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‘Sex Education’ star Ncuti Gatwa is first black ‘Doctor Who’ lead actor

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After a long wait, the BBC recently announced that it has found its next Doctor Who in ‘Sex Education’ star Ncuti Gatwa, who is of Rwandan descent. The news was shared on social media, just prior to the filming of the BAFTA awards. “The future is here! Ncuti Gatwa is the Doctor,” wrote the BBC.

Gatwa plays a starring role in Netflix’s comedy-drama ‘Sex Education’ as Eric Effiong, the best friend of Otis, played by Asa Butterfield. While Gatwa will not be the first Black Time Lord — an honor that went to actor Jo Martin in 2020 — he will be the first Black Doctor to appear as the lead in the show.

While Gatwa will not be the first Black Time Lord – an honor that went to actor Jo Martin in 2020 – he will be the first Black Doctor to appear as the lead in the show.

The Netflix star will be taking over from actor Jodie Whittaker, who will appear for the last time as the Thirteenth Doctor in an upcoming Doctor Who special. The release date has not yet been announced. Whittaker has played the titular character since 2017 and made headlines by playing the long-running franchise’s first female Doctor.

Whittaker and Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall are both set to depart from the show, following the third and final 2022 special. The pair announced their exit last year, with Chibnall explaining, “Jodie and I made a ‘three series and out’ pact with each other at the start of this once-in-a-lifetime blast.” He added, “So now our shift is done, and we’re handing back the TARDIS keys.” The BBC announced soon after former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies will return to the show after over a decade away.

It is believed several iterations of the Doctor may appear in the upcoming special, including the Tenth Doctor, played by actor David Tennant. However, the actor himself has neither confirmed nor denied the rumors, stating, “I’ve learned through bitter experience that there’s not any point in even answering [questions about whether I’ll play the Doctor again] because whatever I say is spun by whoever wants to hear it… So there’s no point in me denying it, there’s no point in me confirming it, there’s no point in me fudging it. Whatever I say will become whatever the internet wants it to be.”

The final Doctor Who special does not yet have an announced title or release date.

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‘Spider-Man Noir’ live-action series in the works at Amazon

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A Spider-Man Noir live-action series is in the works at Amazon, GeekAfrique has learned via a Variety report. The untitled series will follow an older, grizzled superhero in 1930s New York City. An individual with knowledge of the project says that the show will be set in its own universe and the main character will not be Peter Parker.

This is the second known project based on the Sony-controlled Marvel characters at Amazon Prime Video and MGM+. It was previously announced that Amazon was moving forward with the series ‘Silk: Spider Society’ from showrunner Angela Kang, with several other shows in the works. It is unknown at this time which other Marvel characters will be featured in the other Amazon shows, though Sony currently controls over 900 such characters associated with the Spider-Man franchise.

The Spider-Man Noir comics originally debuted in 2009 as part of the Marvel Noir universe. That version of the iconic superhero lives in New York during the Great Depression. He is bitten by a spider hidden inside a stolen artifact, causing him to have visions of a spider-god who grants him superpowers. Nicolas Cage voiced the character in ‘Into the Spider-Verse’.

The Amazon show will be the first live-action iteration of Spider-Man Noir.

Sony has released multiple Spider-Man live-action films in the past and currently works with Marvel Studios on the rebooted film franchise starring Tom Holland via Columbia Pictures. Sony is also behind ‘Into the Spider-Verse’, which won the Academy Award for best animated film in 2019. Two sequels to that film are currently in the works, with the first — ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ — due out in June 2023.

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‘Spartacus’ sequel series in the works

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A sequel to hit historical drama series ‘Spartacus’ is in development, with Steven S. DeKnight, who created the original series, serving as showrunner and executive producer. ‘Spartacus’ was inspired by the story of the gladiator of the same name who incited a massive slave rebellion against Rome in the year 73 BC. Per the logline, the sequel series will be set after the defeat of Spartacus and his revolution, depicting “a new tale of treachery, deceit and blood unfolding beneath the foreboding shadow of Rome.”

The original show debuted in 2010, with Season 1 carrying the title ‘Spartacus: Blood and Sand’. Starz then debuted a prequel limited series, ‘Spartacus: Gods of the Arena’ in 2011, before producing two more seasons of the flagship titled ‘Vengeance’ (2012) and ‘War of the Damned’ (2013).

The sequel series will be produced by Lionsgate Television.

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‘God of War’ live-action TV series ordered at Amazon

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A live-action adaptation of PlayStation’s hit video game franchise ‘God of War’ has been ordered to series at Amazon’s Prime Video, with ‘Wheel of Time’ boss Rafe Judkins set as showrunner. Based on the massively popular 2018 video game, the show follows Kratos, the God of War, who, after exiling himself from his blood-soaked past in ancient Greece, hangs up his weapons forever in the Norse realm of Midgard, per Amazon’s description. When his beloved wife dies, Kratos sets off on a dangerous journey with his estranged son Atreus to spread her ashes from the highest peak — his wife’s final wish. Kratos soon realizes the journey is an epic quest in disguise, one which will test the bonds between father and son, and force Kratos to battle new gods and monsters for the fate of the world.

“‘God of War’ is a compelling, character-driven franchise that we believe will captivate our global customers as much with its expansive and immersive worlds as its rich storytelling,” Vernon Sanders, head of global television at Amazon Studios, said. “We are honored to share in the adventure of exploring the God of War mythology in such a momentous way with Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, and Santa Monica Studio.”

The ‘God of War’ TV series marks the latest show based on a video game that is either in the works or in production, including Amazon’s ‘Fallout’ adaptation from ‘Westworld’ creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ (based on another PlayStation property), Paramount+’s ‘Halo’, the Anthony Mackie-led ‘Twisted Metal’ at Peacock, among others.

“We are so proud and excited to be working with our friends at Amazon Studios and our partners at PlayStation Productions to adapt this beautiful and heart-breaking game into a premium live-action series,” Katherine Pope, president of Sony Pictures Television Studios, said.”

A sequel to the 2018 ‘God of War’ game, titled ‘God of War: Ragnarok’, was just released last month. At last week’s Game Awards, it won for best narrative, action/adventure game, score/music, audio design, performance for Kratos actor Christopher Judge and innovation in accessibility.

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