February is wrapping up, but the showbiz news is still coming in strong.  Time for a round-up!

Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally will join the cast of The Umbrella Academy Season 4, according to Entertainment Today.  The real-life married couple will play "a mild-mannered married couple named Jean and Gene, who are college professors," according to Mullally.  Season 4 will be the final season of The Umbrella Academy, as announced in August of 2022 (see "'Umbrella Academy's' Final Season").

Embracer Group AB, via its subsidiary Middle-earth Enterprises (part of Freemode), has struck a multi-year deal with New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures to collaborate in the development of new feature films based on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.  The announcement for the new movies comes over 20 years after Peter Jackson teamed with New Line Cinema for The Lord of the Rings trilogy (see "Fellowship of the Rings Boffo").

Netflix has tapped Baran Bo Adar and Jante Friese to adapt BOOM! Studios' Something is Killing the Children, the company announced.  The duo previously created Dark and 1899 and this will be the first project under their new multi-year Netflix deal.  Netflix initially ordered a pilot based on the comic series back in 2021 (see "Netflix Orders ‘Something Is Killing the Children’").

The Pokemon Company has revealed two new characters, including a new Pikachu, for its upcoming anime.  The anime will retire Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu with a collection of special episodes ending Pokemon Ultimate Journeys: The Series, and introduce Friede, a Pokemon Professor, and his partner Pokemon Captain Pikachu, along with the previously announced Liko and Roy in the new series (see "Pikachu’s Final Pokemon Episodes").

Marvel Studios has added Steven Yeun to the cast of Thunderbolts, according to Deadline.  The Oscar-nominated actor will join the MCU in a role that plays a significant part in the film. Thunderbolts was announced in July 2022 (see "Marvel Movie and TV News Round-Up").

HBO Max has sold their option to produce Dead Boy Detectives, based on the comic series by Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner, to Netflix, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  HBO Max had initially placed an eight-episode order for a Dead Boy Detectives series (see "‘Dead Boy Detectives’ Ordered"), but THR's sources claim they decided to move the series because it didn't fit into James Gunn and Peter Safran's new content plan.

For more information on geek movie releases, check out ICv2's Best in Shows Geek Movie Calendar.  Currently, our calendars show releases running through 2027.