The original adaptation of Stephen King’s The Running Man is iconic in its own right. That being said, it was never a version loyal to the original text, so that made it ripe for the Edgar Wright directed 2025 movie that readapts the story for a modern audience. With that pedigree in mind, I didn’t know what to expect from a Glen Powell-led variant.

Ahead of watching the first trailer for Wright's new spin, co-written with Michael Bacall, I totally forgot to expect a Scott Pilgrim reunion in the cards. But as you'll see in the full-length clip above, Michael Cera pops up to fulfill the trifecta, as a wannabe revolutionary - complete with a...Super Soaker?

It actually makes a lot of sense, when you see he rigged some floors with electronic charges. Much like Edgar Wright's other action packed movies, Pilgrim included, the presence of bad ass action doesn't mean we don't get to have a little fun.

As for the rest of what we know about The Running Man, it’s pretty much what you’d expect - but through Mr. Wright’s killer eye for action and comedy. Glen Powell’s Ben Richards is still running for his life in the hellish version of reality TV.

Despite the traditional set up being alive and well, we do see some pretty huge differences here, as our hero has to survive 30 days of being tracked by various Hunters. Richards' motivations are also different, as instead of being the victim of a vicious cover up, our new friend with an attitude finds himself staring down the barrel of a different sort of threat: dystopia.

It's not all bad though, because as you can see below, Mr. Powell gets to use those skills of disguise he picked up in 2023's Hit Man:

Those changes connect straight back the source material, which you may see at times being credited to author Richard Bachman. For those of you who may not know it, that was just Stephen King’s pseudonym to write more than one book a year.

The so called "Bachman Books" also happened to be King's works of darker, dystopian fiction - which we’ve also seen through the trailer for The Long Walk. Of course, if you know The Running Man's super dark book ending, you're probably asking how in the hell they're going to get away with that!

I won't spoil it for anyone, but I wouldn't count on getting Stephen King's pitch black finale. Modern historical events have pretty much ruled that out; and how could you end a movie where Michael Cera wields a Psycho Hydro water gun with...those events?

The Running Man sprints into theaters on November 7th, in various premium formats to boot! So you can bet your ass I'll be locking in for a 4DX showing, hoping that the seat mounted water cannons get in on Michael Cera's electrifying hero moment.

Of all the Tom Cruise movies that prove he’s more than an action star, one of my favorites is Tropic Thunder. Cruise played foul-mouthed, easily angered studio executive Les Grossman, a role he signed on for after two specific requests were met. But Cruise didn’t just don the fatsuit, prosthetic hands and bald cap just for the 2008 comedy. He also got back into character for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards, and it was during that time that he called out fellow actor Michael Cera. Oh, how I wish there was video of this.

Cera, who’s most recently been seen in the 2025 movie release The Phoenician Scheme, talked about this encounter while appearing on The Louis Theroux Podcast. He crossed paths with Cruise in his Les Grossman form when the Top Gun actor was shooting pre-taped segments for the awards that saw Les “interacting with various people coming in and out.” Cera was one of those people, and he saw firsthand how much of a “leader” Cruise was on set, which explains why the following took place:

That’s your lesson of the day, kids: never interfere with Tom Cruise when he’s in the middle of shooting a scene. Obviously Michael Cera wasn’t doing this intentionally, and he made it clear in the interview that Cruise wasn’t actually mad at him. But even though the two had never met each other, Cruise didn’t hesitate to inform Cera that he was talking at the wrong time. Again, don’t mess with the man who played Mission: Impossible’s Ethan Hunt for nearly three decades in the middle of a take.

It’s not really surprising Tom Cruise did this considering how important filmmaking is to him, even by Hollywood star standards. The only thing that would make this story even better is if he called out Michael Cera in character as Les Grossman, profanity and all. Had that happened though, the lighthearted teasing that Cera mentioned below likely wouldn’t have happened:

Tom Cruise and Michael Cera have yet to star in a movie together, but I’ll cross my fingers that happens someday. If they left on good terms with one another 15 years ago, then let’s see how they do co-starring in a movie. Who knows, if that long-talked-about Les Grossman spinoff ever gets off the the ground, maybe Cera could appear in it, whether in a supporting role or just cameoing as himself.

In the meantime, both Michael Cera and Tom Cruise can still be seen on the big screen as The Phoenician Scheme and Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning continue their theatrical runs. Cera will also return later in the year for the Glen Powell-led film adaptation of The Running Man.

With the trend of sequels, reboots and remakes taking over the movie-going market, it’s surprising to hear when a star hasn’t participated in one of the three. Michael Cera is one of the actors who hasn’t participated in a multi-sequel franchise, and for him, it’s purportedly not due to any resistance to the style. Though he notably turned down the Fantastic Beasts series but had an apt reason to do so.

Cera went on The Louis Theroux podcast to chat about his 2025 movie calendar titles, The Phoenician Scheme and The Running Man remake, among other topics. While in conversation with the host, the topic of franchises came up, and the Superbad alum reflected on his past with the type of movie. He admitted that he has no issue with them but did turn down the next big HP installment after the 8-part empire wrapped, as he said:

To think of Cera anywhere within the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts timeline is a bit bonkers. But seeing the now 37-year-old’s role in Wes Anderson’s latest movie, his bug-filled experience on The Phoenician Scheme makes me wonder what could’ve been.

The Arrested Development actor went on to explain the realistic thoughts as to why he made that decision. He highlighted all the regular thoughts involving committing to a multi-movie deal, including time, name recognition and what type of audience he’d be getting exposed to. In his words, he revealed:

It’s interesting how he came to the conclusion of rejecting any part of joining the iconic wizarding universe. My best guess as to why have to do with just being shy of 30 at the time and having the experience of being bummed after wrapping Scott Pilgrim. SPVTW could’ve easily turned into a whole career for him, if it had come out a decade later.

Cera concluded the segment by sharing that he’s a little more open to the thought of joining a franchise these days. And if the right one came along, who knows what could happen? He shared:

I’m pleased to know he took his time and did what felt right for him. It’ll be fun to keep an eye out if he does sign on to anything bigger and akin to the 2023 Mattel blockbuster. Cera was radiating Barbie vibes almost a year after it came out, so it seems like the tide may be changing for him.

When will we see Cera in a big franchise? Who knows, but I think I’m going to jump back into Fantastic Beasts with my Max account and imagine if he’d said yes.

The 2025 movie guide has already brought us plenty of treats in terms of actual movies, but also between said flicks' stars (the Scarlett Johansson Jonathan Bailey kiss, anyone?). Apparently, earlier this year, the unlikely pair of Jackie Chan and Michael Cera met for the first time under some silly circumstances. The happening occurred while Chan was on a press tour for Karate Kid: Legends, and he assumed Cera was a contest winner of some sort.

The actor recounted the awkward tale to NME while chatting about Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme. (Which sounds equally as memorable as the politely forced introduction due to his bug-loving character for the 2025 film.) Both happened to be promoting, respectively, their aforementioned titles in the same location when some crew connected the two. The only thing was, as Cera shares, Chan seemingly had no clue who his Hollywood peer was, but took a picture thinking he was a fan of some sort:

I love this so much just because if it were to happen to any celeb, the Juno actor would top my list. I think his general vibe is why he became Barbie’s Allan, and it all boils down to how he takes everything in stride so well and with the appearance of ease. And as far as the international star not recognizing him, I’m not surprised. He has had an expansive career, filled with great Chan classics in multiple countries and even more peers.

Cera continued the saga by explaining how the photo op went, which was fine and good overall. Though he did note that he felt like he was intruding on the Rush Hour star’s brief moment before returning to press interviews. In his words, he shared:

Again, the exchange couldn’t be more fitting for the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World star. From the start to the end, I’m just so amused by it all, and glad to know that Chan will always have time for a fan (even if it’s an unknowingly well-known one).

Now that both Cera’s The Phoenician Scheme and Chan’s Karate Kid: Legends (which was a pleasant surprise to some fans) are out, maybe they can make time for a redo. I mean, if the action star can literally roll with the punches of dislocating his shoulder on the KKL set and bounce back immediately, who’s to say he’s not in for properly meeting Cera?

My personal tolerance for insects, arachnids and other kinds of bugs is so minimal that I don’t even like thinking about them, lest I conjure phantom sensations of them crawling on my arms and legs. Clearly I am not cut out to be an actor who would potentially have to perform a scene in a film with any number creepy crawlies – but I suppose that means I have a special admiration for Michael Cera, who found a fascinating way to think about the creatures while handling them in the making of The Phoenician Scheme.

In the new Wes Anderson movie, Cera plays Bjørn Lund, a tutor and administrative assistant to Benicio del Toro’s Zsa-Zsa Korda with a background in entomology, and an expression of the character’s specialty in the film is that he is frequently featured handling various insects and spiders. I asked him about the experience late last month during the virtual press day for The Phoenician Scheme (paired with del Toro and Mia Threapleton), and he noted that he did have a bit of fear at the start, but he became for comfortable when he changed his mind set about them:

If I step outside of my phobia temporarily, I suppose I can recognize the vulnerability of the insects. They can be fast and venomous, but they are also tiny and fragile. We have the expression “squashed like a bug” for a reason. On film sets, they have special handlers who are employed to ensure their care, so Michael Cera’s feeling of responsibility toward them while they are in his hands makes sense as well.

It certainly also helped the actor that his scenes in The Phoenician Scheme don’t feature him getting swarmed or covered; he handles the different bugs in the manor of a scientist/tutor. There’s a sequence where he handles a tarantula (the ultimate “no way” for me), but Cera intimated that he was calm because it was calm:

Mia Threapleton went as far as to call the tarantula “quite sweet” and remembered that it had a name – but couldn’t recall exactly what it was.

If you haven’t yet seen Michael Cera’s bug handling for yourself, The Phoenician Scheme is now playing in theaters everywhere – the film featuring an outstanding cast that includes not just Cera, Benicio del Toro and Mia Threapleton, but also Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed, Jeffrey Wright, Benedict Cumberbatch, Scarlett Johansson, and more.

One project that is quickly becoming one of my most highly-anticipated upcoming 2025 movies is The Running Man remake from writer/director Edgar Wright. The cast has already been stacked, between Glen Powell and Josh Brolin joining in a key role as well last week, but now there’s going to be a big Scott Pilgrim vs. the World reunion too, and the excitement is only growing.

Michael Cera has apparently closed a deal to be part of the cast of The Running Man, per The Hollywood Reporter. Since Edgar Wright is the filmmaker behind Scott Pilgrim as well, that means that the Stephen King adaptation will be a reunion between the beloved film’s director and lead over a decade after they first worked together! It will be soon too, because The Running Man will reportedly start filming at the beginning of next year.

Scott Pilgrim feels like one of those movies that came out at the wrong time, because when it was released, it pretty much bombed at the box office. Many years later, the movie has become a cult classic, with its cast only becoming bigger stars since, and a new generation of fans watching it for the first time. Cera recently reprised his role of Scott Pilgrim for the Netflix anime Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. Wright was executive producer on the series, but now these two can really come together in person for the first time in a while.

The Running Man is one of the upcoming Stephen King movies that’s starting to feel more and more special everyday, given all the talent involved. Glen Powell is already hyped to play the role Arnold Schwarzenegger played in the 1987 adaptation. The dystopian action film follows an impoverished resident of Co-Op City who joins a government-operated reality show with a violent twist in order to provide for his wife and daughter.

Michael Cera will play, as described in the article, "a naïve rebel who tries to help the desperate man" in The Running Man, and he’s joining a solid cast that also includes Love Lies Bleeding’s Katy O’Brian, Lee Pace and as The Hollywood Reporter shared in the same article, Emilia Jones of 2022 Best Picture winner, CODA.

Sufficed to say, Michael Cera’s role in The Running Man will not have the same cadence as his beloved role in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. That being said, it’s great to see the actor take on another major movie following going viral for playing Alan in last year’s highest-grossing movie and Academy Award winner, Barbie. We imagine Cera has become even more popular since last summer thanks to the scene-stealing part.

The Running Man earned a prime release date too, on November 21, 2025, which will have it directly competing with the second Wicked movie and coming out a few days before Zootopia 2.

The 2010s were a transformative decade for movies as directors like Damien Chazelle, Greta Gerwig and Jordan Peele hit the mainstream, and many actors exploded into stardom or gave career-defining performances in movies like theirs. Now, it’s time to celebrate some of the best films of this decade and the performers who starred in them. 

Emma Stone – La La Land 

This ode to Old Hollywood and modern romance from Damien Chazelle is widely beloved in part because of Emma Stone's performance. If you go back to reviews for La La Land, you’ll see Stone and Ryan Gosling praised for their work as they played Mia and Sebastian, two aspiring artists who fall in love with each other. Notably, Emma Stone won her first Oscar for the film because of the wonderful performance she gave as the up-and-coming actress. 

Kristen Wiig – Bridesmaids

When it comes to Bridesmaids and all its hilarious lines and gags, we all need to say a collective thank you to Kristen Wiig. Not only did the Saturday Night Live alum lead the stellar ensemble cast of this 2011 flick, but she also wrote the movie with Annie Mumolo, and they got an Oscar nomination for it. 

Mahershala Ali – Moonlight

Moonlight, which famously won Best Picture in 2017, is a coming-of-age film that follows Chiron through three stages of his life, focusing on him exploring his sexuality and identity. In it, Mahershala Ali plays Juan, a man who has a pivotal role in Chiron’s early life. Famously, Ali won his first Oscar for his moving performance in this film. 

Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out

Get Out is considered one of the greatest horror movies of all time, and it marked the directorial debut of Jordan Peele. While this film about the deeply dark turn a trip takes after a white woman brings her Black boyfriend home to meet her family is career-defining for its director – as he’s gone on to become quite the name in the genre – it also marked a major breakout for Daniel Kaluuya who played the film’s lead, Chris. 

Amy Adams – Arrival 

Arrival is unquestionably one of Amy Adams’ best movies, and to this day, folks are still livid that she wasn’t nominated for an Oscar for it. She plays Louise, a linguist assigned to decipher and translate an alien language. However, as Arrival’s ending makes abundantly clear, there’s way more to it than that, and one of the major reasons this movie works is because of Adams’ masterful, emotional and nuanced performance. 

J.K. Simmons – Whiplash

In Whiplash, one of J.K. Simmons’ best films, he plays a brilliant and brutal jazz conductor and instructor named Terence Fletcher. During the film, Miles Teller plays a young drummer named Andrew who is determined to become great, and his intense relationship with Terence and the notion of being the best is what makes Damien Chazelle’s film magnificent. On top of its overall acclaim, Simmons also won an Oscar for his performance.

Hugh Jackman – Logan 

Logan was Hugh Jackman’s last ride as the Wolverine, and it was basically perfect. While he’s returned to the role since in Deadpool and Wolverine, Logan still serves as a wonderful conclusion to the iconic X-Man’s story. It was also a game-changing Marvel film, as it brought a level of grit and intrigue that we hadn’t really seen in a movie from this universe before. 

Ben Affleck – Argo 

Much like Good Will Hunting, Argo marked a major milestone in Ben Affleck’s career. It was one of the films that solidified him as a top-tier director, and on top of that, he also starred in the film about a CIA agent disguised as a producer who goes into Tehran on a mission to save a group of Americans. Oh, also, the film went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars too. 

Jesse Eisenberg — The Social Network

The Social Network cast is stacked, however, it wouldn’t be what it is without Jesse Eisenberg’s performance as Mark Zuckerberg at its center. His nuanced performance which is somehow both collected and chaotic compliments Aaron Sorkin’s fast-talking script perfectly, and he expertly helped build up tension in the film that director David Fincher is known for. All around, that made for a perfect, heart-pounding drama about the rise of Facebook.

Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf Of Wall Street  

While Leonardo DiCaprio has a long list of career-defining performances, and he and Martin Scorsese have made many great movies together, you can’t deny that his portrayal of Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street tops that list. 

Brie Larson – Room

The film Room, which is about a mother and her son escaping captivity, is masterfully led by Brie Larson, who plays Ma. Both she and Jacob Tremblay, who played her son Jack, were praised for their performances, and in 2016, the actress won an Oscar for her work. 

Daniel Craig – Knives Out

Now, I know that Daniel Craig’s tenure as James Bond was still happening in the 2010s. However, an equally important and brilliant role he took on was as detective Benoit Blanc in Rian Johnson’s first whodunnit Knives Out. Now, after leading the cast of Knives Out, Craig has gone on to reprise his role as the Southern detective on multiple occasions, because he loves it and so do we. 

Ryan Gosling – Drive

If you look over Ryan Gosling’s best movies, on one side you’ll find his brilliant comedic films – like Barbie and The Nice Guys – and on the other side, you’ll find his stoic and dramatic performance, like the one he gives in Drive. Put simply, Drive wouldn’t work without the actor’s lead performance, because the entire film hinges on him and his abilities. 

Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool

After years of working to get it made and some well-timed leaked footage, finally, in 2016, Deadpool came out and we got to see Ryan Reynolds in his element as the Merc with a Mouth. 

Casey Affleck – Manchester By The Sea 

In a film about a man returning home to reckon with his past and grief after losing his brother, Casey Affleck gives an emotional and commanding performance. Not only did he win an Oscar for his work in this drama, but it’s also one of the big defining roles of his career. 

Chris Evans – Captain America: The Winter Soldier 

Chris Evans began and ended his tenure as Steve Rogers in the 2010s. While all his outings as the star-spangled man with a plan were excellent, nothing tops his performance as Cap in the political thriller that is the Russo brothers’ Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which is easily one of the best Marvel movies ever made. 

Ralph Fiennes – The Grand Budapest Hotel 

Under Wes Anderson’s precise direction, Ralph Fiennes occupied the pastel world of the Grand Budapest Hotel with grace and style. His fast-talking M. Gustave went on quite the adventure in this film, and he won over the hearts of audiences with his quick wit, smooth charm and impeccable work ethic. 

Natalie Portman – Black Swan 

Throwing it back to the beginning of the decade, Darren Aronofsky’s 2010 psychological thriller Black Swan showed us Natalie Portman’s talents in a new light. While she had been on the scene and in big movies for years, this film marked a major milestone in her career as her performance as a tortured ballerina got her an Academy Award. 

Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buys Club

Obviously, for a couple of decades before this, Matthew McConaughey was known and beloved for fun movies like Dazed and Confused and How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days. However, in 2013, Dallas Buyers Club marked a notable shift in his career. Not only did he win an Oscar for this dramatic turn as a man who finds out he has AIDS, but he also went on to star in acclaimed projects like Interstellar and True Detective one year later, cementing himself as a magnificent dramatic actor with serious range. 

Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook

Yes, Jennifer Lawrence leading The Hunger Games cast is one of the biggest triumphs of her career. However, amid all of that, she starred in the beloved dramedy Silver Linings Playbook with Bradley Cooper, and that’s the film for which she won her Oscar. This magnificent film about two people learning to live and thrive through grief and mental illness, is a thoughtful and funny film that Lawrence steals with her amazing performance. 

Brad Pitt – Moneyball 

Moneyball is the story about the general manager of the Oakland A’s using his business savvy and what little money his team had to assemble a rag-tag team of MLB players. Brad Pitt plays said manager, Billy Beane, and I mean it when I say the movie really wouldn’t work without him. He’s at the center of it, and he carries it to victory just like his character did with the A’s.  

Chadwick Boseman – Black Panther 

We sadly lost Chadwick Boseman way too early, however, his legacy will live on forever. This is in part because of his performance as the King of Wakanda, T’Challa. Black Panther was a historic moment in modern movie history, and his incredible take on the titular hero is a big reason why. 

Margot Robbie – I, Tonya 

Before I, Tonya, Margot Robbie was beloved for her supporting and ensemble roles in films like The Wolf of Wall Street and Suicide Squad. However, one of the movies that helped solidify her as both a leading lady and super producer was I, Tonya. She played Tonya Harding and produced the film under the banner of her company LuckyChap – which went on to make films like Barbie and Promising Young Woman. 

Florence Pugh – Midsommar

Florence Pugh exploded onto the scene with the haunting Ari Aster film Midsommar. The movie is now considered one of the best horror movies of all time, and a big reason why is Pugh’s performance. 

Saoirse Ronan – Lady Bird

Talk about a dynamic duo. Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan are a match made in heaven, and that was solidified into fact when the actress played the titular Lady Bird in the director’s breakout film. Not only did fans fall in love with Ronan’s performance as the defiant teenage gal, but she also received wide acclaim and an Oscar nomination for it. Plus, it was the beginning of a glorious partnership between her and Greta Gerwig as they then went on to make Little Women together. 

Timothée Chalamet – Call Me By Your Name

These days, when people think of Timothée Chalamet, they likely think of him as Paul Atreides, the leader of the Dune cast. However, before that (and in a different decade) the film that sprung him into the mainstream was Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name. The deeply romantic and tender coming-of-age drama was led beautifully by Chalamet, and since then he’s taken on more roles that have helped cement him as one of the top-leading men of his generation. 

Anna Kendrick – Pitch Perfect

If you were a kid in 2012 (like I was), odds are you learned the “Cups” song. The movie about college acapella was a phenomenon in the early 2010s, and it served as a big breakout leading role for Anna Kendrick. Not only was she funny as Becca, but everyone also became aware that she had the singing voice of an angel.  

Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years A Slave

Lupita Nyong’o’s first feature film was 12 Years A Slave. Her performance in the movie by Steve McQueen won her an Oscar in 2012 and solidified her as a top-tier dramatic performer. Since then, she’s gone on to star in massive blockbusters like Black Panther and A Quiet Place: Day One. 

Joaquin Phoenix – Joker

There have been many amazing takes on the Joker, and Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck was a totally new one. In Joker, we see the villain’s origin story, and it’s a film that’s unlike any other DC project. The haunting performance ultimately won the actor an Oscar, and he reprised the part again in Joker: Folie à Deux.

Charlize Theron – Mad Max: Fury Road

The movie is named after Mad Max, and he’s great, don’t get me wrong, but Furiosa steals the show. Charlize Theron’s performance as the driver in Mad Max: Fury Road is fierce and jaw-dropping, and she’s one of many reasons why George Miller’s movie is considered one of the best action films. 

Michael Cera – Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

You can’t have Scott Pilgrim vs. The World without a perfect Scott Pilgrim and that’s who Michael Cera is. He perfectly played the awkward yet heroic protagonist in Edgar Wright’s beloved film, and to this day, it's considered some of his best work.

Matt Damon – The Martian

This Ridley Scott movie is literally about one man who is stuck on Mars. Yes, there are other people in the film trying to save him. However, overall, The Martian is Matt Damon’s movie. He plays the stranded astronaut and scientist, and the heart, charisma, intelligence and even humor he brings to the space drama is unforgettable. 

All around, the 2010s were full of films that are on their way to becoming all-time classics, and it’s in part thanks to the brilliant actors who starred in them. 

Despite a limited number of seasons and episodes, Black Mirror has, since the beginning, killed it with its casting. The Charlie Brooker-led show has landed some of the biggest stars in the world for episodes and chooses some of the best character actors from both sides of the pond as well. Here are 32 casting examples that prove Black Mirror crushes it. 

Daniel Kaluuya

Before Daniel Kaluuya hit the really big time with break-out roles in Get Out and Black Panther, he had a role in just the second episode of Black Mirror, called "Fifteen Million Merits." Kaluuya played a low-level bike rider looking to escape his boring life by performing in a reality TV show. It's a powerful performance and helped set the tone for the series. 

Hayley Atwell

Season 2 of  Black Mirror started with a bang, with an episode called "Be Right Back" starring Hayley Atwell and Domhnall Gleeson in a real mind-bending episode about a couple with a classic Black Mirror twist. 

Jon Hamm

In between Season 1 and Season 2, Black Mirror aired a Christmas special featuring its first big American star, Mad Men's Jon Hamm. It's a super disturbing episode in a ton of ways, not the least of which is just how evil Hamm's character turns out to be. 

Bryce Dallas Howard

Season 3 marked a big change for the show when it moved to Netflix. It also started with a band with the episode "Nosedive" starring Bryce Dallas Howard. It felt a first like a different take on the general premise of Black Mirror, being brighter and seemingly more upbeat. But that didn't last long, of course, and Howard's performance made it all work perfectly. 

Kelly MacDonald

Kelly Mac Donald isn't often the star of her projects but she is consistently excellent in everything she is in. She does star in one episode of Black Mirror, the Season 3 episode "Hated In The Nation" which is the show's take on a police procedural, with  MacDonald playing the main investigator. 

Salma Hayek

There are few stars bigger than the great Salma Hayak and her role in the episode "Joan Is Awful" in the Sixth Season is just perfect. She plays a version of herself, playing the character Joan and her no-BS attitude is just pitch-perfect. 

Jesse Plemons

The first episode of Season 4, "USS Callister" often ranks among the best episodes of Black Mirror, and a big reason why is the performances of the actors in the episode. There is no character more important than manipulative Captain Robert Daly played wonderfully by Jesse Plemons. 

Andrew Scott

Andrew Scott elevates basically everything he is in. Whether it's shows like Sherlock and Fleabag or movies like 1917, he also turns in one of the most memorable performances. Black Mirror is no exception. While the episode he appears in, "Smithereens" isn't well regarded among fans, there's no denying that Scott's performance is excellent and even earned him an Emmy nomination. 

Anthony Mackie

Anthony Mackie has never shied away from playing Gay men, with his first breakout role coming as a Gay art student in the film Brother to Brother. His role in Black Mirror wasn't quite as clear cut, as he played a man clearly struggling with his feelings and identity in the Season 5 episode "Striking Vipers." 

Kate Mara

The Season 6 episode, "Beyond the Sea," is one of the more messed up episodes of Black Mirror and that's really saying something. Kate Mara stars in the show as a woman trapped in the middle of a love triangle by two astronauts, one her husband, and one her suitor. It's a polarizing episode, like many, but there's no question it's as disturbing as the show can get. 

Miley Cyrus

In the final episode of Season 5, Miley Cyrus stars as Ashley O, a pop star not unlike her real-life self. Of all the Black Mirror episodes, it's maybe the least disturbing, but that really makes it underrated, if anything. It still makes the viewer question modern culture and tech, it just doesn't end in tragedy. 

Topher Grace

In Smithereens, Topher Grace plays a Jack Dorsey-type tech CEO who leads a social media company. While the episode is often criticized for its simplistic social commentary, by Black Mirror standards, Grace's performance is actually pretty perfect. All the acting performances are great in this uneven performance. 

Letitia Wright

Letitia Wright had been building a solid career in the U.K. before 2018 when she exploded on the world stage with her appearance in Black Panther. Prior to becoming a big part of the MCU, however, she starred in the Season 4 finale, "Black Museum." It's a fun episode with an almost greatest hits-type vibe, as it's filled with easter eggs to previous episodes. 

Benedict Wong

Benedict Wong has low-key become one of the most popular side characters in the MCU as... well... Wong. The same year he joined the MCU, in 2016's Doctor Strange, he also starred in the Season 3 episode "Hated in the Nation." He has a smaller role in the show compared to some of the other stars (like Kelly MacDonald) but he's great, as he always is in his many roles. 

Aaron Paul

Aaron Paul will likely forever be known first and foremost as Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad. There's nothing wrong with that, but Paul has had an impressive career outside of the legendary AMC show as well. One very notable role came in Season 6 of Black Mirror when he appeared alongside Josh Harnett and Kate Mara in "Beyond the Sea." It wasn't Paul's first appearance on the show, however. He had a quick cameo in "USS Callister" during the show's 4th Season. 

Zazie Beetz

Zazie Beetz hit the big time as a member of the hit show Atlanta starting in 2016. She later gained an even larger fanbase as Domino in Deadpool 2. In 2023, she got to star in an episode of Black Mirror called "Mazey Day" which broke new ground for the show, dipping into the supernatural for the first time. Though it wasn't the most well-received episode of the series, Beetz put together a great performance as a paparazza. 

Josh Harnett

Over the last 25 years, Josh Harnett has quietly put together one of the most underrated careers in Hollywood. He's played all kinds of roles, from heartthrobs to nuclear physicists. Of course, he also appeared as part of the star-studded cast of "Under The Sea" in Season 6. 

Michael Cera

Michael Cera has never been afraid to play ridiculous versions of himself. Most notably, in This Is The End, but also in the Season 6 episode "Joan is Awful." Everyone in the episode is playing some sort of version of themselves and Cera, as the character Beppe is, of course, over the top in his performance and we're here for it. 

Tobias Menzies

As character actors go, they don't get much better than Tobias Menzies. The English actor seems to pop up constantly in "prestige" shows. He was Brutus in HBO's Rome, he was Edmund Tully in Game of Thrones and he won an Emmy for playing Prince Philip in two seasons of The Crown. In the second season of Black Mirror, he played a British politician running for office against an animated bear named Waldo in "The Waldo Moment."

Domhnall Gleeson

Sure, Domhnall Gleeson is part of two of the biggest franchises in film history as a member of the Weasley family in the Harry Potter movies and General Hux in the Star Wars movies, but he's also been one of the best actors around for a couple of decades now. He appeared in the first episode of Season 2, "Be Right Back."

Wyatt Russell

Even though he has two very famous actors as parents, Wyatt Russell originally strived to play professional hockey. When injuries cut his career short, he fell back on acting. Lucky, huh? Still, he's putting together a really nice career, one that includes an appearance in the 2016 episode "Playtest."

Jodie Whittaker

Jodie Whittaker made history when she became the first woman to play The Doctor in three seasons of the modern era of Dr. Who. That wasn't Whittaker's first dabble in  science fiction TV, however, as she appeared in the third-ever episode of Black Mirror called "The Entire History of You." She is excellent in the episode, which ranks tops all-time on quite a few rankings. 

Jerome Flynn

One of the most disturbing episodes of Black Mirror came in its third season. "Shut Up and Dance" is a complicated episode, as viewers are repulsed by the characters, including, most notably, the one played by Game Of Thrones vet Jerome Flynn. Viewers are also taken aback by what those terrible characters have to do. It's a polarizing episode, but that's part of what makes it so great. 

Rory Kinnear

There are two roles that Rory Kinnear is likely most recognized for. One is Bill Tanner in four of the Daniel Craig-era James Bond movies. He's one of the most important characters from the Craig-led Bond films. The second is from the now-legendary premiere episode of Black Mirror called "The National Anthem." His performance as the beleaguered Prime Minister forced to do unspeakable things in the episode is, frankly, legendary.  

Rupert Everett

Rupert Everett has been killing on screen for more than 40 years now and though his role in the second episode of Season 1 is small, he's brilliant. He plays a Simon Cowell-type on a dystopian version of Britain's Got Talent and he, like Cowell, steals the show as a judge. 

Cherry Jones

Season 3's first episode, "Nosedive" is a fantastic episode, and a big reason why is the acting performances, including from Cherry Jones, who appears in only one scene of the show, but it's the pivotal moment in the show. Jones is one of the more underrated character actresses in Hollywood, but she's probably best known for playing President Allison Taylor on 24 and Holly Maddox in two seasons of The Handmaid's Tale. 

Oona Chaplin

Oona Chaplin comes from a family of true film royalty. Her grandfather was the legendary Charlie Chaplin. She's carved out an impressive career as well. She's best known as Talisa Stark, the ill-fated wife of Robb Stark in Game of Thrones, where she was the first death at the infamous Red Wedding. She stars alongside Jon Hamm in the Christmas special of Black Mirror in a smaller role, literally and figuratively, but her performance is sure to freak out everyone who watches. 

Jimmi Simpson

It's hard to believe that Always Sunny In Philadelphia first hit the airwaves in 2005, but it did. Jimmi Simpson has been along for most of the ride, as the oddball frenemy to "The Gang" and member of the McPoyle family, Liam McPoyle. He also appeared one of the most star-studded casts of Black Mirror in the "USS Callister."

Annie Murphy

Annie Murphy is most famous for playing Alexis Rose in Schitt's Creek and in 2023 she appeared as a strange version of herself playing "Joan" in "Joan in Awful" alongside Salma Hayek in the sixth season.  

Kirsten Dunst

"USS Callister" has one of the more star-studded casts and one of the stars you may not have even seen, Kirsten Dunst. Dunst's cameo in Black Mirror is truly a blink--and-you-miss-moment in the episode. She appears as a fellow office worker in the show and it's so brief most people missed it. 

Cristin Milioti

The multi-talented Cristin Milioti started her career on the stage on Broadway where she became a Tony-nominated actress, but made her on-screen breakthrough as "The Mother" in How I Met Your Mother. Since then, she's shined in shows like Fargo, The Resort, and The Mindy Project, as well as starring in "USS Callister" in Black Mirror. 

Will Poulter

Will Poulter seems to like showing in prestige TV shows. In addition to starring in the groundbreaking interactive "choose your own adventure" Black Mirror movie called Bandersnatch, he's also shown up in a cameo on The Bear. That's in addition, of course, to his film roles in The Revenant, Midsommar, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3., among many others. 

It's likely that you've mostly seen Michael Cera either donning brown hair -- like he did as a member of the cast of the Barbie cast -- or another shade of that color in many of his other projects. Though, with summer around the corner, it would seem that the actor changing it up a bit. Cera was recently attended a red carpet event and, while there he was sporting a bleach-blonde look. And, yes, it was absolutely giving off all the Ken-ergy.

When Ryan Gosling's Ken look was revealed, the Internet was shocked to see the Canadian actor with those holy abs and bleach-blonde hair. That was, of course, a far cry from the look that Michael Cera had to sport as Ken’s friend, Allan, in the Greta Gerwig-helmed flick. So, in a way, it's somewhat ironic (and fitting) that Cera is now sporting that same style. The Arrested Development alum's fresh locks were on full display while he was at the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Sacramento. Check them out for yourself:

As you can see, the Superbad star was also wearing a cream-colored sweater and red-tinted glasses. Still, what really made this red carpet appearance of his so eye-popping is that curly bleach-blonde hair sitting on top of his head! It’s honestly a bit jarring to see him with such light locks, given the way they usually look. I'm not sure whether this change was for an upcoming gig or just a personal choice on the 36-year-old actor's part. But, either way, I'm here for his new look ahead of the start of a new season.

When looking back on the star's work in Barbie, it's hard to believe Michael Cera almost didn’t play Allan. Hamilton's Jonathan Groff was originally set to take it on before bowing out. In fact, Cera’s manager almost cost him the last-minute role. That's because he believed the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World actor wouldn’t want to travel to London for the movie. On the contrary, Cera absolutely wanted to be in the  film so much that he contacted Greta Gerwig, pleading to play Allan. Ultimately, Cera would be an absolute scene-stealer, adding a quirkiness to the lone doll.

In terms of more recent developments though, the Canada native is currently looking towards the release of the aforementioned Sacramento. In it, he and Michael Angarano play best friends who decide to take a life-changing road trip from Los Angeles to Sacramento after the two are on the verge of becoming first-time fathers. Needless to say, this film will be a bit more intimate in scope than the hit fantasy/comedy film he starred in last year.

You can't help but wonder whether or not we'll actually get to see Michael Cera sport  his bleach-blonde hair in an upcoming movie or TV show. It would definitely be a change of pace, but I'd be down to see it on the big screen. Given that it's been nearly a year since Barbie hit cinemas, I think we could all use a good jolt of Ken-ergy by way of Cera's hairstyle.

You can see the actor's performance as the humorous Allan in Barbie by streaming the movie with a Max subscription. And make sure to keep checking our 2024 movie releases in case Sacramento releases sometime this year.

It’s been over half a year since Barbie opened in theaters, and there’s still a lot of talk surrounding what CinemaBlend ranked as one of the best movies of 2023. Among the many things this movie has going for it is its all-star cast, which included looping in Michael Cera as Allan, although his manager nearly cost him the role. But ahead of the public finding out how Barbie will do among the other 96th Academy Award nominees, Cera has revealed that Ben Affleck was supposed to cameo in the movie, and I’m genuinely baffled.

Remember that moment when Allan is hiding in the back of Stereotypical Barbie’s car as America Ferrera’s Gloria and Ariana Greenblatt’s Sasha are driving back to the real world, only to make his presence known once “Push” by Matchbox Twenty started playing on the radio? Only moments later, Allan started fighting with some construction workers who were attempting to build a wall around Barbieland (and failing to do so since it was going up), but according to Cera, it was Affleck who was originally supposed to be in that scene rather than him. As he told The AV Club:

Considering that Barbie featured a cameo from John Cena as a Kenmaid, i.e. a merman Ken, the prospect of simply seeing Ben Affleck in it doesn’t sound weird to me. What I’m more perplexed about is how he specifically would have fit into the movie. If it was Affleck who was supposed to fight those construction workers rather than Michael Cera, then who was his character supposed to be? One of the Kens who didn’t side with Ryan Gosling’s Ken? Could he somehow have been another Allan, even though there’s only supposed to be one of them in Barbieland at a time?

I’m hoping that Margot Robbie or director/co-writer Greta Gerwig can shed more light someday on what this Ben Affleck scene precisely entailed, because I need a clearer picture on what could have been (like that deleted scene inspired by Jaws). As for why the cameo didn’t work out, Michael Cera attributed it to scheduling issues, saying:

The movie Michael Cera’s referencing is likely Air, the biographical sports drama about the creation of the Air Jordan which began filming in June 2022, three months after Barbie began principal photography. Affleck also played Nike co-founder and CEO Phil Knight in Air opposite Matt Damon’s Sonny Vaccaro. Back to Barbie, Cera also mentioned that he and the rest of the cast and crew didn’t find out Affleck could appear until “the 11th hour,” which required some last-minute planning:

Michael Cera added that during the rehearsal for this fight scene that was initially “never part of Allan’s journey,” they improvised a moment where Allan murdered one of the construction workers. It was meant to just be a joke that he didn’t expect Greta Gerwig to keep in, but sure enough, there it is in the final version. To paint Allan in a slightly better light though, that construction worker is still moving around a little on the ground after Allan’s done with him, so we don’t need to worry about Cera’s character being a murderer.

Barbie can be streamed now with a Max subscription, and we’ll learn if it takes home any Oscars when the next Academy Awards ceremony airs Sunday, March 10 on ABC. Michael Cera’s next movie, Sacramento, doesn’t have a release date yet, and Ben Affleck is attached as a producer to movies like The Instigators, Unstoppable and Small Things Like These.

Among the long list of great performances from the Barbie cast is Michael Cera’s Allan, who steals the show a few times throughout Greta Gerwig’s movie as the unique doll living amongst Barbies and Kens. However, it was recently revealed the character was almost the center of an incredibly clever callback to Jaws that somehow didn’t make the movie. Excuse me, but how? 

Barbie’s cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto revealed the deleted scene after sharing how there were “so many moments'' that were shot for the biggest film on the 2023 movie schedule that had to be removed, likely to slim it down to its under two-hour runtime (which ended up at one hour, 54 minutes). Check out what Prieto told Variety about one cut Allan scene that sounded amazing: 

As is, Barbie already has tons of great references to classic movies. From the opening scene that emulates Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, to nods to movies like Singin’ in the Rain and Grease in the very memorable “I’m Just Ken” sequence, Greta Gerwig clearly loved a reference in Barbie. Along with all these references, Prieto shared that they also did their own take on the famed beach sequence from Steven Speilberg’s 1975 classic. Check out the scene Barbie would have cited: 

The effect with Rob Schneider is called the dolly zoom or “vertigo effect.” It’s a very famous moment in cinematic history that is often referenced by filmmakers and very much referenced and pointed to at film schools. In the instance of Barbie, it sounds like toward the beginning of the movie when all the Barbies and Kens are at the beach when Ken gets injured, the effect was going to happen against Allan’s concerned reaction, which would obviously have been hilarious. 

Prieto shared that the Barbie director “could not stop laughing when we shot it,” and she would even ask the video assistant to “replay it for her just to laugh.” While Greta Gerwig was clearly happy with how the scene looked when the vertigo effect was achieved on the Barbie set, for some reason it was removed from the movie and never made it to the final cut. Hey, not every scene can make the final cut of a movie, but I can’t help but feel like we were robbed of a glorious Allan moment and sublime Jaws reference. 

Barbie is currently available to rent and buy on digital, and it is back in theaters in IMAX for the first time, this week only. 

Edgar Wright’s 2010 cult classic Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is making a comeback this fall with the release of an animated Netflix Scott Pilgrim series starring the entire original cast from the live-action movie. Ahead of the exciting retelling of the action comedy based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel series coming to streaming, we’ve now learned that Michael Cera’s erratic email etiquette had something to do with it. 

Before Scott Pilgrim Takes Off becomes available to stream with a Netflix subscription starting on November 17, the Scott Pilgrim creator recalled a time when Michael Cera brought the cast together in an unexpected way. As O’Malley shared: 

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bryan Lee O’Malley hilariously revealed that Michael Cera casually responded to an email with the whole Scott Pilgrim vs. the World cast from nearly a decade ago, which then prompted Avengers mega star Chris Evans to respond in confusion. Thus, the email chain was revived. One has to wonder if Cera just missed his Scott Pilgrim days and decided the bit would catch their attention, or if the dude actually was going through his nine-year-old emails. Either way, apparently Cera’s gesture led the star-studded group to reconnect. As O’Malley continued: 

Michael Cera actually recently opened up about feeling “a little depressed” after wrapping Scott Pilgrim vs. the World way back when because he had found a group of friends in the cast and had to say goodbye to them and move on to the next thing. The process is certainly the nature of being an actor, but at the time, the Canadian actor shared he was much younger and not yet accustomed to the experience. 

It certainly sounds like there’s a specific alchemy that was created between the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World cast considering they all came back to voice their roles for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. That includes the likes of Chris Evans, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aubrey Plaza, Brie Larson, Anna Kendrick, Mae Whitman, Jason Schwartzman, Kieran Culkin, Alison Pill, Brandon Routh and Ellen Wong. Prior to the anime, the cast all came together to do a reunion table read in 2020 for its 10th anniversary. 

Thank you, Michael Cera! We can’t wait to see what that random email response created when Scott Pilgrim Takes Off this November. 

A24 has made a name for itself over the past decade giving audiences some of the strangest moviegoing experiences available – which is also something that can be said about much of Nicolas Cage’s career. The two have joined forces for Dream Scenario, which sees professor Paul Matthews (Cage) become an overnight celebrity when he starts appearing in people’s dreams. The movie, which was written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, made its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where CinemaBlend’s Sean O’Connell called it “a revelation.”

If Nic Cage appearing in an A24 comedy isn’t enough to get movie-lovers excited, throw in the fact that Ari Aster is one of the producers, and there’s no mystery why people are already looking forward to Dream Scenario hitting theaters in November. Until then, though, we can get hyped by the buzz for the upcoming A24 movie –starting with Sean O’Connell, who says it's one of Cage’s best performances ever and his current favorite film from TIFF 2023. He continues: 

Peter Debruge of Variety says that of Nicolas Cage’s more than 100 credits, his newest offering ranks among the highest. In the critic’s words: 

David Ehrlich of IndieWire gives the movie a grade of B+, saying Nicolas Cage’s character's experience is a novelty, then a blessing and then inevitably a nightmare. The statement on cancel culture comes with the message that you can’t control how other people see you in their heads. Ehrlich writes: 

Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter says Nicolas Cage has never been funnier than in Dream Scenario, giving a master class in comic acting even while Kristoffer Borgli’s dark social satire skewers social media influencers and cancel culture. According to Rechtshaffen: 

Martin Aubert Tsai of The Wrap says Nic Cage has attached himself to another inspired film destined for cult status. Tsai agrees with other critics that the actor gives an overall dialed-down performance, which adds weight to his character’s more animated moments. The critic says: 

Charles Bramesco of The Guardian rates Dream Scenario 4 stars out of 5, positing that in Nicolas Cage’s career of wild characters, this project gives him a different challenge to conquer – which is portraying a decidedly “normal” man. Bramesco writes: 

With the combination of Nicolas Cage, A24 and Kristoffer Borgli — not to mention Ari Aster as a producer — Dream Scenario is likely going to be too intriguing for movie fans to pass up, so it’s good to see that critics have good things to say. We still have a while before this one hits theaters on November 10, so be sure to peek at our 2023 movie release schedule to see what else is hitting the big screen in the meantime or check out some of A24’s best offerings. 

Before you yell at me, I know Superbad is one of the best movies of the 2000s, and I’m well aware that Evan Goldberg’s and Seth Rogen’s comedy is considered one of the greatest films within the genre. However, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and mine is that I had a really hard time liking this coming-of-age comedy. 

Going into my first viewing of this movie I really thought I’d like it. I was coming off the high of 2019’s Booksmart, and hearing all about how it was a lot like the comedy starring Jonah Hill and Michael Cera. I was riding a high, I loved the comedy from Olivia Wilde, and I figured I’d love the 2007 classic too. I also adore the entire cast of Superbad and I tend to like most movies in this genre. However, I hated Superbad the first time around. 

So, in an effort to prove my original opinion wrong, because I feel like I should love this movie, I gave Superbad a second chance. And while I liked it more on this rewatch, there are still elements to this film I hate. However, there are some delightful silver linings too. 

Jonah Hill’s Character Is Insufferable 

Let me start by saying that I can’t stand Seth, the character, not Jonah Hill, the actor. In fact, 21 Jump Street is one of my favorite comedies, and I tend to enjoy most of Hill’s movies. With that out of the way, I think I can now safely say that his character in Superbad is insufferable, and the primary reason I don’t like this movie. I’m not exaggerating when I say that just about every single time he was on screen I wanted to turn the movie off. Seth is a whiney, immature and self-centered dude, and I genuinely couldn’t take his complaining. 

Let’s take the scene where they find out about Fogell’s fake ID for example. Both Seth and Evan are understandably mad that their friend decided to just go by McLovin and claim he was 25. However, Evan handled the situation in a much calmer way, and there was really no reason for Seth to yell: 

I didn’t find it funny, I found it aggressive. Seth had already yelled at the kid enough, this was excessive, and moments like this happen consistently during Superbad. 

What really bothered me the most about him was how he blamed literally everything on others. He never really took the blame on himself, and he didn’t try to help his friends when they failed, instead, he just screamed at them. Now, we can blame this on him being a teenager, however, that’s no excuse. His pal, Evan, is a sweetheart, and while he shouldn’t have kept his rooming situation a secret, Seth had no reason to push him around and be rude to him for the entire movie (with the exception of the final few minutes). 

Superbad Is A Product Of Its Time, And I Am Not Of That Time 

Superbad came out in 2007, and you can tell for a couple of reasons, one that’s problematic and one that’s not really its fault. Nevertheless, it’s a major reason I didn’t like the movie. 

On a few occasions, they used ableist and homophobic remarks, and the way the men talk about women in many scenes can be pretty degrading. I realize that when this movie came out, all of this was not necessarily frowned upon in the way it is now. However, I couldn’t look over it for that reason. 

Along with some of the problematic elements of the movie, this issue with it being a product of its time also comes down to a simple difference in generational humor. I was 8 years old when Superbad came out, and I am not exactly part of the generation it was targeting. In my mind, a movie like Booksmart, which came out in 2019 and is about two high school girls going on a Superbad-like adventure, is way funnier. However, I also realize that my lived experience matches that of Amy and Molly's more than Seth and Evan’s for a myriad of reasons, one of the major ones being that the early 2000s and what was funny then is different than what’s funny now.  

Respectful King Michael Cera Is At His Funniest When He’s Not With Jonah Hill 

I’ve always loved Michael Cera, and this movie was just another reason why. However, my minor bone to pick with this situation is that while he was hilarious it was only when he wasn’t with Jonah Hill’s Seth, which wasn’t often. 

Seth is such a strong personality, and Evan is quite introverted. So, when they shared a scene, it was overwhelmingly run by Hill’s character as he yelled at Cera’s. However, with that said, there were still many hilarious moments from Cera, and he truly was a highlight of this movie for me. 

Easily, the scene in Superbad that had me laughing the hardest was when Evan got stuck in a room with a bunch of scary older men, and they forced him to sing. Cera singing “These Eyes” is peak comedy, and that’s just a fact in my book. 

On top of his hilarious physical comedy moments, Evan is also a sweetheart and super respectful. Not only is his scene with Becca really funny, it also shows that Cera's character really cares about this girl, and he just wants to do right by her.

From Scott Pilgrim vs. the World to Juno to Arrested Development to Barbie, I’ve always had a deep love and appreciation for Michael Cera, and this movie made that even stronger…But I wish he would have had more scenes where he wasn’t forced to listen to Seth complain. 

McLovin And The Cops Are The Reason I Kept Watching Superbad

Even before I saw Superbad, I knew about McLovin. Who didn’t? He was a cultural phenomenon, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse’s performance is one of the reasons this movie wasn’t completely terrible. His plotline of trying to buy alcohol and then befriending Officer Slater (Bill Hader) and Officer Michaels (Seth Rogen) was for sure the high point of the film. All three men were firing on all cylinders and their comedic chemistry was perfect. 

The cops' first scene when they’re interrogating the clerk at the alcohol store not only got this storyline off to a fantastic start, but it's also a great example of how phenomenal these three are together. When Rogen drew the suspect while the two officers were trying to figure out his height, I couldn’t stop chuckling. Also, I think the tone for their relationship with McLovin was really set when this interaction happened:

Officer Michaels: How old are you McLovin?

McLovin: Old enough.

Officer Slater: Old enough for what?

McLovin: To party.

These two guys are so dumb, and their efforts to take McLovin under their wing was a true highlight of the movie. Honestly, I wish Superbad was just about the shenanigans and hijinks of Slater, Michaels and McLovin.

I Can’t Deny That Superbad Is A Well Constructed Story 

I say this with slightly gritted teeth, but I can’t deny that Superbad is very well made, especially when it comes to the story structure. This journey Seth and Evan go on truly does come full circle, and their fears of their friendship ending when they go to college is so real. While I still think Jonah Hill’s character is insufferable, him recognizing what he did was wrong, noting that he acted like an idiot and ultimately apologizing to his friends was a very satisfying and heartfelt way to end the movie. It also proved how much thought was put into the film, and how the characters' actions would impact them in the long run.

Even though I didn’t love this movie, I can for sure respect it, and I understand why it’s so beloved. I also can’t deny the fact that Superbad had a major influence on coming-of-age comedies, and films like Booksmart clearly have an air of this comedy in them. However, when it comes down to it, I’m going to choose just about any other coming-of-age comedy over Superbad. 

I might not have enjoyed Superbad to its fullest extent, but that doesn't mean you can’t. You can stream the beloved comedy right now with a Netflix subscription. 

Michael Cera is all over Hollywood once again thanks to his role in Black Mirror and playing the lovable Allan in Barbie. With those roles, as well as his latest film Adults on the way, Cera has done a lot of press reminiscing on some of his roles from years prior. After his honest take about the Netflix run of Arrested Development, the actor opened up about being "depressed" after wrapping Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. 

Cera has a number of movies and projects he's known for, and he revisited some of his most iconic roles in a video with GQ. After talking about the amount of pain he felt from taking an errant kick from a stuntman, the actor confessed that he was pretty upset to wrap up the nine months he spent making Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: 

The actor confessed that his experience likely wasn't the same as his Scott Pilgrim co-stars, considering many of them popped in and out of the filming process while he was there for the entire time. Michael Cera also mentioned that the feeling of letting go of a project wasn't entirely uncommon, but one that he was able to cope with as he became older and took on more work. 

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is certainly one of Michael Cera's most notable works as an actor, and soon, more audiences will get a chance to re-live that adventure all over again. Cera, as well as a majority of the original cast of the live-action film, have gotten together to lend their voices to the anime adaptation of the movie (which is based on a graphic novel series) headed to Netflix: 

With over a decade passed since the release of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, it will be cool to re-live the fun of the movie in a new format and remember how great Michael Cera was in the role of Scott. Who knows whether or not working on that helped dredge back up those past feelings of depression when wrapping on the movie originally, though it's clear from his speaking about it that it was a significant project that stuck with him. 

One cool bit about the anime adaptation on the way from Netflix is that it will "expand the universe" of the franchise in a way that Edgar Wright didn't elaborate on. What's likely is that it will contain content from the comics that the original movie lacked and maybe even set up a successor series. I'm not sure we could get another live-action movie with the same cast over a decade later, but I'd love to see these characters return in any way they can. 

Those wishing to watch Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World can do so by using a Peacock Premium subscription. The movie is worth a re-watch for anyone who hasn't seen it in a while, especially for those who loved Michael Cera in Barbie. 

Veronica Mars is one of the pivotal shows of the early 2000s. It was a critically acclaimed show with a dedicated fan base. Therefore, of course, many actors and actresses longed to be a part of it. The Veronica Mars actors were also talented and really helped give the show its identity. 

Even the Veronica Mars actors who guest starred added to the show’s appeal. Some of these guest stars and recurring characters were once unknown on Veronica Mars and are now household names. 

Let’s look back at some of the many now well-known actors who once appeared on the show.

Melissa Leo 

Academy Award winner Melissa Leo appears in over a hundred film and television projects. The Fighter earned her her first Oscar but she received critical acclaim and award-season recognition for many performances, including ones in Mildred Pierce, Louie, Prisoners, and Frozen River. 

Leo appeared in Veronica Mars Season 1 Episode 3, “Meet John Smith.” She plays Julia Smith, a transgender woman who reunites with her son after Veronica (Kristen Bell) helps him track her down. 

Jane Lynch 

You can’t think of Jane Lynch without thinking of Sue Sylvester from Glee. Sue is terrible but hilarious and often creates iconic moments with the main cast and the unforgettable Glee guest stars. In 2020, Lynch began hosting a revival of The Weakest Link. She has appeared in Two and a Half Men, Criminal Minds, Party Down (which is also co-created by Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas), Mascots, and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. 

Lynch makes a brief appearance in Veronica Mars Season 1 Episode 6, “Return of the Kane.” She plays Mrs. Donaldson. a faculty member that Veronica approaches about voter rigging at a Neptune High election. 

Jessica Chastain 

As one of the most respected actresses of the last decade, Jessica Chastain has won numerous awards, including an Academy Award. Her first Academy Award happened in 2022 for her performance in The Eyes of Tammy Faye. She also received Academy Award nominations for Zero Dark Thirty and The Help. Her filmography includes A Most Violent Year, Scenes from a Marriage, George and Tammy, and It Chapter Two.

Before Chastain could deliver one of her many great performances, she appeared in Veronica Mars. It was one of her first screen roles. She appears in the 7th episode of Season 1, “The Girl Next Door” as Sarah Williams. Sarah is a neighbor friend of Veronica's who goes missing. 

Aaron Paul 

Aaron Paul became a household name for playing Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad. He also played the character on El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie and Better Call Saul.  Some of Paul’s screen highlights include roles in Truth Be Told, Westworld, The Path, and BoJack Horseman. He’s also had a great cameo or 20 in various projects and made plenty of guest appearances, including in Black Mirror and The Simpsons. 

Paul plays Eddie LaRoche, the main suspect in a murder and disappearance case in Veronica Mars Season 1, Episode 11, “Silence of the Lamb.” His sketchy behavior makes him a likely culprit. 

Anthony Anderson 

Anthony Anderson has created many memorable characters throughout his career. A few include Dre in black-ish, Detective Kevin Bernard in Law & Order, J.D in the Barbershop movies, and Antwon Mitchell in The Shield. He also appeared in Psych, Shameless, Beats, and Scream 4. Anderson has so many great forgotten performances as well.

He plays a gangsta rapper and former criminal named Bone Hamilton in Veronica Mars Season 1, Episode 13, “Lord of the Bling.” He hires Keith (Enrico Colantoni) to help him locate his missing daughter, who also used to be a friend of Veronica.

Adam Scott 

Adam Scott is best known for comedic roles in television shows such as Parks and Recreation, Step Brothers, The Good Place, and Party Down. He’s also the star of the AppleTV+ hit series Severance. 

Scott takes on a much more serious role in Veronica Mars. He plays Mr. Rooks, a teacher that divides Veronica and Keith in Veronica Mars Season 1, Episode 14, “Mars v. Mars. He’s accused of having an affair with a student. Veronica believes that he is innocent, but Keith can’t ignore the evidence. It’s one of the best Veronica Mars episodes. 

Leighton Meester 

Leighton Meester’s performance is the reason Blair Waldorf is such a beloved Gossip Girl character. Her film and TV credits include The Roommate, Single Parents. Life Partners, Making History, The Orville, and How I Met Your Father. 

Meester appears on multiple episodes of Veronica Mars as Carrie Bishop. Her first appearance is in “Mars v. Mars.” Her character accuses Adam Scott’s character of having a secret sexual relationship with her. The character of Carrie Bishop returns in the Veronica Mars movie, but Andrea Estella plays her. 

Tessa Thompson 

Tessa Thompson’s fame really blew up when she started playing Valkyrie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, she has been in many well-known movies and TV shows. Some of her most popular movies include For Colored Girls, Dear White People, Selma, the Creed franchise, Sorry to Bother You, Passing, and Men In Black: International.

Tessa Thompson may be one of the people on this list that you do remember from Veronica Mars because she was a main character all throughout Season 2. She plays Jackie Cook, the main love interest of Wallace (Percy Daggs III). The character immediately left at the end of Veronica Mars Season 2. 

Taylor Sheridan 

Taylor Sheridan is an actor, director, and screenwriter. He has written many popular movies and TV shows, including Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown, 1883, and 1923. He also wrote the screenplay for the films Sicario, Hell or High Water, Wind River, Without Remorse, and Those Who Wish Me Dead.

Sheridan’s few acting credits include Veronica Mars. He had a recurring role as Danny Boyd in Veronica Mars Season 2. The character first appeared in Veronica Mars Season 2 Episode 8, "Ahoy, Mateys!" His character is part of a notorious crime family in Neptune.

Michael Cera 

Michael Cera may currently best be known for playing Allan in the Barbie movie. Before being the best male in Barbieland, he appeared in Juno, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Arrested Development, Black Mirror, and Life and Beth. 

Cera appears alongside his Arrested Development co-star Alia Shawkat in Veronica Mars. They appear in the episode “The Rapes of Graff” from Season 2. He plays Dean, a student at Hearst College who leads Veronica and Wallace’s tour of the campus

Armie Hammer 

Armie Hammer first stepped into the spotlight by playing the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network. He then appeared in such popular movies as J. Edgar, The Man from U.N.C.L.E, Call Me by Your Name, Sorry to Bother You, and Death on the Nile.

Hammer appears in Veronica Mars Season 3 Episode 3, “Wichita Linebacker.” He plays Kurt Fenstermacher, a football player who may lose his scholarship if he can’t retrieve the team’s playbook that was stolen from him.

Paul Rudd  

It’s hard to imagine anyone who hasn’t heard of Paul Rudd. He’s been in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Ant-Man. He was Josh in Clueless. Mike in Friends. He’s also been in many iconic comedies such as Wet Hot American Summer, the Anchorman movies, The 40-Year Old Virgin, I Love You Man. He has so many great movies. Rudd has appeared in TV shows such as Parks and Recreation, Party Down, iZombie, and Only Murders in the Building. 

Rudd appears in Veronica Mars Season 3 Episode 17, “Debasement Tapes.” He plays Desmond Fellows, an aging rock star who Piz (Chris Lowell) gets to interview. However, the man is a disaster. 

There are a lot of other great actors and reality stars that you may have forgotten appeared on Veronica Mars, including Paris Hilton, Lisa Rinna, and Dianna Agron. You can catch all these stars and more by rewatching Veronica Mars. It’s definitely worth another rewatch.

Stream Veronica Mars on Hulu. 

In a sea of Barbies and Kens, it was Michael Cera’s Allan who really won so many of our hearts during the Barbie movie. The offbeat character based on a real Barbie doll that was first released in 1964 became a major ally to the Barbies during a pivotal time in Barbieland, and now it’ll go down in history as one of the actor’s most iconic roles for sure. When speaking about the role recently, Cera recently disclosed that his manager actually almost helped him pass on the role. 

While breaking down his career over the years to GQ, Michael Cera shared the origins of how he got the part of Allan. In his words: 

Now, Michael Cera and his wife actually welcomed their first child in the fall of 2021, just months before Barbie began filming at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in England in March 2022. With a new baby, perhaps Cera’s manager assumed the actor wouldn’t want to be so far from his family at the time, but the actor seemed to recognize how rare the opportunity was. As he continued: 

And then he was Allan! I’m sure I speak for a lot of fans of the Barbie movie when I say Michael Cera was perfect as Allan and we wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Though it should be noted that Cera wasn’t actually the first choice for the role. Hamilton and Frozen’s Jonathan Groff was first offered the role and had to turn it down, likely due to scheduling issues with his other projects.

Other actors who the Barbie casting directors wanted to be part of the Barbie cast, but couldn’t participate due to COVID constraints were Saturday Night Live’s Bowen Yang, Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy and Dear Evan Hansen’s Ben Platt. Considering the massive hit that Barbie has become, we imagine anyone who could have been in the flick and either said no or couldn’t make it work are seriously kicking themselves right now. The Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling-led flick not only on the way to becoming the biggest of 2023 new movie releases, it also broke an insane record this week as the highest-grossing domestic release for Warner Bros. yet. 

Suffice to say that people will be waving “Hi, Allan!” to Michael Cera for years to come, and we’re happy the actor said yes to playing the Barbie character. 

Major spoilers for Barbie are ahead!

When I walked out of Barbie, I almost immediately thought: “I have to see this movie again.” I was so moved by Greta Gerwig’s third well-reviewed film and couldn’t get over the performances from Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera. However, I also knew I missed tons of details. The film is visually stunning and also has meaning and humor packed into every frame. So, when I went back to see the movie again, I put on my thinking cap, and I took note of my seven favorite sublime details. 

While Barbie’s Style Starts To Mirror The Humans, Their Style Evolves To Reflect Hers

One of the major details that emerged for me during this rewatch pertains to the wardrobe. All the bright neon and fringe-tactic Barbie fashion wowed me the first time. This time around, though, I noticed how the outfits in the film actually helped visualize the internal journey the characters go on. 

This is primarily seen in the titular character's transformation. As she accepts her human-ness, her outfits also start to mirror the style of the regular world. Rather than sporting super dressy ensembles, she begins wearing casual clothes. Instead of big glam, she opts for more neutral makeup. And most importantly, in lieu of wearing heels every day, she sports sensible wedges and Birkenstocks. 

For the inverse of this situation, we can look at Sasha’s style. At the beginning of the movie, Ariana Greenblatt's character wears all black, and she is not accepting of the Barbie mentality (at all). However, as the movie goes on, the teen's looks start to get pinker as she starts to care for the dolls, their land and most importantly, her mom’s belief in the beloved brand.

Overall, this stylistic evolution helps reiterate the transformative journeys the film's characters go on, and I’m obsessed with it. 

Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Ken Is An Underrated Comedy King 

Everyone in the Barbie cast plays their part to perfection, yet the underrated comedy king of this movie is hands down Kingsley Ben-Adir. He plays the Ken who is always a half-step behind Ryan Gosling’s Ken and is constantly reacting to and trying to help his bestie. 

A prime example of Ben-Adir’s comedic genius is when Margot Robbie's character finds out her dream house has been turned into a "mojo dojo casa house." As Gosling's Ken explained how patriarchy has taken over, he grabbed numerous manly items and handed them to Ben-Adir’s iteration of the doll. His hands became fuller, as he held a golf club, boxing gloves, a soccer ball, some brewsky beers amid his BFF's little monologue -- and I couldn’t stop laughing.

While he didn't have many lines, his physical comedy (like his frightened facial expressions during the Battle of the Kens) had me cackling on my second screening. 

We Need To Take A Minute To Appreciate Ken’s Vocabulary 

Ken’s unique vocabulary is easily one of the funniest elements of this fantasy romp. While the internet is properly obsessed with “mojo dojo casa houses,” there are lots of other silly words that Ryan Gosling’s character and this male cohorts spout out throughout the flick. Here are a few of my favorites:

•  Truck-car 
•  Lady fashions 
•  President Prime Minister Man 
•  Kendom Land 
•  Long-term, long-distance, low-commitment, casual girlfriend (they never say it the same way twice) 
•  Fauxjo mojo mink 

The silly synonyms Ken uses to over-describe his land and his possessions crack me up, and Ryan Gosling’s seriously committed delivery of his lines only made them better. Now, it’s just a matter of time before these words seep into my daily vocabulary.

Emma Mackey and Ncuti Gatwa Are Besties In Barbie Land 

Greta Gerwig must have done this for the Sex Education fans. Throughout the movie, you can adorably see the characters played by Emma Mackey and Ncuti Gatwa, two principal Sex Education cast members, hanging out together. And near the end, when Gatwa’s Ken says he just wants to be friends with Barbie again, he’s referencing Mackey’s Barbie. That declaration made me smile and hope Gerwig crafted that pairing because she’s also a fan of the coming-of-age comedy. 

And of course, if you’re interested in checking out the two actors' breakout roles, you can stream Sex Education with a Netflix subscription. 

Weird Barbie’s Tools And Handmade Outfits Are Iconic 

While Weird Barbie’s looks are obviously the way they are because a kid played with her too hard, her wardrobe and tools are also comprised of objects only children could likely imagine -- and those were brilliant creative decisions. When Margot Robbie's version of the doll went to see Kate McKinnon's weird variant for the first time, I noticed she spotted the space-time continuum crack through a cootie catcher. From there, I began to make other observations about the humorous outcast and her style.

Later, toward the end, when we see Kate McKinnon’s character in her battle outfit, she has tin foil knee and elbow pads. She also has a key ring of small doll legs at her hip and thread grenades strapped across her chest. Overall, these lovely little details reiterate the notion that the dolls of Barbie Land are impacted by the kids who are playing with them. As a whole, this style example, in particular, exemplifies the wild ways in which kids use their imaginations while playing with toys. That's an element of this movie that's very admirable.

We’re Told Who The Barbie Creator Is Before It’s Officially Revealed 

When Barbie meets Ruth in her kitchen at the Mattel offices, she doesn’t know that she just interacted with the creator of the iconic dolls. While it can be inferred by the audience that that’s who she met, it’s not officially revealed until the end of the film. However, if you look closely at the table Ruth is working at, you'll see she’s cutting what looks like doll’s clothes out of pink gingham fabric. 

Margot Robbie’s character is wearing a couple of pink gingham ensembles early in the movie, so this feels like a nice little nod to the greater role Rhea Perlman’s character plays at the end of Barbie. 

When Allan Attacks The Construction Men, He Yells His Motto 

Despite the fact that he can’t jump a fence, Michael Cera’s Allan knows how to throw a punch or two. And if the situation weren't hilarious enough, he yelled his motto before initiating the fight:

The first time I watched the movie, this line flew right over my head, as I was too thrown off by Allan’s action-star moment. However, during my second watch, I caught it and couldn’t stop laughing over the fact that this scene was where the writers decided to place the one-of-a-kind boy doll’s iconic motto. Michael Cera really crushed this sequence, especially when it came to his delivery of this humorous and brief line. 

A Few Other Fun Little Details From Barbie

• When Aaron Dinkins is on the phone with the FBI, the split screen goes all the way up and down the screen, it’s not just in the cubicle. 
• If you look out the windows of the Mattel boardroom, you can see that the skyscraper across from them is marked Warner Bros. Discovery.
• Will Ferrell and the corporate men run to the beat of “Speed Drive” during the chase. 
• When the Kens take over and get new Western outfits, Allan's outfit simply gets a new "Horses" patch.

Overall, there are so many fun details to make note of in Barbie, and Greta Gerwig really seemed to pack the movie full of fun moments, easter eggs and designs that make it so that one notices something different with each viewing. With that, it may be fair to say that people may be prompted to revisit this stellar flick for some time.

If you're looking to rewatch Barbie, then you're in luck, becuase it’s currently playing in theaters along with lots of other major titles that are on the schedule of 2023 new movie releases. 

2023 moviegoers have already been privy to a host of theatrical and streaming features boasting A+ ensembles, and there are certainly more on the way, but let’s go ahead and pencil in Barbie as having the most perfect cast from end to end. (Using only the pinkest of pencils, natch.) From Margot Robbie as the lead namesake to America Ferrera as a stressed-out Mattel employee to the gaggles of Barbies and Kens populating the fantasy world. It sounds like it was a dream for the record-breaking blockbuster’s casting directors, but they revealed quite a few unfortunate instances where their original choices for certain roles inevitably had to drop out of filming, such as SNL breakout Bowen Yang.

As difficult as it is to picture anyone else filling the on-screen roles that were brought to vibrant and magnetic life by co-stars such as Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuti Gatwa, Simu Liu and Scott Evans, there were indeed other actors in line to play various Kens alongside Ryan Gosling. Speaking with Vanity Fair, casting directors Lucy Bevan and Allison Jones discussed the frustration of COVID constraints requiring the cast to remain in London for the entire shoot, which meant that the following three actors were no longer available to potentially take part:

• Bowen Yang
• Dan Levy
• Ben Platt

That trio alone could have been a fabulous subsection of Kens who just sit around drinking — and you know they'd imbibe on classier potables than brewski-beers — while judging the rest of the Kens for being so oblivious. (My vote would be for The Other Two's Drew Tarver and Brandon Scott Jones to also join in.)

According to Allison Jones, the creative team weren't the only ones sad about the turn of events. As she put it:

It's indeed a bummer knowing what could have been. Not that it takes anything away from the Barbie that is now blowing box office predictions out of the water, but if there were ever a time for a Sliding Doors-style experiement...

The comedy's major casting swap-outs weren't only limited to just the Ken-tourage, either. Though Scott Pilgrim and Arrested Development vet Michael Cera was a low-key scene-stealer as the one-off Allan, he came into the role only after another big name had to bow out: Hamilton and Frozen star Jonathan Groff.  According to Allison Jones:

It's not clear if he was also unable to take part due to the filming restrictions, or other scheduling issues, but it's wild to think about how Allan would have come across with Groff in the role. Cera embraced the kind of affable, passive energy that he's known for, but I'd have to imagine Groff's version being slightly less of a wallflower. And the musical vet almost definitely would have earned at least one showstopping number, and still will in the fan-fic version of Barbie that I'll be scrawling into a stack of journals later.

So anyone who hasn't yet dressed up in pink for a theatrical Barbie experience needs to get on that, so that we can start up loud conversations about a sequel with Bowen Yang, Dan Levy, Ben Platt and Jonathan Groff jumping on board. 

Arrested Development was an award-winning comedy series, but if you look at the list of awards and nominations the show earned, almost all of them were awarded when the series aired on Fox. For some reason, the beloved comedy struggled a bit when it was revived as a Netflix series, and it's a popular opinion that it never quite reached the same level of quality as the original run. Michael Cera, who was along on the show's ride from beginning to end, believes he knows  a potential reason why the final seasons were so disappointing. 

Michael Cera has moved on from playing George Michael, though he's still celebrated for reviving that character's classic awkwardness in other roles – such as Ken's best friend Alan in the Barbie movie. Cera was recently interviewed by British GQ about his latest role, and he was also asked about the reception of the network run of Arrested Development vs. the Netflix run. The actor explained that he felt one difference between the two was the way the show was shot in the transition between network television and streaming. The latter caused some confusion for him and the rest of the cast. Said Cera,

Another factor that Michael Cera didn't touch on was the increased celebrity of the cast in the Netflix era compared to when it was on Fox. Cera, for example, went from a young actor in a breakout role to a star with quite a few notable movies like Superbad and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. 

It seemed like a lot of the cast had other things going on during Season 4 in particular, which presumably made it more challenging to build scripts around schedules. In any case, Michael Cera was confused while working on those seasons, and he wasn't alone in that confusion, as creator Mitchell Hurwitz was eventually encouraged to "remix" the episodes. 

Readers can judge the quality of Arrested Development Seasons 4 and 5 for themselves, provided they have a Netflix subscription. It was thought earlier this year that the streamer was removing it from its content library. Fortunately, the news of removal was only a temporary measure until the two parties could work out a licensing deal. I'm glad it's still there, mainly because I want to see how far Michael Cera has come as an actor and compare his earliest appearances to some of his latest in Barbie and Black Mirror. 

Barbie is currently in theaters, and, as mentioned, Netflix subscribers can check out Arrested Development right now and remember a time when they might've had their own version of the "chicken dance."

Although a lot of people first learned about Michael Cera from when he played George Michael Bluth on Arrested Development, 2007 was a pivotal year for the actor, as he starred in both Superbad and Juno. Both movies performed critically and commercially well, and they arguably established him as a major name in Hollywood. More than a decade and a half after their release though, Cera has opened up about he nearly quit acting amid this success.

Superbad was released on August 13, 2007, just two months after Cera turned 19, and Juno followed on December 5. While these movies remain among that year’s most well-known cinematic offerings, the actor recalled to The Guardian that he had trouble dealing with his boosted profile in the aftermath of their releases, saying:

Michael Cera added that on the weekend Superbad came out, he went to a bar with some friends, which he described as a “mistake” because he had a “burning feeling the whole time” that everyone was “so aware” him. The Judd Apatow-directed teen comedy saw him and Jonah Hill playing two soon-to-graduate high school seniors trying to lose their virginity before going off to college, with the other notable actors including Emma Stone, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Seth Rogen (who also co-wrote the script) and Bill Hader. However, that was just the beginning of Cera having to grapple with increased fame and people out in the world not respecting his boundaries. 

Between that and Juno, where her played the teen who impregnated Elliot Page’s title character, Cera started realizing that this level of fame wasn’t something that was appealing to him. He even debated about quitting acting or, to a lesser degree, not act in any more projects on the level of these movies. As Cera put it:

What steered him away from such a drastic move was that he’d already agreed to star in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, so he needed to stay committed to it. Granted, while the Edgar Wright-helmed movie was a critical hit, it bombed at the box office, but it, along with a handful or smaller projects, was enough to get Cera through this difficult period. He wasn’t interested in fame, instead finding comfort “a working actor who can enjoy my day-to-day life.” In the years Superbad and Juno’s respective releases, his notable credits have included The LEGO Batman Movie, Molly’s Game, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp and Life & Beth.

Michael Cera can next be seen playing Allan as a member of Barbie’s stacked cast, with the movies opening in theaters Friday, July 21. If you’re interested in streaming Superbad and/or Juno, Hulu subscribers have access to the former, while the latter can be viewed with a Max subscription.

Arguably one of the best shows on Netflix's digital library, creator Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror seems to have once again struck a relevant nerve in the consciousness of an ever watchful world. Thanks to claims of studios trying to get actors to sign away their likenesses for “eternity,” it appears that fans of the dystopian satire anthology have a lot of thoughts on the matter once again. 

It seems pretty reasonable, as this very subject was at the center of Season 6’s episode “Joan is Awful.” As that particular installment was already popular with viewers before its real-world counterpart started to rear its ughly head, the Annie Murphy/Salma Hayek starring tale has only grown more and more relevant as a result of reports stemming from negotiations and conversations between SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild) and the AMPTP (producers alliance).

The AI Proposal That Inspired “Joan Is Awful” Comparisons

The more specific scenario that’s been raised by the specific AMPTP stipulations (via Deadline) isn’t a total apples-to-apples translation of what Salma Hayek had to go through in Black Mirror, to be sure. If anything, the situation that’s been highlighted by SAG chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland is the usage of AI to replicate background extras, as opposed to featured speaking performers. 

Recalling the situation in his own words, Ireland laid out the proposal at hand, and why SAG-AFTRA is outraged by its implications: 

It’s clear why an actor would be outraged by being asked to consider what is supposedly a “groundbreaking proposal,” though this isn’t a totally new concern. Most notably martial artist/actor Jet Li had similar worries, which led to Li turning down a role in The Matrix sequels, as he was afraid that his fighting style could be copied digitally if he had signed on to star in the films. 

Then of course, there was the Robin Wright starring 2013 film The Congress, which absolutely played into the notion that a headlining actor could see their likeness used for “eternity” throughout the entertainment landscape. So the moment A.I. proposals like this entered the conversation, it was bound to be a hot topic. 

Responding to Duncan Crabtree-Ireland's claims, Scott Rowe, spokesperson for the AMPTP, attempted to debunk those concerns. Rowe's statement read as follows: 

Ongoing negotiations for both the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes are, of course, more complicated than a pair of prepped statements could ever fully cover. Even with that in mind, the concern is that much like the world of Black Mirror’s Season 6 premiere, an actor could sign away their likeness rights to be used in perpetuity without any additional permissions required. And that very discussion is what fans have seized on through another somewhat feared phenomenon in Charlie Brooker’s worldview: social media!

How Social Media Reacted To This "Joan is Awful" Scenario

Viewers were almost instantly obsessed with this nightmarish story, as “Joan is Awful” reactions flooded Twitter not too long after Black Mirror Season 6 debuted. The fires surrounding Annie Murphy and Salma Hayek’s battle against the “quam-puta” that ruined their lives certainly haven’t died down, thanks to real life situations reflecting the show's bleak situation. 

Kicking off the recent round of discussion is screenwriter Seth M. Sherwood, who actually paid out some praise to a very specific party: 

Further feeding the discourse in our next example is, coincidentally enough, Luke Cage creator Cheo Hodari Coker. Coker’s response is even more interesting in that it also ropes in a recent box office release into the AI likeness debate, as follows: 

Considering how Indiana Jones 5’s de-aging process used countless hours of Harrison Ford footage, already licensed and owned by studio entities, this concern isn’t a bridge too far to cross for the estates of such big ticket talent to consider. In light of that thought, the comments made by Robert Balkovich below further refocus the concerns at hand:

While it doesn't seem that studios will be jumping into remakes of your favorite movies or shows with Meryl Streep now starring in the lead, the concern is for working actors blow the line. Just as it has been since day one of the SAG-AFTRA strike, the focus is mainly on those union members who don't have voices as powerful as their more instantly recognized peers. 

Closing out this sampling of the comments that Black Mirror’s “Joan is Awful” parable has inspired is Twitter user “Najeed.” Summing things up in a way that might even give Charlie Brooker a chill, this last note is probably part of the reason why this particular series still draws a crowd whenever new episodes are announced:

Seeing as this AI driven quandary has been highly cited in two different union strikes and a subsection of social media, this topic definitely isn't going away anytime soon. So we can only hope that “Joan is Awful’s” twisty ending, which got pretty destructive, is the cautionary tale that everyone makes sure to avoid, so that life doesn't imitate art in such a way. 

While those repercussions are a more exaggerated reaction to this subject, it's a discussion that still needs severely serious rationalization. That fact is only further highlighted by public reaction to the events that played out on our screens. As the technology to more convincingly replicate actors and their likenesses continues to develop, this potential slippery slope will undoubtedly remain in view for all who are concerned.

The world will continue to monitor how negotiations between the WGA, SAG-AFTRA, and the AMPTP develop, over whatever span of time is required to bring an agreeable resolution for all. In the meantime, if you want to get some sharply pointed laughs in, along with some doses of chilling disbelief, Black Mirror Season 6 is currently available on Streamberry; I mean, Netflix. 

Every once in a while, there is a movie that truly changes a generation and brings us a cast that is the definition of star-studded. You can’t help but look back on it and wonder, “How were there so many stars in this movie?” Well, friends, I’m here to bring you back to a movie that released in 2010 that had exactly that – Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. 

The film didn’t do so well at the box office, but ended up becoming a cult classic, so much so that it was announced in 2023 that there would be an anime adaptation of the popular graphic novel series, but using the exact same cast from the film. But, where is the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World cast now? And what are they doing? With a cast full of stars, this is what they’ve been up to – and what you can catch them in. 

And, let me just say here – every single one of these actors is going to be in the upcoming Scott Pilgrim vs. The World anime that is coming out, and reprising their roles, which is awesome.

Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim)

First up on the list is Michael Cera, who portrayed the titular character in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Cera has been in many movies and television shows since his big appearance in the adaptation, and you’ve most likely seen him somewhere. Besides continuing his main role Arrested Development, Cera also had parts in shows such as Burning Love, Drunk History, and Life and Beth. 

In terms of movies, he’s appeared in several comedies, including This Is The End, Magic Magic, The Lego Batman Movie, Sausage Party (which is getting a spinoff series) and more. Coming up, he’s going to be in Barbie, as well as a film called Dream Scenario.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Ramona Flowers)

Next up, we have Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who portrayed Ramona Flowers. Winstead has had quite the career since her role in the cult classic. Some of her biggest movies thus far include 2011’s The Thing, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, The Spectacular Now, 10 Cloverfield Lane, All About Nina, Birds of Prey, and Kate, and coming up, she’s going to have a role in a new film called Moscow. 

She’s also had roles in television as well, including parts in The Returned, Brain Dead and Mercy Street. 

Kieran Culkin (Wallace Wells)

Kieran Culkin played Wallace Wells, and I’m pretty sure you’ve been hearing his name a lot lately, largely for his main role on the hit HBO show, Succession, for which he’s received critical acclaim. However, Culkin has done plenty more in movies and TV. 

With films, he’s been in Movie 43, Quitters, Infinity Baby and No Sudden Move, but on television, he also had a main role in Fargo in Season 4, as well as a big part in Go Fish. He also had a guest role in the hilarious Hulu comedy, Solar Opposites. Soon, he’s going to be in a new movie called A Real Pain. 

Chris Evans (Lucas Lee)

Chris Evans exploded onto the scene after his role as Lucas Lee in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. While he was known for his appearances in teen comedies beforehand, after this film he took on the mantle of Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which he held onto for almost a decade.

Besides that, he’s also appeared in films such as the hit Knives Out, Snowpiercer, Lightyear, The Gray Man on Netflix, Gifted, 2023’s Ghosted and more. He was also one of the leads in the Apple TV+ series, Defending Jacob.

Coming up, he’s going to be in Red One alongside Dwayne Johnson, and Pain Hustlers.

Anna Kendrick (Stacey Pilgrim)

Another star who blew up after Scott Pilgrim vs. The World was Anna Kendrick, who plays Stacey Pilgrim. Kendrick received a lot of acclaim for her lead role in the Pitch Perfect movie franchise, but has also appeared in films such as the last of the Twilight movies, ParaNorman, End of Watch, Life After Beth, A Simple Favour alongside Blake Lively, Alice, Darling and more. She also has one of the lead roles in the Trolls movie franchise. 

Besides movies, Kendrick has also had plenty of time on television. Not only has she hosted SNL, but she was the main star of Season 1 of Love Life, an awesome HBO Max original show that you should really watch if given the chance. Soon, she’s going to be in the next Trolls movie, Trolls Band Together, and a new movie called The Dating Game. 

Brie Larson (Natalie V. "Envy" Adams)

See what I told you, when there’s just been star after star? Brie Larson played Envy Adams and continued to shine on with even bigger roles right after. She took on the part of Captain Marvel in the MCU, and is going to be playing her again in the upcoming film, The Marvels. 

Aside from that, Larson has appeared in movies such as 21 Jump Street, Don Jon, The Spectacular Now, The Gambler, The Glass Castle and Basmati Blues. She also had a recurring guest role on Community. Aside from that, she also had a starring role in Room, a film which won her the Academy Award for Best Actress. 

Coming up, she’s also going to be in Fast X, as well as an Apple TV+ series called Lessons in Chemistry.

Alison Pill (Kim Pine)

Moving on, Alison Pill played Kim Pine in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and she’s been in several films since her appearance in the cult classic. These include, but aren’t limited to, Midnight in Paris, Goon and its sequel, To Rome With Love, Zom, Hail, Caesar!, Miss Sloane, Vice, and All My Puny Sorrows. 

In terms of television, she’s had main roles in shows such as The Newsroom, The Family, Devs alongside Nick Offerman, Them on Amazon Prime, Hello Tomorrow!, and was in the first two seasons of Star Trek: Picard. Coming up, Pill is going to be in a new movie called Eric Larau, so keep an eye out for that. 

Aubrey Plaza (Julie Powers)

Next up on the list, we have Aubrey Plaza, who played Julie Powers in the movie. The star blew up after the film thanks to her big role in the Parks and Recreation cast, but she’s also had big parts in movies and other television shows since then. 

Plaza’s main movies that she had done so far are 10 Years, the English dub of From Up on Poppy Hill, The End of Love, The To Do List, Monsters University, Addicted to Fresno, Dirty Grandma, Life After Beth, the reboot of Child’s Play, Happiest Season, Emily the Criminal on Netflix, Spin Me Round, and Safety Not Guaranteed, among others. 

The actress also had a voice role in the Nickelodeon show, The Legend of Korra, a role in Legion, and was a part of the Season 2 cast of The White Lotus. Coming up, she’ll be in Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Olga Dies Dreaming and a film called Megalopolis.

Brandon Routh (Todd Ingram)

Next up is Brandon Routh, who played Todd Ingram in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Some of the films he’s been in include Crooked Arrows, 400 Days, Lost in the Pacific, and Anastasia: Once Upon a Time. 

On television, Routh had a pretty prominent role in CW’s Arrowverse as The Atom, and appeared on many of the shows, but other than that, he also guest-starred in many other television series as well. Coming up, he’s going to be in the Magic: The Gathering television series, as well as a movie called The Redeemer. 

Jason Schwartzman (Gideon "G-Man" Graves)

Jason Schwartzman portrayed Gideon “G-Man” Graves in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and has truly made a name for himself after the film. He’s appeared in several Wes Anderson films, including The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch, and Isle of Dogs. Other than that, he’s appeared in movies such as Saving Mr. Banks, Moonrise Kingdom, Wine Country, Klaus, Sing 2, The Overnight and more. 

In television, he had a main role in Mozart in the Jungle, as well as leading Bored to Death and having a main part in Fargo Season 4. Coming up, he will also appear in Megalopolis, but will also be in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, both Spider-Verse sequels, and Asteroid City. 

Johnny Simmons ("Young" Neil Nordegraf)

Johnny Simmons played Neil Nordegraf, and has been in multiple movies and TV shows since his role in the cult classic. Movies include The Perks of Being A Wallflower, Whiplash, 21 Jump Street, The To Do List, The Late Bloomer, and more. In television, he appeared in the show Klondike, and had a main role in Girlboss. 

Mark Webber (Stephen Stills)

Moving on, we take a look at Mark Webber, who played Stephen Stills in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. In films, he’s been in movies such as The End of Love, Laggies, Uncanny, Green Room, Antibirth, Flesh and Blood, and Clover. He also had a guest role on the TV show SMILF, and appeared in The Gift of the Magi. He’s soon going to be in a movie called Trigger Warning. 

Mae Whitman (Roxanne "Roxy" Richter)

Mae Whitman played Roxanne Richter in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and has had quite the career since her role in the movie. She’s appeared in films such as The Perks of Being A Wallflower, The Duff, CHiPs, Freaks of Nature, and more, and also did voice roles for the Tinker Bell movie franchise and the English dub for The Wind Rises, a Hayao Miyazaki movie. 

In TV, she had a main role on Parenthood, a guest role on Drunk History, a leading part on Good Girls, and had a voice role on the underrated The Owl House. 

Ellen Wong (Knives Chau)

Ellen Wong played Knives Chau, and has since appeared in films such as Silent Knight, The Voice, The Circle, In The Life of Music, Best Sellers and more. She’s also had big roles in shows such as Combat Hospital, The Carrie Diaries, and a recurring role in GLOW on Netflix. 

Satya Bhabha (Matthew Patel)

Last but not least is Satya Bhabha, who played Matthew Patel in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. He’s appeared in movies such as Midnight’s Children, Change in the Air, The F**k-It List and more. He also had a recurring role on New Girl, as well as Sense8, and a part in the rebooted Gossip Girl. 

There are truly so many stars here and I for one can’t wait to hear all their wonderful voices again in the upcoming anime – and now I might just have some new movies and TV shows to watch or look forward to. It’s going to be a fun ride. 

Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a movie that not everybody loves, to be fair, but it has to be agreed that it is, without question, one of the geekiest movies ever made. Those of us that love it, love it deeply for the way it goes all in on its premise and creates a wild world where real life and video games collide. And in a move that only the crazy minds that brought us that movie could devise, we’re finally getting a Scott Pilgrim vs. The World follow-up…that is also an anime…that also will include the entire cast of the film.

Edgar Wright dropped the news on Twitter that Netflix has given the green light to a Scott Pilgrim anime and that the entire movie cast, from Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead to Chris Evans and Brie Larson, will be back to reprise their roles from the film. Not only that but Edgar Wright and original Scott Pilgrim comic creator Bryan Lee O’Malley are acting as producers.

Wright says that the new anime will “expand the universe” but he also teases something more, without really explaining what he means. He clearly thinks what is being created here is something special, but what exactly any of it is we can only speculate right now. All we can be sure of is that if you liked the movie, you should be excited about the anime.

And it’s pretty impressive that they were able to get literally everybody in the case of the original film back to voice the anime. That’s quite simply a lot of people you have to get on board, and quite a few of them, most notably Evans and Larson, are much bigger stars now than they were when they made the original movie. They have very busy schedules making blockbuster movies. But Larson especially has made her love for the Scott Pilgrim film clear in the decade-plus since its release.

And the original film isn’t even the only way that the new anime will apparently tie into the Scott Pilgrim universe. In response to a fan, Wright indicates that the anime’s soundtrack may be getting handled by Anamanaguchi, the chiptune pop band that wrote the music for the also fondly remembered Scott Pilgrim vs. the World video game.

The original comic was obviously strongly influenced by Japanese manga, and the movie could itself be considered a live-action, anime, so seeing the story become an actual anime feels like the ultimate form of Scott Pilgrim finally becoming real. It will be interesting to see just what this is once it comes out. The film and the comic had slightly different endings, so it will be interesting to see where this new series picks up. The only unfortunate thing about all of this is we have no idea how long we’ll have to wait to see it.

 Superbad is arguably one of the best coming of age comedies of our time sporting stars like Jonah Hill, Emma Stone, and Seth Rogen.  Somehow over 15 years have now passed since the movie’s premiere, and so much has happened to the stars.  

Recently, social media has been buzzing with praise for Jonah Hill’s new Netflix documentary, Stutz, a film about his profound journey with his therapist.  And let’s not forget Emma Stone’s thrilling performance in Cruella, which even earned her a sequel deal.  Seth Rogen has also been making headlines with his comments about how no one has made a good high school movie since Superbad.  Take a look at these throwback cast member photos from the Superbad premiere compared to images of them now. 

Spoiler alert! This story discusses Celebrity Jeopardy’s third semifinal game, which aired January 26.

After quarterfinal rounds that basically saw Celebrity Jeopardy! contestants Patton Oswalt, Brendan Hunt, and Michael Cera destroy their competitors, many were excited to see what would happen when the three winners faced off against each other in the semifinal round. They didn’t disappoint, either, and even though the Ted Lasso actor seemed to be the quickest on the buzzer, some Daily Doubles kept the game close. So close, in fact, that it all came down to Final Jeopardy!, where Oswalt came from behind to advance to next week’s finals, and he had Margaret Atwood to thank for it.

Thank her he did, after Patton Oswalt answered Final Jeopardy!’s “Novels” clue: “‘Breeders, Wives And Unwomen’ was the headline of the New York Times’ 1986 review of this novel” — with the correct answer of "What is The Handmaid’s Tale?" His fellow players failed to do the same, and the victory that seemed out of reach for the comedian was suddenly his. No one was more shocked than Oswalt, who so eloquently reacted with a: 

After Celebrity Jeopardy! host Mayim Bialik officially announced that he’d be facing Ike Barinholtz (MADtv, The Afterparty) and Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Stand by Me) for the chance to win $1 million for their respective charities, she asked how Patton Oswalt felt after his big upset victory. Still in shock, he responded: 

Nobody could have predicted that the author of The Handmaid’s Tale novel — which inspired the series that can be streamed with a Hulu subscription — would be getting a shout-out on Celebrity Jeopardy! And for a good bit there, nobody was really predicting a Patton Oswalt victory either.  

Brendan Hunt, who had previously made the player pool for the non-celebrity version of Jeopardy!, held the lead for most of the game, but Michael Cera had a strong Triple Jeopardy! round and bagged a couple of True Daily Doubles that kept the game from being a runaway. Going into Final Jeopardy!, Hunt had $31,200; Cera had $20,800; and Patton Oswalt had $12,300. Oswalt’s correct response doubled his score to $24,600, which was enough for the win, after Hunt lost $10,500 with the incorrect response of Heartburn. Cera hilariously lost all of his money when he answered, “What is Seabiscuit?”

Patton Oswalt’s performance in the semifinals may not have been the decimation that was his quarterfinal match against Torrey DeVitto and Candace Parker. The Sandman actor walked away with $54,400 to his competitors’ $3,200 and $1,920, respectively, so I have no doubt he’s a worthy opponent for the Celebrity Jeopardy! finals. Tune in to see who wins the $1 million at 8 p.m. ET Thursday, February 2, on ABC, and be sure to check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what premieres are headed our way soon. 

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is a new animated film loosely adapted from Mel Brooks’ classic comedy Blazing Saddles. Among the impressive list of voice talent featured in the film is Michael Cera and Samuel L. Jackson, who worked together for the first time on this movie. In fact, Cera told us that Jackson was the only member of the cast who he had the privilege of recording with in-person, and he had a big takeaway from his experience with the iconic actor.

Samuel L. Jackson’s Jimbo is a mentor to Michael Cera’s Hank in the film, teaching him how to be a samurai. It makes sense that the two would be paired up in real life in order to nail the dynamic of their animated counterparts, and when we asked about it, Cera told us this:

Well, no surprises there! Samuel L. Jackson is notoriously humble and playful. After all, Jackson never even grew up thinking he could be an actor. Also, you can tell by the Paws of Fury trailer alone that he had a great time filming, and was able to get pretty goofy with it. Remember, it is an animated kid’s film produced by Nickelodeon, and the premise is pretty ridiculous. 

As previously mentioned, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is a loose adaptation of Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles, and even stars Brooks himself in a rather prominent role. At the age of 96, the actor and writer is still funny as ever. The film’s original title was even Blazing Samurai, though that may have been a little too on the nose.

In the film's universe, samurais are typically cats, which is unfortunate for Hank, who is a dog that dreams of becoming a samurai. Absurdity and a ton of fourth-wall breaking ensues as he sets out on a quest to be the first dog-samurai. You can check out our official review of Paws of Fury, as well as a general critical roundup of the animated movie.

Just like the rest of the cast of Superbad, Michael Cera has been working quite a bit, having just starred in the amazing Hulu series Life & Beth with Amy Schumer. As for Samuel L. Jackson, well, he’s known for being in just about everything, but just recently he’s getting rave reviews for his performance in The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey on Apple TV+. 

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank also features the vocal talents of Ricky Gervais, George Takei, and Gabriel Iglesias, among others. Hearing all of that comedic talent spar with the legendary Mel Brooks is worth the price of admission alone. As for everything else that’s coming to theaters in 2022, you can check out our handy release schedule!

Moviegoers love underdog stories because it is easier to relate to an otherwise extraordinary situation when it is told from the perspective of an average person much like them. The animated film, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is, very literally, an underdog tale about a meek canine who wants to be a samurai and seeks training from a wise, old feline in a town entirely populated by cats.

Originally titled Blazing Samurai, this new movie from The Lion King director Rob Minkoff looks like it could be the most entertaining animated feature inspired by classic Japanese action films and featuring anthropomorphic animals since Kung Fu Panda. Check out the stars behind these charming, funny characters in our following guide to see who plays whom in the Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank voice cast - starting with the unlikely main hero.

Michael Cera (Hank)

Voicing Hank - the titular Beagle and aspiring samurai - is Michael Cera, whose last time playing a “dog” in an animated film was in 2016’s Sausage Party as a frankfurter named Barry. For a while, the Canadian actor’s main gig was playing non-literal underdogs - such as on Arrested Development as George-Michael Bluth, in 2007’s one-two-punch of hit coming-of-age comedies Juno and Superbad, and in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (also in the title role) to name a few. 

Cera, who also voiced Robin in 2017’s The LEGO Batman Movie, has also played characters that defy this reputation - such as a creepy, young sadist in 2013’s Magic Magic, Player X in Molly’s Game, and an extremely crude version of himself in This is the End. More recently, he acted alongside creator and star Amy Schumer on Hulu’s Life & Beth and has joined Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie cast in an undisclosed role.

Samuel L. Jackson (Jimbo)

As Hank’s mentor, a cat samurai named Jimbo, we have Samuel L. Jackson, who has played the mentor to several heroes (such as Nick Fury in the MCU or Mace Windu in the Star Wars universe). He has also played many straight-up heroes (like Frozone in The Incredibles and its sequel), some villains (like Elijah Price in Unbreakable and its 2019 sequel), some guys in between (like in The Hitman's Bodyguard and its sequel) and even another animated samurai (in the 2007 miniseries, Afro Samurai, and its sequel).

The Academy Award nominee’s lengthy filmography also includes countless cinematic classics like Coming to America, Goodfellas, Die Hard with a Vengeance, or Jurassic Park, and, also, more recent favorites like Black Snake Moan, Snakes on a Plane, or Kong: Skull Island. Also, you could name almost any one of Quentin Tarantino’s movies or any one of Spike Lee’s movies and there is a good chance that Jackson is in it.

Ricky Gervais (Ika Chu)

As Ika Chu - a greedy feline who wants to destroy the film’s central village setting - we have Ricky Gervais, who previously voiced a pigeon in Valiant, an invasive dolphin on Family Guy, a hedgehog on Bojack Horseman, himself on a few notable occasions (such as on Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?), and another cat in The Willoughbys cast for Netflix. He has also starred in a few live-action family-friendly films like 2014’s Muppets: Most Wanted and the Night of the Museum movies (which actually have an animated follow-up in the works).

Of course, the British comedian and host of some memorable Golden Globes ceremonies is even better known for less-family-friendly movies like For Your Consideration, The Invention of Lying (which he also co-wrote and co-directed), or Ghost Town. Yet, Gervais is even more famous for the TV shows he has created and starred in, like the original UK version of The Office, HBO’s Extras, or, most recently, the Netflix-original dramedy, After Life.

George Takei (Ohga)

Playing Ika Chu’s chief guard, Ohga, is George Takei, who is nothing short of a legend in the world of acting. His first screen credit was actually a Godzilla movie (1955’s Godzilla Raids Again), which led to roles in other films like The Green Berets and, of course, his best known role as Sulu in the original Star Trek cast in the 1960s and in many subsequent Star Trek movies, too. 

The LGBTQ+ activist has several notable recent TV roles, such as on AMC's horror anthology The Terror, and also makes many appearances as himself, such as on The Big Bang Theory. Takei has a large number of voice acting credits to his name, from First Ancestor in 1998’s Mulan, Hosato in 2016’s Kubo and the Two Strings, and Shinji Yokohama on Hulu’s animated Marvel series, Hit-Monkey.

Kylie Kuoika (Emiko)

Playing Emiko - an adorable, young cat with her own heroic aspirations - is Kylie Kuoika, a Hawaiian-born actor who is not only making her voice acting debut, but also her theatrically released feature film debut with Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank. Her official feature-length movie debut was the Disney+ exclusive Better Nate Than Ever earlier in 2022.

The young Broadway performer's first real screen acting debut was in the 2021 short horror movie, Harom. In 2022, she also starred in a more grounded and dramatic short film called Removable.

Michelle Yeoh (Yuki)

Emiko’s mother, Yuki, is voiced by Michelle Yeoh, whose last animated kung-fu movie was the 2011 sequel to the aforementioned Kung Fu Panda. She first tore up the screen in live-action alongside Jackie Chan in 1992’s Supercop before teaming up with Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond in 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies and defying gravity in Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000 - which are only some of Yeoh's best movies. 

The Malaysian-born actor is almost more popular than ever these days, having appeared in two Marvel movies (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and in the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings cast), a few hit rom-coms (the Crazy Rich Asians cast and Last Christmas), and leading the highly acclaimed, indescribably unique crowd-pleaser, Everything Everywhere All At Once, in 2022. Yeoh also has a recurring role on Star Trek: Discovery and her most recent animated film before Paws of Fury is Minions: The Rise of Gru.

Gabriel Iglesias (Chuck)

As a fluffy cat name Chuck, we have the self-proclaimed “fluffy” stand-up star Gabriel Iglesias, who has many, many other notable voice acting credits under his belt. He played both Ned and Zed in Pixar’s Planes, Pepe Rodriguez in The Book of Life, Jimmy in both of The Nut Job movies, an afterlife clerk in Coco, Cuatro in Ferdinand, and Speedy Gonzales in Space Jam: A New Legacy - which, seriously, barely scratches the surface of that particular list.

You may have seen the Latino comedian in live-action near the end of All That’s original run on Nickelodeon, playing Tobias in the Magic Mike cast, and in A Haunted House 2 with Marlon Wayans. Iglesias also had a major role on Cristela Alonso’s self-titled sitcom before landing his own self-titled sitcom on Netflix with Mr. Iglesias.

Aasif Mandvi (Ichiro)

As another feline villager named Ichiro, we have Aasif Mandvi, who actually made his film debut opposite co-star Samuel L. Jackson with a brief appearance as a cab driver in Die Hard with a Vengeance and reunited with him in 2006 in the crime thriller Freedomland. He was also in Ghost Town with Ricky Gervais, when his best known movie role at the time might have been Mr. Aziz in Spider-Man 2. 

The former Daily Show correspondent would later land considerably larger parts in movies like The Proposal, M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender as Commander Zhao, The Internship with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, and Million Dollar Arm with Jon Hamm. Mandvi’s most notable TV roles include Rafiq Massoud in HBO’s short-lived satire, The Brink, Uncle Monty on Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Ben Shakir in Paramount+’s Evil cast, most recently.

Djimon Hounsou (Sumo)

Voicing the intimidatingly large cat aptly named Sumo is Djimon Hounsou - who is, like co-star Samuel L. Jackson, an MCU star (he appeared in two Marvel movies and lent his voice to the What If…? cast as Korath). However, he also has a few DC movies under his belt - namely 2005’s Constantine and DCEU movies Aquaman and Shazam!

The former model received his first Academy Award nomination for Steven Spielberg’s Amistad before going on to star in more classics like the Best Picture Oscar winner, Gladiator, and later earning his second nod in 2007 for Blood Diamond. In addition to joining other big franchises like the Fast and Furious movies and 2021's A Quiet Place sequel, the King’s Man cast member has also previously leant his voce to How to Train Your Dragon 2 and an animated miniseries adaptation of Black Panther from 2010 as T’Challa. 

Cathy Shim (Little Mama)

As the Grand Dame of the town being fought over, Kakamucho, Little Mama, we have Cathy Shim, who made her uncredited feature film debut alongside co-star Michelle Yeoh in 2005’s Memoirs of a Geisha. By then, she had already made some of her first appearances with the Reno 911! cast as various characters - such as Miss Junior, whom she would reprise in the Emmy-nominated, feature-length Paramount+ exclusive, Reno 911!: The Hunt for QAnon, in 2021.

She also had a small role in 2007’s Balls of Fury (which has absolutely no relation to this new animated film), was in the 2009 horror-comedy, The Revenant (which has absolutely nothing to do with the 2015 Leonardo DiCaprio film), and also had a few small roles in comedies like 2012’s The Watch and Hell Baby from 2013. Shim also had a recurring spot on L.A.’s Finest and was in the 2019 romantic drama, The Sun is Also a Star. 

Mel Brooks (Shogun)

Last, but certainly no least, we have Mel Brooks as The Shogun - the latest voice acting role of the 96-year-old comedy legend. He previously played Bigweld in 2005’s Blue Sky movie, Robots, Albert Einstein in 2014’s Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Vlad in the Hotel Transylvania movies, and Melephant Brooks in Toy Story 4. 

Of course, Brooks is just as famous for his acting as he is for writing, producing, and directing - such as his 1967 directorial debut, The Producers, which earned him his sole Oscar and was later adapted into a Tony-winning stage musical. Other classics of his include B-movie parody, Young Frankenstein, Star Wars parody, Spaceballs, medieval adventure parody, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and western parody, Blazing Saddles.

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is actually loosely inspired by Blazing Saddles, so it must be quite an honor for the creators to have gotten the man behind the comedy classic to star in the film. Then again, it would be an honor to work with every member of this talented voice cast.

Summer is in full swing at the box office, and another family friendly option is set to hit theaters this week with Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank. Boasting an impressive cast that includes Michael Cera as the titular Hank, Paws of Fury is the story about a dog who travels to a town full of cats who are in need of a hero to save them from the warmongering Ika Chu (Ricky Gervais). Reviews are in, so let’s see what the critics have to say about this offering from Paramount.

Loosely based on the 1974 Mel Brooks comedy Blazing Saddles, the PG-rated Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is completely safe for the little ones, even with its “mother-father-cocker-spaniel” exclamation from Samuel L. Jackson’s Jimbo. This flick appears to be jam-packed with pop culture references, and the critics are here to tell us more of what to expect. Let’s start with the CinemaBlend review of Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank. Dirk Libbey rates the movie 2 stars out of 5, saying while the concept is creative enough, the jokes and references often feel like they’re geared more toward adults:

Katie Walsh of The Wrap, however, thinks the movie pulled off a good balance between entertaining kids and their parents, even saying Paws of Fury makes an argument for more classics-inspired family films. The movie lacks any semblance of depth, but there are worse ways to spend a hot summer day, this review states:

Owen Gleiberman of Variety says along with Blazing Saddles, the Michael Cera film also evokes the spirit of Kung Fu Panda. However, this movie lacks what made those movies great, and Paws of Fury is neither fun nor funny, he says:

Like the other critics, Frank Scheck of THR says adult chaperones might get a kick out of the myriad pop culture references. However, the movie doesn’t offer much more for its audience than bathroom jokes, proving that vulgar humor will score laughs regardless of decade or target audience, the review states:

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank garnered a grade of F from Martin Tsai of AV Club. He says the movie takes Mel Brooks’ controversial racial satire and pumps it full of Asian clichés. Even more, it seems the filmmakers made little or no attempt to educate themselves on Asian culture, this review says:

It’s an interesting idea to use a comedy like Blazing Saddles as inspiration for a children’s animated movie, but it looks like most of the critics think the execution was lacking. However, audiences should always feel free to judge for themselves, and the movies are often a great way to escape the summer heat with the kids. If you want to check out Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, you can do so starting Friday, July 15. Be sure to also check out our 2022 Movie Release Schedule to see what other films are hitting theaters soon.

In a world of theatrical animation that includes the deeply emotional storytelling of Disney and Pixar and the blockbuster success of Illumination, it’s easy for a studio like Nickelodeon to get lost in the mix. It’s newest big screen entry is Rob Minkoff and Mark Koetsier's martial arts-filled Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank. It’s a silly name for a very silly movie, but one that adults might find sillier than their kids, as it seems the majority of the humor is meant for them. While the characters are family friendly talking cats and dogs, the humor is, quite literally, right out of a Mel Brooks movie.

As the title Paws of Fury indicates, the primary influence behind the film is the kung fu/samurai genres. A vaguely Asian inspired village of cats is under attack from thugs trying to destroy their town. When the local samurai decides to run rather than fight, the town asks the Shogun (Mel Brooks) for help. The Shogun in turn entrusts the task of finding a new Samurai to local magistrate Ika Chu (Ricky Gervais). 

But since Ika Chu is the one trying to destroy the town, as it ruins the view from his new palace, he gives the job to a recently arrested trespassing dog, Hank (Michael Cera). Since Hank came to the land of cats specifically to become a samurai, he happily accepts the job... despite having zero skills. Luckily, there’s an old-retired samurai in town, Jimbo (Samuel L. Jackson), who might be willing to train the young canine.

Paws Of Fury has an all star voice cast Including Samuel L. Jackson and Michelle Yeoh, but doesn’t give them much to do.

If this plot sounds vaguely familiar, that’s because it’s awfully close to the plot of the Mel Brooks classic Blazing Saddles. To be clear, this is no accident. Once upon a time, Paws of Fury was called Blazing Samurai because it was very intentionally conceived as an animated remake of the classic comedy. Mel Brooks has a story credit as well as lending his voice to the Shogun.

Needless to say, the kids watching Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank for the animals doing martial arts story that it is on its surface aren’t going to have this context, but adults watching the movie will likely be doing double takes as the film not only pulls the general plot, but entire gags from the live-action western comedy. Djimon Hounsou voices Sumo, the cat stand in for Blazing Saddles’ Mongo, complete with a horse punching scene just to make sure you don’t miss the connection between the productions.

The voice cast for Paws of Fury is top notch, as are most animated films these days (audiences knowing Samuel L. Jackson is in the movie might sell a few tickets). On the other hand, saving some money on the voice cast to spend it on the animation, for a film that almost certainly didn't have the budget of your average Pixar project, might have been money better spent.

The Legend Of Hank pays lip service to themes of racism, but only in the context of punchlines.

But that’s part of the strange disconnect for Paws of Fury. While watching somebody punch a horse is potentially funny outside of the Blazing Saddles reference, a lot of the verbal humor of the film seems much more geared toward the adults in the audience that are old enough to get the references. 

This leaves the kids with some slapstick humor, and every imaginable joke about cats. That will still elicit laughs from viewers of all ages, but the Blazing Saddles references and the rapid fire delivery of many of the one-liners give Paws of Fury a feeling like it was meant to be an animated movie for adults that younger viewers also might enjoy – rather than the other way around.

One particular area where the movie has obviously veered in a more family friendly direction is in its themes and tone. While the fact that the movie is about a dog samurai in a town full of cats is meant to evoke the idea of a Black sheriff in a town full of racist white people, Paws of Fury doesn’t dwell on this idea too much. A couple of pointed jokes are made about the ridiculousness of judging someone based solely on what they look like are made early on, but the conflict between the two species is forgotten about fairly quickly. The movie otherwise falls into the standard tropes of the unlikely student/teacher dynamic working together to defeat the evil villain. 

Paws of Fury tries so hard to be a movie that adults can enjoy with their kids, it may have forgotten to be something kids will enjoy at all.

While one would not expect an animated Nickelodeon movie to go as hard as Blazing Saddles in its satire, largely removing any overt discussion of racism ultimately leaves the movie telling the same story while not saying much of anything about anything. Instead were left with a pretty by the numbers samurai movie featuring rapid fire one-liners. Perhaps since the audience of children is new to these tropes, they'll feel more original to them.

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is a pleasant enough time waster for kids and adults alike, but it's not going to be nearly as memorable for a younger generation as its inspiration.

Movie studios are always looking for ways to hedge their financial bets and to guarantee, as much as possible, that any film project will be a success. Anything with name recognition is fair game, which is why so many movies are sequels to previous hits or films based on comic books, video games, or even board games. Knowing this, it probably shouldn't have come as a shock that somebody decided to make a Barbie movie.

Yet, what the Barbie movie has become is somewhat shocking. Barbie was directed by Oscar-nominee Greta Gerwig, based on a script co-written by her and her longtime writing partner Noah Baumbach. From the moment that became known expectations of Barbie as a “popcorn movie” shifted to something else entirely. 

What we got was still a fun summer blockbuster, but one that had a lot more going on. It clearly resonated with fans as Barbie went on to become the second film of 2023 to make $1 billion at the global box office. It's become just as big a hit now that it has arrived on Digital platforms and Blu-ray. While the filmmakers behind the camera deserve a lot of credit, one cannot overlook the incredible cast.

Margot Robbie 

You can’t have a Barbie movie without Barbie, and while the film previously had Amy Schumer and then Anne Hathaway attached in the title role at various points, Margot Robbie was the Barbie that got the movie made. Robbie was probably best known today for her role as Harley Quinn in three DC movies, including 2021's The Suicide Squad. She’s also a two-time Oscar nominee for her supporting role in the Fox News drama Bombshell and her lead role in the dark comedy biopic I, Tonya.

Ryan Gosling 

Barbie needs her Ken, and while Hollywood has no shortage of actors who could pass for a live-action Ken doll, Ryan Gosling took on the role of Barbie’s boyfriend. Unlike the character's namesake doll, the Barbie movie was as much about Ken as it was Barbie, with Gosling's character functionally playing the villain, if a hapless one. It was an incredible performance that actually has people talking about an Oscar nomination for Gosling. 

Will Ferrell 

While Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling have played comedy and drama in equal measure, a few of the other casting announcements from Barbie had a decidedly comedic slant. None among them exemplified this more so than Will Ferrell. Will Ferrell played the CEO of the toy company Mattel, the company that owns Barbie. While Ferrell's character was as silly as the actor usually is, he's also one of the few people who knows what's going on when Ken and Barbie cross over to the real world from Barbie World. 

Simu Liu 

It wasn’t all that long ago that Simu Liu was a moderately famous person in a well-received comedy, but now he’s a Marvel hero and a global superstar. Simu Liu went from Kim’s Convenience to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to Barbie, where played another Ken, a sort of foil for Gosling's character, as both competed for the affection of Robbie's Barbie, even if they didn't really understand why. 

America Ferrera 

Fans of the NBC comedy Superstore or the cult hit ABC series Ugly Betty will require no introduction to America Ferrera. On the big screen, she was a member of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, as well as the voice of Astrid in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise from DreamWorks Animation. In Barbie, she plays one of the key human characters, who inadvertently causes the problems for Barbie that lead her into the human world.

Kate McKinnon 

Kate McKinnon is set to join her Bombshell co-star Margot Robbie, as she will also be part of the Barbie movie. McKinnon is, of course, best known for her long run on Saturday Night Live. On the big screen, she appeared in the Ghostbusters reboot, but has also done a significant amount of voice work in animated films and TV, from Pixar’s Finding Dory to Netflix’s The Magic School Bus. As "Weird Barbie" McKinnon suffered the fate that so many children's toys often do, though that turned her into a sort of sage.

Michael Cera 

Michael Cera jumped onto a lot of people’s radar back in 2007 thanks to his roles in both Superbad and Juno. From there, he has appeared in cult hits like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and actual box office hits like The LEGO Batman Movie. He’s probably best known for his role as George-Michael Bluth in Arrested Development. In Barbie Cera played Alan, the only male resident of Barbie Land who was not Ken. He's designed to be second fiddle, but he steals every scene he's in.

Helen Mirren

One potential surprise in the Barbie cast came from a character who was heard, but never seen. Hellen Mirren narrated the first Barbie trailer, but that wasn't a one-off deal. She actually narrated the entire film, and also had some of the best jokes in the movie, including a hilarious Barbie F-bomb that was cut from the script.

Emma Mackey 

Emma Mackey is something of a newcomer with only a handful of credits to her name to date, but in a short time, she has become a pretty big star. She’s one of three cast members from Netflix’s Sex Education to join Barbie, and she was recently part of the star-studded cast of Kenneth Branagh's Death on the Nile. Mackey portrayed yet another Barbie.

Ncuti Gatwa 

One of Emma Mackay’s co-stars on Sex Education who will be part of Barbie is Ncuti Gatwa, and while Barbie will no doubt mark the young actor’s biggest role on the big screen to date when it is released, it’s clear Gatwa has a bright future. He's been cast as the new Doctor in BBC’s Doctor Who, taking over the role from Jodie Whittaker. Gatwa will be the first person of color to lead the series, and the second Black actor to play The Doctor following Jo Martin's recurring run as the Fugitive Doctor. Gatwa played yet another Ken from Barbie Land.

Connor Swindells

Connor Swindells finishes out the Sex Education cast trifecta. We don’t know anything more about his role in Barbie than we do his other two cast-mates, so whether or not any of them will even cross paths is a mystery. If nothing else, it’s a testament to the casting of the Netflix series. Swindells appears in Barbie as Aaron Dinkins, a Mattel employee who has the unfortunate task of informing the company that Barbie has gone rogue.

Alexandra Shipp 

Marvel fans know Alexandra Shipp for playing the younger version of Storm in the last couple of X-Men movies produced under Fox pre-Disney. More recently, she played Susan, the love interest of Andrew Garfield's Jonathan Larson, in Tick…Tick…Boom! for Netflix. She appeared in Barbie as yet another Barbie.

Issa Rae 

Issa Rae is a successful writer, producer, and actress, and her name has only become more recognizable since the success of HBO show Insecure. As big a name as she has become, however, 2023 is getting ready to be perhaps her biggest year to date. Not only did she appear as a Barbie in the Barbie movie, but she also voiced the Jessica Drew version of Spider-Woman in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse the same summer. 

Kingsley Ben-Adir 

Kingsley Ben-Adir is an actor you’ll recognize if you’re a fan of Peaky Blinders or if you happened to catch the short-lived High Fidelity series on Hulu. His highest profile role was playing Malcolm X in the Oscar-nominated One Night in Miami, but Ben-Adir is probably a lot more recognizable now. At the same time that he played a Ken in the Barbie movie, he was also in Marvel’s Secret Invasion series on Disney+. 

Ariana Greenblatt 

Ariana Greenblatt is one of many young stars to get her start at the House of Mouse. She had a regular series role on the Disney Channel’s Stuck in the Middle. Since then, she’s made a somewhat unusual habit of playing the “young” version of several major franchise characters, like young Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War, young Velma in Scoob and young Nina in In the Heights. Greenblatt played Sasha, the daughter to America Ferrara's character, who once played with Barbie, but has since grown out of the dolls. 

Rhea Perlman 

Rhea Perlman will always be known first and foremost for her role as waitress Carla on the hit NBC sitcom Cheers. If you feel like you haven’t seen her in TV or movies as much recently, it’s possibly because you’ve heard her much more. Perlman has done a lot of voice-over work, including the voice of Cid in Disney+’s animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars spinoff The Bad Batch. Perlman had a small but vital role in Barbie as Ruth, and if you don't know more than that, we're not spoiling it.

John Cena

Of all the actors who play Ken in Barbie, John Cena is perhaps the most entertaining. He only appears in a couple of brief scenes, but the fact that he plays a merman version of Ken is hilarious in itself. It becomes that much funnier when we learn Cena was apparently just in the neighborhood, and filmed a cameo for fun.

Emerald Fennell 

Emerald Fennell is best known today for her work behind the camera, particularly as the Oscar-winning writer of Promising Young Woman, as much as she's known for her acting. Fennell has nearly two dozen acting credits to her name, including playing Nurse Patsy Mount in Call the Midwife and as Camila Parker Bowles on Netflix’s The Crown. She played Midge in Barbie, a discontinued member of the toy lineup.

Jamie Demetriou 

With more than 60 acting credits to his name in less than a decade, Jamie Demetriou has been a quite prolific performer, and his breadth of appearances is such that you have almost certainly seen him somewhere. He's had roles in everything from Disney’s Cruella to Paddington 2 to Hulu’s The Great. Most recently, he played the role of Walt on Apple TV+’s hit series The Afterparty. He appears in Barbie as one of the Mattel executives.

Ritu Arya 

Ritu Arya has had roles in the BBC’s Sherlock and Doctor Who, but she’s become a more familiar face to US audiences thanks to a pair of appearances on Netflix. She played Inspector Urvashi Das, the character chasing after Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds' characters, in Red Notice, and she’s also Lila Pitts on The Umbrella Academy. She joined the parade of Barbies in the movie.

Hari Nef

Hari Nef has more than two dozen acting credits to her name including appearances including Amazon's Transparent and Netflix's You. She had a role in the pilot of the L.A. Law reboot that we'll now never see. She appeared in Barbie as another of the Barbie characters.

Sharon Rooney

Sharon Rooney will look much more familiar to audiences in the UK, following turns in series like My Mad Fat Diary, Brief Encounters and Two Doors Down. U.S. audiences will know her best from the live-action remake of Disney's Dumbo, where she played the role of Miss Atlantis, the woman who sings the iconic song "Baby Mine." She appears in Barbie as Barbie. But not that Barbie, the other Barbie.

Scott Evans

Scott Evans spent two years on the soap opera One Life to Live on ABC. He's also played small roles in a number of TV shows and movies including appearances in Law & Order, Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones, and White Collar. More recently, he played Oliver in Netflix's Grace & Frankie. He's part of the army of Kens found of Barbie Land.

Ana Cruz Kanye

Ana Cruz Kayne will be reuniting with Greta Gerwig when she appears in the Barbie movie. Kayne previously appeared in Little Women. She'll be appearing soon in Painkiller, a limited series starring Mathew Broderick focusing on the birth of the opioid crisis. She is yet another Barbie.

With a cast this extensive and utterly impressive, we knew Barbie was likely to be a lot of fun. However, there was no way to know what a massive hit the film would become. The story resonated was audiences in a bit way, on its way to incredible box office success. Now you can enjoy Barbie as much as you want at home as well.

Writer/director Judd Apatow hasn’t dealt with sequels too often in his career, with This is 40 acting as the closest thing to a follow-up in his body of work. Though he was merely a producer on the film, Apatow has always been keen to make a sequel to the 2007 pop culture hit Superbad. While it’s a project you won’t see on the list of upcoming movies for this, or any other year, the idea that he shared was actually a pretty promising prospect.

During an appearance on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum, Judd Apatow spilled the beans on what he wanted Superbad 2 to be about. Following a natural progression, his pitch also came with a perfect defence for taking such a huge gamble to begin with. Here’s what Apatow had in mind for the potential follow-up:  

The expectation with any sequel is that there’s a good chance the goodwill towards the first movie might be squandered. Examples of such a happening are very subjective, as seen in Michael Cera and Judd Apatow’s back and forth about Superbad 2. However, seeing as Cera’s opinion is also shared by writer/star Seth Rogen, one can see why the sequel hasn’t exactly caught fire. 

At the same time, Judd Apatow does throw a loving reference to Jonah Hill’s pitch for Superbad 2, which would follow Seth and Evan’s lives in a retirement home. While that does sound like a pretty fun idea for a new start, the Apatow pitch above isn’t horrible. This holds especially true when you remember the story of Superbad and how ended.

Concluding on the final visual of Michael Cera’s Evan and Jonah Hill’s Seth respectively splitting up to hang out with Becca (Martha MacIsaac) and Jules (Emma Stone), it seems like they’ve got their futures ahead of them. Superbad’s fast paced march to adulthood embodied a bittersweet version of the typical happy ending a teen party movie such as this would land on. To see Seth backslide in Superbad 2 and fall back on his friendship with Evan would have been a fun new obstacle, with tons of comedy potential.

Looking at where the Superbad cast is now, as well as how long it’s been since that first movie, the chances of any sort of follow-up are pretty slim. Which is a shame because Judd Apatow’s concept for Superbad 2 actually could have been as poignant and funny as the film that inspired it. At least there’s a somewhat viable option with Christopher Mintz-Platz’s suggestion for a female reboot to Superbad, provided of course such a thing could be successfully created and not immediately compared to the already hysterical Booksmart.

In the current world of Judd Apatow films, you can see his latest project The Bubble, as it’s currently streaming as part of the vast library of Netflix movies. While Superbad 2 may never happen, at least Apatow still has his concept for a This is 40 sequel in the works, aptly titled This is 50. So Judd may get his dream sequel yet, just in a different form. 

Samuel L. Jackson is one of those actors who’s pretty done it all. He’s played a hero and villain, both grounded and bonkers, plus so many other roles in the spaces in-between. It’s a reality that makes the next film on Jackson's ever busy schedule even more exciting, as Jackson is lending his golden voice to Jimbo, a samurai cat at the heart of Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank. If you thought you were excited about this prospect, then the freshly debuted trailer has you beat, as Sam himself looks pretty jazzed himself. 

At the head of an even more impressive ensemble featured in this first footage from Paramount, Samuel L. Jackson’s Jimbo is a sage source of wisdom. Which is perfect, as underdog/actual dog Hank (Michael Cera) needs some help in training to become a samurai. Trying to defend his village from certain doom, you might think Hank’s story sounds familiar; and you’d be right. As it turns out, there’s actually two different movies Paws of Fury takes its cues from. 

The first, and most obvious influence on this animated adventure is co-writer/director Akira Kurosawa’s seminal masterpiece Seven Samurai. Credited with influencing films such as The Magnificent Seven and even Disney/Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, the basic structure of Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is the latest plot to borrow from that cultural touchstone. Which means that there’s room for a pretty stacked cast that also includes George Takei, Ricky Gervais, Michelle Yeoh, and Mel Brooks; among others. 

As fate would have it, Brooks’ casting in this film connects to the other movie Paws of Fury can call an inspiration. Originally titled Blazing Samurai, the long developing comedy has consistently been cited as a loose remake of 1974’s Blazing Saddles. Though the title may have changed, the trailer above has a loving homage to this scene ripped from Mel Brooks’ comedy classic that all but confirms its lineage:

Explosive farts, followed by a PG-rated tip of the hat to Samuel L. Jackson’s record-setting swear sessions of the past. What hasn’t Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank given us in this moment, besides a sly reference to when Jackson's Nick Fury lost his eye to a "cat" in Captain Marvel?  Well, the trailer does leave one more very specific question hanging in the air, and it’s completely by coincidence: does this count as one of the multiverses from Michelle Yeoh’s mind meltingly awesome Everything Everywhere All At Once? Totally asking for a friend, who just happens to be myself. 

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is ready to kick, punch, and laugh its way into theaters on July 15th. Yes, that means you’ve got a bit of a wait before this one hits the multiplex, but fear not. The upcoming movies rundown has a whole bunch of thrills that will be available in your quest to make that wait less brutal and more fun. 

Superbad fans have been clamoring for a sequel since the film dropped in 2007. Murmurings of a sequel have been floating around for years. Some of those involved in the film like Seth Rogen has been apprehensive about revisiting the story. Despite some apprehension, Superbad star Jonah Hill has an idea for a potential sequel. The Don’t Look Up star revealed the only way he would make Superbad 2.

Superbad became Hill’s Hollywood breakthrough as the film took over the box office and pop culture. The Mid90s director has grown beyond the sex-obsessed Seth as evident by his recent work. That doesn’t mean he isn’t willing to return for more hijinks with Michael Cera and Chris Mintz-Plasse in the future. Jonah Hill revealed to W his idea for a potential follow-up.

Catching up with Seth, Evan, and McLovin in an assisted living home sounds like a wonderful premise for a sequel. As morbid as the concept is, it would be nice to see the guys reminiscing about old times while creating new memories. Some sequels are at their bests when audiences get to catch up with characters years later. Catch-up sequels can be cool, but oftentimes, they can end up messing up the original film’s concept. Hill seemed to understand that mindset as he painted a Grumpy Old Men for the Millennial set.

Jonah Hill wasn’t the first Superbad alum to suggest a different angle for a potential sequel. Christopher Mintz-Plasse (aka McLovin) believed the sequel should be female-focused instead of catching up with the original group in the vein of Booksmart. He felt bringing back the original stars for a sequel could tarnish the 2007 coming-of-age film’s legacy. This marked a change as Mintz-Plasse was open to making a sequel in the past. Even producer Judd Apatow was gunning for a Superbad sequel but stopped after no one involved was willing to come back. But it seems like Hill might be ready for another film… just decades from now.

Of course, the original film took over pop culture as lines and scenes were parodied and referenced across all media. That train has continued as a new generation of fans has begun quoting the film. So, Superbad is still leaving an impression on audiences.

Since the coming-of-age film hit theaters more than a decade ago, the cast and writers have grown in their Hollywood careers. If you want to relive every inappropriate line and scene, you can watch Superbad on Prime Video.

One of my favorite comedies is Superbad. While it’s been more than a decade since its release, it still finds ways to make me laugh over and over again, just like comedies starring legends like Adam Sandler or Chris Rock. From iconic lines to hilarious moments, Superbad has cemented itself into the comedy hall of fame. 

With a cast as long and large as Superbad, several of its stars have gone on to have major careers, and you might be wondering where they are now. From Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, to Emma Stone and Seth Rogen, these are what the Superbad cast has been doing in Hollywood. 

Jonah Hill (Seth)

Seth, played by Jonah Hill, was the first half of the iconic duo in Superbad, and ever since one of his biggest films, Hill has had quite the career in movies. Starting out, he was in several comedies like Knocked Up, a part of the Forgetting Sarah Marshall cast, Get Him to the Greek, and even teamed up with Channing Tatum in the 21 Jump Street cast, a role he would reprise in the sequel. 

Hill stepped into the drama world a little bit, as well, with starring roles in films such as Moneyball, and the Leonardo DiCaprio-led film, The Wolf of Wall Street. The actor was nominated for the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for each of those films.

Hill has also dabbled in television as well, with a starring role in the Netflix miniseries, Maniac. He has also stepped into the world of animation, voicing several roles. This ranged from parts in the supervillain movie, Megamind, to the adult animated comedy, Sausage Party (alongside many of his Superbad co-stars), to the How to Train Your Dragon series. Truly, Hill is a man of many talents and I can’t wait to see what he does next. 

Michael Cera (Evan)

The second half of the iconic duo, Evan, was played by Michael Cera in Superbad. Since then, he’s been in quite a few movies and TV shows. In film, Cera went on to star in the coming of age movie  Juno, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, This is the End, and several others. He’s also stepped into animation, as well, like his former castmate, voicing roles in the Lego Batman Movie, Sausage Party, and Between Two Ferns: The Movie. 

Cera has also had a prominent career in television as well. His biggest role thus far has been having a main role on the iconic comedy, Arrested Development. He also voiced Sal Viscuso, the voice of the announcements in Children’s Hospital, and had a recurring role in Burning Love. 

Christopher Minzt-Plasse (Fogell ‘McLovin’)

Who could ever forget McLoving’? Played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Fogell is a character that was unforgettable in Superbad and remains that way to this day. Mintz-Plasse has gone on to act in several projects in both television and film. 

He starred as Augie Farcques in Role Models, and as Chris D'Amico in the Kick-Ass superhero series. He rejoined Seth Rogen for Neighbors, as well as its sequel, made an appearance in the comedy movie, Tag, and was in Promising Young Woman. Mintz-Plasse also stepped into voice acting as well, voicing Fishlegs Ingerman in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, as well as King Gristle Jr. in the Trolls cast.  

With television, he continued to voice Fishlegs in the Dreamworks Dragons series, was Clark in The Great Indoors, and has voiced various roles on When Nature Calls with Helen Mirren.

Bill Hader (Officer Slater)

Bill Hader was most certainly a scene stealer in Superbad as Officer Slater, and because of that, he’s gone on to have a great career. Bill Hader has starred in plenty of movies, including comedies like Adventureland, Trainwreck, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and many others, but has also done movies like It Chapter 2, showcasing his dramatic acting ability. 

Hader is also a prominent voice actor, voicing the main character in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Fear in Inside Out, working on Monsters University for Pixar, had a role in Sausage Party, and many others. 

Hader’s career in television has also been great. At first, he was known for his iconic sketches on Saturday Night Live, but since then, he's expanded into his own territory. His HBO comedy will soon see Barry Season 3 arrive very soon, and he created Documentary Now!, a series that is all about mockumentaries. 

Seth Rogen (Officer Michaels)

Another scene stealer in Superbad was Officer Michaels, the partner to Officer Slater, played by the loveable Seth Rogen. Since his appearance in the comedy, Rogen has not only expanded his acting career, but his ability as a writer, director, and producer. 

In terms of movies, Rogen has starred in animated films like the Kung Fu Panda series, Sausage Party and more, but has been in a series of hilarious live-action films. This includes, but isn’t limited to, Pineapple Express, The Guilt Trip, This is the End, Neighbors (and it’s sequel), Long Shot, The Disaster Artist, the live-action version of The Lion King, and many, many others. 

Rogen has also appeared in several television shows as well, such as appearances in Arrested Development alongside Michael Cera, the Netflix original series, Big Mouth, Future Man, and more. He also has recently had a small voice role in the Amazon original series, Invincible as one of the chillest aliens ever. He also executive produced those last two shows, along with The Boys, Preacher, Black Monday, and several other series and movies.

Emma Stone (Jules)

If we’re talking about stars that shot up to stardom after Superbad, there’s not a better example than Emma Stone, who played Jules. After her role, Emma Stone became a Hollywood A-lister.

At first, she appeared in many comedies, such as being a part of the Zombieland cast (a role she would reprise in Zombieland 2), the teen comedy, Easy A, Crazy Stupid, Love, and others. But soon, she would expand her acting skills into movies like The Help, The Favourite, Birdman, and La La Land, for which she won an Academy Award. As of recently, she took on the live-action role of Cruella, sporting that iconic black and white hairstyle. 

Stone also had her time in a superhero film series, portraying Gwen Stacey in the Amazing Spider-Man series alongside Andrew Garfield, and voiced the lead character in the Croods animated movies. 

Emma Stone even reunited with Jonah Hill from Superbad for their miniseries, Maniac. If only we could see them together again. They work so well together. 

Martha Maclsaac (Becca)

Playing Becca in Superbad was Martha MacIssac, who has made a name for herself in the voice-acting world. While she’s been in movies like The Last House on the Left, Dead Before Dawn, Battle of the Sexes, and more, MacIssac has mainly kept her talents to television. 

She voiced Melosa in Di-Gata Defends, Edwyn and Bisiwog in Magi-Nation, Sarah in Friends and Heroes, and many other voice roles. She’s also had plenty of live-action appearances as well, including Dana Stockwell in the TV series, Greek,  Becca Gilchrist in 1600 Penn, and played the lead, Kate Warne, in The Pinkertons. Currently, she voices Patty and the Airport Announcer on Family Guy. 

Aviva Baumann (Nicola)

Aviva Baumann played Nicola in Superbad, and after her role, she appeared in a few projects and movies. She had a recurring guest role on NCIS, was in Saint John of Las Vegas, The Closer, Party Down, and a couple of other movies. 

However, Baumann has since retired herself from the spotlight. 

Joe Lo Truglio (Francis)

Moving on, we have Joe Lo Truglio, who played Francis in Superbad. Ever since his part, Truglio has had a prominent career in television. His biggest role thus far has been playing Charles Boyle as part of the Brooklyn Nine-Nine cast, as well as a member of Reno 911!, Burning Love, the Wet Hot American Summer franchise, and several other series, along with many guest appearances. Truglio also portrayed Jeff Sessions on the political series, The Comey Rule. 

Truglio has also been in many movies that might sound familiar, such as Pineapple Express, Role Models, I Love You, Man, Gulliver’s Travels, Someone Marry Barry, A Futile and Stupid Gesture, and many more. Recently, he was in the comedy, Mark, Mary & Some Other People. 

Kevin Corrigan (Mark)

Next up, we have Kevin Corrigan, who played Mark in Superbad. Since his role, Corrigan has appeared in many films, such as the mafia flick, American Gangster, Pineapple Express, The Dictator, Seven Psychopaths, Winter’s Tale, the Judd Apatow movie, The King of Staten Island, and more. 

Corrigan also appeared as Sam Weiss in the TV series, Fringe, Professor Sean Garrity in the hilarious sitcom, Community, Agent Bob Kirkland in The Mentalist, Milkshake in Dice, Jackie Moreno in The Get-Down, and many other TV shows. It’s only a matter of time before we see him on our TV screens once again. 

Dave Franco (Greg)

Last up, we have Dave Franco, who played Greg in Superbad. While his time in the movie was brief, we’ve still seen Franco everywhere in movies since his role.

Franco has been all over the place. He appeared in the Zac Efron-led film, Charlie St. Cloud, the 21 Jump Street, Neighbors, and Now You See Me franchises, starred in The Disaster Artist with his brother, James Franco, portrayed Levy in If Beale Street Could Talk, and so many other fantastic movies. 

Franco has had some time in television, as well. He played Gonzo in Greek in a recurring role, Zachary in Privileged, Cole Aaronson in Scrubs, Jeff in Easy and a few others, showing off how capable he is as an actor. Soon, he’s going to be in two upcoming series, called The Now and The Afterparty. 

You know, after writing this, I’m starting to see a trend with these actors often starring in the same movies as their actor buddies - but honestly, who minds that when their films are always so hilarious? While Superbad is iconic and could never be replaced, I’m always down to see these actors collaborate and make great projects together again. 

Now, if I could just get Jonah Hill and Michael Cera in the same movie once more, that would be a dream come true. 

No superhero in the history of comic book fiction has made the position of “sidekick” a more honorable distinction than Robin, who has remained a constant of the BatFamily no matter who is behind the mask. The average consumer of superhero movies may only recognize the Boy Wonder as Dick Grayson - a young orphan whom Bruce Wayne would take in and train to become his first costumed ally - mainly because the DC movies often tend to favor him over subsequent iterations. However, the man who would be Nightwing is not the only name you will see on the following list of our favorite versions of Robin featured in Batman movies and TV shows, starting with one who would become many audiences' first Robin. 

Burt Ward As Dick Grayson On Batman

Holy obvious choice, Batman! The definitive depiction of the Caped Crusader has changed dramatically since the late Adam West played him on the campy, classic series Batman, but many aspects of Burt Ward’s performance as Bruce Wayne’s young ward remain standard to the character to this day. From his sharp perception, impeccable fighting skills, and loyalty to his parter in crimefighting, the ‘60s-era Robin is everything that a superhero would want in a sidekick.

Loren Lester As Dick Grayson On Batman: The Animated Series 

The iteration of Dick Grayson first introduced in 1992 on Batman: The Animated Series (and played by veteran voice actor Loren Lester) is, essentially, the embodiment of everything that made Burt Ward’s portrayal great, but with a deeper darkness and sharper wit that was missing. By the time the Emmy-winning animated DC TV show was rebranded as The New Batman Adventures, Dick would hang up the Robin mantle to become Nightwing, allowing another ambitious, young vigilante to take his spot.

Matthew Valencia As Tim Drake On The New Batman Adventures

DC Comics’ second Robin was Jason Todd, whose tragic storyline was darker than what Bruce Timm and co. could explore on The New Batman Adventures, leading to Matthew Valencia’s casting as Tim Drake. Yet another orphan taken in by Bruce Wayne (voiced by Kevin Conroy), what memorably sets Drake apart from Dick Grayson in the Timmverse is his more rebellious approach to fighting crime under the discipline of Batman, who originally had no intention of training the boy. He also sports a more charmingly boyish quality than Grayson did… in this continuity, at first.

Scott Menville As Dick Grayson On Teen Titans

While his true name is never spoken on the early-to-mid-2000s animated series, it is largely suggested that Robin in Teen Titans is Dick Grayson, but a thorough reinvention of the character nonetheless. In fact, the leader of the titular crew of young heroes voiced by Scott Menville (who would also reprise the character in Teen Titans Go! and Teen Titans Go! to the Movies) almost bears a stronger resemblance to another Robin: Bruce Wayne’s son Damian Wayne, with his one-man army resilience and more stubborn and brooding personality. It is also a stark contrast from his next animated, small-screen iteration. 

Jesse McCartney As Dick Grayson On Young Justice

Essentially a reboot of Teen Titans (or, at least, a far more earnest one than Teen Titans Go!), Young Justice - which is now an HBO Max exclusive - once again follows a team of younger DC characters led by Dick Grayson (this time voiced by actor and pop star Jesse McCartney). At first, the former sidekick to Batman boasts a slightly more relaxed and child-like disposition when not in serious hero mode, which would become more of his default when he drops the Robin mantle to become Nightwing. I actually tend to prefer Grayson as his post-Robin persona, which is why the Season 2 finale of Titans was so satisfying. 

Brenton Thwaites As Dick Grayson On Titans

Essentially a live-action reboot of Teen Titans (or Young Justice, more so), Titans - which also streams exclusively on HBO Max now - once again follows a team of younger DC characters led by Dick Grayson (this time played by Australian actor Brenton Thwaites). This series actually caused an uproar before it even premiered with Robin confirming he no longer works with the Dark Knight by replying to a group of criminals’ question about his whereabouts with “Fuck Batman” in the trailer, signaling that this show would be fully embracing the Boy Wonder’s dark side. That darkness comes through even better when Grayson become Nightwing (the first official live-action depiction of the moniker), which is why I can understand how some might prefer a lighter take on Robin.

Michael Cera As Dick Grayson In The LEGO Batman Movie 

Well, you will certainly not find a lighter take on Robin than in one of the lightest takes on Batman lore ever produced (but in the most appropriate and passionately executed fashion). Michael Cera of Superbad and the Arrested Development cast voices a young Dick Grayson, opposite Will Arnett’s Bruce Wayne, in 2017’s The LEGO Batman Movie, which brilliantly pokes fun at their infamously rocky relationship. Cera’s Robin is a relentless ball of energy whose loyalty to Batman as a crimefighter is fueled by his longing to be accepted as his son, too.

Ariel Winter As Carrie Kelley In Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

It was not until Frank Miller’s groundbreaking reinvention of the Caped Crusader in his 1986 graphic novel Batman: The Dark Knight Returns that a father-daughter (or even grandfather-granddaughter) dynamic was applied to Batman’s relationship with Robin with the introduction of Carrie Kelley. Longing to escape her meager existence, the poor, young Gothamite dons a store-bought Robin costume and joins an aging Bruce Wayne in his most dire and controversial war against crime yet. An animated adaptation of the story was released in two-parts in 2012 and 2013 with Ariel Winter of the Modern Family cast voicing the role so well, you may wish she had her own spin-off.

Chris O’Donnell As Dick Grayson In Batman Forever

I will be honest: I was initially hesitant to include Chris O’Donnell’s portrayal of the Boy Wonder in 1995’s Batman Forever, particularly because the actor was obviously not a boy when it came out. However, the Joel Schumacher-directed sequel    deserves points for an otherwise accurate depiction of Robin’s core motivation (the death of his family) and his and Batman’s conflicting personalities. Hell, even 1997’s Batman & Robin sheds light on Dick Grayson’s struggle to fully earn Bruce Wayne’s trust as an equal pretty well.

People have been debating for years over the strengths and weaknesses of all the Batman actors so far, but one thing most fans seem to agree on is that we have rarely seen a bad depiction of Robin on screen. It seems to me that he deserves to follow in Batgirl’s footsteps and get his own movie one day. Speaking of, check out our picks for the best Batgirl depictions in movies and on TV, next!

Some will tell you that art is pain, and that was definitely true for Michael Cera, who went through the ringer while filming his fight scenes for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The actor really committed to the role, and that meant suffering some injuries -- including, apparently, a concussion from a scene with Chris Evans.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World wasn’t a huge hit with audiences or critics when it was released in 2010. In the ensuing decade though, it’s become somewhat of a cult classic. Edgar Wright’s adaptation of Brian Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel series works as a coming-of-age comedy of errors.

In addition to starring a post-Juno Michael Cera, Scott Pilgrim features a ton of yet-to-be-uber-famous actors, including Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, and a pre-Captain America Chris Evans.

In one of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’s most memorable scenes, Chris Evans plays A-list actor, skateboarder, and all around jerk Lucas Lee, one of the seven evil exes that the titular hero must defeat in order to date Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Ramona Flowers. The scene is as ridiculous as the rest of the movie but, apparently, what we see on screen is nothing compared to the hell Michael Cera went through to get the footage they needed for the final cut. He told Entertainment Weekly that the stunts in that scene, in particular, were brutal:

All that, and his hard work and brain damage didn’t even make it on screen. It turns out that making the myriad fight sequences in Scott Pilgrim work was no easy feat. In EW’s oral history of the movie, it’s revealed that many of the actors, including Michael Cera, worked with a stunt coordinator to make sure they were camera-ready, and found they were a bit in over their heads.

It all came together in the end, though. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World may not be the most intense action movie ever made, but it’s still found a way to endear itself to fans all over the world. You can see the scene for yourself -- it’s currently streaming on Netflix.

Arrested Development has had a run unlike any other show on TV. During its first three seasons on Fox, it seemed like it was threatened with cancellation after every episode, much less at the end of every season. The show’s diehard fans would petition and fight to keep the show going before it was finally canceled permanently.

After it was cancelled, the rumors began almost immediately about Arrested Development being brought back, again. Fans clamored for it, and eventually, to everyone’s delight, the entire cast retuned, this time to Netflix to bring the show back for (at least) two more seasons. Through it all, the Arrested Development cast stayed together, despite many of the members' incredible success outside of the show. Let's take a look at their growth between the series' first and latest seasons.

George-Michael Bluth (Michael Cera)

Probably no character in the Arrested Development cast has changed more than the youngest, George-Michael, played by Michael Cera. In Season 1, he is a wimpy, shy kid that is overwhelmed by his father’s attention and in love with his cousin Maeby. In Season 5, he’s still in love with Maeby and she is still trying to find reasons to make out with him, but he’s more confident and more willing to stand up to his father.

Like the character he plays, Michael Cera has changed a lot too. He was an unknown teen actor when the show began and today, he is a bonafide Hollywood star, starring in huge movies like Superbad, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and The Lego Batman Movie.

Maeby Funke (Alia Shawkat)

Maeby is the product of a completely dysfunctional (and hilarious) marriage between Lindsay and Tobias. Right from the beginning, she uses this to her advantage to pretty much do whatever she wants. She is smarter than both her parents, which helps a lot. Always a lot more confident than her cousin Michael, eventually she lands herself in jail and then on the run after accidentally getting into a relationship with a high school student.

Alia Shawkat, like most of the Arrested Development cast, has gone to have a great career in between extended Arrested Development hiatuses. She has been in a whole slew of projects in theaters and on TV, in including a guest spot on Transparent with her fellow Arrested Development co-star Jeffrey Tambor. She also took a hilarious turn as Alexander Hamilton on one of the best episodes of Drunk History.

Buster Bluth (Tony Hale)

The youngest of George and Lucille Bluth’s four children, Buster is the runt of the litter in every way. He is the worst kind of mama’s boy with an insanely weird (and funny) relationship with his domineering mother, Lucille. From the beginning of Season 1 right up until his prison breakout in Season 5, Buster is always the victim. He also had a right hand when Arrested Development began, but he lost that long ago.

Tony Hale jumped from one popular and award-winning sitcom, Arrested Development, to another, Veep on HBO. Hale himself has won a couple of Emmys for his portrayal of Gary Walsh, an aide to Julia-Louis-Dreyfus’ character Selina. Lucky for Hale, Gary Walsh still has both hands.

Lindsay Bluth (Portia de Rossi)

In a family full of ridiculous and terrible people, Lindsay Bluth Funke might be the worst, really. She inherited all the narcissism of her mother Lucille and channels it is all the wrong ways. From the beginning, she has thought of herself as righteous do-gooder, but in reality, everything she does, she does for herself. Even in Season 5, as she runs for Congress, she doesn’t at all understand the meaning service and sacrifice, despite claiming to perform both in one way or another.

Australian Portia de Rossi’s resume over the last 16 years has been impressive. She has appeared as a full cast member or a recurring cast member on a number of shows, including Nip/Tuck and Scandal, as well as a handful of movies. In May of 2018, she announced on her wife Ellen DeGenerous’ show that she would be retiring from acting, but added that she would continue to be a part of the Arrested Development cast. Ellen may not be far behind either. It's a testament to how much the show means to fans and the cast alike.

Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman)

The heart of the family and the heart of the ensemble cast, Michael Bluth, played by Jason Bateman, is deep down a family man, and as such he has spent basically the entirety of the show trying to run from his crazy family and have a more normal life. All the way through Season 5, he is trying to run from and save his family in the search for Lucille Austero, or “Lucille 2” as she is often referred, played, of course, by the legendary Liza Minnelli.

Jason Bateman has had one heck of a career. As a child star, he appeared on such classic '80s TV shows as Little House On The Prairie and starred in The Hogan Family. Bateman’s star fell a little in the '90s and he seemed destined to end up in the washed-up child star dustbin, but he has completely resurrected his career in the 21st century, due in large part to his performance in the Arrested Development cast, for which he has won numerous awards. He is current starring in another big Netflix show, Ozark.

Tobias Funke (David Cross)

For a doctor, Tobias Funke, played by David Cross, sure is stupid. He married into the insane Bluth family though Lindsay and is Maeby’s father, but neither Lindsay nor Maeby are very happy with either of those things. He starts the show in Season 1 as a psychiatrist who wants to be an actor. By the end of Season 5, he is pretty much the same. Tobias is the kind of character who drives you mad with his consistently poor decisions in his professional and private life.

David Cross spends most of his time when not in the Arrested Development cast as a standup comedian and provocateur. He launched his career with legendary Mr. Show on HBO. He sometimes seem to go out of his way to be controversial and subversive, but his career keeps humming along with roles on numerous TV shows, like Modern Family, The Increasingly Poor Decision Of Todd Margaret and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schimdt, which is also on Netflix.

Gob Bluth (Will Arnett)

The oldest of Bluth children and in the running for the most spoiled, which is really saying something, Gob, played by Will Arnett, is a jerk. He’s mean to everyone, especially those people that he sees as beneath him, and why wouldn’t he be? Like the guy in the $5000 suit is going to worry about the guy that doesn’t make that much in 3 months, COME ON! Gob spends 5 seasons on the show being absolutely, positively terrible, and even in the end of Season 5, he is still only looking about for himself.

Arrested Development cast member Will Arnett seems to pop up every where. From voicing The Lego Batman Movie's Caped Crusader to seemingly guest starring on every sitcom under the sun, Arnett brings the funny where ever he shows up. His starring role as the voice of BoJack on BoJack Horseman continues his streak of great shows on Netflix.

Lucille Bluth (Jessica Walter)

Lucille Bluth is the most unredeemed character in a show full of terrible people that never come around. She, like her daughter, is an unrepentant narcissist. From the beginning, she has no problem selling out her children for her own good. Even at the end of Season 5, she is still willing to give up on Lindsay’s congressional run when it won’t help her plans to build the wall.

Jessica Walter’s performance on Arrested Development is pitch perfect. Her timing is impeccable and she consistently stands out among the powerhouse cast. Her huge success came a long time in the making. Walter’s career started in film and television way back in 1964 when she appeared on Flipper! While she had steady TV work through five decades, it wasn’t until Arrested Development that she really hit the big time, and it’s been well-deserved.

George Bluth (Jeffery Tambor)

The patriarch of the dysfunctional Bluths, George Bluth, played by comedic legend Jeffery Tambor, is the most cunning of the family, and the most reckless. Like his TV wife, Lucille, he is an unrepentant sociopath who has no problem selling out his family to make a few bucks. He starts Season 1 in jail and never really redeems himself. He ends Season 5 by sabotaging his daughter’s political career.

Like George, actor Jeffery Tambor seems to be in the middle of controversy a lot. Despite winning an Emmy for his performance on Transparent, he left the show after a slew of sexual misconduct charges were leveled against him. He has since been accused of verbally abusing his Arrested Development co-star Jessica Walters. For all his comedic genius, Jeffrey Tambor is also a very controversial figure.

It’s incredible to think that Arrested Development has lasted this long and is as legendary as it is. From being a struggling show constantly threatened with cancelation to becoming a cult-classic with diehard fans everywhere, this incredible years-long run has seen its ups and downs, but deserves to rank among the pantheon of groundbreaking sitcoms. Who knows what the future holds, but don’t bet against it coming back for more in the future.

Apparently, we all totally missed what must have been Hollywood's most offbeat couple a few years back. Aubrey Plaza revealed earlier this week that she and Michael Cera had actually dated for about a year and a half around 2009 and 2010. Not only dated, but the two actors even almost got married without anybody knowing!

Aubrey Plaza spilled the previously unknown relationship details on Wednesday's episode of RuPaul and Michelle Visage's interview podcast What's The Tee? After RuPaul acknowledged that most fans probably know Plaza from her breakout role as the surly and apathetic parks department worker April Ludgate in Parks & Recreation, he said that he became a fan after seeing her in the 2010 action comedy Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, which starred Michael Cera. Without missing a beat, Plaza revealed that she actually started dating Cera while making that movie.

Aubrey Plaza went on to clarify that she and Michael Cera drove from Chicago to Los Angeles together after Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, but apparently the wedding pitstop in Vegas didn't actually wind up happening. She goes on to say that they had not met before production on the film started in March of 2009 in Toronto, but fell in love with each other while working on the movie. And though they broke up in either 2010 or early 2011, she says that they are still close to this day.

Since her relationship with Michael Cera, Aubrey Plaza has been in a long-term relationship with writer and director Jeff Baena since 2011. Michael Cera's only other known relationship was with actress Charlyne Yi. Though Cera and Yi dated for three years, the relationship was speculated to be a publicity stunt for their 2009 rom-com Paper Heart. The pair broke up shortly after the film was released, and that would have been around the time Cera was beginning to film Scott Pilgrim and met Plaza.

Though Scott Pilgrim vs. the World opened to disappointing numbers at the box office, it attained a cult following and many members of its cast went on to achieve massive success in Hollywood, such as Chris Evans and Brie Larson.

You can listen to Aubrey Plaza recount her relationship with Michael Cera in her own words below, starting at around the 32:50 mark.

Twin Peaks has been coming together over at Showtime for what feels like forever, but this morning the subscription cable network finally stated the series is moving forward. In fact, principal photography has apparently finished on the series already, and the show is moving forward to achieve that 2017 premiere date we started hearing about numerous months ago. Along with Showtime's principal photography announcement, the network revealed a slew of cast members, including a ton of names who appeared on the original series and a slew of brand new--and super famous--cast members. You can check out a sampling of the crazy names you’ll be able to see, below.

Yes, those names include Ernie Hudson, who is most famous for being an original Ghostbuster but who recently appeared on an episode of Modern Family and will be returning to TV to appear in Twin Peaks when Showtime’s revival eventually hits the airwaves. In the meantime, the actor is expected to appear in Paul Feig’s upcoming Ghostbusters revival, as well.

Which brings us to Laura Dern, who is currently doing voice work for the Netflix series F is for Family and who starred in Enlightened on other subscription cabler HBO just a few years ago. She’s still most famous for feature film work like Jurassic Park or The Fault in our Stars and we can’t wait to see what she will do in the world David Lynch created.

But just in case seeing a bunch of big acting names isn’t enough, there’s also the shocking inclusion of some people who are famous for non-acting, including Trent Reznor, who is mostly known for creating music for Nine Inch Nails or for composing the music for a slew of soundtracks including Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. He’s done some minor acting before in Recycled and Light of Day, but not in anything that’s as big of a deal as Twin Peaks. Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder is also attached to Twin Peaks as a cast member, making this whole thing even weirder.

We've known for a while that Amanda Seyfried and a few other big names would be attached to the new series, which will pick up 25 years after the events in the original ABC drama. However, we didn’t know the extent of all of the names attached until now. In fact, there are 217 people that have been cast in Showtime’s upcoming Twin Peaks series, including but not limited to a bunch of actors and actresses like David Duchovny, Sherilyn Fenn, Kyle MacLachlan, Ray Wise, Harry Dean Stanton, Madchen Amick, Michael Horse and Everett McGill will be back. A few people, including Michael Ontkean, will not be returning for the new series.

Interestingly, the casting notice also features Catherine E. Coulson, who actually died in 2015. I’m not sure how the show has figured out how to get the actress in, but I’m certainly interested to see how the whole thing plays out. Unfortunately, while all of this casting news is exciting, it will still be quite some time before we get new episodes of the cult hit on Showtime. For now, you can see what Showtime and the other networks have coming up with our TV premiere schedule.

It has been years since we saw Robin on screen in a Batman movie. Chris O’Donnell notoriously played the Boy Wonder in two Joel Schumacher movies, but Christopher Nolan completely sidestepped the Dark Knight’s crime-fighting sidekick. Well, Robin’s making a comeback, albeit in LEGO form.

The Hollywood Reporter breaks the story that Michael Cera will lend his voice to the character of Robin in LEGO Batman, the spinoff LEGO movie that Chris McKay plans to direct. Will Arnett, who voiced the grim and gruff superhero in The LEGO Movie, will return to the lead role, meaning that this upcoming stop-motion animated comedy will have a sweet Arrested Development reunion on tap.

Batman stole numerous scenes in The LEGO Movie, tapping into Will Arnett’s usual self-confident bravado to create an amusing sense of delusion swirling around the brick-shaped superhero. He sings metal music, parties with the Star Wars crew, blows off his beautiful girlfriend (voiced by Elizabeth Banks) and helps to save the day. He likely will hold down a terrific solo Batman movie, and it’s exciting how details are starting to emerge.

This is much better news for Robin than what we heard out of San Diego Comic-Con, where Warner Bros. held a Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice panel and unveiled the second full trailer. In that clip, we learned that Robin’s probably dead… and likely was killed at the hands of The Joker (Jared Leto), who then torments his antagonist by writing punchlines on the dead sidekick’s suit. Brutal.

The LEGO Movie earned a massive $468 million internationally when it opened in February 2014, catching the industry off guard and cementing the creative reputation of co-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller. The studio has decided to spin it off in a few direction, including a straight sequel (The LEGO Movie 2) and this LEGO Batman movie. We had heard that this spinoff movie would focus on every version of Batman over the years, from the Adam West TV days to Christian Bale’s most recent turn in Chris Nolan’s trilogy. I love that Michael Cera’s been tapped to voice Robin, and I can’t wait to listen to the ways that he will play off of Will Arett in the animated comedy.

When you're good at what you do, demand can only grow for your skills. Just ask any Hollywood actor who has made it big in the business, and they'll tell you that when success hits, the offers typically are only eclipsed by the budgets attached to them. But be careful, because all it takes is one big dud to knock you back, and a couple to take you off the A-list entirely.

This list of 10 stars can all attest to that fact, as they once had the keys to the kingdom – until reality snatched the keys right back.

Eddie Murphy

The Rise: Throughout the 80's and 90's, Eddie Murphy seemed to be able to balance his hits with his losses. For every misfire like Boomerang and Vampire In Brooklyn, there were still hits like Bowfinger and Dr. Doolittle. Perhaps his biggest hit in his later career is, of course, The Nutty Professor -- where he played almost the entire Klump family to a hysterical degree.

The Straw That Broke The Camel's Back: If The Adventures Of Pluto Nash was a warning shot, Norbit was the iceberg that finally sunk Murphy's career. Despite being a financial draw, it was widely panned as a dud by critics and crowds alike. Worse still, it lead to Murphy's backslide into a spate of sentimental comedy films that couldn't even make their small budgets back.

The Fallout: Basically, Eddie Murphy only has one option at this point, and he's taking his sweet time getting Beverly Hills Cop 4 into production. Maybe his time in movie hell has inspired him to take a little more care in choosing his projects, as Tower Heist helped boost his profile a little. Still, you can bet that Beverly Hills Cop 4 is probably going to come in on a budget akin to Ride Along, so as to maximize the profit output.

John Travolta

The Rise: John Travolta was lucky enough to have two rises in his career. The first was, naturally, through his days of Welcome Back Kotter and Saturday Night Fever; with the second being thanks to Quentin Tarantino's casting of the fallen legend in Pulp Fiction.

The Straw That Broke The Camel's Back: Battlefield Earth. In the early days of the public's education on Scientology, Travolta spearheaded production on this L. Ron Hubbard opus of crap. As if throwing his weight behind the film as its producer wasn't bad enough, he hammed it up as Terl, the film's head villain. The less said about that, the better; but YouTube is probably lousy with montages of the film’s "best" bits.

The Fallout: Doomed to a life of cameos, Disney ensemble pictures (Wild Hogs), and direct-to-video films you probably haven't heard of (The Forger), John Travolta's star has once more faded into a haze of obscurity. Though he manages to make a name for himself, whether he likes it or not, as a bit of a professional gaffe maker. Now would be a good time to push The Vega Brothers into fruition.

Drew Barrymore

The Rise: Drew Barrymore, much like John Travolta before her, had a huge career that took a slight nosedive after some troubled times. Nothing that a late 90's renaissance couldn't revive, though, with her appearance in Wes Craven's Scream bringing her career back in a rather bloody fashion. Riding a decent wave of hits and misses after that film's release, she since has came crashing down hard.

The Straw That Broke The Camel's Back: Ever hear of a movie called Big Miracle? It wouldn't be surprising if you had, because it's run on HBO quite a few times. But have you ever watched it? Apparently, not a lot of people did, because Drew Barrymore's fairly reliable star power didn't draw enough people to see this whale of a tale in its box office release. But do you know what did manage to draw in a lot of money, through some feat of dark advertising magic? Blended. Call it an Adam Dandler-driven fluke

The Fallout: So far, it looks like Drew Barrymore has two options that are available to her struggling career at this point: she can hitch her star permanently to Adam Sandler, and join the Happy Madison menagerie, or she can make more off-the-radar films like she did before Scream. So don't be surprised if she has a cameo in The Ridiculous Six to complement her current project, Miss You Already.

Taylor Kitsch

The Rise: A starring role in Friday Night Lights brought Taylor Kitsch into the forefront of Hollywood's attention. This only grew with a bit part in X-Men Origins: Wolverine as Gambit bringing him the spotlight that made Hollywood stand up and decide that Kitsch was their new "it guy."

The Straw That Broke The Camel's Back: It's a tie, because John Carter and Battleship delivered a one/two punch of career hemlock to Kitsch's rising star. One film looked like too much of a Michael Bay rip off, and one film was sold so horribly that not even genre fans could save it. Actual quality of either picture aside, two big-budget bombs in one summer does a lot to crush a burgeoning career.

The Fallout: Taylor Kitsch is actually not doing to bad, as he's made good friends at HBO – thanks to not only a dramatic performance in The Normal Heart, but also his status as one of the new leads on True Detective's second season. The remake of The Raid might help repair some of the damage (if he gets a role, as rumored), but with his career already in the "I'm making under the radar animation films" phase, it needs to be really good.

Michael Cera

The Rise: Michael Cera started as a pretty experienced child actor, doing everything from voiceover work on The Berenstain Bears, as well as films like Frequency. The big time came a calling after Arrested Development became a newly minted comedy hit, with Cera's awkward George Michael helping him transfer into equally awkward roles in Superbad and Juno.

The Straw That Broke The Camel's Back: For as good of a movie as it was, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World was a certified box office disaster, finding itself unable to break even after tax rebates were cashed in to make the actual spend on the film look much smaller. You could easily say that Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist and Year One played a part in Cera's box office demise, but Scott Pilgrim vs. The World was his big starring role, and the public let it fall flat.

The Fallout: Every now and then, Seth Rogen and friends will throw Michael Cera a bone, through a cameo in This Is The End as well as a role in the upcoming animated picture, Sausage Party. Other than that, he's been doing short films and indies that have made a small splash, as well as returning to his awkward role as George-Michael in the revival series of Arrested Development. But his leading-man days appear to be done.

Sylvester Stallone

The Rise: With Rocky lighting the firework that was Sylvester Stallone's career, the 70's and 80's were extremely good to the Italian Stallion. With action and comedy being his two main wheelhouses, the man introduced us all to the previously mentioned boxing sensation, as well as war veteran turned one man killing machine Rambo. Times were very good to Stallone.

The Straw That Broke The Camel's Back: Judge Dredd was, hands down, the nadir of Stallone's career, at least on paper. While the film eventually became somewhat of a camp classic, it was a huge blow to the industry's confidence in the leading man’s star power. Even worse, Stallone fell into the same trap John Travolta did with Battlefield Earth, and made a couple films through shady production shingle, and infamous money pit, Franchise Pictures.

The Fallout: Sylvester Stallone has managed to settle into a niche of low expectations, with the occasional hit that'll keep him going for a little longer. Rocky Balboa, Rambo, and The Expendables all made some nice-sized spikes in his star power, but ultimately Stallone's just not the draw that he used to be. Even that recent spike has seen some decline, with The Expendables 3 being savaged every which way (especially at the box office, where it matters most).

Katherine Heigl

The Rise: The transition from teen sensation to grown-up celebrity is a hard one, yet somehow Katherine Heigl made the jump with very little friction. Thanks to Bride Of Chucky’s success, as well as her tenure on Grey's Anatomy, film roles started to become more and more prevalent, with Knocked Up being her huge breakout hit.

The Straw That Broke The Camel's Back: After a lot of ego problems between her and her Grey's Anatomy family, as well as some choice words about how "sexist" Knocked Up was against her character, Heigl's backslide was a combination of PR nightmares and diminishing returns. Movies like Killers, Life As We Know It and The Ugly Truth were – well, ugly. But no project signified both pitfalls as great as the disastrous Janet Evanovich adaptation, One For The Money.

The Fallout: Katherine Heigl's profile has been moderately visible, with smaller films on her resume and a starring role on State Of Affairs being her current claims to fame. Yet her film career isn't as bright as it once was, and we’re not sure it ever will be again.

Kristen Stewart

The Rise: Another child star who hit it big, Kristen Stewart went from running scared with Jodie Foster in Panic Room to running through the woods with then-boyfriend Robert Pattinson in The Twilight Saga. Like or hate the films, the teen romance franchise shot her star into the stratosphere, and built on a carefully crafted foundation she'd constructed over the years.

The Straw That Broke The Camel's Back: That foundation apparently wasn't strong enough to continue her success past The Twilight Saga’s conclusion, as Snow White And The Huntsman was nowhere near as huge as the sparkling success she was experiencing concurrent to the release of Universal's attempted franchise launch. Not only did this performance stunt the development of the sequel, it also hurt Stewart's career after some personal drama came to the forefront.

The Fallout: Kristen Stewart has always had one toe dipped in the indie film pond, and after the aftermath of Snow White And The Huntsman, that's basically all she's been doing ever since. A huge franchise just doesn't seem in the cards, because audiences proved that they don't buy her as a viable lead. While she might never have another franchise to head up, she's doing decently for herself in the small film circuit, especially when she became the first American to win a Cesar Award. You don’t always have to be the lead, after all.

John Cusack

The Rise: With a career that spans more than 20 years, ranging from teen 80's comedies to underrated thrillers and romantic comedies, John Cusack has an impressive range of films on his record. He's also one of those rare actors who can age gracefully, switching gears as naturally as he can hold a boombox outside Ione Skye's window. He rose to fame with Better Off Dead in 1985, and stayed on top for a long, long time.

The Straw That Broke The Camel's Back: In more recent years, John Cusack has made himself comfortable with more smaller-scale films, and the project to blame is most assuredly Roland Emmerich's 2012. With a plot more ridiculous and ham-fisted than any previous Emmerich disaster, 2012 rides a wave of disaster porn and pseudo science that even the most forgiving audiences found laughable.

The Fallout: In recent years, Cusack has been working with low budget films that either find themselves completely forgotten, or succeeding with a weak-tea temperament. The most high profile roles he's scored have been in films with Lee Daniels (The Butler) and David Cronenberg (Maps to the Stars), which has kept him in public view. But he skipped the second Hot Tub time Machine. And the Stephen King adaptation, Cell, probably the highest profile project in Cusack's queue, isn’t going to be the actor’s return ticket to the big leagues unless it hits big.

Nicholas Cage

The Rise: Perhaps the most interesting career on this list, Nicolas Cage made a name for himself by playing to a cross-section of roles that flexed both his serious acting chops, as well as his naturally weird personality. Much like his idol, Elvis Presley, Cage had cultivated a persona as a performer as well as an enigmatic eccentric, and he's got the Academy Award to prove it.

The Straw That Broke The Camel's Back: Cage’s career is hard to pin down. He was making Face/Off at one moment and National Treasure in the next, with plenty of time to make The Weather Man in the interim. Cage seemed to have a good racket going for him. Then, The Wicker Man happened, and faster than you could say, "BEES," Nicholas Cage amped up the weird factor and scaled back on reality. He really hasn’t returned.

The Fallout: As crazy as his choices may have looked, Cage has maintained a steady stream of work that's kept him in the public eye. While he hasn't always made the best choices, he's certainly made interesting choices that don't look like they cost their respective studios all that much to produce. Sadly, this has diluted the "Cage" brand, making films like The Croods 2 or National Treasure 3 the only shot Cage really has at leading a huge budget picture -- and even then, those films aren't guaranteed.

So what have we learned today? If anything, it could be said that the greatest lesson of today's examination into the rise and fall of big name stars is not only to choose your projects wisely, but to know how to balance said projects in accordance with your true talents. Maybe you shouldn't take two high profile projects in one year, even if they seem like a sure fire hit. Perhaps you should pay your taxes, so you don't have to take every remake of a Christian blockbuster that comes along. Or maybe, you should just realize that the job of an actor isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. So before you get into the business, or before you choose that next project after your appearance in a Marvel comic book movie, keep in mind these 10 profiles, and the career mistakes they have made.

No matter what films Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg put together at this point, they'll draw comparisons to their super successful feature debut The is the End. Their directorial follow-up The Interview (also with James Franco) is in post-production now, but their upcoming Sony/Annapurna animated movie that they co-wrote, Sausage Party, has now signed a hugely talented voicecast that makes it impossible not to think of their directorial debut, as it retains five of that film’s actors. Rogen will of course lend his brilly tones to the pic, as will Franco, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and David Krumholz. And if that wasn’t enough, Nick Kroll, Kristen Wiig and Edward Norton fill out this rather testosterone-laden bunch. I guess the title doesn’t lie.

This comedy will probably aim for the harder-than-medicated-erections spectrum of the R-rating, and it's surprising that the production has signed a pair of child-friendly filmmakers to dish it all out. Shrek 2 and Monsters vs. Aliens helmer Conrad Vernon is teaming up with the somewhat prolific Thomas the Train Engine director Greg Tiernan to make this one, using a script that was co-written by Rogen and Goldberg as well as first time feature writers Kyle Hunter and Ariel Shaffir, . TheWrap says that the studio Nitrogen Studios Canada will be putting together all of the CG animation and design elements, as they have for video games like God of War and Thomas and Friends. I can hear them saying, "No, make it look more like a penis," around the offices now.

The story of Sausage Party follows a forgotten sausage who accidentally falls out of someone’s grocery cart. He must then team up with a bunch of other store items as he works towards getting back on the shelf before the 4th of July sale. It seems like a pretty depressing venture, fighting so hard just to get bought, cooked and eaten, but maybe the subtext of the film revolves around one achieving their main purpose in life. Or it could just be a bunch of sexual innuendo and F-bombs. It’s most certainly a tragedy that the character list wasn’t also revealed, as I’d love to know what kind of items all of the actors are going to be. If a kumquat doesn’t appear for at least one joke, I’ll have to rethink everything about my life.

Everybody in this cast is coasting along at career-high crests, with the possible exception of Norton - but that’s only because he hasn’t been taking on that many projects. Still, there are some who would probably rather see this for him alone, as everyone else but Krumholz has completely saturated pop culture in more than one way in the last few years. Regardless, it’s a terrific line-up that will hopeully bring in waves of adult audiences, including some that would never spend a weekend watching something animated.

Because of how long it takes for animated movies to get made, one can assume that the mouse wheels are already spinning on the project, and we’ll all be a little older when Sony crashes Sausage Party in theaters at some point in 2015. No matter how old I get, though, the following scene will still draw a laugh out of me.

For the last ten years, Michael Cera has more or less been playing the exact same character, just put into many different situations. From Arrested Development’s George Michael to Scott Pilgrim to Michael Cera in the webseries Clark and Michael - which is a cheat, I know – Cera has epitomized the role of the slightly awkward, mumbling nice guy, so much so that he seemed to have spawned Jesse Eisenberg. But somehow Chilean director Sebastián Silva has managed to disrupt that status quo with a pair of films releasing in the next few months. We’ve already seen Cera’s malevolently creepy side in the Magic Magic trailer, and now we have our first full trailer for the spaced out comedy Crystal Fairy, thanks to Apples.

All right, all right, I hear you. This is probably more like Cera’s past roles than I’m willing to admit, but he isn’t usually on drugs and he doesn’t usually have hair this amazing. (It looks like a hay bale that won’t accept its station in life.) But the real switcheroo is being performed by former child actress Gaby Hoffman (Field of Dreams), who plays the titular Crystal Fairy, and looks like the most questionable road trip companion that one could ever imagine having.

Cera plays Jamie, a typical American traveler in Chile who takes a road trip with some friends (the director’s brothers Agustin Silva, José Miguel Silva, Juan Andrés Silva) in order to find and imbibe on the legendary San Pedro cactus, known for containing mescaline and being the most prickly of all party favors. Jamie meets Crystal Fairy at a party and drunkenly invites her along on the trip, which will apparently turn out to be one of the worst decisions of his life, given that she is apparently in-fucking-sane. (And also occasionally nude, it looks like. Hairy Fairy!)

The trailer makes the movie look like a really cool beach movie, only one that takes place in the desert. And from what our own Katey Rich has to say about it, it’s a rollicking good time. As the film goes on, Crystal Fairy appears to go from being the aura-obsessed hippie-dippie to being someone at least in tune with herself, if not the rest of the world. And Jamie, meanwhile, retreats from being a fun-seeking tourist to the anal retentive outsider in the group. As non-standard as the storyline may be, the trailer makes the film still seem somewhat realistic. I think we’ve all met someone like Crystal Fairy, who has affected our lives for either a single night or an entire lifetime, with or without clothes on. At least we can leave her behind once this film is over though.

You can catch Crystal Fairy when it trips its way into theaters on July 12, 2013. While we here at Cinema Blend don’t condone using of hallucinogens inside a movie theater, we do condone badmouthing anyone who doesn’t.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure George Michael Bluth has gone totally batshit in the above trailer for Sebastian Silva’s second collaboration with Michael Cera – the first being the chaotic comedy Crystal Fairy. Both films feature Cera playing against type, and in the case of Magic Magic, his usual nebbishness is replaced with a wide-eyed insatiability for making people uncomfortable; and I’m talking about both Juno Temple’s character, Alicia, and the viewers.

Magic Magic’s description made it sound like a “tourist in trouble” horror, but the trailer makes it look like a reverse home invasion thriller, or a visceral take on a cult movie. I don’t know what the hell is going on with Brink (Cera), Barbara (Catalina Sandino Moreno), Agustin (Agustin Silva), or even Sarah (Emily Browning). That’s the trouble with casting young people in lunatic roles these days: there’s more gravitas to being a nutzo when it’s implied that it’s been going on for decades. I could just be slightly put off by Cera’s manic gaze looking more like an awkward come hither romantic invitation, and the fact that I'm pretty sure Juno Temple could crush Michael Cera in a fight.

Alicia travels to Chile in her first vacation outside of the U.S., and ends up inside the house of sadism, unable to get her friends to rescue her in time. I do love that despite the out-there quality shading the entire trailer, it does come across as psychologically thrilling, rather than seeming silly or camp. Though Cera’s glee when he tells Temple to go stick her face in the fire made me giggle in a way that only camp performances do, so maybe I’m fooling myself here.

Even though the trailer says it’s out now on DVD, it won’t officially get released for another two months on August 6. While Magic Magic’s remote setting almost certainly won’t be more fun than the cabin in Cabin in the Woods, I think I’m more afraid to go to Chile.

Thursday night is the official beginning of Sundance, with four films premiering for both public audiences and, in a much smaller and less glamorous setting, the press. The first I caught was Who Is Dayani Cristal?, a documentary about illegal migrants who die trying to cross the U.S. border, featuring substantial re-enactment scenes starring Gael Garcia Bernal, who also co-directed. It's a noble effort but not necessarily a successful one, and to be honest the much more interesting movie of the night was the next one, Sebastian Silva's Crystal Fairy.

My roommate and Operation Kino co-host Matt Patches caught that second one with me, and at the end of the night we caught up to record a video about that film, Crystal Fairy, along with Who Is Dayani Cristal? and the premiere film he caught, May in the Summer (I've since seen it, and I like it much more than he did-- more to come on that later). See our reactions to all three films below, and read on for more on Crystal Fairy.

Crystal Fairy-- real name unknown-- is first seen jumping into the middle of a dance circle, a big mess of frizzy brown hair and too many bangles, moving way too slowly for the music that's playing. She's the kind of girl who's constantly offering to massage your aura, or insisting that everyone do a meditation before dinner, or lecturing you about the sugar in your food, or walking about stridently naked. We've all known this kind of girl, and as played in Crystal Fairy & The Magic Cactus And 2012 by the former child actress Gaby Hoffman, she becomes nuanced and fascinating-- but only under the harsh glare of a fellow American who can't stand the sight of her.

Michael Cera's character Jamie was probably the selling point for most of the press who crowded into last night's screening. Michael Cera, making a movie in Chile about a group of people trying to do drugs-- wait, what? But even though Jamie is the main character, he's the complete antithesis to the spirit of the movie, a guy who we first meet out of his mind on cocaine, and who spends most of the rest of the movie trying to convince everyone to go along with his plans-- and getting in the way of what everyone actually wants to do. Jamie invites Crystal Fairy to join him on a road trip up north on a drugged-out impulse, and when she actually shows up, his first instinct is to ditch her immediately. But she sticks around, of course, and her presence adds a delicious friction to this Y Tu Mama Tambien-style road trip-- the only girl in a group of guys, a girl with defiantly unshaven armpits and wild eyebrows, and a girl who one member of the group vocally can't stand.

Along for the ride are a trio of Chilean brothers (director Sebastian Silva's real-life siblings Agustin, Jose Miguel and Juan Andres) who are too nice to say anything mean to Crystal Fairy, and who quickly realize that Jamie is the actual obnoxious one. The energy of the film's first half, as the group is on their search for the San Pedro cactus that they will cook and turn into mescaline, slides into the more muted but intricate second half, as the group trips out on the beach and comes to more than a few realizations about themselves. Yes, that's a cliche about any story featuring strangers in a strange land and drugs, but the conflict between Jamie and Crystal Fairy has been so well-drawn to that point that it's fascinating to see them change. The Silva brothers are much more static characters, but they make for an endearing Greek chorus, each of them getting priceless reaction shots at the next ridiculous things one of these Americans does.

I responded strongly to the way the film explores a character like Crystal Fairy, a woman very deliberately rejecting cultural expectations of how women are supposed to be-- and who has very good reasons to do so. A final monologue puts a little too neat of a button on her character, but Hoffman's fearless and naturalistic performance sells the hell out of it, and it adds to the film's warmhearted but incisive treatment of its two main characters, both of whom come in for critique but who are ultimately embraced as well. Crystal Fairy is a bit of a ramble and maybe 15 minutes too long, but its spin on the familiar story of Americans in a strange land is smart and constantly surprising. No distribution information about this one yet, but that same promise of "the Michael Cera doing drugs in Chile movie" ought to get it in front of at least a few audiences before too long.

Click here to read all of my Sundance coverage so far, and follow me on Twitter for the most up-to-the-minute updates.

Remember a few years back when Jesse Eisenberg was commonly referred to as "the poor man's Michael Cera?" Well, 2010 offered both a major role reversal in the form of The Social Network and Scott Pilgrim Vs the World. While the former won tons of attention and earned Eisenberg an Academy Award nod, the latter tanked at the box office despite widespread critical praise. So, Eisenberg's star rose as Cera slunk out of the spotlight.

But it's 2013 and the actor who captured our hearts as the cousin-kissing George-Michael Bluth is poised for a comeback! Not only is Arrested Development miraculously returning this spring, but also Cera is slated to appear in three 2013 releases, including two features from Chilean writer-director Sebastián Silva. Last fall we got a glimpse of Magic, Magic with a string of stills, and now Punch Drunk Critics has uncovered a couple of clips from Crystal Fairy, which you can view below.

In Crystal Fairy, Cera stars as Jamie, an American tourist who goes on a bad trip (of at least two varieties) when he decides to invite a stranger on a road trip into the desert, where he gets high on Mescaline. The first clip is clearly from the desert section of the film, but I wonder if the second precedes it in the film. Because if one of these prostitutes is the stranger Jamie takes to the desert, he's got a pretty big surprise in store. But what's most interesting about these clips is that they unmistakably show Cera is looking to rebrand himself and break out of the very specific niche he created that later strangled his career prospects. It's a bold and necessary movie, but will it work?

Crystal Fairy premieres at the Sundance Film Festival on January 17th.

Any Archer fan worthy of their tactilneck can tell you the espionage-comedy cartoon series owes a great debt to Arrested Development. Like the brilliant but short-lived sitcom about the battling Bluth family, Archer has a comedy style that relies on in-jokes, callbacks and ludicrous characters. Moreover, there's been quite a bit of casting crossover with Jessica Walter, Judy Greer, Jeffrey Tambor, and David Cross all lending their voices to Archer in either lead roles or guest spots.

Executive producers Adam Reed and Matt Thompson have been open about their admiration for Arrested Development, stating it is "the best televisions show of the last ten years." But does this mean we'll see—well, hear—more of the Bluth clan in Archer's soon-to-debut season four?

Last night, before the excited crowds came into Irving Plaza's Archer Live! event, I had a chance to pose this question to a panel that included much of the main cast and Thompson, whose response was a reluctant, "It's a surprise. I can't tell you right now." Walters, who had perked up at the mere mention of the show she's clearly still proud of, added, "I don't even know!" This prompted Lucky Yates, who plays the Hitler-clone Dr. Krieger, to laugh, "I think that's a no! Maybe in Season five."

However, the topic came up again once the live show was opened up to questions from the audience. This time Walters caused a small riot by one, mentioning Arrested Development's return this spring, and two by telling her adoring fans that her onscreen grandson is interested in a guest spot on Archer, saying.

The crowd responded with giddy gasps and cheers, and hopefully this will be enough to encourage Reed and Thompson to find a spot for Cera amid their slick and silly world of snarky spies, sexy cyborgs, and traditional genre-role eschewing pirates. The mind boggles at the possibilities.

Archer's fourth season kicks off on FX January 17th at 10 PM. Season 3 is now available on DVD and Blu-ray. Look for details on Season 4, plus my full review of Archer Live! to be posted later this week.

I can't even tell you how surreal and exciting it was to type that headline up there. Sure, we've known for a while now that Arrested Development was indeed rising from the ashes thanks to Netflix. We even knew that the show was due to start filming the new episodes very soon. Now Arrested Development actor Jason Bateman has tweeted a shot of Michael Cera, along with the short message, "My son, arriving yesterday." And for some reason…that makes this all feel more real.

Netflix will post all 10 new Arrested Development episodes at the same time, just as they did with their first original series, Lilyhammer, earlier this year. I don't know about you, but I'm thrilled at the prospect of a new Arrested Development marathon.

It will also be fascinating to see how much of an audience the eps pull in, whether subscriptions increase specifically because of the AD eps, and so forth. I have a feeling the traditional networks are going to be watching this Development very closely, because very well could be a game-changer. And with more Netflix original shows coming from talents like David Fincher, Weeds creator Jenji Kohan, and Eli Roth.

The new Arrested Development tweet comes after several previous behind-the-scenes looks at the show as it winds up to give us the first new episodes since 2006. You can see the two earlier pictures below, the first tweeted by Bateman and the second by Ron Howard.

For those who have been watching The Simpsons for the last 20 years, you will be familiar with their practice of bringing in numerous high-profile guest voices throughout the season. It was charming at first, you know, when the show was still relevant and funny (so, about 10 years ago). The other Fox animated series quickly followed suit, Family Guy most noticeably, and now the Fox "Animation Domination" guest voice campaign continues and expands, with each of their major shows lining up both some big and small names.

Some of my favorite episodes of the early years of The Simpsons (I don't watch any post-season 10 eps) involved guest voices, including: James "Don't jerk around with me buddy" Woods in "Homer and Apu," Conan "Only I may dance" O'Brien in "Bart Gets Famous," and Albert "You're gonna die now" Brooks in "You Only Move Twice." The rest of the Fox animation schedule also has had some memorable guests, with the amazing James Woods showing up in Family Guy as well, and the network's upcoming season is packed with special guest stars.

According to THR, these are some of the celebs slated to appear on the Fox animated shows. Starting with The Simpsons, who will get visits from Anthony Bourdain, Gordon Ramsay, Kiefer Sutherland, Michael Cera, Aron Ralston, Jeremy Irons, Armie Hamer, Jane Lynch, Andy Garcia, Joan Rivers, and artist Shepard Fairey. Personally, even though I haven't watched the show in years, I might have to tune in and catch the Michael Cera episode because, well, I'm a big fan and he seems like a great love interest for Lisa (at least the Lisa I remember).

The three Seth MacFarlane shows, Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show, will all have several guests this year. FGis bringing in heavy hitters Ryan Reynolds, Ricky Gervais, Cate Blanchett, Anna Kendrick, and Ellen Page (that's three Academy Award nominees).

AD has Cee Lo Green, Patrick Stewart, David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, Amy Sedaris, and Kathy Griffin providing their voices.

Finally, TCS is bringing Craig Robinson, Jamie Kennedy, John Slattery, Will Forte, Carl Reiner, Darren Criss, Fergie, will.i.am, Nikki Minaj, Bruno Mars, Kanye West, Florence Henderson, Phylicia Rashad, Joey Votto, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, David Ortiz, and Johnny Bench.

That's a lot of guest stars...You'll catch them throughout the Fox "Animation Domination" season starting September 25th on Sundays at 8 p.m.