‘Give me the tour’: Chadwick Boseman appears in trailer for his final Marvel appearance
Chadwick Boseman has appeared as the voice of his superhero alter-ego in the trailer for a new Marvel project, ahead of his final outing as the character.
Boseman passed away last year after a bout of colon cancer – a diagnosis he kept hidden for four years.
In a trailer released on Thursday for new Marvel show What If…? Boseman appears as the character that made him a household name – T’Challa – for what is thought to be the final time.
What If…? will feature Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa for the final time. Pic: Marvel Studios
T’Challa is the king of fictional land of Wakanda in the Marvel Universe, which got its own standalone film, Black Panther – the first superhero movie ever to be nominated for best picture at the Oscars.
In the new animated series, T’Challa has been reimagined as fellow Marvel hero Star-Lord from Guardians Of The Galaxy – originally played by Chris Pratt.
Towards the end of the clip, Boseman is heard saying “give me the tour” – teasing his appearance in the much-hyped show.
It is one of a handful of projects Boseman was involved in before his death, which includes Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which earned him a posthumous nomination for best actor at this year’s Oscars – which ended up going to Sir Anthony Hopkins.
There had been plans to film a Black Panther sequel and stand-alone series before Boseman’s death, and while it is still the case, the script has had to be changed, with filmmakers saying they will not be replacing the star.
What If…? is Marvel Studio’s first animated TV show, and will look at key moments from the movies, but with timelines, characters and realities shifted.
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Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury are among the Marvel actors lending their voices to their small screen characters.
It will begin streaming on Disney+ on 11 August.
Entertainment
Gavin & Stacey to return for ‘last ever episode’ on Christmas Day, James Corden announces
Hit sitcom Gavin & Stacey will return for its “last ever episode” on Christmas Day, James Corden has announced.
Corden posted a picture on his Instagram of himself and co-creator Ruth Jones holding a script.
The text on its cover reads: “Gavin & Stacey: the finale. Written by James Corden and Ruth Jones 2024.”
In the caption, Corden added: “Some news…It’s official!”
“We have finished writing the last ever episode of Gavin & Stacey. See you on Christmas Day, BBC One. Love Ruth and James.”
The series, which is primarily filmed in South Wales, first aired in 2007 and lasted for three series, before returning for a special in 2019.
James Corden and Ruth Jones. Pic: James Corden
The comedy follows the blossoming romance of Gavin Shipman (Matthew Horne) and Stacey West (Joanna Page). Shipman is from Essex and West is from Barry in Wales.
Corden and Jones appear as their respective best friends Smithy and Nessa.
Nessa’s catchphrase – “what’s occurring?” – is one of many widely quoted lines from the programme.
Other well-known actors in the cast include Rob Brydon, Melanie Walters, Alison Steadman and Larry Lamb.
A Christmas Day return for the series had been rumoured earlier this year after reports in US media.
Jones had previously denied the claims, but now the show’s comeback has been officially confirmed.
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The last special ended on a cliffhanger as audiences eagerly awaited Smithy’s response to Nessa’s marriage proposal.
The 2019 special was watched by around 18 million viewers.
Entertainment
Dane Baptiste apologises to Jewish community for ‘disturbing’ language – and is dropped by agency
Comedian Dane Baptiste has apologised to the “Jewish community, my colleagues and my fans” following criticism over a now-deleted social media post.
The stand-up star, who has appeared on TV shows including 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Live At The Apollo, and Mock The Week, has been dropped by his talent agency Insanity.
The company said the contents of a deleted post were “completely at odds with our values and what we stand for”.
The Metropolitan Police has also been made aware of the post.
Baptiste said he had made “a massive error of judgment” after receiving “a number of threatening and abusive messages from accounts accusing me of antisemitism for having pro-Palestinian views”.
The comedian said his partner had made him aware that “some of these same people” were monitoring her Instagram account.
In an apology posted on social media, Baptiste said: “In a massive error of judgment, I posted an excessive and impulsive response, hoping to dissuade anybody monitoring my family.
“I made a point to say Zionist and not Jewish, but I appreciate how disturbing, threatening and incendiary that language is, I would categorically state I have no ill intention towards the Jewish community and never have.
“I have a loving family of which I am massively protective of; I reacted poorly and emotionally to a perceived threat with no considered thought to the consequences, and I apologise profusely for my actions to the Jewish community, my colleagues and my fans.”
Baptiste was the first black comedian to be nominated for the award for best newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2014, and also fronted the BBC Three sketch programme Bamous.
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In a statement, a spokesperson for Insanity said: “Insanity became aware of a social media post published by Dane on Instagram yesterday.
“The contents of his post are completely at odds with our values and what we stand for. We promptly made this clear to him, and are no longer working with him.
“As an organisation we do not tolerate hate speech of any kind and are committed to the values of respect and tolerance for all.”
Sky News has contacted Baptiste for comment.
Universal Music and TikTok have ended a dispute over royalties after the label pulled millions of songs from the social media platform.
The new licensing agreement means songs by some of the biggest artists in the world, including Drake, Adele and Billie Eilish will return to the site for use within the next two weeks.
TikTok, a short video app, is a valuable marketing and promotional tool for music stars. But in January, Universal claimed it paid artists and songwriters “a fraction” of the rate offered by similar social media platforms, and announced it was pulling its catalogue.
Billie Eilish is also among Universal’s artists. Pic: Reuters
Universal is the biggest music label in the world and also looks after Taylor Swift – who allowed a selection of her songs to return to TikTok as she promoted her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, in April. Swift owns the copyrights to her recordings through her 2018 deal with Universal and can control where her songs are available, according to the Financial Times.
The companies now say they have come to “a new multi-dimensional” licensing agreement that will deliver “significant industry-leading benefits” for Universal’s artists and labels.
In a joint statement, TikTok said it would continue to invest resources into “building artist-centric tools” and work on strengthening online safety protections for artists and their fans.
The AI issue
Drake, another Universal artist, has previously had his voice cloned for AI tracks. Pic: AP
The agreement means all videos that had been muted will be unmuted. It comes just over three months since Universal posted an open letter criticising TikTok, calling for higher payments for artists and songwriters, protection from the “harmful effects” of AI, and online safety.
In their joint statement, the companies now say they will work together to ensure AI development across the industry “will protect human artistry and the economics that flow to those artists and songwriters”.
They will also work to remove unauthorised AI-generated music from the platform, as well as on tools to improve artist and songwriter attribution, the statement says.
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Universal chairman and chief executive Sir Lucian Grainge said the “new chapter” focuses “on the value of music, the primacy of human artistry and the welfare of the creative community”, while TikTok chief executive Shou Chew added: “Music is an integral part of the TikTok ecosystem, and we are pleased to have found a path forward with Universal Music Group.”
Concerns about AI have grown in the creative community. In April last year, a song featuring the cloned voices of Drake and The Weeknd was removed from streaming sites after going viral.
On Tuesday, British singer-songwriter and producer FKA Twigs told a US Senate hearing how she had created her own digital clone – but condemned unauthorised use of her voice and image.
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On Wednesday, a poll by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Music found that 83% of UK adults agree that a music artist’s creative “personality” should be protected in law against AI copies and 77% believe it amounts to theft when generated music fails to acknowledge the creator of the original.
In April, more than 200 artists signed an open letter objecting to the “predatory” use of AI to “steal professional artists’ voices and likenesses”.
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