Odds & Ends: Pitch Perfect 3 In The Works, Ian McKellen & Gugu Mbatha-Raw Set for Beauty and the Beast & More

Here's a quick roundup of stories you may have missed today and over the weekend.

Pitch Perfect 3 In The Works
Pitch Perfect 2 doesn’t make it into movie theaters until May 15, but Rebel Wilson recently revealed to the L.A. Times that a third film is already in development. No word yet on whether Anna Kendrick, along with our Broadway boys Skylar Astin and Ben Platt, will also be back for some more aca-amazing action, but we're crossing our fingers and toes!

Ian McKellen & Gugu Mbatha-Raw Set for Beauty
Well, if six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald can play a wardrobe…Stage and screen legend Ian McKellen and Broadway alum Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Hamlet) are the latest stars to sign on to Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast. According to Variety, McKellen will appear as Cogsworth, who in the original animated version was a Butler-turned-clock, with Mbatha-Raw taking on the role of feather duster Plumette. They join the previously reported McDonald, Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Kevin Kline and Emma Thompson in the Bill Condon-helmed film. Production will start this year for a March 17, 2017 release.

Will Luck be a Lady for Santino Fontana?
Santino Fontana, Bobby Cannavale, Sebastian Arcelus, Orfeh along with her hubby On The Twentieth Century's Andy Karl, and more Broadway faves will take part in Roundabout’s First Annual Casino Night. The fundraising event will include a Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournament featuring celebrity players, casino games, such as blackjack, roulette, craps and slot machines, hosted by Danny Burstein, Stephanie J. Block and Becky Ann Baker. The dice-rolling will take place on May 11 at the American Airlines Theatre.

London's Bend It Like Beckham Switcheroo
Made in Dagenham alum Sophie-Louise Dann will replace the previously announced Ronni Ancona as Paula in Bend It Like Beckham. A spokesperson said that the comedian was departing the production for “family reasons.” The buzzed-about new musical will begin performances on May 15 at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End.

We're Watching This Damsel in Distress
This is some lineup. Richard Fleeshman, Summer Strallen, Sally Ann Triplett and more will star in A Damsel in Distress at Chichester this summer. Directed and choreographed by Carousel's Rob Ashford, with music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin and a book by Jeremy Sams and Robert Hudson, the show is based on the novel by P.G. Wodehouse and the play by Wodehouse and Ian Hay. The production will run May 30 through June 27 at the Festival Theatre. Next stop, the West End?

P.S. In perhaps the most unsurprising news of the day, the Bombshell concert sold out in just over an hour. Of course it did.