I Am Legend 2 has been in the works for some time, and at this point, it's known that it'll retcon the original film's ending. As a result, Will Smith will be back, and he'll collaborate with new co-star Michael B. Jordan. Of course, fans may have more questions beyond the impact of that alternate ending for Smith's Robert Neville. Now, writer Akiva Goldsman is getting real about a plot point the new film will avoid, and I’m so glad!

In the intense post-apocalyptic flick, one of the most tragic moments involved Dr. Robert Neville’s adoption-worthy dog, Sam. After the German Shepard got bitten by a Darkseeker, the virologist had no choice but to commit a mercy killing once he saw his dog was transforming. Something like that won't be happening again in the sequel, as writer Akiva Goldsman revealed to Radio Times:

What also made that original death heartbreaking was how Sam originally belonged to Dr. Neville’s daughter, who gave the dog to her dad to protect him before she and her mom died. Sam wasn’t just Dr. Neville’s dog, but the only connection he had left to his daughter.

Overall, this reaction from audiences to this tragic moment is an example of how much people love dogs. And I can sympathize with test-screening audiences, as I can never watch a dog die on screen.

Now, I’m starting to wonder if this means Dr. Neville will get a new dog in the sequel, or if no canine deaths means there won’t be a dog in the new movie at all. I guess only time will tell.

Either way, it’s a breath of fresh air to know that we won’t witness any canine deaths in the sequel. However, Goldsman got real about how getting the upcoming sequel up and running hasn’t been a cakewalk:

Back in 2022, Goldsman said they were in the brainstorming stage for I Am Legend 2. In 2023, Smith confirmed that he was speaking with Michael B. Jordan about the film. Then, a few years later, in 2025, it was revealed that Jordan would be playing the head of a new settlement. Now, we know a dog won't die, but we're still waiting on many details about when exactly we'll see the film. But hey, slow and steady can allow a movie time to become a masterpiece.

I’ve got to say it’s an incredible relief that we won’t have to see another dog die in I Am Legend 2, as it was hard enough the first time. Hopefully, in the sequel, Dr. Neville will get a new canine partner that’ll help make the new dystopian follow-up all the more memorable.

Another Resident Evil movie is upon us, and this one is helmed by none other than Zach Cregger. The highly anticipated video game adaptation hit theaters this weekend and, so far, it’s really drumming up some buzz. Cregger’s latest flick is earning rave reviews from critics and fans alike. Such a film is right up Cregger’s ally, given his work within the horror genre and, as one might expect, he doesn’t get scared too often. However, he recently revealed that one entry from the Resident franchise did manage to give him chills.

Even with just a few horror titles under his belt as a director, Cregger has managed to delight and frighten audiences with some creepy stories. Barbarian and Weapons alone are enough evidence of the filmmaker’s penchant for giving audiences chills. So, on that note, what scares the man responsible for creating the unsettling mother and the enigmatic Aunt Gladys? Cregger recently spoke to SFX Magazine on CinemaBlend about his 2026 movie schedule offering and revealed that one relatively recent RE game threw him for a loop:

Village is truly a terrifying entry in the iconic video game franchise, and that’s saying a lot. Released in 2021, the game centers on protagonist Ethan Winters who – following a tragedy – is forced to search for his baby daughter in a small and creepy European town. What Ethan finds are various creatures led by lords, and that includes a towering, aristocratic vampire by the name of Lady Dimitrescu, who became something of an icon amongst fans after appearing in the game.

Playing Resident Evil Village at all is one thing, but the mere thought of taking on that entry via Playstation VR makes my skin crawl. So believe me when I say I completely understand Zach Cregger being afraid while taking in the horror and gore of the game that way. When it came to his contribution to the film franchise, Cregger was quite cerebral in how he approached the proceedings, including the gore. He laid out his take while speaking with SFX:

Viewers had high hopes for Cregger’s Resident Evil, as the previous installments (which have their fair share of fans) aren’t exactly critical darlings. This movie centers around a new hero – medical courier named Bryan (Austin Abrams) – who finds himself dealing with infected creatures in Raccoon City. So far, the movie has received considerable praise for its direction, performances, scares and similarities to the games’ motifs. That acclaim has resulted in the film being the highest-rated installment in the horror movie franchise.

There’s certainly a reason that this movie has been successful and that Zach Cregger’s last two flicks have become pop culture fixtures. It’s because the man knows how to tell a unique and compelling story that offers up spooky thrills but never loses sight of the characters. Also, I appreciate a good scarer who can admit to being scared. On that note, check out Cregger’s Resident Evil and, while you’re at it, read up on upcoming horror movies.

The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is reportedly set to make a comeback amongst fellow upcoming Disney movies at some point. So, of course, I’m curious what original cast members and characters could return for a sixth installment. Geoffrey Rush, a.k.a. Captain Hector Barbossa, just commented on potentially making an appesrance, and he's all for it. However, one aspect of this gives me pause.

Pirates producer Jerry Bruckheimer has been working on reviving Disney's swashbuckling franchise for years. Most recently, he said his efforts on Top Gun 3 were just “a hair ahead” of the movement on Pirates. As for Geoffrey Rush, when he was asked about donning a pirate hat once more to play the captain of the Black Pearl, he said:

Now, as you may recall, when we first meet Captain Barbossa in the very first Pirates movie, The Curse of the Black Pearl, he’s part of an undead crew. He dies at the end of that one but, then in Dead Man’s Chest, he is resurrected by Naomie Harris’ Tia Dalma. Rush then reprises his role in At World’s End, On Stranger Tides and the most recentPirates film, 2017's Dead Men Tell No Tales.

In that Pirates finale, Barbossa depicted as a very successful pirate who commands a fleet of 10 ships. During the movie, we find out that he’s the father to Kaya Scodelario’s Carina and he sacrifices himself to protect her. As Rush continued while speaking to Entertainment Weekly:

I think my question is obvious. How would they bring Barbossa back from the dead a second time? They’d have to be careful about doing it gracefully, and I like that Rush said he wouldn’t want to come back just for the paycheck. Within the Pirates universe, there are various forms of magic and curses, but I definitely like the idea of Barbossa haunting Jack Sparrow as a ghost. Plus, there have been plenty of ghosts in the franchise already.

Rush isn’t the first OG Pirates actor to express a willingness to reprise their role. Orlando Bloom also shared his interest in coming back as Will Turner along with sharing he’s connected with Johnny Depp “every now and again”. While we don’t know if Depp would return as Captain Jack Sparrow, Bruckheimer said in March that if it was up to him, the actor would.

For now, though, Johnny Depp is set to make a big comeback to the big screen amid the 2026 movie schedule with Ebenezer. The movie even includes a reunion with Pirates star Sam Claflin. The A Christmas Carol adaptation hits theaters on November 13, and we’ll be awaiting more updates on another Pirates of the Caribbean movie as they come. In the meantime, stream all five of those madcap films using a Disney+ subscription.

When two celebrities start spending time together, especially two from different worlds (so to speak), it’s no surprise that fans would immediately become invested. So it feels par for the course that the internet is buzzing after Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) and Dakota Johnson were seen together in New York City heading into Taylor Swift’s apartment. While fans have continued to speculate about what’s happening between these two, an inside source allegedly knows what’s really going on.

Said insider recently spoke to People, saying that Johnson (36) and MGK (36) hit it off when they both attended Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s Madison Square Garden wedding back in July. The romantic occasion was a perfect place for the two to connect, and, supposedly, they clicked right away. The source claimed things just started as a friendship, but it has started to evolve and the duo are enjoying spending time together. Additionally, the insider dropped these sentiments on where the pair reportedly stand:

While at first, this pairing felt a little random, it would make sense. The Materialists star has dated musicians in the past, from Role Model, who she recently split from in the last couple months, to Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who she was with for years. Meanwhile, MGK -- whose real name is Colson Baker -- has also been connected to actresses in the past, most prominently with Megan Fox. He and Fox had an on again/off again relationship from 2020-2025, and the two share a daughter together.

Baker and Johnson may be "smitten," as this source claims, but the insider also was quick to set the record straight. The source made it clear that this is still a very new situation and the superstars have yet to define their relationship, alleging:

While this should all be taken with a grain of salt, it would track, especially considering both stars have understood the weight that starting a relationship in the public eye has. It can get rocky fast so, if MGK and Johnson really are taking their time and enjoying getting to know each other, that would be a smart move.

Honestly, I’m also still not over the reported rendezvous at Taylor Swift’s apartment. Was Swift home at the time? Or was she spending time in her Kansas City home with Kelce? Were they there by themselves? Did Johnson have to ask Swift to have a potential date with a rockstar at her apartment? Why did she choose her friend’s apartment? These are all questions I’m sure we will never get the answer to, but I still am ever intrigued by the choice. I guess Swift has historically written about many romantic dalliances, and maybe it felt like the perfect place to chase a spark.

We'll have to see if this alleged relationship between Dakota Johnson and MGK develops into something more. In the meantime, fans can catch Dakota Johnson in her upcoming book-to-screen adaptation, Verity, which is one of the buzziest movies on the 2026 movie schedule and is set to hit theaters on October 2. You can also check out Machine Gun Kelly’s latest mixtape with Wiz Khalifa, Blog Era Boyz, which is currently streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.

When I found out Practical Magic 2 was happening, I was over the moon. When I found out Maisie Williams, aka my all-time Game of Thrones fave Arya Stark, was going to be in it, my excitement soared. It marks the actress’s first big role in years, and her role as the daughter of Sally Owens is genius casting. Then I saw Practical Magic 2, and just like many of the fans, I liked it way more than critics did. I just wish Williams' character got more to do. Then, I picked up the book, and I was even more frustrated.

Maisie Williams Didn’t Have Much To Do In Practical Magic 2

First off, I need to rant for a second about Antonia Owens. In a movie that does an incredible job of giving its original sisters, Joey King’s Kylie, and even the aunts a lot to do, it sure does shortchange Antonia. It felt like she was only a doctor so she could be in the scenes with Kylie’s boyfriend Gideon, as she stays back and babysits him while Kylie, Gilly and Sally go on a witchy adventure in England.

Even though Antonia is dealing with the realization that she’s a witch, and that her mom lied to her and Kylie their whole lives, she never gets to have any room to explore any of it. Since I knew this was one of this year’s book-to-screen adaptations, I figured there was a lot more for her in Alice Hoffman’s novel, and I was right.

Antonia’s Storyline In The Book Of Magic

In Hoffman’s fourth Practical Magic novel, Book of Magic, Antonia is actually pregnant, but not with the father of her baby, with her gay best friends Scott and Joel. Following the death of Jet, she has a bit of a meet-cute when she meets Ariel, the granddaughter of their family lawyer. She’s instantly taken aback by Ariel, and the pair go on a date and even share a kiss.

In the context of The Book of Magic, why Antonia stays back and doesn’t go with her sister to break the curse just makes a lot more sense. Deciding not to travel when you’re expecting just offers a more plausible reason than the movie gives us. I also like that she starts to fall in love just as Kylie is trying to break the curse.

There’s another aspect to the novel I haven’t mentioned yet. Antonia is also pivotal in figuring out one missing piece that’s needed to break the Owens family curse. I much prefer the source material when it comes to Antonia’s plotline, but I assume the filmmakers felt juggling the four main characters was too much.

Even though Antonia Owens didn’t get enough to do, I am very happy Practical Magic 2 exists, and that it became the first movie to dethrone Spider-Man: Brand New Day at the box office when it hit theaters. Here’s hoping Maisie Williams’ next role is front and center because I want to see her in more big films!

Ben Affleck’s directing chops will be on display again with Netflix’s Animals, the 2026 movie release about a mayoral candidate dealing with his kid's kidnapping. You may not know it, but the original plan was for his buddy and frequent collaborator Matt Damon to star in the movie while Affleck himself would stay behind the camera. Damon said "no" to his pal in order to film The Odyssey, and I’m cracking up over Affleck trolling him for that.

When Ben Affleck decided to get the ball rolling on his Netflix film in February of this year, Matt Damon, who was the original lead, had also re-teamed with Christopher Nolan for The Odyssey. This led Ben Affleck to ultimately take on the lead role, but it sounds like he's still a little salty about the changes.

Or at least he's not willing to let his pal off lightly, as the Chasing Amy actor roasted his Good Willing Hunting co-star for choosing Nolan and replacing him as the lead in an interview with EW:

Well, Matt, how do you like them apples?

Listen, Ben, that “lesser film” earned the box office crown after grossing $1,696 billion worldwide, landing the highest box office this year until Spider-Man: Brand New Day took over the record. This isn't the first time Affleck's taken some cracks at The Odyssey lead either. Now I understand more why The Town star/director would rip on the Saving Private Ryan star for getting in shape for The Odyssey and having “superior facial hair” compared to his Odysseus beard. This type of celebrity roasting is always entertaining to witness.

Why Did Matt Damon Say Yes To Animals And Then Back Out?

This all goes back to 2024. As I noted, Affleck, of course, wanted his best friend Damon to portray Animals’ lead, Mark Kimball, after the two had “the best work experience” starring in Air. Even his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, was originally going to be cast. (So, Affleck's been dealing with ALL the back outs.)

Then, two weeks into filming, the Gone Girl director heard Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest (streaming on your Apple TV+ subscription) was also being done, which had a similar plot. So, they put the project on hold for a time.

While The Martian actor may have missed out on tag-teaming with his best friend for the revived Netflix flick, I don’t think Damon will be suffering. I can see him getting a lot of attention during the next awards season for his talented portrayal of Odysseus. If that holds true, I'm sure Affleck will be there to cheer him on... as well as humorously never letting him forget ditching his Netflix movie.

Even though Matt Damon and Ben Affleck couldn’t collaborate on Animals as originally planned, at least the two got to reunite for another Netflix movie, The Rip. While filming the intense thriller came before the rescheduled production of Animals was to start, it was still considered a touching experience for the actor pals, as they've started working together again more recently on projects like this one, Air and The Last Duel.

We may have to wait a bit for the next gig together, but you can still see The Odyssey in theaters now. You can check out Animals with your Netflix subscription and in select theaters on October 9th.

Batman Day is once again upon us, and many are taking to the web to express their love for Bill Finger and Bob Kane’s beloved comic book creation. It’s customary that amid these festivities that fans are treated to a surprise or two from DC and/or specific creatives tied to the Dark Knight. With that, I was hoping Matt Reeves might share a tease of The Batman: Part II, which is currently in production. Thankfully, Reeves did indeed do just that and, although it’s only a BTS snippet, I’m glad it’s been shared.

Reeves has expressed considerable excitement about his upcoming superhero movie since the cameras began rolling in the UK earlier this summer. That enthusiasm has prompted the filmmaker to share some (non-spoilery) posts on social media. Considering that Reeves celebrated Batman Day five years ago with a tease of his first Bat film, it definitely tracked that he would do the same today. The Let Me In director marked the occasion this time by taking to X to show a set photo of the Caped Crusader’s silhouette:

It’s a relatively straightforward behind-the-scenes picture, but it’s one that still sleekly conveys the Dark Knight’s signature aura. Not only that, but this photo also has me wondering where Robert Pattinson’s brooding protagonist is supposed to be. At first glance, I thought it was a snowy landscape, since the new film takes place in the winter. I’m not sure, though, as it also looks like it could be a maze of some sort. More than likely, I’ll be poring over this photo for a little while.

What I really appreciate, in addition to Reeves’ stellar work on the critically acclaimed film The Batman, is his sheer love for the character and the mythology that surrounds him. Fans have an incredible amount of reverence for Bruce Wayne, and it’s always great when a filmmaker who’s handling the character has the same kind of respect for him. At this point, I’m expecting Reeves to pour a similar amount of passion into his long-delayed sequel, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the plan, given the massive expectations.

Reeves began teasing production on Part II this past May, at which point he showed some footage from a Batmobile test. Not long after that, the War for the Planet of the Apes helmer shared a series of gifs to social media, with which he confirmed his cast. As part of that, he even teased Scarlett Johansson’s role, which remains a much-discussed mystery along with Sebastian Stan’s character.

The past few months have also seen fans receive unofficial looks at the Batman sequel by way of leaked set photos. Some of the most recent set photos showed the Batmobile in rough shape, and a set video suggested that Bruce Wayne would be in some serious trouble. Additionally, some other set photos seemed to suggest that the film could also feature an appearance from a certain Gotham City-based vigilante from the comics. (Though, in case you’re sensitive to potential spoilers, I won’t actually name them here.)

While there’s a lot the general public still doesn’t know about what Matt Reeves is cooking up for his latest superhero film, I have high hopes for it, given his work on the OG flick. I’m also hoping that, in the meantime, Reeves continues to treat the general public to the occasional BTS tidbit on social media. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to give this Batman Day another look.

The Batman: Part II is set to open in theaters on February 18, 2028. In the meantime, celebrate the Dark Knight’s day by streaming the first installment and other Bat-centric films with an HBO Max subscription.

After a brief foray out of the fashion game as she settled into life as a mom, Alexandra Daddario is back with a vengeance. Beyond her cute cutout dress and end of summer bikini pics, the mom of 1 has been all about black dresses lately. I’m still thinking about the long, black backless gown she coolly wore for the AMC Upfronts ahead of Mayfair Witches coming in 2027. She then wore a black belted look for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations Presents "Couples Weekend” event. Now, she’s back in a little black dress in her latest Instagram post.

Daddario showed off her most recent celebrity fashion moment, a black draped little black dress which she paired with a red lip and jewelry from Sharra Pagano. The folds on the black dress and the earrings are super dynamic, and I really wish I could have seen the dress from the back, because the front is so unexpected.

Daddario has never had the flashiest wardrobe in Hollywood, but she’s really good about finding clothes that fit her well, and feel approachable to boot. They usually are a little too nice to be something her fans could wear out on a weekday, of course, but I do like how everyman the color palette she typically chooses is. She likes a bold lip and her eyes are so bright (her son’s match!) that she doesn’t need a lot of punch when it comes to dress color.

We'll doubtless see more from her as she promotes her upcoming movie Hershey (you can guess what that's about) and the latest season of Mayfair Witches coming down the pipeline.

To note, the black dress is always a staple and a classic in Hollywood. Just this year, Halle Berry rocked a cool knitted dress for her 60th birthday. On carpets, Hannah Waddingham rocked one (for a very empowering reason), and Sydney Sweeney also wore a pretty, one-shoulder little black dress to celebrate the Golden Globes. Megan Fox is honestly in black a lot, but she did prove she’s the queen of captions with her latest LBD look, as well.

Obviously, Daddario is in good company with both the black dresses and the funny captions. Her fans also had a good time with her “ready for the supermarket” joke.

• "Can you pick me up some maple syrup? Please and thanks!"
• "Make sure you get those baked beans and some decent white bread for the toast! Be careful in those heels otherwise there's gonna be a clean up on aisle 5."
• "Supermarket ain’t gonna know what hit it."
• "I thought I was going to the Vampire Ladies’ Conference!"

In short, I guess watch out Megan Fox, as Ms. Daddario seems to be developing a knack for fun captions. You may be ceding that Instagram caption title soon… though there’s always room for two queens.

Johnny Knoxville’s latest movie, Tiny Fugitives, which hit the 2026 movie schedule this weekend, is a simple summer camp movie. Sure, Knoxville pulls off some really fun stunts, but it’s definitely not a Jackass movie. Still, there is one scene in the movie that isn’t a stunt that I just had to ask him about. It involves an electrified fence, reminiscent of the first Jurassic Park. No one was harmed in the production of the scene, but I wondered if, deep down, Knoxville had wished the electricity had been turned on. When I asked Knoxville about it, he admitted that it might have been better if it had been.

In the scene, Knoxville, who plays an overzealous camp counselor trying to thwart some campers' dreams of staying at summer camp forever, is pursuing the kids when he comes upon an electric fence. Everyone watching can see what’s coming from a mile away, but I was still ready to see it actually happen. As Knoxville’s character Bob starts to climb the fence, the kids turn the electricity on and zap! 10,000 volts (or whatever) coursing through Bob. Obviously, this wasn't Jackass; it wasn’t actually turned on. Here’s what Knoxville said about not being a “real” stunt when I asked if he wished it were:

He still nailed the scene in the movie, of course. After watching Jackass: Best and Last earlier this year, I knew Knoxville’s days of doing really intense stunts were over, but I’m glad he still thinks that kind of thing would be fun.

Tiny Fugitives is really about the kids, though, and as funny as Bob the counselor is, he never really upstages those kids. In fact, I loved the movie less for Knoxville’s stunts (though they were fun) and more because the kids are really funny as they deliver some of the most explicit lines in the movie. There’s just something hilarious about kids swearing that gets me every time.

Knoxville may be the name at the top of the movie poster, but it’s his co-stars like Benjamin Pajak, Aaron Harris, and Isa Bernal Steiner who make the raunchy summer camp comedy really come to life. Knoxville is great, don’t get me wrong, but he understood the assignment. Let the kids shine.

Meanwhile, if you want to see Knoxville actually get hurt doing stunts, most of the Jackass series is available with a Paramount+ subscription. If you want to see him get outwitted by a bunch of precocious and foul-mouthed kids, check out Tiny Fugitives.

Tom Cruise has spent years behaving like movie theaters appointed him their unofficial ambassador. He flies jets for our entertainment, hangs off moving aircraft and regularly uses his own social media to encourage people to see other filmmakers’ movies on the biggest screen possible. Steven Spielberg once credited Top Gun: Maverick with helping save theatrical distribution, too. At this point, I assumed Cruise probably hissed whenever somebody mentioned watching a movie on streaming. Apparently, I had him all wrong.

The Mission: Impossible star discussed his devotion to cinema and clarified something that may surprise people who have watched him spend years evangelizing about theaters during an interview with GQ. Apparently, he has absolutely no beef with Netflix, television or streaming. Cruise explained:

That tracks with pretty much everything the Days of Thunder star has done over the past several years. When Top Gun: Maverick finally hit theaters in 2022 after pandemic delays, he refused to send the movie directly to streaming. It eventually made nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, which is why Spielberg later said the blockbuster may have helped save theatrical distribution during a brutal period for movie theaters.

The Rain Man actor carried that same philosophy into his honorary Oscar speech at the 2025 Governors Awards. He talked about sitting in theaters as a kid and being fascinated by the beam of light hitting the screen. He also described cinema as a place where audiences from wildly different backgrounds can laugh, feel and experience something together.

So, yeah, the guy is serious about this. What I appreciate about his answer, though, is that he is not pretending folks with a Netflix subscription, or the streamer itself, somehow killed art. Streaming employs a ton of people and has given filmmakers another place to make things. Cruise just knows which version of the experience he prefers. Given the man’s filmography, I doubt anyone is shocked.

The Last Samurai performer’s comments arrive as he prepares for Digger, his first major departure from action-heavy franchise filmmaking in years. Alejandro González Iñárritu’s dark comedy stars Cruise as Digger Rockwell, described as the world's most powerful man, who sets out to convince everyone he can save humanity after creating a catastrophe himself. The movie also stars Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons. It was shot entirely in VistaVision, and you can even get yourself a ‘Yeehaw’-worthy themed popcorn bucket for the flick's release.

Cruise remains pretty optimistic about where movies are headed. He acknowledged that Hollywood has always gone through ugly periods, but said he is excited by the number of people still showing up to theaters and what audiences seem hungry to watch. That enthusiasm feels very on-brand for a man who seems physically incapable of casually liking movies.

Digger hits the 2026 movie calendar and theaters on October 2, and I couldn't be more excited. As original and awesome as the movie looks, it's clear Cruise is in a bit of a sequel era, with a Days of Thunder sequel on the horizon. So, this fella is full of surprises beyond his non-beef with streaming.

Giancarlo Esposito has a foot in a number of major franchises, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Breaking Bad alum made his MCU debut as the villainous Seth Voelker (Sidewinder) in 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World. Before landing that part, though, Esposito was fancast as Professor X for the X-Men reboot. While that’s no longer a possibility, Esposito still likes the idea of playing a different mutant. He, however, also named a DC character I’d love to see him play even more.

A few years ago, there was a lot of hype surrounding the notion of Esposito playing the famous mutant leader, and he was open about loving the idea of playing Charles Xavier. Then came his Brave New World casting and, earlier this year, Christopher Abbott was officially cast to play Xavier in Jake Schreier’s X-Men movie. Esposito recently reflected on that major fancast while speaking with Polygon and further expressed his love for Charles and also named another major mutant as one of his favorites:

The idea of Esposito playing Erik Lehnsherr is actually quite interesting, and the star certainly has the gravitas for such a role. However, even aside from the fact that he already plays a character in the MCU, there would need to be certain storytelling considerations if the Mandalorian alum were to play the villain. After all, much of Erik’s backstory is linked to the Holocaust. As intriguing as it is to think about what Esposito would do with Magnus, though, I can’t stop thinking about another character he named:

That’s Mr. Freeze, for those who aren’t aware, and I could absolutely see Giancarlo Esposito help bring the scientist-turned-supervillain to life. Esposito gives off the imposing aura that’s synonymous with Freeze as well as the calculating and unfeeling vibe he’s historically had. As for what upcoming superhero movie the character could show up in, I could see him being featured in a film involving the DCU’s Batman. I can’t see Matt Reeves using a character like Victor Fries in his more grounded universe (though I’d love to see that, too.)

So, with all this talk about alternate MCU roles and a DC character, how does Esposito feel about Sidewinder? Well, he shared some thoughts on that as well:

Overall, Captain America: Brave New World wasn’t critically acclaimed, as viewers took issue with a number of elements. One of the film’s flaws – which is common amongst many MCU films – is that it underutilizes its villains, including Sidewinder. With that in mind, I can understand why Esposito would be a bit disappointed about how the character is portrayed in the movie. I still hope Esposito returns to the franchise, especially since X-Men characters appear to be off the table. But I’ll also hold out hope for a Mr. Freeze casting.

See Giancarlo Esposito as Sidewinder in Captain America: Brave New World, which is streamable with a Disney+ subscription. Also, be sure to stay up to date on upcoming Marvel movies.

These days, all the upcoming DC movies are under the direction of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s ever-growing comic book universe. It follows a tumultuous number of years when Zack Snyder was, and then wasn’t, the architect of the DCEU due to a ton of factors. Has Snyder had a chance to check out the new era of DC?

In a new interview, Snyder confirmed that he hasn’t seen Superman starring David Corenswet or other recent installments like Supergirl or Lanterns. Here’s why, in his words:

Snyder and Gunn are actually friends, and Snyder previously gave the new helmer of the DC universe big props for being “singular in his storytelling”. Snyder also applauded James Gunn for how “poignant and funny” his work can be, and how “great” having him in charge will be for fans. At the same time, he’s perhaps too close to it, as he spoke to on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

Zack Snyder joined the Warner Bros. DC universe back in 2010 when he was hired to direct Man of Steel starring Henry Cavill. He then went on to make Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which came out in the summer of 2016. It was his next project, Justice League, which ended up causing the most behind-the-scenes issues.

While he was in production on Justice League, his daughter Autumn Snyder died by suicide at the age of 20. Zack Snyder understandably left the production, and he was replaced by Joss Whedon as director. Whedon and Warner Bros. made significant changes to Justice League, and following the movie’s release, a campaign for his “Snyder Cut” took hold.

Ultimately, the four-hour cut of Zack Snyder’s Justice League was released for those with an HBO Max subscription back in 2021. Snyder has since moved on from superhero movies (no, he doesn’t want to do Marvel either) and has directed movies like Army of the Dead, the Rebel Moon films, and his latest, The Last Photograph, which just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival over the weekend.

When it comes to the new DC Universe, there’s a lot on the horizon. Next up is a horror-centric take on Clayface coming next month. Next summer, we’re already getting the sequel to Superman, Man of Tomorrow, and Robert Pattinson’s version of Batman is set to return in early 2028.

Snyder may not have seen James Gunn’s Superman, but it sounds like he has a lot of respect for his successor. Perhaps he’ll check it out someday once he’s had enough space from the DC Universe!

I'm a BIG Resident Evil fan, and I’ve been one ever since the game series debuted back in 1996. I've also seen all of the movies. Given this admission, you'd think that I probably love the films that are based on the survival horror series, but nope. I mean, I like them, but even I’ll admit that there’s never been a legitimately “good” Resident Evil movie. That's why I'm genuinely looking forward to this new one from Zach Cregger, which hits the 2026 movie schedule this weekend.

However, just because I don't think any of the movies are great, that doesn’t mean that I don’t think they’re fun. Case in point: The 2002 original, which I once thought was mid but now really like. Here's why.

At The Time, I Was Turned Off By It Being So Action-Heavy

I've been playing Resident Evil for longer than some of you have been alive, and let me tell you: these games did NOT play like 2005's Resident Evil 4, which essentially changed the way the games were played entirely. Anybody who was there will tell you. We used to struggle with what was often referred to as “tank controls,” which made these games even scarier because we'd often find ourselves running into walls rather than escaping.

This was mostly because there were a lot of fixed camera angles, as the games were more cinematic than anything else. That said, when the first movie came out with the legendary Milla Jovovich, I didn't know what to make of it. Here was an action-packed movie that looked NOTHING like the games that I was familiar with.

This was something else entirely that was high-octane- and back then, I didn't want to see a character kick a zombie dog in the face. It just didn't feel like the Resident Evil that I knew at the time. That was then, and now…

The First Movie Almost Feels Like It Led The Way For The More Action-Heavy Games In The Series

The Resident Evil that I grew up with was more survival horror than anything else, but after 2005’s Resident Evil 4, everything changed, as now the whole series was action-focused (Until 7).

As somebody whose favorite Resident Evil is 4 (Join the club, right?) I think it’s no surprise that I’ve reevaluated my feelings on the first movie, which kind of feels like it walked so that Resident Evil 4 could leap through a window and fight a chainsaw man.

In fact, I don’t think it stops there, as the first Resident Evil movie, being what it was, with its Red Queen and hive storyline, felt just as out there and bombastic as later RE titles, all the way up to the latest game in the franchise, Resident Evil Requiem. That’s why I now appreciate this first movie, as I feel like it really allowed the video game franchise to let its freak flag fly.

Plus, It Set Up A String Of Sequels That I Enjoyed In The 2000s

Lastly, I genuinely had a good time with a lot of the sequels that came out after the first movie. Sure, some of them were better than others (Resident Evil: Extinction = fun! Resident Evil: Apocalypse = TERRIBLE), but none of it would have been possible without what this first movie set up.

The movie series grew on me after a while. I stopped thinking of them as being connected to the games, and they became their own thing entirely for me.

So, while I have high hopes for this upcoming Resident Evil, I now realize all of the good that this first movie did, which is why I now appreciate it.

The return of the cult favorite Practical Magic not only brings Sandra Bullock back to the big screen, but it also has everyone talking about margaritas again. Of course, the assumption is that no real tequila was used in the making of these beverages. But I just learned one hot fact about Practical Magic’s infamous cocktails that I did not actually realize.

And it has my mind reeling. Joey King and Maisie Williams spoke with Entertainment Tonight about the bewitching sequel, and of course, the topic turned to margaritas. But King’s answer to “Were people really drinking margaritas?” has me surprised:

This was news to me. While I knew drinking wasn’t encouraged on sets, I’ve heard many stories of actors bringing alcohol to set, including the original Practical Magic. Legend has it that Nicole Kidman brought real tequila to set during the midnight margarita scene. It was the last scene shot for the movie, and director Griffin Dunne seems to confirm this, “Yes, I definitely joined in on the tequila. I was quite shit-faced by the time we finished shooting, as was everyone.” So is it really illegal to have alcohol on set?

And while I couldn’t find an actual policy or rule on SAG AFTRA’s website, it does seem to be strictly prohibited out of safety or performance concerns. And according to Backstage, actors are “discouraged from drinking real alcohol on set since doing so could inhibit their performance.” However, for a scene like midnight margaritas, maybe it helped sell it. Too bad King and Williams weren’t on the original set. Though this doesn’t mean they haven’t had their share of margaritas after Practical Magic 2 hit the 2026 movie schedule. Check out what they had to say about the perks of the press tour:

• Maisie Williams: Also during this press run, people keep bringing us margaritas.
• Joey King: People keep handing us margs - real margs!
• Maisie Williams: It’s like truth juice.

At least they’re still getting to enjoy the margaritas since they’re not welcome on set. However, this hasn’t stopped actors from sharing stories about being drunk while filming. Even George Clooney recalls showing up drunk to film with Michelle Pfeiffer on One Fine Day. And it certainly hasn’t prevented casts from partying in between filming (Just ask Wet Hot American Summer castmates Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler.) But the reported policy is considered a way to protect actors.

There have been allegations of alcohol being used to harm stars, such as Leah McSweeney who claims she was pressured to drink on the RHONY set and it caused her to relapse. As well as pressure them, such as Renee Zellweger's claims that she was pressured to drink wine before filming a nude scene. So it's probably best to leave real alcohol off the set.

While we aren't seeing real alcoholic drinks that doesn't mean we can't enjoy a little movie magic when watching iconic drinking scenes like midnight margaritas. And I'm always down to learn hot facts, especially about my favorite movies.

Spoilers ahead for The Weight.

Padraic McKinley's The Weight hits theaters this weekend, and features a stellar cast of familiar faces. It remains to be seen if fans think of it as one of Ethan Hawke's best movies, but the 5-time Oscar nominee gives an incredible performance throughout its 113-minute runtime. Both he and the movie's director spoke to CinemaBlend about the movie's wildly satisfying ending.

Ethan Hawke did some dangerous stunts in The Weight, and after his character Samuel Murphy survived his dangerous journey across the wilderness, he and his surviving companions have a juicy last confrontation with Russell Crowe's Warden Clancy. As you can see above, I asked both the cast and filmmaker about that finale, with Julia Jones offering a peek behind the curtain about that final Clancy scene. As she revealed:

How wild is that? Moviemaking is a tricky thing, and oftentimes actors are tasked with shooting scenes out of chronological order. The big ending scene with Russell Crowe was shot early into the Dexter: New Blood star's tenure playing Anna, and it sounds like it helped Jones zero in on the movie's tone and story as a whole. Talk about a happy accident.

Ethan Hawke also spoke about that big scene with Crowe, and had similar feelings about how shooting helped to set up the cast and crew of The Weight for success. As the Black Phone star told me:

That's certainly one way of looking at things. But the analogy does make sense; just like losing one's virginity, filming the first complicated scene in any movie can be filled with nerves and high stakes. It can also bring people together, and it appears that's exactly what happened in the epic final confrontation in The Weight.

After Samuel, Anna, and their friends make a life-changing deal with Crowe's Clancy, we get the final moments of the film. Namely when Ethan Hawke's protagonist is finally free from his sentence, and able to reunite with his daughter Penny. The movie ends just as it begins, with Samuel and Penny driving together and laughing. Director Padraic McKinley spoke to me about crafting that full circle moment, telling me:

Samuel and his daughter once again driving into the sunset together was an obvious example of the cyclical nature of The Weight. We also see character interact with him in reverse order during the second half of the film, which really wraps things up in a satisfying way.

Joy isn't something that Hawke's character experiences much of throughout the movie's runtime. He nearly dies a number of times, and is basically beat to pulp prior to the aforementioned scene with Russell Crowe. But The Weight's final moments feature laughter between a father and his daughter, as the pair drive off into their happy ending. Later in our conversation, McKinley spoke about the film's final moments, and how he connects with it on a personal level. He told me:

Lots of kids and parents connect while driving, and in this way The Weight's conclusion brought the period piece and the modern world closer together. On top of the good guy winning in the end, this full circle moment also really helped the movie stick the landing. It's a wonderful ride, and the action sequences were legitimately thrilling. Still, the happy ending was the cherry on top.

The Weight is in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list. It's always a good day when Ethan Hawke has a new movie out, and this one accomplished a ton with an indie budget.

One of the most anticipated upcoming book-to-screen adaptations is The Magician’s Nephew, which will take us back through the wardrobe to a place we haven’t been since 2010. Our return to Narnia will look a little different with director Greta Gerwig at the helm, so there’s been constant casting buzz, and in a shocking twist, one of the rumors turns out to be true. I was initially surprised Meryl Streep landed the role of Narnia’s Aslan, but Gerwig revealed why, and it makes sense.

Empire received the inside scoop on the movie, including a first glimpse at the infamous Narnia mentor. In a bold move, the lion who’s male in the books and the original trilogy (and was previously voiced by Liam Neeson) is, for the first time, being voiced by a female star. However, if you’re going to take a big swing, why not go for someone as iconic as Streep? Gerwig explains the reason for her choice:

That someone definitely sounds like Streep. I think Ryan Gosling said it best (in Project Hail Mary): “She can do anything.” The cover of Empire also gave us a glimpse of what Aslan will look like with heterochromatic eyes and red stripes, which are nods to one of the director’s inspirations for the movie: David Bowie. After breaking insane records with Barbie, many are eagerly waiting to see what colorful life she’s going to breathe into the franchise. I’m fully expecting the setting to capture the magic and wonder of the world. Given the alleged budget Netflix has allocated for the movie, it should look incredible.

The movie will follow the plot of The Magician’s Nephew, which is actually the sixth book in the series, though it’s the first chronologically in the story. Given the love for the original trilogy, I think it was smart of Netflix to start the potential new franchise here. This would also mean that Streep will be around for a while, as Aslan is an important character in each book in the C.S. Lewis series. After hearing Gerwig break down her vision for the role, I’m totally on board:

Meanwhile, the cast list for The Magician's Nephew is a little longer. In addition to Streep, Daniel Craig has a significant role as Uncle Andrew who is a self-proclaimed magician who is responsible for revealing Narnia to humans. Also in the movie is Emma Mackey as Jadis, aka the White Witch, Carey Mulligan (who thankfully won’t be fighting Weeping Angels), Andor actor Denise Gough, and up-and-coming actors David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell.

While we don’t know much about what to expect, we do know the basics, such as the plot of the book it’s adapting. The story follows two children as they discover a world of magic where they accidentally unleash an evil queen. It is currently unknown if more movies will follow, but we can expect The Magician’s Nephew to hit theaters February 12 and then be available to stream in April with a Netflix subscription.

I'm ready to see (or hear?) Streep in the role, along with seeing Gerwig's undoubtedly stunning vision for the world of Narnia.

Zach Cregger is a filmmaker responsible for some of the best horror movies in recent memory. Namely Barbarian and Weapons (both of which are streaming with an HBO Max subscription). He's got another new horror movie in theaters with his Resident Evil film, and I can't get over the literal "hot" take he had about the franchise as a whole. Let's break it all down.

Given how wildly successful Weapons was in theaters (including Amy Madigan's Oscar-winning performance), folks were eager to see what Cregger would do with his own take on Resident Evil. In a clip from ET's Instagram, he confirmed he's never seen the previous Resident Evil movies, and revealed one big difference he was passionate about. In his words:

Well, that was honest. While Cregger was careful not to insult his frequent collaborator Austin Abrams (who plays protagonist Bryan in the new movie), it's clear that he had a very different vision for Resident Evil. It's a horror movie, and he didn't want his cast looking fabulous like they did during the Milla Jovovich films. He dropped the mini skirts in favor of blood and guts, and made sure that the Euphoria alum looked "frumped up" as well.

The Resident Evil trailer looked like it was ripped straight from the games, rather than the action-heavy tone of the previous films. In the same interview, he went on to share his vision, offering:

Indeed, the Resident Evil reviews praised this pivot, with many of them claiming that it brought new life to a suffering franchise. Cregger is trading in action for tension, horror and dread, and it should be interesting to see how audiences receive the project during its opening this weekend.

While the filmmaker might be taking bold new swings with the Resident Evil IP, he's got good will with horror fans thanks to his last two movies. At the end of this same interview, Zach Cregger reaffirmed his focus on his adaptation, saying:

This pivot will likely please video game fans, who have played the Resident Evil titles for decades. We'll just have to see how the new movie fare at the box office, and if it ends up kickstarting a new franchise directed by Cregger. Fingers crossed.

Resident Evil is in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list. Hopefully this is just the start of a new, game-accurate series of films, with Zach Cregger continuing to work with Austin Abrams in the process.

The Sadfleck has become such a huge part of our collective cultural consciousness that it has its own nickname. In fact, it’s such a big deal, I wrote an entire sentence about it without even mentioning the name Ben Affleck and I still bet you knew exactly the moment I was talking about. The actor himself has encountered the meme in the wild and has commented on the viral video before in a way that was both hilarious and rueful. So, it’s certainly a defining moment for the Batman V Superman star, but I find it hard to believe it happened an entire decade ago.

You know the “Sad Affleck” meme. Back when Ben Affleck was doing press for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice alongside fellow star Henry Cavill, the two were asked about the reception to the Zack Snyder film. Cavill started giving a candid answer, but Affleck just sat there looking, well, sad. Then some enterprising YouTuber out Simon Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence” on in the background of the video. A viral moment was born.

Now, 10 years later, that YouTuber was asked about the Sadfleck meme by Tom Butler, the Yahoo interviewer who’d originally asked about Batman V Superman’s critical reception. I’d never really thought deeply about how he’d come up with it, thinking it was a creative choice, but the viral video creator, Kyle Miller, admitted it wasn’t even something he came up with. After the interview was posted, it was actually a fan reply that got Miller thinking.

The process was a little more sophisticated than just slapping the song onto interview footage, though not much. Miller also took the opportunity to zoom in on Affleck’s face as Cavill started talking about “the interesting thing” about all the mixed reviews.

Miller says he was never paid or earned money for the viral video, but he did feel its considerable cultural impact. “Sound of Silence” briefly charted again, and the YouTuber was listening to the radio when the moment was brought up:

It was the music combination with the close-up that really made the video so memorable. Well, that and the fact that this seems to be Ben Affleck’s resting face during high-profile moments. Just check out this time he and then-wife Jennifer Lopez attended the Grammys together. Of course, more “Sad Affleck” comments rolled around. He’s a great actor, director and writer, but there’s been plenty of speculation he doesn’t love the press and promotional part of Hollywood.

It officially happened a few months ago, but I’m still shook up Zack Snyder’s movie dropped 10 years ago now. I probably shouldn’t be, as so much time has passed I'd honestly kind of forgotten Dawn of Justice was even a part of that movie title. We’ve moved on to James Gunn’s take on DC and Matt Reeves’ take on Batman, but the legacy of the Sad Affleck meme will likely live on as long as Ben Affleck does.

Johnny Knoxville’s latest movie, Tiny Fugitives, hits the 2026 movie schedule this weekend. It’s a summer camp movie, so if you’re a fan of Heavyweights or, like me, Meatballs, it brings that same kind of energy. I’m also a sucker for a bunch of kids swearing like sailors, and this movie has a lot of that. Some of the language certainly would have made me blush in junior high, so I had to ask the cast what they thought about it when they were filming all those scenes with all that salty language.

At the center of the movie are two kids, Jacob and Charness, whose six-week sojourn to Jewish camp every summer is the highlight of their years. They love it so much that Jacob, played by Benjamin Pajak, convinces Charness (Aaron Harris) that they have to figure out a way to never leave. Once they hatch their plan, they only have to outwit Bob, a overzealous counselor, played by Knoxville, who has been at the camp for way too long.

One Line Even Shocked The Actor Who Said It

Along the way, the insults and foul language pour out of the kids' mouths, especially in one moment for Charness, which Aaron Harris explained was a line he dropped that I don’t think he knew exactly where it came from. He told me:

If you’re wondering which line it is, he was teased by his co-stars when he wouldn’t say it, so here it is (and yeah, it’s NSFW):

Talk about letting things fly! It's a good thing there wasn't a swear jar on set! Harris definitely lands the line. There’s a good reason they used it in the trailer. It’s one of the funniest moments of the weekend, because even though Charness is by far the most inappropriate kid in the crew, this one is over-the-top (in a good way). When Knoxville asked if he got in trouble with his parents for the line he improvised, Harris replied:

It’s one of those lines you’d expect a parent to want to be made about, but find it impossible not to just laugh. I know if my nephew said it, I would be more concerned about not cracking up than actually getting mad at him. It’s a great line, with a great delivery.

Tiny Fugitives hits theaters this weekend, and Knoxville’s other big movie this year, Jackass: Best and Last, is currently available on VOD with a Prime account, so check out both!

It’s safe to say Lili Reinhart is “30, flirty and thriving” as she promotes the release of the book-to-screen adaptation of The Love Hypothesis on the 2026 movie schedule. I mean that quite literally, too. She just turned 30. She’s hyping up a flirty romance movie. Plus the looks she’s putting together that pay homage to romance movies for this press tour certainly prove that she’s thriving in the world of method dressing. Now, to prove all this even further, she literally honored 13 Going on 30 with her latest look (and it's my favorite fit she's showed us so far).

As Lili Reinhart promotes The Love Hypothesis, she’s been giving us outfits that pay homage to some of the best rom-coms and romance films. From How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days to Ever After to Atonement, she’s been absolutely slaying these gorgeous romance-coded ensembles. Now, she’s paying homage to 13 Going on 30. Take a look:

Now, not only is this an iconic look from the Jennifer Garner-led movie, but it’s also the outfit she’s wearing on the legendary poster for it. The minidress and pink coat combo is synonymous with 13 Going on 30. So, when I saw Reinhart’s look, I immediately knew what she was going for.

What shocked me was that the coat is the Nanette Lepore coat from the film, which you can see by streaming 13 Going on 30 with a Netflix subscription. Yep, according to Reinhart’s stylist, Ib Abdel Nasser, the actress is rocking the “same coat as worn by Jennifer Garner in 13 Going on 30.” However, their new fashion moment has its own unique spin on it, too, as the mini dress is a darker color than Garner’s, and the Riverdale star is wearing purple heels with it, while the original look featured silver heels.

Overall, this fashion moment is a wonderful addition to the early 2000s rom-com-coded method dressing Reinhart has been doing for this press tour. From a gorgeous beaded dress to garments featuring bright colors and delicate patterns to looks that directly pay homage to movies we now consider romance classics, she’s proven that she can stand with the method dressing icons in the world of celebrity fashoin.

However, this outfit gets better, because it’s remarkably fitting for this moment, as Reinhart just turned 30 on September 13. So, paying homage to 13 Going on 30 right now couldn’t have been more perfect.

Overall, this outfit is giving me hope that Reinhart's new movie, The Love Hypothesis will be able to stand with the legendary romance films she's taking inspiration from on this press tour. It's based on the beloved book of the same name by Ali Hazelwood, and early reactions for TLH have been stellar. So, it seems like this dream of mine could come true.

Now, to see how Lili Reinhart’s rom-com lives up to the romance movies she has been paying homage to on its press tour, you can stream The Love Hypothesis with an Amazon Prime subscription on September 23.

Actress Florence Pugh is an accomplished, Oscar-nominated actress who is constantly working. Case in point: she's starring in both of the movies that make up the nickname Dunesday, aka Dune: Part Three and the upcoming Marvel movie Avengers: Doomsday. She's also a fashion icon, with Pugh responsible for starting the sheer dress trend in Hollywood. Although lately she's switched that out for pastels, this time breaking the internet by wearing a capelet as a top. Let's break it all down.

Honestly, it's not unusual for Pugh's fashions to set the internet ablaze, and it doesn't look like that's going to stop anytime soon. Just days after going viral for her Vivienne Westwood Emmys gown, she wore a Rodarte two-piece to the premiere of her new series East of Eden (which will arrive for those with a Netflix subscription in October). You can check out the look for yourself below:

I mean, how gorgeous is that? This set of images, shared by Rodarte's official Instagram, features Florence Pugh wearing a two-piece yellow dotted ensemble. While it's not the "free the nipple" sheer look she's previously turned heads for, it's certainly ethereal. Although I have to assume there's some fashion tape or something that's attempting to stop anything unwanted from happening.

While the Thunderbolts* actress became synonymous with Hollywood's sheer dress trend, it looks like she's in her pastel era currently. It's hard not to make the connection between her look above, and the gorgeous gown she rocked at the 2026 Emmy Awards over the weekend. As a reminder, you can check out that look below:

Pugh was on many people's best dress list for this year's Emmys, and it's clear why. And just days later she's once again stunning on the carpet, this time for her new Netflix series East of Eden. She'll play protagonist Cathy Ames in the upcoming book to screen adaptation, and she (obviously) made a splash at its premiere event in Los Angeles. Perhaps this shouldn't be surprising, as she's a celebrity fashion icon in addition to being an accomplished A-list actress.

Fans who are eager to see more red carpet outfits from Pugh are in for a treat this coming December. As previously mentioned, she's starring in both Dune: Part Three and as part of the Avengers: Doomsday cast. Pugh is doubtless going to be the real (fashion) winner of Dunesday, and it should be fascinating to see what she wears to the premieres for the two blockbusters, although with Zendaya possibly around, she may have some stunning red carpet competition. Of course, that's assuming that she'll be able to promote both projects. Talk about a crazy schedule.

East of Eden will premiere October 1st on Netflix as part of the 2026 TV schedule. As for those to upcoming movies, they'll both arrive on December 18th.

In Warner Bros’s pantheon of iconic movies from recent years, Gal Gadot is Wonder Woman and Margot Robbie is Barbie. But, did you know that at some point Gadot was considered for both roles? Let’s break down the story, and how the actress just addressed the hot pink role that never was for her.

Why Margot Robbie Wanted Gal Gadot For Barbie

Barbie was in the works for years before Warner Bros, Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig became the minds behind a movie that became a phenomenon when it came out in the summer of 2023. Previous iterations of the project included Amy Schumer leaving one version due to creative differences and Anne Hathaway being considered for another version of the role.

When Warner Bros. took hold of the Barbie movie, Robbie became quickly attached and hired Greta Gerwig to write the script and direct. Here’s how Gadot comes in, per Robbie to Vogue:

Word on the street is that Gerwig convinced Margot Robbie to take the titular role, and a formal offer was never made to Gal Gadot. Let’s get to what the Wonder Woman star thinks about the whole thing.

What Gal Gadot Thinks About Missing Out On The Role

Gadot was asked about being eyed for Barbie while on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. As she reacted:

Sounds like there’s absolutely no hard feelings from Gal Gadot about not ultimately being asked to be in Barbie. I mean, especially after Robbie’s flattering comments, how could you? As she added:

Not only is it safe to say Margot Robbie is the perfect Barbie, Gal Gadot sounds like she knows it, too. Though, it does seem like she could have played one of the other Barbies? Ultimately, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Dua Lipa and Nicola Coughlan (among others) played the supporting Barbies.

Hey, Gal Gadot may not be Barbie, but she’s literally an action figure thanks to her now-defunct time as the DCEU's Wonder Woman. You can see Gadot in her latest movie, Runner, where she totally channels Tom Cruise right now with an Amazon Prime Video subscription.

When you’re a theme park fan, it’s always fun to hear from a Disney Imagineer because it feels like we’re getting a peak behind a secret curtain. Recently, Jim Shull, a retired Walt Disney Imagineer after a 33-year career, shared some thoughts about Toy Story Land’s latest addition. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is adding new magic to Alien Swirling Saucers starting on Friday, September 25^th, where they’ll be introducing Lilypad from Toy Story 5.

The frog-shaped smart tablet is on a mission to connect friends and she’s using her tech to bring toys together for an all-new soundtrack to the appropriately titled Alien Swirling Saucers: Lilypad’s Jams. This new music line-up will include reimagined Toy Story classics and brand-new songs written just for the attraction, remixed and mashed up by DJ Lilypad. But that’s where the Imagineer who’s worked on projects at Disney World, Disneyland Paris, and Shanghai Disneyland has some issues and pointed out that size does, indeed, matter.

For more than eight years, Toy Story Land has operated around the idea that when you step inside, you thereby shrink to the size of a toy inside Andy’s backyard. The oversized toys and various other objects throughout work to establish the scale as they transport you into Andy’s world. That guided and shaped what could and could not be put inside the land, until now.

The first issue that Toy Story Land designer Jim Shull has with the addition of Lilypad is that, at least in the artist concept image, the scale feels wrong. He says that he started with Andy’s shoe print and scaled every toy to that, which means that a Lilypad built to scale should be much larger. It’s hard to know whether that was taken into consideration or not when designing this new overlay, but I’ll definitely be on the lookout for any further explanation for how and why the sizing doesn’t seem to match.

The other issue that Shull has with all of this is that Lilypad actually belongs to Bonnie, and was purchased by her parents to help her socialize with other children who prefer electronic devices over traditional toys. As such, she should be in Bonnie’s own backyard and not Andy’s, as they’re a generation apart and each have their own space.

This may seem like a small, nitpicky thing, and in the grander scheme of theme park expansion, it kind of is. But it might play into the larger issue of self-imposed theme park constraints, which Disney has been trying to undo with its changes to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and the planet of Batuu. Plus, if the whole point of the park is pure immersion, then why opt for any inaccuracies that could potentially pull park-goers out of the illusion.

This is just a tiny addition among a sea of D23 2026 announcements about Walt Disney World's upcoming lands for Villains, Monsters Inc., Tropical Americas and Piston Peak. But it does pose interesting questions about how strictly theme parks should be following the rules they set up for themselves. General park goers are largely just excited to see their favorite characters and ride the rides in any given land, and Toy Story remains one of Disney’s most popular franchises, with no clear end in sight. We'll know soon enough if the complaints get louder or if fans are just happy to embrace the changes.

Find Toy Story 5 streaming via Disney+ subscription starting on September 23.

At some point, I really need to find a way to break into pitch meetings for various theater chains’ exclusive popcorn buckets, because those seem like amazing meetings. Street Fighter is the latest 2026 movie release to show off a popcorn container that is equal parts ridiculous and obnoxious, and I can’t believe how much I want to own it already. At least one.

When the upcoming video game adaptation hits theaters to show off Andrew Koji’s worrying “dark” Ryu persona, the electric rage of Jason Momoa’s Blanka and Callina Liang’s highly dangerous Chun-Li, fans will be able to score a popcorn bucket modeled after Guile’s wild and spiky blonde hair. What’s more, AMC Theaters brought Street Fighter’s Cody Rhodes in put the head-topping bucket to the test along with co-stars Liang and Noah Centineo. Check it out!

It's a brilliant quasi-ad from beginning to end, starting off by appealing to fans' senses and then devolving into laughter. This has to be the only time in history this exact sentence was said, right?

Can we get somebody to look back in the archives to make sure? Maybe there was a hyper-intelligent zombie at some point who made a passing comment about eating a dude named Cody's brains.

This is for real amazing, though, and alllmost makes up for the lack of Guile action sequences and Sonic Booms in the trailers. Having Rhodes wear it is easily the best way to show the hair-y bucket off, since it looks close enough to his movie hairstyle to be impressive. At no point while watching did I think, "Looks great on him, but might look dumb as hell on me." That's how they get you: different-shaped heads.

In any case, I'm certainly not the only person desperate to own a wearable Street Fighter popcorn bucket, and quite a few Instagram comments made me chuckle.

• FINALLY! Something that's both stylish AND tasty 🍿 - @IMAX
• Can’t wait to pair my Cody popcorn with my Cody fruit punch 🍿🧃🤩 - @MinuteMaid
• This is so unnecessary. I’ll take two. - @kris_liftz
• If the person sitting infront of me in the theatre is wearing it... I'm eating outta it😂 - @vinniesal
• Guile’s hair was clearly designed for this exact purpose. 😂🍿 - @michi483
• Why would I want this? I'll take 5 - @cody_rhodes_lover
• Adrenaline in soul, Popcorn in Cody bowl!!!! - @ringsidesean
• Mmmmm Cody head - @alvaro_who_____
• Insanity. Give me 50. - @lawjsharma
• Nice!! The final part needed for my cosplay costume 🤣 - @josh_e_ny

To clrcle back, the most obnoxious part of it is really only applicable if someone actually does wear the thing in the theater, potentially hindering eyelines of those sitting behind. Theaters are definitely better these days about ramped floors and stadium-esque seating, but somebody reaching up to pull popcorn off of their head is probably going to be a distraction. regardless.

Plus, how annoying and absolutely messy would it be to have to reach up for popcorn every time? It'd be raining kernels. And what about if you sneeze? Or if someone behind you seezes into it. And if you don't wear it on your head, can it be comfortably held in one's lap without issue, or do the low-hanging sideburns make that impossible? Also, where can I buy one?

I'm gonna need some follow-up reports from anybody who goes to watch Street Fighter and either buys the Guile-centric popcorn bucket for themselves, or who is in a theater where someone else is wearing it. Find out if either case applies to you when the upcoming action movie hits theaters on October 16, 2026.

Zach Cregger's Weapons was a major success story, both financially and critically. One of the best horror movies in recent memory, the film became a sensation and resulted in Amy Madigan winning an Oscar for her performance as the villainous Aunt Gladys. That character was so popular that she's getting a spinoff, and the filmmaker's most recent update should please fans who are feeling unsure about the developing upcoming horror movie.

While some fans were bummed when Cregger revealed he wasn't writing the Gladys spinoff himself, the Barbarian filmmaker's latest comments may help to relax naysayers. In a conversation with Men's Health about his Resident Evil movie, he offered a thrilling update about the Weapons spinoff's script. In his words:

Well, that's exciting. While Cregger isn't the writer behind the Aunt Gladys movie, the fact that the first draft has been completed is super exciting. It's still unclear when this film will actually see the light of day, but the fact that it's moving forward even with the Weapons director working on other projects is pretty awesome. Fingers crossed that we don't have to wait too long before filming begins.

Obviously, the Weapons director will still be involved in the forthcoming horror flick, even if Zach Shields (Krampus, Godzilla King of the Monsters) is the one writing the screenplay. In the same interview, Cregger confirmed another key detail about the Gladys movie: that Amy Madigan will be back in her Oscar-winning role. In his words:

Given how truly iconic Madigan's performance was, this makes a great deal of sense. Weapons might have cut out Aunt Gladys' backstory, but we'll be getting it with her developing spinoff. And it just wouldn't be the same if another actor took over the role. So while we're getting a new writer for the spinoff, the leading actor is (thankfully) staying the same. We'll just have to see if the Grey's Anatomy alum manages to get more attention at Awards Season after reprising her role.

Shortly after Weapons (which is streaming with an HBO Max subscription) hit theaters, the public fell in love with Amy Madigan's character. She was equal parts terrifying and funny during the movie's 128-minute runtime, and Aunt Gladys soon became a Halloween costume and bona fide horror icon. Add in the fact that the actress won an Oscar, and it makes sense that the studio might want to put more focus on her, especially her mysterious backstory.

Weapons is streaming now on HBO Max, and Cregger's new Resident Evil movie hit theaters September 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list. Hopefully, once that project is released, the filmmaker will be able to put his focus on the Aunt Gladys spinoff.

There is little doubt that Primetime, the upcoming movie from A24 directed by Lance Oppenheim, is going to get people talking. The movie, which features Robert Pattinson as NBC journalist Chris Hansen, portrays the early days of the hit show To Catch a Predator, so the subject matter alone is going to make a lot of people uncomfortable. One person who already has strong views on Primetime, which hits the 2026 movie schedule on September 25th, is Hansen himself. He has not minced his words, calling the movie “an insult.”

We asked Oppenheim about Hansen’s comments, and he still wants the reporter to see the movie about his landmark show that outed child sex predators. Oppenheim says:

Oppenheim also wants Hansen to know that it was the host of Predator himself who inspired Oppenheim to make the movie. It all started with a $30 Cameo video, as Oppenheim explains:

Whether that is meant to entice Hansen into seeing the film, which critics have liked, or repel him is up to you, but Oppenheim is sincere in how struck he was by Hansen selling Cameo videos. This came before he’d even been approached with the script by writer Ajon Singh. Oppenheim says about the Cameo:

Again, it’s up to you to determine if Oppenheim is inviting Hansen to see the movie or not, but either way, Hansen can be a polarizing figure. To Catch a Predator is polarizing as well. That’s a big part of what makes this movie so intriguing to many, even those uncomfortable with the way it was presented.

Meanwhile, Oppenheim is also kicking up a stir with another upcoming film he co-directed (along with Nathan Fielder), You Can See Everything, about convicted fraudster Elizabeth Holmes, which is sure to shock audiences as well. With two movies in a row about such interesting subjects, Oppenheim has really tapped into something.

Comic book movies have been dominating the film industry for well over a decade now, with various cinematic universes competing at the box office. Fans who spent years watching the DC movies in order know the newest DC movie is Craig Gillespie's Supergirl (which is streaming now with an HBO Max subscription). The movie got a bunch of crap after its release, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. And I need moviegoers to stop letting down every female-led superhero movie. Because most of them are pretty great.

Despite coming off the success of James Gunn's Superman, the Supergirl movie failed to perform at the box office when it hit theaters in June. Unfortunately, this follows the trend of other comic book movies led by women. And I've found that those movies' financial performance had nothing to do with the actual quality of the films.

Supergirl, Birds of Prey, And The Marvels Deserved Better

Cinephiles who have been closely monitoring the superhero genre may have noticed that movies led by women are often met with backlash, and even boycotts from the hardcore fandom. We saw this when The Marvels became the MCU's biggest box office bomb, as well as when Birds of Prey failed to break even against its budget. But just like Supergirl, I thoroughly enjoyed both of those titles. These movies had something to say and talented casts, so what's the issue?

My favorite superhero movies have a unique POV, and generally balance between drama, action, and moments of comedy. Supergirl did just that, as Milly Alcock's hero was an alcoholic who was struggling with immense grief. The House of the Dragon actor's performance was strong, but not enough people went to theaters to see it. Perhaps the movie's popularity on HBO Max will give her the chance to get another solo flick.

Personally, Birds of Prey was my absolute favorite movie from the former DCEU, which is now gone in favor of co-CEO James Gunn's new shared universe. I loved its irreverent tone and the way it introduced beloved DC heroes like Huntress, Black Canary, and Renee Montoya. Unfortunately, we never got a sequel thanks to its poor box office performance.

I feel similarly about The Marvels. Nia DaCosta is a filmmaker who always delivers quality, but sometimes suffers at the box office. Despite her Marvel movie serving as a sequel to Captain Marvel, WandaVision, and Ms. Marvel, the fandom refused to show up at theaters. The movie's stars weren't included in the Avengers: Doomsday cast, despite The Marvels' credits scene setting up the return of the OG X-Men stars.

To me, the problem is clear: there's a bias against women-led superhero projects. And not only is this a disservice to the quality of those projects, I think it's failing the genre as a whole. Hopefully something changes in the future.

Supergirl is streaming now on HBO Max as part of the 2026 movie release list. The next upcoming DC movie is Clayface on October 23rd. We'll just have to see if that title is able to perform at the box office.

These days, Ryan Reynolds is in the big leagues. So much so that having his name alone on a movie can sell a movie pitch (and that happened on his latest, Mayday). But there was a time when he was a rising leading man… and he accidentally gave Denzel Washington not one but two black eyes in the same day. Yeah, I’m stressed out just thinking about it, too.

Reynolds and Washington were co-leads on the 2012 thriller Safe House, and had a confrontational action scene in a moving vehicle. Here’s how Reynolds explained it when the incident was brought up during an episode of Hot Ones:

Host: “Which was a more uncomfortable experience on the set of Safe House: Accidentally headbutting Denzel Washington or having your phone go off with ‘Come Fly With Me’ as the ringtone while shooting the final dramatic scene?”

Ryan: “Well, how you framed it was, ‘What was more uncomfortable, headbutting Denzel Washington, giving him a big swollen eye or headbutting Denzel Washington and giving him another swollen eye on the other side?’”

Host: “Double headbutts?”

Ryan: “Double headbutts.”

Host: “Same day?”

Ryan: “Yes, same sequence, in a car that was out of control, spinning. There’s nothing I could have done except maybe not hit Denzel Washington in the old moneymaker.”

In the car scene, Denzel’s character crawls through the trunk of a car and grabs Reynolds’ character and chokes him. While filming, his head went right into Washington’s eye “so hard” and in the moment Reynolds actually thought it’d “split wide open”. Apparently when the first headbutt occurred, Washington was totally cool about it, brushing it off and saying that “accidents happen.”

They then decided to shoot the same sequence from the other side, and Reynolds got the other eye. As Reynolds previously explained it, “for a minute, he looked like a Christmas ornament.” Obviously, that’s much worse than your phone going off while shooting a scene, but that's another funny story from the set of Safe House. As he recalled:

The moment led to the director to yell “Cut!” and the AD asked “Who the fuck’s phone was that?” Plus they had to reset the whole scene. Reynolds fessed up, but he did so on the down low. It sounds like Reynolds had a time on Safe House, which he ultimately credits as an experience that inspired him to produce after getting some advice from Washington on the subject. You can check out the movie yourself right now with a Netflix subscription.

His latest movie, Mayday, another action movie where he’s teamed up with the legend Kenneth Branagh, is streaming with an Apple TV subscription right now.

The '90s really were an amazing decade for romantic comedies. Many of the best rom-coms of all time came out in the final decade of the 20th century. The time felt right for me to dedicate a full crossword puzzle to these iconic, charming and beloved films for this week's movie quiz. If you're a fan of '90s rom-coms, now's your time to shine!

Director Lance Oppenheim has been creating quite a stir lately. His latest movie, Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson as journalist Chris Hansen, hits the 2026 movie schedule on September 25. Meanwhile, the trailer for the documentary he co-directed with Nathan Fielder, You Can See Everything, about fraudster Elizabeth Holmes, has blown up across the internet. CinemaBlend spoke with Oppenheim about the trailer and the film, and he has a couple of things he’d like audiences to know about both.

The Whole Project Was A Surprise To Audiences

While promoting his upcoming A24 film, Primetime, we asked Oppenheim about the trailer, and while he really doesn’t want to give away much about the movie (and doesn’t want viewers to after they see it, either), he did talk about what it was like to see the trailer go viral. Of the moment, Oppenheim says:

The trailer, if you haven’t seen it, is bonkers (in the best way), and it tells you everything about the movie and nothing at all. That’s the way Oppenheim wants to keep it. He hopes everyone goes in the theater blind, like we all did when the trailer dropped out of nowhere, right before audiences raved about it at the Telluride Film Festival. Oppenheim says:

Oppenheim is certainly right that people don’t know what to make of it. The reviews from those who were lucky enough to have seen it at the film festival are, for the most part, heeding the director’s wishes, though some spoilers have been revealed. However, it is probably best to listen to Oppenheim and go in blind. It seems that even if you think you know everything about Holmes, there is so much more to learn from this. And it looks like it will be as uncomfortable as it is revealing, which is a good thing.

Meanwhile, Primetime, which is about the creation of the show To Catch a Predator, is also stirring up some controversy ahead of its release, but critics are loving it so far. Oppenheim is a director who likes to keep audiences on their toes, and he’s doing that in a big way with both of these projects.

Timothée Chalamet spends a lot of time looking extremely famous. Custom designer suits, red carpets, courtside NBA appearances and whatever glorious nonsense he decides to wear when promoting a movie (like those orange Marty Supreme fits). Then he posts vacation photos with his dad and suddenly looks like somebody you vaguely remember from high school. That contrast has the internet cracking up, as folks can’t get over how ‘normal’ the Oscar hopeful looks when not at a Hollywood event.

Chalamet recently shared a nine-photo carousel on Instagram from a hiking trip through Italy's Dolomites with his father, Marc. The carousel includes mountain selfies, cave helmets, pizza, gelato and the kind of slightly awkward vacation pictures that suggest nobody spent 45 minutes choosing the right angle. It's adorably relatable, and you can check it out for yourself below:

The photos really are charmingly ordinary. The Little Women alum poses with his dad against huge mountain vistas. They explore a cavern wearing helmets and headlamps. He gets photographed mid-bite while eating pizza. There is wine, caviar and gelato, so this is still an Italian vacation rather than a weekend at the Holiday Inn. Still, almost anybody's family could have uploaded the actual photos. That was also what caught fans' attention.

What Fans Are Saying About The Un-Curated Timmy

The Reddit thread devoted to the pictures quickly filled with people marveling at how unpolished they felt. Here are some of my favorite reactions to “Nonchalant Chalamet”:

• u/SisterRayRomano: “I don’t really care for looking at celebrities’ holiday snaps, but it’s nice to see ones that look normal? I mean, compared to the fashion shoots on yachts that are posted as such.”
• u/DillingerK-1897: “I thought it was a random Timothée-look-alike before I saw the title lol”
• u/Smooth-Bake9672: “This made me realize I would never recognize him if I saw him in the wild. He looks like any other normal twentysomething”
• @dallyan: “This is such normie posting. It’s cute.”
• u/Available-Trip5061: “Bro survived the deserts of Arrakis just to go touch green grass in the Dolomites.”
• u/GreenAxetoGrind: “The Dolomites? More like Chalamites, amirite? (I'll let myself out.)”
• u/DonkeyLightning: “‘Hey can you take a pic of us with this awesome, beautiful, once in a lifetime view behind us’ ‘Best I can do is off kilter, shins up pic of just you’”

One commenter said the whole carousel felt like early Instagram, back when people simply posted vacation photos instead of producing nine-slide lifestyle campaigns. Another admitted they probably wouldn’t recognize the Oscar nominee at all if they passed him hiking in the Dolomites. Someone else lovingly described him as looking a little dorky and insisted that was part of the appeal.

I get it. Whether I was wandering around Italy or somehow went Interstellar, this guy would be A Complete Unknown to me. I wouldn’t know him from The King or Wonka, and there’s no chance I’d be confident enough to call him by his name. Still, whether it was one of those Hot Summer Nights or A Rainy Day in New York, I think most fans would agree he’s one Beautiful Boy. And that’s before we even get into the Bones and All of it. Okay. I’m done.

One small reality check surfaced amid all the wholesome reactions, though. A fan pointed out that the Lady Bird actor is still hiking with a Prada backpack. Fair enough. “Normal” apparently has limits when you’re one of the biggest actors in Hollywood. Mostly, though, people seemed charmed by seeing the A-lister doing something so simple with his dad.

It won’t be long before Chalamet is back in expensive clothes and answering questions about sandworms. Denis Villeneuve's upcoming Dune: Part Three opens on the 2026 movie calendar on December 18, right in the middle of what will undoubtedly be the Dunesday circus, considering Avengers: Doomsday comes out on the same day.

Until then, I kind of enjoy knowing the Marty Supreme star takes the same questionable vacation photos as the rest of us.

This year has been a brutal one for celebrity deaths. A few days before we lost Dolly Parton and Tim Curry, it was revealed that actress Hayden Panettiere died at age 36. Tributes to the late actress quickly rolled in, with fans re-watching her work on Heroes, Scream, and Nashville. However, there are still questions about her death, and a rep has issued a statement about the ongoing investigation.

Prior to her death, Hayden Panettiere opened up about her struggles with postpartum depression, substance issues, and domestic abuse in her book This Is Me: A Reckoning. This has only increased chatter about her cause of death, and a statement obtained by People offers an update about what's been happening behind the scenes. A rep for the late actress was quoted as saying:

It looks like there's some fake information out there online, which I have to assume is painful for those who were close to the Nashville star prior to her death. Add in the fact that Panettiere talked about having more life to live just months before her passing, and all eyes are on the ongoing investigation into the cause of death. Hopefully some answers will come sooner rather than later, allowing the online discourse to quiet down.

As previously mentioned, the star of the Scream movies (which are streaming with a Paramount+ subscription) got honest about her past in her memoir. Panettiere also spoke about things on her bucket list prior to her sudden death. The same statement from her rep addressed the ongoing chatter, and it reads:

There you have it. While there might be some conflicting reports about Hayden Panettiere's cause of death, it sounds like the chatter might not exactly be accurate. But the investigation is still underway, so hopefully the discourse will quiet down once some official information is eventually released.

Panettiere's passing was a shock given her young age, and also hit fans hard. Especially millennial fans, who grew up alongside the late actress, starting with her early roles in A Bug's Life and Remember the Titans. And those fans have been making her projects like Ice Princess trend online.

Our thoughts continue to be with Panettiere's fans and loved ones during this difficult time. Hopefully, answers come soon and quiet the online chatter.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a well-oiled machine, one that's constantly introducing new characters. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order will remember Tom Holland making his debut as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription). During that first movie, he got some A+ advice about improvising from the one and only Robert Downey Jr.

Just like Tony Stark helped guide Peter Parker as a superhero, RDJ had a mentor relationship with Holland IRL. Prior to Spider-Man: Brand New Day breaking records at the box office, the 30-year-old actor spoke in a video from IGN's Instagram about some helpful advice he got from Downey early in his Marvel tenure. In his words:

Well, that was honest. Rather than pretending he was doing specific work regarding all the tech talk in the MCU, the Oscar-winning actor got real and admitted he just makes stuff up when talking to J.A.R.V.I.S. and the rest of Tony Stark's computer assistants. And that no doubt influenced Tom Holland's work in future Marvel movies he'd star in after Civil War.

Despite this admission, fans would probably never realize that Robert Downey Jr. was just making stuff up during his countless tech scenes throughout the MCU. That's why they pay him the big bucks, after all. In the same interview, Tom Holland spoke more about the lesson he learned, offering:

Tony Stark and Peter Parker are both geniuses, so Holland has had to do plenty of wild tech speak throughout the MCU as well. Luckily, RDJ's advice took the pressure off, and now the Odyssey actor is super comfortable with those scenes, even dubbing himself "dumb smart." Just like his mentor, he's pulled it off despite not having the same expertise as his signature character.

I have to wonder if Robert Downey Jr. is going to have to do similar improvisation when he returns to the MCU as Doctor Doom in the next two Avengers movies. He's expected to be playing a very different character in those titles, so maybe he won't have as much tech-based dialogue. What we know about Doomsday is super limited, so fans will have to wait and see how it all goes down this winter.

Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters on December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list. It's unclear if Spider-Man will end up factoring in, but the Brand New Day credits scene did seem to tease a role in either that blockbuster or Secret Wars. Fingers crossed we get to see Holland and Downey back on screen together.

As much as I love Epic Universe attraction rumors, some of my favorite content is of the fan variety as parkgoers enjoy their time on all the rides and attractions at the still-new theme park. One of the best is getting to meet Toothless in How To Train Your Dragon: Isle Of Berk, and feeling the very alive movement of the wondrous dragon, his pebbly skin and his interactions with his best pal Hiccup. Honestly, though, watching this viral video of Toothless “dead” and having to be covered up is almost the opposite experience.

An amused visitor recorded what happened on the day he waited in line for the Toothless and Hiccup Meet and Greet. Unfortunately, the famed dragon went down and employees swiftly hid the evidence. On Instagram, the moment was paired with Sarah McLachlan’s “Arms of an Angel,” aka the song that used to be used in the early aughts in those heart-wrenching animal cruelty ads for the ASPCA.

Kudos to the team at Universal for seemingly getting this process down to a science, however. I’ve never seen Toothless malfunction in real time before, and like rides and other attractions going down, it’s always disheartening to be in a line and waiting for a long while only to realize you’re never making it to the front. I also would not want to be the adult in the conversation for any kid who wondered what was going on under these circumstances. In the video, Toothless just looks... dead.

The parkgoer took the experience with pretty good humor, however, though it was maybe a wee bit mean-spirited to include the McLachlan track. (Also funny. Two things can be true at once.) We know, for example, even the singer can't get through those heartbreaking ads, and they have emotionally impacted most of us at one point or another. So it was both apropos and a bit "omg" to include it in this situation.

Meanwhile, for me, the moment is almost as emotional as the first movie's ending, which as we all know, sets the viewer up to think a major character has died. He's actually just been out of it for an inordinate amount of time, has lost his foot and needs a prosthetic... just like his dragon. Like the first movie, we know Toothless also rose from the dead and has lived to see another epic day at Universal Orlando Resort. That's the magical Lazarus effect of theme parks, baby.

Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford combined for an incredibly successful run of four Indiana Jones movies, including the second in the series, Indiana Jones And The Temple of Doom (which you can watch with a Paramount+ subscription). That’s the movie that also introduced Ke Huy Quan to the world, and Quan was Spielberg’s secret weapon when it came to managing Ford’s moods on set. Quan’s recently published memoir, Never Say Die, reveals just how Spielberg did it.

Quan and Ford have a lot of scenes together in the movie, and I can only imagine how stressful some of those were. Not only did they often film in far-flung locations like Sri Lanka, but they also shot a lot of stunts and action sequences that must have taken a toll on the actors. That’s not to mention the infamous bug scene. It’s not a surprise to discover that Ford wasn’t always in the best mood on set, but Spielberg knew how to fix that: he’d send in his secret weapon. Quan writes (via EW):

Quan just has that ability, even for those of us who only know him from seeing him on the big screen. He’s so charming, you can’t help but cheer up when you see him. Ford was clearly no exception, as was again on display in 2022 when the pair reunited at D23. Quan clearly has a lot of affection for Ford, adding in his book:

Ford has a reputation for being a little…prickly, let’s say, but that rep never seems to hold up when his co-stars talk about him. It’s an energy he’s always given off, but beneath the exterior, he’s always been generous with his fellow actors and cool under pressure. Quan knows this, and he’s been quick to praise the legend at any opportunity.

Spielberg’s “trick” worked well because no one can argue about the success he had alongside Ford in four of the five Indiana Jones movies (the fifth, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, was directed by James Mangold, with Spielberg serving as an executive producer). Would it have worked with a less charming kid than Quan? I doubt it.

Minor spoilers ahead for The Weight.

Some of Ethan Hawke's best movies have memorable action sequences, and he's at it once again with Padraic McKinley's The Weight. In the new historical drama his character Samuel Murphy goes through a number of life and death situations while carrying bars of gold across the wilderness. He recently spoke to CinemaBlend about one particular scene where he was being drowned under giant logs.

It remains to be seen if The Weight joins the ranks of the best western movies, but it's a thrilling and emotional drama with plenty to offer moviegoers. As you can see in the video above, I asked Hawke and his co-star Julia Jones about what it was like shooting such a dangerous stunt, which requires a great deal of crush. Throughout the sequence her character Anna gives him mouth to mouth to keep him alive underwater, and the Dexter: New Blood actress took me behind the scenes, saying:

Well, thats certainly one way to break the ice. Hawke and Jones had to get pretty intimate for the scene where they lock lips in order to keep Samuel alive. Add in the stress and safety measures to keep everyone safe, and it sounds like a real exercise in trust. Per the Twilight star, it brought her and Hawke together for the rest of The Weight's shoot.

Ethan Hawke also weighed in on shooting the near-drowning scene for his latest movie. In it his character is attacked in a rushing river, as huge, dangerous logs are floating down. He eventually gets caught underneath them and nearly drowns, before Jones' Anna helps keep him alive. The Training Day icon shared his perspective, telling me:

While being a movie star sounds glamorous for us civilians, the reality of the job can sometimes be the opposite. Sets can be quite dangerous, and we've seen tragedies happen related to action sequences. For instance, a stunt performer died on the set of Deadpool 2. Add in that The Weight is an indie film, and the stakes were especially high for Ethan Hawke and company.

As an audience member I originally had no idea that The Weight was made on such a small budget, given how many epic action sequences there were during its 113-minute runtime. Later in our conversation, Ethan Hawke shared his reaction to seeing the final product, telling me:

Despite the long hours and dangerous stunt work, at least the Black Phone star seems proud of what the cast and crew were able to accomplish in the end. And both she and Julia Jones kill their roles, in that water scene and beyond.

Fans can judge for themselves when The Weight hits theaters on September 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list. Ethan Hawke is proud of what they accomplished, we'll just have to see if audiences agree once it gets its wide theatrical release.

I can’t get enough of people sharing stories about Dolly Parton, who recently passed away at the age of 80, and I hope they keep coming. Since Parton's passing, I've heard and read comments from several celebrities who have opened up about the time they spent with the late singer and, each time, it never fails to make me emotional. A fact that is proven once again after hearing Sandra Bullock recall Parton dropping a wild ad-lib amid Miss Congeniality 2 production.

When Bullock stopped by Live with Kelly and Mark to dish about the audience-pleasing Practical Magic 2, the titular couple naturally asking Bullock about her time working with Parton. And, of course, the pair sought to get Bullock's take on what made the country singer so special. Bullock had nothing but praise to shower on her late co-star, and what stands out from her experience on the 2005 film involves one of its funniest scenes. The Oscar winner recalled:

The scene Bullock describes involves FBI Agent Grace Hart chasing down someone she thinks is the Dolly Parton impersonator responsible for kidnapping her friends. (Keep in mind the sequel is largely set in Las Vegas, so the scenario makes more sense. However, the joke is that it’s the real Parton who gets tackled, and she actually has a few lines in the scene even. The line that made it into the film was: “What are you doing!? That hurts!” While it’s not as funny as the ad-lib that includes that expletive, the brief moment still allowed the singer to show off her comedic timing.

Hearing behind-the-scenes stories like that one can be fun, but what I really love about Sandra Bullock's sentiments is how she describes Parton as a person. It's widely know that Parton wasn’t one to mince her words and, even now, celebrities have been quoting the advice she gave them. Even Kelly Ripa had a unique memory of Parton as “the best smelling celebrity” thanks to the singer’s Avon collection. But it’s Bullock who describes the singer best:

This isn’t the first time Bullock has discussed about her time with the singer on the Miss Congeniality sequel since she passed on August 25. She previously shared her favorite memory of Parton, which involved a pink tour bus and sleeping side-by-side. Parton’s death shocked the public, as the icon kept her illness private because “she would not have wanted her fans worried about it.” While it's sad that she's no longer with us, stories like Bullock's help to keep her memory alive and shed light on who she was as an artist and a person.

See Dolly Parton and Sandra Bullock's funny scene -- sans the f-bomb -- by watching Miss Congeniality 2, which is available to buy or rent on digital platforms.

Hey, no one said The Hunger Games was all flowers and rainbows. Well... this particular Hunger Games movie does seem to be overflowing with flowers, but that's beside the point. I'll chalk the garden aesthetic of arena we're about to see in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping to a combination of irony, when juxtaposed with so much carnage, and the glamorous folks at the Capitol having an appetite for visual beauty, regardless of the context.

The latest book to screen adaptation for the Hunger Games franchise arrives on the 2026 movie schedule in November and takes place decades before the events of Suzanne Collins' original series This time around the story focuses on Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson's character in the original films, now played by Joseph Zada) as he enters the arena as a teen, and fights for his life among other tributes from various districts in Panem.

Given that we know Haymitch goes on to become Katniss Everdeen's mentor in The Hunger Games, it's fair to expect that he'll survive, but as anyone familiar with this franchise knows, surviving also means living with the trauma of this nightmare situation. The Haymitch we know from the earlier books and movies seems like a dude who's been through it. Well, we're about to see what "it" is firsthand with Sunrise on the Reaping, as the trailer makes plainly clear..

With just months to go before Sunrise on the Reaping hits theaters, Lionsgate has bestowed upon us a new trailer, which shows our hero facing the kind of violence and genetically engineered or modified flora and fauna that only the arena provide. Whether it's water or fire or some terrifying (though strikingly beautiful) avian or insect creature, Haymitch is seen in some truly terrifying situations.

Amidst the pitfalls of the game board are the players themselves, as it's kill or be killed in this annual event. And since this particular story is set during the 50th Hunger Games (aka the Quarter Quell), the rules are a bit different: There are twice the usual number of tributes playing.

In addition to Joseph Zada, the cast of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping includes Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes, Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, McKenna Grace, Maya Hawke, Whitney Peak, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Ben Wang. We get a look at quite a few of the lead and supporting players in this new look at the movie.

Just as we'll get to see a new actor portray Haymitch, we'll also see other familiar characters with new actors in Sunrise on the Reaping, including Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks' former role), Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman (formerly played by Stanley Tucci), and Ralph Fiennes as President Snow (Donald Sutherland played him in the original films). Catching Fire's Wiress (Amanda Plummer), Beetee (Jeffrey Wright) and Mags (Lynn Cohen) are portrayed by Maya Hawke, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Lily Taylor respectively in this new film.

Who else is ready to "witness the beginning of the revolution"? The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping arrives in theaters on November 20, 2026.

It would be a gross understatement to say that Spider-Man: Brand New Day has been a box office juggernaut since its release as part of the 2026 movie schedule. After the film opened in late July, it remained No. 1 at the B.O. for five weeks in a row and was only just dethroned by Practical Magic 2. As it stands, the Tom Holland-led flick is now the highest grossing movie of the year and the third highest-grossing movie of all time. Now, it’s just overtaken another big record from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Lucasfilm celebrated.

Since 2015, J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens held the record for the highest-grossing domestic release of all time with a whopping $936 million in North America. However, that record is no more, as Destin Daniel Cretton’s Brand New Day has notched $936.773 million domestically after 47 days in theaters. Upon that new benchmark being established, Lucafilm shared a fun graphic on Instagram, and I love just how perfect it is. Take a look for yourself, and I dare you not to crack a smile:

The sight of a triumphant Spider-Man celebrating while X-wings fly over the New York City landscape makes this nerd chuckle, and that Force-related caption is a perfect way to sum up this tremendous accomplishment. What warms my heart even more is that this gesture signifies a sizable amount of respect between studios and, over the years, it’s become a tradition of sorts. Sure, Disney owns both Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios (which co-produced this Spidey flick with Sony), but it’s still a lovely sign of admiration.

Aside from the Star Wars-centric studio, a couple of others have also given Brand New Day its flowers amid its historic run at the box office. Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo celebrated after Cretton’s film overtook theirs for the highest domestic opening with $360 million. The brothers – who are currently working on Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars – marked the occasion with a sweet graphic as well, and it can be seen below:

There are so many adjectives that can be used to describe Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s success. I mean, there’s “amazing,” “spectacular” and “sensational,” just to name a few. After swinging past projections in its first weekend, the movie swung to $1 billion worldwide only six days after its release, and it eventually notched $2 billion after three weekends. Right now, this latest Marvel film sits at $2.45 billion worldwide, and I can’t help but wonder if it’ll move up another slot on the highest-grossing movie list before it’s all said and done.

Of course, at this point, questions remain in regard to what Sony, Marvel and Tom Holland want to do with the future of this franchise. It would seem foolish, on paper, not to make a fifth film with Holland in the lead. Sony’s Tom Rothman recently made a Super Bowl analogy while discussing the franchise’s future and essentially admitted he was unsure of what would happen. Something Holland has been adamant about, however, is having his Peter pass the baton to Miles Morales at some point.

Right now, though, I’m just locked in on the current Spidey film’s box office performance as well as the sweet gestures others have extended towards it. If the movie does hit any additional benchmarks before it leaves theaters, I wouldn’t be surprised if another studio or filmmaker released another celebratory graphic.

Anyone who somehow has yet to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day can swing over to a theater and check it out. Fans can also stream the first three films in the franchise using a Disney+ subscription.

Unless there’s been an underground cloning experiment that I’m unaware of, it’s safe to say there’s nobody quite like Tom Cruise. With a career now spanning 45 years, and with no real falloff in sight — he’s going from wacky method-acting in Digger back to the Days of Thunder racetrack with Anne Hathaway — the actor/producer remains one of the only Hollywood icons who still fulfills the idealized definition of a “movie star.” So you’d think he’d spend his free time unwinding as much as possible, right?

Ha! This is Tom Cruise we’re talking about, people. Decompressing and spending time away from the industry just doesn’t appear to be part of his programming at this point, and his passion for filmmaking remains everpresent. Perhaps the best example of this intense devotion is his answer to the general question “What do you do when you’re not making movies?” When asked this during his GQ profile interview, Cruise simply stated:

Which is one of those answers that could be received as impersonal coming from the mouth of so many other people. But with Cruise, it's extremely easy to believe that there's more truth to that statement than not.

The article notes his go-to maxim regarding his work-life balance — "Making films is not what I do. It is who I am," — and there's a clear throughline there that he hasn't really strayed from much in the past 15 years or so of his career. (Not that he didn't hold to that in earlier years, but he seemingly doubled down after his divorce from Katie Holmes.) He can speak to practically any element within the business, from camera specs to the intricacies of stunt work to pulling off the perfect shot.

Would all of his death-defying Mission: Impossible stunts and his return for Top Gun: Maverick have been so successful without Cruise remaining dedicated to the cause during his off-time? Anything's possible, but his fans love him for maintaining his own status quo that never has him further than an arm's length from one Hollywood project or another.

To be fair, Tom Cruise is capable of doing things in his personal life that aren't directly in service of developing his next project. He's visiting movie sets like Star Wars: Starfighter, he's sitting next to Taylor Swift at NFL games, and he's got quite a talent with motorcycles and piloting smaller aircraft.

For all interview intents and purposes, though, Cruise makes it clear that he's far more interested in discussing his fascination with the art of filmmaking than he is addressing the fascination that moviegoers have with him and his personal life. Gotta give him props for taking on that approach even before social media made privacy that much harder to come by.

For funsies, I went back to see if I could find Cruise talking in the more distant past about what he did for fun when he wasn't filming. And I came across an interview with US from January 1993, where he shared this about his (and then-wife Nicole Kidman's) free time.

Of course Tom Cruise was already in his skydiving element at that point. I wonder if he got into it before or after Point Break hit theaters the year prior. Also, how was he not in that movie?

Find Cruise in one of his most unpredictable roles yet with Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Digger hitting theaters on October 2, 2026.

Movie theater popcorn buckets have officially reached the point where absolutely nothing should surprise me anymore. We’ve had NSFW sandworms, superhero heads and even a disgusting organ transplant bag thanks to Zack Cregger's Resident Evil. And yet, somehow, Tom Cruise’s upcoming Digger found a way to get me again. Let's just say those eager to see the movie may get a kick out of this theater souvenir.

Naturally, Digger's popcorn bucket is an actual, gloriously impractical boot-shaped container just waiting to be filled with popcorn, and I have only one reasonable response. Can I get a yeehaw? You can check it out for yourself in the Instagram post from the movie's official account below:

Warner Bros. revealed the boot bucket (which resembles the footwear Cruise's titular protagonist wears) ahead of the movie’s release on the 2026 movie schedule, and it’s honestly kind of perfect. The rust-colored container comes complete with black flame-like detailing running up the sides and the movie’s title worked into the front. Warner Bros. has so far only said the collectible is “coming soon,” without announcing a price, capacity or exactly which theaters will carry it.

But come on. Look at that thing. Part of the reason it works so well is that Digger already appears to be operating on a wonderfully bizarre wavelength.

The new film comes from Oscar-winning writer/director Alejandro G. Iñárritu and stars Cruise as Digger Rockwell, a hugely powerful man scrambling to convince the world he can save humanity from a catastrophe he helped create. WB is calling the movie “a comedy of catastrophic proportions,” which feels increasingly appropriate every time we get another look at Cruise’s transformation.

So far, trailers have shown Cruise with a deeply committed Southern accent and enough swagger to make that cowboy boot feel considerably less random than it probably sounds on paper. Honestly, I appreciate that the marketing team committed to the bit.

Movie-themed popcorn buckets have become their own miniature arms race over the last few years, particularly after that infamous Dune: Part Two sandworm container went viral in 2024. Since then, studios and theater chains have seemingly been trying to figure out increasingly elaborate ways for us to consume approximately $9 worth of popcorn from objects that have no business holding food and are priced higher and higher.

Honestly, a cowboy boot filled with popcorn feels like the natural next evolutionary stage. Apparently, it may not even be the only Digger collectible headed our way. Yet another licensed container has surfaced: a more traditional popcorn tin decorated with Digger artwork, paired with a tiny shovel-shaped scoop. Because if you’re making a movie about a guy named Digger, you apparently leave no concession-stand pun behind.

Still, if I'm buying either of them, I'm taking the boot.

There is something deeply funny about imagining somebody walking into an IMAX screening carrying what appears to be a single piece of Western footwear, then reaching elbow-deep into the ankle for a handful of buttery popcorn. Yet I certainly won't judge anyone who chooses to get one of those eclectic trinkets.

Tom Cruise is joined in Digger by Riz Ahmed, Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons, with Iñárritu directing from a screenplay he co-wrote. The movie was shot entirely in VistaVision and will arrive in theaters and IMAX on October 2.

Director Zach Cregger is astonishing critics again with Resident Evil, the latest video game adaptation on the 2026 movie schedule. The Resident Evil franchise has had its ups and downs over the years, with this being the second reboot in the last few years. Judging by the glowing reviews, with critics agreeing that it is very different from the first seven movies, it seems to have found solid footing with Weapons director at the helm. Here’s what the critics are saying about it.

Frank Scheck at The Hollywood Reporter shared his thoughts on the new horror film, and he dropped some serious praise. He also didn't mince words when discussing where Cregger's film stands in the pantheon of other Resident Evil movies:

One thing is definitely clear from the reviews: this is much better than all of the previous Resident Evil movies. Bob Strauss at the San Francisco Chronicle also shared some glowing thoughts, writing:

Other critics also agree that Cregger nails it, adapting what he’s been great at with his previous horror movies, but without sacrificing what's made the video games series so addictive for so many years. Clarisse Loughrey at The Independent has this to say about how the film compares to the Jovovich-led movies:

In addition to directing, Cregger co-wrote the script with Shay Hatten of John Wick: Chapters 3 and 4 fame. This latest Resident Evil movie centers on medical courier Bryan, who's making his way to Raccoon City for a delivery when an outbreak ensues. Austin Abrams plays Bryan, and he's joined in the cast by Zach Cherry, Kail Reis, Paul Walter Hauser and Johnno Wilson.

Sonny Bunch at The Bulwark agrees that the movie really feels like playing the game, and these comments excite me. Bunch writes:

Cregger, as he did with Weapons and Barbarian, knows exactly how to mix horror and humor, and the critics see it here too. Alonso Duralde at Film Verdict, who went into the movie blind, knowing little about the video game series or the Jovovich films, says:

That balance didn’t work for everyone. Matt Orozco at Macrabra Daily says it is “more slapstick than scary” in his more middling review. That is by far the exception, with Resident Evil currently sitting at a 98% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Even the rare reviews that aren’t glowing aren’t taking the film apart, either.

Fans of horror movies and fans of the game have been excited to see Zach Cregger’s version of Raccoon City, and he hasn’t disappointed the critics, but we’ll have to see what the hardcore fans of the franchise think when it hits theaters on September 18.

2026 has been a rough one for celebrity deaths, with fans mourning the loss of Tim Curry and the death of Dolly Parton. The fashion world was hit with a huge loss when the legendary fashion and costume designer Bob Mackie died this week at age 87. And acclaimed image architect Law Roach recently spoke about meeting the late icon, and how he and Zendaya reminded the late icon of his collaborative relationship with Cher.

Law Roach goes to great length to style Zendaya, and they've been working together on her image since back in 2011. During a conversation with E! Online at the Emmys, the Legendary judge revealed a story about meeting Bob Mackie, and the kind words that the Emmy and Tony winner had for him when they got to meet. As Roach put it:

Oh, to be a fly on the wall of this legendary kiki. Law Roach didn't drop any names regarding who Bob Mackie gossiped with him about, but I've got to assume that the tea was absolutely scalding. And that's a moment that clearly meant a great deal to the iconic stylist.

Given just how iconic the late designer was, the fact that Law Roach was named his "favorite" stylist means a great deal. He and Zendaya actually paid tribute to both Cher and Bob Mackie back in 2024. When Cher was being inducted in the Rock and Roll hall of fame, Zendaya presented, wearing a Mackie-inspired gown (and long, straight Cher hair). As a reminder, you can check out that moment below:

Cher loved Zendaya's look so much that she actually thought it was one of her old Mackie gowns. That's a testament to Law Roach's expert styling, and the respect he has got Bob Mackie's contribution to the fashion world. One can only imagine how thrilled he was to hear from the late icon, and have his gossip session with the Oscar-nominated man responsible for so many truly iconic looks.

Bob Mackie's comparison of himself and Cher to Law Roach and Zendaya makes a ton of sense. Both pairs consistently worked together for years, and became synonymous with each other. While not a designer, Roach is arguably the most famous stylist of all time.

Zendaya has had a very busy year, with Law Roach being the architect behind her looks for The Odyssey, The Drama, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. She's got one more major movie on 2026 movie release list: Dune: Part Three.

When it comes to famous Hollywood exes, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are arguably amongst the most notable. The two were married for over a decade and, while they’ve been divorced for some time now, they still remain quite friendly. As far as their personal lives go, the pair have praised each other as co-parents. And, work-wise, the pair are still so tight that Affleck was set on casting Garner in his new movie, and she accepted the role. However, Garner later dropped out of the film and that resulted from a concern.

Affleck’s latest directorial effort is the 2026 movie schedule entry Animals, a political crime thriller that sees him also starring as a mayoral candidate whose son is kidnapped. With that, the politician and his wife must come up with the ransom somehow after spending most of their funds on his campaign. The Oscar winner recently spoke to EW about casting the film, which was initially set to be led by Matt Damon. Affleck then recalled thinking that Garner would be perfect for the wife role:

Eventually, Garner did indeed sign on but, as time went on, some production changes came into play, as Affleck, Damon and co. decided to scrap the project. This was, in great part, due to the release of Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, as that movie has a very similar kidnapping premise. Affleck later revived the production though, by that time, Damon was unavailable due to filming The Odyssey. With that, Affleck decided to take on the role, but that gave Garner pause, as she brought up a good point:

That “baggage” that the beloved 13 Going on 30 star seemingly refers to is the collection of preconceived notions that audiences have about her and Affleck’s relationship. Considering that many obviously know about Garner and Affleck’s past marriage (during which they were swarmed by paparazzi), it may be distracting to see them play a couple on screen. While I would’ve loved to have seen her and Affleck share the screen, I think that was ultimately the right call. And, thankfully, Affleck found another great actress to play his wife, Kerry Washington.

All of this speaks to the fact that film productions can go through a considerable amount of changes during the development process. When it comes to Ben Affleck’s latest movie, it sounds like he’s pleased with how everything eventually turned out. Still, I’m holding onto hope that he and Jennifer Garner will get to work together again at some point.

Check out Animals when it becomes available on October 9 for Netflix subscription holders, and it’ll also open in select theaters that same day.

Actress Alexandra Daddario has been a public figure for decades now, so she's got plenty of fans who are invested in both her professional and personal lives. Aside from Daddario's acting roles, she also frequently goes viral on social media. And it looks like the star of the Percy Jackson movies (which are streaming with a Disney+ subscription) had a killer summer, with her latest photo dump including bikini pics and more.

Daddario has a penchant for posting bikini pics during the summer, just like so many fans do annually when the weather is nice. Her latest post on Instagram was all about a recent vacation she took, with the photo dump also including glimpses at the wine she drank, as well as a gorgeous dress with cutouts. Check it out for yourself below:

Talk about vacation goals. It certainly looks like the Mayfair Witches star had a fabulous trip, soaking up the sun before the summer months end. The caption reads simply "vacation details", and shows a glimpse into her recent trip. Although now I'm curious about exactly where she traveled to. Now I just want to know exactly where this vacay was because it looks thoroughly fabulous.

Daddario shared this set of images to her 22.5 million followers on Instagram. Rather than a black bikini, she's shown rocking a blue checked two-piece that looks extremely chic. We're also shown images of her shoes, wine, jewelry and a gorgeous dress with a cutout by her midriff. Additionally she included shots of art and a beautiful garden that was presumably outside of wherever she stayed.

Alexandra Daddario has consistently worked in TV and film, although lately she's been making a ton of headlines for her work on the small screen in particular. She's currently at the top of the call sheet as Rowan Fielding in Mayfair Witches, a book to screen adaptation based on Anne Rice's novels. The first two seasons are streaming with an AMC+ subscription, and it's been renewed for a third season. Given how long it takes to film TV shows, I think it's safe to say that the Baywatch actress earned her vacation, which we can see a glimpse of in her above post.

Daddario was also in the first season of The White Lotus (streaming with a HBO Max subscription), helping the show become an Emmy-winning sensation. Fans were disappointed in her character Rachel's not-so-happy ending, with some holding out hope that she'll pop up in a future season of Mike White's dramedy. I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed.

It's currently unclear when The Mayfair Witches will return for Season 3, but it's expected sometime in 2027. Since it's not part of the 2026 TV schedule, fans are going to have to be patient and enjoy her social media content for now.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is nearing its 20th anniversary, and it's a well-oiled machine at this point. And while moviegoers are always excited about upcoming Marvel movies, the hype surrounding Avengers: Doomsday is on another level. The Doomsday cast announcement revealed its huge ensemble, but more names were added like Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell. And it turns out they had some adorable code names while on set.

What we know about Avengers: Doomsday is limited, but fans are eager to see entire teams of heroes unite against Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom. The viral teaser with Captain America confirmed that Evans was returning as Steve Rogers, but the studio went to great lengths to hide both him and Hayley Atwell on set. Let's break it all down.

What Hayley Atwell Said About Her Doomsday Code Name

While recently appearing at For the Love of Fantasy & Sci-Fi (via YouTube) Hayley Atwell got real about Marvel's tight security for the next Avengers movie. We previously learned that Chris Evans was given the code name "Luke Cage" for the blockbuster, in order to keep his appearance secret. It turns out that Atwell was given her own, and fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order will appreciate it. In the Mission: Impossible actress' words:

Honestly, I love this. Obviously this is a reference to Jessica Jones, a character famously played by Krysten Ritter in the MCU. In both the comics an onscreen Jessica and Luke Cage have a romantic connection, just as Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter are soulmates in the shared universe. And while we presumably won't see Luke and Jessica in Doomsday, at least they were there in spirit via these secret code names.

Later in the same convention appearance, Atwell also revealed that she was surprised she wasn't included in the Doomsday announcement with all those chairs. In her words:

Could you imagine? Despite knowing that she had a role as Peggy Carter, Hayley Atwell began to worry she got cut after not being included in the Doomsday cast announcement. But Kevin Feige assured audiences that it wasn't the full cast, and eventually we got separate reveals about both Atwell and Chris Evans. We'll just have to wait and see how these characters factor into the action, after finally getting their dance in Endgame.

Chris Evan's Previous Comments About His Coe Name

Chris Evans spoke about his Doomsday codename in a video from Fan Expo's YouTube, where he told the audience about how the studio guarded his top secret role. At the convention he shared:

As fans know, Luke was famously played by Mike Colter in the Netflix Marvel TV shows, including Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and The Defenders. Fans have been missing him, but luckily Colter will reprise his role in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, alongside other members of The Defenders. As such, I have to wonder if new code names will have to be thought up for Avengers: Secret Wars.

Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters on December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list. We'll just have to see how Atwell and Evans (and their nicknames) factor into the mysterious blockbuster's contents.

Generations were brought up on the Harry Potter movies, as well as the novels, theme parks, stage plays, and video games. They're regularly re-watched by fans with a HBO Max subscription, but there's a new book to screen adaptation on the way with the upcoming TV version. Gary Oldman famously played Sirius Black in the movies, and recently said what we've all been thinking about the jump from film to TV.

What we know about the Harry Potter TV show is limited, but that'll change when the first season debuts this December. Fans are curious to compare and constrast it to the films, and during an interview with EW Oldman spoke about why he thinks fans will be happy with the TV version. In his words:

Points were made. As Oldman put it, a ton of material from the books were cut for the Harry Potter movies in order to tell each story in just a few hours on the big screen. So purists who know the novels well may find the television version of Harry's years in Hogwarts to be more satisfying. We'll just have to wait and see how folks receive Season 1, which will adapt Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for the small screen.

Hardcore Potter fans will recall how a number of characters and storylines were cut from the movies throughout the movie franchise's years in theaters. Some examples include Winky the House Elf and Hermione's S.P.E.W campaign, Harry's ongoing friendship with Dobby, Ron's brother Charlie, and Peeves the ghost. Luckily the latter has already been confirmed to appear in the TV version.

The same can also be said for the sparing way Gary Oldman's Sirius Black was used throughout the films. The books feature way more of Harry's relationship with his Godfather, which makes Sirius' death in The Order of the Phoenix all the more devastating.

The pressure is definitely on for the Harry Potter TV show to deliver, especially since it's already been the subject of a bunch of criticism. A number of fans are boycotting the series altogether thanks to J.K. Rowling's ongoing comments about the transgender community. Then there are folks saying that the early footage too closely resembles the films; even director Chris Columbus criticized Hagrid's look being identical to the films.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone will debut December 25th on HBO as part of the 2026 TV schedule. We'll just have to wait and see if fans find it more satisfying like Gary Oldman thinks.

Remember when the Blade movie was announced? When we learned about it at San Diego Comic-Con back in 2019, there was a palpable excitement around Mahershala Ali playing the vampire hunter. But it’s been over seven years since then, and Blade is no longer expected among upcoming Marvel movies. As if I wasn’t bummed already, the movie’s former director shared some more details about it.

Blade Director Spills Details About Scrapped Movie

In 2021, Bassam Tariq was tapped to direct the MCU’s own Blade movie. And, in a new interview with The Wrap he spoke about the scrapped movie. The filmmaker said he spent a year and a half getting ready for production on the film. He moved his family to Atlanta, where he initially planned to shoot it, and pre-production was “well underway.”

The part of his new comments that really feel like a stab with a sword is this. The movie was going to take place in the 1920s for part of it, and its costume designer was Ruth Carter. Now, Carter is an Oscar-winning costume designer who did both Black Panther movies along with Malcolm X and Sinners. And according to Tariq, she even used some of the unused costumes she had made for Blade on Sinners.

That’s without mentioning the fact that Sinners’ Delroy Lindo was also cast in late 2021 alongside Pearl’s Mia Goth and Lanterns’ lead Aaron Pierre. We also know that Andor’s DP Damián García had been hired and a major train set had been built, per The Hollywood Reporter. I have such FOMO about a movie so many fans like myself have been anticipating for years, and now it may never come.

But what it did do is make fast friends out of Ali and Tariq, who said at no point did they ever discuss working on subsequent projects while in Blade mode. He also shared:

Call it disaster-laden kismet, but at least something good came out of the rubble of that unproduced project.

Why Isn’t Mahershala Ali’s Blade No Longer Happening?

From 2021 to 2025, Blade’s script was passed along by a ton of writers and hired two more directors to take the helm after Bassam Tariq left the project in 2023. In July, Mahershala confirmed he wouldn’t be Blade anymore saying: “If they wanted to do it, we would’ve done it.” It’s a disappointment because Mahershala Ali was perfect casting for the vampire hunter, and even pitched himself for the role himself! Marvel boss Kevin Feige even said he feels like “gigantic loser and failure” for never successfully getting it off the ground.

There is a bright side, though. Due to Bassim Tariq and Mahershala Ali connecting on Blade, they ended up making a movie together called Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. The action movie on the 2026 movie schedule follows Ali as a middle-class hitman who goes on a desperate quest to protect his three kids after the death of his wife. The movie allowed Ali to use his sword training skills he learned for Blade.

The Blade letdown I feel isn’t going away anytime soon, but I’ll be in line for Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, which has a wide theatrical release on October 5.

Somehow, ten full years have passed since one of the best animated shows of all time came to its bonkers ending, but Gravity Falls fans will likely never stop dreaming of a day when Dipper, Mabel, Grunkle Stan and more return to our lives. To that end, creator Alex Hirsch and producer Rob Renzetti worked their non-animated butts off in crafting the show’s first official behind-the-scenes book, The Art of Gravity Falls, and it is absolutely a must-own for passive and obsessive fans alike.

Spanning from Hirsch’s childhood inspirations to the major struggles pulling off the ambitiously game-changing multi-part “Weirdmageddon” finale, The Art of Gravity Falls is an inspirational treat, and I was downright ecstatic to talk to the co-authors and animation icons about putting this magical tome together after previously working on releases like The Book of Bill and Journal 3. Early on in our chat, I noted a section in the book that described the lush, high-quality background designs as being what it might look like to see a GF movie.

Then, knowing I might be jumping into a bottomless pit of despair, I asked what would generally need to happen for Gravity Falls characters to return for a feature-length adventure, and the creator did not disappoint with his response:

Just in case any fans out there thought that the reason we haven't seen more from Gravity Falls is that Alex Hirsch ran out of ideas for this universe, know that's not the case at all. (Also, why would you even think that?!?) And if this were a live-action universe, something could have potentially happened already. With animation, however, nothing is so quick and easy, so everything needs to be perfectly aligned. Especially the dollar signs.

Alex Hirsch did suggest an amusing way for fans to get Disney on board with the idea of heading back to the Mystery Shack. As he put it:

No, we're not really condoning kidnapping any Mickey Mouse costume characters at Disney theme parks. But if you know where the real Mickey Mouse is, that's the ticket.

In any case, the Mickey idea sparked a minute of conversational riffing that went like:

• ROB RENZETTI: No, you put what he thinks is a $20 bill into his suit coat pocket, and it actually turns out to be Stan Bucks. and on the back you write a message about the Gravity Falls movie.
• CINEMABLEND: And I'd have a string to get it back.
• ROB RENZETTI: [Laughs.] Of course.
• ALEX HIRSCH: You know what? We haven't tried that method. Going to a Hollywood producer, giving them $90 million attached to a string, and then just sneakily yoinking it as soon as the movie's made.
• ROB RENZETTI: Yes, as soon as the final film is done.
• ALEX HIRSCH: I think you're describing how crypto works, but that's a whole other ball game. [Laughs.]

With Disney and Marvel Studios spending hundreds of millions of dollars on Avengers: Doomsday and its Secret Wars sequel, one would think that siphoning off a measley $70 million to fasttrack a Gravity Falls movie would be nothing more than a few drops in the bucket. Plus, if any studio out there should feel bullish about making a profit off of animated features, it's this one.

So let's put our money where The Creature With Eighty-Eight Different Faces' mouth is and buy up enough copies of The Art of Gravity Falls to prove to Disney that we want more!

Even if a GF feature was confirmed to be a reality today, it’s not like it’d be ready as a 2027 movie release, and would likely require an extensive pre-production process before any animation could be created. So it’d be years before it actually hit theaters. But honestly, I can’t think of anything else I’d rather wait for more. Plus, given the show is beloved by fans of all ages, it’s not like I’d be less interested in later years.

While waiting for the book to arrive, the only smart idea is to jump back into streaming marathons of Gravity Falls via Disney+ subscription and start getting your show-specific Halloween costume together. I’d like to paint my body like a rainbow and go out as gnome vomit, but it might require too many explanations.

Stay tuned for my full-length interview with Alex Hirsch and Rob Renzetti, which will be hitting CinemaBlend this week.

In the Star Wars galaxy, death is never far off, but some actors have interesting perspectives when it comes to their death scenes, such as Star Wars’ Domhnall Gleeson. While the actor called General Hux’s death “devastating,” he also sees a silver lining. And it’s not one I would have predicted.

Initially, Hux is a high-ranking military man working against the Resistance. However, his character takes an interesting turn as a spy following a demotion. An action that ultimately leads to his death, which you can check out with a Disney+ subscription. And while the actor understood why it had to happen, he was still devastated about the turn of events. While he was promoting his upcoming movie The Incomer, SlashFilm’s Ethan Anderton shifted the topic to General Hux’s death, and we got to learn just how Gleeson felt about it:

I can’t blame him for wanting to do more with the character. Hux had quite the shift from an antagonist to spy, which would have been interesting to see more of. While the events leading up to the general’s death was as complicated as fans’ feelings toward the JJ Abrams sequel trilogy, it hasn’t stopped Gleeson from enjoying his time in the franchise. He was recently shown a lot of love when he rode Rise of the Resistance. He even had Stormtroopers saluting, which could only add to the Disney magic.

It's also a fun way for him to re-live his time playing the character. But while he was sad to be killed off so soon, he found a surprising silver lining: he was very happy about who killed him. He explains:

I guess if you’re going to go out then it’s best to go out at the hands of Richard E. Grant. And at least he found something to enjoy about being killed off. Though I’m curious if he has any thoughts about where his character could have gone. Maybe Gleeson can take a note from Katee Sackhoff and pitch a spin-off. Besides the general wouldn’t be the first popular antagonist to make a comeback. Even Darth Maul has his own show now. (The animated series Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord was reportedly renewed for Season 2).

Overall, we don’t have many upcoming Star Wars projects, but we did have the animated series The Ninth Jedi that came in August. And we have a few things in the works, such as a Season 2 of Ashoka and Ryan Gosling’s upcoming The Outsiders-inspired Starfighter that are expected next year.

And these may not have Gleeson attached, but that doesn’t mean he can never find his way back to a galaxy far far away. But for now, at least Hux’s death has a silver lining.