Nicola Coughlan on Finding Courage in The Magic Faraway Tree

Although Silky and Penelope come from different worlds, both characters go on journeys where they discover their courage and become more assertive.

“I quite like being scared of starting a new job,” Coughlan tells Nerd Reactor. “It’s always like I want to do it, and then I have the moment before where I’m like, ‘I can’t do this.’ I feel like I need to go to like the director and go, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing. You shouldn’t have hired me. This is a mistake.’ But also being able to push through that. Because you don’t really ever properly experience something if you don’t challenge yourself a little bit. So I think bravery has to come in there.”

Nicola Coughlan on Embracing Who You Are

One of the film’s messages is about accepting yourself for who you are, and it’s something that Coughlan has explored in her career.

“You’re always going to bring something of yourself, even if you completely transform in a role,” she said. “We love Meryl Streep because the essence of Meryl Streep… she can still transform and be other characters, but something in the middle. So it’s about maybe just accepting that there’s always a base level, but you can add color and you can add an accent and you can add a different type of movement or stuff. But just going, ‘That’s always there, and that’s okay.'”

Nicola Coughlan on Finding Your Inner Child

Fantasy films can help adults find their inner child. We see this in the film as well as in other classics such as Peter Pan.

“I think there’s a lot to it about embracing your inner child because I don’t think we ever really change that much fundamentally at our core of who we are,” Coughlan said. “I think you’ve got to sort of learn to listen to what they want.”

About The Magic Faraway Tree

Synopsis: Adapted from Enid Blyton’s beloved classic novel The Magic Faraway Tree, the film centers on Polly (Foy), Tim (Garfield), and their three children – a modern family forced to relocate to the remote English countryside. As they adapt to their new lives, the children discover a magical tree and its extraordinary and eccentric residents, including treasured characters Moonface (Anozie), Silky (Coughlan), Dame Washalot (Gunning), and Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns). At the top of the tree, they are transported to spectacular, fantastical lands, and through the joys and challenges of their adventures, the family learns to reconnect and value each other for the first time in years.

The film is directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby. It stars Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Nonso Anozie, Nicola Coughlan, Jessica Gunning, Jennifer Saunders, and Rebecca Ferguson.

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Check out the full video interview below, where we chat with the “actual” Cricket Green.

“There is a giant chocolate fountain, which I immediately jump into and just swim around like it’s a big old edible swimming pool, because that is what it is,” Cricket tells Nerd Reactor.

For the Marvel fans out there, audiences will get to see Cricket get powers thanks to a super soldier program.

“The gamma ray, it shot me right in the leg and made my leg really super, but not the rest of my body,” the boy explained. “So I had a super leg for like a day, and it was great, man.”

One of the episodes features the kids playing a giant meatball video game, and when asked if Cricket would prefer to be a video game streamer or an animator, he would choose being a streamer.

“I do think like me and IShowSpeed do have a lot in common,” Cricket said. “I see that. You know, we are both very charismatic and equally popular.”

Although he wouldn’t want to be an animator, he later changed his mind.

“Animators lead very sad lives,” he explained. “Okay, very sad lives. Lonely, lonely, dark room, working on one little – [impersonates tedious animation process] – that’s what they did in a day. Then they go home and they go, ‘What did I do?'”

However, after impersonating what it’s like to be an animator, he gets engaged with the arc of the motion sand says, “I take that all back, man. Animators are cool.”

About Big City Greens

Synopsis: Big City Greens follows the offbeat adventures of 10-year-old Cricket Green, a mischievous and optimistic country boy who moves to the big city with his wildly out-of-place family — older sister Tilly, father Bill and Gramma Alice. Cricket’s natural curiosity and enthusiasm lead him and his family on epic journeys and into the hearts of his new neighbors. The new season follows the family and their friends as they navigate some of their biggest adventures yet!

The series stars Chris Houghton as Cricket Green, Marieve Herington as Tilly Green, Bob Joles as Bill Green, Artemis Pebdani as Gramma Alice, Wendi McLendon-Covey as Nancy Green, Zeno Robinson as Remy, and Anna Akana as Gloria.

Season Five Guest Cast: Stephen King, Luke Combs, Dylan Sprouse, Megan Stalter, Chad Michael Murray, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, Matt Gourley, Sona Movsesian, Aaron Bleyaert, Martha Kelly, Steve Schirripa and Mike Colter.

The series is produced by Disney Television Animation, part of Disney Kids & Family, Chris and Shane Houghton are creators and executive producers. Anna O’Brian,director of “Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation,” has been elevated to executive producer for Season 5. Stephen Sandoval (“The Owl House”) is co-executive producer, and Michael Coughlin (“The Muppets”) is producer.

The first five episodes of Season 5 premieres on August 21 on Disney Channel (8:00 p.m. EDT/PDT) and next day on Disney+. Additional episodes will be released throughout 2026 and 2027.

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Voicing Asta is Japanese voice actor Gakuto Kajiwara, whose credits include Komi Can’t Communicate, Honkai: Star Rail, and Ensemble Stars!.

“When we’re talking about season one, I think he was more of a straight shooter,” Kajiwara tells Nerd Reactor. “He didn’t really think too deeply, and he was just more go-with-the-flow kind of character.”

Audiences will see Asta dealing with his own struggles in the second season.

“But season 2, what I think you can see, you’ll see a more human side to him and lots more of a internal battle, within himself,” Kajiwara explained. “And so for me, as the voice actor, I really want to be able to show those emotions and for the fans to see this side of Asta.”

Asta is a character with a lot of energy, and Kajiwara admits that it was challenging.

“As a voice actor, I think it was a challenge to maintain Asta’s energy,” he said. “And as you mentioned, he has lots of energy and always shows lots of emotion.”

Returning to direct episodes of Black Clover Season 2 is Ayataka Tanemura, who helmed Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King and the latter half of the series.

“The second season… you’re going to definitely see more battles in this,” the director said. “But also, it is more of a challenge to make those scenes. And I did have lots of pressure to make sure all the scenes would be solid and mentally had to prepare.”

Black Clover Synopsis: In a world where magic is everything, Asta and Yuno are both found abandoned at a church on the same day. While Yuno is gifted with exceptional magical powers, Asta is the only one in this world without any. At the age of fifteen, both receive grimoires, magic books that amplify their holder’s magic. Asta’s is a rare Grimoire of Anti-Magic that negates and repels his opponent’s spells. Being opposite but good rivals, Yuno and Asta are ready for the hardest of challenges to achieve their common dream: to be the Wizard King. Giving up is never an option!

Studio Pierrot is behind the animation for Black Clover Season 2, and it will be released in October 2026.

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“Every single day I did it, because I’ve never done a show where the past and the present and the future were all in one place,” Davidson said about how the show felt refreshing. “So we’re going into a show that’s a show about a show. So it’s a workplace show.”

In Martin, Varnell Hill was the foil to the titular character. In The Varnell Hill Show, it’s vice versa.

“Now he comes to haunt me,” the actor said jokingly. “You know what I mean? He comes back to haunt me, but he comes back as multiple characters. If you looked at Martin’s show, Martin Payne wasn’t just one Martin.”

Davidson has been in the business for decades, and he wants to make the show the best it could be.

“And the common denominator for me that makes it the best is that I get to bring my gift to it, which is making people laugh, entertaining people, and making people feel good,” the actor said. “So for me, doing that every day, shooting that show was really the fruits of a lot of work and a lot of uncertainty, and a lot of just frustrations.”

About The Varnell Hill Show

Synopsis: Nearly three decades after audiences first met him, Varnell Hill is stepping back into the spotlight — and he’s determined to prove he’s still the star of the show. Set behind the scenes of a long-running late-night talk show, The Varnell Hill Show follows Varnell (Davidson) as he fights to stay relevant in a rapidly changing entertainment landscape. Between network executives eager to modernize the show, a chaotic writers’ room, celebrity guests, family drama, and his own outsized ego, Varnell quickly discovers that keeping a television empire together may be harder than building one in the first place.

The Varnell Hill Show eight-episode first season will make its worldwide debut on Paramount+ with two episodes on Tuesday, September 1, followed by one new episode every Tuesday through October 13.

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The new season of Lioness is inspired by current events, and the premiere episode featured trench and drone warfare, with Saldana’s Joe and her team shocked by what they saw.

“What you see on the field with the drones is really never been put on film before,” Bohen tells Nerd Reactor. “When you add the complexity of the dogs within everything, it’s remarkable that we were able to capture it just from a practical perspective, with no CGI. We produced one of the coolest modern-day battle sequences I think we’ve seen in this decade.”

One of the saddest moments in the series was in the third season premiere episode, when Grady returned from a mission, angry at the loss of his dog.

“I was devastated when I read that page that said, ‘Titan’s lifeless body,'” he said. “I’m like, ‘God damn it, you’re joking. No, why do you have to do this?’ I was like, ‘They’re gonna be so pissed at you, Taylor.'”

Rip (Cole Hauser) and Beth (Kelly Reilly) have moved on from their life in Yellowstone with their own spinoff show, Dutton Ranch. With the first season now finished, will we get to see the return of Ryan and Abby?

“I would love to see those two people in that world again because you just don’t want to think it’s over,” Bohen explained. “So fingers crossed that Lainey and I will be on Dutton Ranch together, having some fun with Kelly and Cole. I would be mystified if you didn’t start to see some of the bunkhouse populate a little bit.”

Lioness Season 3 premiered on August 2, 2026, on Paramount+, with new episodes released on Sundays.

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Delusion: Den of the Mosquito opens on select nights from September 17th to November 8th.

“This is a homecoming,” Braver tells Nerd Reactor. “This is cool because we’ve gone through this fun evolution of trying out different stories and different formats and different things, and then now we’re like, ‘Okay, it’s time!’ After last year, which was a big spectacle with fun stuff, we’re bringing it back to its roots and the stuff that really made it what it is today. So, coming back to the original Delusion mansion from 2011 and 2012.”

The Beckett Mansion, built in 1905, is the perfect location for a horrifying show thanks to its Neoclassical style. It was designed by John C. Austin, known for Los Angeles landmarks like the Griffith Observatory and the Shrine Auditorium. The 12,000-square-foot interior will take attendees on a wild adventure. The property has been maintained and renovated thanks to the owner, IDEG Construction, and the company’s CEO, Marisela Nuno, a Mexican-born entrepreneur raised in South Central Los Angeles.

Braver is even more excited than the previous year.

“I am the number one Delusion fan,” the creator said. “I know what works and what doesn’t most of the time. I know some of the strengths from last year, some of the weaknesses from last year, and that will help dictate the story that I’m writing this year.”

Because of the nature of these immersive, interactive plays, they are indeed rare. For example, Sleep No More’s show in New York closed after 14 years.

“These are very special projects,” he explained. “They’re very unique. It doesn’t really exist in that many places around the world, if any. These tickets aren’t cheap. They’re not that expensive either for what you’re getting. You’re getting every dollar’s worth because of the intimacy of it and all the craft that goes into it. I mean, it’s like nothing you will ever experience. So to me, there’s no question these kinds of things are worth it, not just financially, but just for your soul, just to go on adventures.”

This year’s show will be more intimate, with the most limited ticket availability in Delusion history. The full 50-minute experience will feature more interactivity and split paths.

Tickets for Delusion: Den of the Mosquito are available via https://enterdelusion.com/.

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Farva (Kevin Heffernan) is getting married to Sarita (Hannah Simone), the sister of Thorny (Jay Chandrasekhar). Thorny isn’t happy about this, and he’ll do whatever it takes to stop the wedding. The cast includes the return of Brian Cox and newcomer Chace Crawford, in the third film filled with irreverent humor.

One Star Wars joke had Broken Lizard thinking whether it would make the cut.

“Without giving it away, we ran that by test audiences when we did screenings, and a lot of people expressed the feeling they had when they first saw it,” Kevin Heffernan tells Nerd Reactor. “They’re like, ‘Oh, these guys maybe jump the shark here on this one,’ and then they end up loving it. It really plays in a very funny way, and I think people really bought into it. That was getting very big laughs in our test screening, so it really worked out pretty well.”

Brian Cox is a legendary actor with credits including X2: X-Men United, Troy, and Succession. In Super Troopers 3, he reprises his role as Captain O’Hagan, only this time, he’s “retired.”

“Between two and three, he did Succession,” Heffernan explained. “I think it’s one of his most iconic roles now, right? Where he’s Logan Roy. And it had a different feel for him when he came back. He was always our gravitas guy. He was always the guy that gave us a little bit of depth, and then now he’s back after playing this great role, and he leans into it, which is fun.

“He’s the guy who walks in and is like, ‘All right, **** off, everyone,’ and then you get down to business. We weren’t really sure how it was gonna work out, but when he came back, I think he just had a blast going back to this silly comedy stuff, doing something a little different than Logan Roy, which is great.”

Fans of The Boys will recognize Chace Crawford, who portrays Baker Buchanan in Super Troopers 3. And like his character, The Deep, he continues to carry the aura of a self-absorbed narcissist as Baker.

“[Chace Crawford] was our first choice for that part,” Heffernan said. “We’re such fans of The Deep and The Boys. I think the guy is the funniest thing in that show. He’s so funny. And we were like, ‘Let’s see if we can get him.’ I didn’t think we could get him, and then it turned out he was a huge Super Troopers fan, and he was as excited to be there as we were to have him. So it ended up being a great experience having Chace there.”

About Super Troopers 3

Synopsis: When Farva’s wildly over-the-top Indian engagement to Thorny’s sister spirals into chaos, the Super Troopers must navigate Thorny’s schemes to break up the relationship, while trying to crack a pernicious new drug ring — all to save the day and maybe the wedding itself.

The film is directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and written by Broken Lizard.

The cast includes Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, Brian Cox, Marisa Coughlan, Nat Faxon, Chace Crawford, Andrew Dismukes, Hannah Simone, Iqbal Theba, Sakina Jaffrey, Jon Rudnitsky, and Lisa Gilroy.

Super Troopers 3 releases in theaters on August 7, 2026.

The post Broken Lizard on Super Troopers 3 Star Wars Joke, Brian Cox’s Return & Chace Crawford’s Casting appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

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Thompson has been behind the scenes as a director on many TV shows, including The Goldbergs, The CW’s Stargirl, Star Trek: Picard, Resident Alien, and Will Trent. However, Anna Pigeon was a different beast for her.

“I’ve been behind the scenes a lot as a director, and I’ve directed my own feature, but this is the first time I’ve done my own TV show that I’ve been working on for almost 15 years” Thompson tells Nerd Reactor. “It feels weird. I mean, it does kind of feel weird that I’m not acting in it, you know what I mean? It kind of feels weird.”

Even with many movies and shows under her belt, there is still much to learn.

“But it was so much work and it gave me so much respect for people who produce TV shows because it is just an immense amount of work. It’s an immense amount of give and take. I learned so much from Morwyn and Sonia, my producers, and Morwyn’s the showrunner, about how to respect everybody’s job. I mean, I feel like I’ve always done that, but it was a really great learning curve, and everybody has to reinvent themselves all the time in our new culture. So this was a big reinvention for me, and it’s very exciting to be doing something completely new and different.”

About Anna Pigeon

Anna Pigeon, played by Tracy Spiridakos, is a former city slicker who became a park ranger after a devastating loss changed the trajectory of her life forever. While Anna tries to outrun her demons, her focus turns to solving crimes that have taken place within national park grounds, no matter who or what gets in her way.

The upcoming crime drama is based on the best-selling mystery novels by Nevada Barr and also stars Paulina Alexis, Ronnie Rowe Jr., Tricia Helfer, Kim Coates, Crystle Lightning and Nikki Hallow.

Lea Thompson directs and executive produces the 10-episode season.

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One of the stars of the show, Garret Dillahunt (Fear the Walking Dead), is portraying William Macon. Per Deadline, he plays “modern cowboy William Macon, a self-righteous, conspiracy-minded man who masks his ruthless ambition behind a charming and calculated facade.”

Nerd Reactor spoke to the actor about his role in the DC show set in the DC Universe.

“I would certainly say I am an antagonistic presence to the Lanterns, but I know that Macon doesn’t think he’s a villain,” Dillahunt said. “He thinks they have similar goals in a lot of ways, but just different ways of going about it. And I think that’s where the tension comes in.”

There have been many fan theories as to his character, with some thinking that he was going to play Green Arrow.

“I kind of like all the fan theories,” the actor explained. “I like that they’re a little confused. I get accused of… or people suspect me of being all kinds of different characters, and I’m excited to… some of them are right, and it’ll be fun to see what happens when they find out who’s right and who’s wrong.”

About Lanterns

Synopsis: Lanterns follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery with cosmic ties as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.

HBO in association with Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios. The Lanterns pilot is co-written by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, who are co-creators for the series. Mundy serves as showrunner.

The first two episodes are directed by James Hawes, with Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel and Alik Sakharov also tapped to direct.

The series is executive produced by Mundy, Lindelof, James Gunn, Peter Safran, King, Ron Schmidt, and Hawes. Based on the DC comic characters from “Green Lantern.”

The post Garret Dillahunt Explains Why His ‘Lanterns’ Character Doesn’t See Himself as a Villain appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Nerd Reactor spoke with Lazlow and Bond about the comic’s absurd humor, world-building, and why American Caper is shaking up the comic book world.

“One of the things Dan and I love doing is fake ads,” Lazlow tells Nerd Reactor. “We did a lot of that for the in-game radio and TV in all the GTAs. As part of this comic book, we have fake ads. There are no real ads inside, they’re all fake, and they’re tied into story content.”

The fake ads make the world feel alive, and it’s one of the charms of the Grand Theft Auto games and American Caper comics.

“It’s world building, and so you have to do all the same things,” he added. “What does the town look like? What are the advertisements? What are the billboards? What are the brands? What’s the soda pop? What’s the beer? It’s been fun because it’s a different kind of world-building.”

Bond helps bring Houser and Lazlow up to speed in the comic book world, including bringing in talented artists.

“When Dan and Lazlow pitched me the series, it really felt like something that was gonna shake the comic book industry to its core,” Bond said. “And it doesn’t let up. I promise you, issue 12… the double-sized issue… you are gonna be gobsmacked. The idea was so big it demanded a 48-page issue.”

About American Caper

Synopsis: Verona, Wyoming. A small town like any other. A land of hunter and hunted. Apex predators… and regulations just waiting to be broken. Culture has become a war, everyone has everything they need yet are miserable, and American life is still dominated by real estate, violence and snake oil. From the tax-avoiders in the manicured wilderness of Wyoming, to the thought police of Brooklyn, to the confused political battlegrounds of Florida, one thing is certain: This tragedy is someone else’s fault.

The crime-fiction comic book series was created and written by Dan Houser, produced and with additional writing by Lazlow, and edited by Shelly Bond and Daniel Chabon. Artists include David Lapham (story layouts and pencils), Chris Anderson (finishes), Lee Loughridge (colors), Nate Piekos (lettering), Tyler Boss (series covers), and variant covers by Simon Bisley, Martin Simmonds, Joe Quinones, Marguerite Sauvage, and more.

Issues #1-9 are now available, with issue #10 coming on August 19, 2026. Trade paperback collection volume 1 is now available, with volume 2 releasing on October 27th and volume 3 on March 2, 2027.

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