Month: February 2024

Gina Carano, Disney, Elon Musk, sue, The Mandalorian

Gina Carano is suing Disney and Lucasfilm for discrimination and wrongful termination in a lawsuit with X Owner Elon Musk funding the actress’s fight against both studios.

In a complaint filed on Tuesday in California federal court, Carano alleges she was fired for voicing right-wing opinions on social media and is seeking a court order to force Lucasfilm to recast her. Carano brings a powerful friend to her side with Elon Musk, who vowed to help fund legal actions for users of his social media platform who claim they’ve been discriminated against.

“As a sign of X Corp’s commitment to free speech, we’re proud to provide financial support for Gina Carano’s lawsuit, empowering her to seek vindication of her free speech rights on X and the ability to work without bullying, harassment, or discrimination,” said X’s head of business operations Joe Benarroch.

In 2021, Carano, who played Rebel shock trooper Cara Dune on The Mandalorian, was fired by Lucasfilm due to a series of controversial social media posts, including a comment implying that being a Republican is like being Jewish during the Holocaust. The comment was one of many to land Carano in hot water, such as the actress’s mocking of COVID-19 mask mandates and controversial comments surrounding the 2020 presidential election. Since being let go from the Star Wars spin-off, Carano was dropped by the UTA (United Talent Agency) and had her action figure canceled by Hasbro.

According to the complaint, Carano claims Disney and Lucasfilm harassed and defamed her for refusing to conform to their viewpoints regarding Black Lives Matter, an individual’s preferred use of pronouns, and other hot-button issues. Carano argues that the witchhunt against her is gender-related, saying her male co-stars did not receive the same punishment for making similar comments against right-wingers.

Carano seeks $75,000, plus punitive damages from Lucasfilm for wrongful discharge and sex discrimination.

“Some of us have been unjustly singled out, harassed, persecuted, and had our livelihoods stripped away because we dared to encourage conversation, ask questions, and refused to go along with the mob,” Carano said in a statement.

The 59-page filing details Carano’s complaints against the studios and her post-Star Wars journey of online harassment. As part of a recent incident, FAN EXPO Calgary announced Carano as a special guest at the fan-fueled con, to which many who had already bought tickets to the event demanded refunds because of her involvement.

The post Gina Carano is suing Disney and Lucasfilm for her Mandalorian firing in Elon Musk-funded lawsuit appeared first on JoBlo.

Landman, Billy Bob Thornton, Paramount+, series, Taylor Sheridan

Just as Yellowstone will end with the hit drama’s fifth season, Taylor Sheridan is teaming up with Billy Bob Thornton (GoliathSling BladeA Simple Plan) for Landman, an original drama series created by Sheridan and Christian Wallace. Paramount+ announced today that production for Landman is officially underway with a new photo from the set.

In the image, you can see a Landman-branded clapper resting against a wall of rusted barrels. It’s a simple photo with rustic vibes to match Sheridan’s signature entertainment brand. Production is happening in Fort Worth, Texas, with MTV Entertainment Studios producing alongside 101 Studios and Sheridan’s Bosque Ranch Productions exclusively for Paramount+.

“Set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, LANDMAN is a modern-day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs,” says today’s official press release. “Based on the notable 11-part podcast “Boomtown,” the series is an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it’s reshaping our climate, our economy, and our geopolitics.”

Landman, production, Taylor Sheridan, Paramount+, Billy Bob Thornton

In addition to Thornton, the series stars Ali Larter (The Last Victim), Michelle Randolph (1923), Jacob Lofland (Joker 2), Kayla Wallace (When Calls the Heart), James Jordan (Yellowstone), Mark Collie (Nashville) and Paulina Chávez (The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia). 

Landman is executive produced by Taylor Sheridan, David C. Glasser, David Hutkin, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, Christian Wallace, Geyer Kosinski, Michael Friedman, and Stephen Kay. Dan Friedkin and Jason Hoch for Imperative Development LLC, and J.K. Nickell and Megan Creydt, for Texas Monthly, also executive produce. Peter Feldman serves as co-executive producer.

If you’re concerned about losing Yellowstone, have no fear. Taylor Sheridan’s pact with Paramount+ is as strong as ever. In addition to Landman, Sheridan’s lineup of Paramount+ content includes 19231883Special Ops: LionessMayor of KingstownTulsa King, and Lawmen: Bass Reeves.

Sheridan’s Special Ops: Lioness has tapped Zoe Saldaña to star. Nicole Kidman is executive producing alongside others for the series. Per DeadlineLioness is based on “a real-life CIA program and follows a Marine recruited to befriend the daughter of a terrorist to bring the organization down from within. Saldaña stars as Joe, a strong-willed, hard-nosed station chief of the CIA’s Lioness Program who is tasked with training, managing, and leading her female undercover operatives working to assassinate the world’s most dangerous terrorists.”

Lioness will be executive produced by Sheridan, Glasser, Burkle, Yari, and Hutkin alongside Kidman via her production company Blossom Films, Saldaña, Kosinski, and Jill Wagner and showrunner Tom Brady. Production will roar to life in June.

Are you excited about Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace’s Landman? Billy Bob Thornton feels like the perfect actor to join Sheridan’s universe, does he not? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

The post Landman: Production begins on the Paramount+ series from Taylor Sheridan starring Billy Bob Thornton appeared first on JoBlo.