What Kate Winslet Said About Mare of Easttown Season 2

Mare of Easttown was initially released as a mini-series in 2021, but fans wanted more. There has been talk of a second season over the years, but it now appears to be gaining momentum. Winslet told TVLine: “There were proper conversations around a timeframe when it could be possible. And so I think we probably will do it, and that’s the first time I’ve felt that.“

Winslet cautioned that the second season is unlikely to start shooting until sometime in 2027, so there’s still a way to go before this becomes official.

Mare of Easttown stars Winslet as a small-town Pennsylvania police detective who is investigating the death of a teenage mother, all while trying to keep her professional and personal lives separate. The series earned rave reviews upon its release. It also earned 16 Emmy Award nominations and won four, including Outstanding Lead Actress for Winslet. The finale was the most-watched episode on HBO Max at the time.

Kate Winslet and Creator Brad Ingelsby Have Said that They Would Return

After the series wrapped up, Winslet said she would “absolutely love to play Mare again. I miss her. I really do. It’s the strangest thing. I feel like I’m in mourning. It was an absolutely wonderful role… There’s something very addictive about Mare, because she’s so outrageous and lovable and brilliant and real, you know? I loved playing her.“

Series creator Brad Ingelsby also didn’t rule out another season, provided he had a good idea. “It was always conceived as one season. If I had a great idea, I guess, I would consider it. If I was convinced I could do justice to the characters and the world and also the fans who have embraced the show,” he said. “So, it’s never say never. I don’t have that idea right now. But if I had an idea that I was convinced could be great and would allow us to spend time with these people, and also be a great mystery and thriller, then I would definitely consider it. I don’t have that idea at the moment, but I would definitely consider it because I love Mare and I love Helen, and the idea that they get to spend time in my living room again would be hilarious to me.“

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Going from Agatha to another witch character feels like a bit of a typecast, but Hahn is just so good it’s hard to resist, and I’m sure she would absolutely devour this role.

Who Will Play Rapunzel and Flynn Rider in Tangled?

Teagan Croft (Titans) will play Rapunzel and Milo Manheim (Zombies) will play Flynn Rider. Not the most well-known names, but they could rise to instant stardom should the film take off. For every Snow White, there’s a Lilo & Stitch, which grossed over $1 billion last year.

Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) is directing the live-action film, which will feature significant musical elements, much like the original movie. Jennifer Laytin Robinson (I Know What You Did Last Summer) penned the script.

Based on the retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, the original Tangled told the story of a long-lost princess (Mandy Moore) desperate to leave the confines of her isolated tower. But when a runaway thief (Zachary Levi) stumbles upon her, she leaves to experience a world which she has never seen.

Kathryn Hahn is Also Starring in Madden

Hahn will next be seen starring alongside Nicolas Cage and Christian Bale in David O. Russell’s Madden movie, which is set to be released on Prime Video on November 26.

Disney’s Next Live-Action Movie

Before we get the Tangled, Disney will be releasing a live-action adaptation of Moana. The film stars Catherine Lagaʻaia as Moana and Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as the trickster god Maui. Based on the teaser trailer released last year, it appears to be nearly identical to the 2016 animated movie, which leads me to wonder… what’s the point? Oh right. Money. Moana will hit theaters on July 10, 2026.

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What Do We Know About Sweet Vengeance?

De Palma first teased the project in 2018, saying it’s “inspired by two true stories of murders” and by true-crime content. “For 30 or 40 years I have seen a number of true stories of crimes presented on television, as in the program 48 Hours,” he said. “I’m interested in how they tell the story of the crime, so I’ll do it the way they do it on television, based on two real cases.“

At the time, it was reported that Wagner Moura (Narcos) would be starring in Sweet Vengeance, but it’s unclear if he’s still attached after all these years.

De Palma Said His Last Film Was a “Horrible Experience”

De Palma’s last film, Domino, starred Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as a Danish police officer out to avenge the murder of his partner. The film was a critical and commercial disappointment after being released direct-to-VOD in 2019, and it doesn’t sound like De Palma had much fun with it, with the director even calling it a “horrible experience.“

“‘Domino’ is not my project, I did not write the script,” he said (via The Playlist). “It is the revenge story of a revenge of a cop duo against terrorists who killed another. But the whole political aspect will be very little exploited, the film was more for me a new opportunity to explore a visual narrative. In the film, terrorists are obsessed with the idea that their actions are instantly visible live on the Internet or on TV.“

“I had a lot of problems in financing [‘Domino’],” he continued. “I never experienced such a horrible movie set. A large part of our team has not even been paid yet by the Danish producers. The film is finished and ready to go out, but I have no idea what its future will hold, it is currently in the hands of the producers. This was my first experience in Denmark and most likely my last.“

It’s easy to dismiss some of De Palma’s late-career output, but let’s not forget that this is the man who gave us Carrie, Blow Out, Scarface, Body Double, The Untouchables, Carlito’s Way, Mission: Impossible, and so much more. He deserves at least one more film that he’s happy with.

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About seven years ago,  it was announced that a reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was in development with Monica Owusu-Breen, co-creator of the TV show Midnight, Texas, writing, executive producing, and serving as showrunner. It was said that the new show would be “contemporary, building on the mythology of the original.” That project never made it into production – and earlier this year, it was revealed that we’re going to be getting a Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival instead, with Sarah Michelle Gellar returning to the role of Buffy Summers and Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, Eternals) directing the first episode. The new show is called Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale and the pilot episode was filmed months ago. Now, during an interview on the Shut Up Evan podcast, Gellar said she wants to make sure this revival is perfect before it’s shown to the world.

Cast and Creative Team

Teenage actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong (Firestarter) has been cast as a new slayer, an introverted high school student named Nova. Also in the cast are Faly Rakotohavana (Unprisoned), Ava Jean (Law & Order: SVU), Sarah Bock (Severance), Daniel Di Tomasso (CSI: Vegas) and Jack Cutmore-Scott (Frasier) are also in the cast, taking on the series regular roles of Hugo, a privileged, likable high-school student who is a geek; Larkin, another student described as a “chronic do-gooder”; Gracie, the ringleader for a group of church-going students; Abe, Nova’s single father who is a photojournalist; and Mr. Burke, a popular high school teacher. Kingston Vernes (The Survivor) has been cast as Nova’s crush, Carson, and will be a guest star in the pilot, but Carson is envisioned as being a major recurring character if the project goes to series. He’s “a Junior Olympian and popular student at New Sunnydale Academy who is the object of Nova’s crush and starts noticing her after a life-changing event.” Chase Sui Wonders (I Know What You Did Last Summer 2025) makes a guest appearance in the pilot. Merrin Dungey (The Lincoln Lawyer), Audrey Hsieh (Found), and Audrey Grace Marshall (The Flight Attendant) are guest stars in the pilot, but they could have recurring roles if the show is ordered to series. Dungey’s character is Ms. LaDuca, the college counselor at New Sunnydale Academy. Hsieh and Marshall play Keiko and Jessica, high school students and members of the academy’s Evangelical Christian group.

Oscar-winning director Zhao, who is a self-professed lifelong Buffy fan, is directing the pilot from a script by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman (Poker Face). The revival is coming our way from 20th Television and Searchlight TV, where Zhao has a first-look deal. Deadline recently said that the revival would be “starting a writers room soon, a sign that Hulu and the studios have high expectations for the project going to series. It is unclear yet whether other original Buffy cast members would return; that is considered likely.”

This is being referred to as “the next chapter in the Buffyverse.” The revival is being executive produced by Gellar, Zhao, and the Zuckermans, as well as the original series’ executive producers Gail Berman of the Jackal Group and Fran Kuzui and Kaz Kuzui of Suite B. Also executive producing the pilot is Dolly Parton, whose company Sandollar was behind the original show. In case you’re wondering, “Buffy creator Joss Whedon, who also wrote the 1992 movie the series was based on, has no involvement in the reboot. He has not worked in Hollywood in any official capacity since facing a slew of misconduct allegations in 2021.”

The Latest from Gellar

During her Shut Up Evan interview, Gellar said (with thanks to our friends at Bloody Disgusting for the transcription), “I never saw how to do (a revival). I never saw how and why it could be as good. I’m not trying to be better, I just want to hold up. I want to hold and honor the memory and what we created. I know sometimes that memory is conflicted for people about how they’re supposed to feel about it, but a lot of people put their blood, sweat, and tears into making what I think is an incredibly great show, and I’m incredibly proud of it. Chloé Zhao came to me – and not just her passion, because I’ve seen people with passion before, but she knew how to go into the world, she knew what the world was, and she knew the why. And that was the first time I said, ‘Maybe, could I possibly do this?’ And this went on for, what, three years now of me and Chloé going back and forth — saying I could do it, saying I can’t — and really spending the time to develop what it is and why it is. We’re still working on that, why and how. We live in a society where we want binging, we want it now, and I know this seems like it’s taking a long time. And it’s because, unless we are sure that it is exactly what we we set out to do and that it makes sense to do it, we don’t want to sully the legacy by not. When I know it’s perfect, it will be out there, but I won’t do it unless I know it can be that.“

Are you looking forward to seeing Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy again in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale, and are you glad to hear that she has high standards for the show? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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A chapter in pop culture history seemingly ended when MTV shut down its music-related channels at the start of the new year. However, the main channel, which had veered away from actual music video programming for years, will be the remaining outlet of the station. MTV is largely concentrated on reality television shows. One of the former staples of the channel was Jackass, starring Johnny Knoxville. After experiencing 16, maybe 17 concussions, an orbital fracture, and several broken bones, Knoxville has made a career by putting himself (and his friends) through hell and back thanks to the extreme stunts and pranks performed in the Jackass series.

Knoxville Makes an Announcement

As Paramount prepares to announce their slate (as they recover from yet another rejection from Warner Bros.), the first announcement comes from Johnny Knoxville himself. Deadline reports that the comedic personality has taken to his Instagram to announce a new Jackass film that is slated to be released on June 26 of this year. His Instagram post reads,

Well a wang dang and hot damn doodle, we are starting the year off with a bang. We wanted to let you know that this summer Jackass is back!! We will see you in theatres June 26th. More to come but wanted you to hear it from us first!!”

Knoxville’s Fear Factor

Meanwhile, you can catch Knoxville on another extreme reality show when he hosts Fear Factor: House of Fear, which will premiere on Fox this month. “Johnny Knoxville is the champion of fearless entertainment,” said Fox President Michael Thorn in a statement during the premiere of Fear Factor: The Next Chapter. “His wild sense of humor, unmatched ability to push boundaries and take on the extreme makes him the perfect fit to lead this bold new reinvention of Fear Factor.“

Sharon Levy, CEO, Endemol Shine North America, added, “When you reimagine a series as legendary as Fear Factor, you need a host who is the epitome of daring charisma and spectacle, and that’s Johnny Knoxville personified. We’ll be pushing fear and social strategy to places that will redefine reality competition, which makes Johnny the perfect host for what will be a wild, unforgettable ride, and we’re beyond excited to see him unleash all the fear and the fun on our contestants and our viewers.“

What about Bam Margera?

In a welcome sign for fans, Variety reports that Bam Margera, who has openly feuded with the Jackass crew since being dismissed from Jackass Forever for allegedly not living up to the terms of a “wellness agreement”, has signed a deal with Paramount to return to the franchise – albeit in a limited way. According to the article, Margera has licensed never-before-seen archival footage to the production, but is not expected to participate in any new stunts at the moment. While the latter aspect is disappointing, the fact that Margera is allowing unused footage to appear in the film is a positive sign, so hopefully he’s made peace with Knoxville and the gang and will once again take his rightful place in the franchise.

Are you excited about a new Jackass flick? Let us know in the comments!

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Rental Family arrives on digital platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home, on January 13, followed by a Blu-ray release on February 17.

What is Rental Family about?

Set in modern-day Tokyo, Hiraki’s Rental Family stars Academy Award–winning Brendan Fraser as a has-been American actor searching for purpose and belonging in a society where he feels increasingly adrift. An unexpected acting call leads him to a “rental family” agency, where he is hired to play stand-in roles for strangers seeking connection. As performance begins to blur with reality, the immersive role-playing awakens his humanity and compassion, drawing him deeply into his clients’ lives and pushing him off-script whenever his empathetic heart takes over. Searchlight’s Rental Family channels the emotional depth of award-winning director, producer, and co-writer Hiraki (Beef, Tokyo Vice, 37 Seconds), who believes cinema “allows us to view others with empathy, creates space for conversation, and see parts of ourselves we did not know existed.”

What are the bonus features that come with Rental Family?

Digital & Blu-ray Bonus Materials*

• Featurette: Rental Family Revealed — Go behind the scenes with Brendan Fraser, director HIKARI, and the Japanese cast as they explore friendship, culture, found family, and filming in Japan in this intimate look at the making of Rental Family.
• Deleted/Extended Scenes:
  • Columbus
  • Crying Session
  • Apology
  • Aiko’s First Client
  • Clearbright
  • Tickets
  • Audition
  • Phone Call
  • Final Montage

*Bonus features may vary by product and retailer.

Our thoughts on Rental Family

JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray reviewed Rental Family for the site, giving Hiraki’s unique and sentimental comedy a score of 7 out of 10.

“While probably too low-key and minor to make a big impact at the box office or with critics, Rental Family is still a lovely movie, with Fraser given a nice showcase as his career once again starts to lift off,” Chris wrote in his review. “It’s a quirky comedy-drama, but it also provides interesting insight into how loneliness isn’t exclusive to any particular culture, and that at the end of the day people the world over likely crave the same things—friendship and family.”

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I’ve been a Star Trek fan for nearly my entire life. My father introduced me to the franchise through the original films, and I still remember him telling me about the infamous Star Trek odd/even movie curse. The theory is simple: the odd-numbered entries in the theatrical series are supposedly weaker than their even-numbered counterparts. But does that reputation actually hold up across all 13 Star Trek movies? Let’s break them down one by one and see if the critics’ verdict proves whether the curse is fact or fiction.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

A mysterious, immensely powerful alien entity called V’Ger heads toward Earth, forcing Admiral Kirk to reunite the Enterprise crew to uncover its origins and stop it before Earth is destroyed.

In the decade following the cancellation of The Original Series, Star Trek had only grown in popularity. Syndication turned it into a cultural phenomenon, and with the massive success of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Star Wars, Paramount decided the time was right to bring the franchise to the big screen. Unfortunately, while Star Trek: The Motion Picture boasted stunning visuals and an iconic Jerry Goldsmith score, it was also glacially paced and sorely lacking in urgency. Reviews were mixed, and the film currently holds a 51% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, it performed well enough at the box office for Paramount to greenlight a sequel—otherwise, we might not even be talking about the infamous odd/even movie curse today.

As a kid, The Motion Picture felt every bit like the “motionless picture” critics joked about. With age, though, I’ve come to appreciate it more. There’s something undeniably special about seeing the original cast reunited, soaking in those gorgeous, lingering shots of the Enterprise, and listening to Goldsmith’s all-timer score. There’s a lot to admire here, but there’s no denying that there was plenty of room for improvement.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Kirk faces his greatest enemy when Khan Noonien Singh seeks revenge, leading to a deadly showdown that tests leadership, sacrifice, and the cost of command.

Thankfully, Star Trek came roaring back with its first sequel. The Wrath of Khan isn’t just one of the best Star Trek movies ever made—it’s one of the greatest sci-fi films, period. Stripped of excess and packed with emotion, the film plays like a lean, mean submarine thriller set in space, with the cast delivering some of their finest work. Ricardo Montalbán returned as Khan, reprising the role he first played in The Original Series episode “Space Seed,” and absolutely devoured the screen. His performance was so iconic that nearly every Star Trek movie that followed spent years chasing that same lightning in a bottle.

Critics embraced The Wrath of Khan, hailing it as everything The Motion Picture should have been. The film currently sits at an impressive 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, and just like that, the infamous odd/even movie curse was born.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

After Spock’s death, Kirk defies Starfleet orders to recover his friend’s body, risking everything to reunite Spock’s mind and soul.

Picking up directly after the events of The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock can’t help but feel like a step down by comparison. It never reaches the same highs as its predecessor, but—much like The Motion Picture—it’s a sequel I’ve come to appreciate more with time. The film is slower and more intimate, driven less by spectacle than by themes of loyalty, friendship, and sacrifice. The destruction of the Enterprise and the death of Kirk’s son, David, remain landmark moments for the franchise, underscoring just how much is lost in the name of devotion.

Notably, audiences don’t see Leonard Nimoy’s Spock until the film’s closing moments, a choice that makes his return all the more powerful. “Jim. Your name… is Jim.”

I’d argue that The Search for Spock is one of the franchise’s most underrated entries. While it holds a respectable 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s still widely viewed as a comedown from The Wrath of Khan, meaning the odd/even curse remains firmly intact.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

To save Earth from an alien probe, the Enterprise crew travels back to 1980s San Francisco to retrieve humpback whales.

With no space battles, phaser fights, or even a traditional villain, The Voyage Home takes a sharp turn toward lighter, more comedic territory—but it’s packed with memorable moments and features a cast clearly having the time of their lives. Star Trek has no shortage of time-travel stories, but The Voyage Home remains one of the franchise’s most accessible entries, especially for newcomers, since much of the action unfolds in what was then the present day. At the same time, it never forgets longtime fans, smartly continuing threads from the previous two films and bringing the Genesis Trilogy to a satisfying close.

The movie is also genuinely hilarious, embracing a full-on fish-out-of-water vibe as the Enterprise crew grapples with money, annoying punks, and “barbaric” 20th-century hospitals. Critics and audiences alike embraced the film, which currently holds an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, an improvement over The Search for Spock and enough to keep the odd/even curse going.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

Spock’s half-brother hijacks the Enterprise in a quest to find God at the center of the galaxy, forcing Kirk to confront faith, friendship, and free will.

With The Final Frontier, Star Trek finally arrived at its first genuinely bad movie. After Leonard Nimoy successfully helmed the previous two films, William Shatner stepped behind the camera for his turn in the director’s chair—but the result is a mess buried under shoddy effects, weak villains, and extensive behind-the-scenes turmoil that prevented Shatner from fully realizing his vision. The film aims to explore profound ideas about faith and meaning, but it often fails to engage effectively. That’s a shame, because there are sparks of something worthwhile here.

The opening campfire scene with Kirk, Spock, and Bones—campy as it may be—perfectly captures how close these characters have become. Even when the movie falters, it’s that camaraderie that keeps things watchable. That said, it’s definitely the Star Trek sequel I revisit the least.

Sitting at a dismal 22% on Rotten Tomatoes, The Final Frontier is the lowest-rated theatrical Star Trek film—but hey, at least it does its part to keep the odd/even curse alive for another entry.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

With peace negotiations underway between the Federation and the Klingons, Kirk and McCoy are framed for assassination, threatening to plunge the galaxy into war.

The Final Frontier very nearly marked the end of the line for the original cast. After that film crashed and burned, Paramount began exploring a Starfleet Academy movie that would have recast Kirk, Spock, and McCoy with younger actors. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, and the decision was made to give these beloved characters a proper send-off. Bringing The Wrath of Khan director Nicholas Meyer back into the fold proved to be the smartest move possible. The Undiscovered Country emerged as a sharp, politically charged thriller that also functioned as a classy and emotional farewell.

My dad always loves to quote the warden at Rura Penthe. “Work well, and you will be treated well. Work badly… and you will die.”

The film delivered everything fans could want from a Star Trek movie: suspense, adventure, rich character moments, and one of the franchise’s great villains in Christopher Plummer’s Shakespeare-quoting General Chang. The Undiscovered Country marked a major rebound, earning rave reviews and sitting at 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, while also becoming a solid box-office hit with nearly $100 million worldwide. Can you imagine if The Final Frontier had been the franchise’s final word? No thank you.

Alongside The Wrath of Khan and The Voyage Home, The Undiscovered Country remains one of my all-time favourite Star Trek films, and its success, coming after such a low point, only helped cement the legend of the odd/even movie curse among fans.

Star Trek Generations (1994)

The original crew passes the torch to The Next Generation as Picard teams up with Kirk to stop a madman seeking godlike power within the Nexus.

The studio wanted Generations on screens as quickly as possible, with production kicking off while the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation was still finishing the series finale, “All Good Things.” A little breathing room might have helped, if only to give them time to reset before jumping straight into a feature film. On paper, the idea of bringing Jean-Luc Picard and James T. Kirk together is irresistible, but when the movie finally reaches that historic meeting, it feels oddly rushed and underwritten, never delivering the epic clash of philosophies fans had been promised. And then there’s the death of Kirk. Rather than going out in a blaze of glory, the legendary captain is reduced to dying beneath a collapsing bridge. Yes, his actions save an entire solar system, but it still feels like Kirk deserved a better send-off.

That said, Generations isn’t a bad movie, at least in my eyes. Patrick Stewart delivers some of his most vulnerable work as Picard grapples with personal loss, and seeing the TNG cast finally get their moment on the big screen is every bit as exciting as it was when the original crew made the jump to cinemas with The Motion Picture. And much like that first original-cast outing, the Next Generation crew would fare far better the second time around.

Sitting at 48% on Rotten Tomatoes, Generations lands squarely in mid-tier Star Trek territory, with the odd/even curse marching on.

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

The Borg travel back in time to prevent humanity’s first contact with aliens, forcing Picard to confront his past trauma while defending Earth’s future.

With First Contact, the Next Generation cast absolutely knocked it out of the park. The film leans heavily into action without ever losing sight of the characters we know and love. The Borg are reintroduced as a genuinely terrifying threat, the stakes are immediate, and once the movie kicks into gear, it never lets up. Where First Contact truly excels, though, is with Jean-Luc Picard. Patrick Stewart delivers one of his strongest performances as Picard confronts the lingering trauma of his assimilation, pushing the character into darker, angrier territory than we’d ever seen before. His obsessive need to stop the Borg — even at the cost of his own principles — gives the film real emotional weight. And then there’s Alice Krige as the chilling, seductive Borg Queen, easily the most memorable villain of the TNG films.

Despite its darker edge, First Contact is ultimately uplifting, with the entire crew working together to protect humanity’s future and ensure that we’ll all continue to boldly go where no one has gone before. The film was a genuine blockbuster, embraced by critics and audiences alike. Sitting at an impressive 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, First Contact is one of the highest-rated Star Trek movies in the franchise, and once again, the odd/even curse holds true.

Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

Picard rebels against Starfleet when a peaceful alien race is threatened, turning the Enterprise into a symbol of moral resistance.

Coming off the high of First Contact, Insurrection had an almost impossible act to follow, and unfortunately, it couldn’t rise to the challenge. The film feels less like a cinematic event and more like an extended two-part episode of The Next Generation. That isn’t inherently a bad thing, but it’s a tough sell for audiences expecting another big-screen spectacle. At its core, Insurrection presents a classic Star Trek moral dilemma, pitting Starfleet’s ideals against political compromise. Picard’s decision to rebel against the Federation in order to protect the Ba’ku taps directly into the franchise’s ethical backbone, and Patrick Stewart once again reminds us why Picard remains one of Trek’s greatest captains.

The movie also finds time for smaller, genuinely heartfelt moments, including a lovely scene in which LeVar Burton’s Geordi La Forge briefly regains his sight and witnesses a sunrise for the first time.

Unfortunately, the stakes feel oddly low, the villainous Son’a are underwhelming, and Picard’s romantic subplot lands awkwardly at best. Insurrection is pleasant enough, but ultimately forgettable. Sitting at 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, it once again lands in mid-tier Star Trek territory. Still, if the odd/even curse continues, that means the next film should be great… right?

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

Picard faces Shinzon, a deadly clone with ties to his own past, leading to a personal and tragic final mission for the TNG crew.

Well, folks, this is where the odd/even curse finally comes to an end. Nemesis arrived promising something darker, more personal, and more cinematic — and on paper, it should have worked. The idea of Picard confronting a clone of himself is a strong hook, raising questions about nature versus nurture, identity, and the thin line between hero and villain. Tom Hardy, in his first major role, brings genuine intensity to Shinzon, and early on, there’s a sense that the film is aiming to be the Next Generation crew’s answer to The Wrath of Khan.

Unfortunately, the execution falls short. The tone is relentlessly grim, draining the warmth and camaraderie that defined The Next Generation, while much of the supporting cast is sidelined. Troi, in particular, is given some painfully ill-conceived material that feels out of step with the series’ values. Nemesis didn’t just fail as a sequel — it fundamentally misunderstood what The Next Generation was.

Worst of all, Nemesis feels oddly embarrassed to be Star Trek. The optimism, curiosity, and moral clarity that once defined the franchise are replaced with bleakness and generic sci-fi. The emotional sacrifice of Data does tug at the ol’ heartstrings, but by the time the credits roll, it doesn’t feel like a grand farewell; it feels like a franchise running out of steam. Sitting at 37% on Rotten Tomatoes, Nemesis wasn’t just a critical disappointment; it effectively brought the TNG film series to a halt… while finally snapping the odd/even curse.

Star Trek (2009)

A time-travelling Romulan alters history, creating an alternate timeline as a young James T. Kirk and Spock rise to command the Enterprise.

With Nemesis finally bringing an end to the odd/even curse, the question became: what do we make of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot? Is it the franchise’s 11th film, or is it a fresh starting point? Either way, it’s technically an odd-numbered entry — yet it defies the odds by becoming the highest-rated movie in the entire series. From here on out, the curse stops being useful. Say what you will about the obsession with lens flares and over-the-top action, one thing is undeniable: the casting was absolutely spot-on.

Chris Pine’s James T. Kirk is effortlessly charismatic; Zachary Quinto gives Spock a sharp, emotionally guarded edge; Karl Urban is uncannily perfect as Bones; and Zoe Saldaña’s Uhura emerges as a fully realized character rather than just a voice on the bridge. By introducing a time-travel twist that creates a branching timeline, the movie cleverly rebooted the franchise without erasing what came before, honouring established canon while freeing itself from decades of continuity. That connection is further reinforced by the deeply emotional return of Leonard Nimoy as Spock from the Prime Universe. Seeing Nimoy as Spock on the big screen again for the first time in almost thirty years is one of my favourite moments of the entire franchise.

The film isn’t without its flaws. The lens flares were… a lot. Character development occasionally takes a backseat to action, Kirk’s rapid rise through the ranks strains credibility, and Eric Bana’s Nero is an underutilized villain. Still, these shortcomings are easy to overlook given the movie’s accomplishments. Star Trek injected the series with a much-needed shot of adrenaline and opened the door for an entirely new generation of fans. It’s no surprise the film sits atop the franchise with an impressive 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

The crew confronts the genetically enhanced terrorist John Harrison—revealed to be Khan—in a story of vengeance, loyalty, and sacrifice.

Like many sequels, Into Darkness arrived burdened with expectations of a bigger budget, bigger action, and higher stakes, and on a surface level, it delivers precisely that. The film is slick, fast, and aggressively polished, with returning director J.J. Abrams leaning even harder into full-blown blockbuster spectacle. The cast remains terrific across the board, and Benedict Cumberbatch brings a cold, commanding presence as John Harrison, the villain eventually revealed to be none other than Khan Noonien Singh.

Unfortunately, that reveal is where the movie begins to wobble. After Abrams and Cumberbatch spent months publicly denying Harrison’s true identity, audiences not only saw the twist coming — they were already irritated by it. Since this version of Kirk and Spock has never encountered Khan before, the reveal carries little narrative weight and exists almost entirely for the audience. Rather than becoming The Wrath of Khan for a new generation, Into Darkness plays like an awkward remix, right down to the inverted death scenes that mimic iconic moments without earning the same emotional impact, despite the strength of the new cast.

While fans were divided, critics and general audiences largely enjoyed the ride, with the film earning a solid 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. Personally, I would’ve preferred to see Into Darkness stand on its own instead of leaning so heavily on callbacks to a better movie. As for the odd/even curse? At this point, we’re officially off the rails. The film takes a dip from the 2009 reboot, but no matter how you slice it, it’s still an even-numbered entry — albeit one that refuses to play by the old rules.

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

Stranded on a hostile planet, the Enterprise crew must reunite and outthink a vengeful enemy while rediscovering the meaning of exploration.

We’ve arrived at the final — for now — film in the franchise, and it’s easily the most Star Trek-like entry in the Kelvin Universe. Beyond scales things back compared to its predecessors, but in doing so, it becomes more thoughtful, character-driven, and genuinely adventurous. Sofia Boutella’s Jaylah is a terrific new addition to the crew, injecting fresh energy into the mix. Idris Elba’s Krall, however, is more of a mixed bag. A late-film reveal adds some depth, but for much of the runtime, he plays like a fairly generic monster, which is a shame, given Elba’s considerable talent.

Like the previous two films, Beyond still delivers its share of blockbuster action, which certainly isn’t a bad thing. That said, it does make you wonder what a Kelvin Universe take on something like The Voyage Home or The Motion Picture might have looked like, a more purely sci-fi story driven by exploration, curiosity, and a sense of wonder. With the long-discussed fourth film now officially shelved in favour of yet another reboot, that particular “what if” may remain unanswered.

Still, Star Trek Beyond was warmly received, earning an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and widely viewed as a decent course correction after Into Darkness. It may have faltered at the box office, but it thankfully closed out the Kelvin era on a surprisingly heartfelt note.

What Did We Learn?

So, after all that, what have we actually learned? Does Star Trek’s infamous odd/even curse hold any real weight? I’d argue… yes, to a point. Up until Nemesis threw a wrench into the whole theory, the pattern was pretty straightforward: after a weaker entry, the franchise usually course-corrected with something stronger. For a while, it even felt like “every other movie is a letdown” might be the more accurate rule — but the back-to-back disappointments of Insurrection and Nemesis put that theory to rest pretty quickly.

Now it’s your turn. Did you ever buy into the odd/even curse to begin with? Do you secretly prefer some of the more divisive odd-numbered films over their beloved even-numbered counterparts? Let us know in the comments — and try not to start a Klingon blood feud while you’re at it.

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Nominees

These are the first DGA nominations Coogler and Safdie have ever received. It’s the second for Zhao, who won the honor in 2021 for that year’s Oscar Best Picture winner Nomadland, and the second for del Toro, who won in 2018 for his own Oscar Best Picture winner The Shape of Water. Anderson, who just won Best Director at the Critics Choice Awards, was previously nominated for There Will Be Blood and Licorice Pizza.

Here’s the list of this year’s DGA Awards nominees:

Theatrical Feature Film

PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON
One Battle After Another
Warner Bros

Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Manager: Will Weiske
• First Assistant Director: Adam Somner
• Second Assistant Director: Trevor Tavares, Ian Stone
• Second Second Assistant Director: Dominic Pacitti, Rafael Sanz-Jimenez
• Additional Second Assistant Director: Nuekellar Hardy, Chunning Chang, Kit Conners, Kasia Trojak, Tyler Young

RYAN COOGLER
Sinners
Warner Bros

Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Manager: Will Greenfield, Kenneth Yu
• First Assistant Director: Marvin Williams
• Second Assistant Director: Amir R. Khan
• Additional Second Assistant Director: Gregg Carr, Desiree Stevenson

GUILLERMO DEL TORO
Frankenstein
Netflix

Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Manager: J. Miles Dale
• First Assistant Director: Walter Gasparovic
• Second Assistant Director: Chad Belair

JOSH SAFDIE
Marty Supreme
A24

Directorial Team:

• Unit Production Manager: Anthony Katagas, Joe Guest
• First Assistant Director: Jeremy Marks
• Second Assistant Director: Zach Citarella
• Second Second Assistant Director: Kailyn Dabkowski
• Assistant Unit Production Manager: Max Samu, Suk Yi Mar, Samson Jacobson
• Location Manager: Matthew Kania, Ross Brodar

CHLOÉ ZHAO
Hamnet
Focus Features

First-Time Theatrical Feature Film

HASAN HADI
The President’s Cake
Sony Pictures Classics

HARRY LIGHTON
Pillion
A24

CHARLIE POLINGER
The Plague
Independent Film Company

ALEX RUSSELL
Lurker
Mubi

EVA VICTOR
Sorry, Baby
A24

What do you think of this year’s DGA Awards nominees… and how much attention do you pay to the awards season? Let us know by leaving a comment below. As for how much attention I pay to awards season… well, I used to watch the Oscars every year and loved the show, but at this point it’s been fifteen years since I actually sat through one of the ceremonies.

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Review: As the synopsis implies, His & Hers is about the very different sides to a story. When that story involves a brutal murder in a small town where the residents have long-standing histories with each other, the theories and accusations that fly can be damning for everyone involved. Based on the best-selling novel, His & Hers is a limited series that faithfully adapts Alice Feeney’s book while shifting the setting from a British village to the suburban outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia. With Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson in the lead, His & Hers is a sexy thriller that has more twists, red herrings, and misdirections in just six episodes than some series contain across multiple seasons. As crazy as this story is, His & Hers is a really entertaining watch.

It becomes apparent right from the outset that His & Hers will not follow the more traditional formula we have seen in other series. While thriller and mystery stories like Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, and The Woman in Cabin 10 have been structured around a major plot twist, His & Hers drops these constantly, with a handful coming within the first episode alone. The story follows Anna (Tessa Thompson), a news anchor who dropped off the radar after the death of her daughter, who happens to have direct knowledge regarding the murder of Rachel Hopkins (Jamie Tisdale). Detective Jack Harper (Jon Bernthal) is called in to investigate, along with his new partner, Priya (Sunita Mani), and they quickly clash with Anna. It is soon revealed that not only do Jack and Anna know each other intimately, but they also both have potential motives in the death of Rachel. Whether Jack or Anna committed the crime is teased through the series, but there is so much more going on in this show.

Like any whodunit, there is a cast of suspects ranging from Rachel’s cuckolded husband Clyde Duffie (Chris Bauer) to the severe headmistress at the local private school, Helen Wang (Poppy Liu), who also happened to be a member of a clique that Anna and Rachel were a part of as teenagers. There is Anna’s rival news anchor, Lexie (Rebecca Rittenhouse), and her husband, Richard (Pablo Schrieber), who is also Anna’s new cameraman as she returns to work as a reporter. If you recognize these actors, you also know they are all really attractive people, which is where His & Hers amps up the sexiness with all sorts of explicit happenings peppered through each chapter. His & Hers is not going to qualify as an erotic thriller, but there is certainly no lack of sexual energy pervading every inch. Add in additional characters like Jack’s unreliable sister, Zoe (Marin Ireland), and Anna’s mother, Alice (Crystal Fox), who is suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease, and you have countless angles and combinations of motive and opportunity that could have resulted in Rachel’s death, along with other bodies that begin to pile up.

By shifting the setting to Atlanta, His & Hers exudes a summer feeling perfect for warming up the January doldrums. The pervasive sound of cicadas and the glimmer of sweat during the outdoor scenes is palpable. It also helps that Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal have fantastic chemistry on screen. Each episode pulls the pair together before separating them as each investigates the central crime on their own, before inevitably running back into each other. In most stories like this, there are cops chasing criminals, but the blurred lines between guilty and innocent parties make it easier to distrust everyone and suspect everyone. Through that, both Anna and Jack are difficult to trust or believe in, as we see what they are guilty of. But, even knowing the truth as viewers, it is so easy to watch Thompson and Bernthal on screen. Tessa Thompson, who evoked a similar sultry nature in Hedda, slinks across the screen like a femme fatale. Bernthal, who affects a light Southern drawl, loses some of the gruffness in his signature roles as Frank Castle and Shane Walsh here but maintains an everyman approachability that feels violated by some of the actions Jack takes in the story. However, even when we know something is wrong, it is still fun to watch.

Created by William Oldroyd along with showrunner Dee Johnson, His & Hers stays very close to Alice Feeney’s novel in how the twists are revealed all the way through to the big shocker at the end. Oldroyd is best known for directing the films Lady Macbeth and the Anne Hathaway thriller Eileen, both of which were similarly intoxicating to watch as this series. Dee Johnson’s resume includes work on shows like ER, Melrose Place, and Southland, providing her with a solid foundation in both soapy melodrama and procedural series, both of which are key to making His & Hers work on multiple levels. William Oldroyd directed three episodes of the six-episode series, with the other chapters helmed by Anja Marquardt (The Girlfriend Experience). Oldroyd also wrote three episodes with Dee Johnson, while Tori Sampson and Bill Dubuque wrote the rest. The shorter length of the series never feels protracted or stunted, as it is just the right amount of time to stay faithful to Feeney’s novel. The development of the characters is perfectly paced to keep you guessing through all six episodes, but I am sure no one will see the ending coming.

A perfect series to watch in the depths of winter, His & Hers has all of the trappings of a guilty pleasure binge but delivered in a high-quality production. This is a very well-acted, written, and directed series, made stronger by the casting of Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal, who are perfectly suited opposite one another. Chemistry is a word thrown around often, but these two talented actors embody the word when they share the screen in His & Hers. Both Thompson and Bernthal are amazing to watch when they are apart, but when Anna and Jack share the screen, the show takes on another level. His & Hers may divide audiences by the time they reach the end of the finale, but even if you don’t buy the twist, I am sure you will be talking about it. His & Hers is exactly the type of quality we need more of, as it joins shows like The Beast in Me and movies like Wake Up, Dead Man as fun ways to talk about brutal killings.

His & Hers premieres on January 8th on Netflix.

His & Hers

GREAT

8

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Who are the creative forces behind Ritchson’s new project?

Principal photography on the project is set to begin this month at Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast. Ritchson is familiar with the area, having filmed the action thriller Runner, which Scott Waugh shot in Brisbane and the Gold Coast last year. Filmmaker Patrick Hughes (The Hitman’s Bodyguard, The Man from Toronto, The Expendables 3) is helming the untitled project, which Variety says “chronicles Thornton’s real-life survival story in the South China Sea that earned him a Congressional Medal of Honor.” In addition to Alan Ritchson, the Hughes-helmed project stars Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror, A Prayer Before Dawn) and Hoa Xuande (The Sympathizer, A Stitch in Time, Cowboy Bebop).

Joining Sylvester Stallone’s Balboa Productions as part of the production effort are Hidden Pictures’ Todd Lieberman and Alex Young, Ritchson’s AllyCat Entertainment, and Alan Rautbort. Executive producers are Valerie Bleth Sharp and Mike Thornton. When Hughes gets behind the camera, he’ll direct from a screenplay by Mark Semos (SEAL Team, Y: Marshals), Ritchson, and Jason Hall (American Sniper).

“This latest project for Amazon MGM Studios will create employment for around 260 local cast and crew while injecting an estimated AUD50 million ($33.5 million) into the Queensland economy and supporting numerous small businesses,” said Acting Minister for the Arts Tim Nicholls.

“Queensland crews have an internationally renowned reputation for delivering complex action films and series and it’s fantastic to start the new year with such an ambitious production coming into Village Roadshow Studios,” Screen Queensland CEO Jacqui Feeney said.

Ritchson and Hughes recently completed work on War Machine

Alan Ritchson and Patrick Hughes recently joined forces for War Machine, an action sci-fi thriller that follows the final recruits of a grueling special ops boot camp as they encounter a deadly force from beyond this world. Joshua Diaz, Dennis Quiad, Jai Courtney, and Esai Morales also star. That movie starts streaming on Netflix on March 6.

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Chris

There was a time when January was considered Hollywood’s ultimate dump month. Growing up in the 1990s and early 2000s, I vividly remember there being almost nothing worth seeing in theaters during early winter, as studios quietly released their weakest films after the holidays.

That perception has shifted in recent years. Studios have discovered that January audiences increasingly crave genre fare, particularly horror, thrillers, and high-concept spectacle. As a result, early winter has become fertile ground for movies that might once have been written off.

This weekend is a perfect example, with two notable genre releases hitting theaters: Primate, Paramount’s killer chimp thriller, and Greenland 2: Migration, the sequel to Gerard Butler’s 2020 disaster hit.

Which Movie Will Win the Box Office This Weekend?

First Place: Avatar: Fire and Ash

There’s little mystery at the top of the charts. Avatar: Fire and Ash is expected to continue its dominant run with an estimated $25 million weekend. While the film is past its initial surge, it remains the clear box-office leader.

Battle for Second Place: Primate vs. Greenland 2: Migration

Why Primate Has the Edge

I’m predicting second place will go to Primate. The film is earning strong reviews (including one from our own Mike Holtz), and the concept alone—a vicious killer chimp—feels tailor-made for post-holiday audiences looking for brain-off entertainment. Younger moviegoers, in particular, may be drawn to its outrageous genre appeal.

Why Greenland 2: Migration May Struggle

While Greenland 2: Migration has potential, Lionsgate’s release strategy could hurt its opening. The film is not opening theatrically in Canada, which is often a red flag for box-office performance. Based on past trends, movies that skip Canada typically struggle to exceed $8–9 million domestically.

Because of this, there’s a strong chance that holdovers like Zootopia 2 or even The Housemaid could leapfrog over it. It wouldn’t be shocking if Marty Supreme also outperformed expectations.

Box Office Predictions

1. Avatar: Fire and Ash – $25 million
2. Primate – $12 million
3. Zootopia 2 – $11 million
4. Greenland 2: Migration – $9 million
5. The Housemaid – $8 million

Final Takeaway

January may no longer be Hollywood’s dumping ground. With genre films finding eager audiences and big releases holding strong well into the new year, the early winter box office has become far more competitive—and unpredictable—than it once was.

What do you think will top the box office this weekend? Let us know in the comments!

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Last October, we heard that Rachel McAdams was in talks to reteam with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi on the 20th Century Studios horror thriller Send Help, which Raimi would be producing and directing. McAdams was quickly joined in the cast by Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner), Chris Pang (Interior Chinatown), and Dennis Haysbert (24). Filming began in early February, putting the film on track for a January 30th, 2026 theatrical release – and with that date right around the corner, a featurette has dropped online to let us know what Raimi, McAdams, and O’Brien have to say about the story and characters. Along the way, McAdams assures us that this film has “all of Sam’s great qualities to it,” which is nice to hear, given that Raimi is one of my favorite directors. You can watch the featurette at the bottom of this article.

Creative Team

In 2007, it was rumored that Sam Raimi would be producing a fantasy film with a screenplay written by Freddy vs. Jason and Friday the 13th 2009 writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. That didn’t pan out, but a decade later Raimi considered directing a Bermuda Triangle project that once had Shannon and Swift working on the script. Again, that didn’t pan out, with Scott Derrickson and more recently Marc Webb picking up the project after Raimi dropped it. In 2019, it was announced that Raimi would be directing an untitled island horror thriller, working from a script by Shannon and Swift. Then the pandemic hit and Raimi went on to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness… but now he has circled back to the island horror thriller, and A Quiet Place writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods have done a rewrite of the script. They previously worked with Raimi on the Adam Driver dinosaur movie 65 and the anthology series 50 States of Fright. They also wrote and executive produced the Stephen King adaptation The Boogeyman for 20th Century Studios.

Raimi is producing Send Help alongside Zainab Azizi, the President of his company Raimi Productions.

Survival Horror Thriller

When Send Help was first announced, it was said to be like “Misery meets Cast Away” in tone. That’s still the description being given, as Deadline mentioned, “the film is described as a two-hander horror thriller set on an island, falling somewhere between Rob Reiner’s Stephen King adaptation Misery and Robert Zemeckis’ classic Castaway.” They report that the film is a survival horror thriller about two colleagues who become stranded on a deserted island, the only survivors of a plane crash. On the island, they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it’s a battle of wills and wits to make it out alive.

Film scooper Daniel Richtman recently revealed that Send Help has the following logline: Comedy-adventure horror about a female put-upon employee and her jerk boss. On a business flight together with their company, the plane crashes on an island and only those two make it. She has serious survival skills which means she’s his only hope. Richtman also shared character details: LINDA: Smartest person in the room, but no one takes her seriously. Actor can’t be overly comedic, has to be believable in serious office setting. Eyed Sandra Bullock. BRADLEY: LINDA’S misogynistic boss.

I’m glad that Rachel McAdams landed the Linda role, and think it’s really cool that she’s working on a project like this with Sam Raimi, twenty years after she worked with another genre icon, Wes Craven, on the thriller Red Eye.

Raimi has described the film as being “really outrageous,” and I’m very much looking forward to this one, as “really outrageous” is exactly the sort of description I want to hear for a Sam Raimi horror thriller. Will you be watching Send Help? Take a look at the featurette, then let us know by leaving a comment below.

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For as long as I can remember, Mel Brooks has been a part of my life. When the family TV wasn’t displaying Muppets or horror movies, my parents loved to leave films from Brooks’s extensive library playing in the background. My folks were never strict about having the TV on during dinner time either, so there were plenty of times when I watched Spaceballs, Young Frankenstein, or History of the World: Part 1 while consuming chicken cutlets with a side of broccoli au gratin. That was a long time ago, and Mel Brooks is still kicking! He’s 99, in fact! Wild! To celebrate this legendary comedian, HBO is releasing the two-part documentary Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man, and today, we’ve got a trailer for the upcoming presentation.

Who’s directing the Mel Brooks documentary?

The upcoming two-part documentary, directed by award-winning filmmakers Judd Apatow (The Zen Diaries of Gary Shandling) and Michael Bonfiglio (George Carlin’s American Dream), debuts on Thursday, January 22 (8:00-9:45 p.m. ET/PT), followed by part two on Friday, January 23, on HBO. Both parts will be available to stream beginning Thursday, January 22, on HBO Max.

Here’s the official synopsis for Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man, courtesy of HBO Max:

Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man explores the life, career, friendships, and loves of legendary writer, director, producer, and performer, Mel Brooks. One of Hollywood’s most daring satirists from the early years of television sketch comedy through his film and stage hits, Brooks has held a funhouse mirror up to the human condition and used laughter as a path to resilience, connection, and joy for nearly a century.

Anchored by Apatow’s candid conversations with Brooks and rare archival footage of his performances and television appearances over decades, the two-part film chronicles his early sketches, landmark films and Broadway hits, such as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Spaceballs, and The Producers, and highlights how he turned personal pain, postwar trauma, and the absurdities of life into bold, hilarious satire that subverted norms and reshaped American comedy.

Who participates in the two-part doc?

The film features new interviews with Brooks himself, as well as the comedians he has inspired including Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler, Nick Kroll, Patton Oswalt, Dave Chappelle, Conan O’Brien, Josh Gad, Jimmy Kimmel, Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, and Tracey Ullman; filmmakers Rob Reiner, Robert Townsend, Peter Farrelly, Jerry & David Zucker, Barry Levinson, and David Lynch; actors Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, Cary Elwes, Matthew Broderick, and Nathan Lane; Brooks’ children Stefanie, Nicolas, Eddie, and Max; and granddaughter Samantha.

HBO shares details for both parts of the documentary:

Part One

Debut date: THURSDAY, JANUARY 22 (8:00-9:45 p.m. ET/PT)

Part one chronicles the early experiences that shaped Brooks’ comedic voice, from his childhood in Brooklyn, to his combat service in WWII, and the highs and lows of working in the Borscht Belt and the dawning era of television where, alongside Sid Caesar, Neil Simon, Larry Gelbert, and Carl Reiner, he laid the foundation for modern sketch comedy and created his indelible character “The 2000 Year Old Man.” Using a fear of failure to energize his creativity and turning to therapy at a time of personal challenges, he also drew upon his Jewish heritage and the prejudices that surrounded it to emerge as one of Hollywood’s most brazen satirists, writing and directing “The Producers” (1967), “The Twelve Chairs” (1970) and “Blazing Saddles” (1974). Following the dissolution of his first marriage, he married movie star Anne Bancroft, who buoyed him through the lean years and the frequent vitriol of critics, but an Academy Award for “The Producers” and a huge box office for “Blazing Saddles” established Brooks as an anarchic comedic force.

Part Two

Debut date: FRIDAY, JANUARY 23 (8:00-9:50 p.m. ET/PT)

Part two charts Brooks’ rise to superstardom and the enduring impact of his work on audiences and future generations of comedic writers and performers, while exploring his deep friendship with Carl Reiner, his creative relationships with Gene Wilder and others, his marriage of 41 years to Anne Bancroft and his family life with four children, illustrated by decades of personal archive. Inspired by his love of classic cinema and lavish Hollywood musicals, he wrote and directed “Young Frankenstein,” “Silent Movie,” “High Anxiety,” and “History of the World, Part 1,” continuing to use laughter as commentary on the absurdity of the human condition.  As a producer, Brooks branched out into drama with “The Elephant Man” and other acclaimed films, while still creating comedy classics like “Spaceballs” and “Robin Hood: Men in Tights.” In his seventies, Brooks set Broadway alight with the stage production of “The Producers,” winning a record-shattering 12 Tony awards. Brooks’ story is a masterclass in turning humor into courage, satire into empathy, and creativity into enduring influence.

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Filmmaker Johannes Roberts knows how to bring a little energy to his fright flicks, including his latest, Primate. Frankly, I dug his work on The Strangers: Prey at Night and 47 Meters Down, both of which had me giddy with fun frights. In Primate, he explores another wild animal. And this time, we meet Ben, the chimpanzee. Frankly, I’d hate to spoil anything for audiences. However, I will say that this one is far bloodier and more gruesome than you might expect. The cast is impressive, especially Johnny Sequoyah and Oscar-winning actor Troy Kotsur (Coda). And I cannot say enough about Miguel Torres Umba as Ben.

I went into Primate, only watching the trailer. And when I sat down with Johnny Sequoyah, Troy Kotsur, and Johannes Roberts, the film impressed me even more. With the use of practical effects, Primate manages to create one of the most realistic cinematic animals I’ve witnessed. Ben is a fascinating character, and he came up often during the conversations.

Both Johnny and Troy discussed working with Mr. Roberts and finding the reality in their characters. As well, they had high praise for their on-screen co-star. I’ve admired Troy’s work for quite a while now, and I was equally impressed by Ms. Sequoyah here. As for Johannes, I had the pleasure of meeting the director back when The Strangers: Prey at Night was released, and thoroughly enjoyed meeting him back then. And it was terrific speaking with him about Ben, and this modern man-versus-nature creature feature.

Primate opens this Friday. You can check out our own Mike Holtz’s very positive take here.

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Neon announced today that they will be giving director Oliver Laxe’s survival drama Sirāt a theatrical release in New York (at Film at Lincoln Center and IFC Center) and in Los Angeles (at Landmark’s Nuart Theatre and AMC Burbank 16) on Friday, February 6, with a nationwide rollout to follow in later February. Along with that announcement comes the unveiling of a trailer for the film, which can be seen in the embed above. Sirāt previously had a one-week Academy qualifying run in November. 

Accolades

A press release let us know that, “since it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival where it won the Jury Prize, the film has emerged as one of the most acclaimed international films of the year. Sirāt is nominated for 2 Golden Globes including Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Score, and 9 European Film Awards including Best European Film, Best Director, Actor, Screenwriter, Casting Director, Cinematographer, Editor, Production Designer and Sound Designer.  The film is also shortlisted in 5 categories for the 2026 Academy Awards including Best International Feature (Spain), Best Casting, Best Cinematography, Best Music (Original Score) and Best Sound. The movie is also nominated for 4 London Critics’ Circle Film Awards including Film of the Year, Foreign Language Film of the Year, Director of the Year and Technical Achievement for Laia Casanovas in Sound.”

Cast and Synopsis

Directed by Oliver Laxe (Fire Will Come) from a script he crafted with Santiago Fillol, the film has the following synopsis: A father (Sergi López) and his son arrive at a rave deep in the mountains of southern Morocco. They are searching for Mar — daughter and sister — who vanished months ago at one of these endless, sleepless parties. Surrounded by electronic music and a raw, unfamiliar sense of freedom, they hand out her photo again and again. Hope is fading, but they push through and follow a group of ravers heading to one last party in the desert. As they venture deeper into the burning wilderness, the journey forces them to confront their own limits.

López is joined in the cast by Bruno Núñez Arjona, Richard Bellamy, Stefania Gadda, Joshua Liam Henderson, Tonin Janvier, and Jade Oukid.

Sirāt was produced by Domingo Corral, Oliver Laxe, Xavi Font, Pedro Almodóvar, Augustín Almodóvar, Esther Garcia, Oriol Maymo, Mani Mortazavi, and Andrea Queralt. A Spanish and French production, the film tells its story in the Spanish, French, English, and Arabic languages.

What did you think of the Sirāt trailer? Are you looking forward to seeing this movie on the big screen? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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It was revealed a few weeks ago by Shawn Levy that principal photography has wrapped on Star Wars: Starfighter when he posted a photo on his Instagram that showed him running up a wall, and the caption read, “That’s a wrap! Headed into #Starfighter post-production like…” There’s still a year to go in the wait for the movie to hit the big screen and plot details are very minimal at the moment. What is confirmed by Levy is that the film will take place five years after The Rise of Skywalker and the story will feature a father-son dynamic.

Tom Cruise helped film a lightsaber duel

A new piece of behind-the-scenes information that was recently told by Levy in his new interview with The New York Times is that one action sequence that involves a lightsaber duel in a water setting was shot by none other than Tom Cruise. Levy explained that his London set would have many high-profile visitors stop by and spectate, including Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise. Cruise stopped by the set on a November morning by choppering in and Levy jokingly had his crew blast the Mission: Impossible theme as he landed.

According to Levy, Cruise was initially wanting to watch, and when the sequence was being set up, Levy joked that Cruise should hop on a camera. Cruise never seems to shy away from a challenge, so he jumped into the muddy pond and helmed one of the cameras on the lightsaber fight. Levy said,

Now when you see the movie, you’ll know that part of it was shot by Tom. I mean, how cool is that?”

Details on Starfighter

Ryan Gosling (The Fall Guy) leads a star-studded lineup for the film, which includes Flynn Gray (Wednesday), Matt Smith (Caught Stealing), Mia Goth (Pearl), Aaron Pierre (Lanterns), Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners), Jamael Westman (The Essex Serpent), Daniel Ings (The Gentlemen), and Amy Adams (Man of Steel). Levy also told Kevin McCarthy that Thomas Newman (American Beauty) will compose the score for Starfighter.

“I feel a profound sense of excitement and honor as we begin production on Star Wars: Starfighter,” said Levy when the project began. “From the day Kathy Kennedy called me up, inviting me to develop an original adventure in this incredible Star Wars galaxy, this experience has been a dream come true, creatively and personally. Star Wars shaped my sense of what story can do, how characters and cinematic moments can live with us forever. To join this storytelling galaxy with such brilliant collaborators onscreen and off, is the thrill of a lifetime.“

Star Wars: Starfighter is set to hit theaters on May 28, 2027.

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The Wrecking Crew trailer

Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista unite their quippy, muscular powers for a new action comedy over at Prime Video. The film was directed by Angel Manuel Soto (Blue Beetle) from a script by Jonathan Tropper (Star Wars: Starfighter). In addition to Bautista and Momoa, the film stars Claes Bang, Temuera Morrison, Jacob Batalon, Frankie Adams, Miyavi, With Stephen Root and Morena Baccarin. Amazon has just released the new trailer for the film, which is set to premiere on the streamer on January 28.

The official synopsis reads,
“In this action comedy, two estranged half-brothers, Jonny (Jason Momoa) and James (Dave Bautista) are forced to reunite after their father’s mysterious death. As they set out to uncover the truth, buried secrets resurface and loyalties are tested, unveiling a conspiracy that can tear their family apart.  Together, they are ready to WRECK anything that gets in their way.  Set in the streets of Hawaii, the film is directed by Angel Manuel Soto (Blue Beetle) and also stars Claes Bang, Jacob Batalon, Stephen Root, and Morena Baccarin.”

Producers on the film include Jeff Fierson, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Matt Reeves and Lynn Harris.

Coming up for these gentle giants

Bautista has a big project coming up in the new year: playing the Kurgan in Chad Stahelski’s highly anticipated Highlander reboot. Production on Highlander was supposed to begin in the fall, but Cavill was injured while training for the film, and it was pushed back to early 2026. I’m sure he’s going to do great as the iconic villain, but the actor confessed last month that he was feeling a little stressed about taking on the role. “No pressure at all, right? Man, I am stressed about this, because I am such a fan of the original,” Bautista said. “Clancy Brown was in his 20s when he was the Kurgan. I’m in my 50s. I hope I can do the world justice.“

As for Momoa, he also has a significant role in his future, as he will be playing Lobo in the DCU. It’s a character Momoa has wanted to play for a long time, and even playing Aquaman in the DCEU wasn’t going to stand in his way. You can catch a quick glimpse of Momoa as Lobo in the recently released trailer for Supergirl.

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Director Gore Verbinski was riding high for a while. He got his feature career started with Mouse Hunt and the Brad Pitt / Julia Roberts movie The Mexican, then followed his hit remake of The Ring with a trilogy of Pirates of the Caribbean movies (and dropping an underrated Nicolas Cage movie into the mix along the way). Things got bumpy the animated movie Rango was followed by The Lone Ranger, one of the biggest box-office bombs of all time. He brought us the psychological thriller A Cure for Wellness in 2017… and nothing since. He’s had a number of projects in the works, but they never moved forward. He was attached to a live-action adaptation of Bioshock for many years before the project was shelved and was also in talks to direct the Gambit movie starring Channing Tatum. One of the last projects Verbinski was said to be working on was an adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s The Sandkings for Netflix, but we haven’t heard any updates on the project for a while. Thankfully, he did finally manage to get one project into production: the mind-bending sci-fi adventure Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die. The film is aiming for a February 13, 2026 theatrical release and promises to be completely unhinged. Today, a trailer has dropped online to give us a hint of just how crazy the movie is, and you can watch it in the embed above.

Cast and Synopsis

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die follows a man who claims to be from the future and takes the patrons of an iconic Los Angeles diner hostage in search of unlikely recruits in a quest to save the world. Sam Rockwell (JoJo Rabbit, Iron Man 2) stars alongside Haley Lu Richardson (The Edge of Seventeen, The White Lotus), Michael Peña (Narcos: Mexico, Jack Ryan), Zazie Beetz (Joker, Deadpool 2), and Juno Temple (Ted Lasso, Venom: The Last Dance). The screenplay written by Matthew Robinson, who co-wrote The Invention of Lying with Ricky Gervais and Love and Monsters with Brian Duffield.

Early reactions to the film have been very positive, so I’m looking forward to seeing it. It has been given an R rating for pervasive language, violence, some grisly images and brief sexual content.

Are you glad to have a new Gore Verbinski movie to look forward to? Check out the trailer for Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, then let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Review: For the first forty years of its existence, the Star Trek franchise consisted of six series, ranging from the 1966 Original Series through the prequel, Enterprise. Over the last nine years, we have produced five series, with the sixth, Starfleet Academy, poised to take Gene Roddenberry’s creation in an entirely new direction. Set in the 32nd century version of Federation introduced in the third season of Discovery, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy presents a vastly different perspective than we have seen from any other series or film in the franchise. Aside from the first half of J.J. Abrams’ 2009 reboot, we have never spent this much time exploring the educational and training aspects of Starfleet’s university. Connecting elements and characters with the rich canon history of the Federation,Star Trek: Starfleet Academy introduces a young, diverse ensemble of characters from across the galaxy who learn the rules and morals of the Federation while also navigating their burgeoning adulthood. Very different from the mature, adult characters from prior series, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is designed to welcome a new generation of viewers to the franchise and manages to have some fun doing so.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy opens with Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter) meeting young Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta) as a child when he is separated from his mother (Tatiana Maslany) after she is captured by the Federation alongside Nus Braka (Paul Giamatti), a half-Tellarite and half-Klingon criminal. A decade later, Ake is reunited when Caleb is captured and offers him the chance to find his mother if he enrolls in Starfleet Academy, of which Ake is now Chancellor. Echoing Christopher Pike’s invite to James Kirk in 2009’s Star Trek, the rough-around-the-edges Caleb accepts and reluctantly joins the new class of cadets aboard the USS Athena, a ship that is also able to dock in San Francisco as the campus of Starfleet Academy. The school, which is run in parallel with Starfleet’s military school known as the War College, boasts staff including Klingon/Jem’Hadar cadetmaster Lura Thok (Gina Yashere), engineer Jet Reno (Tig Notaro), Voyager‘s 900-year-old holographic Doctor (Robert Picardo), and a digital Dean of Students (Stephen Colbert). Much like a teaching hospital, the USS Athena serves dual purposes as a fully operational vessel that facilitates field lessons in diplomacy and active engagement with adversaries. The campus environment feels like a blend of a school and a starship, with the hierarchy of officers mimicking the expected structure of past franchise vessels. Holly Hunter’s Nahla Ake is a unique leader in that she has a much softer touch than most past captains, owing to her extended lifespan due to being half-Lanthanite, the same species as Carol Kane’s Strange New Worlds character, Pelia. Hunter is fun but also commands authority, making her a natural leader and an interesting character to watch.

Diversity has always been paramount to the message at the core of all Star Trek shows, and there is no exception with Starfleet Academy. The students at the center of the cadet class whom Caleb befriends include Klingon cadet Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diane), who eschews the violence of his species, Sam (Kerrice Brooks), the first member of the holographic species known as the Kasqians to join Starfleet, cocky Darem Reymi (George Hawkins), who is the first Khionian to join Starfleet and whose species has special abilities, and Genesis Lythe (Bella Shepard), a Dar-Sha cadet and daughter of a Starfleet admiral. The class is also joined by Bajoran siblings, including Tarima Sadal (Zoe Steiner), who develops a potential romantic relationship with Caleb. As Caleb tries to find clues to his mother’s whereabouts, he begins to accept his place at Starfleet Academy. In the six episodes made available for this review, the story opens with a mix of space battle action and an introduction to the school year, which often feels like the Star Trek equivalent of The Boys’ college spin-off, Gen V. Like recent Star Trek shows that came before it, Starfleet Academy does boast an episodic nature blended with an overarching season-long storyline. After the premiere episode introduces Caleb’s search for his mother, that plot takes a back seat to school-centric plots, ranging from prank wars to debate teams, with a heavy dose of complex diplomacy for good measure. Like classic Star Trek, these episodes are science-fiction twists on timely storylines and news subjects ranging from refugee displacement to war and its consequences.

If you have read this review up to this point and are wondering why I haven’t mentioned more about Paul Giamatti’s character, it is because his presence in the six episodes I have seen is minimal. A longtime Star Trek fan who lobbied for a role in the franchise, Giamatti’s approach to playing Nus Braka will feel very familiar to anyone who has been online over the past decade. A contentious believer in conspiracies and the threat of government, Braka is a brash sower of dissent who feels like a blend of Original Series antagonist Harry Mudd and the menace of Khan. Despite limited screen time, Giamatti is a great villain whose connection to both Caleb Mir and Nahla Ake serves as a central element to the entire series. The fact that Braka comes from two different alien species also contributes to the even larger melting pot of the newer Star Trek series, further blurring the lines between racial identity and morality, as well as belief. Despite Giamatti serving as a supporting player, the main ensemble is also augmented by appearances from Star Trek: Discovery characters Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) and Charles Vance (Oded Fehr), with an audio cameo from Brit Marling as the USS Athena computer. With each episode clocking in at an hour, there is a lot in every chapter that keeps the episodes moving along at a solid momentum and never feeling like it is pandering to the audience.

While Star Trek franchise showrunner Alex Kurtzman boasts credits for writing episodes this season, as well as directing, including helming the first two episodes, Starfleet Academy comes from a fresh creator, Gaia Violo. Violo previously created the series Absentia and offers a new voice in the Star Trek canon that helps this show feel fresh. Directors this season also include veteran franchise helmers Jonathan Frakes, Olatunde Osunsanmi, and Doug Aarniokoski, with writers Noga Landau, Jane Maggs, Alex Taub, Kiley Rossetter, Eric Anthony Glover, Kirsten Beyer, Kenneth Lin, and Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Tawny Newsome. While there are numerous references to various eras in Star Trek lore, including Easter eggs for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Deep Space Nine, this series is written in a way that is inviting to both dedicated fans of the franchise and newcomers to Star Trek. There is less technobabble dialogue than we used to get with an easy use of contemporary language and a smattering of profanity that makes this series feel less rigid than older Trek, but still follows the same thematic formula that has worked for sixty years. Jeff Russo, who composed the music for Discovery, Picard, and Strange New Worlds, offers a stirring theme for Starfleet Academy that complements the modern sensibility this new chapter brings to the Star Trek saga.

For the first time since The Next Generation, we have a series that truly feels like a new iteration of characters in a unique setting than we have ever had before. While Star Trek: Discovery introduced audiences to the 32nd century setting, Starfleet Academy feels wholly designed in the new time period and mines the hopeful nature of Gene Roddenberry’s original series. Robert Kurtzman’s work on the 2009 J.J. Abrams film has a direct influence on how this new series is developing, and while I had wanted a lot more of Paul Giamatti, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the show. It is a different vibe than we have seen from the franchise before, but Starfleet Academy is wholly representative of what Star Trek is. A good amount of action and a touch of soapy melodrama are mixed into an innovative and rich portrait of the future and what it could hold, making Star Trek: Starfleet Academy a solid debut season that has the potential to become one of the strongest Star Trek series in the years to come.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premieres with two episodes on January 15th on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

GOOD

7

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DRAEH EB OT STNAW TI

Nina Kiri played the character Alma on 28 episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale, and now she has the lead role in a horror film called Undertone, which is stirring up a lot of buzz. A24 will be bringing the film to theatres on March 26th, and the hype is building, starting with the 3 a.m. unveiling of a trailer, which can now be seen in the embed above. Writer/director Ian Tuason had made his feature debut with this project after several years of making short films – and Undertone impressed the folks at Blumhouse Productions and Atomic Monster so much, Tuason has already been hired to make the next Paranormal Activity movie!

Synopsis

Coming our way from Slaterverse Pictures, Black Fawn Films, and KINO Studios, The Undertone follows the host of an ‘all-things-creepy’ podcast, who moves into her dying mother’s house to be her primary caregiver. When her podcast is sent 10 audio recordings of a young pregnant couple experiencing paranormal noises, she realizes the woman’s story is a mirror of her own and each new recording scratches at her sanity, drawing her into a fate she cannot escape. Kiri’s character Evy is the only on-camera speaking role in the entire film, but Adam DiMarco, Michèle Duquet, Keana Lyn Bastidas, and Jeff Yung are also in the cast.

Here’s the official synopsis: The host of a popular paranormal podcast becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way.

So much of the film relies on the sound design that Tuason has described it as a “found audio” movie rather than a “found footage” movie. It will be screening at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival, and JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray will be there to check it out.

Statements

Tuason previously provided the following statement: “With Undertone, I’m crafting a horror experience that doesn’t just evoke fear—it engulfs you in it, using immersive sound design to make silence as terrifying as the unknown. Inspired by my own experience as a caregiver, the film explores how the stories we tell ourselves of fear, guilt, and isolation, can become the real horrors that haunt us.“

The film was produced by Dan Slater and Cody Calahan, with Tuason serving as an executive producer alongside Chad Archibald, Daril Fannin, Brit MacRae, Anthony Eu, Douglas Lee, Al Akdari, Charles Bern, Mathew Sterling, and David Sproat.

Calahan said, “We’re always on the lookout for projects that stand out and have a meaningful story to tell. Ian has a truly unique vision, breaking free from tradition to create a horror experience that’s as bold as it is unnerving.” Slater added, “In an oversaturated market, Undertone will punch through the noise with its raw, unfiltered approach to fear, proving that true horror comes from a director willing to open up personally and take full creative control. We’re thrilled to help bring his voice to the screen.“

A press release noted that this production marks the beginning of a multi-film collaboration between KINO Studios and Black Fawn Films, with their plan being to make multiple horror and thriller films together. Daril Fannin, who launched KINO Studios with Brit MacRae and is the company’s CEO, said that Undertone is “an unsettling, deeply psychological horror that lingers long after the credits roll. With Nina Kiri as our lead, we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect actor to bring this terrifying tale to life.“

Undertone does look like it could be quite unsettling. What did you think of the trailer? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Special Features

Unfortunately, the film doesn’t include a robust helping of extras (at least for the moment), but the special features include:

• 4K Transfer from the 35mm Original Camera Negative
• Presented in Dolby Vision
• Audio Commentary with Director Taylor Hackford
• Audio Commentary with Taylor Hackford
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer

What is The Devil’s Advocate About?

The Devil’s Advocate stars Reeves as a gifted young Florida lawyer who is invited to work for a major New York City law firm. As his wife (Charlize Theron) becomes haunted by frightening visions, the lawyer slowly realizes that the firm’s owner, John Milton (Pacino), is the Devil. The rest of the cast includes Connie Nielsen, Craig T. Nelson, Jeffrey Jones, Judith Ivey, and Heather Matarazzo.

We Have Keanu Reeves to Thank for Al Pacino Playing the Devil

The Devil’s Advocate received mixed reviews upon its release, but it’s hard not to admire a film that lets Al Pacino go completely full-throttle as the Prince of Darkness. That said, the iconic actor initially wanted nothing to do with the project, turning it down three separate times. Pacino even suggested that Robert Redford or Sean Connery might be better suited for the role, but the studio had its heart set on him.

A rewrite was commissioned to make the material more appealing, and Pacino eventually signed on—only for the production to realize it couldn’t afford him. Enter Keanu Reeves, who was so eager to work with Pacino that he reportedly took a multi-million-dollar pay cut to make it happen. For that sacrifice, cinephiles everywhere owe him a sincere thank you.

A Lawsuit Delayed the Home Video Release

Before it could even reach home video, the film became entangled in a lawsuit. The massive wall sculpture featured in Milton’s apartment was deemed to closely resemble Ex Nihilo, a work by sculptor Frederick Hart. A federal judge ruled that the film’s video release would be blocked until the case went to trial, unless a settlement was reached. Ultimately, Warner Bros. agreed to edit the scene in future releases and affix warning stickers to unedited videotapes clarifying that the artwork in the film was not related to Hart’s sculpture.

Will you be adding The Devil’s Advocate to your 4K collection?

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What’s Cold Zero About?

The novel is scheduled for release on February 10. The story kicks off when “a cutting-edge commercial airliner crash-lands near the North Pole, stranding survivors in one of the most hostile environments on Earth. Unbeknownst to most aboard, the plane was secretly transporting a revolutionary, highly classified technology capable of reshaping global power, and its disappearance sparks a frantic, high-stakes race among the world’s major powers to recover it.“

Cold Zero sounds potentially fun, but it also feels like it could easily be one of Netflix’s many action-thrillers that pop up on the Top 10 list for a week and then disappear into the algorithm.

Nic Pizzolatto’s Other Projects

As it happens, Pizzolatto is already working with Netflix. The streaming service acquired his latest series in what was reportedly a major bidding war. Not much is known about the project, only that it will star Matthew McConaughey and Cole Hauser. Skydance Sports is behind the series, which has some speculating that it may have some connection to the sports world.

Pizzolatto also wrote, directed, and produced Easy’s Waltz, a drama starring Vince Vaughn, Al Pacino, Kate Mara, and Simon Rex. The film premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival but is still seeking a distributor. You can check out a review from our own Chris Bumbray right here.

More True Detective?

Last year, Pizzolatto revealed he had an idea to bring Rust Cohle (McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson) back for another True Detective case. “I actually have another story for Cohle and Hart that — who knows? — maybe we’ll do it one day,” Pizzolatto said. “It’s character-based again. … But it’s not something I’ve written or anything. It’s just, I had that in my head. And we’ve talked about getting back together and doing it, and I think the guys are open to it. It’s just a question of whether that would ever happen or not.“

Harrelson later shot down any chance at a reunion. “I love that [the first season] turned out the way it did,” he said. “If anything, doing another season would, I think, tarnish that.“

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Who Will Play Rapunzel and Flynn Rider in the Live-Action Tangled?

According to THR, Teagan Croft (Titans) will play Rapunzel and Milo Manheim (Zombies) will play Flynn Rider. Not the most well-known names, but they could rise to instant stardom should the film take off. For every Snow White, there’s a Lilo & Stitch, which grossed over $1 billion last year.

Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) is directing the live-action film, which will feature significant musical elements, much like the original movie. Jennifer Laytin Robinson (I Know What You Did Last Summer) penned the script.

Based on the retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, the original Tangled told the story of a long-lost princess (Mandy Moore) desperate to leave the confines of her isolated tower. But when a runaway thief (Zachary Levi) stumbles upon her, she leaves to experience a world which she has never seen.

Scarlett Johansson is No Longer Involved.

The next significant role to be cast is Mother Gothel, the villainous witch who has kept Rapunzel imprisoned. It was previously reported that Scarlett Johansson was being eyed for the role, but she’s dropped out due to a busy schedule, which includes the new Exorcist movie as well as The Batman Part II.

Disney’s Next Live-Action Movie

Before we get the Tangled, Disney will be releasing a live-action adaptation of Moana. The film stars Catherine Lagaʻaia as Moana and Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as the trickster god Maui. Based on the teaser trailer released last year, it appears to be nearly identical to the 2016 animated movie, which leads me to wonder… what’s the point? Oh right. Money.

Moana will hit theaters on July 10, 2026.

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This is MacDonald’s fourth collaboration with IFC Entertainment Group, as they released all three of his movies mentioned above.

Cast and Synopsis

The film follows Sloane and a small group of her classmates who take cover in their high school to escape their suddenly apocalyptic hometown. As danger relentlessly pounds on the doors, Sloane begins to see the world through the eyes of people who actually want to live and takes matters into her own hands. Holt is joined in the cast by Froy Gutierrez (The Strangers: Chapter 1), Luke MacFarlane (Bros), Corteon Moore (Overcompensating), Chloe Avakian (John Wayne Gacy), and Carson MacCormac (Clown in a Cornfield).

If you’re curious about the length of the movie, we have that information, too. This Is Not a Test has a running time of 102 minutes.

Statements

When the distribution deal was announced, MacDonald provided the following statement: “Courtney Summers’ book This Is Not a Test captivated me completely with its raw energy and dynamic characters, a story I felt personally and knew it had to be brought to the screen. I couldn’t be happier with Olivia Holt’s exceptional talent stepping into Sloane’s shoes (Docs) and bringing her to life. I’m beyond thrilled the film is in great hands and found a home with Independent Film Company and Shudder, a team that puts so much passion in the films they release. Producer Cybill Lui and I brought together the very best creative team to realize this deeply emotional, gritty, intense film, one that puts you on the very edge of your seat and will leave you with hope at the end of the world.” Independent Film Company’s Director of Acquisitions and Productions, Adam Koehler, added, “Adam MacDonald has an unmatched ability to elevate genre filmmaking with heart, intelligence, and raw human emotion. We’re thrilled to bring This Is Not a Test to a new generation of viewers who crave horror that hits both the gut and the soul.“

Rating

The MPA has given This Is Not a Test an R rating for strong bloody violence, gore, suicide, language, some sexuality and brief teen drinking.

Are you glad to hear that This Is Not a Test has secured an R rating? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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What is the “Conformity Gate” episode supposedly about?

According to online speculation, “Conformity Gate” would retcon “undesirable” plot points from the show’s final episode, including a reveal that Vecna/Henry (Jamie Campbell Bower) did not actually die and was controlling what viewers had seen as the ending in a fourth-wall-breaking experience. “Conformity Gate” rumors continue to spread rapidly on social media, particularly on TikTok, where Stranger Things fans, influencers, and sensationalists insist the episode exists. Some even posted footage of them watching the episode early, claiming the bonus episode “fixes” what was “wrong” with the finale.

How did the “Conformity Gate” rumor get started?

Rumors about the bonus episode began when a video was shared by the Stranger Things official TikTok page, featuring Hawkins science teacher Mr. Clarke (Randy Havens) standing in front of a clock set to 1:07. Groan. I shouldn’t let this bother me, but is this where we’re at with this sort of thing? I understand not wanting the show to be over (I’m more than okay with letting it go), but going so far as to disrespect the ending that the Duffer Brothers and everyone involved worked so hard to create is wild to me. While the finale might not be everything you wanted, what happened to judging something for what it is rather than what you wanted it to be? I know we’re all guilty of skirting that line from time to time, but in the case of Stranger Things, the show went above and beyond to entertain you for almost a decade. Let it rest.

The final episode of Stranger Things is currently streaming on Netflix, with a new documentary, titled One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things, arriving on January 12. Don’t worry, the documentary is real. Huzzah!

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Avengers: Doomsday Finally Delivers an Exciting Teaser

Chris

One has to give Disney some credit here — of all the Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailers that have been dropping since the holidays, one has finally gotten people excited. We wrote a little earlier about how the re-introduction of Captain America (or at least Steve Rogers) in the first teaser felt like a bit of an anti-climax, and the second one featuring Chris Hemsworth’s return as Thor didn’t really move the needle (the biggest story was that he was sporting short hair this time).

The X-Men Reunion That Got Fans Talking

While the fourth teaser has yet to drop (and apparently features some Black Panther characters), the third teaser — featuring the reunion of Patrick Stewart’s Professor X and Ian McKellen’s Magneto — got people talking, especially with the teaser ending with a cool reveal of James Marsden in full Cyclops mode. To many, this last reveal was especially significant, as his iteration of the character has notoriously been poorly served by the films.

Are These Farewells Ever Really Final?

Yet, there also seems to be something almost funny about the fact that it’s being teased as one last adventure for the old group, as it feels like we’ve all said goodbye to these characters before. Charles Xavier got a magnificent send-off in Logan, but like that film’s titular character, his retirement from a role he clearly still likes to play was premature. Patrick Stewart really hasn’t aged much in the last thirty or so years and is still more than capable of playing the part, and there’s something genuinely touching about seeing him reunite with Ian McKellen as Magneto in the trailer.

As for Cyclops — let the man have his day.

Which X-Men Are Confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday?

Of course, they aren’t the only X-Men set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday. Confirmed returns include:

• Rebecca Romijn as Mystique
• Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler (his first time playing the role since X2: X-Men United)
• Kelsey Grammer as Beast (yes!)
• Channing Tatum as Gambit, who never appeared in a proper X-Men film but memorably played the character in Deadpool vs. Wolverine

What This Means for the Future of the X-Men

There are also plenty of other X-Men who could show up — if not in Doomsday, then almost certainly in Secret Wars — including Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds as the X-Men-adjacent Deadpool (who may actually appear in Doomsday as well).

All of this appears to be building toward a full reboot of the X-Men franchise, likely introducing a new cast via the Multiverse. Whether this truly ends up being the original team’s final hurrah remains to be seen.

At any rate, we want to know what you, our readers, think about the X-Men showing up in Avengers: Doomsday. Let us know your thoughts in the comments — we’d love to hear how you think the movie is shaping up.

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28 Days Later director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland finally reunited to make a sequel to their zombie (or, if you prefer, infected people) movie classic. 28 Years Later, which is meant to launch a whole trilogy of 28 Days Later sequels, reached theatres at the end of June, and the second chapter in the trilogy, 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple, is scheduled to be released on January 16, 2026. Garland also wrote the screenplays for the sequels that will come after 28 Years Later – but for the second movie, Boyle has passed the helm over to Candyman and The Marvels director Nia DaCosta for the sequel. With just one week to go before DaCosta’s film reaches theatres, the Motion Picture Association ratings board has confirmed that they’ve given 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple an R rating.

The Story Continues

Boyle might circle back to direct 28 Years Later Part III, which currently has Cillian Murphy in talks to reprise his role from 28 Days Later. 28 Years Later made $150 million at the global box office, but seemed to have trouble connecting with the audience. JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray gave 28 Years Later a 7/10 review, and when we got a second opinion from Kier Gomes, he gave it a 6.5.

Empire has previously let us know that in The Bone Temple, we should expect more danger from the Jimmies as young hero Spike (Alfie Williams) is brought into their ranks, while Ralph Fiennes’ benevolent Dr Kelson strikes up an unlikely kinship with marauding Alpha infected Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry). Among it all, audiences will learn more about the bizarre belief system Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) has constructed for himself – channeled through pop cultural memories from his childhood, like Teletubbies, Power Rangers, cricket, and Jimmy Savile; who, in 2002, had not been unveiled as the monstrous predator he truly was. 

Weird

DaCosta told Empire, “My movie is quite… weird. It’s surprising. There were multiple moments reading the script where my jaw dropped, literally.” O’Connell added that The Bone Temple is the “weird, demented, relative cousin of what we’ve seen before, in a way I’m really f*cking proud of. Because it’s rooted in soul, and the what-ifs. Massive what-ifs. And it’s f*cking shocking.“

Rating

28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple has officially earned an R rating for strong bloody violence, gore, graphic nudity, language throughout, and brief drug use.

What do you think of the reasons given for the film’s R rating? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Announced by Heated Rivalry‘s Connor Storrie and Abbott Elementary’s Janelle James, this year’s nominations celebrate excellence in film and television, presented by the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA. Showrunner Jon Brockett and JoBeth Williams, the actress and chair of SAG-AFTRA’s Awards Committee, rebranded the annual ceremony in November, saying the new label is “a perfect next step in the show’s evolution.”

Why did the SAG Awards change its name?

“Since the show started over 30 years ago, our iconic statuette has always been called The Actor, and simply evolving the show’s name to align with the award itself made obvious sense,” Brockett and Williams said in a joint statement during a Q&A. “We wanted to provide clearer recognition in terms of what the show is about for our domestic and global audiences — we honor actors in film and television. Laser-focusing the name on those two things became the clearest and most straightforward path for this new chapter of the show.”

This year, The Actor Awards recognize Hollywood personalities like Timothée Chalamet, Michael B. Jordan, Emma Stone, Wunmi Mosaku, Mia Goth, Teyana Taylor, and more, with films like Sinners, Weapons, One Battle After Another, Marty Supreme, Bugonia, Wicked: For Good, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Blue Moon, and others proudly represented.

The 2026 Actor Awards are set to stream live on Netflix from the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 1.

And the 2026 Actors Awards nominees are…

The Motion Picture Nominees are:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET / Marty Mauser – “MARTY SUPREME”

LEONARDO DICAPRIO / Bob – “ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER”

ETHAN HAWKE / Lorenz Hart – “BLUE MOON”

MICHAEL B. JORDAN / Smoke/Stack – “SINNERS”

JESSE PLEMONS / Teddy – “BUGONIA”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

JESSIE BUCKLEY / Agnes – “HAMNET”

ROSE BYRNE / Linda – “IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU”

KATE HUDSON / Claire – “SONG SUNG BLUE”

CHASE INFINITI / Willa – “ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER”

EMMA STONE / Michelle – “BUGONIA”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

MILES CATON / Sammie Moore – “SINNERS”

BENICIO DEL TORO / Sensei Sergio St. Carlos – “ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER”

JACOB ELORDI / The Creature – “FRANKENSTEIN”

PAUL MESCAL / Will – “HAMNET”

SEAN PENN / Col. Steven J. Lockjaw – “ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

ODESSA A’ZION / Rachel Mizler – “MARTY SUPREME”

ARIANA GRANDE / Glinda – “WICKED: FOR GOOD”

AMY MADIGAN / Gladys – “WEAPONS”

WUNMI MOSAKU / Annie – “SINNERS”

TEYANA TAYLOR / Perfidia – “ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER”

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

FRANKENSTEIN

DAVID BRADLEY / Blind Man

CHRISTIAN CONVERY / Young Victor Frankenstein

CHARLES DANCE / Leopold Frankenstein

JACOB ELORDI / The Creature

MIA GOTH / Elizabeth/Claire Frankenstein

OSCAR ISAAC / Victor Frankenstein

FELIX KAMMERER / William Frankenstein

LARS MIKKELSEN / Capt. Anderson

CHRISTOPH WALTZ / Harlander

HAMNET

JOE ALWYN / Bartholomew

JESSIE BUCKLEY / Agnes

NOAH JUPE / Hamlet

PAUL MESCAL / Will

EMILY WATSON / Mary

MARTY SUPREME

ODESSA A’ZION / Rachel Mizler

SANDRA BERNHARD / Judy

TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET / Marty Mauser

EMORY COHEN / Ira Mizler

FRAN DRESCHER / Rebecca Mauser

ABEL FERRARA / Ezra Mishkin

PENN JILLETTE / Hoff

KOTO KAWAGUCHI / Koto Endo

LUKE MANLEY / Dion Galanis

TYLER OKONMA / Wally

KEVIN O’LEARY / Milton Rockwell

GWYNETH PALTROW / Kay Stone

GÉZA RÖHRIG / Béla Kletzki

LARRY RATSO SLOMAN / Murray Norkin

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER

BENICIO DEL TORO / Sensei Sergio St. Carlos

LEONARDO DICAPRIO / Bob

REGINA HALL / Deandra

CHASE INFINITI / Willa

SEAN PENN / Col. Steven J. Lockjaw

TEYANA TAYLOR / Perfidia

SINNERS

MILES CATON / Sammie Moore

BUDDY GUY / Old Sammie

MICHAEL B. JORDAN / Smoke/Stack

JAYME LAWSON / Pearline

DELROY LINDO / Delta Slim

OMAR MILLER / Cornbread

WUNMI MOSAKU / Annie

JACK O’CONNELL / Remmick

HAILEE STEINFELD / Mary

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

F1

FRANKENSTEIN

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER

SINNERS

The Television Nominees are:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series

JASON BATEMAN / Vince Friedkin – “BLACK RABBIT”

OWEN COOPER / Jamie Miller – “ADOLESCENCE”

STEPHEN GRAHAM / Eddie Miller – “ADOLESCENCE”

CHARLIE HUNNAM / Ed Gein – “MONSTER: THE ED GEIN STORY”

MATTHEW RHYS / Nile Jarvis – “THE BEAST IN ME”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series

CLAIRE DANES / Agatha Wiggs – “THE BEAST IN ME”

ERIN DOHERTY / Briony Ariston – “ADOLESCENCE”

SARAH SNOOK / Marissa Irvine – “ALL HER FAULT”

CHRISTINE TREMARCO / Manda Miller – “ADOLESCENCE”

MICHELLE WILLIAMS / Molly – “DYING FOR SEX”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

STERLING K. BROWN / Agent Xavier Collins – “PARADISE”

BILLY CRUDUP / Cory Ellison – “THE MORNING SHOW”

WALTON GOGGINS / Rick Hatchett – “THE WHITE LOTUS”

GARY OLDMAN / Jackson Lamb – “SLOW HORSES”

NOAH WYLE / Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch – “THE PITT”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

BRITT LOWER / Helly – “SEVERANCE”

PARKER POSEY / Victoria Ratliff – “THE WHITE LOTUS”

KERI RUSSELL / Kate Wyler – “THE DIPLOMAT”

RHEA SEEHORN / Carol – “PLURIBUS”

AIMEE LOU WOOD / Chelsea – “THE WHITE LOTUS”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

IKE BARINHOLTZ / Sal Saperstein – “THE STUDIO”

ADAM BRODY / Noah Roklov – “NOBODY WANTS THIS”

TED DANSON / Charles Nieuwendyk – “A MAN ON THE INSIDE”

SETH ROGEN / Matt Remick – “THE STUDIO”

MARTIN SHORT / Oliver Putnam – “ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

KATHRYN HAHN / Maya Mason – “THE STUDIO”

CATHERINE O’HARA / Patty Leigh – “THE STUDIO”

JENNA ORTEGA / Wednesday Addams – “WEDNESDAY”

JEAN SMART / Deborah Vance – “HACKS”

KRISTEN WIIG / Maxine Simmons – “PALM ROYALE”

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

THE DIPLOMAT

ALI AHN / Eidra Park

PENNY DOWNIE / Frances Munning

ROSALINE ELBAY / Nora Koriem

ATO ESSANDOH / Stuart Hayford

DAVID GYASI / Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison

RORY KINNEAR / Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge

NANA MENSAH / Billie Appiah

GRAHAM MILLER / Neil Barrow

KERI RUSSELL / Kate Wyler

RUFUS SEWELL / Hal Wyler

LANDMAN

PAULINA CHÁVEZ / Ariana

MARK COLLIE / Sheriff Walt Joeberg

SAM ELLIOTT / T.L. Norris

COLM FEORE / Nathan

ANDY GARCIA / Gallino

JAMES JORDAN / Dale Bradley

ALI LARTER / Angela Norris

JACOB LOFLAND / Cooper Norris

CALEB MARTIN / Ben “BR” Reynolds

DEMI MOORE / Cami Miller

MICHELLE RANDOLPH / Ainsley Norris

MUSTAFA SPEAKS / Boss

BILLY BOB THORNTON / Tommy Norris

KAYLA WALLACE / Rebecca Falcone

THE PITT

AMIELYNN ABELLERA / Nurse Perlah Alawi

SHABANA AZEEZ / Med Student Victoria Javadi

PATRICK BALL / Dr. Frank Langdon

ISA BRIONES / Dr. Trinity Santos

JALEN THOMAS BROOKS / Nurse Mateo Diaz

TAYLOR DEARDEN / Dr. Mel King

FIONA DOURIF / Dr. Cassie McKay

SUPRIYA GANESH / Dr. Samira Mohan

JOANNA GOING / Theresa Saunders

GERRAN HOWELL / Med Student Dennis Whitaker

MICHAEL HYATT / Gloria

TRACY IFEACHOR / Dr. Heather Collins

KATHERINE LANASA / Charge Nurse Dana Evans

KRYSTEL V. MCNEIL / Kiara Alfaro

BRANDON MENDEZ HOMER / Nurse Donnie Donahue

ALEXANDRA METZ / Dr. Yolanda Garcia

TRACY VILAR / Lupe Perez

KRISTIN VILLANUEVA / Nurse Princess Dela Cruz

NOAH WYLE / Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch

SEVERANCE

PATRICIA ARQUETTE / Harmony Cobel

SARAH BOCK / Miss Huang

MICHAEL CHERNUS / Ricken

ZACH CHERRY / Dylan

DICHEN LACHMAN / Ms. Casey

BRITT LOWER / Helly

DARRI ÓLAFSSON / Drummond

ADAM SCOTT / Mark

TRAMELL TILLMAN / Milchick

JEN TULLOCK / Devon

JOHN TURTURRO / Irving

CHRISTOPHER WALKEN / Burt

THE WHITE LOTUS

LESLIE BIBB / Kate Bohr

CARRIE COON / Laurie Duffy

NICHOLAS DUVERNAY / Zion Lindsey

ARNAS FEDARAVIČIUS / Valentin

CHRISTIAN FRIEDEL / Fabian

SCOTT GLENN / Jim Hollinger

WALTON GOGGINS / Rick Hatchett

JON GRIES / Gary/Greg Hunt

DOM HETRAKUL / Pornchai

SARAH CATHERINE HOOK / Piper Ratliff

JASON ISAACS / Timothy Ratliff

YURI KOLOKOLNIKOV / Vlad

JULIAN KOSTOV / Aleksei

CHARLOTTE LE BON / Chloe

LALISA MANOBAL / Mook

MICHELLE MONAGHAN / Jaclyn Lemon

SAM NIVOLA / Lochlan Ratliff

MORGANA O’REILLY / Pam

LEK PATRAVADI / Sritala

SHALINI PEIRIS / Amrita

PARKER POSEY / Victoria Ratliff

SAM ROCKWELL / Frank

NATASHA ROTHWELL / Belinda Lindsey

PATRICK SCHWARZENEGGER / Saxon Ratliff

TAYME THAPTHIMTHONG / Gaitok

AIMEE LOU WOOD / Chelsea

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY

QUINTA BRUNSON / Janine Teagues

WILLIAM STANFORD DAVIS / Mr. Johnson

JANELLE JAMES / Ava Coleman

CHRIS PERFETTI / Jacob Hill

SHERYL LEE RALPH / Barbara Howard

LISA ANN WALTER / Melissa Schemmenti

TYLER JAMES WILLIAMS / Gregory Eddie

THE BEAR

LIONEL BOYCE / Marcus Brooks

LIZA COLÓN-ZAYAS / Bettina “Tina” Marrero

AYO EDEBIRI / Sydney Adamu

ABBY ELLIOTT / Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto

EDWIN LEE GIBSON / Ebraheim

COREY HENDRIX / Gary “Sweeps” Woods

ANDREW LOPEZ / Garrett

MATTY MATHESON / Neil Fak

EBON MOSS-BACHRACH / Richard “Richie” Jerimovich

OLIVER PLATT / Uncle Jimmy

SARAH RAMOS / Jessica

RICKY STAFFIERI / Theodore Fak

JEREMY ALLEN WHITE / Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto

HACKS

ROSE ABDOO / Josefina

DAN BUCATINSKY / Rob

CARL CLEMONS-HOPKINS / Marcus Vaughan

PAUL W. DOWNS / Jimmy Lusaque, Jr.

HANNAH EINBINDER / Ava Daniels

MARK INDELICATO / Damien

JEAN SMART / Deborah Vance

MEGAN STALTER / Kayla Schaeffer

MICHAELA WATKINS / Stacey

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING

MICHAEL CYRIL CREIGHTON / Howard Morris

BEANIE FELDSTEIN / Thē

JERMAINE FOWLER / Randall

SELENA GOMEZ / Mabel Mora

JACKIE HOFFMAN / Uma Heller

STEVE MARTIN / Charles-Haden Savage

MARTIN SHORT / Oliver Putnam

DIANNE WIEST / Rainey

THE STUDIO

IKE BARINHOLTZ / Sal Saperstein

KATHRYN HAHN / Maya Mason

CATHERINE O’HARA / Patty Leigh

SETH ROGEN / Matt Remick

CHASE SUI WONDERS / Quinn Hackett

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series

ANDOR

LANDMAN

THE LAST OF US

SQUID GAME

STRANGER THINGS

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Director Renny Harlin shot an entire trilogy of Strangers movies at the same time, and while there was a point when it looked like Lionsgate might be releasing all three of the movies within 2024, but that idea was clearly pushed aside. The Strangers: Chapter 1 (read our review HERE) reached theatres back in May of 2024, and The Strangers: Chapter 2 (read that review HERE) didn’t come along until September of 2025. Thankfully, the wait for The Strangers: Chapter 3 won’t be as long, as Lionsgate recently announced that the film will be reaching theatres on February 6, 2026. With that date swiftly approaching, a full trailer has dropped online and can be seen in the embed above. It looks like things are going to get pretty wild in this one, taking the story in a direction that I did not expect.

What’s the synopsis?

Madelaine Petsch (Riverdale) stars in this trilogy and is joined in the cast by the likes of Richard Brake (31), Froy Gutierrez (Cruel Summer), Rachel Shenton (All Creatures Great and Small), Gabriel Basso (Hillbilly Elegy), and Ema Horvath (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power). The Strangers: Chapter 1 centered on Petsch’s character as she drives cross-country with her longtime boyfriend (Gutierrez) to begin a new life in the Pacific Northwest. When their car breaks down in Venus, Oregon, they’re forced to spend the night in a secluded Airbnb, where they are terrorized from dusk till dawn by three masked strangers. Lionsgate plans from there to expand the story in new and unexpected ways with its sequels. Here’s the synopsis for Chapter 3: This final chapter delves into newer and darker territory, the franchise’s darkest descent yet — a ruthless thriller with scares that deliver. The Strangers: Chapter 3 closes the trilogy with a full-circle reckoning that expands the mythology of the iconic masked killers. Madelaine Petsch returns as Maya for the Final Girl’s long-awaited vengeance, delivering a final chapter that fans won’t want to miss. Tethered by a frightening conclusion, Maya and the Strangers are locked on an unavoidable, unforgiving collision course — a showdown that proves they’re far from strangers now.

Enhanced with additional photography

Harlin has said The Strangers: Chapter 1 “is close to the original movie in its set-up of a young couple in an isolated environment in a house and a home invasion happening for random reasons.” Then Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 “explore what happens to the victims of this kind of violence and who the perpetrators are of this kind of violence. Where are they coming from and why?“ Harlin has also said that viewer feedback was taken into account when they were making changes and enhancing the sequels in the additional photography process. The financial success of Chapter 1 allowed for Harlin and his cast and crew, who had completed principal photography on the trilogy in just 52 days, to go back for 8 days of additional photography on Chapter 2 and 15 days of additional photography on Chapter 3. 

The new film has been rated R for strong bloody violence and language.

Are you looking forward to seeing The Strangers: Chapter 3 in February? Take a look at the full trailer, then let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post The Strangers: Chapter 3 trailer shows that things are going to get wild in Renny Harlin’s trilogy capper appeared first on JoBlo.

After getting word that Stranger Things alum David Harbour would be stepping away from Tony Gilroy’s upcoming drama Behemoth!, Deadline says that Will Arnett (Is This Thing On, Arrested Development) will be Harbour’s replacement. In addition to Arnett, the film also stars Pedro Pascal, Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor, Matthew Lillard, Margarita Levieva, and Alexa Swinton.

According to Deadline, despite production beginning in late October, scenes involving Harbour’s character that require reshoots are minimal, due to his involvement with the Stranger Things press tour. The reshoots should not affect Behemoth!‘s overall production schedule.

Original Article:

Not long after the final episode of Netflix‘s Stranger Things launched, David Harbour is stepping away from his role in Behemoth!, an upcoming drama from Andor and Michael Clayton filmmaker Tony Gilroy, and Searchlight Pictures. Harbour was supposed to feature in the film alongside Pedro Pascal and Olivia Wilde.

Harbour got overwhelmed by the end of Stranger Things

According to multiple sources familiar with Gilroy’s new film, Harbour was “overwhelmed” by the end of Netflix’s Stranger Things, a monolithic entertainment milestone saddled with non-stop promotion, intense feelings, and relentless theorycrafting, as well as fans gone wild. Rather than embracing the madness, Harbour did not participate in a red-carpet event at the Paley Center in New York City, citing scheduling conflicts. Harbour also skipped the finale screening and the associated conversation event. Before bowing out of the red-carpet walk, a report from TMZ said Harbour had allegedly taken a man’s hat at an Encinitas, California, gastropub and left with it. According to footage of the incident, the man eventually retrieved his hat outside the venue, but only after exchanging heated words with Harbour about the confusing altercation. TMZ reports that the incident did not escalate to physical violence.

Turning our attention back to Gilroy’s Behemoth!, two sources indicate that Harbour’s role has been recast, although his replacement remains unknown at this time.

What is Tony Gilroy’s Behemoth! about?

An official plot synopsis for Tony Gilroy’s Behemoth! is unavailable. However, a logline for the project says the film follows “a musician from a family of musicians who returns to Los Angeles,” with the drama serving as “a love letter to the music of the movies and the people who make it.” Gilroy also serves as a producer alongside Sanne Wohlenberg.

While David Harbour is no longer a part of Tony Gilroy’s Behemoth!, his Stranger Things co-stars continue to enjoy watching the internet lose itself over the show’s epic series finale. Yesterday, we learned that Stranger Things set a New Year’s Day record for Netflix by climbing to the No. 1 spot on the streamer’s English TV list with 31.5 million views. The season also officially joined the Most Popular English TV list, assuming the No. 9 spot with 105.7 million total views. Stranger Things 4 currently holds the No. 3 spot.

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