarkable career,

By The Credits  |  May 12, 2025

Interview

Director

Precision and Passion: How Director Amanda Marsalis Choreographed the Chaos of “The Pitt”

There are few careers that could fill an entire season of TV with a single day’s work, but The Pitt proves that the emergency room is a source of endless inspiration. Drama and trauma pump into a Pittsburgh hospital led by attending Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) over fifteen hours.

Medical dramas aren’t new to the screen – in fact, Wyle is well known for his role as Dr. John Carter on ER.

By Kelle Long  |  May 12, 2025

Interview

Production Designer

“Sinners” Production Designer Hannah Beachler on Conjuring Ryan Coogler’s Supernatural Stunner

Warning: Contains spoilers

Ryan Coogler’s latest film, Sinners, made history with a second-weekend box office tally only six percent lower than its opening weekend. Just past its fourth weekend, it crossed the $200 million mark at the domestic box office. Both audiences and critics adore this Southern Gothic vampire thriller, starring Michael B. Jordan as identical twins Smoke and Stack. The pair has just returned to the Mississippi Delta after fighting in World War I and then getting involved with the Chicago mob,

By Susannah Edelbaum  |  May 12, 2025
How Precious: “Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum” Will Hit Theaters in December 2027

Gollum is coming back to the big screen.

The iconic former Hobbit turned ring-lusting crucial figure in The Lord of the Rings films will be the star of his own movie, with Andy Serkis, the man who portrayed Gollum, returning to direct and star. Serkis’ The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will open in theatres on December 17, 2027. Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema revealed the release date,

By The Credits  |  May 8, 2025

Interview

Costume Designer

Pinstripes and Blood Spatter: Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter on Making Dark Magic in “Sinners”

Two-time Oscar winner Ruth E. Carter takes us behind the seams of Ryan Coogler's horror masterpiece "Sinners," revealing how she brought the 1930s Mississippi Delta to life while dressing Michael B. Jordan's gangster twins.

By Jack Giroux  |  May 8, 2025

Interview

Cinematographer, Showrunner

Genesis of Gemstones: Danny McBride and DP Paul Daley Reveal How Bradley Cooper Brought the Unholy Patriarch to Life

The Gemstones Sunday service has come to an end. After four seasons, Danny McBride’s dark comedy following a dysfunctional televangelist family aired its final episode with a glorious blood-soaked banger. But among the chaos, McBride and company focused its scripture on the series’ revolving theme: a family of unconditional love. And it was at the start of the season, we were introduced to the Gemstones’ family origins through a Civil War era epic with 12-time Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper playing the OG bible preacher. 

By Daron James  |  May 6, 2025
Take On Me: Ellie & Dina Find Love as Jeffrey Wright’s Isaac Brings New Darkness to “The Last of Us”

Oscar-nominated performer Jeffrey Wright is no stranger to prestigious HBO dramas—he was a central figure in Westworld—yet it was still a fun jolt to see him, at last, enter the picture in the 4th episode of The Last of Us season 2, “Day One.”

In the opening scene, Wright appears as a FEDRA soldier during a flashback to 2018 in Seattle’s quarantine zone, 11 years before the current timeline.

By The Credits  |  May 5, 2025

Interview

Cinematographer

Soul Transcendent: How DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw Captured Black Music’s Timeless Continuum in “Sinners”

In part one of our interview with Sinners cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the groundbreaking DP discussed how she leveled up to frame Coogler’s soulful supernatural epic by learning to use the largest film format available. Coogler’s ambitions for his vampire thriller, starring Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers Smoke and Stack, were massive. The brothers return to Clarksdale, Mississippi, after serving in World War I and then taking their talents to Chicago,

By Hugh Hart  |  May 1, 2025
Blues, Blood, & Big Formats: How DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw Brought “Sinners” to Epic, IMAX-Sized Life

Yes, there are vampires, but Sinners also excels as a period piece, a history lesson, a romance, a drama, an action movie, and a music-driven drama in ways that have made director Ryan Coogler‘s fifth movie the top-grossing original film of the decade. Based on his own script about gangster twins Smoke and Stack (played by Michael B. Jordan) who return to their Mississippi roots with a bag of ill-gotten cash and a plan to start their own juke joint in the middle of the woods,

By Hugh Hart  |  April 30, 2025

Interview

Cinematographer

No Character Is Safe: How DP Ksenia Sereda Frames “The Last of Us” Season 2’s Heightened Stakes

Sanctuary is fleeting in The Last of Us. With savage grudges and the ever-evolving infected hordes, who seem to be learning tactics through their cordyceps-controlled brains, no one is safe. Here comes your spoiler alert warning—the savagery proved especially true when antihero Joel (Pedro Pascal) was brutally clubbed to death by vengeful Firefly, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). You don’t need to be a member of the undead to do dreadful things in this world. 

By Kelle Long  |  April 28, 2025
“Sinners” Takes a Big Second Bite: Ryan Coogler’s Vampire Thriller Has Historic Second Weekend

Writer/director Ryan Coogler has officially gone five for five.

The 39-year old auteur can now make the very rare claim to have had five consecutive hit films in his first five attempts, as his wildly ambitious, beautifully composed fifth feature, the R-rated supernatural period thriller Sinners, just boasted the most impressive second weekend for any film in well over a decade, pulling in $45 million for the smallest drop for a movie’s second weekend since James Cameron’s 2009 film Avatar. 

By The Credits  |  April 28, 2025

Interview

Production Designer

Emergency Realism: Production Designer Nina Ruscio’s Blueprint for “The Pitt’s” Immersive Medical World

Producer John Wells and creator R. Scott Gemmill took a big swing with The Pitt and hit a home run that would have cleared the 410-foot deep left-center field wall of Pittsburgh’s PNC Park. The riveting series, which has garnered the kind of collective enthusiasm we usually associate with dark comedies set at fancy resorts, is powered by gruesome surgical procedures, arcane medical terminology, and volatile personalities. The high concept: each episode constitutes one hour in an emergency room over the course of a 12-hour shift,

By Hugh Hart  |  April 24, 2025