Disney Channel will return its Marvel Studios-produced animated action series Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur for a sophomore season run on February 3.

The series will continue to follow the exploits of 13-year-old super-genius Lunella Lafayette and her 10-ton T-Rex dinosaur as they protect her New York City neighborhood from danger, according to the network. Diamond White will return as the voice of Lafayette for the second season along with series regulars Alfre Woodard, Fred Tatasciore, Libe Barer, Gary Anthony Williams and Laurence Fishburne. 

Season two will feature guest stars Jonathan Banks, Cynthia Erivo, Giancarlo Esposito, Andy Garcia, Arsenio Hall, Edward James Olmos, Robin Thede, and Peter Weller.

Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is executive produced by Fishburne and Steve Loter.

Veteran TV, film and stage actor Laurence Fishburne takes a seat in the producer’s chair with the original animated series Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, debuting on Disney Channel February 10.

The series, based on the Marvel Comics franchise of the same name, follows a gifted 13-year-old girl who doubles as a superhero protecting her New York City neighborhood with the help of a huge red dinosaur, according to Disney Channel. 

The Emmy and Tony Award-winning Fishburne, who has appeared in such television shows as Black-ish and such films as The Matrix, Tuskegee Airmen and Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp, is an executive producer for Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur along with Steve Loter. He also has a guest appearance in the show as the voice of the all-powerful character the Beyonder. Fishburne discussed the series with B+C Multichannel News in an interview edited for space and clarity. 

B+C: What drew you to the Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur project?  

Laurence Fishburne: [Series main character] Lunella Lafayette is the first teenage African-American superhero in the MCU, which is unique and special. It made people very excited, so we thought, ‘Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work on the project.’ It’s one of the most fantastic animated experiences that has come along in a long time.   

B+C: How important was it for you to be involved both behind the scenes as executive producer as well as on-screen as one of the characters in the series? 

LF: I initially came on board as executive producer, and someone asked, would you think about doing a voice [for the series], so I said OK. [Laughs.]  I’ve always loved animation and cartoons. [Looney Tunes voice actor] Mel Blanc is one of my heroes, and [Hanna-Barbera voice actor] Daws Butler was one of my heroes. They were great animated actors who worked in animation way back in the day. So the opportunity to perform one of the voices in this show was something I couldn’t say no to.

B+C: The Marvel Universe has so many fans across multiple platforms. Do you think Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur can reach beyond the tween Disney Channel target audience and draw in Marvel fans? 

LF: Like Lunella’s family, our target audience is the entire family. Both [Steve Loter] and I are Marvel fans, so we have aimed to please our fellow fans as we’ve made this show. ■

Laurence Fishburne opened up about his career, the Black-ish universe and working with Cicely Tyson Friday, during an “In Conversation” session at the 2021 SCAD aTVFest.

Fishburne, who was honored with the SCAD aTVFest Lifetime Achievement Award, said he is always trying to look forward.

“I think what that does is it allows me to remain curious and excited about the possibilities,” he told moderator Angelique Jackson, a film and media reporter at Variety.

Over his 50-year career, he has starred on the big and small screen in films such as Apocalypse Now, The Matrix and Hoodlum and series such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Hannibal, and most recently Black-ish.

“It’s just a different medium,” said Fishburne. “I’m an artist and like any artist they work in pencil, and they work in watercolor or they can work in oil. It’s just a different medium. It’s all acting. It’s all like painting or drawing or sketching.”

But, said Fishburne, there is a difference between working in film and TV.

“Because of the fact that television is in the home, you don’t have to go to the television,” he said. “You turn the television on and you become a member of the family when you’re on television. So there’s a familiarity. There’s a closeness that is different than the intimacy of watching a film or the intimacy of being in the theater.”

Fishburne has spent a lot of time in the home lately with his turn as Pops in the ABC sitcom Black-ish. Now in its seventh season, the series has spawned multiple spinoffs, including Grown-ish, Mixed-ish, and the upcoming Old-ish, which will star Fishburne as Pops and Jenifer Lewis as Ruby.

“I came to this thing [Black-ish] thinking, ‘Wow, are we really going to do this? Are we really going to do this? Are we really going to do this?,’” he said. “And then suddenly it was like ‘oh my God, they’re going to put us behind Modern Family. We might be a big hit.’”

“So I was more surprised than you can even imagine just that Black-ish was a success," he added. "The fact that Grown-ish came along and then Mixed-ish came along is just beyond my wildest dreams. It is so wonderful.”

Since Old-ish is still in development, Fishburne couldn’t say much about the show. But he did say the series will look at Pops’ and Ruby’s relationship in a different context, a “world of their own making with other people their own age.”

“It’s gonna be I think a marvelous exploration of what it is to be part of the, living in the age of elegance and mastery,” he said. 

Fishburne also talked about working with Cicely Tyson, who died in January at 96. 

“Cicely, as grand as she may have appeared to be was fundamentally a humble person,” he said. “I think she had tremendous humility and at the same time she had tremendous personal power.”

“But it was because she walked with gratitude and with grace that she had those things,” he continued. “She was not just an example of how to be in the world, particularly for Black women in the world, but for Black people she was an example of how to celebrate ourselves, our culture, our beauty, our intelligence, our artistry, our culture and ultimately our humanity. And that was really visible not just in her work but in her life and the way that she lived it.”

Also Read: TV Industry Remembers, Celebrates Cicely Tyson

History has tapped Laurence Fishburne to host a new non-fiction series that will look at infamous mysteries throughout history.

The series, History's Greatest Mysteries, will investigate the circumstances surrounding such iconic historical mysteries as the Titanic, Roswell, the Bermuda Triangle and John Wilkes Booth, that have captured the fascination and attention of millions, according to the network. 

Each program within the franchise will showcase fresh, new evidence and perspectives including never-before-released documents to the general public, personal diaries and DNA evidence to unearth brand-new information about these infamous and enigmatic chapters in history, said History officials.

Fishburne (Black-ish, John Wick, The Matrix) will host and narrate the series, which is set to debut later this summer, according to History.

“Our audience has an interest in the full story behind iconic historical moments,” said Eli Lehrer, Executive Vice President and General Manager for History in a statement. “This new banner will change the way we look at history as we know it, while sparking new, compelling conversations.”

PASADENA, Calif. -- BET has renewed its drama series Being Mary Jane for a fourth season, the network announced Wednesday at the Television Critics Association press tour.

Series star Gabrielle Union and BET president of programming Stephen Hill announced the renewal during BET’s morning TCA panel session.

The series, which follows the complicated life of a female journalist, ended its third season on a high note, generating 1.7 million viewers for its Dec. 15 finale.

Hill also announced BET will develop a miniseries based on Nelson Mandela starring Laurence Fishburne.

Visit our TCA16 page for more coverage from TCA's Winter Tour in Pasadena.