Neil Gaiman Says Michael Jackson Was Almost Cast As Morpheus In A ‘Sandman’ Movie

Siblings Paris and Prince Jackson both paid tribute to their late father on what would have been his 64th birthday on Monday, posting childhood throwback photos to their respective Instagram accounts.

pop legend Michael Jackson’s death in late June of 2009.The 50-year-old “Thriller” vocalist was found unresponsive in his Los Angeles home after suffering cardiac arrest brought on by the anesthetic propofol — a drug reportedly routinely administered by Jackson’s physician, Conrad Murray.The death was ruled a homicide and Murray took all the blame. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to four years in prison, serving just under two behind bars.

Paris and Prince Jackson both paid tribute to their late father on what would have been his 64th birthday on Monday, posting childhood throwback photos to their respective Instagram accounts. “Happy birthday to the greatest!” Prince captioned a carousel of grid photos, the first of which featured himself as a baby with his late father feeding him something from a spoon.

Nicki Minaj was honored for her successful career during the 2022 MTV Vmas, giving an incredible performance of her greatest hits and making the audience go crazy, including Taylor Swift who was spotted dancing and singing along to her songs.And while accepting her Video Vanguard Award, Nicki took a moment to pay tribute to some iconic musicians and her personal idols throughout her career in the music industry.“I wish that Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson were here,” Nicki said, referring to the mental health and struggles of the two music legends. “I wish people understood what they were going through.

Paris Jackson is part of one of the world's greatest musical families, and the most cherished part of that legacy to her is her father, the late King of Pop Michael Jackson.MORE: Paris Jackson looks stunning in corset and tiny shorts – fans speechlessThe star, a rising musician herself, took to social media to pay a sweet tribute to her father on what would've been his 64th birthday.VIDEO: Paris Jackson gives rare insight into relationship with mother Debbie RoweThe tribute simply included an adorable throwback image of a young Paris, dressed in a blue frock, giving her dad a kiss with the word "hbd" written below it alongside a heart emoji.The late musician is also father to sons Prince and Prince II, and despite having been in the public eye their entire lives, they've spoken fondly of their relationship with their dad.MORE: Paris Jackson reveals mental health battle that almost ended her lifeParis appeared with her older brother back in June at the Tony Awards to introduce a performance of MJ the Musical and even spoke of their dad.The two made a rare public appearance together in support of the hit Broadway musical that was one of the nominees for the award for Best Musical. Paris shared a sweet tribute to Michael on what would've been his birthdayParis donned a beautiful baby pink dress with off the shoulder straps and lined detailing across the border, while Prince wore a sleek black suit."A lot of people seem to think our dad, Michael Jackson, changed popular music forever.

Rapper Nicki Minaj shouted out Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston in her Video Vanguard Award acceptance speech at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.After a small hiccup of not having her phone — which had her typed-out speech — on stage, Minaj read off what she wrote about her opportunities, collaborators and more.“Let me tell you something,” she began after performing a medley of her hits. “I don’t want to miss out rolling the music on me but I never ever in my life have written a speech, and today I jotted something down on my phone, and I gave it — I gave my phone to Joe and he’s not up here with it.

Nicki Minaj took the stage at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards to accept the Vanguard Award. The rapper thanked many of the people that have influenced her career and mentioned the likes of Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson. Minaj also called for more mental health awareness during her acceptance speech.

On Sept. 3, it’s all movies, all formats, all day for three bucks.

streaming online year-round (and, of course, available to own outright).But with the “Harry Potter” movies and the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise taking place in the same universe yet decades apart, does watching all the Harry Potter films in chronological order make sense? We run down the viewing options (and where to stream them) below.Technically, Albus Dumbledore, Gellert Grindelwald and Newt Scamander came before Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort, but the “Fantastic Beasts” films weren’t created until after Rowling’s series was adapted in full. If you want to be strictly chronological, the first three “Fantastic Beasts” films — set in the 1920s — come first in the timeline.The “Harry Potter” franchise kicked off in 2001 with the release of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” which was an immediate hit and began a decade of films starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Tom Felton and many more.

three-decade-long journey to get made, Gaiman said in a recent appearance on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast that top brass at Warner Bros. told him of the King of Pop’s interest in the part. “By 1996, I was being taken to Warners, where the then-president of Warner Bros.

Ezra Miller is continuing to do some major damage control.

Vanity Fair segment, he wasted no time sharing his two cents.“Oh, Colin? I love Colin. He’s a terrific guy. My Penguin was better,” DeVito said.“Was that the truth?” he then asked the text’s administrator, who confirmed he was not lying.

Ezra Miller reportedly met with members of the Warner Bros. leadership team to discuss saving "The Flash" movie which has a June 2023 release date.

Showbiz shares followed broader market lower Friday after Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell indicated the central bank will continue aggressively raising interest rates to fight inflation.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment Writer From “The Lego Batman Movie” to just…Batman? While veteran producer Dan Lin is in contention for the top job overseeing DC’s film and TV adaptations for Warner Bros. Discovery, Variety has confirmed that no offer has been made to Lin, and several hurdles stand in the way of any deal moving forward. The biggest hurdle is Lin’s production company, Rideback, which has ties to several other studios, including a first-look deal from January 2021 with Universal Pictures, and development on several features for Disney, including a live-action version of “Lilo & Stitch.” Were Lin to decamp to Warner Bros. Discovery to run DC, his involvement with those productions would need to be sorted, if not severed outright.

Michael Jackson’s nephew Taj is angry. Why? Because Harry Styles is on the cover of the new issue of Rolling Stone. Well, not that specifically.

Batgirl at the studio for cast and crew, according to reports.Earlier this month, the company abruptly axed the DC film after it was originally scheduled to be released on HBO Max.It’s claimed the cancellation was due to new management at Warner Bros. Discovery, who wanted to pivot back to making DC films at a blockbuster scale.

While a majority of people will never get a chance to see the  movie Warner Bros shelved earlier this month, multiple sources confirmed to Deadline that screenings are being held on the Warners lot this week for a select few. It is believed that cast and crew who worked on the film along with reps and studio execs were given invites to the screenings that began Wednesday and will go throughout the week.

on TikTok.“It wasn’t until half an hour in that I heard the start of ‘Thriller’ playing and I instantly started panicking,” Ruby Marriott, 18, told South West News Service of her Jackson-prompted panic attack. The native of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, in the UK, said she has “a genuine fear of Michael Jackson,” which can be triggered by something as innocuous as hearing an MJ song.The most recent traumatic episode reportedly occurred on Monday, while the student was celebrating her aunt and uncle’s recent marriage while on vacation in Cyprus, according to SWNS.“It was my first night in Ayia Napa and funnily enough, the first bar we went to was really quiet so not many people there,” Marriott explained.

EXCLUSIVE: After establishing himself as one of the key pillars of the next phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Simu Liu is ready to show some edginess. Sources tell Deadline that he is set to play the antagonist in Netflix’s Atlas starring Jennifer Lopez. Sterling K. Brown and Abraham Popoola have also landed key roles in the pic, which is being directed by Brad Peyton. Aron Eli Coleite is writing the most recent draft of the script based off Leo Sardarian’s original screenplay.

Gone Fishing will be back on our screens next month.The comedian and actor took to social media to share a video teaser of the new season, due to air on September 9 on BBC iPlayer.“Where is the cheeky little chappy?” a voiceover says in the clip, before later adding: “Let’s get our fishing heads on.” Mortimer features in the show alongside his longtime comedy partner Paul Whitehouse.Fans shared their excitement in the comments section of Mortimer’s post, with one writing: “I’m packing my processed meat snacks now.”Check out the post here:A post shared by Bob Mortimer (@realbobmortimer)Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing first aired in 2018, with four series having aired since, with the last one having been released just last year.The series sees the double act reflect on their lives after both suffering major heart problems, while enjoying the countryside across fishing trips to various parts of Britain.Last year, Bob Mortimer had said that filming for his forthcoming comedy with Reeves about Michael Jackson’s glove would go ahead in 2022 – but it’s since been delayed until 2023.According to a synopsis, it is “a comedy road movie about two best friends in search of Michael Jackson’s mythical training glove.”“Vic and Bob are childhood friends who own a junk shop together where they both work and live. Profits are down and with their futures in jeopardy, they approach their obnoxious landlord to explain their ‘rent’ problems.

Michael Jackson’s nephew is raging about Harry Styles being called the “new King of Pop”. Taj Jackson hit out after the former One Direction singer, 28, was given the label in his cover shoot for the September issue of Rolling Stone UK magazine. The 49-year-old vented on Twitter: “There is no new King of Pop.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent If you haven’t heard of “Don’t Worry Darling,” you’ve probably read something about it. Olivia Wilde’s upcoming movie has become one of the most talked-about films of the year, especially considering it doesn’t even hit theaters for another month. Ever since “Don’t Worry Darling” was announced, the psychological thriller has attracted considerable attention in the tabloids and across social media with internet sleuths picking apart each and every detail of the film that stars Florence Pugh and Harry Styles. The latest gossip to come from the “Don’t Worry Darling” rumor mill claimed that Styles made more than three times Pugh’s salary on the film. (While Styles is the male lead, Pugh is, without question, the star of “Don’t Worry Darling.”)

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Morty Smith, the easily distressed teen from hit animated show “Rick and Morty,” has joined Warner Bros. Games’ “MultiVersus” mashup fighting title as a new playable character. Morty — the teenage grandson of a mega-genius scientist Rick Sanchez — arrives as part of “MultiVersus” Season 1 and is a Bruiser-class character with more than a few tricks up his sleeve. According to WB Games, Rick will also be joining “MultiVersus” in the coming months. Morty’s moveset (which you can see in the newly revealed gameplay trailer, below) features a mix of skills and attacks, from his muscle-enhanced left arm Armothy and Plumbus (an all-purpose alien device) to his ability to whip himself at opponents and use various projectiles. “MultiVersus” also features the President Morty character variant, which is available as an in-game purchase.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Amazon’s Prime Video is going big with fall TV, launching the most expensive TV series in history, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” and taking full control of NFL’s “Thursday Night Football.” But on the film side, things are a little less groundbreaking and more in flux as the industry waits to see what the e-commerce giant plans to do with MGM and which top movie-studio exec Amazon will select to run its film business. Among those whom Variety hears Amazon has spoken with in recent weeks are Netflix film chief Scott Stuber, Paramount Pictures alum Emma Watts and Warner Bros. vet Toby Emmerich. But according to multiple sources familiar with the matter, though Amazon “loved” Watts and doesn’t see Stuber as being interested in this type of role, deliberations are far from over and Amazon still has distance to go before the top film exec is chosen.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Netflix is bringing “Heads Up!”, the charades game that originated on Ellen DeGeneres’ daytime talk show, into the Upside Down — and into the worlds of the streamer’s other original shows. The streamer is launching an exclusive version of the “Heads Up!” mobile game that will include 28 new decks from top Netflix series including “Stranger Things,” “Squid Game,” “Shadow and Bone,” “Bridgerton” and “Selling Sunset” as well as entertainment-themed decks in categories like rom-coms and true crime. Netflix launched its version of “Heads Up!” on Tuesday. Netflix’s edition of the game is available in English and 13 additional languages on Android and iOS devices, available to streaming subscribers for no additional cost.

Ethan Shanfeld Earlier this month, Warner Bros. Discovery kicked off a wave of cancellations and cost-cutting measures by scrapping DC’s $90 million “Batgirl” movie starring Leslie Grace, which was already in post-production. In a new interview with French outlet Skript, “Batgirl” co-directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah revealed that the studio blocked their access to footage after axing the film. “Adil called and told me, ‘Go ahead. Shoot everything on your mobile,'” Fallah said. “I went on the server … Everything was gone.” El Arbi added: “We were like, ‘Fucking shit!’ All the scenes with Batman in them!”

Naman Ramachandran ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel ‘House of the Dragon’ has proved to be a terrific return to Westeros for Sky Atlantic, the Sky group’s U.K. and Ireland channel focused on U.S. shows. The first episode of the show premiered Aug. 22 on Sky Atlantic and some 1.39 million people in total watched it, according to numbers seen by Variety. Of these, almost one million (991,000) either stayed up to watch at 2 am or downloaded via on demand through the day or caught up on recordings. More than 394,000 people watched the prime time linear broadcast. Based on overnights alone, this is the biggest drama debut ever on Sky Atlantic, overtaking the launch of “Game of Thrones,” and the biggest U.S. drama launch ever on Sky.

Rolling Stone UK, former One Direction member Styles, 28, was described as the new Monarch of Popular Music — and the notion has since received backlash from fans and even MJ’s nephew, Taj.“There is no new King of Pop. You don’t own the title @RollingStone, and you didn’t earn it, my uncle did.” Taj tweeted yesterday. “Decades of dedication and sacrifice.

Harry Styles has been styled the “new King of Pop” on the cover of Rolling Stone UK, a move that has upset not only fans but also the family of the late Michael Jackson.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorWarner Bros. Games’ “MultiVersus” — the free-to-play platform fighter that brings together a bevy of characters from across the WB portfolio — has surpassed over 20 million players less than a month after it launched in open beta, according to the company.“MultiVersus” kicked off the open beta on July 26 and Season 1 launched Aug. 15 with a new Battle Pass for players to earn in-game rewards.The game lets players team up in two-on-two fights and pick from a range of Warner Bros.