Fandom News Roundup 8/7-8/13/21

Hola, Fandom Fans. This week has been a whirlwind for Fandom Spotlite! Convention season is in full swing, and we are working hard to bring you the best in con coverage, so after you read this news, head over to our YouTube channel to watch panels from some of your favorite celebs.

Now, back to the news. This week we will be focusing on the biggest stories from the world of fandom. Next week we’ll be back to business as usual.  Grab a quick snack because this week’s roundup is fun-sized.

The Vampire Lestat Rises Again 

See the source image
In the new series inspired by Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, Australian actor Sam Reid will be playing the vampire who flew into the sun, Lestat de Lioncourt. Reid has previously worked on The Drover’s Wife and The Hunting. Sam Reid is the first to be cast in the TV series adaption of Interview With The Vampire.  The show will have 8 episodes and air on AMC in 2022.  Before Reid, Irish actor Stuart Townsend played Lestat in Queen of the Damned in 2002. Tom Cruise also played the famous vampire in the original Interview With The Vampire in 1994.

Is This Our First Look At Moon Knight? 


On August 13, 2021, the Twitter account Marvel News Hub posted the (now removed) tweet of what appears to be our first look at Moon Knight.  The image above(a screenshot before the tweet was removed) shows a comic accurate Moon Knight costume. No official sources have confirmed the supposed leaked photo despite it having a “property of Marvel” watermark on it.  We know that Moon Knight is currently in production, and it stars Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke. The Disney+ series is slated to debut in late 2022 or early 2023.

Ashoka Series Looking for Their Sabine Wren 

See the source image
After Rosario Dawson’s viral debut as Ahsoka Tano, Disney quickly decided to give Tano her own series on Disney Plus.  Reports this week indicate that the series is looking to bring Sabine Wren from Star Wars: Rebels to life.  Although both characters share Thrawn as a common antagonist, Sabine Wren is an interesting choice in Ahsoka Tano’s series.  And from Tano’s time on The Mandalorian, we know Thrawn is her end game.  Dawson is believed to have confirmed that  Mena Massoud and Lars Mikkelsen would play Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn, respectively.

Blossom is No Longer The Leader 


We reported almost a year ago that the CW was working on a live-action Powerpuff Girls series.  The show later cast its three leads Dove Cameron, Chloe Bennet, and Yana Perrault. After an initial synopsis and images were released, the CW decided to take a break to reformulate the show.  The studio will have to find a new Blossom, as actress Chloe Bennet drops out of the show. Bennet claims “scheduling conflicts” as her reason for abandoning the people of Townsville.  It is rumored that the scheduling conflict has something to do with Disney Plus’ Secret Invasion, where many believe Bennet will reprise her role as Quake.

A Suicide Squad Actor Accused of Rape

See the source image

Most known for his role and Colonel Rick Flag in The Suicide Squad, Joel Kinnaman has been accused of rape in Sweden.  Swedish authorities announced Wednesday they were looking into a claim of rape. The woman who alleges the rape is the same woman Kinnaman filed a restraining order against earlier that week. The Suicide Squad actor took to Instagram to share his side of the story:

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Joel Kinnaman (@joelkinnaman)

 

The Public Prosecutor’s Office notes an actor had been reported to local authorities for alleged rape, and their investigation is now in its infancy. Kinnaman’s spokesperson stated that Joel “will be cooperating with police to clear his name.”

Super Sonic Castings

Mario & Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games Football #28 Knuckles, Mario, Sonic, Shadow - YouTube

Sega and Nintendo are looking to take on other franchise giants with two super casting announcements this week.  The sequel to Sonic The Hedgehog: The Movie has added Idris Elba as the voice of fan-favorite Knuckles the Echidna.  There was a fair share of thirsty tweets after the announcement, so thirsty we can’t share them. But you all know who you are!

Also announced was the voice actor for the animated Super Mario film. Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco will be playing the world-famous plumber. There is not much else known about the film, only that it is scheduled to be released next year, and studio Illumination will be making it. Unlike the Knuckles announcement, there were no thirsty tweets about Mario or his voice actor.

A New Batfamily Member Comes Out


In Batman: Urban Legends #6, Robin, aka Tim Drake, comes out as bisexual. In issue number 6, Drake rescues an old friend from the clutches of the Chaos Monster after the villain rudely interrupted their dinner date! Tim and his Friend Bernard share a sweet exchange after the rescue, and they decide to see what lies beyond their friendship. In the comics, Tim Drake has previously dated the superhero Spoiler and Batgirl. Batman: Urban Legends #6 is currently available in comic book stores and digitally. Happy Coming Out Day, Tim!

This completes our mini news roundup. We hope it was just as satisfying as the full-sized version.  What story from this week was your favorite? Please share with us your thoughts in the comments and online. We hope you stay safe, and we’ll see you next week for even more news.


About Yali Perez

When she's not writing about pop culture for Fandom Spotlite, curating social media for the*gameHERS, or helping to produce the DB4L podcast, she is a single mom to the coolest kid in the world. In Yali's free time she likes to bake, exercise, watch horror films, and play Mario Kart. Yali's goal as a writer is to share her nontraditional and colorful view of the world with readers everywhere.

View all posts by Yali Perez

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.