WIRE Buzz: Nancy Drew spinning off 'Tom Swift'; 'Y: The Last Man' sets cast, finally shooting; more

While the Arrowverse is shrinking (with Arrow being done and Supergirl about to wrap up), another narrative universe over at The CW is growing: The Drewniverse. 

OK, so we can’t completely take credit for that delicious wordplay (though we did remove the hyphen). It comes from a report from Variety revealing that The CW has a Nancy Drew spinoff in the works. (And, yes, we also know that the Arrowverse is still going strong. Relax.) 

Per the media outlet, should it get picked up, Tom Swift will be a mystery drama series inspired by the Stratemeyer Syndicate books and co-created by Nancy Drew executive producers Melinda Hsu Taylor and Noga Landau, along with Cameron Johnson of Fake Empire. A pilot script is currently being written.

The network’s plan is for Tom Swift’s character, a Black, gay, billionaire inventor, to appear in an upcoming episode of Nancy Drew’s second season, serving as a springboard for the new series. The spinoff series will follow the adventures of its titular hero as he enters what the outlet describes as “a world of sci-fi conspiracy and unexplained phenomena" after his father disappears. Leaving his life of wealth and comfort behind, Tom embarks on a quest for the truth while evading the clutches of an Illuminati-like organization set on stopping and silencing him.

It’s been a long ride, but that long-in-development (hell) small-screen adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s acclaimed post-apocalyptic comic Y: The Last Man is at long last in production. For real. According to The Hollywood Reporter, filming on the FX on Hulu series began in Toronto this week. 

In addition, Deadline is reporting that Ashley Romans (NOS4A2) and Olivia Thirlby (Dredd) have joined the cast, replacing Lashana Lynch and Imogen Poots, respectively. Romans will play Agent 355, while Thirlby will play Hero Brown. Romans and Thirlby join a cast that includes Ben Schnetzer as Yorick Brown, the last man himself, as well as Diane Lane, Amber Tamblyn, Marin Ireland, Diana Bang, Elliot Fletcher, and Julianna Canfield (but reportedly not Timothy Hutton, who played the U.S. President in the original pilot, as that part is being reworked).

The series has had quite the bumpy road towards production. Having been in development since 2015, the series lost its showrunners before Eliza Clark came on board. It then lost its leading man before landing Schnetzer. And all of this, of course, was before a global pandemic shut down the world. 

First launched by Vertigo in 2002, Y: The Last Man follows escape artist Yorick Brown, the last surviving human with a Y chromosome, and his pet capuchin monkey, Ampersand (also a male), as he tries to figure out why a mysterious plague has wiped out the world’s male animals (including humans), and save humanity in the process. The comic ran for 60 issues and was compiled in multiple omnibus editions.

Y: The Last Man is set to premiere on FX on Hulu in 2021.

And finally, Here’s the good news: for three days in November, Fathom Events and Warner Bros. is bringing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie back to theaters for its 30th anniversary. The bad news: yes, that movie you saw back in 1990 was indeed 30 years ago, and now you are very, very old. Cowabunga dudes!

Be that as it may, the hit live-action film adapted from the early Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird is coming back to theaters. 

“We are excited to celebrate 30 years of a film that brings families together in a fun, entertaining and hilarious way,” said Fathom Events’ Vice President of Studio Relations Tom Lucas in a statement. "As audiences discovered in 1990, the adventures of the heroic turtles are truly meant to be seen on a giant screen in a darkened theater, so we hope audiences of all ages will make Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael part of their entertainment plans.”

Directed by Steve Barron and written by Todd W. Langen and Bobby Herbeck, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie features a voice cast led by Brian Tochi as Leonardo, Corey Feldman as Donatello, Josh Pais as Raphael, Robbie Rist as Michelangelo, and Kevin Clash as Splinter. The film also features Judith Hoag, Elias Koteas, and a very young Sam Rockwell (we weren’t kidding about you being old).

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie plays in select theaters Nov. 5-7. For tickets and participating theater locations, visit Fathom Events.