Sarah Michelle Gellar Reveals Star Wars: Rebels Role

Sarah Michelle Gellar has cast her Buffy the Vampire Slayer persona aside by revealing she’ll be voicing a villain in Star Wars: Rebels. Her character, the Seventh Sister Inquisitor, is described as a cunning and crafty member of the dark side, whose Mimic droids can imitate anyone and then report back to her. It seems Seventh Sister will also have a rivalry with Kanan Jarrus, played by Gellar’s real-life husband, Freddie Prinze Jr. Season 2 premieres Oct. 14 on Disney XD. [BuzzFeed]

James McAvoy in Talks to Star in Shyamalan Thriller

James McAvoy is in talks to star in M. Night Shyamalan’s next film, after Joaquin Phoenix passed on what would have been his third role with the director. No plot details have been released so far, but the untitled project is being produced by Jason Blum. [THR]

Laurence Fishburne to Star in Nelson Mandela Miniseries Mandiba for BET

Laurence Fishburne is moving on from Hannibal with his next leading role on TV as Nelson Mandela in BET’s miniseries Madiba. Set in the early ’60s, the project will tell the story of a younger Mandela as he deals with the political unrest engulfing South Africa. Filming on the six-hour miniseries is scheduled to begin in early 2016 under Kevin Hooks (Prison Break). [Deadline]

Taika Waititi in Talks to Direct Thor: Ragnarok

Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok may have found its director in What We Do In The Shadows helmer and New Zealand native Taika Waititi. Also known as Thor 3, the film will feature the return of Chris Hemsworth as the titular superhero, Tom Hiddleston as Loki and Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif. Thor: Ragnarok from Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle debuts in theaters on July 28, 2017. [TheWrap]

MacGyver Reboot in the Works at CBS

CBS is bringing ’80s hit MacGyver, which starred Richard Dean Anderson, back to TV. And Furious 7‘s James Wan is on board to direct the pilot. The new version will follow a 20-something MacGyver as he gets recruited into a clandestine organization where he uses his knack for solving problems in unconventional ways to help prevent disasters from happening. R. Scott Gemmill (NCIS: Los Angeles) is writing the script. [THR]