Now that the release of Superman has launched James Gunn’s DCU, comic book fans are awaiting what actors will play the other main heroes in upcoming DC movies. The White Lotus and Mayfair Witches actress Alexandra Daddario has been a front-running favorite for Wonder Woman as of late, but the actress is staying booked and busy with a new role that has nothing to do with crimefighting.

Alexandra Daddario Has Been A Favorite For Wonder Woman As We Wait For The Role To Be Cast

James Gunn has said the next Wonder Woman movie is being written and it’s currently a “priority” at DC Studios, but the big question on everyone’s minds is which actress will follow Gal Gadot as Diana Prince. There are a lot of fan favorites out there, but the passion for Alexandra Daddario to take on the role has been all over the internet for years through Wonder Woman fan art because she has such a striking resemblance to the comic book character.

Funny enough, Daddario has been part of the DC world before as the voice of Lois Lane in Superman: Man Of Tomorrow and the Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths trilogy, but we’ll have to wait and see if she ends up being in the official mix for the role of Wonder Woman in the new DC Universe.

But, The Actress Is Booked For A Horror Movie Filming Early 2026

While the fancasting continues, Daddario just found her next role in one of the latest newly-announced upcoming horror movies. She’s set to be in a movie called Inground with Star Trek’s John Cho, per Deadline, which will be produced by Ridley Scott. The movie is said to be about a recently divorced father who decided to try to reconnect with his young son by building a swimming pool in his backyard for them both to enjoy. However, as the logline reads “what begins as an exciting project turns into a terrifying nightmare.”

The report doesn’t reveal Daddario’s role, but the movie is apparently going to start filming in March of 2026, with director Aaron Katz helming from a script by American Horror Story writer Dan Dworkin. It sounds like a fun project for Daddario, who has recently been a regular in the genre, most notably as the star of Mayfair Witches for AMC.

The 39-year-old actress is also in the upcoming biopic about the Hershey chocolate founder and his wife, where Daddario will play Kitty Hershey alongside Finn Wittrock’s Milton S. Hershey. The movie from Mean Girls director Mark Waters is likely to be among the 2026 movie releases. As Daddario continues to be a popular name in Hollywood, we do wonder if she really will have a shot at the DCU (should she want the role) after she’s long been a popular choice for Wonder Woman among the people.

The idea of having roommates has never been more fun thanks to FOX’s comedy series, New Girl. Even though it’s been over and done with for years, it remains one of the most rewatchable TV shows ever. Aside from hitting play on the hilarious sitcom for all the great bits in the loft, it’s also a blast for all the major actors who guest-starred over the years. While there are way too many for this list to hold, we’ve compiled some of the biggest names that appeared on the show.

Jamie Lee Curtis

Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis guest starred as the mother of Zooey Deschanel’s Jess Day in the Season 2 episode, “Parents.” Curtis was a great pick to match the quirky spirit of the sitcom’s leading character, and she returned to the series five more times after her initial debut on the series in Season 2.

Taylor Swift

When one thinks of Taylor Swift, sure, “actor” isn’t the first title that comes to mind, but over the years the phenomenon of a singer/songwriter has racked up numerous acting credits in projects like The Lorax, Cats and Amsterdam along. Oh, and what about all those epic Taylor Swift music videos? Anyways, Swift made an appearance in the Season 2 finale of New Girl when Cece is getting married to Shivrang. At the altar, the groom calls off the wedding to say that he wants to marry Swift’s character of Elaine instead.

Prince

One of the most memorable moments in New Girl has to be when the cast is invited to go to a party at Prince’s house… and they actually meet Prince. The Season 3 episode came about thanks to the iconic artist expressing interest in appearing in the show as a fan of the comedy. There’s nothing like that scene when Nick and Jess have a freakout when he appears.

Tiffany Haddish

Girls Trip actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish had a small role in the Season 3 episode “Exes” as a date of Damen Wayans Jr’s Coach. She is part of the plotline of Schmidt deciding to get his own apartment and encouraging Winston and Coach to use the place whenever they like for their hookups. In the scene, all three of them have used it at once and it freaks out Haddish’s character of Leslie.

Rob Reiner

All In The Family’s Rob Reiner returned to the sitcom fold as Jess Day’s dad, Bob, in multiple episodes of New Girl. The beloved actor (and director of classics like The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, This Is Spinal Tap and Stand By Me) was in eleven total episodes of the series, appearing in almost every season of the show.

Lisa Bonet

The Cosby Show’s Lisa Bonet guest starred in the Season 4 episode “Teachers” as an education guru named Brenda Brown. Jess and Coach meet the character while attending together. She calls Coach out for his attitude during the presentation that causes him to stop being Jess’s “buffer” while she tries to ignore her feelings for a British teacher she’s crushing on at her school.

Kaitlin Olson

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’s Kaitlin Olson (who is back for Season 17 of the comedy) guest starred in New Girl for two episodes in Season 4. She plays Bob Day’s much younger fiancée, who happened to be the high school rival of Jess and Cece back in the day.

Josh Gad

The Book of Mormon and Frozen’s beloved snowman voice actor Josh Gad guest starred in three separate episodes of New Girl (in Season 2, 3 and 4) as a delivery man named Bearclaw who falls head over heels with Jess. He first appears in the episode “Katie” as a blind date gone wrong before also being in “Birthday” and “Walk of Shame.”

Dermot Mulroney

My Best Friend’s Wedding actor Dermot Mulroney is “Fancyman” in New Girl. The actor appeared as a guest star in eight episodes of the show throughout its run after becoming a favorite in Season 1. In the two part episode “Fancyman,” he is introduced as the wealthy father of one of Jess’s students who she strikes up a romance with.

Olivia Rodrigo

Yes, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series actress turned massive pop star Olivia Rodrigo was on New Girl, but it was before reaching mega-stardom. In the Season 6 episode “Young Adult,” Rodrigo plays one of the students in Jess’s school who becomes a huge fan of Nick Miller’s novel The Pepperwood Chronicles. In an effort for her students (including Rodrigo’s character of Terrinea) to like her better, Jess sets up a meeting between a few of the students and Nick.

Megan Fox

In Season 5 of New Girl, Zooey Deschanel was pregnant in real life and since that was not in the cards yet for Jess Day, the decision was made to have her character leave for a while on Jury Duty while Deschanel went on maternity leave. The creators decided to bring in Megan Fox’s Reagan to take Jess’s place and she ended up being part of 15 episodes of the series. Fox is of course also known for being in the Transformers movies, Jennifer’s Body and the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

Alan Ritchson

Before Alan Ritchson starred in one of the best Amazon Prime shows, Reacher, the actor had a memorable guest spot on New Girl in the episode “Micro”. In the Season 4 episode, Ritchson used his comedic chops as a guy Jess is seeing who she struggles with getting past the fact that Ritchson’s Matt has a micro penis.

Henry Winkler

Happy Days and Barry actor Henry Winkler appeared in New Girl (alongside the incredible Julie Hagerty and Taran Killam) in the Season 5 episode “What About Fred.” In the episode, Jess is dating a guy named Fred (Killam), who she finds very boring, but falls for spending time with his charismatic parents Winkler and Hagerty’s Flip and Nancy.

Parker Posey

Parker Posey, aka the “Queen of the Indies,” especially during the best movies of the 1990s, had a great guest appearance in New Girl during the Season 2 episode “Re-Launch.” Schmidt is having a re-branding party for himself and Posey plays a dishevelled shot girl who was not as advertised.

John Cho

Star Trek’s John Cho appeared on New Girl for the Season 5 episode “Jury Duty.” Jess tries to get out of getting on a case for a chance to be acting principal. She asks her friends to help, but fails miserably in front of Cho’s character, who ends up being the man questioning her for the case after they initially have a flirty meet-cute.

Adam Brody

The OC and Nobody Wants This’s Adam Brody was one of Jess’s ex-boyfriend’s, Berkley, in the Season 3 episode, “Exes.” In the episode, Jess tries to prove to Nick that exes can still be friends by introducing him to Berkley, but she’s proved wrong when she finds out his true intentions.

Quinta Brunson

Before Quinta Brunson was the Emmy-winning creator and star of the hit ABC comedy, Abbott Elementary, she had a brief role in New Girl, in the Season 7 episode “Mario.” When Nick is trying to propose to Jess, she unexpectedly adopts a dog, throwing off his plans. Brunson plays a restaurant host that Nick speaks to on the phone as the plans shift.

Stephen Amell

Arrow star Stephen Amell, who played the Green Arrow for eight seasons on The CW, was on New Girl for a couple of episodes in Season 1. He played Cece’s jerk boyfriend Kyle in “The 23rd” and “Valentine’s Day.” Cece ends things with Kyle in the latter episode after realizing she has feelings for Schmidt.

Jessica Biel

7th Heaven and The Sinner actress Jessica Biel stopped by New Girl for the Season 4 premiere “The Last Wedding.” When the gang goes to yet another wedding, Biel plays a single woman who ends up competing with Jess to earn the affection of its best man (played by Reid Scott).

Justin Long

Justin Long had a memorable guest star arc on the first season of New Girl. He plays Paul Genzlinger, a music teacher co-worker of Jess’s whom she starts dating in time for the show’s first Thanksgiving episode. Paul is often thought of as a male version of Jess. After the couple date for about a month and breakup, Long made a re-appearance in Season 4’s “Walk Of Shame.”

Linda Cardellini

New Girl fans got to meet Jess’s sister, Abby Day, in Season 3 through Linda Cardellini’s three-episode arc. The Dead To Me actress plays Jess’s troublemaker older sibling, who is just about completely opposite to the sitcom’s leading actress. Jess is constantly embarrassed by Abby’s behavior when she comes to stay in the loft after Jess saves her from prison.

Alexandra Daddario

Baywatch and The White Lotus’ Alexandra Daddario played one of the neighbors to the New Girl gang in two episodes of the series. Daddario’s Michelle is deemed as one of the “hot” new neighbors that Schmidt, Winston, Coach scramble to impress after their first meeting left something to be desired. Daddario appears in Season 3’s “Mars Landing” and Season 4’s “Goldmine.”

Andy Samberg

For quite a few years, New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine were both big comedies airing on FOX at the same time. So in Season 6, the networks decided to crossover the comedies with a special New York episode for New Girl. While the friends are in the Big Apple, Jess gets some help from Andy Samberg’s Jake Peralta and the other cast. (The cast of New Girl was also on an episode of B99 called “The Night Shift” that aired the same week in 2016).

Peter Gallagher

The OC’s Peter Gallagher was in multiple episodes of New Girl as Schmidt’s father, Gavin. The vineyard owner first appears in the Season 5 episode “D-Day” when Jess is assisting Schmidt with wedding preparations. Gallagher, who has also been in famous movies like American Beauty and While You Were Sleeping, was a great fit to play Schmidt’s absentee dad.

Randall Park

Before Randall Park became the star of Fresh Off The Boat, Always Be My Maybe and WandaVision, he was briefly in a Season 1 episode of New Girl as an employee at a phone company (with frosted tips), who makes fun of Nick for his crazy low credit score.

Natasha Lyonne

Natasha Lyonne is a famous TV actress for her roles in Orange is the New Black, Russian Doll and Poker Face. Prior to those roles, she had a small role in New Girl’s third episode ever, “Wedding.” She played Gretchen Nelson, an acquaintance of Schmidt, who he ends up sleeping with at every wedding they both attend even though he claims he cannot stand her.

Dylan O'Brien

Teen Wolf star Dylan O’Brien plays the guy Jess Day lost her virginity to on the night of her prom back when she was in high school. In the episode “Virgins” from Season 2, Jess runs into him many years after their first meeting, but what could have been a sexual fantasy turns into an embarrassing moment for the two of them.

Brenda Song

The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody actress Brenda Song was in a few episodes in Season 2 (and one in Season 3) as Daisy, a love interest for Winston. It’s a short-lived romance for Winston, but Song is a guest star in what we consider to be No. 1 of the best New Girl episodes, “Cooler.”

Joey King

Before Joey King was the star of Netflix’s The Kissing Booth movies or the numerous 2024 movies she’s been in like A Family Affair, Uglies and Despicable Me 4, she was a popular child actor who was in Ramona & Beezus with Selena Gomez or the Taylor Swift music video “Mean.” She was also in a Season 1 episode of New Girl called “Bully” as one of Jess’s students.

Carla Gugino

Carla Gugino, known for the Spy Kids movies and being in multiple Mike Flanagan horror projects was in three 2012 episodes of New Girl as Schmidt’s new boss, Emma. In the first episode Gugino stars in “Menzies,” Schmidt gets into a sexual contract with her that doesn’t go as planned.

Nick Kroll

The very funny Nick Kroll is known for starring in The League, along with creating the Kroll Show and Netflix’s Big Mouth. In Season 2’s “Chicago,” where the gang goes to Nick’s hometown for his father’s funeral, Kroll plays one of Nick Miller’s brothers, alongside Bill Burr! You can tell Kroll and Burr had tons of fun with the Chicago accent bringing some levity to a rather emotional New Girl episode.

Fred Armisen

Saturday Night Live favorite (who was behind some of SNL's funniest recurring characters) and Portlandia lead Fred Armisen had a brief role in New Girl for the season five episode “No Girl.” While Jess is at jury duty, the gang rent out her room to random people, and Armisen plays a guy named Brandon. His short time there made a huge impression because of how funny he is with the guys. Remember when he read Schmidt his romance writing or dressed up like Jess at one point?

Star Trek 4 is on the way, trekkies! 

From the moment Star Trek, starring Chris Pine, dropped in 2009, J.J. Abrams has captivated Star Trek fans, by expanding on a beautiful universe with an amazing space adventure that showed off just how wonderful the world of Star Trek is. The last film release was way back in 2016, titled Star Trek Beyond, and for some time, it felt like another movie would never come.

However, Star Trek 4 has taken some steps towards becoming a reality, starting off with news in February 2022 and continuing to now. New details have been released about the long-awaited movie. If you’re looking for some of the latest updates on it, here are some quick things that we know about the upcoming sequel.

Star Trek 4 Was Announced To Be In The Works In February 2022

Fear not, all the loyal fans out there, as Star Trek 4 has officially been announced by J.J. Abrams. As first reported by Variety from the Paramount Investors Day Presentation in February 2022, Abrams himself said that they're “hard at work” on the new Star Trek film and that shooting for the movie will begin by the “end of the year.” 

Abrams also teased that the original cast, as well as some new players, would appear, creating a new Star Trek experience. With how much Star Trek has evolved over the last few years, thanks to new shows such as Star Trek: Discovery or Star Trek: Picard, it’s exciting to hear that the films are also going to be bringing in new characters for us to love just as much as the television shows.  

Star Trek 4 Has Been Temporarily Removed From Paramount’s Release Schedule

The original premiere date was already being pushed around for some time prior to this, but with everything sort of up in the air right now, Star Trek 4 has been temporarily removed from the Paramount release schedule, according to Deadline, as of September 2022.

In November 2021, THR reported that Star Trek 4 was delayed until December 22nd, 2023, as it had originally been slated to come out on June 9, 2023. But now, it’s unclear if it’s going to find a place on the 2023 movie release list, and there’s no new date announced.

Hopefully, we won’t need to wait long for a new release date, but I’d rather Paramount not push it so quickly if that means we need to sacrifice the quality. I can wait as long as possible.

Chris Pine Is Set To Return As The Star

It was sort of up in the air for some time whether Chris Pine was going to return to the Star Trek franchise. While he did star in the latest movies, Pine himself didn’t even know the fourth installment was in development, as reported above from The Hollywood Reporter. But, per the Deadline article above, Pine is going to star in the fourth movie. 

Pine has been doing a lot the last six years since his last appearance in the Star Trek universe. Most recently, he was a part of the Don’t Worry Darling cast, and has appeared in films such as the Wonder Woman movies, All the Old Knives, A Wrinkle in Time, and is going to be appearing in 2023’s Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, so he’s been quite busy. However, I can’t wait to see him return as James T. Kirk in Star Trek 4.

Zoe Saldana And More Are Expected To Return For Star Trek 4 

If you were wondering if any of the other stars are set to come back, the previously mentioned Variety report noted that several of the film's primary actors are in talks to return to the franchise for a fourth movie. When the film was first announced, it was a surprise to everyone from the original franchise that Star Trek 4 was even in the works, according to an early 2022 story from The Hollywood Reporter. 

In addition to Chris Pine, this includes Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, and Simon Pegg. 

Zoe Saldana has been in the superhero world for some time, appearing as Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise – which is set to have a third movie come out in May 2023. Saldana also made appearances as Gamora in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, so she’s been quite busy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. John Cho led Cowboy Bebop on Netflix, adding on to his impressive list of TV and movie performances. Zachary Quinto has appeared in The Boys in the Band and will be featured in the upcoming season of American Horror Story: NYC.

For sure, these stars have been busy as heck and will undoubtedly be appearing in many 2022 upcoming movies and beyond, but to hear that they’re potentially going to be back for Star Trek 4 is even more exciting. 

J.J. Abrams Will Be Producing Star Trek 4

As reported by Variety, Star Trek 4 will be produced by J.J. Abrams, but not directed by him. This isn’t that much of a surprise. While Abrams did direct the first two Star Trek films, Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, he stepped down from Star Trek Beyond to become an executive producer and handed over the directing torch to Justin Lin.

Abrams is going to be doing the same thing for Star Trek 4, working as a producer while another director takes the lead. However, this time around there will be a new person in the director’s chair, rather than Justin Lin. 

WandaVision Director, Matt Shakman, Will No Longer Be Directing Star Trek 4

Originally, it was announced that WandaVision director Matt Shakman, would be directing Star Trek 4, according to Deadline, in July 2021. However, that has since changed, as Shakman is now tacked on to direct the upcoming Fantastic Four film in the MCU, according to Deadline. 

WandaVision was a huge hit for both Disney+ and Marvel when it released in early 2021, scoring multiple award nominations and wins, and earning the love of fans everywhere, so it was exciting to see him sign on for something as big as Star Trek. But, reportedly due to time conflicts with Fantastic Four, Shakman can no longer direct. Paramount released a statement in regards to his departure. 

With this announcement, and no word since on who will direct, it’s not very surprising that the film was taken off the release schedule. But hopefully, that won't take too long.  

How To Watch The J.J. Abrams Star Trek Movies Streaming

If you’re like me and you can’t wait to see another Star Trek movie, the previous films are available to either rent or stream right now. The first J.J. Abrams Star Trek film begins the adventure, as the USS Enterprise combats a mighty force that threatens the lives of innocent people. 

Stream Star Trek on Netflix.
Rent Star Trek on Amazon.

The second film, Star Trek Into Darkness, stars the same crew when they are sent to investigate a Starfleet member who has turned into a terrorist and is causing hell for everyone. 

Stream Star Trek Into Darkness on Paramount+.
Rent Star Trek Into Darkness on Amazon.

Star Trek Beyond, the most recent entry so far in the franchise, follows the story of the Enterprise crew out on a rescue mission until it's revealed later on that it’s an attack, and now they must fight to stay alive against their enemies. 

Stream Star Trek Beyond on Amazon Prime through AMC+.
Rent Star Trek Beyond on Amazon. 

And, if for some reason that’s still not enough Star Trek goodness for you, Paramount+ has so much Star Trek content that I’m quite sure you’ll find plenty of stuff to watch until Star Trek 4 releases. 

What are you looking forward to the most with Star Trek 4? No matter who's added to the cast or when it comes out, I’m sure it’ll be a great time and we’ll get to live long and prosper together once more.  

The TV corner of the Star Trek franchise has been chugging alongside nicely over the last several years, but the last time we embarked where no one has gone before on the cinematic side of things was in 2016’s Star Trek Beyond. Well, last week brought the revelation that Chris Pine and the other main stars of the Star Trek reboot film series are in talks to reprise their roles for Star Trek 4. If this news was surprising to you, guess what? It was a shock to the actors too.

THR has heard from its sources that most, if not all of the teams associated with the headlining actors of the recent Star Trek movies were not only unaware that a Star Trek 4 announcement was coming, but that their clients would be part of the project. These parties were also taken aback that Star Trek 4 is expected to begin production before 2022 is over, as Paramount Pictures wants to deliver this movie to the masses by December 22, 2023 (it was previously dated for June of the same year). As things stand now, Chris Pine, who plays Captain James T. Kirk in the Kelvin timeline of Star Trek lore, is the first to enter early talks to board Star Trek 4 since he’s the “lynchpin to the project.” 

Furthermore, apparently Star Trek 4’s script is still being worked on, as the project doesn’t even have a budget in place yet, let alone been officially greenlit. Naturally getting Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldaña, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban and John Cho all back for Star Trek 4 won’t be cheap, but Paramount is reportedly willing to shell out that extra money if it means helping bolster the Paramount+ streaming service, which is where Star Trek 4 would eventually become available. Sadly, this will be the first of the Kelvin-era Star Trek movies not to include Anton Yelchin’s Pavel Chekov, as the actor died on June 19, 2016, just a month before Star Trek Beyond came out.

Although filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Noah Hawley developed their own ideas for Star Trek movies that were ultimately set aside, the project moving forward as Star Trek 4 was originally supposed to be a time travel story featuring Chris Pine’s James Kirk meeting his father, Chris Hemsworth’s George Kirk, who died in 2009’s Star Trek just minutes after his son was born. However, contract negotiations between the two actors’ teams eventually fizzled out reportedly over money, although Hemsworth said in 2019 that he walked away because they hadn’t “landed on a reason to revisit that yet.” S.J. Clarkson has been hired to direct that iteration of Star Trek 4.

As things stand now, WandaVision’s Matt Shakman has been attached to direct Star Trek 4 in its current form since last July. He’ll work off a script written by Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson, but it’s unclear if this version of the movie has anything in common with its predecessor or if it’s a completely different beast. Either way, evidently Paramount didn’t do a great job communicating with the lead actors about the latest Star Trek 4 plans, so if you’re eager to see these versions of Kirk, Spock, Uhura, McCoy, Scotty and Sulu, cross your fingers that all sides can come to fitting arrangements.

While we wait for more updates on Star Trek 4, there’s plenty of Star Trek content to stream if you have a Paramount+ subscription. You’re also welcome to look through the lineup of 2022 movie releases to see what cinematic entertainment arriving later in the year catches your eye.

The Star Trek franchise is chugging right along on the television side, but it's more than fair to say the movie side has stagnated in recent years. Star Trek: Beyond came out in 2016, and ever since then, efforts to make Star Trek 4 have struggled. Now fans have received the most promising news yet on the next movie's development, along with the news that Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and the rest of the Kelvin-timeline crew are expected to return. 

News broke from Deadline that Chris Pine (Captain Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Zoe Saldana (Uhura), Simon Pegg (Scotty), Karl Urban (Dr. Bones), and John Cho (Sulu) are all in talks to return for Star Trek 4. The news was confirmed by J.J. Abrams at the Paramount Investors Day event, who added that filming on the movie is set to happen later this year. 

One notable exception from the original cast returns is that they'll be without Anton Yelchin, who passed away in 2016. Yelchin played the role of Chekov and made his final appearance as the character in Star Trek: Beyond. It's unknown at this time whether or not another actor will play Yelchin's role or if the movie will find a way to address the character's absence. 

Star Trek 4's plot is unclear at this time, though it's worth noting Paramount ran through a few publicly known ideas in the past. It's possible some of those ideas will make their way into the new movie, yet I wouldn't hold my breath for anything from Quentin Tarantino's pitch. 

One interesting pitch from the past featured a 2018 script that would reunite Chris Pine's Captain Kirk with his late father, played by Chris Hemsworth. Audiences were excited to see the two share a screen, though attempts to navigate a deal with Pine and Hemsworth never worked out. Hemsworth's name wasn't mentioned in the announcement, and with his continued work as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one has to wonder if he'd be available to appear. 

Chris Hemsworth might not be in the mix, though J.J. Abrams did confirm that new characters will appear in the upcoming movie. This is purely speculation, but considering the time it took to get Star Trek 4 to this stage, one might wonder if this film might make efforts to pave the way for a new cast of younger talent that isn't as locked down with their schedules as the stars of the current franchise. One note from Variety mentioned that research from Paramount noted a lasting interest from audiences in the central cast despite the gap between films, so who knows if we'll see a passing of the torch? 

Since filming is set to kick off on Star Trek 4 later this year, it's a good time to get caught up on the franchise. Snag a Paramount+ subscription in order to see all the movies, and maybe check out a few of the new offerings the franchise has on television as well. 

There was an immense amount of hype surrounding Netflix’s live-action reboot of the Japanese anime Cowboy Bebop. While some fans were skeptical, and not everybody loved the show, there were many who ended up enjoying the new series and were looking forward to an additional season. Unfortunately, Netflix has decided not to move forward with the show, and many of the cast and crew including John Cho are now reacting to the news.

Whether or not the people who made the live-action Cowboy Bebop even knew the decision had been made before the news broke, once it did, there were a lot of people who wanted to know how the stars of the show felt. John Cho just posted a GIF, and while he doesn’t even reference the show directly, it’s clear what it is he’s referring to. 

Cowboy Bebop was one of the top streaming items on Netflix when it launched, but it’s always difficult to tell exactly what that even means. Netflix seems more than willing to cancel shows that, at least from the outside seem popular. Perhaps there were a lot of people who watched a few episodes but did not finish the series, leading the streaming service to believe that a second season wouldn’t have the necessary interest.

It’s also possible that the season’s final scene, which introduced the live-action version of character Radical Ed, actually scared the people who saw it to the point that they were afraid of Season 2.

John Cho’s co-star Mustafa Shakir, who played Jet Black to Cho’s Spike Spiegel, also made a simple post to reference the show’s cancellation. His was also little more than a single GIF, but he at least directly referenced the show.  

The two stars seem to be taking a pragmatic view of the situation. If they’re upset or angry about the cancellation, they’re keeping their cards close to their chest. Mason Park, who played Gren in the series, was a bit more open about their feelings, admitting to being “gutted” by the decision not to move forward. 

For the stars the frustration of no Season 2 is that they’ll now need to go find new work to do. For the fans the frustration is that the story will now be left on a forever cliffhanger. The first season of the show only covered about half of the original anime’s story, and it also ended with a major twist, changing one element of that story in a big way. Now we’ll never know what was going to happen, which is what frustrates executive producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach 

So now we can add Cowboy Bebop to the list of shows cancelled by Netflix before their time. It seems unlikely the show will survive elsewhere, but if the fans want it enough, the possibility exists. We’ll just have to wait and see.  

I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t really watch a lot of TV. I’m more of a movie kind of guy myself. But if I do watch TV, then there’s a good chance that John Cho is on the show, since he’s one of my favorite actors. And here’s the thing. He’s the best of both worlds! Yes, I’m sure you’ve seen a few John Cho movies here or there, and some of them make this list. But when it comes to the actor, I really can’t decide what I prefer to see him as more—A movie star or a TV star. Either way, you’re guaranteed to get a quality performance.

I first saw John Cho as the guy licking the picture of Stifler’s mom in American Pie, and I thought, who is this guy? But from those humble (and horny) beginnings to being Spike Spiegel in the upcoming live-action Cowboy Bebop, John Cho has consistently been surprising and engaging as an actor all throughout his career. I’m super looking forward to whatever John Cho is going to do next, but for now, here are his best performances in TV and movies, ranked.

10. Sleepy Hollow (Andy Brooks)

Sleepy Hollow was on for four seasons, but I stopped watching midway through Season 2. And do you know why? It’s because John Cho’s character, police officer, Andy Brooks, was no longer on the show in the second season. Well, that and because I kind of lost interest in the premise of Ichabod Crane solving mysteries in modern day times.

But I really did like John Cho’s character. He was haunted by the demon, Moloch, and it was fun watching him becoming one of Moloch’s accomplices. And while it wasn’t a groundbreaking performance, it sure was a very fun one. I would actually love to see John Cho do more “horror”. He’s good at it.

9. Mirai (Mr. Ota)

John Cho doesn’t have a huge role in the English dubbed version of Mirai, which is a trippy film where a young boy runs away from home and meets his baby sister as a teenager, but it’s a vital one. In this film, John Cho voices a stay-at-home father, and he sounds like a dad, as he is one in real life, which comes through in this vocal performance.

Mr. Ota is a great performance because you can hear that he’s really trying to be a good father to both of his kids, but it may not sound apparent to his eldest child. John Cho is the kind of actor who can just naturally sound like he’s trying (and failing) to keep everything under control, and it’s a real pleasure to hear him. I wish he’d do more voice work.

8. FlashForward (Demetri Noh)

Everybody talks about Firefly and Pushing Daisies—you know, shows that were cancelled way too soon—but how come I never hear anybody talking about FlashForward? The premise was about a global event where almost everybody lost consciousness and saw into the future, and the ramifications of said event. John Cho played FBI special agent, Demetri Noh, and he saw… nothing.

This haunts his character throughout the entire short-lived series (Does he die?), and we see him wrestle with this idea while still trying to uncover whether another event like this will ever happen again. His character arc is riveting, but somber, throughout. A great performance that is often overlooked.

7. Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle (Harold Lee)

Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle is the funniest movie I’ve ever seen in my entire life, and that’s no exaggeration. Starring alongside Kal Penn as the eponymous Harold, John Cho plays the straight man like no other. But here’s the great thing about his performance. It takes Asian stereotypes—like Harold being the investment banker who people take advantage of—and brings that man home to show us his real life—as the pot smoking dude who has the hots for his neighbor. What’s shocking is that even though it’s the year 2021, we still don’t have nearly enough movies that show Asian-Americans as just being regular people. At least not in the movie theaters anyway.

Harold and Kumar eventually became a trilogy, and this first movie set the groundwork for modern day stoner comedies. Some people may claim that Pineapple Express is the best stoner comedy of the past 20 years, but those people are wrong, and mostly because John Cho isn’t in that one.

6. The Exorcist (Andrew Kim)

The year is 2017, and unless it’s Better Call Saul, I’m not watching network TV. So why is it that in 2017, I was tuned into FOX? Well, the answer is simple. I heard John Cho was going to be on a TV version of The Exorcist, so I watched it. I didn’t watch the first season, which I heard was a direct follow-up to the original movie. But I did watch Season 2, where John Cho played a former child psychologist who ran a foster home.

Unlike Sleepy Hollow, which was meant to be fun, The Exorcist was meant to be scary. And while it wasn’t, I did love John Cho’s haunted performance as a foster parent trying to keep his family together, and struggling through a nightmare. John Cho is a definitive leading man, and it was a joy to see him in yet another horror TV show. Seriously, put this man in everything.

5. Star Trek (Hikaru Sulu)

Reboots are tricky things. Obviously, you have your set-in-place fans who will only love the original cast. But 2009’s Star Trek is that rare exception that both reveres the original series, but also does its own thing. And John Cho’s Hikaru Sulu is a great example of that.

Star Trek was always a show that was more interested in exploration than action, but 2009’s Star Trek had amazing action set pieces. John Cho played helmsman, Sulu, as the kind of man who could both pilot the Starship Enterprise, but also whip out a badass sword and save his captain in the same day. Look, I don’t even really like Star Trek (sorry!), but I loved this movie, and John Cho was a really big reason why.

4. A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas (Harold Lee)

The first Harold and Kumar is still my favorite in the trilogy, but I especially love this third entry in the series since it shows such growth in Harold’s character. At the start of the film, Harold has become responsible, as he’s given up pot, has a successful job on Wall Street, and is trying to start a family with his wife. But since this is the Harold and Kumar series, the rest of the events turn into a fever dream that involves a search for a Christmas tree, the Russian mob, and Neil Patrick Harris returning as the perpetual horndog.

And Harold, once again, grounds it all. I think John Cho’s performance is especially impressive in this sequel since we’ve seen the way he’s grown as a character, but also that he’s still the same old Harold at heart, which is a tough balancing act to walk on. Yes, Kal Penn still gets all the best lines, but the film wouldn’t even work if John Cho’s Harold wasn’t in it.

3. Selfie (Henry Higgs)

Before Searching, there was Selfie, which is actually a modern-day retelling of My Fair Lady. John Cho plays Henry Higgs (Like Henry Higgins. Get it?), and his job is to take the social media obsessed Eliza Dooley (Played by Karen Gillan), and get her off the phone and talking to actual people.

I really can’t stand romantic comedies, but I found this short-lived series super endearing. John Cho’s character was equal parts bemused by Gillan’s character as he was charmed. For somebody who detests romantic comedies as much as I do to be hoping for their characters to get together is no small feat, but John Cho pulled it off. What can’t he do?

2. Columbus (Jin Lee)

Columbus is almost meditative in nature. It’s the story of two people—Jin Lee and Casey, played by John Cho and Haley Lu Richardson, respectively—who strike up a friendship in Columbus, Indiana, where they are both stuck in town because of their ailing parents. But for a movie that is mostly just people walking around and admiring architecture, there’s so much to be said about both pursuing dreams, and what holds people back from doing such things.

John Cho delivers a quiet performance in Columbus, but it’s impossible to look away. It’s the kind of film that you want to recommend to people, but you’re afraid they might find it boring. But then they actually watch it and they thank you for it later, and John Cho’s performance is at the center of why it’s so good.

1. Searching (David Kim)

I honestly don’t think Searching would have been as good as it was if not for John Cho. The concept of locating your daughter through online searches doesn’t really feel all that novel after a movie like Unfriended, which took place almost entirely on a series of screens. But there’s something about John Cho being the single dad to a grieving daughter—while also not allowing himself to grieve—that just elevates this movie to new levels.

John Cho represents every father dealing with a child living in the tech age, but there’s also just something about John Cho being an Asian father that lends itself to a different perspective that we rarely see in Hollywood cinema today. Plus, John Cho just goes through so many different emotions that you feel his frustration and fear in every scene. I love Searching, and I don’t think I even want to watch a sequel if he’s not going to be in it.

John Cho is that rare actor who I could watch in anything. Hell, I’m still dream casting him in movies like The Shining. I doubt that will ever come to be, but if it does, then you heard it here first. As for movies not featuring my main man John Cho, make sure to check out our 2021 new movie releases.

This poll is no longer available.

After 17 seasons on the air (so far?), it really should come as no surprise that Grey’s Anatomy can boast a countless number of impressive guest stars, including many stars who can call the sexy medical drama one of their first gigs before becoming a household name. We decided to take on the challenge of identifying as many notable celebrities who appeared on the Shonda Rhimes hit before their big break or in a role small enough to have since fallen into obscurity. We came up with a staggering tally of 23 actors, starting with one beloved Emmy winner who knows a thing or two about playing a medical professional.

Sarah Paulson (Dr. Ellis Grey)

One year before American Horror Story’s 2011 premiere, Sarah Paulson appeared on Grey’s Anatomy as Dr. Ellis Grey (Meredith’s mother) in an ‘80s flashback episode that sees her treat an AIDS patient at Seattle Grace when the disease was still new to the public. More recently the actress has played a psychiatrist from hell in Glass, a nurse from hell in Ratched, and also a mom from hell in the hit Hulu original Run.

John Cho (Dr. Marshall Stone)

To lead his acclaimed feature-length debut, Searching, Run director Aneesh Chaganty cast John Cho - also known as Sulu in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movies. However, when he appeared on Grey’s Anatomy as a surgical intern in need of surgery after falling asleep at the wheel, the Korean-born actor’s defining role was Harold Lee in the 2004 cult comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, whom he would reprise in two sequels.

Keke Palmer (Sheryll Jeffries)

Also known primarily for comedies (especially for children) was Keke Palmer, when she played a pregnant teen on Grey’s Anatomy’s tenth season. The 27-year-old actress and singer has since gone on to find darker work on horror series like MTV’s Scream and Ryan Murphy’s Scream Queens and played a con artist stripper in Hustlers opposite Jennifer Lopez.

Alanna Masterson (Hillary Boyd)

Another “scream queen” to appear on Grey’s Anatomy in her early days is Alanna Masterson, who is best known for playing Tara Chambler for five seasons of The Walking Dead. Her young, seemingly mature, one-off role on the medical drama put her through a different kind of horror when she took psychedelic mushrooms, tried to fly off her roof, and broke 52 bones.

Tessa Thompson (Camille Travis)

Like Alanna Masterson, Tessa Thompson is best known for a comic book role (Valkyrie in the MCU), as well as the Creed franchise, absurdist satire Sorry to Bother You, and high-concept sci-fi thriller Annihilation, to name just a few. Much earlier, in 2006, she played Richard Webber’s niece Camille Travis (later recast in Season 4 by Camille Winbush) before showing up in a different role on the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off, Private Practice, in 2009.

Dylan Minnette (Ryan)

Actor and musician Dylan Minnette also appeared on a second Shonda Rhimes hit (Scandal) years after he played a 9-year-old born without external ears on Grey’s Anatomy’s fourth season. The now 24-year-old star would go on to appear in horror movies of a light variety (Goosebumps) and a bleak variety (Don’t Breathe), as well as lead the cast of the teen drama 13 Reasons Why for Netflix.

Sydney Sweeney (Erin Weaver)

Speaking of dark teen dramas, the Emmy-winning HBO series Euphoria is 23-year-old Sydney Sweeney's biggest claim to fame yet, following her role opposite Amy Adams on Sharp Objects and a recurring spot on The Handmaid's Tale for Hulu. Earlier, in a heartbreaking Season 11 episode of Grey's Anatomy, she played the daughter of a man who discovers what he thought was heartburn is actually much worse.

Elisabeth Moss (Nina Rogerson)

Speaking of The Handmaid's Tale, Elisabeth Moss won an Emmy for her lead role on the dystopian drama after receiving several nominations for playing Peggy Olson on Mad Men. The star of acclaimed 2020 horror flick, The Invisible Man, previously appeared on Season 3 of Grey's Anatomy as a woman whose mother suffers from a strange condition that causes her bones to grow when experiencing trauma.

Justina Machado (Anna Nyles)

Also appearing on Grey's Anatomy's third season was actress Justina Machado as a new mother who initially assumes her breast cancer tumor was a clogged milk duct. The 48-year-old former Six Feet Under star later became better known as a nurse and mother on the cancelled Netflix sitcom One Day at a Time and more recently competed as a finalist on Dancing with the Stars.

Jesse Plemons (Jake Burton)

Netflix is also the home of several recent films starring Jesse Plemons, such as the Oscar-nominated The Irishman, Charlie Kaufman's I'm Thinking of Ending Things, and El Camino, in which he reprised his sociopathic Breaking Bad character, Todd. Right before landing his first starring role on Friday Night Lights, Plemons was almost completely unrecognizable in his Grey's Anatomy guest spot as a teen with a deadly brain tumor caused by a rare bone disorder.

Dean Norris (Vince)

Fellow Breaking Bad alum Dean Norris also made an early appearance on two episodes of Grey's Anatomy as a mechanic whose friend and colleague is injured in a ferry crash during Season 3. The 57-year-old acting veteran was later cast in the series adaptation of Stephen King's Under the Dome, landed a recurring spot on Shonda Rhimes' Scandal, and is currently preparing to reprise his role from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark for the upcoming sequel.

Abigail Breslin (Megan Clover)

Dean Norris also briefly appears in acclaimed indie comedy Little Miss Sunshine, which earned then 10-year-old Abigail Breslin an Oscar nomination in 2007. Between her 2002 film debut in Signs and that later star-making moment, the future star of the Zombieland movies played a girl whose repeat visits to Seattle Grace brought up suspicions of her foster parents' treatment of her, before it was discovered that her insensitivity to pain was to blame for her frequent accidents.

Leslie Odom Jr. (P.J. Walling)

2020 Was a big year for Leslie Odom Jr. with Hamilton coming to Disney+, the animated musical series Central Park premiering on Apple TV+, and One Night in Miami hitting theaters in December. The actor and singer was still on his way to stardom when he appeared in a Grey's Anatomy episode with an intriguing DC connection as an, initially reluctant, donor in a domino kidney transplant, which Justice League Unlimited voice actors George Newbern (Superman) and Carl Lumbly (Martian Manhunter) are the recipients of.

Maggie Siff (Ruthie Sales)

Like most actors your can think of, Leslie Odom Jr. also appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, much just like Maggie Siff did after playing a woman suffering from osteoporosis on Season 4 of Grey's Anatomy. It would be one of the last of her many early TV guest spots before becoming a notable presence on series like FX's Sons of Anarchy, AMC's Mad Men, and most recently, Showtime's Billions.

Theo Rossi (Stan Giamatti)

Maggie Siff's Sons of Anarchy co-star Theo Rossi, who would go on to play Marvel villain Shades on Netflix's Luke Cage series, has also been a guest on Grey's Anatomy. In a tearjerker two-part episode from Season 4, he played a paramedic, and husband of a Seattle Grace radiologist, who becomes trapped with his partner and best friend after their ambulance collides with another once they've dropped off a patient.

Danielle Panabaker (Kelsey Simmons)

Speaking of TV comic book adaptations, The Flash star Danielle Panabaker was relatively well-known for movies like Disney's teen superhero comedy Sky High, and the 2009 remake of Friday the 13th before she starred in one Grey's Anatomy episode. In Season 6, her character is forced to spend Thanksgiving at Seattle Grace, where she becomes engaged to her boyfriend after successfully receiving a heart transplant.

Jurnee Smollett (Beth Monroe)

Speaking of DC adaptations, Birds of Prey star Jurnee Smollett was probably best known as Michelle Tanner's friend Denise Frazer on Full House years before she played the first survivor of a clinical tumor trial run by Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd, unlike her ill-fated boyfriend, in a two-part Grey's Anatomy episode. Today, the 34-year-old actress has numerous notable credits to her name, most recently the supernatural period drama, Lovecraft Country, on HBO.

Jamie Chung (Trina Paiz)

Jurnee Smollett's Lovecraft Country co-star Jamie Chung has also starred in several comic book adaptations, including Batman prequel series Gotham, the animated Big Hero 6, and its sequel series on Netlflix, the 2014 sequel to Sin City, and the infamous Dragonball Evolution, from 2009. The following year, the Korean actress (also a veteran of MTV's The Real World) played a newlywed forced to spend her honeymoon at Seattle Grace after she and her husband fall 100 feet into a ravine while mountain climbing.

Rachel Brosnahan (Brian Weston)

Her impressive recurring spot on House of Cards, and Emmy win for playing a female comedian in the 1960s in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, has made Rachel Brosnahan one of the most sought after actresses of her generation. Much earlier in her career, the star of the new Amazon Prime original film I'm Your Woman played a young transgender man seeking to complete his sex reassignment surgery at Seattle Grace in Grey's Anatomy's ninth season.

David Denman (Rick Jacobs)

When David Denman appeared on Grey's Anatomy in 2007 as the victim of a faulty parachute, most audiences probably recognized him best from The Office, where he played former Dunder Mifflin employee and the ex-fiancé of Pam Beesly, Roy Anderson. He would later reunite with his old onscreen romantic rival John Krasinski in Michael Bay's 13 Hours, play the father of a Power Ranger, star in Steven Soderbergh's country-fried heist comedy Logan Lucky, and will next appear opposite Kate Winslet in the upcoming HBO mini-series Mare of Easttown.

Millie Bobby Brown (Ruby)

One of the most successful child stars in Hollywood today is British teenager Mille Bobby Brown, who most recently played the title role of Enola Holmes, and will soon reprise her Godzilla: King of the Monsters character in a film that pits the atomic reptile against King Kong. Just one year before first playing young psychokinetic, Eleven, on the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, Brown guest starred on Grey's Anatomy as a young girl receiving medical advice from Seattle Grace over the phone after an earthquake leaves her mother incapacitated at their remote cabin.

How many of these Grey's Anatomy appearances do you remember? Let us know in the comments below!

I tried this before with Silence of the Lambs, and I’m going to try it again. But this time, I’m focusing on the horror masterpiece, The Shining, starring Jack Nicholson and Shelly Duvall.

Now, just like the last time, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining. In fact, I love The Shining! (Even though its author, Stephen King, hates it). But I also think a hypothetical remake of The Shining would be kind of rad. Especially if it had more diversity in it since diversity can make an already great story feel even more unique. And before some of you say, “What if Black Panther was replaced with white actors? Would that be okay?” Well, all I have to say is, sure, why not? That could be your list if you want it to be. (Adrian Brody as T’Challa, perhaps?) But here’s my list of what actors I would want to play in The Shining if I had a diverse cast in mind.

Jack Torrance – John Cho

Jack Torrance, played by the incomparable Jack Nicholson, is an author who just needs to get away from the world. He’s taken on a job as the winter caretaker at the Overlook Hotel with the hopes of getting in some quality writing time. But he soon starts to go nuts (or does he?), as he begins seeing ghosts in the hotel who tell him to murder his family. He also has a love of axes and Johnny Carson, but a distaste for hedge mazes and ice cold climate. I can relate.

Nobody could replace Jack Nicholson, so I wouldn’t even bother to. Instead, I would want a quieter, more introspective Jack Torrance who might be questioning his own sanity before he even got into the hotel. And I think John Cho would be perfect for that role. John Cho can play quiet and reserved, but there can also be a lot of rage bubbling beneath the surface, as seen in the movie Searchingwhich is about a father who won’t give up hope looking for his missing daughter. It would be impossible to forget Jack Nicholson’s insane performance, so why not try a different approach? I would like a Jack who is trying to figure out if he’s going insane or not, only to submit to insanity anyway. Pretty cool.

Wendy Torrance - Janelle Monae

Wendy Torrance, played by Shelly Duvall, is the wife of Jack Torrance and the mother of Danny Torrance. But she doesn’t have much of a role in the movie besides screaming and occasionally swinging a baseball bat at Jack. Oh, and slicing a hand with a knife if she has to. I mean, I know she’s scared, but fight back more, woman. Fight back!

You know who would fight back? Antebellum’s Janelle Monae. Because here’s the thing. If I were to swap roles in a remake of The Shining, I don’t want the same thing as the original but with different actors. I actually want something different as a whole. And Janelle Monae has proven in Antebellum (especially in the third act) that she won’t take crap from anybody. So I think her presence would change the whole movie. She would definitely fight back. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Danny Torrance – Ian Chen

Danny Torrance, played by Danny Lloyd, actually has the shining, which is a telepathic ability to communicate with others. When he’s not “shining” with the Overlook Hotel’s cook, Dick Hallorann, he’s usually seen riding his big wheels around the hotel and running into ghost twins. Oh, and writing Redrum on the mirrors. Because a boy needs his hobbies.

The youngest (and brightest) child of Louis and Jessica Huang on Fresh Off The Boat, Ian Chen, at 14 (now) is a lot older than Danny Lloyd was in The Shining, but that’s okay. Ian Chen played a precocious, somewhat know-it-all character, and I think it would actually be pretty interesting to have a teenage Danny who thinks he might actually know what’s going on, but tries to doubt it, just like his father. Along with a mother who fights back, I think it would create an interesting dynamic of a wise teenager with the shining who doesn’t know what to do with his ability, or who to trust.

Dick Hallorann – Tilda Swinton

Dick Hallorann, played by the late, great Scatman Crothers, is the head cook at the Overlook Hotel, but he also has the shining, just like Danny. Ever since the Torrance family came to the hotel, though, he’s had a sense that the ghosts are becoming more and more powerful, and more and more bold as well. He tries to alert Danny about this, but gets an axe in the back for all his troubles. Aww, shucks.

Since Dick Hallorann was already played by a person of color in the original, I thought it would be interesting to gender swap the roles this time around. Instead of a black man, I want a white woman. And to fill that role, I would pick none other than Tilda Swinton. Ms. Swinton has already played a man’s role when she portrayed the Ancient One in Doctor Strange, as the character was a man in the comics. But I’m mainly thinking of Tilda Swinton’s performance in Snowpiercer when I envision her for this role. I see her as being somebody who outwardly seems crazy to Danny, but who actually reveals how sagacious and brave she is in the face of all these ghosts. I also don’t think this version would allow herself to be hit in the back with an axe. She’d already see him coming a mile away and could maybe even communicate with the ghosts. Reason with them, perhaps? Who’s to say?

Lloyd – Kunal Nayyar

Lloyd, played by Joe Turkel, was formerly a bartender at the Overlook Hotel, but died and took up residence as a ghost in the same position. He mostly likes to clean glasses and tell people to kill their families, so you know, all in a day’s work.

The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar might seem like a terrible choice for the creepy Lloyd in the movie, but hear me out with this one. Lloyd’s quiet but firm approach in the original movie fit perfectly with the kind of hotheaded Jack Torrance he was dealing with. But I’m seeing a more cerebral Jack with John Cho, and this Jack would be the kind of person who actually needs to be eased into following his baser instincts, and I think humor would be a great way to ease him into that situation. Enter Kunal Nayyar, who can be hilarious, but also charming in his own way. I’d love to see a ghost who seems like he wants to be your friend, and will be, if you’re just willing to kill your family to become one with the hotel.

And that’s the list. I’m sure there are better choices that I could have made, but those are the ones that I came up with. But what do you think? Sound off in the comments.

In the future… people are more likely to be blue or green than Asian, Hispanic, Black, or Native American. At least that’s how it seems when you watch sci-fi movies and TV shows, since the medium hasn’t really been all that representative to people of color. Sure, Star Trek was putting a Japanese man and a black woman on the Starship Enterprise back in 1966 with Sulu (George Takei) and Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), respectively. But overall, POC were often more alien in Sci-fi movies and TV shows than the actual aliens themselves.

I’d love to say that things have changed dramatically today, but they really haven’t. Sure, you’re much more likely to see more diverse casts now than you ever did before (and sci-fi shows like Black Mirror are making a better effort than most). But for the most part, the future doesn’t look too rosy if you’re a person of color. That’s why I want to highlight some of my favorite POC in movies and TV. Because in space, nobody can hear you scream Black Lives Matter.

John Cho as Sulu

John Cho had some big shoes to fill when he took on the role of Sulu in the Star Trek remake (reboot? Reimagining?), but thankfully, he managed to fill them quite nicely. John Cho, using his trademark charm and unassuming coolness, made the role his own in all three movies.

And next up, in what can only be described as perfect casting, John Cho will be playing the bounty hunter, Spike Spiegel, in the live-action Netflix series of Cowboy Bebop. No white-washing, Ghost in the Shell here. No siree.

Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacon

Michelle Rodriguez might be most famous for her work in the Fast and the Furious series as Letty Ortiz, but she’s also made quite a few contributions to the sci-fi genre as well. She was of course in one of the biggest movies of all time as combat pilot, Trudy Chacon, in Avatar.

She also played Rain Ocampo in the first Resident Evil movie, Technical Sergeant, Elena Santos, in Battle: Los Angeles, and also Ana Lucia Cortez on the TV show, Lost. You go, girl!

Gina Torres as Zoe Washburne

Any sci-fi fan worth their Browncoat knows Gina Torres as Captain Mal’s second-in-command, Zoe Washburne on Firefly. There, she kicked ass and took names, and always looked tough doing it.

But she also appeared in The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions as Cas, and also had roles in the TV show, Cleopatra 2525 as Hel, and as Arnold Weber’s wife, Lauren, on Westworld. Cool.

Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus

Speaking of The Matrix, can I offer you a pill? They come in two colors. Red or blue. Laurence Fishburne, of course, played a prominent role in the Matrix trilogy as Morpheus, the captain of the Nebuchadnezzar.

But late in his career, he also found himself in two comic worlds—one as Perry White in Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman, and one as Bill Foster in Ant-Man and the Wasp. And let’s not forget him as Captain Miller in Event Horizon. Chilling stuff!

Ken Watanabe as Dr. Ishiro Serizawa

Mr. “Let them fight,” himself, Japanese actor, Ken Watanabe, is a serious actor, playing serious roles in movies like The Last Samurai and Letters from Iwo Jima. That said, he’s not above being in a movie where giant monsters slam into each other, as he also played Dr. Ishiro Serizawa in both MonsterVerse Godzilla movies.

He’s also no stranger to other sci-fi films, as he played Lieutenant Hide Yoshida in Pokemon Detective Pikachu, voiced Drift in Transformers: Age of Extinction, and also played Saito in the masterpiece, Inception. In other words, he’s dreamy.

Edward James Olmos as William "Bill" Adama

Set it and forget it, Edward James Olmos has been putting in work since 1974. I first saw Olmos in Stand and Deliver as he played real-life teacher, Jamie Escalante. Great work to be sure, but Olmos will probably most be known for his portrayal as Admiral William “Bill” Adama on the super popular reimagining of Battlestar Galactica. Of note, his son, Bodie Olmos, also played Brendan “Hot Dog” Costanza, another character on the show, so it was a family affair.

Olmos also spent some time in the Marvel Universe as Robert Gonzales in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He was also the police officer, Gaff, in both the original Blade Runner, and Blade Runner 2049. The verdict is still out on whether he’s a replicant or not.

Donnie Yen as Chirrut Imwe

Mr. Ip Man himself, Donnie Yen is definitely more known for martial arts than he is for sci-fi, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t dipped his space boot into the genre. Case in point, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Yen played Chirrut Imwe, a blind, spiritual warrior monk who is one with the force. The force is with him!

But like pretty much everybody in existence, Donnie Yen is ALSO in a Marvel movie. Just not in the Cinematic Universe. He played Snowman in Blade II. Because if you can act, then you’ve probably been in a Marvel flick. It’s just facts.

Will Smith as Dr. Robert Neville

Big Willie Style. It’s crazy to think that one of the biggest movie stars on the planet is also big into Sci-fi movies. He played Dr. Robert Neville in I Am Legend, Agent J in Men in Black, a drunk superhero in Hancock, Del Spooner in I, Robot, Captain Steven Hiller in Independence Day. God, what else?

Oh, yeah! Cypher Raige in After Earth, Deadshot in Suicide Squad, Henry Brogan AND Junior in the recent Gemini Man, and even James West in Wild, Wild West, which is steampunk, a sub-genre of Science Fiction. I’m sorry, but when you’re starring in sub-genres of science fiction, you’ve made it, man. You’ve made it.

There are other people of color in sci-fi movies and TV shows that I haven’t mentioned (like Michael Pena and Zoe Saldana), but this list wouldn’t, unfortunately, be all that much longer if I had included them. Sci-fi is a fascinating genre, but it would be so much better if there were more people of color in it. Oh, well. Hopefully, this current generation will boldly go where people in the past never went before. So there’s always hope, and hope is good.

Stoner comedies are their own special thing that require just the right mood (...usually stoned) for enjoying their full delights. While Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle and the film's two sequels are recent-ish examples of the sub-genre that got lots of non-stoners talking about how wacky the movies were, we have yet to see any adventures from Harold and Kumar beyond A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, which was released in 2011. Star Kal Penn would still love to make a fourth film in the series, but he thinks there's one key to getting it done now.

Each of the first three Harold & Kumar movies were released in theaters, helping the franchise (which was made for about $40 million total) make almost $116 million worldwide, but it turns out that Kal Penn would like to see something else happen if they get to add to the series. Here's what he told Variety:

I hadn't really thought about this, but Kal Penn does make a good point about how people like to watch their stoner comedies. Sure, it's obvious that many folks were just fine with going to the theater to watch the first three Harold & Kumar movies, but these things tend to really shine with repeat viewings at home when you've got nowhere else to be, can lay around in your undies and don't feel the need to (potentially) drive illegally because you are...High. As. A. Kite.

Of course, because Kal Penn mentioned binging the movies, having Harold & Kumar Survive The Coronavirus (or whatever the new movie will be called) debut on a streaming service leads to another benefit. Instead of franchise fans having to marathon their way through the first movies at home, and then head to the theater to watch the duo's new adventure, they can just do all four movies in one sitting, without ever having to, you know, shower, put on pants or stop eating pepperoni pizza with cheese doodles and melted ice cream on top.

Is that what people who like to smoke a little sumthin' sumthin' enjoy eating? Asking for a friend...

Speaking of this magical fourth Harold & Kumar movie, don't think that Kal Penn is the only one interested in keeping the toke party hopping. Apparently, his co-star John Cho, as well as franchise creators / writers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, are all on board with the idea of giving fans another sequel.

While I usually have to be convinced that sequels which come more than five years after a previous franchise entry are a good move, I have to admit that I'm kinda into the thought of catching up with Harold Lee and Kumar Patel as married men who smoke pot with their kids. Alright, maybe not that exact idea, but you get what I'm saying. Who doesn't want to watch some formerly wild dudes rebuild their connection to cannabis and do some crazy, stupid shit? No one; that's who!

We'll just have to wait and see if Kal Penn, John Cho and the rest can set aside some time to give fans another Harold & Kumar movie, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest. In the meantime, check out our 2020 new movie release guide, which will be updated with premiere delays as soon as the information becomes available.

There are plenty of actors who are often praised for doing their own stunts. However, stunt doubles exist for a reason, but sometimes accidents happen regardless. Such is the case with John Cho, who suffered from an extensive knee injury that has stalled production on Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop in New Zealand.

The live-action Cowboy Bebop is being adapted from the Japanese anime series of the same name. The animated series had a total of 26 episodes and gained popularity when it aired on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim back in the late 1990s. The live-action was originally announced back in 2017 but didn't have a network attached to produce. However, Netflix announced late last year that it would produce the adaptation and things really got rolling.

In April of this year, John Cho -- who is playing spikey-haired bounty hunter Spike Spiegel -- was revealed as one of four main cast members, including Mustafa Shakir, Daniella Pineda, and Alex Hassell.

Although things were looking up, Deadline is reporting that production was completely halted after a freak accident landed the Searching actor in the hospital. While filming a scene for the series, Cho suffered a knee injury that ultimately required surgery. As one of the main characters, Cowboy Bebop was forced to shut down production in the interim.

John Cho was flown back back to Los Angeles to undergo surgery and rehabilitation for his knee. As the actor heals, production on Cowboy Bebop is expected to last around seven to nine months until Cho can return to New Zealand to film.

Netflix had ordered the series for a ten-episode season and it had been in production for a few episodes prior to John Cho’s accident. Now, the streaming service could’ve easily recast the role, especially since shutting down production for nine months is a long time for any series, but Netflix is adamant about Cho staying on to play Spike Spiegel.

This is great news because fans were already impressed by John Cho’s commitment to the role, commenting on how accurate his hairdo was and how much he resembled his character. With just one glimpse, fans of the anime were hopeful that the live-action adaptation would be faithful to the original Cowboy Bebop anime.

John Cho posted to Instagram, updating fans on his injury and thanking everyone for their support throughout this difficult time.

His spirits seem high despite the months-long recovery and rehab he’ll be facing. Alongside the caption, John Cho posted a photo of Spike Spiegel’s belt, which you can check out below.

Given this major setback, Cowboy Bebop probably won’t announce a production start date until John Cho is fully rehabilitated and ready to return to work. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more information as it breaks.

In the meantime, you can watch the original Cowboy Bebop anime series on Hulu. In need of more shows to watch? Make sure to check out our complete guide to every new and returning show premiering through November.

This time last year, indie darling Searching became a critically-acclaimed breakout hit for new director, Aneesh Chaganty. The thriller made an impressive $75.5 million worldwide during the summer movie season when Crazy Rich Asians and The Meg were dominating numbers. It’s now been announced that another original tech-driven movie from the creative team behind Searching is in the works.

As Deadline reports, it’s rare for a movie picked up from Sundance Film Festival to become a franchise. Sony Stage 6 Films is working on the sequel with Aneesh Chaganty and the other filmmakers behind the film that had John Cho’s father character being seen through computer screens on Facetime, iMessages and other technology while in search of his lost teen daughter.

The director followed up the original report on Twitter with a clarification. His upcoming project will allow him and his team to tell another fresh story using elements of technology as Searching famously did. It will not feature the characters or same plot of Searching. So don’t expect to see John Cho, Debra Messing or another movie centering on a father’s search for his lost daughter.

Making Searching was a particularly strange production for the actors since they didn’t have the chance to work face-to-face. They were looking into blank screens and hearing their performances in their ears as they filmed scenes of them over Facetime sequences. There's no word on who Aneesh Chaganty will be casting for this new original film pulling from Searching’s success, but it’s an exciting bit of news.

Searching was Aneesh Chaganty's feature film debut after making waves with his 2-minute short Seeds, which racked up over one million views in 24 hours and scored him a job at Google Creative Lab, where he created Google commercials. Chaganty quit his New York Google job to making Searching, which Sony’s Stage 6 Films and Screen Gems nabbed up at 2018’s Sundance Film Festival for $5 million and received some impressive returns with its box office earnings.

The movie’s unique use of technology and social media had been previously explored before in 2014’s Open Windows (starring Elijah Wood) and the Unfriended films made in 2014 and 2018, respectively. While those entries used the format to bring jump scares to their horror plots, Searching is more of a gripping mystery drama, that packing in the emotion of David Kim’s recent disconnection from his daughter following the death of his wife.

Seeing an original movie get a sequel of sorts is great to hear in the light of so many reboots and remakes happening in Hollywood. How will Aneesh Chaganty follow Searching? Will he be able to duplicate or multiply his success after the sleeper hit gained attention for its success?

Are you excited to see the Searching sequel? Let us know in the comments below!

Netflix has a ton of promising things on the horizon in terms of original programming, so it’s easy to forget the super exciting shows in the deeper future that have been chugging along in development while the platform advertises its current hits. One such project is the upcoming live-action Cowboy Bebop series, in which Star Trek vet John Cho will star as bounty hunter Spike Spiegel. It's been a while since word first dropped, bit we should all still be very excited.

Especially since John Cho was recently spotted out in public donning the iconic character’s equally iconic hairstyle, and it looks pretty damn impressive. Take a look!

That’s honestly pretty damn impressive. Bringing the anime aesthetic to live-action is never an easy task, and there’s definitely a balancing act when deciding how much of a realistic balance to bring into a look. John Cho’s hair here is about as perfect as that balancing act could possible play out, with a style that’s about as spot-on as it can be without looking cartoony or completely fake.

That is to say the animated Spike’s hair is definitely longer than Cho's is, and it flairs more into a perfect mess than what the actor has going on. Needless to say, if Cho tried to grow and fluff his hair out as much as Spike rocks in the animated Cowboy Bebop, it would’ve just looked strange.

Assuming this picture is John Cho with Spike’s haircut and not just something he’s trying out before shaving it all off, this is one of our first real details about the live-action Netflix series. There hasn’t been much released beyond the series’ announcement and principal casting, so hopefully this picture starts a slow rollout of other actors sharing their character-friendly looks.

Until then, can we all agree that this look at John Cho is the most convincing evidence that he’s more Spike Spiegel than Keanu Reeves would have been in the role? Perhaps it’s still too soon for that take, given Reeves recent spike in popularity – pun not intended – although this tweeted picture seems to have won a few over on Cho taking on the role. Now, let's hope the adaptation is on par with the acclaimed anime!

Details are still relatively scant on how the Cowboy Bebop live-action will adapt from the original. We do know Cho is on board as Spike, Mustafa Shakir as Spike’s buddy and pilot Jet Black, Daniella Pineda will play the unpredictable Faye, and Alex Hassell is the appropriately named villain Vicious.

Cowboy Bebop still has yet to confirm other characters, such as Ed and Ein, who haven’t had actors attached to the would-be roles yet. To be fair, the character of Ein is a dog, and animals typically don’t get a ton of fanfare around their castings. Ed, on the other hand, is a pretty important part of the series, so hopefully some answers on who will be playing her will come soon.

As more details roll out on Cowboy Bebop, expect CinemaBlend to be there to report on major details and other things happening in the world of television, streaming, and movies.

It's hard to believe, but it's been nearly three years since Star Trek's Anton Yelchin suddenly died outside his Hollywood home. In fact, tomorrow marks the three-year anniversary of his untimely death. Yelchin is the subject of a new documentary Love, Antosha, with plenty of his co-workers and friends reflecting on the young actor's life and myriad talents.

Chris Pine recently reflected on Anton Yelchin's work ethic, especially as he was silently hiding the pains of cystic fibrosis on set. Pine was one of many Hollywood to get on camera for Love, Antosha. Twilight actress Kristen Stewart also spoke to her relationship with Yelchin, and the way he pushed her to improve. She said:

Anton Yelchin seemed to inspire and challenge the people he came into contact with during his 27 year-long life. This includes Kristen Stewart, who admits to a deep connection with her Fierce People costar.

While his life was cut short, Anton Yelchin clearly left an impact on the people he came into contact with. Kristen Stewart as one of the many household names to have been affected by Yelchin's life an death, something she was generous enough to share with the world in Love, Antosha. Stewart is appearing in the new documentary alongside names like J.J. Abrams, Zachary Quinto, Jodie Foster, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Willem Dafoe.

Plenty of Anton Yelchin's Star Trek co-stars appear in the documentary, which looks like a thoroughly emotional experience. This includes John Cho, who starred alongside the actor as Sulu in all three blockbusters. Footage from Love, Antosha has been slowly revealed, including a segment (Via ET) where Cho speaks to Yelchin's character, and how that was reflected in the late actor's photography. He said:

In addition to his onscreen roles, Anton Yelchin was a bit of a renaissance man. He played guitar, specifically blues. He was also a talented photographer, with his work being displayed posthumously at a New York gallery in 2018. John Cho was clearly a fan of Yelchin's photography, and how his late co-worker was able to get his subjects to open up and be vulnerable.

Looking at the huge cast of names involved in Love, Antosha, and John Cho's comments do make a great deal of sense. Anton Yelchin pierced the heart of each person seen in the documentary, with plenty of Hollywood's stars taking time out of their schedule to speak to Yelchin's character on camera.

As previously mentioned, Chris Pine recently spoke what it was like working with Anton Yelchin throughout the Star Trek trilogy. The late actor silently suffered from cystic fibrosis during his life, but didn't ask for any accommodations when working on grueling shoots. As Captain Kirk himself put it:

On top of his spirit and talent, Anton Yelchin was able to connect with people through his work ethic, and impress the myriad big name he worked with throughout his film career. Yelchin released a number of films posthumously, starting with Star Trek Beyond. Four other movies arrived after his death, with Love, Antosha adding another credit to his filmography. And one that is far more personal than anything else before it.

You can check out the trailer for Love, Antosha below.

The documentary looks like it's going to be a super emotional viewing experience. Love, Antosha made its debut at Sundance Film Festival back in January of 2019, and fared well with early critics. But average moviegoers will have to wait another few months to see it themselves. But with more emotional testimonies arriving from the people who knew and loved the late actor, anticipation for the doc's release should only continue to grow.

Anton Yelchin died June 19th 2016 in Studio City, California. The 27 year-old actress was the victim of a freak automobile accident, and was pinned between his Jeep Grand Cherokee and a brick pillar outside his house after the car rolled down his driveway. It was a turn of events that shocked his fans and loved ones, especially as his career was continuing to move upward. The timing was also sobering, as he died just a month before Star Trek Beyond arrived in theaters.

This loss was a shadow over the Star Trek threequel's release, as the cast and crew paid tribute to Anton Yelchin while promoting the blockbuster. The young actor's untimely death has also been a motivator for the cast to create a fourth movie, and continue the story in honor of their fallen crew member. But whether or not Star Trek 4 happens is a mystery at the moment.

Star Trek's future might be unclear, but Anton Yelchin is being honored through Love, Antosha. Yelchin's parents helped the documentary move forward, and no doubt encouraged the massive cast to sign on and speak about their experience with the deceased young actor.

Love, Antosha is set to arrive in theaters on August 2nd, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Earlier this week came the news that director S.J. Clarkson has moved on from Star Trek 4 to direct and produce the Game of Thrones prequel series pilot, and that the former film has been shelved. That seemingly puts the future of the Kelvin Timeline films very much up in the air, but John Cho, who plays Sulu in the series, remains optimistic. Addressing the news, he said:

In his comments to ET, John Cho acknowledged that Star Trek 4 is not happening at the moment, but he is clearly ready and willing to take the helm once more should the situation change. And he thinks that it will. Despite the recent depressing news about the film being shelved, the man who plays Lieutenant Sulu remains hopeful that that is merely a temporary status, not a permanent one.

While things may seem bleak for the USS Enterprise on the big screen at the moment, John Cho is optimistic that all of the disparate elements preventing Star Trek 4 will be worked out to make it happen. He mentions getting everyone on the same page and that has been one of the issues with the film for a while.

After S.J. Clarkson was hired last April to be the franchise's first female director, news came in August that the fourth film may not include Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth due to contract talks falling through. The last film in the series, Star Trek Beyond, despite critical acclaim, didn't perform up to expectations financially, and supposedly Paramount and Skydance Media wanted the two stars to take less money than their existing deals called for, leading to the impasse.

Star Trek 4 was expected to include time travel and see Pine's James T. Kirk meeting his father George Kirk. And while you would think a fourth film could happen without Chris Hemsworth, whether a Star Trek movie in this series would work without Chris Pine's Captain Kirk is much more up for debate.

Fans and cast alike have been wondering since 2016 when the next Star Trek film would arrive and things were looking up for a brief time with the hiring of S.J. Clarkson. Now the one-two punch of the contract negotiation issues and the director moving on to another project cast a lot of doubt on Star Trek 4.

Prior to this latest news, John Cho spoke about how necessary Star Trek 4 is, both as a franchise that is an important part of our culture as well as a way to remember actor Anton Yelchin, who tragically passed away just before Star Trek Beyond was released.

John Cho is almost certainly right that somebody at some point will make another Star Trek movie, as the franchise has too much name value for it to be otherwise. The question is whether or not it will be a continuation of the current series with the existing cast.

We also still don't know what, if anything, is going on with the Star Trek film Quentin Tarantino pitched. Will that take the place of Star Trek 4, and if so, will it use the existing cast or be entirely new?

Those Trekkies looking for a fix in the interim can head over to the small screen where CBS All Access's Star Trek: Discovery premieres its second season on January 17. Also, Patrick Stewart will be reprising his role as Jean-Luc Picard in a new series also coming to the streaming service later this year.

For all of the movies headed to the big screen in 2019, check out our release schedule, and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest Star Trek news.

While the TV side of the Star Trek franchise is flowing along with Star Trek: Discovery and the upcoming Picard series, the movies side has been in stasis since the release of Star Trek Beyond in 2016. There's no word yet on when, or even if, Star Trek 4, a.k.a. the fourth entry of the reboot film series, will be released, but John Cho, who plays Hikaru Sulu, is hoping he and his costars get to return for a fourth outing since there's a cloud over the third one due to the tragic passing of Anton Yelchin. In Cho's words:

Like John Cho, Anton Yelchin was part of the main cast for the first three Star Trek reboot movies, but sadly, a month before Star Trek Beyond came out, Yelchin died in a freak car accident, making Beyond one of his final appearances. Producer J.J. Abrams already said that Pavel Chekov will not be recast for Star Trek 4, but as Cho sees it, making another movie in the film series allows the opportunity to leave things off on a brighter note.

It's a nice sentiment, and while these Star Trek movies won't feel the same without Anton Yelchin reprising Anton Chekov, I can understand why John Cho wants the gang brought back together. However, in terms of Star Trek 4's current progress, Cho couldn't provide any updates to The Playlist, saying he doesn't know what "the ins and outs at the studio are." That said, he's still "optimistic" that a new Star Trek movie will eventually come out.

Although it was announced shortly before Star Trek Beyond's release that Star Trek 4 would see Chris Pine's James Kirk meeting his father, Chris Hemsworth's George Kirk (remember, he died at the beginning of 2009's Star Trek), for nearly two years after that, there were no major updates on the project. Then it was revealed this past April that Star Trek 4 was in development concurrently with Quentin Tarantino's Star Trek movie, and later in the month, director S.J. Clarkson was tapped to helm Star Trek 4.

You'd think that update meant we'd see Star Trek 4 sooner rather than later, but then in August, both Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth walked away due to pay disputes with Paramount. The two men wanted to keep their existing pay deals intact, but the studio insisted they take pay cuts due to Star Trek Beyond not performing as well commercially as hoped. Now with 2018 almost over, it remains to be seen if Star Trek 4 will ever see the light of day, but at least John Cho remains hopeful it'll one day happen.

Rest assured, if there's any news regarding Star Trek 4's progress, we here at CinemaBlend will keep you updated on that front.

It's hard to talk about classic stoner comedies without talking about the Harold & Kumar movies. Not all comedies spawn trilogies, after all. Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and its sequels saw best friends Harold and Kumar go on marijuana-fueled adventures including riding a cheetah towards a fast food establishment, escaping from Guantanamo Bay and smoking up with George W. Bush, as well as going on a Christmas adventure involving the Russian mob and Santa Claus, all with the help and hindrance of their friend Neil Patrick Harris. That's a lot of living. So what are Harold & Kumar up to nowadays? Well, John Cho has some thoughts, saying:

Despite their wild youths, it sounds like Harold and Kumar have, like so many people, settled down and had kids, which probably leaves little time for the shenanigans these two used to be involved in. However, getting older and more mature doesn't necessarily mean changing who you are, so these two remain stoners at heart and thus are still smoking weed, and perhaps doing so legally depending on where they are living these days. As John Cho told ET, now they are just stepping out on the patio when they need to light up, becoming normal family men inside the house, but still the adventurous stoners they always were outside of it.

It wasn't always so obvious that it would turn out this way for Harold and Kumar. Their various shortcomings caused relationship problems throughout the trilogy, making marriage seem unlikely for the immature duo. Whether Harold is still married to Maria and if Kumar married Vanessa is unclear, but happy endings being what they are, I'd like to think so. Also, John Cho's Harold had actually given up smoking weed in A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas and grown apart from Kal Penn's Kumar before rekindling their friendship and returning to marijuana at the end of the film. John Cho didn't speculate on their careers, but if the whole businessman thing didn't work out for Harold and being a doctor wasn't for Kumar, there's a growing legal marijuana industry that they seem well suited for.

The idea of Harold and Kumar as parents is pretty funny considering they would probably be faced with telling their teenagers not to smoke when they themselves had such magical adventures when doing so (not to mention still step out on the porch to light up a joint on the regular). I'd like to think that even though these two have settled down, they still meet up to enjoy some munchies at their favorite fast food establishment.

John Cho can currently be seen as a very concerned parent, who doesn't appear to be a stoner, in the thriller Searching. Check out CinemaBlend's release guide for all the biggest movies headed to theaters the rest of 2018.

While John Cho has found success in a slew of movies and TV projects, it was only recently that the actor became the first Asian-American lead in a thriller on the big screen. He did this with Searching, a new movie from director Aneesh Chaganty about a young woman who disappears, leaving social media clues for her father to find. While the movie has earned some additional awareness due to John Cho leading the film, the actor recently revealed that he doesn't completely enjoy the notice for his role in the thriller. He outlined why, noting in a recent interview:

It's not that John Cho is mad about being in the spotlight for his role in Searching. Instead, he just seems to be waiting for the day when diversity casting in movies is no longer news. The fact that it took until 2018 for an Asian-American to lead a thriller to box office success is a bit shocking, but the audience's appetite for Searching has helped to spotlight the fact that diverse movies are not only catching on but viable to a wide audience at the box office. It may not have always been John Cho in the role, however. Elsewhere in the interview with the Herald Sun, John Cho even described passing on the original movie at first due to the heavy presence of technology and social media in the movie.

However, he has credited the director for pushing him in the right direction, previously telling CinemaBlend,

So far, Searching has made nearly $54 million worldwide. While that may not be as much as the moolah fellow Asian-led Crazy Rich Asians has brought in both domestically and internationally, it's still a big deal for a movie made on a lower budget and acquired for $5 million. While John Cho hopes to soon see the day when hearing about himself leading a thriller won't be the biggest news related to a movie he is starring in, for now, it has certainly helped bring more attention to the project. It's also a nice tie-in to the #starringJohnCho hashtag that ran around a couple of years ago. Audiences have seen the actor's star potential for a while, so it will be interesting to see what John Cho does next, especially with Star Trek 4 on hold. If you haven't caught Searching yet, you can find out what CinemaBlend thought about the flick or can catch Searching in theaters right now.

Plus, if you want to take a look at the slew of movies heading to theaters next year, be sure to peruse our 2019 movies schedule.

The Star Trek franchise is currently in a very interesting position. Much has been said about the development of the fourth installment in the current continuity, with many reports suggesting that critical figures may or may not return. With so much uncertainty, it sounds like you shouldn't bother asking Sulu actor John Cho about SJ Clarkson's Star Trek 4. In a recent interview, the actor explained:

So, at this point in time, John Cho still knows very little about the status of Star Trek 4. Moreover, he doesn't seem particularly interested in being involved in the decision-making process for the movie. Instead, he will just wait until the call is made and then go from there.

Of course, it doesn't sound like John Cho has any issues with the franchise at the moment. Though the film underperformed when it debuted back in 2016, Cho made sure to note in his interview with USA Today that he was unaware that the film underperformed and that he thought it was a "great movie."

Though we still don't know too much about Star Trek 4, what we have heard is enticing nonetheless. Rumors have suggested that it would be a time travel movie following the adventures of James Kirk (Chris Pine) and his father George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth). The production recently ran into a snag with the departures of Pine and Hemsworth, but rumors related to the film suggest that it's still aiming to begin filming next year.

John Cho has played a pivotal role in the rebooted Star Trek franchise ever since J.J. Abrams took the lead on Star Trek back in 2009. Portraying the role of Sulu (the part made famous by George Takei in the original series back in the 1960s), Cho has been an instrumental member of the modernized Enterprise crew, appearing in Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond. Cho also made headlines for his portrayal of Sulu in 2016's Beyond, as it was revealed that the character was gay in honor of original actor and LGBT icon George Takei.

CinemaBlend will bring you more information related to the future of the Star Trek franchise as further details are made available to us. For now, you can currently catch John Cho in his new thriller, Searching, and you can also head over to our comprehensive movie premiere guide to read up on all of the films that are set to debut on the big screen this year!

The relationship between film and technology has always been symbiotic. Not only do we regularly see new ways for audiences to engage with the medium, but society-changing developments can affect the way that filmmakers tell stories. A prime example of the latter is the wave of on-screens movies -- which is to say features that play out their stories exclusively on screens, be it laptops, cellphones, or televisions. Nacho Vigalondo's Open Windows was the first to explore it, followed by the Unfriended movies, and now audiences are seeing some different genre experimentation with writer/director Aneesh Chaganty's Searching.

Based on an original screenplay by Chaganty and co-writer Sev Ohanian, the film specifically capitalizes on computers as not only as communication, but investigative tools, and exploits both to carve out a twisty mystery about a lost child and her parent's dedicated mission to find her. And while not all of it works, and the stylistic concept isn't quite as novel as it was a few years ago, it's still a flashy step and bit of cool experimental filmmaking worthy of notice. It won't change things by itself, but it certainly opens eyes to new possibilities.

Our protagonist in the story is David Kim (John Cho), a single father who has grown distant with his teenage daughter, Margot (Michelle La) since the passing of his wife. They clearly don't communicate like they used to -- and everything comes to a head one night when Margot goes out to study with friends and doesn't come back the next morning. The only thing David has to go on are a couple of missed video chats from the middle of the night, and quickly panic sets it.

When Margot is officially declared missing, David finds himself working with the police through Det. Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing) -- but from that point he isn't exactly comfortable just sitting on his hands. Instead, he manages to get access to Margot's laptop and uses it to launch an investigation of his own. Digging into her chats, web history, posted videos and social media, he begins to discover a life he didn't know his own daughter was living, and it gets him ever closer and closer to the truth.

While previous explorations of the on-screens style have been more about thrills and horror, Searching brings the most complex plot to the mix with its mystery narrative, and it's impressive how it works even when it's not working perfectly. Part of the aesthetic demands that all of the necessary information for the case and the investigation be present for audiences to see, and if you're observant enough you can figure out the ending a bit early. That being said, while it's not Hitchcockian or mind-shattering, it does remain clever and smart in the way in which it tells its story. Most importantly, there aren't any moments where you find yourself questioning the way that the technology is used, which would totally shatter the reality. Instead, everything legitimately tracks, and it sets you up for a mostly engaging ride.

Clearly the movie's style is what's meant to be eye-catching for audiences, but not to be ignored in Searching is the really wonderful performance put on by John Cho. It's a very different experience for actors making these kinds of movies, as they are isolated from their co-stars for most of the story, and looking directly into the camera, but Cho is in no way hampered. He obviously has a great deal of emotional material to work with, as his character is experiencing every parent's worst nightmare, but he completely sells both David's pain and his ingenuity.

Overall, Searching is clever feature that has a solid story to tell, but there admittedly is a degree to which the inherent potential clearly present elevates the work as a whole. Not only does the work show first-time feature director Aneesh Chaganty as an interesting experimental filmmaking, but it also lets you wonder what other kinds of stories can be told using the conceptual approach, and how the mold that's now been established can be broken and reformed. Given the ubiquity of technology today, this is a natural form of storytelling for the modern world, and Chaganty does a nice job uncovering the possibilities.

Similar to how found footage emerged as a popular new form of storytelling in the last 20 years, Hollywood is starting to develop a cool new way to present a narrative, specifically through on-screen stories. The latest example is Aneesh Chaganty's Searching -- following a father (John Cho) as he uses laptops, smartphones, and other devices to find his missing daughter -- and you might be surprised just goes what into the process. Fortunately, you can learn about it straight from the people who experienced it by clicking play on the video below:

Stars John Cho and Debra Messing and writer/director Aneesh Chaganty talked all about the process of making Searching earlier this month during the Los Angeles press day for the film -- and it definitely doesn't sound like a real cakewalk, even for a seasoned performer. This is because the direct interaction between characters was cut off for most of production, as the actors not only typically inhabited sets by themselves, but also couldn't really see the other person to whom they were speaking.

In Searching, John Cho plays David Kim -- who has been losing touch with his teenage daughter, Margot (Michelle La), ever since her mother passed away. One night she says that she is going out to study with friends, but a horrific nightmare sets upon David when he realizes that she is not home the next morning and nobody knows where she is. Working with a police officer assigned to the case, Detective Vick (Debra Messing), he winds up becoming an extremely active part of the investigation, using his daughter's contacts and web history to try and find clues to the mystery. Unfortunately, what he also discovers is that Margot is definitely not the person he thought she was prior to her disappearance.

This is the kind of story we've seen play out many different ways in many different films, but Searching's approach puts unique spin on things. Thus far titles like Open Windows, Unfriended, and its recent sequel have explored the horror side of things, but Aneesh Chaganty's experiments with an interesting thriller and works. It clearly took a lot of work for the actors to get used to it, but they ultimately put on great turns, that feel entirely natural and feed right into the realism of the narrative presentation. You legitimately do not get the sense that they are basically acting into a webcam with a blank screen.

Following a successful premiere earlier this year down in Park City, Utah at the Sundance Film Festival, Searching will be getting a limited release this week, distributed by Screen Gems. Be on the lookout for the movie in a theater near you.

Audiences now seen a few movies that take place entirely on screens, including titles like Open Windows and Unfriended, but it's still a very new storytelling device. After all, the communication technology hasn't been around all that long, so filmmakers are still figuring out how to tell stories with it. As a result, it remains a difficult idea for some people to fully wrap their brains around -- which is why star John Cho originally turned down his new movie, Searching. The actor recently told me,

I had the opportunity to sit down with John Cho this past weekend during the Los Angeles press day for Aneesh Chaganty's Searching, and he was extremely forthright about his attitude towards the project when he was first approached for the lead role. My first question during the interview was if he was totally on board from the start or needed to be sold on it, and Cho noted that it was very much the latter.

Obviously he wound up changing his mind along the way, so what happened? According to John Cho, it was all a matter of really getting to connect with Searching's writer/director. When they had the chance to speak over the phone he admits that he didn't fully get the vision, but that totally changed when they met up and had the chance to talk about the film in person. Said Cho,

The first feature film from Aneesh Chaganty, Searching centers on David Kim (John Cho), a man who is living every parents' worst nightmare. After a night out studying at a friend's house, his 16-year-old daughter, Margot (Michelle La), goes missing. As quickly as he can, David reaches out to the police, and has Detective Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing) on the case, but his job doesn't stop there. Accessing his daughter's computer, he launches an investigation of his own -- reaching out to his daughter's classmates, uncovering clues, and making some big revelations.

You can watch John Cho talk about why he initially didn't want to do Searching, and why he changed his mind, by clicking play on the video below:

Searching will be in theaters on August 24th -- and stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more from my interview with the director and stars!

It's an interesting time to be a Star Trek fan. The past few years have brought three silver screen blockbusters, adapting the iconic characters from the classic TV show. And with CBS All Access producing Star Trek Discovery and Quentin Tarantino actively developing a future film, there are plenty of exciting and unique projects coming to the beloved property. It's currently unclear if Tarantino's movie will be a direct sequel to the current franchise of films, or if it would start over with a fresh cast of actors and timeline. But there's one cast member of the recent trilogy that would love to return and work with the acclaimed director: John Cho. When he was recently asked by Larry King if he'd like to return to Sulu in Tarantino's movie, Cho said:

Something tells me that Sulu dialogue from a Quentin Tarantino movie would contain a lot more f-bombs than we've previously seen. Although Tarantino's irreverent tone may finally allow John Cho to let out George Takei's signature "oh my" line.

Quentin Tarantino directing a Star Wars flick feels both brilliant and absolutely bizarre. Typically, the Star Trek franchise is one that can be enjoyed by fans of all ages. But Tarantino's catalogue isn't exactly kid friendly. His films are dark, full of obscenities and violence, and very often deal with issues of racism and oppression. But then again, perhaps Tarantino will deliver a fully adult version of Star Trek, as R-Rated blockbusters like Logan and Deadpool have proven extremely profitable and popular.

John Cho's recent appearance on Larry King Now also revealed how much the franchise, and his role as Sulu, means to the actor. Many fans grew up watching Star Trek, and Cho is no exception. He recently explained how much the brand means to him, and what a unique experience it is to act out your childhood dream role.

It looks like John Cho really does feel lucky to have played Sulu for three Star Trek films, and is therefore all too eager to reprise his role in Quentin Tarantino's still developing flick. We'll just have to wait and see how the acclaimed director's current passion project (besides his upcoming film based on the Manson Family murders) all shakes out.

CinemaBlend will be sure to update you on the future of the Star Trek film franchise when details become public. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.

Small screen reboots, remakes, and adaptations are a dime a dozen these days. But FOX's take on The Exorcist has handily become one of the most exciting projects of the bunch. Delivering scares and a creepy atmosphere that feels ripped straight from William Friedkin's original film, the show has managed to honor the passions of longtime fans, while also carving out its own niche in the horror genre. Much of the show's success can be traced to the sheer amount of talent associated with the series (behind the camera and in front), and now it appears that the show has found some fresh blood with the newly announced casting of Star Trek's John Cho.

FOX has officially announced that John Cho will join The Exorcist for the series' upcoming sophomore season. While we haven't seen anything from his character yet, it has been revealed that Cho will portray a character named Andrew Kim -- a former child psychologist who runs a home for at-risk foster children. As if that job doesn't seem stressful enough, Kim will eventually find his world turned upside down when one of the children in his care becomes the target of a "powerful force" beyond his comprehension.

For John Cho to make the jump to The Exorcist actually makes quite a bit of sense when we consider his history on small screen FOX projects. Specifically, the actor recently saw success portraying corrupt police officer Andy Brooks on Sleepy Hollow -- lending the sense that he definitely knows how to play in the dark and creepy atmosphere of the supernatural genre.

Small screen adaptations of film properties are nothing new (particularly on FOX), but The Exorcist has managed to set itself apart from the pack since its initial debut. One of the biggest reasons for its success has been its willingness to slowly but surely acknowledge the continuity of the original film and creative, connective tissues that honor the passions of longtime fans. With the second season of the horror series officially upon us, all eyes are on The Exorcist to continue delivering the scares -- along with some truly fantastic performances. On that note, we will just have to wait and see what John Cho can do once Andrew Kim makes his grand Exorcist debut.

The Exorcist will return to FOX for its second season on Friday, September 29 at 9 p.m. EST. For more information related to the rest of the small screen debuts slated for this summer, check out our comprehensive summer TV premiere guide and fill out your TV viewing calendars accordingly!

Starring as Harold Lee in Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle has earned John Cho something of a reputation that he can't quite live up to. That's because most people assume that he's a stoner, but while he himself doesn't smoke weed as much as his prior performance would suggest, that doesn't mean that he's not above taking advantage of the perks. In fact, because of Harold & Kumar, John Cho is basically a weed magician who can seemingly summon a joint whenever he desires.

That's exactly what happened to John Cho during a previous visit to San Francisco. Cho, who is currently doing the media rounds to promote his reprisal of Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek Beyond, recalled the most recent use of his bizarre super-power to Vulture, as he remarked:

Obviously with great weed power comes great responsibility. Still, from the sound of things, John Cho has got it very much under control, especially since, despite people's assumptions following his antics in 2004's Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle, 2008's Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay, and 2011's A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, the actor insists that he's not one to overly dabble in the substance. I wonder where people got that idea from, though?

One can only imagine the kind of magnetic drug power that John Cho would possess if he ever tried to summon weed while he was alongside the Kumar to his Harold, Kal Penn, especially if Neil Patrick Harris was in the vicinity of both of them, too. For those of you that haven't seen any installment from the _Harold & Kumar _franchise, the first film revolve around our titular heroes on the pursuit for White Castle after getting incredibly high and then deciding that the only way to cure their munchies was with this particular hamburger.

A modest success, which also received some impressive pretty impressive reviews, Harold & Kumar's $23.9 million gross meant that a sequel was eventually greenlit in 2008, which saw Harold and Kumar imprisoned after being mistaken for terrorists, ending up in Guantanamo Bay, which they then subsequently try to escape from. This was even more successful, as it grossed $43. 2 million, leading to A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, which wasn't quite able to match its predecessor, as its gross dropped a little down to $35.4 million. Currently there don't seem to be any further plans for a Harold & Kumar 4, but those of you still looking for your John Cho fix can do so right now, because Star Trek Beyond is finally in cinemas.

As much as we know about the characters in the Star Trek universe, most of our information is limited to what happens on board starships. It turns out there's a lot about their personal lives that we just didn't know. The newest piece of interesting, but intentionally unimportant information is that the rebooted version of Hikaru Sulu, as played by John Cho, is gay.

The rebooted timeline currently running in the Star Trek universe deals a bit more with the personal lives of the crew of the Enterprise than the original series or films ever did. Spock and Uhura have a thing. Kirk has daddy issues. These aren't the sorts of things they dealt with in the 1960s. Australia's Herald Sun is reporting that in an interview with John Cho, the actor announced that we will all learn in the upcoming Star Trek Beyond something new about Sulu. While we knew the character would have a daughter (he's got her picture on his control console), it turns out Sulu has that daughter with a same-sex partner. While this will be revealed in some way in the film (exactly how is not clear), it's apparently not done in any specific way to draw attention to it. It's just a thing, no big deal. Cho told the Herald Sun he really liked how the film handled it.

Of course, the decision to make John Cho's version of Sulu gay is no accident. From what the Herald Sun reports, Star Trek Beyond writer (and co-star) Simon Pegg put it in the script as a nod to the original Sulu, George Takei. It's a nice gesture. While it's a tribute to the original actor that his character can be out in the new film, while the actor was not able to be during the original run of Star Trek, at the same time, not making "a big thing" out of it is a very Star Trek thing to do. The series has always been about looking forward toward a positive view of humanity's future, where things like this simply aren't a big deal. Here's an image of John Cho with the picture of the daughter that will be in the film, which he showed off on Entertainment Tonight, during which time, he teased another reveal to come. Could his marital situation be what he was referring to then?

What do you think about this revelation about Sulu? Is it a fitting tribute to George Takei and the proper direction for a member of the Enterprise crew? Let us know what ou think in the comments.

The topic of Hollywood whitewashing has become a hot-button issue once again, specifically as it regards Asian actors. Two major characters, The Ancient One from Marvel’s Doctor Strange and Motoko Kusanagi in the upcoming live action version of Ghost in the Shell were originally Asian characters, but both are going to be played by white people on the big screen. How should Hollywood combat this lack of diversity? One new Twitter account has an idea: just cast John Cho in EVERYTHING.

@StarringJohnCho has only been around since the end of April, but they’ve already built a strong following and they've recently begun to go viral. The premise is simple. Use photoshop to put Star Trek actor John Cho into movie posters, in place of the actors who were there originally. John Cho as Chris Evans’ Captain America or Daniel Craig’s James Bond. The Hollywood Reporter spoke with William Yu, the man behind the Twitter account, who said the point was to draw some attention to the issue of asian representation in Hollywood and possibly help people better visualize asian actors in lead roles.

William Yu says he picked John Cho as the subject for his message for a couple of reasons. First, Cho is a critically praised actor, so he has the weight necessary to be leading man material. Secondly, his movies have been profitable, which is important, since that’s ultimately what matters to the studio. He’s been an actor in the most recent series of Star Trek blockbusters. In addition, he has starred in the, admittedly smaller, but just as profitable Harold and Kumar movies. Cho makes money, why can’t he lead a Mission: Impossible movie?

Since the #StarringJohnCho hashtag has begun to go viral, the rest of the internet has picked it up and even more people are creating new movie posters with John Cho in place of the original actor.

After having looked at all these, we can’t help but agree. There’s no reason that John Cho, or other Asian actors, couldn’t play these roles. It’s just a question of taking the step and making the casting choice. Until that happens, at least we’ll have the internet to make us think about what Fight Club would have been like with John Cho.

The original Star Trek series was based around a "five-year mission." The end of the most recent movie in the rebooted franchise, Star Trek into Darkness, sent the crew of the Starship Enterprise on the same extended trip. Now we know exactly far into that mission Star Trek Beyond will pick up, and exactly how the long trip is impacting the crew.

John Cho, the actor who plays Enterprise helmsman Hikaru Sulu, told Entertainment Tonight that the movie will open with the characters in ruts, and on each others' nerves, because of the extended period together. This makes sense given that Karl Urban reveals that we'll be finding the Enterprise a couple years into their big five-year mission:

It’s an interesting place to start Star Trek Beyond, as it’s dealing with an issue that the original series never touched on with their own five-year mission. That idea being that after awhile in the depths of outer space, the Enterprise crew might just be ready to go home. The concept of a serialized storyline in the 1960’s was basically unheard of, as VCR’s didn’t exist, and you could never count on your audience being able to watch every episode. For that reason, you couldn’t really have your characters change too much over time, as people would lose track of what was going on.

The decision will also give these characters a bit more of a history together. While two years of adventures will have occurred off screen, the fact that something has been happening will be a benefit to Star Trek Beyond's overall story. The original series of films had the TV show to build off of, and while the new movies are an offshoot of those stories, the fact is that these versions of the characters simply don’t have the history together that we’re used to seeing. It’s one of the difficulties that the reboot movies have had to deal with in order to build a proper foundation.

Perhaps the most interesting piece of news regarding this development is Sulu’s own reason he really wishes he was home. It turns out that Sulu has a young daughter that he hasn’t seen in the two years they’ve been gone. While her name isn’t mentioned here, we have to assume it will be Demora, which was the name of the daughter we met in the movie Star Trek: Generations. She was sprung on us as an adult in that movie, but apparently we’ll learn of the child earlier in this timeline. Check out Cho's remarks, as well as some more moments with the cast, in the behind the scenes interview below.

The good news is that anybody who survives Star Trek Beyond probably gets to go home at the end of the film, as they won’t be able to finish their five-year mission without an Enterprise. We'll see what the loss of the iconic ship will entail when Star Trek Beyond opens on July 22.

Not to be outdone by Star Wars: The Force Awakens and their Force For Change charity work, that other beloved Star franchise, Star Trek, has developed it’s own philanthropic endeavor in conjunction with the upcoming Star Trek Beyond. And not only do you get to help out a ton of fantastic organizations doing good work, in addition to that warm and fuzzy feeling, you can win a walk on role in Star Trek Beyond.

The cast and crew of the Justin Lin-directed sci-fi film have partnered with Omaze for the Star Trek: To Boldly Go campaign which will raise funds to support nine different causes and organizations handpicked by the cast themselves. For a donation of just $10 you’ll be entered to win one hell of a prize. They’ll fly you and a guest to Vancouver, BC, where Star Trek Beyond is currently filming, put you up in a four-star hotel, and let you run around the set hugging Simon Pegg and Idris Elba (at least that’s what I plan to do when I win). Then you’ll get all gussied up by the hair, makeup, and costume people and be part of a scene in the movie, which is awesome. This contest was just announced, runs from today through 11:59 Pacific Time on September 1, so you better get cracking.

Check out this hilarious video the cast made to celebrate the To Boldly Go launch.

Not only is this video a pretty good time, where you get to see all the core cast members together again, including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, and Karl Urban, all being weirdoes, but it teases some stuff about the movie as well. They’re obviously on the set, which means this is our first real look at Star Trek Beyond, though, to be honest, it looks a lot like the Enterprise from the first two movies.

Pegg, who we know co-wrote the script with Doug Jung, indicates that, should you win and wind up on set, you’ll encounter some new characters. He likely means Idris Elba’s villain, but could include Sofia Boutella’s as yet unknown character, one of the other potential characters we’ve heard rumors about, like Bones’ ex-wife or a tough rival starship captain, or perhaps someone else entirely.

While it’s not a surprise that Idris Elba is on set, we’ve known he’s going to be in the movie for some time, this is our first look at him in context, and it’s cool to see interacting with other cast members. Also, I never knew that I wanted to see Idris Elba breakdance on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, but now I can check that off of my list of life goals.

From what we know about the plot of Star Trek Beyond, it picks up with the crew of the Enterprise in the midst of their traditional five-year voyage of exploration, which will be a welcome change from the Earth-centric stories of the last two films. Currently filming, Star Trek Beyond is scheduled to boldly go into theaters on July 8, 2016.

John Cho just can’t catch a break. This weekend, ABC announced the end to his latest TV endeavor, #Selfie, a brand new comedy that was loosely based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion (later reworked into My Fair Lady). Fans of the show can still catch a new episode this coming Tuesday, but ABC hasn’t announced whether or not the show will continue in the lineup until Selfie’s episode order runs out.

Selfie follows John Cho as Henry, an image expert who is hired by a social media personality named Dooley (Karen Gillan) to help her work on her brand. After getting off to a clunky start, Selfie actually got better as it went on, but that wasn’t enough to save it from lackluster ratings and a general disdain for new comedies this fall. ABC opted to ax the series, leaving Cho in the lurch, again.

The Harold and Kumar franchise star is extremely likeable. So, likeable, in fact, that he’s landed key roles in several TV shows, including Go On, Flash Forward and Kitchen Confidential, none of which made it past one season on the air. His likeability doesn’t apparently help his popularity. The only consolation I can see with Selfie getting canceled is that Fox might figure out a way to work his Sleepy Hollow character back into the plot.

Selfie doesn’t even earn the distinction of being the first comedy canceled this fall. It lands in the fourth slot, following ABC’s ax of Manhattan Love Story and NBC saying “sayonara” to both Bad Judge and A To Z. Still trucking along at a tepid pace are Fox’s Mulaney and CBS’ The McCarthys. Black-ish is literally the only network comedy that has been picked up for a full season order this fall.

Unlike Manhattan Love Story, which ABC straight up pulled from the schedule, Selfie just won’t go on past its initial 13-episode order. According to Deadline, depending on how Tuesday’s showing goes, the network will likely opt to keep airing the series until its episode order ends or cut it out of the schedule entirely. So, if you are still interested in seeing where Selfie is going, we suggest you continue tuning in. Although, there’s hardly any incentive now that we know the show is not moving forward, right?

It must be weird going from an actor taking bit roles, busting your hump to "make it," and then crossing into the zone where you're known. Where people on the street recognize you. Know your name. Or at the very least the roles you've played. Over the years, John Cho's been called Harold and Sulu... but he's also been called to with a more confounding title.

In an effort to promote his new television series Selfie, John Cho took to Reddit's AMA where he shared the strange moment when he realized he was famous. Asked what was the first time someone on the street recognized him, Cho reached back to the days just after American Pie had become a phenomenon:

You can check out John Cho's big MILF moment below. It's uncensored and so NSFW.

Of course, that wasn't the end of the actor's run with the sex comedy franchise. Cho's character proved memorable enough to reappear in American Pie 2, where he played a part in an accidental golden shower scene.

After lusting after Stiffler's mom, then letting loose on the Stiffmeister himself, his character returned for American Reunion. Here's a series of outtakes featuring John Cho. Also NSFW. The sheer variety of reads he can give to one insulting line, is pretty incredible:

Most recently, though, Cho had some fun with his American Pie past in the Starz show Hollywood Residential. Check out that bit of self-mockery below:

Selfie airs on ABC on Tuesday nights, and John Cho will soon get back to work playing Hikaru Sulu in Bob Orci's Star Trek 3 - which is being prepped for release some time in 2016

It’s always a challenge taking on an iconic role when it has been played to near perfection by a different actor. That original characterization burns a place in pop culture, and the new person is trying to change it, to reshape it, and to make it his or her own. So when John Cho was preparing to play Sulu in J.J. Abrams’ retooled Star Trek back in 2009, he picked the brain of George Takei – the only person who truly knew what it was like to play Sulu – and received this very specific advice.

John Cho opened up about their conversations during his recent Reddit AMA, admitting that George Takei approved of Cho’s casting in the role, and even put a good word in with Abrams. "It meant the world to me that he approved of my casting," Cho told the site. Then, during a lunch meeting, Cho elaborated:

This sparked an interesting debate underneath Cho’s answer on the Reddit AMA about how that element of the original TV series is lacking from Abrams’ two Star Trek movies. Some claimed the point of Star Trek Into Darkness was pro-exploration and anti-military. Others claimed that, similar to Wrath of Khan, the Abrams Trek movies are driven more by violence and "action" over intelligent thought.

That could be due to Abrams. It could be due to Star Trek co-screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci. Seeing as how Orci will be in the director’s chair for Star Trek 3, this might worry die-hard Trek fans hoping for a return to form. John Cho tries to ease their concerns:

Right after, though, Cho admitted, "I don't know anything about Star Trek 3." And yet, he confirmed that he recently went in for a costume fitting. So, believe what you will.

John Cho has worked hard to establish Sulu as an integral component on the rebooted Star Trek timeline. He has been an action hero in the 2009 installment, and briefly assumed the captain’s chair in Into Darkness (as shown above). We’re excited to see what Sulu can do in Star Trek 3, and we hope that Cho never forgets the peaceful advice George Takei passed along years ago.

It wasn't easy for any of the cast of 2009's Star Trek to pick up roles that had been so iconically inhabited on the original series, but for three of them the challenge was even harder. William Shatner's Kirk, Leonard Nimoy's Spock and George Takei's Sulu weren't just famous, but the actors themselves were still ever-present in the public eye; if you're not following Shatner on Twitter or Takei on Facebook, you're not using the Internet right.

By the time this year's Star Trek Into Darkness came along, John Cho says he'd become more comfortable stepping into Sulu's shoes-- but with a role that mostly has him on the bridge of the Enterprise and even occasionally taking over the captain's chair, there was a whole new set of challenges. Like, how do you pretend you're under fire when you're sitting on a set? And why does Sulu want that power anyway? I asked Cho these and many other questions when we caught up on the phone last week, and also was sure to ask him about his role on one of the all-time great 30 Rock episodes, in which he plays the Canadian mastermind of a mobile meth lab (he, like all Canadians, is named Lorne).

Sulu seems really, really excited to get to sit in the chair this time. Where'd that power-hungry side of him come from?

I prefer to think of it as ambition. It's a characteristic that I've been thinking about since the last movie, and going off of their character descriptions of Sulu, I thought this might be something to keep in mind as we filmed the first one. Ambition is a young man's trait, and this is a younger version of the crew, so I thought it might be useful. Luckily enough it came out in this one.

It's weird how calm they are about just handing the controls of the ship to somebody else, basically any time Kirk leaves the room.

It's excessively calm. Well, it can't be empty, and the captain has business to attend to.

You're not in on the action as much this time, and I know you enjoyed getting involved in the fight scene in the first film. Are you pushing so they'll give you more action next time?

I don't tell them what to do at all, ever. I have ideas, but I'm afraid to ruin my own career by giving them bad ideas. Strangely enough I was glad I had something physical to do in the first one because it gave me some routine that I really loved, and I missed that this time around. Having to learn the martial arts and having to keep up on this fight routine was some kind of regularity in a chaotic process.

Were you not around on set as much this time because you weren't in the action scenes?

I was in and out, but it was mostly on the bridge. You do a lot of that at once. I was not around as much.

I've always wondered this about Star Trek movies, because the cast is basically locked in a room and told to pretend they're flying through outer space ,and you have to stare at a wall and seem like you're staring outside a giant spaceship-- or when the ship is under attack just yelling "OK, everybody shake now!" How do you make that convincing?

JJ is aware of that problem and works harder than most to make it easier for the actors, starting with the way the set is built and making the control panels as believable as possible, giving us graphics that we're always looking at and stuff. He always brought actors to the set for the green screen stuff. When we're talking to someone Peter Weller [playing Admiral Marcus] was always there, and Benedict [Cumberbatch, playing John Harrison] was always there for those scenes. It was never an assistant reading off camera. But when the ship is being rocked by a torpedo, we're just going "OK, 1, 2, 3 shake!"

Are you less nervous about being in the shadow of the original cast, now that you're on your second movie?

I guess so. I feel like people are more accustomed. I was afraid of people calling fraud that first time. When it didn't happen you're a little more relaxed about it. I was actually just afraid of doing an imitation of George the first time. It felt like for whatever reason he as a person had become kind of iconic. Not even as Sulu, George Takei had become this American icon in some weird way.

How long did it take you to relax and realize nobody was calling fraud?

I waited a long time. It hasn't happened yet, or to my face. I actually was surprised at how overwhelming the affection was for the first one. It felt like real Star Trek fans were into it and appreciate, and I think correctly picked up on it

You were on one of my favorite 30 Rock episodes ever, "Double Edged Sword," and I'm curious about what you remember about that experience.

I remember being frightened of Alec Baldwin. My memory of Alec Baldwin is like he's a gigantic man in every way. His face is gigantic, his hands are gigantic, his presence is gigantic. He's this enormous beast of humanity. I have fond memories of it. Also the coldest I've ever been. We were filming in the middle of the night in Queens, and I remember it because Alec Baldwin apparently is famous for liking the set freezing. He requests when he's working onstage that the temperature be lowered, and everyone wears parkas and he wears a suit and tie, and that's where he's comfortable. It was so cold that Alec said, "It's a little chilly." And people said, "My God, Alec says it's chilly!"

"Whatever you think you remember, it's not real. The person you think you are now, it's all a lie." These are the haunting words Colin Farrell's Douglas Quaid delivers—via video diary—to himself in Len Wiseman's Total Recall, the latest adaptation of Philip K. Dick's short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale." For those who haven't seen Paul Verhoeven's 1990 version, which memorably starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, the story centers on a seemingly average man who decides to go on a virtual vacation thanks to a company that feeds your brain fake memories to create a more exciting reality. But it as Rekall boots up to give Quaid the experience of being a super spy, an unexpected error spins the process—and by extension his life—wildly out of control.

With the film's latest trailer, Columbia offered a glimpse at this critical moment, along with plenty of pulse-pounding action sequences and even a tease of a three-boobed prostitute. Now, this new clip—courtesy of Yahoo—gives us a more in-depth look at the scene that changes everything. Check it out below:

Here John Cho of Harold & Kumar fame plays the suave programmer prepping Farrell's fretful hero for Rekall's process. And though he's quickly shot down in a hail of police gunfire, this brief clip has already got me hoping Cho will get the chance to play an action hero of his own soon. And why not? He was a more than capable sword-fighting Sulu!

Beyond that, we're treated to Wisemen's sleek action sequence style as Quaid single-handedly takes down the heavily armed and armored federal police officers that ambush him. While Farrell handles the choreography admirably, I think it's that moment after—that terrified look of "what just happened"—that signals what will set this Total Recall apart from its predecessor. Namely, that while Schwarzenegger was an incredible action star, he wasn’t much of an actor. Farrell can be both, which could ultimately make this adaptation the more satisfying of the two.

We'll find out when Total Recall hits theaters August 3rd. To check out more about this movie, head over to our Blend Film Database.

The Identity Thief, the new comedy from director Seth Gordon, isn't exactly lacking in comedic talent as it is. Already set to star Jason Bateman, the script was changed last summer after the release of Bridesmaids just so that the central antagonist of the film could be played by the Oscar-nominated Melissa McCarthy. To be honest, if the movie were to only have those two actors in it it would guarantee that I would buy a ticket, but now they are just sweetening the deal.

Following news from late last month that Amanda Peet had signed on for a part in the project, THR says that John Cho and Clark Duke have both accepted roles in the comedy as well. Based on a script by Steve Conrad and Craig Mazin, the movie is about an ordinary man (played by Bateman) who gets royally screwed over when his identity is stolen by a "mess of a woman" (McCarthy). Cho, who is best known for playing one of the two leads in the Harold and Kumar franchise, will play an investment executive who is very interested in having Bateman's character join a new firm that he is starting. In a strange step away from the plot, Duke will portray "an Eagle Scout who, along with his buddies, is on a secret revenge mission to find the man who bilked him." How that actually fits into the main story isn't exactly clear.

Duke will next be seen in the dramedy A.C.O.D. with Adam Scott and Mary Elizabeth Winstead while Cho has a small role in Len Wiseman's remake of Total Recall, which is due out this summer.

Commercials on television are pretty damn awful (particularly when they come right after a major reveal in your favorite television show), but if there's one kind of commercial I miss it's the commercials for new music albums/anthologies. While they aren't completely extinct, I remember ten years ago when you couldn't watch an hour of television without seeing at least two of them. They were great because they gave you a pretty good preview of the songs plus typically featured the artist looking overly emotional while belting out choice hits. Lucky for us, Harold and Kumar have brought that experience back with a new video from Funny or Die. Check it out!

So 90% of the humor revolves around lyrics being replaced with dirty words involving either smoking pot or sex, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't chuckle a few times. It's a pretty great send-up of Christmas albums as a whole (at least they did something original) and it features one of the best stoner pairs in film history, played by the awesome John Cho and Kal Penn. This video, of course, is being released to celebrate A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas, which is due out this Friday. If you haven't already, you should head over to our Blend Film Database where you can check out the trailer for the movie as well as a full gallery of stills, all of which make the movie look seriously funny.

I haven’t been this excited about a Christmas movie since Will Ferrell ate all the free candy he could find in New York City. In Elf Will Ferrell played a character who only seemed like he was stoned, in A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas not only is nearly every character baked throughout most of the holiday season, the audience probably will be too.

That’s not to say you have to be high to enjoy a Harold and Kumar movie, I’ve seen the last two without being under the influence and loved them. This one will be genius, even if you’re living sober, but the 3D element should add an extra attraction for all you stoners. It seems designed mainly to cater to you. You’ll see what I mean when you watch the very first trailer for A Very Harold And Kumar 3D Christmas. Watch it below or in HD on Yahoo.

The list of crimes, both state and federal, committed in this trailer is pretty long. That’s a good sign when it comes to Harold & Kumar. Better still, there’s plenty of Neil Patrick Harris. Actually the trailer’s mostly Neil Patrick Harris which is a little surprising when you consider that he’s only really had at best, extended cameos in the previous two films. Granted, he was also the best thing about both of those films, so maybe giving him more to do is the right move.

They’ve even addressed Neil’s homosexuality here, which is surprising, since Harris has always made it clear that the Neil Patrick Harris in these films is just a character with no relation to the NPH that he is. Apparently the whole gay thing was just a ruse. He is gay, just gay for that… you get the idea.

It's been more than three years since we last saw Harold and Kumar, the adventuresome stoners who braved all kinds of peril on a quest to White Castle, then escaped from Guantanamo Bay in a slightly less hilarious sequel. But even if each following Harold and Kumar movie winds up being less funny than the one before it, the movies are still weirder and raunchier than most anything else out there, and provide the chance to see America's new crush Neil Patrick Harris going completely nuts and doing every drug available to him. That's why I can't help but look forward to A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, which can even be forgiven for jumping on the 3D bandwagon because it promises to give us the weirdest holiday special you ever imagined.

And though the movie won't be out until November, the weirdness has already begun. Yahoo! has premiered the first image from the film, in which Harold and Kumar are done up as rosy-cheeked tin soldiers, while NPH is holding a giant candy cane and wearing a velour suit that Bing Crosby might have admired. There's a lot to process, so you should probably just see for yourself below.

Though the movie shot over a year ago, and we saw some set photos from the shoot at a mall in Michigan, we don't really know much about the plot yet, which means this image could come from pretty much any moment in the film. But the Harold and Kumar movies are at their best when they're unpredictable, so I don't mind being in the dark for now. We'll probably get a look at a trailer soon anyway, as A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas will kick off the holiday movie season on November 4.

With Len Wiseman's remake of Total Recall gearing up to start production early next month, casting news has been arriving in bunches. Yesterday alone it was confirmed that Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale have joined the film as the two principal female characters while Bill Nighy will be playing Quatto, the resistance leader. But just like in the Paul Verhoven film, however, somebody has to mess with Douglas Quaid's (Colin Farrell) brain and convince him that he's a spy, right? Enter today's news.

According to EW, John Cho has officially joined the cast of Total Recall. Taking over the part played by Ray Baker in the 1990 film, the actor will play McClane, a "smooth-talking rep" who works for the company that implants memories (the article doesn't mention if the company is still called Rekall). No longer set on Mars, the new film will be set in the future where the world has been divided into two nationstates: Euromerica and New Shanghai. Also in the cast is Bryan Cranston, who will play an villainous dictator named Cohaagen.

I actually really like this casting. It's a small role, but Cho can really turn on the charm when he wants to and have a touch of slimeball (I keep thinking about the episode of How I Met Your Mother in which he guest starred as a smiling-yet-evil corporate executive). I guess he needs something to do while he waits to play Mr. Sulu again.

UPDATE! As we suspected the poster is a confirmed fake. It's actually fan art stolen from the IMDB message boards here. We've updated our source credits in the article below to reflect that.

In the last decade, as weird as it is to say, few titles have surprised me as much as the Harold and Kumar movies. I went into the first film recognizing it as Danny Leiner's follow-up to Dude, Where's My Car? and was taken aback by how funny it really was and how great the two leads were. Fast forward four years and I walk into Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay expecting a cheap, cash-in sequel, only to have it be similarly effective, though to a lesser degree. Finally convinced that it's fun to watch Kal Penn and John Cho go on sweet adventures together, A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas is very much on my radar, and now we have what several sources are claiming is first teaser poster for the movie.

But despite claims to the contrary, it's not real. The poster is actually fan art originally posted here.

We haven't heard much from the production since it started up over the summer in Michigan, and Patton Oswalt and Thomas Lennon were added to the cast, but I'm always happy to report that it still exists. The only sad thing is that we probably won't see real marketing for the film for another few months.

Check out the fan art below or head over to IMDB to see it full size. What do you think? Real poster or not?

Special thanks to Bleeding Cool's Brendon Connelly for pointing us to the original source for the fake.

For being the first day on set, a lot of things are happening in the world of A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas. First it came out from Todd Strauss-Schulson's Twitter account that the film had officially begun its first day of shooting. In a picture that came along with the tweet, you could see Kal Penn's name on a chair that confirms he has left his post at the White House to make the film. Next, a person at the Somerset Mall in Troy, Michigan snapped a photo of the set where they are shooting. Now we have two more bits of awesome.

Garnered from the Twitter accounts of those involved, it now appears that Patton Oswalt has joined the cast. Eight hours ago, John Cho, who plays Harold in the series, tweeted "In Michigan. @pattonoswalt in my vicinity, holding a sketch pad, duct tape, and a reel to reel audio recorder. Eeesh." Patton then responded, saying "Maybe it's this Michigan air, but @JohnTheCho is looking huggable, chloroform-able, and bury-able." An hour later, no doubt bombarded by questions, writer Jon Hurwitz wrote "Cannot confirm whether or not @pattonoswalt was cast in Harold & Kumar 3, or if he's simply on an espionage mission for the Ruskies." Finally, Patton sent out yet another tweet about an hour ago, saying "@Kal_Penn and I had a great time today and then he texted me a pic of a ball sac (not his)."

Not finished being excited about the film, Strauss-Schulso also posted two photos from the set, the first showing an advertisement for the WaffleBot (a product I want to wish into existence) and what appears to be a Tarantino-style trunk shot with a man in a green jacket and another in a Christmas sweater.

Patton Oswalt is easily one of the funniest people on the planet, so to hear that he has joined the Harold and Kumar universe is nothing short of a blessing. It's also nice to know that the director has absolutely no qualms about letting images leak from the set, meaning he is probably going to increase his followship by 20x by the time production is settled. Check out the set photos below and click each one to see them full size.

Ever since New York Magazine got its hands on the script for A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas back in April, it has been hard to contain excitement for it. With promises of more weed-related hijinks, waffle robots, druggie babies, and, of course, Neil Patrick Harris, the films sounds like it could be as much fun as the previous two installments. The production has had a small black cloud above it for awhile, however, as it was unknown as to whether Kal Penn, who plays Kumar, would be able to leave his job at the White House to make the film. Apparently, that black cloud is gone.

Via his Twitter account, director Todd Strauss-Schulson has posted the first photo from the set: chairs with the names "Kal Penn," "Christina Varotsis" and "Todd Strauss-Schulson" emblazoned on them in Christmas font, as well as a marijuana leaf decked out as a Christmas Tree. Hallelujah!

We still have to wait about a year-and-a-half before the film is released, but how great is this news? Harold and Kumar is one of those rare comedies that didn't totally fall apart in its sequel and, from the sound of the script, this one will not disappoint either.

Update: Twitpic user dannypurdue has posted the first picture from the set, which is located at the Somerset Mall in Troy, Michigan. Check it out below:

Last we heard Kal Penn's involvement in the next Harold and Kumar installment, A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas, was still up in the air. Various sources ranging from THR to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs have both confirmed and denied the actor's return to complete the stoner trilogy. Regardless of whether or not he is involved, a script has been written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg and from the sound of it, we should all pray mightily that Penn shirks his responsibilities to our government.

New York Magazine's Vulture has gotten their hands on a copy of the script and, shockingly, if you liked the first two films (and who can really say they didn't?), then the third will not disappoint. According to the review, the script takes place years after the events in Guantanamo Bay and the two friends are no longer on speaking terms. Harold has become a successful Wall Street executive, is living a drug free life and is married (though there is no mention as to whether it is to Maria Quesa Dilla). Kumar, on the other hand, still lives in the old apartment and, while he is a doctor, he has been suspended for marijuana use. The two friends' lives intersect yet again when a package is delivered to Kumar's apartment for Harold and he travels to Harold's house to deliver it, setting off a series of events worthy of the first two films. Check out a short list of some of the highlights below, but be warned that there may be some slight spoilers:

• The adventure begins when Kumar accidentally sets Harold's Christmas tree on fire. The problem is that the tree was "grown special by Harold's father-in-law" and the two must go out to find a new one.
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• Apparently, the hot new toy of the season is called Wafflebot, a robot that makes waffles. I would spend an obscene amount of money to get one of these treasures.
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• A drug-addicted baby involved that the site says "makes the baby from The Hangover look like a huge prude." Perhaps my memory is a bit shady, but I don't really remember young Carlos doing anything spectacular outside of getting his head bashed by car door, wearing sunglasses, and jacking his wenus.
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• Anyone who stayed past the credits after Guantanamo Bay knows that Neil Patrick Harris actually survived the shotgun blast delivered by a pissed off Beverly D'Angelo, and thank God because you can't have Harold and Kumar without a heaping dose of Doogie Howser. In the new movie, he is hosting a TV Christmas special alongside Kelly Ripa and no doubt taking plenty of illicit drugs.
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• There is an extended claymation sequence that takes place after our favorite Asian stoners drink some "psychoactive eggnog" (I don't doubt that NPH is somehow involved in this) that leads to being chased by Evil Frosty through midtown Manhattan. According to an excerpt, Evil Frosty sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger and breaks off references to Batman and Robin (a la Mr. Freeze).
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While that all sounds spectacular, one part of the article does not: they are contemplating filming in 3D. I'm fairly certain that enough railing against the third dimension has occurred on this site that I don't have to explain why this is a dumb idea. The film is targeting a Christmas 2011/2012 release, but I'm sure I speak for a lot of you when I say that they better invent the Wafflebot sooner than that.

It looks like Kumar won’t be spending Christmas with Harold after all. Just last week, it was reported that Kal Penn would be ditching his position as associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement to re-team with John Cho for a third Harold and Kumar film. However, according to The Wrap, Penn’s current employer has no knowledge of the former actor's plan to return to Hollywood.

After Penn’s character was killed of the show House, fans were shocked to hear he was ditching acting completely to go to work for the Obama Administration. Still, Harold and Kumar 3 rumors relentlessly flooded the Internet, up until A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas was confirmed in May of 2009. After nearly a year of silence, Cho not only re-confirmed round three is happening, but that he suspects it’s still on track to hit theaters this holiday season. Cho did mention that he’s uncertain about Penn’s schedule and wonders if his buddy’s position is a ‘term-length’ job.

Just two weeks later, word got out that Penn was indeed ditching his gig for Obama to light up again with Cho. However, that report had the film set to shoot this summer, but not hit theaters until Christmas of 2011 or 2012.

Concerning The Wrap’s findings, I wouldn’t be surprised if Penn was negotiating behind the Pres’ back. It doesn’t seem like anyone knows for sure what’s going on. THR says the film’s production company is all set to roll with both Cho and Penn’s deals completed, but the White House spokesman (via ABC News) said that Penn is "honored to serve in this Administration and has no announcements to make about his tenure here at this point.” Then there’s Penn who had this to say, “I’m incredibly honored to be here and to serve in the capacity I’m serving in and I hope that the folks who are making those films respect my decision to take a sabbatical.”

So where does this leave us? Who knows for sure? If I had to guess, I’d say it won’t be long until Penn trades in his suit and tie for a bong.

We’ve known a new Harold & Kumar movie was coming for awhile now, but the big question hanging over A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas was whether they’d be able to get Kal Penn involved since, Kal (who plays Kumar) quit acting about a year ago to work for Obama at the Whitehouse. Even though Penn’s best known for playing a lovable stoner, the guy actually doesn’t smoke weed at all and he’s really more into politics than tasty, tiny burgers. Well, he was for a year anyway.

Now he’s going back to the world of irresponsible drug use on screen. Deadline confirms that he’s leaving his position as the Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement to co-star with John Cho in A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas. Warner Bros. is considering releasing it in 3D (I’m on board with this only if Neil Patrick Harris shows up with another unicorn hallucination) and plan to start shooting this summer for an R-rated holiday release in 2011 or 2012.

The modern day Cheech and Chong are getting back together for a little holiday revelry, Christmas spirit and rampant bong hits under the mistletoe. In an interview with Collider.com, John Cho spoke about the reality of a new installment to the Harold and Kumar franchise, A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas. The upcoming movie would have a holiday theme, take place a few years later, and involve the pair of misfits doing whatever it is stoners do for the celebratory season. Smoke out of ornaments perhaps? Some of the logistics are still up in the air, like Kal Penn’s availability, but the movie looks like it’s going to happen.

For as silly as the Harold and Kumar movies are, they each have a dose of commentary within them. While they were searching for White Castle, the two were really trying to carve out their own niche in the world without being downtrodden by the man. When they headed off to Guantanamo Bay we really got a speech on, *gasp*, racism and politics. This one will hopefully be a commentary on all the nonsense and rigmarole involved with an increasingly ridiculous American holiday season. And yes, not to fear, Neil Patrick Harris will be back for some more.

Sidenote: I didn’t know this, but while I was searching for a good marijuana slang term to use, I came across “Christmas tree.” How often do you think that reference will come up in the movie?