Weekly Round-Up: Daniel Radcliffe in ‘Escape From Pretoria’, Jude Law Talks Dumbledore & More

Jan 28, 2020

Posted by: Kim McChesney

Actor Interviews, Bonham Carter, Casting, Fantastic Beasts Round-Up, Film Awards, Film Images, Films, Harry Potter Round-Up, Honors/Awards, HP Cast, Interviews, Law, Movies, News, Radcliffe, Round-Up, Shaw, Staunton, Television Programmes, Trailers

As the first month of the decade in the Wizarding World comes to a close, we saw a major award for a Death Eater and celebrated some made-for-Harry Potter holidays Brew a Potion Day and National Hugging Day. We remembered Sir John Hurt on his birthday and shared the news that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is one of the most checked out books in the history of the New York Public Library. The week culminated in a trip to New York via Portkey to see the cast of Broadway cast of Cursed Child at Broadwaycon!

This week in our Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts Actors news, a new look at Daniel Radcliffe in Escape from Pretoria, Jude Law talks Albus Dumbledore with Vanity Fair, Luke Youngblood unveils his next voice project, Helena Bonham Carter and the cast of The Crown win a SAG award and new roles for Imelda Staunton and Fiona Shaw!

A New Trailer for Daniel Radcliffe in Escape from Pretoria

A far cry from his next TV role in season two of the comedy Miracle Workers, a second look at Daniel Radcliffe in the upcoming prison break drama Escape from Pretoria was released this week. The film is based on the true story of anti-apartheid activist Tim Jenkins’ 1979 attempt to break out of a maximum security prison in South Africa. The real life Jenkin was sentenced to 12 years in prison but made a set of wooden keys for the steel doors using a device he made from a broom handle and mirror he had hidden in his cell to free he and his neighbor Stephen Lee.

The film also stars Ian Hart who Potter fans know as Professor Quirinus Quirrell. Hart plays another prison mate Denis Goldberg, who according to his book, A Life for Freedom, helped create the escape plan. We’re still looking forward to seeing Harry and Quirrell as allies. Escape from Pretoria which opens in U.K. theaters March 6, 2020. No word on a U.S. release date yet.

Jude Law Talks Albus Dumbledore and J.K. Rowling

Jude Law discussed playing Albus Dumbledore and working with J.K. Rowling on the series in a recent interview with Vanity Fair — give the interview a listen below:

 

 

Luke Youngblood Reveals a New Netflix Role

When Leaky had the honor of sitting down with Harry Potter actor Luke Youngblood last fall at Leakycon, he did his best to fill us in on his upcoming projects without giving too much away. That didn’t mean we haven’t been curious ever since. Late last year one of the animated series he alluded to Fast and Furious Spy Racers premiered on Netflix. This week former Quidditch announcer Lee Jordan was able to reveal another role he’d been working on for three years. He’ll voice the character Mitch Williams in the upcoming animated series Glitch Techs about two teens that work for a video game company but have to track down monsters in the real world.

You can hear Youngblood on Glitch Techs beginning February 21 on Netflix.


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? – I AM MITCH WILLIAMS – ? | After 3 years of keeping it (somewhat of) a secret, I am happy that I can finally introduce you to the latest incarnation of myself — MITCH WILLIAMS!!! I have been working on this project with @rrrrobles and @danmilanogtech for what feels like forever and we are so pumped to finally be able to share this gem of a show with you. It drops on @netflix on Feb. 21, so be ready to have your minds blown!!! You have been warned! Also be ready for many more Glitch Techs related posts in the lead up to our premiere date which – if I forgot to mention – is February 21st 2020. A.k.a. 02/21/2020 or 21/02/20202 – you decide. #glitchtechs #mitchftw #iammitchwilliams #boosh #?

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The Crown Starring Helena Bonham Carter Wins at the SAG Awards

Helena Bonham Carter, known best to Potter fans as Bellatrix Lestrange, received numerous award nominations this season for her performance Princess Margaret in season three of Netflix The Crown. Unfortunately she didn’t take home any personal trophies this year but last weekend the cast of The Crown won Best Ensemble in a Television Drama from the Screen Actors Guild or SAG Awards. The former Death Eater will continue in the role for season four of the series so we’ll keep our fingers crossed for next time around. Congratulation to Helena Bonham Carter and the cast of The Crown! Take a listen below as she accepted the award on behalf of her co-stars.

A New Apple TV Series for Imelda Staunton

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A couple of former witches and a wizard’s son star in the first British scripted original series on the way from Apple TV. Veteran actress Imelda Staunton, Dolores Umbridge stars opposite Rafe Spall, son of Timothy Spall, Peter Pettigrew, in the upcoming comedy Trying.

Here’s a brief synopsis from Deadline

“Spall plays Jason, while Cuckoo star Esther Smith, best known for starring in the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, stars as his partner Nikki. The pair want a baby. But it’s the one thing they just can’t have. Staunton also stars in the series.”

The eight-episode Trying premieres Friday, May 1 on Apple TV.

Fiona Shaw Joins Season 2 of Baptiste

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The renowned actress that played Harry’s Muggle Aunt Petunia Dursley, Fiona Shaw, has a new television series on the way. After her appearance in season two of the award-winning Fleabag and starring another small screen darling of late, Killing Eve, Shaw is taking on a third popular show when she joins season two of the BBC One drama Baptiste. According to the BBC Shaw leads a new storyline in the second season of the series about retired police investigator Julien Baptiste,

“When British Ambassador Emma Chambers’ (Fiona Shaw) whole family disappears whilst on a skiing holiday in the Hungarian mountains, Baptiste immerses himself into Emma’s world, committed to finding her husband and two sons. However, when the case turns into something far more brutal and desperate, Julien must navigate a Hungarian police force he doesn’t trust and unrelenting media interest who are hungry for information on such a high-profile international case.”

Shaw had this to say about joining the series,

“I’m honoured to be joining this hugely talented and committed team with the superb writing of Harry and Jack Williams and under the direction of Thomas Napper. I’m so lucky to be working with all the best of the new generation!”

Baptiste airs on BBC One. No word yet on an air date for season two.

David Heyman Discusses Marriage Story‘s Impact on Audiences

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Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts producer, David Heyman, sang Noah Baumbach (writer and producer on Marriage Story) praises in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, and discussed the impact of the movie. He noted the precision with which Baumbach creates movies, explaining:

“He’s very precise. The film you see is very much the script he’s written. I was recently asked about my favorite scenes that he cut. And actually, he cut almost nothing. It’s so precise.”

He also explained why he thinks the movie has impacted so many people, and won so many awards:

“One, the script is so vivid and the characters are so rich and multi­faceted. And two, he creates a very intimate and safe space on set. He takes the time to get what he needs, and that sometimes means 20 takes if need be. He allows the actors to explore. They can offer up different aspects of a scene, of themselves, and they go on the journey of exploring that.”

Heyman was also sensitive to the star of Marriage Story, Adam Driver, when asked about a recent interview in which Driver was played back footage of a scene he acted in, after explicitly stating he hated seeing / hearing himself act:

“These are artists. They are by nature sensitive people, and I think to expose him in that way, to show him [footage] when he specifically said, “Please, don’t” — it’s just not right.” 

Read the full interview with Heyman here.

Johnny Depp Honors Aerosmith at 2020 MusiCares Person of the Year Gala

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Fantastic Beasts star Johnny Depp rocked out with Steve Tyler, front runner of Aerosmith, at a 2020 pre-Grammy event this week. Depp, along with Hollywood Vampire bandmates,  Alice Cooper and Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, performed “Train Kept a Rollin'” with Tyler.

Read more on the performance here.

That’s all for this week’s round-up! Look out for our round-up of BroadwayCon, and catch our last weekly round-up here, and most recent theater round-up here.





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.