In just a few years, Sydney Sweeney has become a bonafide A-lister, who is appearing in major projects on both the small and silver screens. While folks regularly watch Sweeney's biggest projects, many are looking forward to what she might do in the future. Some fans who spent years watching the James Bond movies in order want to see her join as a Bond Girl, and The Housemaid director Paul Feig recently addressed that possibility.

What we know about Bond 26 is super limited, as its still in the early stages of development. But with Daniel Craig's Bond movies in the rear view, the generations of fans are looking forward to how the series will be rebooted yet again. In an interview with The Sun, Feig addressed whether or not Sweeney should be a Bond Girl, offering:

Honestly, sign me up. While Paul Feig seems down to see Sydney Sweeney in a Bond movie, he wants her to be a fellow spy rather than a civilian/love interest for 007. And given her work ethic and years of experience with kickboxing and grappling, points were made. Plus she did fight choreography in Christy as well as the infamous Madame Web movie (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription).

Feig worked closely with Sweeney on The Housemaid, which became a megahit upon its release. A sequel was already been ordered, which means that pair will once again be collaborating. And the Simple Favor director thinks that she would be a great Bond girl... even if the franchise isn't using that term anymore.

Plenty of actresses have played Bond Girls over the years, as there are usually one or two in every movie. But only a few have been able to meet James as a fellow spy. Halle Berry famously did this as Jinx in Die Another Day, while Michelle Yeoh kicked some serious ass in Tomorrow Never Dies. We'll just have to see who ends up being the next 007, and if Sweeney gets to join the ranks of iconic Bond Girls. Fingers crossed.

For now, the 28 year-old actress is definitely keeping busy. She's reprising her role as Cassie Howard in Euphoria Season 3, and is attached to a whopping six upcoming movie projects at the time of writing this story. That includes The Housemaid's Secret, which will see her reunited with Paul Feig and Amanda Seyfried.

The Housemaid is streaming now on STARZ, and Euphoria Season 3 will premiere on April 12th as part of the 2026 TV schedule. Hopefully we gret news about the future of the Bond franchise sooner rather than later.

As far as book to screen adaptations go, Paul Feig's The Housemaid was a massive hit. Screenings had people yelling in theaters, and the 2025 mystery film made a whopping $398 million on a reported budget of $35 million, with tons of folks heading to theaters to see Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney face off. The film is now streaming, and I went back to re-watch it and clocked a cameo that was confirmed by Feig to CinemaBlend months ago.

The Housemaid crushed at the box office, and now the movie is streamable for those with a STARZ subscription. As you can see in the video above, I had the chance to speak with Paul Feig ahead of its release, where I asked about a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo by the filmmaker himself. He confirmed I caught it, telling me:

Feig spoke about the challenges of The Housemaid, and that includes the slick way that he brought himself to the project. In the movie Sydney Sweeney is shown watching TV, which features footage of the director/actor in I Am David. It's a cute way that Feig got to appear in the project, where he was mostly the man behind the camera. And now fans can re-watch the film and pause it on that moment.

The Housemaid's ending left things open for more stories, which was a smart move considering that a sequel is already in development. Kirsten Dunst will join the burgeoning franchise in the follow-up film, and it should be fascinating to see how the story is expanded, and if its different than the second novel The Housemaid's Secret. We'll just have to wait and see if Feig manages to sneak in another cameo in that highly anticipated project.

The Housemaid is available to re-watch now on STARZ, which can also be bundled with a Hulu subscription. It's unclear when the sequel will arrive, but we probably shouldn't expect it to arrive on the 2026 release list. But at least the first one is now finally streamable, complete with Paul Feig's cameo.

In both The Housemaid book by Freida McFadden and the movie, which is still doing great at the box office a month into its release, there’s a notable tie to Family Feud. So, it was a stroke of genius marketing for Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar and director Paul Feig to turn up on an episode of Celebrity Family Feud recently. But how did they make that happen?

The Housemaid’s key talent competed in a game of Celebrity Family Feud on December 4 against a slew of stars from The Real Housewives. Director Paul Feig told Variety that when they were filming the Family Feud scene on set, this happened:

There are quite a few changes between The Housemaid book and movie, not unlike most book adaptations, but the Family Feud of it all remained the same. One night, Millie (played by Sweeney) can’t sleep at the residence where she’s a live-in housemaid, and she heads downstairs to watch the game show to relax, and the wife of her employer, Andrew (Sklenar), ends up sitting down and watching it with her. It’s a moment of great tension since she’s scantily dressed, and worried about what Nina might think if she’s caught.

The cast being on Family Feud is such a nod to the film I'm not getting over anytime soon. They did that!

It’s not surprising that Sweeney might have the idea, given how many brand deals and such she’s been part of. The actress knows how to market something! The appearance was reportedly a smashing success, too, given it earned 1.5 million video views within the linear window. Lionsgate film group chair Adam Fogelson also said this about The Housemaid cast ending up on Celebrity Family Feud:

In the episode, The Housemaid crew even made a killing against The Real Housewives. Check out this clip from the episode:

While usual Family Feud episodes have the team members winning cash, the celebrity version has each team competing to give to the charity of their choice, which, in The Housemaid’s case, was for Shriners Hospitals for Children. The team ended up winning $50,000 for the nonprofit healthcare system and had fun doing so.

The Housemaid movie has made $135.8 million worldwide as well, and we get why, given how fun it is to see the thriller with an audience. It was reported this week that Lionsgate has already greenlit a sequel after those involved shared they were “ready” to make it happen. I love that The Housemaid did this bit because not only is it a blast to watch, it's for a great cause.

For as long as there have been films, popular novels have been one of the most common places to find source material. Of course, no movie that’s a couple of hours long can include everything that a book that consists of hundreds of pages contains. Making a book-to-screen adaptation might seem easier since the story is already written, but as The Housemaid director Paul Feig says, it’s actually a very delicate process.

Paul Feig has experience doing book adaptations, having previously directed A Simple Favor to success so great it earned a sequel. Now he’s behind the mind-trip of a thriller called The Housemaid, which is based on Freida McFadden's wildly popular novel. Speaking with Rolling Stone, he talked about the difficulty of deciding what to include and what to remove in an adaptation, and how difficult that can be. Feig said…

People generally love to see their favorite books turned into films. Normally, one can only imagine what a favorite scene in a story would look like, but as a movie, you get to see it come to life. But therein lies the rub. As Feig says, everybody wants to see their favorite moments on screen, but you can’t include them all.

Usually, there are key plot moments that you have to include in order for the story on screen to follow the one in the book. However, many moments from a story, including some that might be fan favorites, aren’t strictly necessary in order to tell the story. Some of these will run the risk of being cut. But as Feig says, fans won’t like that.

While Paul Feig doesn’t specify the “water cooler moments” that he tried to include in his latest movie, it sounds like some of the moments from The Housemaid novel may have been originally cut, but saved by him. There are probably some very happy fans even if they don't know it.

I’m certainly guilty of being frustrated when my favorite moments from a beloved book aren’t in the movie, or are changed to the point of being unrecognizable. Although sometimes changes to the source material actually make for better movies. The Housemaid itself changes up its ending, potentially making for a much better story. Considering that there are sequel novels to The Housemaid, one imagines fans of those books are now hoping to see their favorite moments hit the screen as well.

There’s nothing like a good BTS story about how a movie comes together, and in the case of The Housemaid, fans have been interested to learn how the highly-anticipated book adaptation came to life on the big screen. One of the coolest details about the movie, in my opinion, is how it ends on just the perfect Taylor Swift song. I just found out that moment was not guaranteed for fans in the beginning, but Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney absolutely kept the faith.

It was director Paul Feig who admitted he wanted Taylor Swift's "I Did Something Bad" for the closing credits of The Housemaid. Of course, taking a popular song from a bucket list want to a reality can be a little bit challenging.

Honestly, I get it. The last time Taylor Swift cleared one of her songs for a big movie release was It Ends With Us, and that landed her in the middle of the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni brouhaha. Personally, Swift's music is such a perfect fit for The Housemaid tonally and I can see why Feig, Amanda Seyfried, and Sydney Sweeney all wanted it in the movie.

The song’s from Swift’s Reputation, and Feig told People it was the “ultimate kind of empowerment song.” There was just one problem: They needed permission to use it. The two leading ladies saw the cut of the final version of the movie before the right were cleared, and they just kept saying they needed it in the movie.

Still, it wasn’t always a sure thing.

• Seyfried: "We saw it before it was fully confirmed."
• Sweeney: "And we were like, 'We can't lose this!' We were like, 'You have to keep this!' … And it brings every generation together, which is so fun. "

Ultimately, The Housemaid does end on “I Did Something Bad” shortly after the audience finds out – and minor spoilers – that Millie has moved on to a new household during The Housemaid’s viral ending scene. Because of the scene and the song, there's a chance we'll get a Housemaid 2 sequel.

Honestly, I don’t personally know exactly how difficult it is to land a Taylor Swift song, though Feig alluded to it not being a super simple favor. It’s true a ton of movies don’t have her music, but shows like Will Trent, The Bear and The Handmaid’s Tale have all rocked her music just this year. Still, I do think The Housemaid may have had an uphill battle given it’s a little similar to It Ends with Us tonally and that obviously has been a whole big thing in the press. Or maybe there could have been cost issues (as we all know Swift's music ain't cheap) or problems with clearing “I Did Something Bad” in particular.

Maybe there simply was another kind of holdup on nabbing the rights, too, as Feig did not clarify how it ultimately came, down.

Whatever the case, Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney seemingly kept beating the drum until the powers that be agreed to let “I Did Something Bad” into the movie. The rest is delicious, campy movie history, and if you haven’t given the flick a watch yet, it’s absolutely one for the big screen. Just see CinemaBlend’s own Corey Chichizola recounting his rowdy screening.

This weekend saw the release of Paul Feig's The Housemaid. While it remains to be seen if the book to screen adaptation goes down as one of Amanda Seyfried's best movies, the new project has been getting a ton of love online. Critics praised The Housemaid, and fans of Freida McFadden's book are wondering if the sequel novels might end up being green lit as a result. While that remain to be seen, both Sydney Sweeney and Feig have expressed interest in continuing the story on the big screen.

The Housemaid competed at the box office with Avatar 3, but it offered a very different type of moviegoing experience. The new movie has audiences yelling at the screen, and I'd love to ee the narrative expanded with a sequel or two. In an interview with Variety, Sweeney expressed interest in doing more Housemaid films, saying:

She's not wrong. McFadden's's book have been super popular ever since The Housemaid hit shelves in 2022. Fans of the book were validated when the movie ended up hitting with audiences, and many want to see the two follow-up novels get their own film adaptation. The star of Euphoria (which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription) is in to reprise her role, but we'll have to see if the studio actually green lights another film.

In the same interview, director Paul Feig also addressed the calls for The Housemaid to get a sequel. He's seemingly down to get back behind the camera for follow-up, saying:

It certainly sounds like the cast and filmmaker are down to make this movie into a full-blown franchise. But The Housemaid will have to perform well enough at the box office for the studio to actually order a sequel. It remains to be seen if that happens, and if word of mouth online convinced the powers that be to give us more.

The Housemaid made changed from the book, and fans of the series are curious about what other variations might happen if/when a sequel film is ordered. In a separate interview with Today, Sydney Sweeney shared her hopes of what could happen in a sequel, saying:

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney has great chemistry throughout The Housemaid, including the press tour, so it makes sense that the latter actress would want them to get more scenes together in a possible sequel.

The Housemaid is in theaters now as part of the 2025 movie schedule. We'll just have to wait to see if a sequel actually gets ordered by the powers at Lionsgate. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed!

Spoilers ahead for The Housemaid.

Paul Feig is a filmmaker who works in multiple genres, and he's back in theaters with the book to screen adaptation, The Housemaid. Critics have been positive about The Housemaid, and audiences now have their chance to judge for themselves. I personally saw an early screening where people verbally reacted and yelled at the screen, and I didn't realize how much I'd missed that experience.

Feig teased that folks would clutch their pearls with The Housemaid, and he wasn't kidding. The twists and turns from the book are there, including some changes to the narrative. It's a project that's sexy and scary, which is why folks seem to be so verbally responsive to its contents. And I found that really added to my experience watching the movie.

We Need More Movies Built For A Rowdy Theatrical Experience

As previously said, I caught an early screening of The Housemaid. But it wasn't just journalists who got to fill the theater in New York City, as fans also lined up for the chance to catch this early screening. Those fans made their voices known, as the creepy and sometimes hilarious story of the movie played out before our eyes.

These responses were a slow burn at first; once Amanda Seyfried's Nina started being creepy toward Sydney Sweeney's Millie, there was appropriate laughter and other "WTF?" reactions. But when the full scope of the thriller's narrative started playing out, folks couldn't help but yell and cheer at the big screen.

The best horror movies should be seen in a crowded theater, where everyone is experiencing the same feelings. That was proven when those elements came into The Housemaid. When Sweeney's Millie is forced to carve marks into her abdomen, you could hear the distress. The same can also be said when she forces Andrew (Brandon Sklenar) to tear out one of his teeth with a set of pliers.

Feig's movie has plenty of twists and turns, especially in the third act. And when the movie's villain finally gets their comeuppance, my theater erupted into thunderous applause. The group sense of catharsis was palpable, and made the entire movie an exceptionally fun moviegoing experience.

I'm not someone who wants every movie theater to be filled with loud people. Most horror movies need silence as tension builds, while prestige dramas don't leave room for distractions. But The Housemaid is campy and comedic, with plenty of moments for laughs. It's also got some steamy sex scenes, and and a thrilling mystery at its heart. All in all it's a project basically begging for a communal experience and big reactions from moviegoers.

The Housemaid is in theaters now as part of the 2025 movie release list. There are two more books that can potentially be made into sequels if it does well, so we'll have to see how it performs at the box office.

Oh, do I love book adaptations for this very reason. I think it’s so much fun to see how Hollywood decides to translate the material to a visual medium, and what’s added or lost along the way. When it comes to The Housemaid film, there’s a lot of eyes on this one because so many people have been reading and discussing Freida McFadden’s bestseller since it was published back in 2022. Now that I’ve seen the movie after being excited for it after reading it, I want to talk about all the big (and small) changes.

As far as adaptations go, I thought the film remained pretty close to the source material overall, and is a ton of fun to watch with an audience. But, there’s definitely some interesting ways in which the two differ. Whether you started with the movie, or you contributed to the huge popularity of the The Housemaid novel (which reportedly has sold 3.5 million copies to date and has stayed on the New York Times Best Seller list for 130 weeks, per Deadline), there’s a lot to unpack here – SPOILERS are ahead.

The Movie Version Of Nina Is Quite Different

I thought Amanda Seyfried’s performance as Nina Winchester was really well done, and perhaps better for not being exactly like the literary character. That being said, I found her Nina is a lot more likable than the original version. For example, I can recall reading the novel and gasping throughout for the audacity of Nina when she talks to Millie, and makes her do all these things. By the time Andrew leaves her, I was completely on Millie’s side over being OK with betraying her until the book sidesteps with its big twist. Seyfried’s version isn’t quite as Mean Girl-level (despite her obvious experience in that department), but I think it’s also possible that knowing her backstory going in gave me more sympathy for the character from the start.

Another alteration to note, is in the book Nina is always overeating, and is visibly heavier than the other moms, which they talk behind her back about. In the movie, they attempt to suggest the PTA moms think her skin isn’t up to par, but I thought Seyfried looked like a vision in every scene. The actress more-so playing up acting psychotic rather than having this minor physical detail included worked just fine for me.

Millie And Andrew’s Romance Moves Quicker In The Movie

Another change is in regards to the affair between Millie and Andrew. In the novel, it's more of a slow burn regarding these two becoming attracted to each other, as Millie’s narrations suggest being interested in him, but neither of them do anything about it until much later. But in the movie, it’s not long at all before it’s set up that an affair between Millie and Andrew could be brewing.

This is done, for example, with this dream sequence where Andrew brings her a cupcake and she imagines him making a move on her in the attic. I totally get why they set this up earlier, my only complaint here is Millie seems a bit more reckless than the book because of the quicker buildup.

Enzo Has A Much Smaller Role In The Movie

Sadly, I think the storyline that’s cut the most is regarding Enzo, the gardener. 365 Days’ Michele Morrone wonderfully plays the role is just cut so much. In the book, Millie has a lot more interactions with him before we learn the twist such as his first word to her being the word for “danger” in Italian, and she often tries to get him alone in order to get information from him.

And, in one funny scene, she also comes on to him to try to rein in her sexual fantasies about Andrew, but he flat out rejects her. Enzo and Nina actually totally have sex after she’s left by Andrew. Additionally, he stays with Cecelia at the hotel and teaches her Italian while Nina attempts to rescue Millie at the end. I wish more of his role had been adapted, but oh, well!

How Andrew Dies

You can read my full explanation of the book vs. movie ending differences and why I liked the film version better, but basically how Andrew dies is not the same. In the book, Andrew dies from days of Millie’s torture, and Nina finds him in the attic when she thinks she’s rescuing Millie. But in the movie, when Nina unlocks the door thinking it’s Millie, Andrew is unleashed and it leads to a confrontation between them before Millie pushes Andrew from the top of the staircase. In the book, Nina tells the police he accidentally got locked in the attic while she was gone, and in the movie she says he fell while trying to swap out a lightbulb.

Other Smaller Changes I Also Noticed

Now that I’ve done a rundown of the BIG shifts, I want to quickly point out some smaller things that were different from the book:

• In the movie, Nina Winchester initially tells Millie that she’s already pregnant when she’s interviewing her for the job, so Millie thinks her mood swings have to do with her hormones being all over the place. But, of course she later learns that she was lying to her about being pregnant.
• In the book, there’s no creepy doll house that Cecelia plays with. I personally loved this addition to the story, and thought it added to the tension and creepiness of it all.
• The movie doesn’t touch on Cecelia’s peanut allergy, and how Nina and Cecelia led Millie to believe she had one, even though she didn’t.
• Millie’s room (aka the attic) looks much nicer than it’s described in the book, even though they try to suggest that it’s uncomfortable. I’m sorry but this took me out of the story, because it looks too gorgeous.
• There’s no talk of the Winchester’s family china in the book. It replaces the original reason why Andrew locks Millie into the attic, and what method of torture he uses to “punish” her.

There's certainly even more to talk about I didn't cover that I could definitely run on about, but I'll let you find them yourself. Like I said, it’s always so interesting to me how books and movies compare and contrast. For all the things I did notice, I thought Paul Feig's film did a great job of adapting the material.

If there’s anything you need to know about The Housemaid movie adaptation, it’s that you’ll be in for a thrilling experience of twists and turns. The campy thriller has already received strong reactions from critics, with some describing it as a high-energy “crowd pleaser.” If you need more reasons to be hyped for the 2025 movie release, its star, Sydney Sweeney, took a pic of her blood-soaked self eating a pickle that’s selling her movie more than any marketing ever could.

Sydney Sweeney posted a cluster of Instagram BTS photos from The Housemaid that I can’t take my eyes off. From cute group photos with the cast and crew to smiley selfies, you can tell the experience of making this book-to-screen adaptation must have been a lot of fun. However, the one photo that’s already making me want to buy tickets for the movie is the first one of Sweeney eating a pickle while covered in blood, and oh my!

Just when I thought I saw every piece of marketing for the Freida McFadden book adaptation, I come across its star casually eating a pickle while covered in blood. No context needed. I’m sold.

If Sweeney’s character seemingly overcame a moment of violence, it looks like snacking on a pickle is one way to celebrate after filming the scene. I find it an excellent horror twist on the role of a housemaid in seeing her eat food after what we can assume is a violent event. With their job subjected to domestic duties, eating a pickle while bloody is a great way to market that the main character is not your everyday servant.

Before The Housemaid came out, its marketing strategies certainly didn’t shy away from the movie’s bloody elements. The trailer showed the right amount of dramatic and chilling moments, as we saw Sydney Sweeney eating a sandwich while covered in blood, and director Paul Feig said people will be clutching their pearls. If we’re going to continue seeing the Euphoria star eating while coated in blood, it’s a wink to audiences that they’ll be in for a wild ride.

You’ve gotta love an eye-catching marketing tool. The Blair Witch Project terrorized our childhoods by advertising that the characters were real missing people. The Smile movies had actors give creepy grins at public events. Whatever gets a film noticed and leaves us talking is almost always a good thing, as this post from Sweeney proves.

As if we needed more proof that The Housemaid will provide audiences with shock and awe, we see Sydney Sweeney chewing on a pickle with blood all over her. If I weren’t unsettled already, this blood-soaked image would definitely do the trick for me.

Feel free to give in to the hype by watching the psychological thriller in theaters now.

Spoilers ahead for The Housemaid.

There are a number of exciting movies in theaters this Holiday Season, including the book to screen adaptation The Housemaid. Directed by Paul Feig, critics have been praising The Housemaid, and the movie's cast is helping to buoy fan excitement. But the filmmaker got real with CinemaBlend about being uncomfortable filming sex scenes, and the piece of advice the movie's intimacy coordinator that helped him.

Intimacy Coordinators are a regularly new position in TV and film, helping the actors feel comfortable doing vulnerable work on camera. But they also help crew members and directors. As you can see in the video above, I spoke to Feig ahead of The Housemaid's release, where he got honest about feeling uncomfortable directing love senes. In his words:

The Housemaid's ending might be different than the book, but the steamy scenes between Sydney Sweeney's Millie and Brandon Sklenar's Andrew were not. Once they kick Amanda Seyfried's Nina out of her own home, there's a full on montage of the two actors making love throughout the house (as well as another scene in a hotel room).

But while Feig was nervous shooting these sequences, he told me that the actors seemingly didn't share this concerns. As he put it:

Talk about a weird piece of direction to shout out. But it seems like the nerve were one-sided for Paul Feig. Sydney Sweeney did a ton of nude scenes for Euphoria (which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription), while Brandon Sklenar has had intimate scenes on TV and film. Per the director's comments, he was the only one nervous about filming the sex scenes in The Housemaid.

Luckily for Feig, he got some A+ advice from the movie's intimacy coordinator that helped to change his perspective of the situation. As he told me:

I have to assume this is a sentiment that Lizzy Talbot has also shared with actors on movie sets. Because while love scenes might look sexy and spontaneous, they're anything but. Instead, they're methodically planned and shot to make sure everyone is comfortable, and that simulated sex looks real but doesn't feel real. Indeed, Heated Rivalry's Connor Storrie has spoken about just how technical love scenes are to shoot.

The Housemaid is in theaters now as part of the 2025 movie release list, so fans can judge for themselves. We'll just have to wait and see how it performs at the box office, and if Paul Feig gets to make a sequel or two based around the following novels.

When it comes to book adaptations, it’s pretty much impossible not to compare the source material to the movie/TV version. In the case of The Housemaid movie, there were a lot of times when I noted differences between the two versions (including pre-release, with the trailer), but totally understood why the movie took the liberties that it did. This is especially true when it comes to the ending to the latest of the 2025 movie releases, and I need to talk about it.

Of course, that means I need to prime this with a massive SPOILER WARNING. If you haven’t read the book by Freida McFadden or seen the movie starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, I highly recommend you bookmark this article for later because it’s just too fun to be along for the ride here first. Anyway, let’s start by getting into the book ending:

The Real Story Behind Nina Winchester

The climax of The Housemaid occurs when Millie finds herself locked in the attic by Andrew, as the live-in housemaid and the husband of her employer have a blooming romance that has left Nina kicked out by her husband. Suddenly, the perspective of the book is shifted to Nina’s. While we expect Nina (who has been framed as a psychopath the whole movie) to be completely heartbroken about Andrew’s decision to break up their relationship, she’s overjoyed to have rid herself of her husband and gleefully burns his picture while staying at a hotel.

Nina then tells the story of her and Andrew, sharing how he asked her out to lunch after she had an embarrassing moment at their office when she was called out for her breasts leaking with milk shortly after having her daughter, Cecelia. We learn that what started out as a fairytale romance became an abusive situation following their marriage, where he’d often lock her in the attic and torture her.

He made sure it was difficult for her to leave the marriage by orchestrating an incident where it looked like she tried to drown Cecelia in a bathtub while on narcotics, which landed her in a psych ward. So, she orchestrated a plan to get Andrew to leave her: hiring Millie and organizing how he would fall for the housemaid and leave her, and having Millie do the dirty work of killing him.

How The Book Ends

When the story returns to Millie’s side of things, Andrew continues his abusive pattern by asking her to balance three large books (A Guide To U.S. Prisons, The History of Torture and a phone book) on her stomach for a matter of three hours. She doesn’t do it correctly the first time by his standards, so he makes her do it a second time before he lets her out.

Millie, who we find out was in prison for murder, handles things differently than Andrew and locks him in the attic. First, she has him balance the same three books, but on his groin, before then asking him to pull out four of his teeth with a pair of pliers. Meanwhile, the gardener, Enzo (who we find out knew about what happened to Nina, and thus has been lurking on the grounds to protect Millie), convinces Nina to save Millie from her husband. Nina heads to the house and unlocks the door. She thinks Millie is in there, but instead she finds Andrew, who died of starvation and the torture inflicted by Millie.

Nina insists that Millie run away, and she tells the police that Andrew accidentally locked himself inside of the attic and died because she was out of town and Millie had the week off. While other people might question the four teeth missing, the policeman is the father of the woman who was engaged to Andrew before Nina, and (knowing Andrew is bad news) simply rules it an accident. At the funeral, Andrew’s mom seems to infer to Nina that she would inflict the same torture on her son, while Millie takes another housemaid job as referred by Nina, where the housewife suggests during the interview her husband also abuses her.

What Happens At The End Of The Housemaid Movie, And Why I Like It Better

If you watched the movie, which has been receiving critical praise and had us clutching our pearls as the director teased, you surely picked up on the many ways it's the same as the book, but also has glaring changes to the ending. While Nina’s backstory is all the same, give or take a detail or two, what happens at the Winchester house at the end is quite different.

Rather than Andrew asking Millie to balance the books on her stomach, he asks her to cut herself 20 times (deeply) with a piece of his mom’s china that she accidentally broke. She does it, and when Andrew finally opens the door for her, she slits his neck with a butter knife she found locked away in the attic. She taunts Andrew by breaking more of the china set before asking him to pull one of his front teeth because she thinks he’s getting off a little too easy in the world with his perfect smile.

In the movie, it’s Cecelia who actually suggests that Nina go after Millie, but this time rather than her finding Andrew already dead, when she opens the door (thinking it’s Millie), Andrew is unleashed. This leads to a more active confrontation between Andrew and Nina that allows the couple to share a final scene. While I found the book’s ending to be shocking, I definitely think it’s more rewarding as an audience member to see the husband and wife have a final moment together where Nina gets to tell him what she really thinks of him.

Millie still kills him, this time by throwing him off the balcony of the decadent Winchester house. The story they use in the movie is that he was trying to change a lightbulb, with Nina adding in her statement it wasn’t out of character for him because he often wanted things to be perfect. Rather than the policeman, it’s a policewoman, who is the sister of the woman who was engaged to Andrew previously. I think the story’s original ending is a lot more anticlimactic than this one, and isn’t as gratifying as the movie’s ending. That being said, as it goes with most book-to-movies, I do think the book overall is better.

Sydney Sweeney is everywhere these days, whether that’s jet-setting to Jeff Bezos’ wedding in Italy, going full goth for a GQ event or showing her excitement to be on Celebrity Family Feud. But her work on the big screen isn’t done this year, as she and Amanda Seyfried are set to star in the highly anticipated book-to-screen adaptation The Housemaid. Critics have seen the film ahead of its December 19 release, and it doesn’t sound like Sweeney needs to worry about bad reviews.

Based on the 2022 novel by Freida McFadden, The Housemaid follows Millie (Sydney Sweeney), who becomes the live-in housekeeper for Nina (Amanda Seyfried) and her husband Andrew (Brandon Sklenar) only to discover dark secrets within the household. McFadden boldly claimed she liked the movie better than her book, and Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting respectfully agrees, rating the film 4 out of 5 skulls and saying that Paul Feig lets his stars cut loose in the most darkly comedic and violent ways. She continues:

Amanda Seyfried, especially, dances on the knife's edge between comedy and tragedy, William Bibbiani of The Wrap says, but both actresses seem to be having the time of their lives. The critic calls the adaptation “weirder and funnier than you expect,” writing:

Owen Gleiberman of Variety says The Housemaid is different from other thrillers like The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. It’s over-the-top, but it’s clever, Gleiberman says, calling the movie “nothing more (or less) than a garishly fun and effective piece of postfeminist pulp.” The critic continues:

Pete Hammond of Deadline says The Housemaid is “mad fun” — “Another Simple Favor on steroids” — and you may hate yourself for indulging in its “unapologetic trashiness.” His review continues:

Kate Erbland of IndieWire is less impressed with Paul Feig’s newest thriller, save for what Amanda Seyfried brings to her performance. The director is too timid to go full camp, but it’ll suffice as counter-programming over the holiday season, Erbland says. She grades the movie a C+, writing:

With adjectives like "campy" and "trashy" being thrown around, it really sounds like audiences are in for a fun time with this one, logic be damned. If you want to check out The Housemaid, the movie hits theaters on Friday, December 19.

Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried are both A-list actors, so when I saw that they were working together on the book to screen adaptation The Housemaid, I was instantly invested. The movie is helmed by Paul Feig, and The Housemaid's trailer showed off their chemistry. But fans want to see them collaborate on another project: Mamma Mia! 3. The stars have seen those calls on social media, and Seyfried actually has a A+ idea the possible movie musical.

Seyfried has been trying to get Mamma Mia! 3 to happen for a while, but there's been no real steps forward. She recently stepped into a very different movie musical role with The Testament of Ann Lee, earning her a Golden Globe nomination in the process. But fans want the Mean Girls star back as Sophie, and specifically are hoping Sydney Sweeney get to join the fun in a threequel. As you can see in the video above, I spoke with the pair of actresses about The Housemaid, where I asked the star of Euphoria (which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription) if she'd seen the fan chatter online. She responded, saying:

Not only has Sweeney seen the fan casting, but she would actively like to join the Mamma Mia! franchise if/when a third movie is developed. Her co-star is also all-in on this idea, and thinks that the Christy star knows and loves the world enough to fit right in. Plus it would give the two Housemaid stars the chance to work on another (much lighter) movie together.

While not everyone wants a Mamma Mia 3! to happen, I'm all in on the idea... especially since these two actresses have so much passion for it. Later in our same interview, Amanda Seyfried shared another brilliant idea for the possible sequel, telling me:

Honestly, take my money at this point. Paul Feig is an accomplished filmmaker, one who seemingly had a great working relationship with both Seyfried and Sweeney throughout their thriller. So why not bring the trio to Greece for another movie musical full of Abba songs?

Of course, there's currently no indication that a third Mamma Mia! movie is happening, despite the interest from its cast and fans alike. But Amanda Seyfried wants to make it happen, as long as the studio hurries up and started the development process. As she told me:

Points were made. The first Mamma Mia! movie hit theaters back in 2008, with the sequel Here We Go Again arriving years later in 2018. If a third movie actually gets written, we could very well reach another decade-long wait between movies. And with its cast getting older, time is seemingly of the essence.

While it remains to be seen if they ever film in Greece together, Seyfried and Sweeney seem to throughly enjoy each other, while both filming and promoting The Housemaid. We'll just have to see if/when they get to do another movie together.

The Housemaid gets its wide theatrical release December 19th as part of the 2025 movie release list. And if the movie does well hopefully we'll get another collaboration between its two stars and director Paul Feig. After all, there are three books to adapt into film.

There’s all sorts of upcoming book adaptations on the way, but one I’m particularly excited for is The Housemaid movie, which is finally coming out on the 2025 movie release schedule next Friday. I imagine turning a novel into a movie is always a difficult task, especially when there will be people like me who compare it to the novel, but from what I’ve seen from the marketing, this looks like it’s going to be amazing. There’s only one thing I’ve noticed that is bothering me about it.

By the way, this is going to be a spoiler-free discussion, since I think the twist is too good to talk about pre-release.

I'm Sorry, But I Think The Winchester Attic Looks Too Nice

In an important setup of both the book and movie, Millie (played by Sydney Sweeney) gets a live-in housemaid job with the affluent Winchester family consisting of Nina (Amanda Seyfried), Andrew (Brandon Sklenar) and their daughter Cecelia (Indiana Elle). Early in the book, Millie gets shown her living arrangements, which is a very small room up in the attic that only locks from the outside. It’s described as very small and stuffy, but in addition to the picture above from The Housemaid trailer, look at this space. This isn’t too shabby at all.

When I was reading the book, I definitely pictured a much smaller room, and it’s supposed to be odd that Millie would be living in what’s essentially a closet when there’s so many guest bedrooms. Since Millie has been living in her car, in the book, she’s perfectly OK with it at the start, but this room honestly looks gorgeous, full of light and rather spacious. I would stay here if it was listed as a cheap room while I was traveling, and that’s not the impression I think I should have about the accommodations as a book reader.

Otherwise, The Housemaid Looks Like It's Going To Nail It

Perhaps this seems like a small nitpick, but if you’ve seen the whole story play out on the page, you probably know why it bothers me. While this key detail is disappointing to me, the movie otherwise honestly looks amazing. From what I’ve seen so far, the casting and the portrayal of these characters absolutely lines up with how I pictured them for the most part, with the added element of getting to be in a theater with an audience while the twisty turns take place.

The fact that Amanda Seyfried even said she hasn’t “had that much fun in a theater” since watching the movie with a crowd, even though she knew what was going to happen has me even more stoked about seeing this particular story as a big-screen adaptation. I’m also completely sold on director Paul Feig being at the helm here, because I think he just gets how to tell a story like this in an entertaining way (see A Simple Favor). The director has told audiences to “bring your pearls, because you will clutch them!” and that’s the exact energy I’m looking for regarding this story.

Anyways, The Housemaid hits theaters on December 19.

Celebrity Family Feud celebrated the holidays on the 2025 TV schedule with a very special episode on Thursday that brought together the cast of the book-to-screen adaptation of The Housemaid and the Real Housewives All-Stars. It was an entertaining hour, as per usual, but the BTS might be even better, because I can’t get over Sydney Sweeney’s photos that prove how excited she was to be on this game show.

Sweeney is starring in The Housemaid adaptation, which will be released in theaters on December 19 as part of the 2025 movie schedule. To celebrate the movie, the actress, her co-stars and the film's director participated in Celebrity Family Feud along with some of the Real Housewives. The Euphoria star showed off just how excited she truly was with the fun appearance on her Instagram Stories, including one of her with the widest smile:

Her Instagram Stories were filled with videos and BTS photos from filming Celebrity Family Feud, and I can only imagine how hard it’s been for her not to share the content before now. I also can’t get over how the sheer number of photos prove how thrilled she was about this.

Included in her photo dump was a cute moment with her The Housemaid co-star, Amanda Seyfried, and director Paul Feig. I would love to know if they were all freaking out over being on Celebrity Family Feud, or if it was Sweeney just sharing her excitement the entire time:

Along with everyone looking very happy to be there, they also showed up in fashion too. Unsurprisingly, Sydney Sweeney's fit was perfect for the occasion. However, as this BTS image proves, I think Paul Feig stole the show with his festive three-piece suit:

Now, since the episode did just air, fans can watch it with a Hulu subscription to witness all the fun and see if The Housemaid was able to beat The Real Housewives. However, it’s clear that regardless of who won, Sweeney had a lot of fun, and I love that for her.

It’s always entertaining watching Celebrity Family Feud, Celebrity Jeopardy!, and Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and seeing just how into it the celebrities get, especially when they’re such big fans. And even if they don’t win, they certainly won something else, and that’s being on a beloved game show.

Plus, it gives them an opportunity to do something that's very different from their day jobs.

Speaking of day jobs, Sydney Sweeney is staying booked and busy these days. The Housemaid is set to hit theaters on December 19, and her boxing film Christy premiered last month. On top of that, she has also been working on Euphoria Season 3, and she was spotted on the set of The Devil Wears Prada 2, so she's been a busy bee. But based on these photos, she'd probably always make time for some Family Feud.

As for Celebrity Family Feud, the game show has been bringing on a whole host of memorable celebrities. The current season has seen Lainey Wilson, Leanne Morgan, Jordan Chiles, Stephen Nedoroscik, Normani, Michelle Buteau, Andy Richter, Jason Ritter, and even the Harlem Globetrotters against the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

There’s no telling who will be next, but they probably won’t be as excited as Sydney Sweeney.

Some red carpet looks simply speak for themselves, and sometimes a movie’s official social media accounts decides to speak for them — with a perfectly timed pun. That’s exactly what happened when Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried stepped out for the premiere of their 2025 movie release, The Housemaid, in a pair of jaw-dropping, plunging gowns that instantly lit up social feeds. The film’s team clearly saw an opportunity and took it, posting a sly three-word caption that captured the vibe better than anything else online.

Between Sweeney shimmering in silver and Seyfried glowing in pink, they look like a glam noir duo who could solve a crime and steal your heart before dessert. Or, as The Housemaid’s official Instagram put it in their three-word response:

And honestly, it’s hard to argue with that. Take a look at the pair of A-listers in the images below from the premiere of their upcoming book-to-screen adaptation.

The punny caption is a perfect way to comment on the pics, play into the tension of the upcoming The Housemaid adaptation, and use a bit of stylized danger in its marketing. Nothing sells that mood like two leads strolling onto the red carpet looking like they’re about to headline a vintage thriller. The HBO mainstay’s silver gown, complete with a dramatic feathered wrap, felt like Old Hollywood glamour turned up to eleven. Seyfried’s soft pink dress, all ruching and effortless elegance, paired beautifully with it — a perfect tonal contrast that still read cohesive.

And because these two can’t just look good — they have to have fun — Sweeney later shared a shot on Instagram Stories that fully committed to the bit. In the clip, Seyfried holds a massive cake-cutting knife with the exact facial expression of someone who just realized they’ve been cast as the final girl. The Anyone But You actress captioned the image, wishing her costar, Seyfriend, a happy birthday. If you needed further blade-shaped proof that these two understand the assignment, there it is.

The playful exchange is also a pitch-perfect way to boost The Housemaid. If you’re not familiar with it, the upcoming psychological thriller is adapted from Freida McFadden’s best-selling novel. Sydney Sweeney stars as Millie Calloway, a young woman fresh out of prison with a past she’s trying to outrun, who lands one of the only jobs available to her: working as a housemaid for a wealthy family. Amanda Seyfried plays Nina Winchester, the icy-warm-icy-again matriarch whose shifting moods keep Millie constantly off balance. What follows is a tense, twisty power struggle that feels tailor-made for the big screen.

And the movie’s social team clearly knows exactly what it has. Leaning into the stars’ chemistry and their killer red carpet looks, the account’s three-word caption — “Dressed to kill” — lands with precision. It’s playful, it matches the film’s sleek psychological-thriller energy, which you can see on display in the movie's trailer, and it shows the team understands how to keep the buzz going without giving anything away.

Red carpet moments can blur together this time of year, but every so often, one hits the perfect intersection of glamor and personality. Sidney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried pulled that off effortlessly, turning a simple photo op into a moment that felt almost cinematic. So yes, they were dressed to kill, and I’m so here for it.

The Housemaid hits theaters on December 19, 2025. Be sure to check your local listings for showtimes.

Comedy is a lot harder to pull off successfully than it's often given credit for. It makes sense that some of the best filmmakers in history began their careers as comics, or at least comedic actors, given how a great comedian's mind works. They see the world in completely different ways, and that way of looking at things often means great movies, like some of the best rom-coms of all time, but they aren't always comedies. Here is our list of great comics who became great filmmakers.

Mel Brooks

You really couldn't have this list without Mel Brooks. His movies, which he's been making for an astonishing seven decades, never fail to disappoint. His career stretches back to the 1940s! He reinvented comedy on film with his early movies like The Producers, Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein, and while he doesn't do as much directing these days, he's still killing it when he does.

Jordan Peele

Of all the comedians-turned-directors on this list, the biggest departure from his acting career to his directing career has to be Jordan Peele. He first entered our collective consciousness with his legendary sketch comedy show Key and Peele, but starting with Get Out in 2017, he's become one of the premier horror directors in modern Hollywood.

Amy Poehler

Like so many comedians over the last 50 years or so, Amy Poehler got her big break on Saturday Night Live. She left the long-running comedy show in 2008 to work on her next hit show, Parks & Recreation. In 2019, she directed her first movie, Wine Country, and followed that up with 2021's Moxie.

Christopher Guest

Some of the most quotable movies of all time have come from the collective minds of the ensemble casts that Christopher Guest has assembled for his movies, like Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind. He serves as the director, but he gives great leeway to his fellow cast members in all of the movies.

Paul Feig

Though he's best known as a writer and a director these days, Paul Feig started as a stand-up comedian when he first arrived in Hollywood in the 1980s. He struggled as an actor before scoring a role in Heavyweights in 1995. While working on that movie, he met writer Judd Apatow and the two co-created Freaks and Geeks. The rest is history.

Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller's biggest early break came in the Ben Stiller Show on MTV, which blended sketch comedy with music videos. From there, Stiller basically took over Hollywood to the point that it seemed like he was making a dozen movies a year! Okay, maybe not that many, but he was in a lot of movies, including many that he directed, like Reality Bites, The Cable Guy, Zoolander, and Tropic Thunder.

Mike Nichols

EGOT winner Mike Nichols directed some of the most iconic movies in Hollywood history. Movies like The Graduate, Working Girl, and The Birdcage. Nichols started his career as part of the comedy duo Nichols & May alongside Elaine May, who also became a filmmaker of some renown.

Charlie Chaplin

There are few people in Hollywood history who are as important to the growth of the industry as Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin wrote, starred, and directed almost all his major hits from the silent era up until A Countess from Hong Kong in 1967. He even scored many of his movies. He started in show business in the very early 20th Century in comedic roles on stage before movies were even invented.

Rob Reiner

As the son of the great Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner has comedy in his blood. His biggest fame early came as Mike "Meathead" Stivic in All in the Family, but for most of the last half-century, he's been known for his writing and directing, creating such movies as This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, and When Harry Met Sally..., among many others.

Chris Rock

Like many SNL alums, Chris Rock has had an incredible career in Hollywood. He started acting as a teenager in New Jack City, but he quickly became known for his stand-up act and his work on SNL. He's long been a writer and producer, and he started directing in 2003 with his directorial debut, Head of State. He's been busy directing ever since, in addition to everything else he does.

Judd Apatow

One of the most successful comedy directors in the last few decades is Judd Apatow. He's a one-man show, in many ways, writing, producing, and directing hits like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, The King of Staten Island, and This Is 40. He's also produced a whole slew of successful comedies, like Bridesmaids, Anchorman, Step Brothers, and Pineapple Express. That doesn't even get into the TV shows he's produced or co-created, like Freaks and Geeks, Girls, and Crashing.

Harold Ramis

Without question, Harold Ramis belongs on the Mount Rushmore of comedy writers and directors. The list of movies he's directed and written (or co-written) is amazing. Caddyshack, National Lampoon's Vacation, and Groundhog Day are just the tip of the iceberg. Like so many in his generation of comedians, he started in sketch comedy at Second City in Chicago.

Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais gained worldwide fame when he co-created, co-wrote, and starred in the original version of The Office in the U.K. He's created a slew of shows since, and could even be credited with helping create podcasts with his early podcast, The Ricky Gervais Show. The stand-up comedian started directing films in 2009 with The Invention of Lying.

Penny Marshall

We lost a lot when Penny Marshall died in 2018 at age 75. She began her career in comedic roles, most notably as Laverne DeFazio, first on Happy Days, then in her own spin-off, Laverne & Shirley. Before long, though, she transitioned to directing. Her first movie, Jumpin' Jack Flash, introduced the world to Whoopi Goldberg as a comedic actor (her lone previous credit was in the drama The Color Purple) and went on to direct beloved hits like A League of Their Own and Big.

Seth MacFarlane

Seth MacFarlane started mostly as a comedy writer, which is hardly a surprise. He then created the animated shows Family Guy and American Dad for Fox. He made his directorial debut with Ted in 2012.

Albert Brooks

The legendary Albert Brooks started his career in sketch comedy in collectives like The Credibility Gap and appeared on variety shows in the late '60s and early '70s as a stand-up. His first directing gig was as part of the first season of SNL, before directing his first feature, Real Life, co-written with his buddy Harry Shearer. His later movies include classics like Defending Your Life, Mother, and The Muse.

Keenen Ivory Wayans

The Wayans brothers have certainly left a huge mark on Hollywood over the years, and the oldest sibling, Keenen Ivory Wayans, is the one who got them all started. He created and directed In Living Color, which made him a household name, but he had already directed I'm Gonna Git You Sucka before that. His biggest success, of course, is the Scary Movie franchise.

Carl Reiner

Carl Reiner got his start as a writer and actor in comedy sketches on two shows starring Sid Caesar, Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour. He then teamed up with fellow writer from the shows, Mel Brooks, and together they released comedy albums in the early 1960s. By the end of the decade, he was directing movies, with his two most notable hits, The Jerk and Oh! God, coming in the late '70s.

Cheech Marin

One of the biggest comedy duos of the '70s is, of course, Cheech & Chong. Before long, Cheech Marin was directing movies without his partner, including his directorial debut, Born in East L.A., in 1987.

Woody Allen

WE couldn't have this list without Woody Allen. Setting aside any personal feelings people may have towards the actor for his questionable personal life, Allen is, hands down, one of the most successful comedy film directors in Hollywood history. The list of movies he's written, directed, and starred in is far too long to list here. He developed his famous persona while working as a stand-up comedian in New York in the 1960s.

Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton was one of the most successful comedic actors of the 1980s with movies like Mr. Mom, Beetlejuice, and Johnny Dangerously. He started taking on more dramatic roles as the decade came to a close, and of course, he starred as the Caped Crusader in Tim Burton's Batman. He made his directorial debut in 2008 with the drama The Merry Gentleman and, more recently, directed the underrated Knox Goes Away in 2023.

Bob Odenkirk

Along with David Cross, Bob Odenkirk first broke big on Mr. Show with Bob and David, but that was after years in sketch comedy on shows like SNL and The Ben Stiller Show. He has gained his biggest fame more recently as the character Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad and the spinoff Better Call Saul (which somehow never won an Emmy).

Jerry Lewis

His comedy might not have been for everyone, but you can't argue with Jerry Lewis' incredible success over decades in Hollywood. Of course, he started as part of a duo with Dean Martin, but he soon took off on his own with movies like The Nutty Professor and The Bellboy. He directed both those movies as well, and would continue to direct his own movies throughout the '60s.

Donald Glover

While still in college, Donald Glover started doing sketch comedy in New York City. After graduating, he became a writer on 30 Rock first came to the public's attention in Community on NBC. His biggest critical success came with the show he created and produced the show Atlant,a in 2013. His first feature film directing gig came with Bando Stone & the New World, which is a companion piece to his album of the same name.

Jeff Garlin

For most people, Curb Your Enthusiasm is where they first saw Jeff Garlin, but his career goes back further than that. He also starred in The Goldbergs before abuse accusations led him to leave the show. Over the years, he's directed a number of movies, like the indie rom-com I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With and 2017's Handsome, which you can watch with a Netflix subscription.

Buster Keaton

Like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton was a huge figure in the silent era of Hollywood. Also like Chaplin, the comedian started in theater at the dawn of the 20th century and then began writing, directing, and starring in his own films in the teens. He was one of the biggest stars of the early film industry, making more than a dozen hits in the 1920s.

Bob Saget

Not only is one of the dirtiest comedians of all time (and his version of The Aristocrats joke proves it), Bob Saget was also so beloved TV dad and wholesome host of America's Funniest Home Videos. Saget's first directorial credit came in the hilarious and underrated Dirty Work, working with Norm McDonald and Artie Lang on what must have been just a wild film shoot.

Aziz Ansari

Aziz Ansari had his breakout role as a member of the cast of Parks and Recreation, but he was already an experienced stand-up when that show took off. He directed his first film, Good Fortune, which he also wrote and stars in.

Jerrod Carmichael

Jerrod Carmichael is one of the most popular stand-up comedians in recent years and got his first major exposure with The Carmichael Show on NBC in 2015. He made his directorial debut in 2021 with On the Count of Three, which he also stars in alongside Christopher Abbott and an ensemble cast that includes Tiffany Haddish, J.B. Smoove, and Henry Winkler.

Bo Burnham

Bo Burnham made his name as literally a one-man show with his musical comedy YouTube channel that he started in 2006 (the very early days of YouTube). His first job as a director came in 2018 with Eighth Grade, which he wrote and stars in, as well.

Robert Townsend

Robert Townsend was groundbreaking as a Black comedian-turned-filmmaker in the 1980s when he wrote, directed, and starred in movies like Hollywood Shuffle, The Five Heartbeats, and Meteor Man, which is a comic book movie that deserves a reboot.

Bobcat Goldthwait

Without a doubt, one of the strangest movies mentioned in this list is Shakes the Clown, which was the first film directed by legendary stand-up comedian Bobcat Goldthwait. He's directed seven independent films since Shakes and they are always unique and funny.

As much as Sydney Sweeney has been earning attention for her work in film and TV, she’s also generated headlines due to her love life. Reports about the end of Sweeney’s engagement to Jonathan Davino circulated earlier this year. The actress herself mostly avoided sharing details about the breakup and also declined to speak about her ex-fiancé during a recent interview. As part of that same piece, though, Paul Feig – who directed Sweeney in the adaptation of The Housemaid – recalled asking her about the split.

The 27-year-old Anyone but You star recently participated in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, during which she discussed a myriad of topics. However, when it came to questions about her breakup, Sydney Sweeney chose not to share details. Paul Feig, when interviewed by WSJ shared a few comments (via The Cut) about what it was like working with Sweeney amid her highly publicized breakup. As for whether Feig could sense an emotional baggage while working with his lead actress, he said:

While Paul Feig remains one of the busiest directors in the entertainment industry, he’s apparently not ignorant to celebrity-related chatter. During his interview, Feig went on to acknowledge the stream of buzz that has swirled around Sweeney (who became engaged in 2022) in recent months. It was then that Feig revealed what Sweeney said to him after he asked her if she was alright:

As the Bridesmaids director mentioned, there are surely plenty of people who are likely aware of Sydney Sweeney’s since-ended engagement. Breakup rumors began to swirl around Sweeney and Jonathan Davino in March 2025, around which point she removed a photo of them kissing from her Instagram account. By April, it was reported that the two had officially split up and, after the fact, an update suggested that Sweeney and Davino had been separated for months by that point.

Following the end of the Sweeney/Davino engagement, sources alleged that Sweeney was flirting with Tom Brady, Orlando Bloom and more amid Jeff Bezos’ wedding in Italy. Other insiders shut down that speculation, however, saying that Sweeney is currently single and focusing on her career. While that can’t be confirmed, Sweeney did express how much she enjoys her work as an actor during her interview with WSJ.

Sydney Sweeney has indeed been busy as of late, and her upcoming 2025 movie schedule release, The Housemaid, is just one project she seems excited about. Based on Freida McFadden’s 2022 novel of the same name, the movie centers around housemaid Millie (Sweeney) who finds out that her new employers hold dark secrets. Also starring in the movie are Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar and Michele Morrone. The film will differ from the book in some ways, but Paul Feig is confident that fans will clutch their pearls (in a good way) when they see it.

The cast and crew of The Housemaid will surely begin doing press for the movie in the coming months, and there’s the possibility that Sydney Sweeney could get more questions about her breakup. Whether she’ll opt not to answer or reply positively as she did to Paul Feig if prompted for a response remains to be seen. Check out the aforementioned psychological thriller when it opens in theaters on December 25.

Ok, if I didn't want The Housemaid adaptation before, I definitely like it more now based on what Paul Feig just said about it.

At CineEurope 2025 (via Deadline) in June 2025, director Paul Feig joined the stage during the Lionsgate panel to tease his upcoming book-to-screen adaptation of the popular Freida McFadden novel with a few first-look clips,. To further tease the movie, which is part of the 2025 movie schedule., he said this:

Excuse me? That seriously just made my curiosity shoot up, as if it wasn't high enough already. As someone who has read the novel, I do have some idea of what he might be referring to – or at least a few seasons.

Beware of SPOILERS if you haven't read The Housemaid down below! It's a book that's totally worth reading before the film.

In The Housemaid, there are plenty of moments that might make people have that "clutch your pearls" moment – like Andrew turning on Nina and showing his true side, or maybe the ending scene. But to me, the real "clutch your pearls" moment surrounds Nina, played in the movie by Amanda Seyfried.

The big twist of the story revolves around the fact that from the beginning, Nina has essentially been setting up her husband to fall in love with Millie, and for Millie to show interest in Andrew so that Nina could escape her marriage to Andrew. The man himself was a terrible human being, and Nina had no way out – not unless Andrew willingly left her.

From there, we start to see everything explained throughout the first half of the book – why Nina was acting so strange, why she was constantly yelling at Millie, and why there were strange things happening in the house. It was all Nina’s doing, and it’s a moment that really makes you gasp when reading.

It's one of the significant twists of the series and what really makes The Housemaid stand out as a mystery novel. In the end, both Nina and Millie end up working together to take down Andrew thanks to some outside help from Enzo. The moment it's revealed that Nina set the whole thing up, that's when everything really starts to go down.

Honestly, I could totally see this. Paul Feig has been known to make movies that certainly have twist after twist, such as A Simple Favour. I could see him making this twist 20 times more impactful in the film adaptation.

With the cast he has, fingers crossed it'll be played to perfection. While Sydney Sweeney is mainly known for her role in the Euphoria cast, she has made waves over the last couple of years with roles in shows and movies like Anyone But You, The White Lotus, and more. The Housemaid could become one of Amanda Seyfried's best movies, as she is a fantastic choice for Nina.

As for the two male leads – Brandon Sklenar and Michele Morrone - I have a strong feeling that both of them are also going to excel, too, if the twist is what I think it's going to be. December 2025 can't come quickly enough!

Spoilers ahead for Another Simple Favor, look away if you haven't watched the mystery sequel!

Sequels are a tricky thing, especially if folks loved the original. Rather than a sequel nobody asked for, Paul Feig's Another Simple Favor is something that fans like me have been waiting years to see. The follow-up mystery (which is streaming with an Amazon Prime subscription). But given the murderous way A Simple Favor ended, I needed a better reason why protagonists Stephanie and Emily ended up being besties again.

The Reunion Between Emily And Stephanie Was Way Too Easy

The chemistry between Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively was a big reason why the first Simple Favor movie worked, but there was a lot of bad blood by the time its runtime was up. Stephanie slept with Emily's husband, and the latter attempted murder in response. But after a few quips and a martini, the two were somehow able to put that all behind them for Another Simple Favor. And I simply couldn't get over this turn of events while watching the sequel.

Obviously I know why this had to happen logistically. We needed the movie's two leads to be on each other's side once the bodies started stacking up during Emily's wedding in Capri. But I really can't imagine how homicide and adultery would end up being water under the bridge, especially with Lively's character literally going to prison after the event of the first movie.

I wrote CinemaBlend's A Simple Favor review back in 2018, and I've spent years telling anyone who would listen just how great Feig's sassy mystery film was. I was pleased that a sequel was finally shot and heading straight to our homes on Amazon, but found that Another Simple Favor was lacking some of that same charm. And I assume I'm not the only one who found Stephanie and Emily's friendship strange the second time around. Critical response to Another Simple Favor hasn't exactly been glowing.

But I'd Still Totally Watch A Third Movie.

Of course, Kendrick and Lively could end up paired as these characters for yet another entry into this burgeoning franchise. The ending of Another Simple Favor set up future adventures for Emily, who was living in hiding in Italy. She received a mysterious assignment from Elena Sofia Ricci's Portia, so it seems like the story could go just about anywhere in a threequel.

We'll just have to wait and see how many folks tune into Another Simple Favor, and if Amazon decides to pull the trigger on a third installment from Paul Feig's franchise. The release came amidst Blake Lively's legal issues with Justin Baldoni, so we'll have to see whether or not any publicity is actually good publicity.

Another Simple Favor is streaming now on Amazon as part of the 2025 movie release list. Despite my complaints about the sequel, I'd still totally watch a third installment.

As people continue to discover Another Simple Favor, there’s bound to be talk about two things: the twists and the fashion, both of which are wild. The 2025 movie schedule entry is already gaining traction on that first part. However, I need to talk about the latter because Blake Lively wore a 40-pound halter top, and that's not even the craziest fashion moment in this movie.

With both the film’s director and costume designer sharing stories as wild as the looks that inspired them, Blake Lively’s ever-fashionable Emily Nelson is the thread that unites them both. And in one case, her input yielded a look that took some extra hustle, but was totally worth it in the final cut.

Emily’s Engagement Dinner Halter Top Sounds Painfully Beautiful

Before we get to the look I think is the wildest fashion moment in this Prime Video subscription driver, there’s another outfit I’m gobsmacked to learn more about. And keeping in mind Lively's happy reaction to fan chatter surrounding Another Simple Favor, this only makes sense.

Weighing in at 40 pounds, this floral halter top from designer Tamara Ralph’s Autumn/Winter collection of 2023-2024 was hyped by costume designer Renée Ehrlich Kalfus through an interview with People. She explained that since the actress had to wear it for days, they had to take extra precautions when crafting it, explaining:

Worn during her rehearsal dinner in beautiful and sunny Capri, our Another Simple Favor star not only had to stand around wearing this albatross of floral glamour, she also had to deliver dialogue in it. Some of which was in Italian, as she tells some armed guards not to shoot Anna Kendrick’s Stephanie Smothers.

While the weight was unbelievable, at least this halter top breathes in warmer climates. That’s more than I can say for the wildest fashion moment presented in A Simple Favor’s sequel, as chatting with director Paul Feig furthered my understanding of an even wilder outfit that I’m still in love with.

Blake Lively’s Another Simple Favor Wedding Dress Has A Wilder, Bespoke Origin Story

During my recent interview with Paul Feig, the director explained that as a proper sequel, Another Simple Favor had to get a bit “out of control.” That included the wardrobe, as we saw in the Tamara Ralph top shown off above. However, in Mr. Feig’s account of how Blake Lively’s wedding dress came to pass, it was the Gossip Girl star's input that helped this look stand out as what I think is the wildest.

Here’s what the Bridesmaids helmer offered on the matter:

Clocking in at an estimated 100 hours' worth of creation time, Another Simple Favor’s wedding gown is an absolute stunner. But what really took my breath away was the train, which transitions from a scattering of falling rose petals into what looks like a pool of blood.

Through these comments from my interview with Mr. Feig, as well as People’s sitdown with Renée Eherlich Kalfus, the origins and the lengths required to land this look are pretty incredible…

• Paul Feig: “And then Blake was like, ‘...it should look like it has blood at the end.’ It's like, ‘I'm in!’ It just kind of organically built into this amazing, amazing spectacle.”
• Renée Ehrlich Kalfus: “Because it was an island, I remember that we had to get more dye from Naples, which was a full ferry away. And the ferry stopped at 6. We had a lot of drama.”

The end result needs to be seen to be believed. So if you want a nice glimpse of that train, here’s part of what you’ll see Ms. Lively walking down the aisle in:

I don’t think I have to tell you that this is only the start of the sartorial sweetness you can enjoy by watching Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick’s latest romp. But what I will say in parting is that much like Paul Feig's thoughts on a hypothetical A Simple Favor 3, wondering where the fashions could go in another chapter is as intriguing as trying to predict the story.

For those of you whose curiosity is piqued, you can now stream Another Simple Favor through Prime Video. And if you’re ready to discuss Another Simple Favor’s cliffhanger ending, let’s take that conversation elsewhere.

Warning: SPOILERS for Another Simple Favor are in the works. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, you’ve been warned.

Dear readers, if you thought Another Simple Favor wasn’t going to get wild on the 2025 movie schedule, you’ve officially been proven wrong. And no, I’m not just talking about Another Simple Favor’s cliffhanger ending leading to a pretty outrageous path to a potential third installment. Instead, it's time to talk about how the return of Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick’s frenemy murder mystery franchise came to be.

That approach includes discussing the creative reason that crazy moment between Ms. Lively and 'you know who' took place. The identify of that other party is a pretty huge spoiler, so if you haven't solved this mystery yet, you can check out our Another Simple Favor review as you avoid spoilers. But if you're ready to dig deeper, let's begin.

Paul Feig And Company Kept A Simple Favor Fans In Mind When Making The Sequel

During my recent chat with director Paul Feig, the helmer of both A Simple Favor and its sequel acknowledged the perils of returning without a good reason. Celebrating the release of Another Simple Favor to Prime Video subscription holders, Feig shared his compelling case for that foundation with CinemaBlend through this initial follow-up concern:

Honoring the total craziness of 2018's predecessor isn't an easy feat. Let's not forget that A Simple Favor's ending got pretty twisty with how it wrapped the first meeting between Hope McClendon/Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) and Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick). Putting your heart in the right place is a good stepping stone forward though, especially when the end result takes a couple years to arrive.

That approach was still very much in mind when Paul Feig's thoughts on A Simple Favor 3 entered the conversation as well. So honoring the fans of both previous entries would be just as important for a third go at this dark comedy series. And as we're about to discuss, that next entry might be harder to dream up than it looks.

Another Simple Favor's Revealing Flashback Is A Prime Example Of Its 'Out Of Control' Tone

The script by writers Jessica Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis ultimately locked in all of the elements above. In terms of honoring the original, catty frenemies Emily/Hope and Stephanie have even sharper barbs to hurl at each other in Another Simple Favor. But when it came to the McClendon family tree, a very wild left turn was taken.

Through the addition of triplet Charity (Blake LIvely) and the obsession with her surviving sister, a scene so shocking that the internet is still debating it took place. As we find out that Charity sexually assaulted a drugged-out Hope, there are probably some who are still reeling from the drop. So it's a good time to read Paul Feig's other sequel note below:

It's a moment that's handled with the same sick, twisted humor you'd have expected from these characters. After all, Emily/Hope doesn't show any outward trauma, and even Stephanie knows to use the moment to call her a "sister fucker." Ultimately Another Simple Favor's unsettling family tree is played for authentic laughs instead of basic trauma.

But that's up for interpretation by the audience this destination murder mystery is looking to please. All I can definitively say is that it certainly is an out of control gag one would expect from Paul Feig: a director who's so stylishly funny, this is how he lampoons the fact that he's made his first cinematic sequel:

If you're ready to do yourself Another Simple Favor (no pun intended), then you can stream the Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick starring sequel right now - only on Prime Video! And if there is a third entry to be announced in the near future, I send my heartfelt wishes of good luck to the writers, as this is gonna be a hard act to top. Perhaps space is the best way forward....

There were always going to be eyes focused on a movie like Another Simple Favor. The first movie was a surprise hit, leading to the sequel happening in the first place. However, the film is also the first major project for Blake Lively since It Ends With Us. That movie set has resulted in multiple lawsuits, both by and against Lively. There have also been rumors of conflict between Lively and her Simple Favor co-star Anna Kendrick, but director Paul Feig is denying there’s any feud.

There are lots of stories about actors on movie sets being a problem to work with and while there have been some cases of real problems, Feig insists that, at least in the case of Blake Lively, reports regarding Lively being difficult to work with mostly stem from people who don’t understand how movie sets actually work. He tells Esquire…

The source of the misconception, according to Feig, is the idea that movie stars are simply paid players who show up to read lines and then go home. While there may be stories about Blake Lively trying to have some control of productions, that’s only because that’s how it always works on set. Feig continued…

Certainly, with lawsuits having been filed by Blake Lively against her It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni, and with more lawsuits filed by him, including suits that include Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds and the New York Times, whatever may have happened on that set went beyond the norm. Of course, that movie was also different because, in addition to being an actress, Lively was also a producer.

Feig seems to indicate that anything that may (or may not) have happened on the set of A Simple Favor was nothing more than the normal interactions between people on a movie set. Lively and Kendrick have no issues working together to promote the film, something that wasn't the case following It Ends with Us.

For the filmmaker, anybody who has an extreme reaction to the stories about Blake Lively needs to relax, because there’s simply no reason to be outraged here. Feig explained…

While Paul Feig may be looking to reduce the outrage, with lawsuits set to go to trial next year, the controversy surrounding Blake Lively likely won't be going away anytime soon, whether or not this is all actually normal for a movie star.

Warning: spoilers for Another Simple Favor are definitely in play!

What would the 2025 movie schedule be without a little bit of murder? Okay, so maybe “a little bit” depends on your personal tastes for criminality, but in director Paul Feig’s Another Simple Favor, the return of Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick does mean more bodies than before.

With the cryptic way this Prime Video subscription booster ends, people are going to be curious if a third round could be in the works. Well, after speaking with the director of both the Amazon-MGM Studios sequel and its 2018 predecessor, fans will need to keep some things in mind.

Another Simple Favor’s Mysterious Cliffhanger Remains Unknown… For Now

If you haven’t seen Another Simple Favor’s cliffhanger ending, and all of the devious twists that came before it, allow me to give you a moment to consider this final spoiler alert.

Still with me? Good, because as I prepared for this interview, I watched the movie a second time, and put together my own theory on what happened. It was time to ask the Spy helmer for his top secret take on the final frames, courtesy of these sentiments shared with CinemaBlend:

Considering Blake Lively’s Hope McLanden/Emily Nelson is at the heart of Another Simple Favor’s big mystery, one would have thought she had some sort of idea where things were going.

Following up on that particular lead, I asked what, if anything, was written on the note that came from Elena Sofia Ricci’s Portia Versano. Let it be known that Paul Feig is as good at keeping secrets as he is picking his wardrobe, as this was all he would volunteer upon questioning:

The absence of an official greenlight for A Simple Favor 3, or as I like to call it “Yet Another Simple Favor,” doesn’t mean that one can’t speculate. Seeing as Paul Feig influenced this outing’s Capri-based setting, potential ideas on where to go next could be as valuable as what’s on that note.

Paul Feig’s Viewpoint On Potential Simple Favor 3 Locations Is Mysterious, But I Can See Why

I’ll admit, I used to be a bit of a snob when it came to stories of movie-making talent using dream vacation spots as locations for future franchise entries. However, after Jane Seymour’s James Bond story about Roger Moore doing basically that, I could see the appeal.

So if Capri was the ideal location for Another Simple Favor, where could a hypothetical three-quel go? When I asked Paul Feig, he gave me another response that mixed vagueness and reason:

To tell someone where the next instance of Blake Lively making Anna Kendrick’s on-screen life a twisted mystery will take place is kind of a spoiler. At least, that’s the conclusion I’ve reached after A Simple Favor’s directing mastermind gave me the feedback seen above. However, wherever things go, there’s one thing that Mr. Feig and I could agree on in the moment:

For those of you in the know, Mr. Palazzi is the head bartender at Ian Fleming’s old London stomping grounds, Duke’s Bar. So of course as a cocktail aficionado, Paul Feig couldn’t resist giving the man himself a cameo in which he serves Anna Kendrick the crucial martini you see below:

Call me crazy…but is Paul Feig secretly dancing around a potential directing post for James Bond 26? I guess that’s one more question that needs an answer, especially if Amazon-MGM’s alleged tone notes for the next 007 harken back to the days of Roger Moore.

Of course, that’s if Feig isn’t tapped for a sequel to Another Simple Favor in the near future. If you want to improve those chances, you should stream this comedy-thriller dressed to kill at your earliest convenience. Consider a simple favor to the people that made this fine film.

There is little not to like or at least appreciate about 2018’s A Simple Favor. Stars Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively have tremendous chemistry that comes through very different energies, and the film wraps them up in a terrific, twisty mystery that successfully manages to be equally thrilling and funny. And given my appreciation for the characters and tone, I was fully onboard when the years-later sequel was finally announced, as I had faith that the returning talent – including not only Kendrick and Lively but also director Paul Feig – could echo what was successful about its predecessor while cooking up something exciting and new.

This excitement lasted until about halfway through my screening of Another Simple Favor. In the follow-ups first act, the principal players are introduced with fun new conflicts and relationships, tension is created as the movie successfully keeps the audience in the dark about what lies ahead, and the action is moved to a new and beautiful setting that accents all of the flashy fashion choices. But then the film finally starts dolling out hints about what it’s up to, and it’s from that point on that the whole thing completely falls apart.

If there is a sequel trap or trope development for Another Simple Favor to fall into or attempt to exploit, it does so, and the film unravels into a messy slog that feels like its 40 minutes longer than its predecessor instead of just four. The sharp dynamics that made the first movie shine are replaced with overly familiar ones that are a comparative snore, and it lacks anything unexpected; despite an attempt at building a new murder mysterious, it becomes far too clear where it’s all going halfway through the runtime, and it just coasts to the end.

Reintroduced at the start of the film, Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) has found both success as an investigator and popularity as a vlogger, but she has also written a book about her wild experience with Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) and copies aren’t exactly flying off the shelf. In a turn of events that turns out to be both terrifying and convenient, however, Emily first hires lawyers who successfully get her out of prison on appeal, and then she invites Stephanie to be her maid of honor at her extravagant wedding in Capri, Italy.

Stephanie is scared that she is being made the target of a revenge plot, but she needs the publicity for her book and material for a potential sequel, so she agrees to go, bringing her literary agent (Alex Newell) along for the ride as insurance. After arriving in Europe, she is not only surprised to learn that Emily is marrying a man named Dante Versano (Michele Morrone), who is the heir to a powerful crime family, but that Sean Townsend (Henry Golding), her and Emily’s ex, has been invited as well. Conflicts and emotions flare all over the place, and bodies eventually start to fall – but this time around, the number one suspect in the murders ends up being Stephanie.

Another Simple Favor peaks far too early and then becomes far too obvious.

When Stephanie gets on a private jet to Italy, surrounded by the ultra-wealthy who think she’s the help, the movie is at its high point. The martini-sipping Emily is a devilish mystery, her motives entirely hidden behind stinging one-liners and what may very well be honest expressions of affection for her “best friend,” and Stephanie having her guard up effectively puts her on her game both in terms of investigative instincts and retorts. Tension boils between the frenemies, as barbs are traded about incest and fratricide. The sequence is a perfect encapsulation of the unique energy that made the first movie so great, and I felt confident in that moment that the film was about to spin off another wild, beautiful treat.

But then the ball gets dropped – both in the script (penned by Jessica Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis) and in Paul Feig’s direction. While I won’t go into exact events and risk revealing too much in this spoiler-free venue, the wheels really fall off during a pre-wedding banquet with the bride and groom’s families and guests.

A combination of a failed subtle reveal and blatant glances that are meant to be furtive make everything that’s going to happen super apparent, and the stakes disappear as everything unfolds in service of a terrible twist that is ridiculously predictable for anyone who has watched the first movie (on that note: it’s probably best that you don’t make the same mistake I did and do a refresher screening of A Simple Favor before checking out the sequel, as its best to have certain details from the original be vague in your memory).

Far too much time is spent by the movie catching up to everything the audience already knows – and in the process, it even manages to torch the best aspect of the movies: the poisonous relationship between Stephanie and Emily.

Another Simple Favor biffs it on the story front, but at least the film is strikingly beautiful.

The mystery in Another Simple Favor is a big letdown and a big step down, compared to A Simple Favor, but one upgrade it can be said the film makes is trading the suburban Connecticut backdrop for the vistas of Capri, Italy. The production design and location scouting departments for the movie aced their work, and immense compliments also must be offered to costume designer Renée Ehrlich Kalfus, as even someone as fashion blind as myself can appreciate the bold choices made for the characters – with the greatest achievement being Emily’s white wedding dress that is accented with a bridal train that looks like its edges have been dipped in a pool of blood.

I imagine that fans of the first movie won’t be able to resist their curiosity in checking out how things turn out in Another Simple Favor, and for those compelled individuals, I will just say this: lower your expectations. It’s pretty to look at, but it’s also deeply frustrating due to its bad plotting. One hates to say it, but this is a sequel that was not worth the wait.

I've been so excited for the release of Another Simple Favor ever since it was announced the sequel was being made, and in just two weeks, This upcoming 2025 movie will be in our households via Amazon Prime. Ahead of its early May release, Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively reunited in London for a special screening of the film, and I can’t take my eyes off them both showing out in black fits!

During their appearances in England alongside director Paul Feig and co-star Henry Golding, the Another Simple Favor leads donned black, but in completely different ways. Check out their sleek looks:

Lively and Kendrick look like they totally coordinated their fits (even though we have no idea if they did), but their specific pieces bring out their own sense of style. Lively had on a leather jacket dress with a long flowing skirt, while Kendrick went for a lacy two-piece sheer dress that gives the kind of classic feminine, frilly fashion that the actress is known for. Inversely, Lively’s attire does kind of fit into the villain vibe of her Simple Favor character.

I absolutely love seeing these co-stars together again after things got awkward at the SXSW premiere, especially considering it was Lively's first appearance since the Justin Baldoni legal situation she’s been in following It Ends With Us. In Another Simple Favor, the actresses are joined by Andrew Rannells, Allison Janney, Jean Smart and Alex Newell.

I’m obviously living for these two looks, but more than anything, I love the presence of director Paul Feig, who is holding up a martini for the press photo. It’s the best energy he can have given all the rumors that have been circulating around his leading actresses. Also, martinis are a whole big thing in A Simple Favor and, surely, Another Simple Favor. He also just looks too cool in that marvelous navy suit that seems to be coordinated with the poster for Another Simple Favor. Obsessed!

Another Simple Favor is coming out seven years after the original movie, which was such a fun twisty mystery from the director of Bridesmaids. But this time around, Kendrick’s Stephanie has been invited by Lively’s Emily to her lavish wedding in Capri, Italy to be her maid of honor. From what reactions have come out so far, there’s more murder and twists this time around, too! Those who have seen it already have called it everything from “utter nonsense” to “divinely twisted” and “satisfying”.

Particularly, a lot of first viewers have spoken to the amazing fashion throughout the movie, too. We’ll of course have to see for ourselves when the movie drops on Amazon Prime on May 1.

Paul Feig’s Another Simple Favor — the sequel to Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick’s 2018 thriller — is still a couple of months away from hitting the 2025 movie calendar. There's already there’s been plenty of behind-the-scenes buzz, though. This weekend, however, movie lovers finally got to talk about the film itself. The sequel premiered at the South by Southwest film festival, and it sounds like we’re in for an even more unhinged experience this time around.

Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively are among those reprising their roles from A Simple Favor, and they’re joined by some new faces to the franchise, including Michele Morrone, Alex Newell and Allison Janney. Another Simple Favor sounds like fun when murder strikes an Italian wedding, but Jacob Oller of AV Club is missing Kendrick and Lively’s cat-and-mouse dance. The best part of the new film is the wardrobe, though Oller says the clothes outshine the mystery, characters, cast and humor. He gives the movie a C+, writing:

Owen Gleiberman of Variety also says the sequel provides “more twists and less fun.” The first half of that statement is quite a feat with all of A Simple Favor’s crazy plot twists. Anna Kendrick’s Stephanie has hardened since the first film, and the sequel loses something in that power dynamic shift, according to the critic, who says:

If you’re like me and needed A Simple Favor’s ending explained to you, get ready, because Christian Zilko of IndieWire says the sequel makes even less sense but in a good way. Paul Feig uses the same formula as the first, but ramps it up with some Italian mafia. Zilko, who graded the movie a B-, says:

Kristy Puchko of Mashable says Another Simple Favor is at its best when Blake Lively cuts loose in “psycho-biddy fashion.” Anna Kendrick is still plucky, but the movie frankly drags when Emily isn’t on screen, Puchko says. In her words:

Glenn Garner of Deadline says audiences may note a few similarities between Another Simple Favor and its predecessor, but Paul Feig makes sure this is more than cashing in on existing IP. The nods to the 2018 movie serve as a playful wink, as the sequel stands firmly on its own. Garner continues:

It may be a little too soon to start talking about a threequel, especially given some of the speculation that Anna Kendrick wasn’t too thrilled about working with Blake Lively again. Either way, it sounds like Paul Feig didn’t pull his punches in this sequel, and audiences are in for quite a wild ride.

If you need a refresher on how the first movie went down seven years ago, A Simple Favor received much love on Netflix, so be sure to check it out before Another Simple Favor becomes available to stream with an Amazon Prime Video subscription

on May 1.

As we near the May 1 release of the upcoming A Simple Favor 2, officially titled Another Simple Favor, the buzz for the Paul Feig sequel has ramped up. One unexpected element, beyond the location switch from American suburbia to an iconic Italian island, is the type of gin being used on set. What once was Ryan Reynolds’ Aviation gin has now turned into another brand, and it’s even closer to home for Feig.

While there have been plenty of rumors swirling around Blake Lively’s projects amid the ongoing It Ends With Us legalities, including the A Simple Favor sequel, Feig set the record straight for his 2025 movie. He shared all he could with EW about the coming Prime subscription-exclusive movie ahead of its actual premiere, including this famed liquor switch. The Bridesmaids director shared that Reynolds’ Aviation was swapped out for his own: Artingstall’s. He noted that he’s very proud of his line of gin, the aesthetics of his bottle work well in the movie, and that a martini is commonly found within his films, saying:

This behind-the-scenes tidbit feels like a great Hollywood piece of trivia, but it’s fun to know that Paul Feig is so pro-cocktail. It’s no longer surprising that the 2025 movie schedule movie won’t feature the Deadpool star’s gin because it was replaced by his own. After all, the Spy director already shared that SF2 promises a special Martinicentric cameo beyond either gin brand. Clearly the love and passion run deep for a nice martini anywhere in the director’s life.

Beyond the alcoholic promises the Another Simple Favor has in store, Anna Kendrick teased great things for the sequel. The Pitch Perfect star hyped Feig’s movie-making ability, and particularly for the film series she shares with Blake Lively. The 2018 film was full of twists and turns as it followed blogger Stephanie figuring out what happened to the chic, mysterious Emily. ASP picks up with Emily getting out of prison, asking Stephanie to be her maid of honor, and everyone traipsing off for an Italian wedding–it sure has the makings to be as exciting as its predecessor.

For now, we’ll have to wait to see all those ice-cold martinis and twists on May 1. Maybe fans will get some more bits of content from its March premiere at SXSW. There are two things to be certain of for Paul Feig and this movie: the actor-director loves gin, and Ryan Reynolds’ Aviation has been replaced by Feig’s own brand.

Watch the OG A Simple Favor movie with a Netflix subscription, and have an Amazon account ready to go for the sequel, coming out on May 1.

Other than getting a bit of information about A Simple Favor 2's plot and cast and hearing director Paul Feig’s comments about the audience test scores being “through the roof,” there’s not much we know about this anticipated sequel. So, yes, there are questions about its release date. Now, a wild rumor has been going around that Amazon shelved the film because of the ongoing legal drama between one of the film’s stars, Blake Lively, and her It Ends With Us director/co-star Justin Baldoni. However, the director of A Simple Favor 2 has clapped back at that wild claim and set the record straight about the film’s status.

This all began when @Oflululemon made a bunch of claims about the upcoming A Simple Favor 2 and its future, posting on X:

It went on to claim that the film’s other lead, Anna Kendrick, was allegedly “furious,” and its director, Feig, was “disappointed.” The post then called the film “an implosion.” That was followed by a long thread explaining why they thought this was the case, noting various rumors about the first A Simple Favor as well as the ongoing legal battle between Lively and Baldoni.

Then, Paul Feig responded on X to this thread that claimed his film was no longer going to come out. He quickly clapped back, calling the rumor “total BS,” and he noted that the movie will be released. Here’s the director’s full comment:

After the Spy director posted that, @Oflululemon responded by asking “if [their] story is ‘false,’ could you clarify why Amazon hasn’t set a release date for a film that wrapped in April 2024?”

The Bridesmaids director responded to that question, breaking down the post-production process and noting that they do plan to release A Simple Favor 2 on the 2025 movie schedule:

Then, while responding to another post that thanked Feig for “confirming that this thread is bs,” the director explained that he loves A Simple Favor 2. He also wrote that he thinks “Blake and Anna turn in amazing performances,” and he reiterated his excitement for the project. He ended the post by writing that “Simple Favor 2 is coming soon!”

Of course, all of this is happening amid the complex legal battle that surrounds Lively’s last film, It Ends With Us. In December, she filed a complaint (and later a lawsuit) against Justin Bladoni's production company Wayfarer Studios, accusing him and his colleague of sexual harassment during production and claiming the director and his team conducted a smear campaign against her when the film came out, among other things.

Then, Baldoni filed a lawsuit against The New York Times, who published a story about Lively’s complaint, for libel. He claimed that they “cherry-picked and altered communications stripped of necessary context,” which references the text messages cited in the actress’s initial complaint.

This ongoing and complex legal situation has been the cause of headline after headline, and it’s been a big point of discussion for the last few weeks. As more news comes out about these lawsuits and the legal process continues, odds are, it will remain a hot topic.

Now, amid all of this, according to Paul Feig, who did voice support for Lively when her initial complaint was released, A Simple Favor 2 is still on track to be released.

As all of this develops and we learn more about both the Lively-Baldoni situation as well as the release of A Simple Favor 2, we’ll be sure to update you. If you are looking to see Feig, Lively and Anna Kendrick’s original film, A Simple Favor, you can stream it with a Netflix subscription.

As a book lover, I’m always paying attention to what upcoming book adaptations are on the horizon, and quite a few 2025 movies are based on popular novels. Another Bridget Jones book is being turned into a movie, and Stephen King’s The Running Man is being made with Glen Powell, but now I’m particularly getting invested in The Housemaid adaptation.

Now, I haven’t read The Housemaid, but it’s been announced that Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney are leading the adaptation alongside It Ends With Us’s Brandon Sklenor and 365 Days’ Michele Morrone. The movie is being helmed by Paul Feig of Bridesmaids and A Simple Favor fame – both movies I adore. Now the people behind the movie’s production posted this hilarious video on their socials to celebrate the beginning of filming:

The core cast of The Housemaid, alongside its director made a social media video that teases the plot of the story, and when I tell you I went immediately to my library app to see if it was available after seeing this. I thought it might be a stitch of a reaction video of the book itself, and I was totally right. Here’s the original video from TikTok’s @bookclubwannabe:

OK, I was not expecting this book to sound so spicy with plot! Now that I’ve looked into it further, Freida McFadden’s novel is a psychological thriller about a young woman named Millie (whom Sydney Sweeney will play) who's recently been released from prison and earns a position as a live-in housemaid for a wealthy couple, the Winchesters (played by Amanda Seyfried and Sklenar).

Apparently things go sideways when Millie starts noticing some very bizarre behavior from Nina, including being offered a room in the attic, which only locks from the outside. Suffice to say, this sounds like one wild ride of a book, and between the announcement video and the original TikTok that tracked one reader’s response to all the happenings of the novel, I’ll absolutely be seated for this movie.

Some of the plotlines of the novel are hinted at in the video, with the soundbites suggesting Nina is “actually clinically insane,” to “it’s the delulu for me” or Sweeney mouthing how the Winchester’s put their housemaid “in a cot with an itchy blanket.” The cast is clearly having a blast with the whole thing, and I’m sure anyone who read the book is happy to see them all with the novel in their hands on the set of the movie.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Variety reported that The Housemaid would officially be released by Lionsgate on Christmas Day in 2025 alongside the Timothée Chalamet sports drama Marty Supreme. The marketing for The Housemaid already ate and left no crumbs, and production has only just begun.

One comedy that stands a good chance of hitting the 2025 movie schedule is A Simple Favor 2. After the first movie starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively creeped into our hearts back in 2018, director Paul Feig has brought the pair of women back together for another fun crime thriller. Kendrick recently spoke about the sequel as we await the A Simple Favor 2 release date.

Anna Kendrick is currently promoting her directorial debut, Woman Of The Hour, which will be available to stream with a Netflix subscription this weekend. While speaking on The Jess Cagle Show (via YouTube), she was asked by the hosts whether she was eyeing to helm the sequel rather than Feig after getting behind the camera. Here’s what she had to say:

As Kendrick shared on the radio show, she would never want to replace her A Simple Favor director due to how he’s able to pull off the unique tone of the comedy that threads a needle between fun and drama. Aside from the A Simple Favor movies, Paul Feig has been responsible for steering the phenomenon of a movie that is Bridesmaids, along with The Heat and Spy. He has a “magic mind” indeed!

As the radio hosts shared their love for the first movie, Anna Kendrick teased a little something about the sequel. In her words:

News of the second A Simple Favor movie was announced in 2022, with the screenwriter from the first movie, Jessica Sharzer, back to write the sequel’s script. A Simple Favor 2 was filmed in spring 2024, and when Paul Feig spoke with CinemaBlend during San Diego Comic Con, he gave us an update on the movie. Feig said he is “so happy with it” and that the movie “scored through the roof” when they tested it early with audiences.

Along with A Simple Favor 2 having Kendrick and Lively back to sip martinis, Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Joshua Satine and Ian Ho will reprise their roles as well. While the movie’s release date hasn’t been revealed, we suspect it is on the way next year. After the twists and turns of the first movie, it’ll be exciting to see just how the movie “ups the ante.”

A Simple Favor is one of the best comedies to watch on Netflix right now. You can do a crime thriller Anna Kendrick double feature starting this Friday when Woman of the Hour hits the streaming service.

Back in 2018, fans were treated to Paul Feig's A Simple Favor, which is dark comedy/thriller starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick. The movie, which is streaming now with a Netflix subscription, is finally getting a sequel, which has already filmed. My coworker asked Feig about A Simple Favor 2's "Martini twist" and I had no idea there was a big surprise answer.

What we know about A Simple Favor 2 is super limited, but information is slowly trickling out about the forthcoming project. Rather than going to theaters, the movie will be released for those with an Amazon Prime subscription, but it'll still have some familiar faces and plot points. That includes the two protagonists' love for gin martinis. As you can see in the video below, CinemaBlend asked Feig about the movie's signature drinks, and how they'll factor into the sequel. You can see his comments below:

The first movie is arguably one of the best thrillers available on Netflix, so the pressure is on for the team to deliver a similarly delightful romp the second time around. And after A Simple Favor's twist ending, it should be fascinating to see how the story is continued in a new installment... and how many martinis are consumed throughout its mysterious runtime.

In the first movie, Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively's characters first bond over martinis, which becomes an ongoing theme throughout the film. As such, fans were expecting the mysterious sequel to follow suit. Lukily Feig and company are going to provide in a big way, as he told CinemaBlend at San Diego Comic-Con:

Well, my mind is blown. Who exactly could this martini expert be, and how will they factor into the mysterious story of A Simple Favor 2? It's unclear, but it's definitely thrilling that Feig has so many tricks up his sleeve for the project.

During the same conversation at Comic-Con, Paul Feig revealed that A Simple Favor 2 has been testing extremely well, which is another exciting announcement about the mysterious project. During the writer's strike, another draft for the movie was totally thrown out, seemingly because those involved care so deeply about the next installment in the burgeoning franchise. And if the sequel's current cut is teasing so well perhaps that was the right call.

The first Simple Favor movie had twist after twist, so the story could seemingly go anywhere for the sequel. All will be revealed when A Simple Favor 2 is released, presumably sometime in 2025. In the meantime, check out the 2025 movie release dates.

There’s something about the chemistry shared between Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively in the sinister and sexy A Simple Favor that had fans clamoring for more. Released in 2018, Paul Feig’s thriller-comedy found single mother Stephanie (Kendrick) investigating the disappearance of her socialite bestie, Emily (Blake Lively), and digging up way more dirt than anticipated. We loved the movie when it came out, and have delighted in the fact that it has climbed the streaming charts as audiences continued to discover it. We know that the sequel is on its way, and now director Paul Feig has incredible news regarding its performance.

Paul Feig stopped by CinemaBlend’s interview suite at San Diego Comic-Con to discuss his new film Jackpot, which stars Awkwafina, Simu Liu and John Cena in an action-packed comedy that Feig compares to Jackie Chan’s finest works. But in the process, we also took the time to ask Feig about A Simple Favor 2, and learned that it’s already testing through the roof with audiences. Feig told CinemaBlend exclusively:

Well, that’s incredibly encouraging. Especially because, as Paul Feig continued to tell us about the sequel, it sounded like he didn’t like the direction his story was going, and basically threw out what he had. As Feig explained to CinemaBlend regarding sequels (in general), and A Simple Favor 2 specifically:

That sounds terrifying. And yet, based on the feedback that Paul Feig received in the test screenings for A Simple Favor 2, the change in direction worked incredibly well. We pushed Feig for a release date, but he just confirmed that it’ll be an upcoming 2025 release. In the meantime, make sure to prepare for Paul Feig’s Jackpot, which will be available to all of those with an Amazon Prime Video subscription on August 15.

Netflix – and many of the best streaming services for that matter – has the power to give older projects second lives in a big way. Last summer, Suits saw a major resurgence, and now, the streamer has helped a 2018 film find new fans, and it’s come at the perfect time. In this case, Paul Feig’s A Simple Favor has landed in the No. 1 spot on the legacy streamer's Top 10 Movies. Then, on top of this exciting news, he provided a thrilling update about the state of the Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick-led sequel. 

Responding to a fan on X, who had just watched A Simple Favor for the first time, Paul Feig celebrated his film’s success on Netflix with a great update that gives us a bit of insight into A Simple Favor 2. Posting a photo of the streaming service, and the film being at the No. 1 spot, the dapper director wrote:

The sequel to A Simple Favor was announced in May of 2022, and it was confirmed that Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively would be returning to their roles as Stephanie and Emily, respectively, and that Paul Feig would direct it. Now, as the first film finds new fans on Netflix, the Bridesmaids director has confirmed that they wrapped production on the sequel this week, and that it will make its way onto the 2025 movie schedule. 

He didn’t confirm when exactly the film would come out next year, however, it’s thrilling to know that this long-awaited sequel is taking major steps forward. So, while fans have been using a Netflix subscription to catch up with Lively and Kendrick’s characters, they better have their Amazon Prime subscriptions ready next year to see what happens in A Simple Favor 2. 

Considering the ending to A Simple Favor, it seemed like Kendrick and Lively’s characters wouldn’t see each other again. However, it’s been confirmed that the sequel will follow Emily as she marries an Italian businessman. Of course, in the spirit of the original, there will be mystery, intrigue and some thrilling elements as it will feature murder and betrayal. 

How Emily and Stephanie will come back together is unknown, I mean the last time we saw Blake Lively's character she was in prison. However, figuring all that out will be part of the fun when A Simple Favor 2 graces our screens next year. 

While we wait for this exciting sequel, and if you haven’t watched the well-reviewed A Simple Favor, you should hop on the bandwagon and contribute to its No. 1 spot on Netflix. After that, be sure to keep your eyes on the 2024 movie schedule so you can check out Blake Lively and Anna Kendricks’ other projects that are coming out ahead of the highly anticipated A Simple Favor 2.  

2024 is already delivering some heavy hits in the way of celebrity deaths, as the world said goodbye to comedian and Curb Your Enthusiasm actor Richard Lewis. His passing sent shockwaves through Hollywood, and drew tributes from stars including best friend Larry David, Ringo Starr of The Beatles fame, and many others who the comedian impacted in his lifetime. 

Lewis had been a recurring fixture on Curb Your Enthusiasm since its beginnings, to the point that he had to announce he would barely be involved in Season 11 ahead of its release. Fans loved Lewis' interactions on the show with star Larry David, who was his real-life best friend. In a released statement from HBO (via Variety), David shared a brief message about his dear friend: 

"Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital and for most of my life he’s been like a brother to me. He had that rare combination of being the funniest person and also the sweetest. But today he made me sob and for that I’ll never forgive him."

Richard Lewis had quite a few famous friends in his long career in Hollywood, with one of them being the knighted musician Sir Richard Starkey, more commonly known as Ringo Starr. Lewis revealed in a 2009 interview with Vulture that The Beatles drummer introduced him to his wife Joyce Lapinsky, who Starr mentioned in his message:

"God bless, Richard Lewis peace and love to Joyce peace and love."

And while many today might sooner associate him with Curb Your Enthusiasm (currently available to stream with a Max subscription), Richard Lewis was part of television long before that. In fact, he was honored by one of his former co-stars from Anything But Love, who later went on to be an Oscar winner in 2023. Jamie Lee Curtis posted: 

There were also tributes from celebrities the public wouldn't immediately expect. Director Paul Feig was one of them, and talked about the friendship they shared over the years: 

"Absolutely devastated by this news. Richard was my hero when I was a standup. I was lucky enough to get to know him and he was the most wonderful man. So supportive and kind and truly one of the funniest people on the planet. You will be missed, my friend."

When the guy who has made movies as awesome as Bridesmaids (despite being terrified to do so) is calling a person a hero, you just have to know they did something right in life. Not that Lewis likely needed any of that affirmation, as his extensive career in stand-up comedy, movies, and television was proof enough that he was a star with real staying power. 

Many others paid tribute around the internet, but it felt fitting to circle back to Curb Your Enthusiasm with the tribute offered by executive producer Robert B. Weide. He shared photos with Lewis taken over the past few decades and a short message to the passed comedian: 

It's really moving to see so many pay tribute to Richard Lewis, and it's really encouraging me to do an impromptu Curb Your Enthusiasm marathon just to capture some of the actor's best moments on the show. I was already a little curious about the re-used Seinfeld jokes in the series, so now I have plenty to be on the lookout for diving back in. 

CinemaBlend continues to offer its condolences to the family and friends of Richard Lewis. Continue to stick with us as we track the latest updates in entertainment news, and what's happening in television and movies in 2024 and beyond. 

The reviews are in for Netflix’s latest fantasy property, The School for Good and Evil. The movie is directed by Paul Feig, of Bridesmaids and The Heat fame, and stars Sofia Wylie, known for her role in the Disney+ show High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and Sophia Anne Caruso, who originated the role of Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice on Broadway. Supporting the ladies are big stars including Charlize Theron and Kerry Washington. It follows Wylie and Carusos' characters as they are pitted against each other after being placed in the schools of good and evil, respectively. Though it’s based on the popular YA series by Soman Chainani of the same name, the reviews for the film are mixed. 

Starting with Maya Phillips from The New York Times, she explained that there are good and evil elements to the film. She wrote that the special effects, certain points of the plot, and the world-building aren't the best. However, she did praise Wylie’s performance along with the A-list older cast members, specifically Theron, Michelle Yeoh, and Laurence Fishburne. She wrote: 

While there were aspects of the film Phillips enjoyed, David Ehrlich at Indie Wire did not like the movie at all, calling it a ripoff of the Harry Potter movies in the headline. He discussed the parallels to the popular series about the wizarding world, and then also pointed out the various clichés The School for Good and Evil fumbles into. He wrote: 

Sticking with the Harry Potter comparisons, Peter Debruge at Variety said the movie felt like it “recycled from J.K. Rowling’s superior wizarding school.” However, he did compliment the costume design, though that was really it. His main point was the film tried to tackle too much, writing: 

Meanwhile, Hoai-Tran Bui at /Film was not nearly as offended by the film as the last two critics. She described the film as “charmingly silly” and a “frothy and fun time.” She complimented the performances of the two leading ladies, while also pointing out some of the film's flaws, the biggest one being it’s too long. While most of these critics have compared it to Harry Potter Bui took a different route, writing: 

Christy Lemire at Roger Ebert wrote that the movie feels “overstuffed.” She wrote that there are lots of interesting points the film could focus on, but its big flaw is it tries to focus on them all rather than choosing one. She compliments the performances of Wylie and Caruso as well as the over-the-top sets and costumes. However, in the end, it just tired to do much, and she gave it 2.5 stars. 

Well there you have it, the consensus seems to be mixed to negative when it comes to The School for Good and Evil. However, there was agreement that the film is visually stunning, especially the costumes. 

You can check out The School for Good and Evil with a Netflix subscription, and make sure to check out the 2022 movie schedule to stay in the know about other movies coming out throughout the year. 

Book adaptations of big-time novels always seem to go over well with audiences, and have for plenty of years, with movie sagas such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings taking over the box office. But, a newcomer is arriving on the movie scene, one which should have been adapted almost as soon as it came out, if you ask me.

The School for Good and Evil, an amazing addition to the fantasy genre, is finally getting its own adaptation into the film world – but not in theaters. However, it will be appearing as a Netflix movie, on the popular streaming website. However, what else do we know about this upcoming film? What is it going to be about? Who is going to be in it? There are plenty of things that you might not know, but we do. Here are some quick things we know about the upcoming Netflix film.

The School For Good And Evil Release Date Is Set For October 21

Mark your calendars, fantasy lovers, as The School for Good and Evil is going to be coming out as part of the 2022 movie release schedule! Announced with the official poster from the Netflix Twitter page, it was confirmed that The School for Good and Evil would release on the popular streaming platform in Fall 2022, specifically on October 21. 

Talk about a great addition to all the fun Halloween movies we’ll be watching during that time of year - I can always use a little good and evil in my life. 

The School For Good And Evil Has A Star-Studded Cast

With an adaptation like The School for Good and Evil, we all knew that the cast needed to be amazing. And, luckily, there’s no shortage of amazing additions to this Netflix movie. First, let’s take a look at the two leads characters of the film, Sophie and Agatha, where the story begins. These two roles will be played by Sophia Anna Caruso, known for her role in the Broadway musical Beetlejuice, and Sofia Wylie, who stars on a Disney+  show you really should watch, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.

Wylie is especially excited for her role in The School for Good and Evil. In an interview with MTV, she talked about her part as Agatha and how she’s excited to “bring some realness” to the character that hadn’t been seen before. She described Agatha’s struggles with internal and external beauty through her own experience, saying that it’s something she can relate to and that it’s an important message to teach.

Adding on to this cast, Deadline reported that two megastars, Charlize Theron and Kerry Washington, signed on for two of the main roles in the upcoming film. Theron is set to play Lady Lesso, and Washington will portray a teacher at the school, Professor Dovey.

In addition to these two, in another article, Deadline reported that Laurence Fishburne, known for his roles in The Matrix trilogy and many other films, as well as action star Michelle Yeoh, from movies such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Crazy Rich Asians, and her TV role in Star Trek: Discovery, have stepped up to be in The School for Good and Evil. Fishburne will play the Schoolmaster – a role that sounds quite fitting for someone of his talents, and Yeoh will portray another teacher, Professor Anemone.

Also for the film, Demi Isaac Oviawe, Kaitlyn Akinpelumi, and Freya Theodora Parks will play Anadil, Dot and Hester, three young women who are a part of The Coven in The School for Good and Evil, as confirmed by a behind-the-scenes look with the author of the original novel, Soman Chainani on YouTube.

Already, this film is shaping up to be filled to the brim with some of the Hollywood elite. I, for one, can’t wait to see what they do with the material they are given, because it’s about to get magical.

The School For Good And Evil Will Follow The Bestselling Book Series

For those who don’t know, The School for Good and Evil is composed of several novels in a series. Netflix confirmed that this new movie will be based on the series by Soman Chainani, and from the premise of the film, it’s looking to be exactly like the first novel.

As confirmed by the description from the trailer for the new movie on YouTube, The School for Good and Evil is going to follow two best friends, Sophia and Agatha, who are swept into a world of trying to balance both good and evil when they are given different roles, but this in turn causes their lives to turn upside down. 

I’m already on board for a story like this. Two opposing personalities who end up being trained in styles that they thought they weren’t aligned with? Thrown into unlikely situations? Fantasy elements? My god, I can almost feel the franchise coming. Netflix has a great addition with this one.

Bridesmaids Director Paul Feig Is Directing The School For Good And Evil

I don’t think there could have been another perfect choice for the director for The School for Good and Evil than Paul Feig. The legendary director has produced some of the biggest comedic hits in the last ten years. For example, Feig directed the smash-hit Bridesmaids back in 2011, the 2016 remake of Ghostbusters, the Emilia Clarke Christmas comedy Last Christmas, the comedy thriller, A Simple Favor, and so many others.

Besides movies, Paul Feig has also directed multiple episodes of several incredible sitcoms, such as The Office, Arrested Development, Parks and Recreation, and 30 Rock. The School for Good and Evil novels have an amazing comedic element to them, and I can only imagine what a comedic director like Paul Feig will bring to the table in this new film.

Finding Neverland Screenwriter David Magee Wrote The Screenplay For The School For Good And Evil

When it comes to an adapted screenplay, you always have to make sure that you find the right person to do it, because with novels, there are so many details that need to somehow make it into the movie. The School for Good and Evil found its screenwriter in David Magee.

Magee is a perfect choice, because not only has he been around the business for some time, he’s had plenty of experience in writing fantasy, working on films such as the Academy-Award winning Life of Pi, the Disney sequel Mary Poppins Returns, and wrote the screenplay for Finding Neverland, the story of the author who created the legendary character, Peter Pan. Truly, he has great experience up his sleeves, and I’m eager to see what he’ll do with the fantastic story that is The School for Good and Evil.

The School For Good And Evil Has Finished Filming 

As you can expect for a film that already has a trailer, The School for Good and Evil finished production for their film not too long ago. From a tweet on Twitter from Netflix Geeked, it was confirmed back in July of 2021 that filming had wrapped on the film and was entering into the post-production phases. 

Watch The Trailer For The School For Good And Evil 

If you haven’t yet seen the trailer for The School for Good and Evil, be sure to watch it now, as you won’t want to miss out on the magic. 

With an amazing cast, awesome story, and some really cool looking set pieces featured in the trailer, The School for Good and Evil is looking to be an amazing addition to Netflix's original film line-up. I can’t wait for this movie to pop up as part of the 2022 Netflix movie schedule. I’m practically counting down the days. 

Paul Feig is a filmmaker who has one of the most intriguing careers already. He’s known most for his work in comedies like Bridesmaids, The Heat and Spy, but he’s also really branched out with things such as his 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters and the 2018 thriller A Simple Favor, and the lineup of upcoming movies this year includes his adaptation of the book The School for Good and Evil. Feig is always busy with something, but what about his Dark Army movie, which was set to be an original idea featuring a number of classic Universal monsters? 

Back in 2019, it was announced that Paul Feig’s Dark Army was in development based on an original idea by the filmmaker. Since the announcement though, it doesn’t sound like much has progressed. Here’s Feig’s latest update: 

During a recent interview with Collider, Paul Feig shared that he’s not getting very far with Dark Army due to budget concerns from producers. Around a year ago, Feig shared a similar update, so the movement here has been pretty stagnant. That being said, when the outlet asked the filmmaker whether he was holding out hope for it, he said this: 

With that kind of determination and a name like Paul Feig, I’d imagine when the right time comes, we’ll see Dark Army. But for now, he hasn’t sold anyone on the idea enough to throw their money his way. The idea did come a few months before Leigh Whanell’s The Invisible Man came out and became one of the last box office hits before the pandemic started.  

Since the release of the horror film, a number of other Universal Monsters projects have been in development including multiple Dracula movies. Chris McKay is making a dark comedy horror flick called Renfield that will star Nicolas Cage as Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as his henchman. Additionally, Jennifer’s Body filmmaker Karyn Kusama and Nomadland and Eternals’ Chloé Zhao have reportedly been developing their own takes on the vampiric count. 

James Wan is also developing a Frankenstein movie and Leigh Whannell is following up The Invisible Man with a modern Wolfman starring Ryan Gosling. Perhaps the competition is too high for Universal monster movies? We’ll keep you updated on sorts of movie-related news here on CinemaBlend. 

Yesterday, the world lost another great talent in writer/director/producer Ivan Reitman who passed away at the age of 75. Reitman was best known for directing the first two Ghostbusters movies, and producing the more recent entries of the franchise. But Reitman has been a huge part of Hollywood for decades, and so a lot of people are remembering Reitman, not just those from inside the Ghostbusters franchise.

Ernie Hudson, who appeared in all the Ghostbusters movies, responded to the news that Ivan Reitman had passed away by sending his condolences to the family of the lost man, including his son, writer/director Jason Reitman, who recently worked with his father on Ghostbusters: Afterlife.  

Fellow Ghostbuster Dan Aykroyd also made a statement to Deadline where he said he was heartbroken at the death of Reitman and you can feel that in the statement.

Ivan Reitman produced the most recent Ghostbusters film, which was directed by his son Jason. A couple of the key cast members who joined the Ghostbusters franchise with the newest movie also shared their thoughts. Carrie Coon, who played the daughter of Harold Ramis’ iconic Ghostbusters character  said it was an “honor” to work with Reitman and to become part of the film series loved by so many.

While Carrie Coon had some powerful things to say about Ivan Reitman, co-star Mckenna Grace had none. She simply posted a picture of herself and Reitman working together on the set of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and added a heart. No words were needed here. 

Love also came to Jason Reitman from Paul Feig, director of the Ghostbusters spinoff project Answer the Call. While that particular film in the franchise has always struggled, Reitman was apparently always supportive of it and those that made it.  

While Ivan Reitman’s name will be synonymous with Ghostbusters forever, he made many more memorable movies. He directed Meatballs, Stripes, Dave, Kindergarten Cop and Twins. He also had a profound impact on the careers of many other filmmakers. Joker director Todd Philips wrote a lengthy Instagram post about the influence that Reitman had on his career. Ivan Reitman produced Philips' earliest features, but also did a lot more… 

Phil Lord posted to Twitter on Ivan Reitman’s passing with similar comments, talking about how supportive he was of his work with co-director Christopher Miller. he was supportive, but he always tried to help them be better. Lord said…

Ivan Reitman clearly made a mark in Hollywood that will be remembered forever. He made great movies that will stand the test of time but he also inspired a generation of filmmakers that have already gone on to make their own mark. He will not soon be forgotten.

The Ghostbusters franchise rebounded in 2021 with the success of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which is still going strong at the box office. Of course, there’s been speculation of a potential sequel, with all signs pointing toward it becoming a reality. With the film’s tremendous success, Sony Pictures is capitalizing on it by releasing a box set of the beloved franchise. But there appeared to be one omission from the celebration – Paul Feig’s 2016 all-female Ghostbusters. After being notified about the faux pas, Feig spoke up about the film not being included in this collection.

It appeared Sony Pictures wanted to pretend as if the female-led take doesn’t exist. Of course, the film was poorly received by devoted Ghostbusters fans despite doing fairly well at the box office and earning numerous positive reviews. The glaring omission was pointed out by Slashflim, which caught the attention of Paul Feig. The Last Christmas director took to Twitter to voice his opinion about the box set omission.

Calling out the studio for omitting the 2016 film was a bold move. Most directors would just be silent let something like a box set go, but not Paul Feig. He wants his contribution to the Ghostbusters legacy to be recognized. Of course, there are the film’s detractors, but the 2016 gender reversal film does have a sizable fanbase. So it seemed like either a blatant move or an oversight on Sony’s part.

As Paul Feig pointed out, Ghostbusters had the seal of approval from the OG Ghostbusters, as Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson made small cameos in the film. Aykroyd mentioned before that most Ghostbusters properties must go through him, so Feig’s female-led take has that in its back pocket. But there might be another reason why the 2016 film was left out

While the female-led film has the original actors' approval, it doesn't share the same timeline as the original films. So, this might be a case where continuity issues got it axed from the box set. There have always been talks of the cherished franchise having a potential multiverse. Maybe one day Paul Feig’s take will get just due especially with the franchise’s rebirth.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife proved to be a much-needed jolt for the long-dormant franchise. The film has remained in the top three since it was released in November. It appears the sequel’s run won’t end anytime soon. Maybe it’ll pique audiences’ interest to reexamine 2016's Ghostbusters again especially with its influence on the new film.

The 2016 all-female comedy is currently available for streaming on Hulu Live TV and Prime Video. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is currently in theaters.

It’s no secret while many critics enjoyed the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, various diehard Ghostbusters fans did not. At the time, fans voiced their disdain for the film’s all-female cast, with their disappointment in the decision showing in the 2016 female-led film becoming a box office bomb. Besides the cast, director Paul Feig received some flak for the film’s disappointing commercial performace. This led Columbia Pictures to pivot away from a sequel and do a follow-up to the original series – Ghostbuster: Afterlife. While some would be sour over their experience, Feig was the opposite, as evidenced by his classy response to Afterlife’s release.

The Ghostbusters director took to Twitter to congratulate the latest entry into the Ghostbusters universe. Paul Feig appeared to be just as excited about Ghostbusters: Afterlife arriving in theaters as moviegoers were. The sequel’s journey to the cinema has been a drawn-out battle, to say the least. Instead of being bitter over not getting another shot, Feig chose to uplift the new film, especially its director, Jason Reitman. Check out the Ghostbusters director’s celebratory tweet below:

Paul Feig proved not every tough situation leads to a person becoming sour. Someone with a big ego and low self-esteem would’ve trashed the sequel even before seeing it. Feig chose to champion Ghostbusters: Afterlife’s success as it cultivates a new generation of Ghostbusters fans. He seemed glad to have both new and old fans be introduced to a new group of Busters.

But there was one part of his sweet message that stuck out. Perhaps mentioning “more etco adventures” alluded to some potential sequels or crossovers in the future. Paul Feig may or may not have been hinting at something coming down the line. Given Ghostbusters: Afterlife’s stellar opening weekend, Columbia Pictures will be down for doing more films. That could mean the Last Christmas director and the 2016 cast could re-enter the fray at some point. Hopefully Feig’s positive reaction to the film will spell that much-deserved crossover to happen later.

Of course, Paul Feig giving Jason Reitman his props seemed to leave the door open for more Ghostbusters opportunities. Upon seeing Feig’s kind words, Reitman gave back the love on Twitter by mentioning how A Simple Favor director inspired him.

Jason Reitman helming Ghostbusters: Afterlife served as a full-circle moment for the franchise. The Afterlife director saw the franchise come together firsthand as his father, Ivan Reitman, directed the first two films. Having grown up on the set, Jason Reitman got to carry on the franchise’s legacy by introducing it to a new generation.

With that new generation interacting with the beloved multimedia franchise, there’s bound to be a Ghostbusters renaissance. Hopefully, the mutual love and respect between Paul Feig and Jason Reitman will translate to a possible Ghostbusters collaboration. In the meantime, moviegoers can visit a theater near them to watch Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

It seems like every Halloween you can spot at least one quartet friends dressed as the iconic squad of ghost hunters from Ivan Reitman’s 1984 film, Ghostbusters. The franchise has seen changes over the years and, now, Reitman’s own son, Jason, has created a true threequel of Ghostbusters: Afterlife. And as the film approaches, the younger Reitman is taking some time to thank Paul Feig and his 2016 reboot for the "big" way that it impacted his upcoming flick.

Paul Feig is a majorly successful writer, director, and producer who is known for his female-driven films. He’s worked with Melissa McCarthy a number of times, and his version of Ghostbusters was no different. He flipped the script by casting four female leads in the classically male roles. Ultimately, his take on the paranormal experts wasn’t nearly as successful as some of his other projects, like Bridesmaids and Zooey’s Extraordinary Playlist and received a fair amount of backlash.

Nevertheless, Jason Reitman gave credit to the filmmaker for changing things up, during a recent interview with Insider. Reitman believes that his colleague was able to shift the pubic perception of what a Ghostbusters film could look like. Here it is in his own words:

If anything, Paul Feig does deserve credit for attempting a fresh approach to the storied franchise. In the same interview, the Juno filmmaker seems to expel some major hopes and dreams for the franchise. And should his hopes come to pass, it could not only mean big things for the beloved IP but also some major strides for representation in massive blockbusters. Here's what he said exactly:

Instead of centering around a squad of professional ghost hunters saving the world, Afterlife tells the story of a single mom and her two kids discovering the legacy of the OG team of ghost chasers. This is very fitting, considering Jason Reitman is taking up his own father’s legacy with this film. The film will see Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson reprising their original roles as the first generation of proton pack-wearing heroes. And joining them will be Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts. All in all, this film should be filled with enough nostalgia to satisfy hardcore fans.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife will release to theaters in just a couple short weeks on November 19th.

It's hard to believe that it has been 10 years since the release of Paul Feig's Bridesmaids – at least partially because the film remains just as fresh and funny as ever. Led by Kristen Wiig, the entire ensemble cast is stacked with hilarious stars doing what they do best, and the result is sequence after sequence that are equally hysterical and memorable. Certainly one part that fans will never forget is the infamous food poisoning scene, which features almost the entire bridal party vomiting and having diarrhea after a group meal, but what you may not know is that the bit was at one point punctuated by a spectacularly gross and over-the-top moment.

Paul Feig has in the recent past discussed the process of moderating the content of that incredible sequence, but during an interview with Yahoo! he revealed a specific moment that was left on the cutting room floor. Thanks to the free-flowing atmosphere on the set of the movie that allowed for plenty of improvisation and new ideas, a lot more material was shot than was actually used in the theatrical version of the comedy – the food poisoning scene included. As Feig described, there was a particularly sick bit featuring Ellie Kemper that was discovered to be too much when the film started to come together:

Reflecting on the scene as it exists in both the theatrical cut and unrated cut of Bridesmaids, it's understandable why Feig and those making calls in the editing room decided this idea was a bit extra. Gross as the whole sequence is, the majority of the nastiness is implied rather than shown. While you know that obscene things are happening inside the toilet bowl and sink – as well as under Maya Rudolph's wedding dress – you really only see splashes of it (sorry). If Ellie Kemper's character is projectile vomiting in a pristine white office, there is no hiding it, and it could have easily crossed a line from "funny" to "nauseating."

As it exists, the scene in Bridesmaids is perfect, and thankfully easy to enjoy over and over again. In addition to being available on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital (which is how you can find the aforementioned unrated cut), the comedy is also currently streaming on both Peacock and Hulu + Live TV. Technically the official tenth anniversary was last week, but it's not too late to celebrate.

Movies, for the most part, don’t always age well. While it may feel easy to recognize something like director Paul Feig’s Bridesmaids as a classic in the making, it’s hard to land that sort of distinction when making said film. But here we are, a decade into the legacy of Universal’s surprise smash hit, and the script from future Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar masterminds Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumalo is still as sharp and hysterical as it was during its initial release. If you ask Mr. Feig why that’s true, he’d tell you it's all about one important factor: relatability.

I recently had the honor of speaking with Paul Feig in honor of Bridesmaids landing an exclusive streaming home at Peacock, just in time to celebrate its 10th anniversary. While most people see the movie being as fresh and funny as the day it was released, the big question that anyone would naturally ask is why exactly that is. According to Mr. Feig himself, Bridesmaids’ timeless nature comes from the following:

The dress shop scene is certainly an example of why Bridesmaids is such a memorable movie in the first place. The wild antics that take place throughout the fast and funny journey to the wedding of Lillian (Maya Rudolph) are indeed outrageous enough to make an impression. However, the humor isn’t drawn from merely putting Kristen Wiig’s Annie, Melissa McCarthy’s Megan or any of the other Bridesmaids characters into situations that didn’t mean something to their personalities.

It’s that core approach that changed various sequences that almost found their way into the 2011 film, like an extended “Lillian is dead” gag or the big blind date scene that Paul Rudd filmed, but was dropped from the final product. Another scene that came up when talking about the relatable timelessness of Bridesmaids was the moment where Annie, anxious about flying, is given some medication and a bit of scotch to mellow out. The combination has the desired effect, rendering our protagonist as a severely honest, and slightly aggressive, party. The results speak for themselves:

In a lesser version of Bridesmaids, Annie would have flown off the handle and went into a fit of histrionic behavior. It would have been an over-the-top moment that, depending on who you are, would have either landed or didn’t. But with Paul Feig’s understanding of comedy, as well as his collaboration with producer Judd Apatow and writers Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumalo, Bridesmaids turned a funny moment into a lasting memory of very human humor.

Paul Feig himself even pointed out that Annie’s behavior in the scene is merely unlocked by the medication and alcohol skeleton key she was given by her friends. Much like when he approached the infamous dress shop scene, no character was given a behavior that they wouldn’t already act upon under normal circumstances. Relatable dignity wins the day, and in turn, Bridesmaids makes its characters more lovable, and even funnier to watch.

Just as Annie took special care in making the pastries at Cake Baby, Paul Feig and the Bridesmaids team built a film that will stand the test of time. Using only the finest ingredients, and even going as far as casting an absolute murderer’s row of comedic talent for roles great and small, every component was measured carefully and combined to form a tasty laugh riot.

If you’re looking to celebrate Bridesmaids’ 10th anniversary, Peacock is now streaming the film exclusively. As the film is halfway to the day it can officially be called a classic, there’s sure to be plenty of new fans joining the fold because of this convenient turn of events. So if you’re hosting a movie night, whether it’s virtual or safely gathered in person, you now have the option to make it a Bridesmaids night! Just be careful of where you get your take out from when settling in to enjoy.

10 years ago, director Paul Feig, producer Judd Apatow and writers Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumalo made comedy history. As their combined talents cemented Bridesmaids as a stratospheric hit in the realm of R-rated comedy, there were a lot of factors that helped contribute to that great success. One of the moments that really hammered the entire film home for audiences was the infamous dress shop scene where Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, and the entire Bridesmaids cast all had some massive digestive troubles. Believe it or not, as much as there were some interesting “what ifs” in the casting department, this particular scene was almost even wilder.

It was natural that in a chat I had with Paul Feig himself about celebrating 10 years of this memorable comedy, as well as it landing an exclusive streaming home at Peacock, this Bridesmaids moment was going to come up. But I quizzed the director on this moment for one particular reason, and it’s all thanks to that scene’s sound design. During one of the movie’s most memorable jokes, Annie (Kristen Wiig), her best friend/bride-to-be Lilian (Maya Rudolph) and the rest of the Bridesmaids are subject to the bodily groans and grumbles of food poisoning. Obviously there’s a balance that needs to be considered in such a scene, and Feig revealed that the following calculus went into knowing just how far this moment could be pushed:

The way this scene plays in the finished product is pretty wild and definitely doesn’t shy away from the truth. A slow chorus of gurgles, and even some flatulence, slowly creeps into the Bridesmaids fold, and it almost immediately starts with Melissa McCarthy’s Megan letting out a huge burp the moment the crew walks into the halls of “Belle en Blanc.” From that point, the rest of the scene is a slow burn of increasing intestinal symphonies and mounting stakes that eventually prove that Annie’s choice of dining establishment was not so wonderful. The scene that results from this decision is pure gold though, as you can see for yourself below:

As you can see, or rather hear, in the dress shop scene from Bridesmaids, the sound design aspect of this set-piece was rightfully singled out by Paul Feig as another example of just how wild this sequence could have gotten. It all hinges on the Academy Award-nominated performance of Melissa McCarthy as Megan, as her big sink-sitting moment was a crucial point where dignity and comedy collided with expert timing. Feig further explained how this could moment could have been a wilder, more “traditional” gross-out moment, as follows:

Bridesmaids has undoubtedly built a following when it comes to its comedic legacy, and that fan base hasn’t dimmed at all this past decade. One of the reasons why anyone can claim the Universal comedy still has a freshness to it is because instead of just treating its characters as mere vessels for the humor, it actually lets the audience identify with Kristin Wiig’s Annie, or any of the other characters on display. Again, allowing these characters to maintain dignity, while getting into outrageous hijinks, makes all the difference in putting together a comedy that lasts.

The reality of Bridesmaids’ characters is exemplified in the dignity that shows when Maya Rudolph’s Lillian, frightened and in the middle of the street, accepts that "it happened." There’s no huge explosion of bodily trauma in that moment, nor do we see her potential wedding dress soiled. All we see is Lillian lowering herself onto the street, in absolute horror, allowing nature to take its course. It’s totally on brand for her character, and it’s a key concept that Paul Feig holds dear in the name of comedy, as he explained below:

Just as Lilian and Annie can’t resist the urge to bust out into a Wilson Phillips sing-along at the wedding, Bridesmaids doesn’t push any of its characters to do anything they wouldn’t naturally think of. Throughout Paul Feig’s directorial efforts, and thanks to the script by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumalo, this is a comedy that defies the odds and seems to be on its way to becoming an all-time classic; even if it’s a rare movie that somehow thought cutting a Paul Rudd appearance was the right choice. If you’re hungry for more, or haven’t seen the movie for yourself, you can check out Bridesmaids at its exclusive streaming home, only on Peacock.

After Universal had its movie monster properties long locked away, the studio has tried its hand at revitalizing characters a couple of times over. Remember I, Frankenstein and Dracula Untold? Yeah, those didn’t go over so well. Then came plans for the Dark Universe, starting with Tom Cruise’s The Mummy flop… which also led Universal to shift course. But, after the release and success of Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man, classic movie monsters are coming in droves. From Whannell’s plans to reimagine The Wolf Man with Ryan Gosling to Conjuring universe filmmaker James Wan taking on Frankenstein, there’s a lot to be excited for here.

After The Invisible Man scored big for Universal and Blumhouse, the pair of studios reportedly is really going all in with their classic movie monster properties, supposedly beginning a strategy that would forgo their previous plans to interconnect a monster universe, and instead finance standalone projects rooted in filmmakers’ visions. Just prior to the pandemic likely slowing down some of these productions, it was reported that execs were going by a “best idea wins” approach surrounding their monster properties and there've been a lot of good ideas. Here are the upcoming projects based on Universal’s classic monster movies in development:

Bride Of Frankenstein

The first of the batch has some roots in the collapsed Dark Universe with The Mummy script writer David Koepp still set to be behind the Bride of Frankenstein movie. It was initially in the works to be part of Universal’s shared universe with Beauty and the Beast’s Bill Condon directing, and starring Angelina Jolie (she is no longer involved). Since the Dark Universe fell apart, some of these plans went with it, but Koepp’s script is still reportedly moving forward.

Last summer, Koepp said he delivered a new draft to Universal and new directors were being determined for Bride of Frankenstein. (And we have some ideas by the way, Universal!) The writer (who also wrote Jurassic Park and Spider-Man) has said the movie will discuss the idea of ownership of women that is especially relevant in the #MeToo era. At the same time, Scarlett Johansson will be adapting the character in a different way for an A24 movie called Bride.

Dark Army

Paul Feig is a director who is primarily known for making comedies, but he has really played with genre over the years with movies like the crime thriller A Simple Favor, buddy cop movie The Heat, or his Ghostbusters. He’ll contribute to Universal’s movie monster slate with a movie called Dark Army, which will be an homage to James Whale’s old monster movies that started it all for Universal. Feig said he will play into the source material and how monsters can be extreme versions of "outsiders."

Earlier this month, Paul Feig offered an update on the project, explaining that the studio executives might think it’s “a little too expensive,” but he vowed that he will make the movie. He called Dark Army one his favorite things he’s ever written, especially in terms of the lead character he wrote for it. Feig always makes fun movies, and his take on the monster movie sounds like a fun idea.

Karyn Kusama's Dracula

There are a couple of different takes on Dracula coming up from Universal. The first one is from Karyn Kusama, who has found a unique voice in the horror space already with her work on cult favorite Jennifer’s Body with Megan Fox, and the slow-burn 2016 indie The Invitation. It was announced in March that Kusama would be reviving Dracula for Universal and Blumhouse, and she has since explained that it will be a faithful adaptation of the Bram Stoker novel previously adapted by Francis Ford Coppola in 1992.

Kusama wants to do justice to the book, specifically in terms of the different points of view illustrated in the book. It sounds like novel fans will be excited for this remake specifically, but as the filmmaker warned, it won’t be the “romantic hero” version of Dracula we also know and love.

Chloe Zhao’s Dracula

Just recently it was also announced that Nomadland director Chloe Zhao would be making her own Dracula movie using a much different approach. Zhao will direct, write and produce a version of the classic monster that will be an “original, futuristic, sci-fi Western.” Within the announcement, Zhao said she’s always been fascinated by vampires and the concept of the “Other.”

Zhao has been receiving some serious praise for her recent work in Nomadland, which is expected to head into Oscar season, potentially as a Best Picture frontrunner, along with a Best Director nod for Zhao. After Nomadland, Zhao also has directed a Marvel movie in Eternals, which will see Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, and Salma Hayek playing all-powered beings for a particularly original and large-scale production for the MCU. Zhao is doing it all!

Frankenstein

Frankenstein has always remained a staple story to inspire many other versions of Mary Shelley’s monster story. The mind behind Warner Bros' wildly successful Conjuring universe, James Wan, is stepping into the property next for a version of the story that will involve a group of teens who discover that a neighbor is building a monster in his basement … and then he gets loose. The project has been compared to Disturbia and Stranger Things.

It sounds like a fun take on Frankenstein just from the plotline, but it could very well be layered in the original storyline’s depth and sadness as well. Who knows? Wan has had good luck with establishing his horror universe over at Warner Bros, and has since ventured into the DCEU with Aquaman.

The Invisible Woman

When Elisabeth Moss was first cast in the The Invisible Man reboot, there were ideas being thrown around about it potentially being a gender-swapped movie. Now that we’ve seen Leigh Whannell’s fantastic horror film, we know it kept the Invisible Man male, but did switch the perspective toward the that of a woman who's being haunted by an ex-boyfriend she cannot see. Following that movie, Charlie’s Angels’ Elizabeth Banks is actually planning on making a separate Invisible Woman movie which she will direct.

It’s going to be quite different from The Invisible Man, since it’s being described as Thelma & Louise meets American Psycho. Given Banks’ work thus far, we’d imagine it will have more of a comedic touch than we’re used to for this property. It is being written by Girl on the Train’s Erin Cressida.

Little Monsters

Universal is really covering all its bases genre-wise also, with a live-action / animation hybrid called Little Monsters from the writer/director behind Toy Story 4, Josh Cooley. The movie that was announced back in July will reportedly be a love letter to classic Hollywood and take a “multigenerational approach” to monsters.

This Little Monsters should not be confused by the Howie Mandel-led movie of the same name about the monsters that live under a boy's bed. It sounds as if this Little Monsters film could be about the kids of classic monsters, but we’ll have to wait and see!

Monster Mash

Jumping off the previous entry is Monster Mash, which will be an original musical Universal is also producing. It will be written by Will Widger and directed by music video filmmaker Matt Stawski. He has made music videos for everyone from Paramore, CeeLo Green to Train. We don’t know a lot about Monster Mash right now, but it was announced about a year ago and is expected to be a riff off the classic song we’ve grown accustomed to hearing during Halloween season.

Renfield

Yet another fresh take on the Dracula storyline will come via Dexter Fletcher's Renfield movie. Renfield is the henchman of Dracula. In Bram Stoker’s novel, he is a patient in an asylum and the right hand man to the vampire’s bloodsucking. We’re not sure if Renfield will be yet another gateway to a Dracula story, or give Renfield his own vehicle, but come on, who would Renfield be without Dracula?

The movie was reportedly pitched by Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and will be written by Rick and Morty writer Ryan Ridley. Dexter Fletcher directed the Elton John biopic musical Rocketman and Eddie the Eagle, both with Taron Egerton, so perhaps the actor will play Renfield? We’ll keep our eyes peeled.

The Wolf Man

An especially exciting project coming from Universal (and Blumhouse) following The Invisible Man, is Leigh Whannell’s take on The Wolf Man with Ryan Gosling. Whannell will write and direct the project that will see the La La Land actor playing an anchorman who becomes the Wolf Man. The movie is being compared to Nightcrawler and Network, leading us to believe he may be committing crimes and then reporting his exclusives the next morning.

There’s a ton of fresh takes to go around with Universal’s new strategy to make use of its horror properties. These projects seem to offer a bit for everyone and we can’t wait to see them come to fruition in the next few years.

For almost two years, Paul Feig, the director of such films as A Simple Favor and the Ghostbusters reboot, has been building an army. In the shadow of Universal’s Dark Universe shakeup, it’s only apt that this film happens to be known as Dark Army, and it could stand as a key piece to moving forward with revitalizing the studio’s legendary monster catalog. There’s just one problem: it looks like Feig’s potential budget is a bit too rich for Universal’s blood, even after all this time.

With the details of Dark Army’s story still under wraps tighter than a mummy’s burial wardrobe, we still don’t know where Paul Feig’s story is going or which Universal Monsters are potentially included. But there are some new details released that are rather intriguing, even when it comes to the issue of the costs the film might incur. Speaking with Collider about those greater details, Feig professed his love for the still-developing project:

If Dark Army existed as the sole chance of Universal salvaging its Dark Universe hopes and dreams, the budget might not have been an obstacle and Paul Feig’s dream movie may have been a little further in development. However, after last year’s smash success with the $7 million budgeted thrills of The Invisible Man, Universal might have become a bit shy about shelling out a huge budget. It’s a hypothesis that can be seen in the recent, blazing fast decision to re-team with writer/director Leigh Whannell for a Wolfman reboot starring Ryan Gosling, which is also produced by the ever budget-conscious Blumhouse Productions.

The good news is that as it stands, Dark Army hasn’t been cancelled, and there’s a chance that Paul Feig and Universal could work things out to make this exciting prospect a reality. But, with a track record of balking at other price tag intense projects like Bioshock, Halo and At the Mountains of Madness, Universal could hold fast and add another spooky what-if story to its graveyard of potential films. Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for updates on its development.

Spoilers ahead for Episode 4 of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Season 2, called “Zoey’s Extraordinary Employee.”

Zoey has continued to struggle with the new pressures of her new job on top of her grief and relationship complications in Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Season 2, and “Zoey’s Extraordinary Employee” added even more stress at the prospect of firing poor, sweet, lovable George. The result was Zoey getting good and drunk and handsy with Max despite the very recent end of their relationship. Still, it’s already worth wondering: could they overcome their issues and get back together?

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist executive producer Paul Feig recently spoke with CinemaBlend about Season 2. When I asked whether the imbalance between Zoey knowing what’s happening in Max's head due to his heart songs while he doesn’t know what she’s thinking is insurmountable for a relationship, he shared his thoughts:

Zoey and Max may not have the same “superpower” when it comes to deep insight via musical numbers, but Max knowing about her powers and his own tendency to burst into heart songs has kept him from fully being on board with what she can do. It’s also not really anybody’s fault that this is an issue between them, even if Zoey is technically choosing not to be totally open with Max.

After all, Max doesn’t have any choice in how open he is with her, and he might have been as clammed up as she is if not for her power. He didn’t want to go full “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”/Boyz II Men on her! Still, as Paul Feig notes, Max has proven in the past that he can trust her to a certain extent, and having people close to her who know about her powers has been good for Zoey. He’s not the only one in on her secret, even if he is the only one of her two love interests (pre-Aiden, anyway). Paul Feig elaborated on what it means for Zoey to have Mo as well as Max:

Honestly, it would be entertaining if something happened that Max and Zoey somehow swapped her powers for an episode, since it might not work for Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist to have two musically superpowered characters at once for long. Seeing some Zoey heart songs without her glitching and going public with her performances like she did in Season 1 could be fun, and the show hasn’t set many rules when it comes to her powers.

Of course, Zoey has plenty on her plate without any more complications thanks to her new job, although viewers got a perk out of her SPRQ Point stress in “Zoey’s Extraordinary Employee." Firing George resulted in an epic performance of Britney Spears’ “Stronger” from Season 2 newcomer Harvey Guillén. Firing employees is new to Zoey thanks to her position that she inherited from Lauren Graham’s Joan, who left in the Season 2 premiere.

Lauren Graham had to be written out due to the COVID pandemic impacting scheduling on Season 2, but I asked Paul Feig if Zoey inheriting the fourth floor was always the plan:

Fortunately, the schedules falling apart evidently happened early enough in the planning process that Joan could be written out organically after passing the fourth floor torch on to Zoey and without ruling out a return at some point. Zoey’s new role has been a key part of Season 2 from the beginning, even before she officially accepted the position. Plus, Zoey moving up has meant Leif getting promoted as well, which has led to some great humor.

Less fortunately, Zoey’s Extraordinary’s Playlist is coming up on a hiatus that will see some new shows take over the Tuesday night 8 p.m. ET time slot on NBC, but not just yet. The next episode will hit the airwaves on February 2, and include more of Aiden, who may have entered the romantic fray in Zoey’s love life this season.

There would be fewer strings attached than Max or Simon, and it wouldn’t necessarily mean that a Zoey/Max reunion can’t happen down the line. Despite their weirdness in “Zoey’s Extraordinary Employee,” they weren’t painfully awkward, and there’s definitely hope.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist stands as a one-of-a-kind series that delivers a variety of musical performances on a weekly basis, but not in a way that viewers have seen before on shows like Glee or Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. With Zoey acquiring a set of superpowers that give her insight into the people around her via musical numbers nobody else can see, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist provides pure escapism with a cast stacked with powerhouse singers on NBC. Executive producer Paul Feig spoke with CinemaBlend about the current Season 2, and he broke down what helps the show stand out.

Given that Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist delivers escapism (including with an absence of COVID in Season 2) but infuses it with a healthy dose of drama and development, Paul Feig explained the process of striking a balance with the storytelling following the very heavy death of Peter Gallagher’s Mitch:

Even just the few episodes of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Season 2 that have aired so far have shown off how the show avoids frivolity. For every Broadway-worthy number like “Hello Dolly” and “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” to deliver over-the-top fun, there is a performance like Skylar Astin’s hilarious but heartfelt “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”/Boyz II Men mashup, Jane Levy’s intense “Nowhere to Run” dream sequence, and the Clarke family’s “Carry On.”

It’s no procedural that will be confused with Law & Order: SVU elsewhere on NBC, but definitely delivers on the emotional front. Paul Feig elaborated on what sets Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist apart as a TV show when it comes to the musical elements as well as the character development:

Zoey refers to the songs she hears as “heart songs” for a reason, as they shed light on what characters are truly feeling, if not necessarily saying. While that has caused problems between her and Max with Zoey knowing what’s going on in Max’s head without Max having the same insight, it has opened the show up to its mysteries for Zoey to solve.

The latest installment of Season 2 actually was a prime example of the emotional extremes that Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist can reach, with the programmers hilariously going full Annie to bemoan their “hard-knock life” in the same episode that Zoey was slowly unraveling due to her “Nowhere To Hide” dreams. Paul Feig weighed in, saying:

Zoey sings so rarely compared to the other major characters on the show that the songs going through her head whenever she bursts out tend to come across as especially meaningful… and occasionally awkward for her, as we saw with her unfortunately timed songs back when her powers were glitching in Season 1. Still, she has already gotten to sing in more than one episode in Season 2, which has meant Jane Levy showing off her musical talents.

I asked Paul Feig if Zoey singing more was a goal for the second season, or just a perk of the plot for the first few episodes, and he shared:

Not all of Zoey’s songs when she was glitching were as adorable as her “I’m Yours” performance to Max, and Jane Levy went all out with “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” as Zoey was very inconveniently in an office with Joan and Leif, trying and failing to fight against singing and dancing. It really showed off Levy’s skills as a comedic actor in a season when she was so often called upon for drama with Peter Gallagher’s Mitch, and she’s delivering no less in Season 2.

As for casting Jane Levy and the rest of the stars of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, it’s no coincidence that even the characters who seem unlikely to burst into song (including Zoey herself) have the pipes to deliver showstoppers. Paul Feig explained:

Skylar Astin’s duet with Jane Levy to Kelly Clarkson’s “A Moment Like This” in a recent episode showcased the show’s ability to combine heart songs with real-life singing, as Max got the instrumental backing on his half of the song while Zoey went a capella during her half. Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist is already going in some new directions in Season 2, and there’s no reason to doubt that will continue even as a hiatus approaches.

For now, you can look forward to new episodes of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist on NBC Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. For more of what’s on the way to the small screen in the coming weeks, be sure to check out our 2021 winter and spring premiere schedule.

With the recent protests highlighting various instances of racial inequality following the death of George Floyd and other victims of police brutality, it could be nerve-wracking for some celebrities to take a stand and voice their opinion. Star Wars star John Boyega has demonstrated that, even while he fearing professional blowback, speaking up is incredibly important during this current crisis. And Hollywood directors like Jordan Peele have pledged to support John Boyega’s career, taking to social media to boost his message.

Jordan Peele himself shared photos of Boyega’s participation in a London protest on behalf of Black Lives Matter, with a simple but strong caption in his Twitter post. Boyega spoke to fear of his acting career suffering as as result of his activism, to which Peele responded:

It didn’t take long for plenty of other Hollywood talents to jump to the aid of John Boyega, who made his first big splash in the Edgar Wright produced film Attack The Block. And a lot of that continued support stemmed from a further tweet put into the world by Matthew A. Cherry, the Academy Award winner who was part of the team behind this year’s winning animated short, Hair Love. Cherry stoked the fires with this contribution to the conversation:

From there, a lot of big names stood tall and answered Cherry’s call for Non-Black creators to help promote further diversity in show business. And the people that got on board are exactly the sorts of talents you’d imagine would be on board with such a noble cause. Our first case in point is Phil Lord, whose writing/directing/producing efforts have made projects such as Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse into blockbusters that promote such ideals as “anyone can wear the mask”:

Then there’s Charlie’s Angels director Elizabeth Banks, who not only supports John Boyega’s continued career, but has also pushed equality between the sexes with her directing career.

Much like Ms. Banks, Paul Feig’s work towards more diverse representation on screen has been seen in his more small scale films like A Simple Favor, but also in big budget projects like 2016’s Ghostbusters: Answer The Call. He too is ready to keep the world swimming in Boyega content:

Not content to merely voice her approval of potentially working with John Boyega, Booksmart’s Olivia Wilde had a further message of encouragement for Boyega’s more socially conscious efforts:

But of course, it’s not just John Boyega’s amazing efforts in films like the sequel trilogy of Star Wars, and other movies like Detroit and Pacific Rim: Uprising that have kept him in the public consciousness. When it comes to Hamilton and In The Heights creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s pledge to work with Boyega, that desires reaches back to his performance as Attack The Block’s Moses:

Perhaps the most powerful message of support for John Boyega’s actions came from Lucasfilm itself. While Boyega may have been worried about his former employers having his back should any future projects come up, the following response to his actions should clear any doubt he or his fans may have on the matter:

When an actor can speak up to a matter like racial inequality, or any sort of inequality for that matter, they should still be able to work without repercussion. John Boyega’s efforts should be applauded, especially when attracting the well-wishes of such a likeminded crew of talent.

Should you want to watch Attack The Block, it’s available for free on PlutoTV.