The daily gossip: Channing Tatum plans to star in a remake of Ghost, Vin Diesel isn't in the Avatar sequels despite implying he would be, and more

1. Channing Tatum plans to star in a remake of 'Ghost'

Channing Tatum is ready to say goodbye to Magic Mike — and hello to some erotic pottery. In a new Vanity Fair profile, the actor revealed he's looking to star in a remake of the classic 1990 film Ghost, taking over the Patrick Swayze role. Tatum at one point in the profile attends a pottery lesson with his interviewer, where he declares, "Now I know why they put this in Ghost," referencing the film's famous pottery scene. "This whole process is very, very sexual." He then casually reveals "we actually have the rights" to Ghost and that his production company is trying to remake it with him in the lead role. "But we're going to do something different," Tatum said, arguing there were problematic stereotypes in the original. Finally, Hollywood may soon do right by the undead community.

Vanity Fair

2. Vin Diesel isn't in the 'Avatar' sequels despite implying he would be

It turns out Vin Diesel won't be joining the Avatar family. Avatar producer Jon Landau has revealed the Fast & Furious star won't appear in the franchise's upcoming sequels, even though Diesel strongly implied he would. In 2019, Diesel shared a video of himself with director James Cameron on the Avatar set, calling him the "one person in Hollywood I've always wanted to work with." Then in 2021, Diesel told MTV he has "spent time with [Cameron], but I have not filmed yet," implying he will film for Avatar at some point. "It's safe to say that we will be working together," he added. Despite all that, Landau tells Empire that Diesel isn't in the planned Avatar sequels. "Vin was a fan," Landau said. "He came in, visited the set one day to see what we were doing and people took that out of context." So the odds of Jake and Neytiri cracking open a Corona at a barbecue in Avatar 3 just plummeted.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Empire

3. Madonna plays raunchy truth or dare game with celebrities to announce new tour

Was Madonna's latest tour announcement just an excuse to be touched for the very first time by Jack Black? The "Like a Virgin" singer has announced her new "Celebration Tour," which she'll embark upon this summer. But she dropped the news via a NSFW video of her playing a raunchy game of truth or dare with some famous friends, including Amy Schumer and Jack Black. Madonna kicks things off with a bang by daring Schumer to demonstrate "how you lick your husband's a--hole" with bread. Diplo then dips his testicles in his margarita and drinks it, and Madonna fulfills a dare to tongue kiss Jack Black. "I'm a different man," the School of Rock star declares after the smooch. The punchline is Schumer eventually daring Madonna to "do a world tour," and she agrees. Finally, the 23-year-old model Madonna was rumored to be dating in the fall can hear some of her greatest hits from before he was born.

TMZ

4. Harrison Ford had never heard of his new co-star Jason Segel

What does Harrison Ford care less about: Star Wars lore or Jason Segel's filmography? It may be a close call. The Han Solo actor stars opposite Segel in the new Apple TV+ comedy Shrinking, but it's safe to say he wasn't intimately familiar with the How I Met Your Mother alum beforehand. Speaking with TV Insider, executive producer Bill Lawrence recalled snagging Ford for the role because the actor was impressed by the screenplay. "Hey, this is a really good script," Lawrence recalled Ford telling him. Ford then asked "who else is in it," and Lawrence replied, "I'll have Jason Segel call you." Segel is the main star of the show, but according to Lawrence, Ford responded, "Who's Jason Segel?" So Lawrence promised to "send you some movies first." Given Ford remained attached to the project after that, Lawrence presumably steered him clear of Gulliver's Travels.

TV Insider

5. Pedro Pascal is having a big week thanks to 'The Last of Us' and 'The Mandalorian'

For Pedro Pascal, just one show where he takes care of a kid wasn't enough. The actor is already dominating 2023, first by starring in the TV adaptation of The Last of Us that premiered Sunday to rave reviews and the second-biggest audience for a new HBO series since 2010. Just one day later, the trailer for The Mandalorian season 3 dropped, teasing Pascal's reunion with Baby Yoda. The footage suggests Grogu's training with Luke Skywalker really paid off, as it ends with the little guy using the Force to send a giant creature flying onto its back. Let him cook, you must! The trailer also appears to suggest we'll be headed to Coruscant this season and potentially exploring more of Grogu's backstory, as we see a flashback apparently to the Jedi massacre known as Order 66. We look forward to seeing Pascal's two babysitter-themed projects crossing over when the season ends with Baby Yoda turning into Zombie Yoda.

The Week