Julia Ragnarsson (“Two Sisters,” “Spring Tide”) and Erik Enge (“Tiger”) are the two leading stars of “End of Summer,” a psychological thriller series based Anders de la Motte’s bestselling Swedish novel of the same name. The show has been ordered by Viaplay and is being produced by Harmonica Films with SF Studios and Film i Skåne co-producing.

Jens Jonsson (“Young Wallander”) and Henrik Georgsson (“The Bridge”) are the head writers on the series which shot in Skåne in the southern part of Sweden and will premiere in the fall on Viaplay.

The cast also includes Simon J Berger (“Exit”), Torkel Petersson (“A Swedish Defence”), Per Ragnar (“Let the Right One In”), Linus James Nilsson, Anna Granath, Emelie Garbers, Henrik Norlén, Bahador Foladi, Vilhelm Blomgren and Lars Schilken.

The six-episode series opens on a summer evening in 1984 when a 5-year-old boy vanishes in rural southern Sweden. The police investigation fails to find the truth, leaving behind rumors, suspicion and a grieving family. Twenty years later, the boy’s older sister Vera is leading a group therapy session in Stockholm, when a young man describes a strangely familiar childhood memory of a disappearance. A shaken Vera travels home to her fractured family to uncover, once and for all, what really happened in the summer that never ended.

“This has really been a challenging and fantastic experience,” said Ragnarsson. The actor plays the series’ protagonist, Vera, whom she described as a “complex character.”

“End of Summer” is directed by Jens Jonsson (“Blinded,” “The Hunters”) and Henrik Georgsson (“The Bridge,” “Wallander”). Episode writers are Axel Stjärne, Jimmy Nivrén Olsson and Pontus Edvinsson. Worldwide sales are handled by Viaplay Content Distribution.

Freaks and Geeks gained a cult following after its cancelation in 2000, but Seth Rogen has a blunt response for those still hoping for a reboot.

Seth Rogen has a blunt response for those still hoping for a Freaks and Geeks revival. Freaks and Geeks marked a rare occasion in which a TV series that was canceled after just one season retained a strong cult following. The show initially premiered in 1999 and was a teen dramedy created by Paul Feig and produced by Judd Apatow. Freaks and Geeks follows two siblings, Lindsay (Linda Cardellini) and Sam Weir (John Francis Daley), who exist on different planes of the social hierarchy in high school. The show is a hilarious and candid portrayal of adolescence, as it follows Lindsay and the “freaks”, and Sam and the “geeks” navigating high school life.

In an interview with People, Rogen responds to the question of whether a Freaks and Geeks revival would be possible. While Rogen is now a prominent actor in Hollywood, Freaks and Geeks was actually Rogen’s very first acting role. He starred as Ken Miller, a fellow student at William McKinley High, known for his smart mouth and sarcasm. Despite Freaks and Geeks‘ impact on his Hollywood career, Rogen has a brutally honest response to the show’s possible revival. Check out his statement below:

I don’t think anyone would do it. It’s so rare that you do something in your career that is actually just viewed as good. I know enough now not to f— with that, to just let it be good and not try to go revisit it. And just let it exist.

Does Freaks & Geeks Need A Revival?

Rogen seems to believe that Freaks and Geeks doesn’t need a revival. However, the fact that he has been pressed about such a thing shows that there is interest in one. It is easy to see why viewers would yearn for more of the show. Freaks and Geeks didn’t get a fair chance during its run. It had a stellar cast, the talents of Apatow behind the scenes, and a surprisingly relatable and realistic portrayal of high school life. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to save it.

Freaks and Geeks‘ demise ultimately came from its release schedule. NBC chose to air new episodes of the series on Saturday evening. The time slot is already a disadvantage, considering viewers may have plans on weekend nights. To make matters worse, Freaks and Geeks went on multiple hiatuses due to the World Series and holidays. NBC also wasn’t very open to the ideas and themes of Freaks and Geeks. Since its cancelation, viewers and critics alike have recognized its value. Many consider its merit as a TV series and its rather frustrating cancelation when citing the need for a revival.

However, some may ignore the technicalities that would go into a Freaks and Geeks revival. While some films and TV series have experienced impressive reunions years after the original premiere, not every production can pull this off, especially Freaks and Geeks, which kicked off the high-profile careers of numerous stars, including Rogen, Daley, Cardellini, Busy Phillips, Jason Segel, and James Franco. In addition to the difficulty in getting all these prominent Hollywood names on board, a revival may not be as good as the original. Rogen makes a fair point in that, sometimes, it is best to leave a highly praised project alone. Few critically acclaimed stories can pull off a revival, sequel, or reboot that lives up to everything the original was. In just one season, Freaks and Geeks gained a cult following and created an impressive legacy, and it may be best not to risk tarnishing that.

Source: People

Author and anti-Mafia activist Roberto Saviano, whose Neapolitan mob exposé “Gomorrah” is the basis for the popular HBO Max series of the same title, stood his second trial in three months on Wednesday on charges of defaming a member of Italy’s current right-wing government.

Saviano first appeared in court in November for a defamation lawsuit brought by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for calling her a “bastard” while blasting her stance on migrants. This time, he is facing a libel suit from League leader and Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini for also calling him a “bastard” while discussing migrants on a RAI TV talk show in December 2020.

On RAI talk show “Piazzapulita,” Saviano blasted Meloni and Salvini, who were then members of the opposition, for their attempts to block migrant rescue boats. Meloni said on the show that Rome should “repatriate migrants and sink the boats that rescued them.”

Saviano was commenting on footage of a sea rescue operation by the Spanish NGO Open Arms, in which a six-month old baby from Guinea died before he could be airlifted to Italy.

“All the bullshit [said about NGOs], sea taxis, cruises [for migrants],” he said. “All I can say is: bastards, how could you? Meloni, Salvini: bastards.”

“I’m proud to be a defendant because I can tell the court that party leaders and ministers cannot dodge the possibility of criticism,” Saviano told the judges on Wednesday Italian news agency ANSA reported. 

Saviano, who is also being sued by Italian Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano, in this case for calling him a “mediocre journalist and a biographer of Putin,” also pointed out to the court that “three ministers of the same government have decided to sue for [libel] damages a person who dared to criticize them,” according to ANSA.

Saviano’s defamation trial against Salvini was adjourned to June 1, when the League leader will be heard.