Q: Will Johnny Depp be making any more “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies? I hope so. Those are such fun. — James B., Atlanta
A: Johnny Depp is on board (pun intended) for the fourth installment of the popular pirate-movie franchise; however, you can count out two of his co-stars. Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom have both stated that the third movie would be their last. This is OK with the folks at Disney, as word has it that the story in the fourth film is going to center more on the new adventures of Jack Sparrow.
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Q: I heard that Renee Zellwegger has signed on for a third “Bridget Jones” movie. Is this true? If so, who will be writing it, since there is no third book in the series? — Hallie H., via e-mail
A: You did hear correctly: Renee will be filming a third “Bridget Jones” movie, with this installment to focus on Bridget’s desire to have a baby. While Helen Fielding, the author of the “Bridget Jones” books, has not written a third book for this sequel, the movie will still be based on Helen’s writings. The new script is based on a series of columns she wrote for the British newspaper The Independent. As of this writing, there is no word on whether Colin Firth and Hugh Grant will be back as Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver, respectively.
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Q: I love comedian/actor Michael Ian Black. What is he up to lately? — Jenny W., via e-mail
A: Michael has reteamed with comedy partner Michael Showalter in Comedy Central’s “Michael and Michael Have Issues,” which has received rave reviews. Also, after a 10-year wait, you can catch Michael’s earlier work on the hilarious comedy sketch show “The State,” which has just been released on DVD. He is a prolific writer, and many of his comic musings have been featured in The Los Angeles Times, Wired and CMJ Magazine, to name a few. He also was a co-writer for his many sketch-comedy shows, including “The State,” “Viva Variety,” “Stella” and the current “Michael and Michael Have Issues.”
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Q: A few years back, HBO said it was going to make two two-hour movies to tie up the loose ends of the “Deadwood” series. Is this ever going to happen? — Bill F., Fort Worth, Texas
A: It’s not looking good for the proposed “Deadwood” movies. When the series ended in 2006, it left a lot of story lines — and fans — in the lurch. The idea of creating the movies had been proposed a few years back, but it now looks like a dead project. “Deadwood” star Ian McShane himself has said that a movie isn’t happening. “I don’t think that myth’s about to be revisited,” he said in a recent interview. Ray McKinnon, who played Rev. H.W. Smith in the series, backs up Ian’s statement with: “It would be too hard to bring everyone together.”
Have a question for Cindy? E-mail her at [email protected], or write to her in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.
© 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.