Tom Hardy and Guy Ritchie reunite for gritty crime series 'MobLand'

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Tom Hardy and Guy Ritchie reunite for gritty crime series 'MobLand'

2025-04-06 02:03 Last Updated At：02:10

NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Hardy has collected troves of knowledge and skill throughout his journey as an actor, forming a megastar career. But any education he received from director Guy Ritchie during their time on the 2008 “RocknRolla” film was gained from afar.

“I didn’t have very much to do with him ... the first time I worked with him. Gerard (Butler) was leading that film and in many elements, we were support staff,” said Hardy. "So, I got to experience being on the Guy Ritchie set, and it was a bit from a position of not being a lead, and that’s a different responsibility.”

But time can bring people and experiences back around, especially in Hollywood. Since that film 17 years ago, Ritchie has transitioned into esteemed directorial status. And Hardy has morphed into a box office superstar with films like “The Dark Night Rises” as the imposing villain Bane, and the titular role for Marvel’s “Venom” franchise. Now, the two have reunited for Ritchie’s gritty, yet sophisticated series “MobLand.”

“I was really keen to go back and work with him because he’s a fellow Brit and he’s done quite incredible work,” explained Hardy. “I wanted to go and play with him, actually, and see what that was like now I’m older, and it was good fun.”

The Paramount+ original series follows Harry Da Souza (Hardy), an intimidating, yet calm fixer for a London-based crime family hoping to find the missing son of a rival faction to prevent a catastrophic gang war.

How did Hardy prepare to play such a menacing, yet even-keeled character?

“No acting required” he said with a big laugh. “Just turn up and, ‘Oh, yeah, that makes sense’ and say the lines. Don’t bump into the furniture.”

The second episode of the 10-part “MobLand” series airs Sunday on Paramount+.

The series was created by Ronan Bennett, known for popular crime shows like “The Day of the Jackal” and “Top Boy,” and written with playwright Jez Butterworth. Ritchie serves as executive producer and directed the first two episodes. The “MobLand” idea began as a spinoff from Showtime’s popular “Ray Donovan” series, before becoming a stand-alone show.

Two-time Oscar-winner Helen Mirren stars as the devious Maeve, matriarch and manipulator of the crime family, while Pierce Brosnan plays her husband and mob leader, marking a reunion for the pair who worked on the 1980 film “The Long Good Friday.”

It may be hard to think of a role that Dame Mirren hasn’t played, but she found one with “MobLand.”

“There are always characters out there that are going to take you by surprise and … I think, ’Oh my god, I’ve never done anything like that before,” said the “1923” star who believes the line between shooting film and TV is now nearly nonexistent. “That’s one of the sort of beauties of my job, actually, is to constantly be entering into such very, very different worlds.”

Mirren said the opportunity to work with Hardy was intriguing.

“Tom’s involvement in it was one of the reasons I signed up because I’ve admired his work over many years,” Mirren said. “Different actors, you can see, ’Oh, they’re a great actor' … they can perform. But certain actors like Tom, it’s an interior power that just communicates with the camera. And Tom’s got that. You know what? It’s called star power.”

The “MobLand” cast features Paddy Considine of “House of the Dragon” fame, Joanne Froggatt, Lara Pulver, Anson Boon and Mandeep Dhillon. While this show technically reunites Mirren and Brosnan, they also shot the upcoming “The Thursday Murder Club” film prior to this project.

While much was unknown when Brosnan signed on, “MobLand” had all the right ingredients for the former James Bond to dive in, starting with Ritchie, who released his Netflix series “The Gentlemen” last year.

“He’s naughty. He’s cheeky. He’s bold,” said Brosnan. “I love his work. His movies. The way he’s acquitted himself on the landscape of cinema. He’s a unique talent all his own … so I said yes. I wanted to go back to London. I wanted to work."

Next for Hardy is the crime drama film “Havoc” premiering later this month, and there's chatter of a potential sequel to his 2015 “Mad Max: Fury Road.” A second season of “Taboo” is on the way — nearly a decade after its debut. What about a “Spider-Man” and “Venom” crossover? Hardy addressed the rumors that an alleged project fell apart, clarifying it was never in the works.

“People embellish a story. I just said I would have loved to work with ‘Spider-Man,’ but it never happened, which is a fact. It hasn’t happened. And I’m no longer working with ‘Venom’ … it is a shame because my kids would love to watch Venom and Spider-Man together,” said Hardy. “I would have liked that.”

This story corrects title of film in paragraph 3 to “The Dark Knight Rises.”

Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.

Alex Ovechkin breaks Wayne Gretzky's NHL career goals record by scoring his 895th

2025-04-07 02:06 Last Updated At：02:11

NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Ovechkin has broken Wayne Gretzky’s record for the most goals in NHL history by scoring the 895th of his career.

The Washington Capitals’ captain made history Sunday against the New York Islanders by beating fellow Russian Ilya Sorokin on a power play with 12:34 left in the second period. He took a perfect pass from longtime teammate Tom Wilson and fired an absolute laser past Sorokin with defenseman Jakob Chychrun screening.

Ovechkin had never scored on Sorokin before, making his countryman the 183rd different goaltender he has beaten. He dived onto the ice to celebrate as so many Capitals fans in attendance chanted “Ovi! Ovi!” from the stands.

Just as they did after he scored No. 894, teammates mobbed the 39-year-old Ovechkin to celebrate the accomplishment, which replaced a record that had stood for 31 years. Ovechkin then hugged team equipment and training staff on the bench and went through a handshake line with the Islanders as crew members set up for the 895 ceremony.

Gretzky’s total of 894 goals had long seemed unapproachable. Ovechkin passed it even after missing 16 games in November and December because of a broken left leg, a testament to his durability and a knack for putting the puck in the net consistently for two decades. He surpassed 40 goals this season for a 14th time — two more than Gretzky and also the most in league history.

Even before this, Ovechkin owned the NHL records for power-play goals, shots on goal and the most goalies scored against, now adding Sorokin to that list. Only Gretzky has more multi-goal games, and Ovechkin earlier this season became just the sixth player with 700 goals and 700 assists, joining Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Jaromir Jagr, Marcel Dionne and Phil Esposito.

Ovechkin last moved up the all-time goal-scoring list Dec. 23, 2022, when he got Nos. 801 and 802 to tie and pass Howe.

The chase by the Great 8, a nickname honoring his jersey number, captured attention from North America to Ovechkin’s native Russia, where billboards and goal-counters cheered on and tracked his effort. It helped Ovechkin that his team is one of the best in the NHL this season, defying expectations.

Gretzky broke Howe’s record a little over 31 years ago, since he scored 802 on March 23, 1994. He added 92 more before retiring in 1999 after a total of 1,487 games over 20 seasons.

Even with this one falling to Ovechkin — which he has said he is excited about — Gretzky holds 55 NHL records, and two seem truly untouchable: 2,857 total points and 1,963 assists, the latter of which is more than anyone else has in goals and assists combined.

For NHL playoff goals, which do not count toward the record, Gretzky has the most (122). Ovechkin has 72. Gretzky also had another 56 in the World Hockey Association regular season and playoffs, while Ovechkin has 57 from his time in the KHL, Russia’s top league.

Returning to Russia to play in front of family and friends is an option at some point for Ovechkin, who has one season left after this one on the five-year, $47.5 million contract he signed in 2021, which took him through age 40 to give him enough time to chase Gretzky’s record. Instead, he got it done earlier than just about anyone could have realistically expected.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl