James Cromwell Joins Jurassic World Sequel

Veteran actor James Cromwell has joined the cast for Universal’s sequel to Jurassic World. Cromwell, who made listeners of a certain age shed a sentimental tear as the sheep herder in Babe, is playing an as-yet-unannounced character. He will be joining returning cast members Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, as well as newcomer Justice Smith. The J.A. Bayona-directed sci fi thriller is due to begin shooting later this month with a June 22, 2018 release date. All I can say is: that’ll do, Rex; that’ll do.

Extended Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Trailer Debuts

Not one to be outdone, Marvel Studios also capitalized on Super Bowl weekend with a new trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The one-minute ad introduced the new villain Ayesha, as well as our returning favorites Star Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Baby Groot. We also got looks at the trio of newcomers who will be joining them - Michael Rooker’s blue-skinned space redneck Yondu, Karen Gillan’s bald cyborg Nebula, and telepathic antennae-toting Mantis. There are shots of each character getting their moment to shine, in addition to a scene with all of them together. Yondu still has his floating whistle arrow thing, Gamora gets to fire a gun that’s bigger than her, and Drax takes on some giant intergalactic monster with nothing but his twin knives. Director James Gunn’s wacky, colorful visuals and off-beat humor were on full display as well, along with that rockin’ soundtrack that helped make the first film such a hit. There’s still no plot details, but the movie looks like it will be a lot of fun. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will hit theaters on May 5, 2017.

Jurassic World Adds Female Lead (Hopefully Will Wear Sensible Shoes)

The follow-up to 2015’s Jurassic World has just added a new female lead. Up-and-coming actress Daniella Pineda will be joining returning cast members Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard as well as The Get Down’s Justice Smith, who recently joined the project. No plot details are out on the J.A. Bayona-directed sci-fi action thriller, but here’s hoping Pineda’s character will have some more sensible footwear when it’s time to run from cloned dinosaurs.