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SYFY WIRE The Handmaid's Tale

WIRE Buzz: Elisabeth Moss directing Handmaid's Tale; Scoob! snacks on final trailer; more

By Jacob Oller
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June is continuing to reclaim her power on The Handmaid’s Tale — and now the actress portraying her is exerting a little creative control of her own. Elisabeth Moss, whose dominant performance has powered the Hulu adaptation of Margaret Atwood's novel, and who recently landed raves for her role in The Invisible Man, will be heading behind the camera for the first time.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actress will make her directorial debut on The Handmaid’s Tale’s upcoming fourth season. Moss has been a producer on many of her projects, including the Hulu show, but this is the first time she’ll be at the helm of one. She’ll tackle the season’s third episode as the show heads back into production.

"I feel lucky that we are in a position, as a series, to give Elisabeth Moss this opportunity to direct," showrunner and executive producer Bruce Miller said. "As an executive producer on the show, she has fostered a supportive environment that allows artists to do their best work. Elisabeth herself is now benefiting from this incredibly generous and ambitious atmosphere she helped create. She is an extraordinary talent, a badass, a tireless worker — I’m certain she will slay her directing debut."

"I can’t wait to try my hand at working with my collaborators from this new perspective because I am lucky to have the best cast and crew in the world. My only hurdle may be working with the lead actress who I hear can be incredibly demanding,” joked Moss in her own statement. “Wish me luck."

The Handmaid's Tale returns to Hulu this fall.


Next, the Scooby-Doo origin story Scoob! has dropped its final trailer ahead of the planned launch of a Warner Bros. Animation shared universe. 

Like its first preview, the newest look at director and longtime Doo-er Tony Cervone’s film throws Shaggy (Will Forte) and Scooby (Frank Welker) into peril, all while fleshing out their backstory. Of course, Daphne (Amanda Seyfried), Fred (Zac Efron), and Velma (Gina Rodriguez) attempt to save them, even as they're aided and derailed by various characters from the WBA library.

Take a look:

Writer Kelly Fremon Craig’s story tangentially involves Captain Caveman (Tracy Morgan), Dick Dastardly (Jason Isaacs), Dynomutt (Ken Jeong), Dee Dee Sykes (Kiersey Clemons), and a dabbing Blue Falcon (Mark Wahlberg) — all linked up in a spacefaring, multi-cartoon mystery that involves at least one evil robot. Jinkies!

Scoob! sneaks into theaters May 15.


Finally, the latest Disney live-action adaptation is looking to follow in The Lion King’s footsteps and make an epic mark on the box office. That’s what the first projections say about the serious, militaristic, fantasy-light take on Mulan coming from director Nika Caro, which aims to hit theaters later this month.

Variety reports that despite lacking songs or an animated dragon — and in the midst of a viral outbreak causing delays to entertainment events (including movie releases) around the globe — Mulan is looking to pull big numbers during its debut weekend. First estimates are tracking the film to pull in $85M over its first weekend, with some going upwards of $90M.

The $200M-budgeted film is going to need those numbers to justify its massive scale and intense marketing, but since The Lion King, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast’s recent photoreal takes all topped $1B at the box office, Mulan should be just fine. That said, The Lion King pulled down an outrageous $191M over its opening weekend, so Mulan might not be aiming for such incredible highs as its predecessors, especially since coronavirus has shuttered Chinese movie theaters, where Mulan needed to perform well.

The Liu Yifei-starring film could also limit its audience by being the first of the remakes to boast a PG-13 rating, which might be another factor lowering its box-office ceiling. Per Variety, $85M would put Mulan in the territory of Doctor Strange and X-Men 2, films that ended up grossing $676M and $406M, respectively.

Mulan hits theaters March 27.