Hi bitches, did you miss me? Because I missed you. It’s been like two weeks— which is terrible, I know—crucify me. But life likes to life, y’know? But whatever, enough of me, you came for the Emmys, so let’s talk about it.

I actually missed 90% of the show because I was too busy watching this bum-ass movie called The Long Walk. Trust—I’ll be reviewing this later in the week. Great performances, but a shallow plot and a lackluster ending. Anyway, I’m rambling again—the Emmys!

Last night’s The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards were historic with Adolescence star Owen Cooper making history as the youngest male winner ever in an acting category.

The kid is only 15—only. I really need to lock in, fr. But when I tell you Cooper gave an exceptional performance all throughout this series—I mean it. Especially for his first acting role, and a role of this caliber at that. Extraordinary work and a well-deserved win.

Likewise, Stephen Graham—executive producer, co-creator, in addition to co-writer, and star in the series (he plays Cooper’s father figure)—accepted two awards last night:

• Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Off topic. This is my first time finding out this man is half black. Like that’s cousinnnnn.

The Liverpool native would go on to state, "So for me to be here today in front of my peers and to be acknowledged by you is the utmost humbling thing I could ever imagine in my life.”

Adolescence is a limited series that premiered earlier this year on Netflix. It explores the loss of adolescence and the complexities of youth through Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), who has been arrested for the murder of a teenage girl.

In my opinion, all deserved nominations and wins.

NEXT!

I Finna Be In The Pitt

When I tell y’all this show is good—Warner Bros, you genius of a company— I will give you your tens for greenlighting The Pitt.

The crew on this show, from writers Cynthia Adarkwa and Valerie Chu down to the PAs running around every day…the work is insane. You can tell how much research, respect, and thoughtfulness went into the production value of this show.

The casting. Chef’s kiss. These actors are so good that it doesn’t feel like I’m watching television—it feels like I’m actually in the middle of a 12-hour ER shift. Some might say I’m glazing, and to that I say yes, yes, I am. And I will continue to keep glazing.

The drama series took home:

• Outstanding Drama Series

• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: for Noah Wyle

• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: for Katherine LaNasa

DESERVED NEXT!

The Studio

Apple’s new hit comedy The Studio took home 13 wins at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, making it the most-winning freshman comedy in Emmy history. The show satirizes the Hollywood machine as Matt Remick (Seth Rogen) struggles to lead his studio. Seth Rogen co-created, co-wrote, and co-directed the show alongside Evan Goldberg.

The Studio tied with HBO Max’s The White Lotus for most nominations this year—23. Like hello—insane. The series won in the following categories:

• Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Seth Rogen

• Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg

• Outstanding Comedy Series

• Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, Frida Perez

• Outstanding Guest Actor: Bryan Cranston

• Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program

• Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series

• Outstanding Cinematography for a Series (Half-Hour)

• Outstanding Contemporary Costumes for a Series

• Outstanding Picture Editing for a Single-Camera Comedy Series

• Outstanding Music Supervision

• Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama (Half-Hour)

• Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama (Half-Hour)

"It’s getting embarrassing. I really appreciate it,” Rogen accepted the award. “In all honesty… I’ll do my best attempt at sincerity here. If you watched our show, if you appreciated our show, if you voted for our show especially, thank you very much. I’m legitimately embarrassed by how happy this makes me.”

He’d continue. “To be standing up here with all of these people—these are the best people I know,” he went on. “And to have them spend their days with me, working with me, is truly one of the great honors of my life.”

Fucking deserved. And I also shamelessly adore Chase Sui Wonders. Biased af, not even lying—DESERVED.

CRISTIN MILIOTI.

The woman that you are. I admittedly have not watched The Penguin yet—I’m getting there, I just have so many shows and movies to catch up on. But from the clips I have seen, it’s phenomenal. And I know Cristin Milioti never falls short of that. She’s been on my radar for years now, and I’m so glad she’s getting her flowers. This award marked her first Emmy nomination and win.

“It’s very hard to make sense of being alive right now in this world, and so I’m deeply grateful for the bright spots,” she spoke from the stage. “And making this show with our incredible cast and our incredible crew and getting to inhabit this woman was a bright spot for me despite it being, like, very grisly. Playing her felt like flying.”

She ended her speech with a joyous, “I love you, and I love acting so much!”

DESERVED X 10!

Severance

Apple TV+ is thriving. Season 2 of the hit series Severance broke records as the most-watched series on the platform. The show led with 27 Emmy nominations and, despite that, won only eight. Still, those eight were huge:

• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Britt Lower

• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Tramell Tillman

• Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One-Hour or More)

• Outstanding Title Design

• Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour)

• Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)

• Outstanding Cinematography for a Series (One Hour)

• Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series: Merritt Wever

Some of my personal favorite wins:

Tramell Tillman

Tramell Tillman made history last night as the first Black man to win Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. It was the only acting category left in Emmy history that hadn’t yet honored a Black performer. When I tell you this is so deserved. Tillman does a masterclass of acting in both seasons, but especially in season 2. There’s tenacity and authenticity to his performance, and what I found really special with him was the underlying vulnerability in Milchick.

Likewise, his co-star Britt Lower also took home Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

Britt Lower

In her heartfelt speech, she thanked the cast, crew, and family. As she continued speaking, fans were quick to notice that she scribbled “LET ME OUT” on her notes—a cheeky nod to her character Helly R.

When Lower first learned she got the role, she’d told THR that she fell to her knees and cried:

“It was a hardwood floor, so my knees hurt.”

Two the both of them. DESERVED!!

Recap🪩

Outstanding drama series

• "Andor"

• "The Diplomat"

• "The Last of Us"

• "Paradise"

• "The Pitt" -- WINNER

• "Severance"

• "Slow Horses"

• "The White Lotus"

Lead actor in a drama series

• Sterling K. Brown, "Paradise"

• Gary Oldman, "Slow Horses"

• Pedro Pascal, "The Last of Us"

• Adam Scott, "Severance"

• Noah Wyle, "The Pitt" -- WINNER

Outstanding Comedy series

• "Abbott Elementary"

• "The Bear"

• "Hacks"

• "Nobody Wants This"

• "Only Murders in the Building"

• "Shrinking"

• "The Studio" -- WINNER

• "What We Do in the Shadows"

Limited or anthology series

• "Adolescence" -- WINNER

• "Black Mirror"

• "Dying for Sex"

• "The Penguin"

• "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story"

Outstanding talk series

• "The Daily Show"

• "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

• "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" -- WINNER

Lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie

• Colin Farrell, "The Penguin"

• Stephen Graham, "Adolescence" -- WINNER

• Jake Gyllenhaal, "Presumed Innocent"

• Brian Tyree Henry, "Dope Thief"

• Cooper Koch, "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story"

Lead actress in a limited or anthology series or movie

• Cristin Milioti, "The Penguin" -- WINNER

• Cate Blanchett, "Disclaimer"

• Meghann Fahy, "Sirens"

• Rashida Jones, "Black Mirror"

• Michelle Williams, "Dying for Sex"

Outstanding reality competition

• "The Amazing Race"

• "RuPaul's Drag Race"

• "Survivor"

• "Top Chef"

• "The Traitors" -- WINNER

Lead actress in a drama series

• Kathy Bates, "Matlock"

• Sharon Horgan, "Bad Sisters"

• Britt Lower, "Severance" -- WINNER

• Bella Ramsey, "The Last of Us"

• Keri Russell, "The Diplomat"

Lead actress in a comedy series

• Jean Smart, "Hacks" -- WINNER

• Uzo Aduba, "The Residence"

• Kristen Bell, "Nobody Wants This"

• Ayo Edebiri, "The Bear"

• Quinta Brunson, "Abbott Elementary"

Lead actor in a comedy series

• Jeremy Allen White, "The Bear"

• Seth Rogen, "The Studio" -- WINNER

• Adam Brody, "Nobody Wants This"

• Jason Segel, "Shrinking"

• Martin Short, "Only Murders in the Building"

Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series

• Ike Barinholtz, "The Studio"

• Colman Domingo "The Four Seasons"

• Harrison Ford, "Shrinking"

• Jeff Hiller "Somebody Somewhere" -- WINNER

• Ebon Moss-Bachrach "The Bear"

• Michael Urie, "Shrinking"

• Bowen Yang, "Saturday Night Live"

Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series

• Patricia Arquette, "Severance"

• Carrie Coon, "The White Lotus"

• Katherine LaNasa, "The Pitt" - WINNER

• Julianne Nicholson, "Paradise"

• Parker Posey, "The White Lotus"

• Natasha Rothwell, "The White Lotus”

• Aimee Lou Wood, "The White Lotus”

Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series

• Zach Cherry, "Severance"

• Walton Goggins, "The White Lotus"

• Jason Isaacs, "The White Lotus"

• James Marsden, "Paradise"

• Sam Rockwell, "The White Lotus"

• Tramell Tillman, "Severance" -- WINNER

• John Turturro, “Severance”

Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series

• Liza Colón-Zayas, "The Bear"

• Hannah Einbinder, "Hacks" -- WINNER

• Kathryn Hahn, "The Studio"

• Janelle James, "Abbott Elementary"

• Catherine O’Hara, "The Studio"

• Sheryl Lee Ralph, "Abbott Elementary"

• Jessica Williams, "Shrinking"

Outstanding supporting actor in a limited or anthology series or movie

• Javier Bardem, "Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story"

• Bill Camp, "Presumed Innocent"

• Owen Cooper, "Adolescence" -- WINNER

• Rob Delaney, "Dying For Sex"

• Peter Sarsgaard, "Presumed Innocent"

• Ashley Walters, "Adolescence"

Outstanding supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie

• Erin Doherty, "Adolescence" - WINNER

• Ruth Negga, "Presumed Innocent"

• Deirdre O’Connell, "The Penguin"

• Chloë Sevigny, "Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story"

• Jenny Slate, "Dying for Sex"

• Christine Tremarco, "Adolescence"

For this full year’s list of winners, you can visit the Television Academy.

In conclusion…

This Emmy award show was… actually really good?

This year, I can’t lie, the television shows have been strong. As well as the performances. Correct me if I’m wrong, but this was the highest-watched Emmy since 2021. That should tell you something. Overall, a great show! What was your opinion of the Emmys this year? Do you agree/disagree? Were there any snubs? Let’s talk about it below!

Now I’m going to take my ass to bed, talk to you guys later in the week.

There was once, in a land far, far away, known as Hollywood, a time when Generation X and early millennial TV and film writers would sit in their wittle writers' room, giggling and congrauatiling one another at the thought of how wonderfully they captured the essence—the social struggles, the langue, and the spirtit of the younger generation.

But oh, how dubiously they failed. What a shame.

This style of writing aimed towards Gen-Z hasn’t disappeared completely. We still have The Summer I Turned Pretty airing its final season, and in recent years, shows like Riverdale and the Gossip Girl reboot—projects squarely targeted towards Gen-Z. Projects that attempt to capture the language and social cues of our generation, but end up stumbling with clunky dialogue and inauthentic character choices.

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I say these things as a brutally honest critique—but not out of hate. I genuinely do love streaming The Summer I Turned Pretty, and I quite literally fell to my knees when the Gossip Girl reboot got cancelled. Riverdale, though? Honestly—what the fuck was that show even about?

And I can’t deny the works that did get it right—sometimes unexpectedly. Like Booksmart, written by Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins, or Sam Levinson’s Euphoria (season 1—specifically because season 2 was… never mind), and Mindy Kaling’s comedy Never Have I Ever all managed to tap into something that actually felt authentic, or at least closer to the pulse of Gen Z.

But in recent years, the conversation has shifted. Gen-Z has begun to take its own reins in this ever-changing industry, as strikes have gone and went, industry jobs are at an all-time low, the 4.2% unemployment rate in the U.S. (as of July 2025). Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention, the looming prospect of AI invading the entertainment sphere.

Young filmmakers have had to adapt. Many are pivoting to other avenues, such as new platforms, experimenting with digital-first releases, and carving out a space in the independent sphere to fulfill their artistic dreams.

Take Creator Camp, for example. Initiated by a group of young filmmakers tired of the endless Hollywood model of regurgitated IP, the collective set out to tell fresh, unique stories by bridging the gap between online creation and the film industry. They’re still experimenting with new methods and ways to bring the ecosystem of independent filmmaking together, but their vision is clear: to platform emerging artists and propel them to new heights. Creator Camp spotlights filmmakers from all walks of life—whether it’s the first-timer shooting in their bedroom on an iPhone, or an intermediate creator experimenting with an Fx3. No matter the corner of the internet, creators they’re finding ways to platform these voices into the larger conversation of filmmaking.

Read up on their mission and see how they're contributing to the new era of filmmaking.

In a similar fashion, in early 2023, 19-year-old Wesley Wang—a Harvard economics student—wrapped up his senior-year short film, nothing, except everything. After two years of grueling effort, the film premiered at the Indy Shorts International Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize. Soon after, Wang posted it on YouTube, and it went instantly viral, amassing millions of views.

The buzz would catch the attention of acclaimed producer Darren Aronofsky, who reached out to Wang.

Aronofsky and Wang are now collaborating on a feature adaptation and will pitch the project to major studios, with Sony TriStar securing the rights. Making Wang the youngest person to be signed to direct a feature-length film by a major studio. All while he remains a Harvard economics student. What am I doing wrong in my life?

Meanwhile, a March 2025 survey of U.S. consumers highlighted a shift in viewing habits for Gen Z (born roughly 1997–2012) showcasing movies and TV shows losing relevance within this age brakcet. Platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram—where relatable creators dominate—are quickly becoming the primary channels for entertainment

According to Deloitte’s 2025 Digital Media Trends report, 56% of Gen Z say social media content is more relevant to them than TV series and movies. Comparatively, only 43% of millennials and 26% of Generation X agree with that statement.

Similarly, the majority of Gen Zers say they feel a stronger personal connection to social media counterparts than to TV personalities and actors, according to the report, which surveyed 3,595 U.S. consumers in October.

Gen Z collectively spends more time consuming media and entertainment than its elders (6.9 hours a day, versus 6.3 hours for millennials and 6 hours for Gen X), but less time watching movies and shows on TV or on streaming services.

These numbers may sound concerning in the traditional sense of the Hollywood model. But in this consumption socieal media content, it has allowed for creators like ErikDoesVFX on YouTube, William H Baker on Youtube, Jeanxvans and Michaela Wittman on TikTok. All of which have begun to carve their space in the newest era.

Take Wittman, for instance. In recent years, she tooks reins on her career and adapted her coming of age novel Remy & Arletta. She wrote the screenplay and starred in the adaption along with newcommer Riley Quinn Scott. The film, directed by Arthur De Larroche (American Bistro), follows Remy(Wittman) as she attempts to balance her turbolence relationship with her alcoholic mother (Amy Benedict) and her longtime best friend, Arletta (Scott). While Remy leans on her best friend as a coping mechanism, she learns that their co-dependent friendship is more than she realized.

The film would go on to aqquired by indie distributor Synergetic for North America. You can watch the film on Fandago and Amazon Prime Video.

If you coulnd’t see the pattern by now, the future of filmmaking—especially for the Gen Z filmmakers—are creating their own indsutry. We can expect indie films and web series breaking out in the coming years.

What makes the social media and internet-driven model so unique is its accessibility; audiences can engage directly, and creators can build careers on their own terms. It’s lucrative without forcing you to become an unlikeable version of yourself, and it fosters an intimate, immediate connection with viewers.

Think about it—when you post a film or series on YouTube, the comment section is litterally right beneath it. The conversation happens instantly. Compare that to streaming, where fans have to jump over to Twitter, Reddit, or another platform just to share their thoughts. That direct feedback loop is powerful, and it’s why Gen Z has the potential to radically reshape and uplift the filmmaking space.

I, for one, can’t wait to see it all unfold and to be part of the movement driving this change.

‘Weapons’ Hypnotizes the Weekend Box Office 🪄

The second feature from the brilliant twisted mind of Zach Cregger, Weapons, earned $25 million over the weekend—a 43% drop from its opening. While this decline isn’t as mild as the -5% drop seen by Warner Bros.’ earlier 2025 horror hit Sinners, any horror film holding better than -50% is outperforming many of 2025’s other genre releases, such as Final Destination: Bloodlines (-63%) and 28 Years Later (-68%). At this current moment of me writing, Weapons has now reached $148.8 million at the global box office.

On the family-friendly side, Disney’s Freakier Friday takes second place in its second weekend with $14.5 million, a 49% decline from its debut. Meanwhile, Nobody 2 opened to $9.25 million, with $3.8 million on Friday and $3.1 million on Saturday. The film’s $25 million budget suggests it still has room to grow. By comparison, the original Nobody opened to $6.8 million—though that release occurred during the height of COVID, when audiences were especially cautious about returning to theaters, and a cough in 3 feet of their vicinity…

TL;DR

• Angelina Jolie will reunite with Mr. & Mrs. Smith director Doug Liman for spy thriller The Initiative, about a rogue agent and her suspicious recruit.

• Netflix dropped an exclusive clip from Genndy Tartakovsky’s R-rated comedy Fixed, about a dog facing neutering. Stars Adam Devine, Idris Elba & Kathryn Hahn. (Aug 13 release)

• Warner Bros. & Zach Cregger are already discussing a Weapons prequel centered on Aunt Gladys.

• Joe Jonas hints Camp Rock 3 may be happening.

  

• First trailer for Plainclothes (Tom Blyth & Russell Tovey) — an undercover cop targeting gay men becomes drawn to one of his assignments.

• Marvel reveals first look at Fantastic Four in their classic costumes.

  

• David Corenswet’s Superman suit has been revealed — notably, it is without trunks…

• Taylor Sheridan’s action thriller F.A.S.T. casts Brandon Sklenar, LaKeith Stanfield, Jason Clarke & Trevante Rhodes as a black-ops strike team.

• First trailer for Only Murders in the Building S5 — premieres Sept 9 on Hulu.

• First trailer for HBO’s Task (Mark Ruffalo & Tom Pelphrey), about an FBI agent pursuing a violent robbery ring. (Sept 7 release)

• James Gunn’s Superman has hit digital platforms on Aug 15.

• First trailer for Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut, Eleanor the Great — about an elderly woman’s unlikely friendship with a student. (Sept 26 release)

• First look at Fuze (Aaron Taylor-Johnson & Theo James), a WWII bomb discovery provides cover for a heist. Directed by David Mackenzie.

  

• New animated Addams Family movie in the works, from Wednesday creators — but not tied to Netflix series.

• First poster for K-Pop Demon Hunters sing-along theatrical release (Aug 23–24).

• Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, starring Timothée Chalamet, drops its first trailer.

• Ryan Reynolds teases Avengers: Doomsday with cryptic IG post.

• Release shuffle: Beyond the Spider-Verse & Shrek 5 will now open the same week in June 2027 (Shrek pushed to June 30).

• Netflix’s live-action Scooby-Doo series aims to begin filming this fall.

• Crunchyroll partners with Delta Airlines, adding 50,000+ anime episodes/films to in-flight entertainment.

• Max Minghella is in talks for DC’s Clayface in a supporting role.

• Noah Centineo cast as young Rambo in an origin film, directed by Sisu’s Jalmari Helander.

• First look at Chris Evans in Ethan Coen’s Honey Don’t with Margaret Qualley & Aubrey Plaza — about a lesbian PI investigating a shady church.

• Greta Gerwig’s Narnia is officially filming, starring Emma Mackey, Daniel Craig, Carey Mulligan & Meryl Streep. Releasing next year on Netflix & IMAX.

• Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me from Nowhere (Jeremy Allen White) to premiere at NYFF on Sept 28.

• Spielberg’s War of the Worlds ranks among Rotten Tomatoes’ Top 100 Worst Movies.

• Box office: Weapons aiming for $25M in its second weekend.

• Denzel Washington on cancel culture: “You can’t be canceled if you haven’t signed up.”

• The Breakfast Club returns to theaters for its 40th anniversary.

• Kaitlyn Dever says she “couldn’t watch” Pedro Pascal & Bella Ramsey’s final Last of Us moment.

• Conan O’Brien predicts late-night TV may disappear — but says Colbert is “too essential to go away.”

• YA dramedy Coven Academy from High School Musical creator gets greenlight at Disney.

• Wednesday S2 trailer (Part 2) teases the return of a deceased major character.

• Andy Cohen confirms extended cut of Love Island USA’s S7 Heart Rate Challenge will air during reunion.

• James Gunn confirms Peacemaker will set up the rest of the DCU & hints at next entry in his “Superman saga.”

  ---

  FILM

KPop Demon Hunters is coming to a theatre near you

The Sony smash hit is expected to become a billion-dollar franchise—but not for them. Forbes reports that Sony originally sold the rights for $100 million and will likely make only around $20 million in profit due to the deal terms; Netflix now owns the property. What seemed to be a quick weekend binge watch from the studio before has now become the #1 movie on Netflix after seven weeks since its release.

It’s also now hailed as Netflix’s second-most viewed movie ever, topping nearly every major music chart with its fictional group HUNTR/X’s track Golden, the first K-pop group to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 since Destiny’s Child.

In celebration of its global success, HUNTR/X and Saja Boys fans alike are invited to a limited theatrical sing-along, occurring for one weekend only across the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK on Aug. 23 and 24. Find theater listings and showtimes for the US and Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

Sony’s future involvement remains unclear. While they largely lost out on the success of the first film, Netflix still needs a production partner for future installments. So only time will truly tell.

Ryan Reynolds sends Marvel fans into frenzy with cryptic Deadpool post

Ryan Reynolds posted a Deadpool-graded Avengers logo, hinting at the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday film.

No official casting or set sightings have been confirmed; it’s rumored that a fan-made post was spotted by Reynolds and reposted. A simple marketing move by Mr. Pool, but still clever nonetheless.

TV

She’s Back…!

But it’s not the telicuar lead, Wednesday Addams. The mother of all mothers, Gwendoline Christie, is set to reprise her role as Larissa Weems in Wednesday S2—who seemingly died in the first season.

Revealed in the Part 2 trailer, Christie will now return as Wednesday’s spirit guide. Part 2 premieres Sept. 3 on Netflix. You can leave Nevermore Academy, but nevermore truly ever leaves you…heh.

Okay anyway.

*British accent* A new reunion has entered the villa

Earlier this summer, the hit Peacock reality show Love Island: USA hit the platform and broke more records than its record-breaking predecessor of season six. The reality show has amassed over 18B minutes viewed on Peacock, making it Peacock's most-watched original season of all time.

While the reality show had us entertained throughout the summer, it surprisingly continues to do so even months after, with suspected rivalries seemingly making it past the villa. The drama is stated to be discussed head-on at the reunion, which was recently filmed. Andy Cohen is set to host the reunion alongside Love Island USA host and Vanderpump Rules alum Ariana Madix. Cohen took to his Instagram to update fans on the controversial season reunion, saying,

“Guys, Love Island reunions are no joke. We are on a dinner break. We’re going back in there soon. This reunion — it’s good and everybody’s here. And I’m having so much fun with Ariana. She’s amazing, and you know what I like doing, I like hosting a reunion with her. It’s really fun!”

Cohen made sure to follow up that the reunion would be showcasing the full footage of the Heart Racing Challenge to finally end the heart-burning question: Did Huda do too much?

And trust, we will find out. The reunion airs on Peacock at 6 p.m. PT on Aug. 25 and 9 p.m. ET.

My knees are bending

Soooo technically, Camp Rock 3 isn’t officially announced— everything is purely speculation. But it was practically confirmed by Joe Jonas himself. On Aug. 12, during the Hot Ones interview with his brother Nick, Nick asked Joe to read his last note app entry, and Joe happily answered and read aloud, “Read Camp Rock 3.”

“It’s the truth,” Joe stated, pointing at his phone and emphasizing, “It’s literally right here.” He looked at the camera and joked, “Sorry, Disney.”

While there’s still no official announcement, it’s important to mention that Demi Lovato recently re-followed Nick and Kevin Jonas on Instagram. During the Jonas Brothers’ 20th-anniversary MetLife Stadium homecoming concert, the trio was joined by Lovato. They performed This Is Me and Wouldn’t Change a Thing—songs from their Camp Rock days. Consipraciy? I think not.

Moreso, on the day after the MetLife performance (Monday, Aug. 11), Wouldn’t Change a Thing earned 167,000 U.S. on-demand streams — more than seven times its total from the day before (22,000 streams on Sunday), according to Luminate. This Is Me also experienced a major bump, from 41,000 streams on Aug. 10 to 167,000 streams the following day.

Daily streams for both songs continued to rise the next day. 180,000 streams for Wouldn’t Change a Thing on Tuesday, and 179,000 streams for This Is Me — showing that fans are still showing up to relive the glory days of Camp Rock, and honestly, I’m sitting right there with them.

That’s all for this week! Now, I have to get ready to clock in tomorrow. Until next week, toodles. ⋆˙⟡.

This year has been an interesting year for the studio under Disney’s stewardship with the releases of Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, underlining a pattern that’s been revealing itself over the past few years. Marvel’s box office numbers are still strong, but the breadth of its audience is shrinking. Core fans will show up, but the casual watchers, the families, and the multiplex audience that once multiplied Marvel’s grosses are quieter.

The hard numbers

Across the last four phases of the MCU, there’s been a clear decline. In Phases 2 and 3 (the run that includes Iron Man 3, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Black Panther, Infinity War, Endgame), the combined box office haul was ≈ $18.77B. Whereas Phases 4 and 5 (the post-Endgame years that introduced heavy streaming tie-ins and the Multiverse Saga) brought in ≈ $9.37B — a roughly 50% drop in cumulative theatrical box office between those two spans.

If you control for film count and look at per-movie averages, the gap narrows but remains worrying: average per film across Phases 2+3 ≈ $1.10B; across Phases 4+5 ≈ $721M — about a 34.7% decline per film. That’s significant, even allowing for outliers (Phase 3 was inflated by Infinity War/Endgame).

Recent box office numbers

• Captain America: Brave New World opened over Presidents Day weekend to about $88.5 million and reached $100 million on the fourth day. The film grossed over $400 million worldwide on a budget of $180 million. Its second weekend earned an additional $28 million worldwide, making it a 68.3% drop — a classic sign of weak word-of-mouth and front-loaded business. The film received mixed reviews from critics and audience members alike.

• Marvel then released Thunderbolts in the spring. Domestically, the film opened with $76 million and earned around $382 million worldwide. It had a second weekend drop of just 5%. It held better than Cap 4, but analysts noted its break-even point was higher than its likely run, so it risked losing money on marketing and distribution. That said, it earned a more favorable critic score and audience response than Captain America: Brave New World.

• Most recently from the MCU roster, The Fantastic Four: First Steps grossed $367.4 million worldwide on a $200 million budget (or higher). Its second weekend brought in $44 million domestically — a 66% drop. (Review coming soon!)

What happened to the audience?

There are a few causes for the loss: some structural, some economic, and some strategic.

1. Phase 3 was an outlier. It had Endgame, Infinity War, and multiple $1B+ films. Totals from this phase skew the comparison, as we fall back to normal releases after a once-in-a-decade run will naturally look worse.

2. Streaming. The theatrical window has shortened drastically. Films are mostly in theatres for a 45-day window, and if you really want, you can avoid spoilers for a month and a half, pay a one-time subscription of $10–$16, watch at home with your family for a fraction of the price, and cancel the next day. Cheap streaming bleeds into the general audience, especially those who are price-sensitive.

3. The `homework’ problem. Marvel’s boom in Disney+ shows (new characters and many, many new series) raised the bar for casual viewers— they now need to watch all of this content for the full experience. It starts to feel like “you must watch X shows to understand this upcoming movie.” In about 2 years, we got:

   • Shang-Chi

   • The Eternals

   • Black Widow

   • Spider-Man: No Way Home

   • Loki

   • Falcon and The Winter Soldier

   • Hawkeye

   • WandaVision

   The following year: Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, I Am Groot, Moon Knight, Thor: Love and Thunder, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The list goes on. I MEAN DAMN— we as audience members were booked and busy, and out of all these releases, there were only about 3–4 that audiences raved about or truly cared for. There was far too much for general audiences to keep up with, and even as a Marvel fan, I slacked on the new releases in the later years.

   You can’t expect audiences to do homework, and the TV shows, for the most part…were homework. You’re introducing characters not through films but through standalone shows. There’s no connection, no reason why we should have cared enough to click on their show in the first place— Wanda and Loki, never am I talking about you two. And then the quality of these shows began to dip. Like Secret Invasion, for example, it performed poorly and garnered unfavorable reviews. There was too much quantity.

   To Marvel’s credit, I respect that they’ve owned up to this, acknowledged audience opinions, and are limiting releases — aiming for more quality stories and standalone TV shows. I do see an uptick in quality this year with Thunderbolts (writing-wise), Brave New World (character-wise), and The Fantastic Four (atmosphere-wise).

4. Economics. Now, I’m no economist, but god damn, is everything expensive? Minimum wage used to get you a decent apartment, groceries in the fridge, and gas in your tank. Nowadays, you’re scraping pennies until the next biweekly check. People have to prioritize living, paying rent or a mortgage, buying food and toiletries, and gas. The general audience can’t afford to pay for their whole family’s tickets, popcorn, and drinks when the ticket alone is $15–17, and the popcorn/drink combo is another $15, making it an easy $30–40 average per person.

Movies are expensive! Especially in The Fantastic Four’s case, it was released right after everyone had just seen Superman— people needed to recover financially. There’s no realistic world where you can see movies back to back without breaking the bank unless you have a pass, but most people don’t go often enough to make that worth it.

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But the MCU has a spider in its closet 🕷️

Maybe this is a bold claim, but Spider-Man may be Marvel’s only hope.

And I say that because of the monstrous numbers Spider-Man: No Way Home pulled in at the worldwide box office ($1.92B). That number came from a lot of factors: Spider-Man is arguably the most popular superhero in the world (the character gets 5,100,000 average monthly Google searches), the leaks of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s involvement, and the nostalgia factor. That’s not the norm — but it’s the blueprint. And Spider-Man: Brand New Day is sure to do the same, or at least close.

The set leaks from Glasgow are free marketing for Marvel. They had to reveal the new suit sooner than planned, and that reveal alone got 4M views in a week. The initial teaser got 11.5M on Twitter, and the actual reveal got 24M. The hype is already insane — and we’re still only a year out.

What can (and probably will) bring audiences back?

• Event tentpoles. Clear stakes and nostalgia. Legacy cameos have shown they can fire up casual audiences. Marvel’s big crossover Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars are explicitly designed to be big tentpole pushes, with huge names already confirmed to return. For the cast reveal, the livestream hit 90,000 viewers on YouTube, peaked from 2 million to 4.7 million in just an hour and a half on Twitter(X, but I will always call it Twitter). My only concern is that Marvel isn’t too heavy-handed with this in the future.

• Less homework. Films that work without weeks of Disney+ watching are more accessible to casual watchers. Marvel has already said they’re implementing this.

• Smarter windows. Theatres want longer minimum windows, and studios want to balance streaming revenue with preserving box office legs.

Bottom line

The MCU isn’t dead, it’s just recalibrating. The franchise has its superfans who will buy opening weekend tickets in droves, but it just needs to win back its general audience and casual moviegoers. Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars will do that, with old cast members like Robert Downey Jr., Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Hugh Jackman, and Ryan Reynolds returning. I’m speculating the last two—but I mean it’s pretty obvious they’ll be back.

And I’m sure after the soft reboot following Secret Wars, once we start seeing the X-Men, the audience will show up more consistently. I MEAN, IT’S THE X-MEN WE’RE TALKING ABOUT. I might personally break the worldwide box office for those films alone.

The MCU will be back to its glory days; it’s just going to take some time. Marvel’s slate still contains proven event drivers; done right, those can bring the lost audience back home.

Hot Topic

At the 78th Locarno Film Festival, Jackie Chan criticized Hollywood studios. Chan spoke to an audience during a Q&A, stating to the crowd, “I think the old movies are better than today." He went on to add, “Right now, a lot of big studios, they’re not filmmakers, they’re business guys. They invest 40 million and think, ‘How can I get it back?’ And you can’t go over. It’s very difficult to make a good movie now.”

Chan spoke more throughout the discussion about his dedication to the art of cinema. On set, Chan was not only an actor but also detailed his work in stunts and even sound. The veteran actor spoke about how he opted to try one more film before leaving America due to the difficulty of finding success in projects he participated in. That last project ended up being Rush Hour, a film that not only changed his career but, as Chan added, “I think Rush Hour changed the culture.”

The actor stated his goal in Hollywood has always been to “be a cross-cultural bridge between the US and China.” And Jackie Chan, you did that and more.

The star received the festival’s Pardo alla Carriera award for career achievement. His early directorial films, Project A and Police Story, screened at the festival. Locarno will end next week on August 16th.

TL;DR

• Kevin Hart & John Cena team up for Netflix action comedy The Leading Man.

• Pedro Pascal is currently 👀circling Tony Gilroy’s Behemoth! at Searchlight.

• ‘Will Trent’ ups Kevin Daniels to series regular.

• Disney’s Freakier Friday debuted to $29M over its opening weekend across 3,975 theaters.

• Love Island USA hits #1 on Nielsen Streaming.

• First BTS from Spider-Man: Brand New Day— Spider-Man swings back onto screens July 24, 2026.

• Weapons opens at #1 for Warner Bros.

• Jackie Chan calls Hollywood “too obsessed with money” at the Locarno Film Fest.

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• James Marsden calls Avengers: Doomsday a homecoming

• Josh Brolin says he’d return as Thanos “tomorrow” if the Russos called.

• One Piece live-action renewed for Season 3 before Season 2 even premieres in 2026.

• Wednesday Season 2 drops August 6 on Netflix, with the second half coming September 3.

• NY Film Festival 2025 main slate announced — heavy on Cannes winners.

• The Hunting Wives soared to the top of Luminate’s TV streaming rankings following its debut.

• Netflix’s true-crime momentum continues with Amy Bradley Is Missing and The Son of Sam Tapes topping charts.

  ---

Film

Marvel fans got their first official behind-the-scenes glimpse at Spider-Man: Brand New Day, currently shooting in Glasgow, Scotland. Tom Holland, back in the suit for the July 24, 2026, release, teased practical stunts and suited a more fan-approved costume.

Meanwhile, James Marsden, on set for a different Marvel project called Avengers: Doomsday, “a nice little homecoming” to his Cyclops role. He joins an already stacked cast with Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, Florence Pugh, Anthony Mackie, and familiar castmates from the Fox X-Men universe such as Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart.

Warner Bros.’ Weapons claimed the studio’s seventh #1 opening this year (or tenth if you count weekend wins from Superman, Minecraft, and Sinners), opening to $42.5M domestic and $70M global on a $38M budget. Director Zach Cregger is already prepping a Resident Evil reboot for Sony, promising a lore-faithful but original story, co-written with Shay Hatten. Austin Abrams is in talks to star. Read more about it here:

And my review of weapons:

TV

Netflix released a first look at Season 2, which has a release window set for 2026, but the exact date has not been released. Here’s the logline for the upcoming season: “Fiercer adversaries and the most perilous quests yet. Luffy and the Straw Hats set sail for the extraordinary Grand Line—a legendary stretch of sea where danger and wonder await at every turn. As they journey through this unpredictable realm in search of the world’s greatest treasure, they’ll encounter bizarre islands and a host of formidable new enemies.”

Netflix renewed its One Piece live-action series for Season 3 ahead of its Season 2 release. Production for the third season kicks off later this year in Cape Town, with Ian Stokes joining Joe Tracz as co-showrunner.

Netflix dropped the first half of Wednesday’s sophomore season on Aug. 6 (a Wednesday, naturally) after a buzzy campaign including a Wendy’s fast-food collab.

The show is currently number 6 on Netflix’s global charts as of August 3rd, and Wednesday is sure to make a gruelling comeback to the top as audience members return to Nevermore for a new mystery. The second half arrives Sept. 3.

Until next time, folks!

Coming from the director of Barbarian, Zach Cregger is back with his second feature, Weapons. From the first trailer, Weapons was incredibly alluring in its mystery—seventeen elementary students go missing in the middle of the night, their arms spread out to the side, and they never return home. It’s eerie, dark, and atmospheric—qualities Cregger showcased brilliantly in Barbarian—which I loved.

And I know Cregger is going to knock the tone and overall atmosphere of his upcoming Resident Evil feature out of the park.

As much as I enjoyed these aspects of the film, along with the strong performances from both its leads and supporting cast, I couldn’t help but feel Weapons stumbled along the way. The first act is captivating—you’re quickly placed in the present, following the families and community of the missing children and the teacher who is ultimately held responsible for their disappearance.

I mean, I have to applaud the premise alone—Cregger, you got me.

Although the premise is terrifying, the film is marketed out to be a horror, but I…wouldn’t necessarily categorize it as such. Well, for me, I should correct. There are a jump scare or two, but nothing so terrifying that you’d need to sleep with the lights on. Instead, the eeriness comes from the circumstances themselves. And just when the more frightening moments do arrive—though I use that term lightly—the film shifts perspective.

I didn’t mind the perspective changes, but I did find the film’s pacing to be on the slower side. We follow a rotation of certain characters, some pivotal to the narrative, others leaving me scratching my head and wondering what their inclusion was meant to achieve.

For me personally, labeling this as one of the most thought-provoking horror films of the decade feels incredibly dishonest. The praise this film is getting online is genuinely baffling—and that’s coming from someone who liked the movie, but wasn’t blown away by it.

The film is more suspenseful than terrifying, and in many ways, more of a dark comedy than a thriller. Horror as a genre is subjective, of course, but based on the reviews, I expected the story to take wild turns like Barbarian. Instead, Weapons plays its narrative fairly straight. While it doesn’t dive deeply into the mystery of its villain, the viewer is still able to grasp what’s presented. I will say, the villain is uniquely fun, and unsettling, and one of the more enjoyable aspects of the film.

The third act is probably my favorite. If I’m honest, there were moments where I felt a bit bored in the second act, but the way the story culminates is both satisfying and darkly humorous.

Weapons is worth watching—not, in my opinion, something to write home about, but certainly worth a trip to the theater to form your own opinion.

Here’s the thing—I think The Last of Us Season Two suffers from Game of Thrones subvert-expectations syndrome. It’s a case of changing shit that doesn’t need to be changed just for the sake of changing shit.

I like to think in a parallel universe, there’s a version of Season Two that handles grief raw and rough-edged. That trusts its characters, and that understands how silence can scream louder than over-explanation. Instead, what we got in the show was an echo of something that could’ve been thoughtful and more honest to the source material.

So I’ve taken it upon myself to write a rewrite simply because I want to and I can. I’m just a girl.

This rewrite will follow some constraints: I’m limiting myself to only seven episodes, and since there’s a lack of spores, no bloaters will be in this version; and each episode in this rewrite follows the same general path as the show (and the game), but with small pivots that change the trajectory of the season a bit.

Disclaimer: No hate will be tolerated towards the actors and crew of this show. This is only intended for fun and constructive criticism of one of my all-time favorite games.

Let’s get into it. 🌿

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On my first watch, I honestly enjoyed episode one for the most part. It was the calm before the storm. There was a lot of catching up with the characters, and I loved seeing more of Jackson. But now, looking back—knowing this season only has seven episodes—I can’t help but feel like maybe…we should’ve picked up the pace. And objectively, the episode has fallen flat for me, now, given that it doesn’t move the narrative forward.

In my episode rewrite, we’re staying pretty faithful to the game here, at least in terms of structure.

So… we’ll be cutting Gail immediately.

Now listennnnn, love Catherine O'Hara down. But Gail, in my humblest opinion, was not critical to the story. She spelled out everyone’s inner thoughts like we were two months old, and if there’s anything I hate, it’s being talked down to. One of the beauties of The Last of Us storytelling is in what’s left unsaid.

So, Gail, I’m afraid, you’re at the bottom of the pyramid.

Dare I add, TV shows and films in general suck when writing therapists. Am I the only one who notices that? The dialogue is usually unnatural and odd. I don’t know why that is. Hot take, I guess.

Instead, in this version, we’ll be opening with Joel confessing what he did to Tommy, mirroring the game. That’s our teaser. Then, we move into the guitar scene. We’re not saving it for Episode 6. It’s happening right here and right now. I don’t believe Craig Mazin truly understood how important the guitar is within this game, because what do you mean Neil Druckmann had to convince him to keep “Future Days” in a future episode?

It’s a LITERAL symbol. It’s a tether between him and Ellie.

By keeping it this early, we tie Joel and Ellie emotionally before everything crumbles. And I think this moment—specifically— is even more important, because this is the first time we realize things are different between Joel and Ellie. There’s an awkward tension between them. Ellie’s more reserved, quieter—almost like she went through hell and back from her journey across the U.S, unlike someone I know…

Ellie’s character, in general, is getting an overhaul this rewrite. She’s not fighting a 6'2 man and saying, “Boom, motherfucker.”(That line had to be written by a boomer, I’m sorry) She’s not yelling that she’s immune, nor is she treating patrols like some sort of game. This Ellie will be a hardened shell of that Ellie we once knew and loved, and Dina is one of the people who's able to bring her back every now and then. I’m paraphrasing Mazin’s words here, but in the official The Last of Us podcast, he discusses how Dina and Ellie share a parent-child-like dynamic, and how the two switch leads of who’s the parent and who's the child.

@bury_mein.blkIdk how to feel about this, it’s very odd. #lastofus #lastofus2 #hbo #lastofushbo #fyp #fypシ #podcast #podcastclips #podcasts #naughtydog

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I hate this.

I got the feeling not only from his own remarks but also through Mazin’s writing—his misunderstanding of Ellie. He sees her as a child. Yes, Ellie is young—she’s 19—but my god, a 19-year-old in The Last of Us is much different than a 19-year-old today.

This was one of my concerns in Season One with the mischaracterization of Ellie as someone infatuated with violence or “activated” by it, as Mazin put it.

To me, it showed that if the one thing you took from Ellie’s character in the games was that she fed off violence, then I don’t believe you truly knew or saw Ellie for who she is. Ellie is kind. She’s a smart-ass, sure, but she has heart. She offers comfort and camaraderie, but she doesn’t let people walk over her. And more importantly, she loves hard.

Ellie was never obsessed with violence. If anything, if you pay attention to her responses to Joel’s brutal and aggressive fighting style, she’s shocked and borderline terrified. Ellie grows accustomed to the everyday violence of the world—and yet, through it all, she holds on to hope. That's who she is. That is, until Joel took that from her.

And to see this character misrepresented—not just once but across both seasons—as an infantilized, sanitized version of herself… it breaks me to pieces. I’ve admired this character since I was a little girl. I looked up to her, and I still do because of the outstanding work Ashley Johnson has done.

And if you, as the writer, had treated her as the adult that she is and given her agency, instead of portraying her as a happy-go-lucky camper for half of the season, I’m sure the majority of the audience would agree with my points, too.

From here, the rest of the episode follows the game’s structure pretty closely. I’m not trying to rewrite Jackson's life from scratch—there’s just no time for that in a seven-episode structure. So we keep the core moments intact. The patrol. The blizzard. The couch scene.

And yes, the episode ends the way it has to: brutal and unforgiving. Joel dies. And Ellie crawls to his side.

We do not waste time on a seven-minute monologue. The violence is quick and blunt. The world we’ve built with Ellie and Joel collapses.

That’s how we close Episode One.

I think one of the biggest mistakes the show made in season two was the three-month time jump. You can’t pause revenge like that. It stalled the momentum, and worse, it softened Ellie’s rage. We’re not doing that here.

So, no time jump. We pick up about a day or so after Joel’s death--very much like the game, with Ellie in her room in Jackson. Tommy comes in and tells her he’ll talk to Maria and for her not to do anything drastic.

But we’re not stopping at that room.

We’ll follow Tommy home. He walks with that slow, clenched-jaw kind of pain. Controlled and stoic. Right until he gets inside. The door closes. He takes his jacket off and hangs it carefully. And then, he breaks. He lets it out. But just for a second.

He hears footsteps. He wipes his face quickly. Maria approaches. They don’t say much.

Tommy would say something along the lines of, “RJ asleep?”
“Just put him to bed.” Maria would ask, “Did you talk to her?”
“She’s ready to go. But I told her to wait.” Tommy would say shortly.

Maria would touch the bandage on his head.

“And you?”
“I’m good.”
Maria would say something like, “Good. We can’t lose you, too.”

They hug. And it’s not a comfort to Tommy. He even hesitates to do so. Tommy glances at a photo of him and Joel on the kitchen counter. Then, at RJ, who’s awake and peering down the hallway. Tommy doesn’t return a glance toward his son. His eyes are trained on Joel, his brother.

I thought it would’ve been a really interesting parallel in the show to see how Tommy initially handles the grief alone, like Ellie does. And to see this similar dynamic between him and Maria, with the future fate of Dina’s and Ellie’s relationship on the farm.

The next day, Ellie is at Joel’s grave. She plants coffee beans—same as the show. She and Dina walk to Joel’s house. This part stays close to the game, with Maria stopping by, and then we’re on the road to Seattle. Ellie and Dina talk for a minute or so; we learn a little about Dina’s past. They’d finally reach Seattle. We’re not doing pre-Seattle filler. So we’re not doing dead Seraphites in the woods. Instead, we’re going straight to:

SEATTLE DAY ONE - DAY

The Music Store.

Dina rummages for supplies. Ellie does the same. Dina, naturally, gets distracted by the drums. She taps one. Ellie would shoot her a look. Dina apologizes and goes back to searching.

Ellie finds the guitar upstairs.

And we are keeping the part where Ellie sings, “If I were to lose you...” BEFORE Take On Me.

I will never understand, for the life of me, why Druckmann and Mazin cut this moment. It’s a quick sliver into Ellie’s psyche, and for Mazin to consistently be on record saying Ellie is wearing a mask around others... THIS IS THE MOMENT WHERE THE MASK SLIPS. AND YOU CUT IT??

It tells you everything about where Ellie is emotionally, and how this song is sacred—something meant only for her and Joel. Not even Dina gets to hear it. THIS IS IMPORTANT!! THIS IS SPECIAL. It’s a deeply personal, niche character moment that absolutely deserved to be on screen.

So when Dina comes upstairs and asks Ellie to keep playing, Ellie does—but she shifts to “Take On Me.”

Dina mentions she found a map in the store that points out a hotel nearby. They think it might be a potential base for the WLF. They agree to head there.

They horseback through Seattle’s streets. Dina jokes about entering a Synagogue that they pass by and wonders aloud if they’d probably burst into flames. Ellie doesn’t get it. Dina taps her bracelet—Jewish joke.

She asks if Ellie’s religious.

Ellie would say something like, “I haven’t really thought about it.”
Dina would reply back with, “I like to think my mom and sister are in Olam Ha-Ba.”
Ellie chuckles at the name. “…What’s that?”
Dina: “Kind of like heaven. I think Joel’s there too.”
Ellie would pause at that, “…I’d like that.”

Then they pass a Pride district.
Dina: “What’s with all the rainbows?”
Ellie: “Maybe they liked rainbows?”
Dina: “Huh.”

Then they’d reach,

The Hotel.

This part is a lot like the game. The pair finds infected eating a WLF soilder. They stealth-kill them. Find Nick’s body. Realize Tommy has already been here. Return to Shimmer.

Boom. Trap mine. Shimmer's dead. Dina and Ellie are separated.

Ellie awakens to being tied up. Dina finds her—kills Mike, wounds Jordan by shooting the gun out of his hand. Dina falls through the floor. Jordan starts strangling her. Ellie breaks free and kills him 😍

Then WLF soldiers find Ellie and Dina. There’s a three-on-two. Dellie gets the upper hand until they’re left with one WLF soldier. Ellie shoots him in the knee. He begs for his life. She lowers her gun. He thanks her for sparing him.

She shoots him anyway.

One of the things I absolutely despised about everything from Season Two was not utilizing the game’s mechanics and translating them to TV. Ellie in the game is incredibly stealthy, smart, calculated, and agile. She hides under cars, in the shrubs, and flanks enemies by being light on her feet. In the game, there’s constant loss throughout the gameplay mechanics. If you shoot and kill someone, their partner screams their name. Enemies sometimes beg for their lives, and it’s your choice to give the final blow. If you kill the owner of a dog, the dog will cry out. HOW DO YOU NOT UTILIZE THESE?? Especially when it aids in Ellie’s character development as she—you know—DESCENDS INTO DARKNESS??

Anyway.

Back to it: Ellie and Dina flee toward the TV station. Inside: WLF bodies are hung by rope, and their intestines spill from their abdomen. The smell hits Dina—she throws up. Boom, WLF patrols move in. Ellie and Dina sneak through but get caught, like in the show. They run. They drop into the tunnels. Ellie blocks the door behind them.

End of Episode Two.

SEATTLE DAY ONE - NIGHT

We open in the tunnels.

Ellie and Dina are catching their breath. I think it would be interesting if there were an Easter egg of bloaters. Maybe a WLF soldier’s body is laid up against a door with burn marks on their body, and they’re frozen in death in a screaming position. And Dina and Ellie could be like, “What the fuck happened here?”

Moving along, Ellie and Dina don’t catch their breath for long before the WLF find another entrance. And it’s only a matter of time before they close in. In a ditch effort, Ellie throws a brick, making a WLF step back onto a tendril. Shit backfires. Shit ton of infected come.

They run. Everything’s chaos. They use the train and the gate in the show as an escape. Ellie gets bitten while protecting Dina. They find a theatre. Dina will point the gun, but Ellie talks her down.

Ellie WILL get mad at Dina in this version. Because God forbid a character losing themselves through revenge starts acting like an asshole. Ellie, in this rewrite—and like the game—is frustrated. She cares about Dina. She said they could’ve turned back had Dina told her earlier. But now they’re in it, you know, and Ellie needs to finish this mission no matter the cost.

I’m cutting the intimate scene because in my version, Dellie has already been established in Episode One with the patrol and couch scene. And I’m scrapping “I’m gonna be a dad.” Because Ellie is not twelve and she’s angry and angsty. Again, let her be angry and angsty.

Like the game, Ellie goes to the auditorium and finds a guitar and starts playing Future Days. Cue the waterworks.

Flashback - Museum

Ellie’s birthday. We take our time here. And trust—we get the dinosaur scene, because what do you mean that got cut? JAIL to everybody who signed off on this decision.

And then, of course, the rocket scene as well. Which the show recreated wonderfully.

Then Ellie and Joel get separated. Ellie sees the moose and wolf sculpture, and then comes across the firefly symbol spray-painted on the wall with the words ‘liars’ underneath. I really want to underline Ellie’s guilt consistently throughout this rewrite. I feel that is something that was really missing in the HBO version, and I consider that’s a matter of a writing and directing issue.

Joel says, “Let’s go.” Ellie follows, but there's something different within her now.

End of Episode Three.

SEATTLE DAY TWO - DAY

Ellie wakes up to a distant hum. The generator is on. Light seeps through the cracks of the theatre. It's morning. Dina’s already up, hunched over the radio with a map spread out in front of her. She looks rough. The pregnancy, the puke bucket, the constant running—it’s all catching up to her. But she’s still going.

“Got the lights to work,” she says casually, and Ellie would thank her and apologize for not doing so and for acting the way she had the night before.

Like the game, Dina would help Ellie track down a clue to find Tommy and possibly Abby. Ellie would not act dumb about how to triangulate. She’d be laser-focused and ready. Ellie is proactive through HER revenge journey—emphasis on her. Ellie immediately heads out.

Alone.

We need to be alone with Ellie—we need to sit in her head without interruption. Ellie in the show is a far more interesting character when she’s alone (for the five minutes that she is).

We’d cut to Ellie sneaking through a neighborhood, grabbing supplies, and leftover bullets. She goes through a garage and gets ambushed by a stalker. She kills it. Then she sees the crossbow on the table. Beside it, a trophy with the name “Boris” engraved. She glances at the stalker’s body. Easter egg because Boris’s letters were so intriguing. Ellie takes the bow and the leftover arrows.

Outside, she spots smoke in the distance. Ellie figures it’s Tommy again.

She makes her way through another neighborhood called Hillcrest. Because how DARE they cut this phenomenal section in the game.

Hillcrest

We slow down here—it’s tense, stealth-heavy gameplay brought to life. Ellie’s in her element: silencer on, one shot, one kill. She uses the bow and arrows she’s just found to her advantage. She digs her knife into the necks of WLF soldiers to subdue them. No hesitation.

This should be a nerve-racking sequence as Ellie moves through an abandoned house, silently taking out soldiers one by one, throwing dogs off her scent—until someone stumbles across the aftermath and sounds the alarm, “Someone’s here!”

Ellie bolts away from gunfire.

Then—Jesse. He grabs her, pulling her into cover. Ellie finds out the WLF trespasser has been Jesse this whole time. The two exchange fire, taking out two WLF soldiers before fleeing on foot. By foot, because let’s be real, HBO would cry about the budget for the car scene. Hell, as a filmmaker, I’d cry over how to make that even work in real life.

Back at the theatre, Jesse and Dina reunite. Ellie watches them from a distance. Like the game, she walks away numb from it. Jealousy? Maybe. Or loneliness. Ellie sits by the radio, it crackles to life, and Nora speaks on the radio. Ellie quickly whips out the map and tracks her.

Flashback

Tommy and Ellie are doing target practice with the rifle. They meet up with Joel, and Tommy tries to get them together for patrol. Not without a fight, Ellie goes with Joel. They find a missing couple from Jackson. Ellie reads the couple’s letter to Joel. The end of the letter reads as: "I pulled the trigger first. She felt no pain. I’m sorry…. I’m sorry to our baby.”

Ellie argues with Joel about never meeting an immune person. Joel says they need to move the bodies and bring them back to Jackson, and Ellie stands there frozen.

Back in the present, Ellie is packing her bag. Jesse pushes for Ellie to stay and focus on Dina’s condition. Ellie tells Jesse to watch over her, and thinks she has a lead on Tommy’s whereabouts. Jesse deep down knows this isn't about Tommy at all, and let's her have this. In my version, Jesse would ask something along the lines of:

Jesse: “You gonna say goodbye?”
Ellie: “I’ll see her when I get back.”

She leaves. It’s time to find Nora.

End of Episode Four.

We open not in Seattle, but at the dance in Jackson. Strange, I know. But I’ll explain my reasoning.

Just like the game and show. Dina and Ellie dance and kiss. Seth makes his comment. Joel hears it and pushes Seth.

We hold on Ellie for a beat longer than we did in the show, and Ellie shows remorse, like in the game. GUILT. This is why I’m putting this scene here in her journey. This is Ellie’s—and the audience’s—why of Ellie going down this path of vengeance. She wasted her last few years with Joel, full of anger, and she didn’t even get a chance to reconcile.

Back To Present.

SEATTLE DAY TWO - NIGHT

Ellie’s walking through a park alone. She crouches when she hears whistles. WLF? No.

Seraphites.

They’re dragging a man to a tree. Hang him without hesitation. Seraphites look for more scars. Ellie hides under a car. One of the Seraphites circles the vehicle she’s hiding under. Sees her and drags her out. Ellie shoots and runs away. Lots of chaos. The Seraphites stop chasing her when she enters a nearby building.

Ellie readies her shotgun. It’s full of stalkers.

She kills two. A third grabs her as she runs away, and they both go through a window.
They land in a river down below. Ellie and the infected nearly drown, but Ellie manages to swim away. But then she sees the hospital. And she knows: Nora’s inside. Ellie swims toward the hospital.

Ellie swims through the flooded hospital basement. Kills Whitney after learning the exact location of Nora.

On patrol outside the hospital, the WLF are on alert.

“We’ve got a male trespasser. Took out a squad last night.”
“Hospital units are being pulled to search the park.”

Ellie finds an area where she can climb. Boom—Ellie in the vents. She finds Nora. The chase begins. This part stays beat-for-beat like the game. The thing I’m removing from the show is Nora explaining shit we already know—like cut the fluffffffff. But I do love the line when Nora says:

“You’ve killed us both.”
And Ellie responds, “Did I?”

I’m also changing it back to us not seeing Ellie brutally kill Nora. I think it’s more effective as you focus on Ellie’s body language and expression. She doesn’t want to do this, but she believes so deeply that it has to be done. Ellie descends into the point of no return.

Back at the theatre.

THE HANDSHAKE SCENE. GIVE IT TO ME RACHEL PLSS

Dina opens the door. Ellie stumbles in, covered in blood.

“I made her talk,” Ellie whispers.

Dina holds her and cleans her up. The bruises on Ellie’s back are EARNEDDDDDD. Ellie’s killed and tortured a quarter of Seattle at this point. Because I’m sorry—where in the actual fuck did Ellie get those bruises in the show?

SHE DIDN’T EARN THAT SHIT. SHE WASN’T IN THE PAINT.

The episode ends with Ellie and Dina lying down. She whispers, “I don’t want to lose you.” End of Episode Five.

This episode is flashback-heavy, like the show.

We keep the same opening with young Joel and Tommy—I think it’s a great teaser. Personally, I think the writing could’ve been tightened up a bit. Like, I can always tell when someone isn’t from the South just by how they write. Is that just me? I don’t know how to explain it exactly—there’s a certain cadence to Southern dialogue, and the scene felt just a little off, especially in the way the characters spoke. It’s inner Georgian in me. Anyway.

This episode will have more creative liberty, and think of it as a compromise to Gail’s character without overexplaining what we already know to the audience. Because again, I hate being treated like a toddler when watching a TV show. I’m an adult. Side note: for a network as premium as HBO, the home of The Sopranos and Game of Thrones—you’d think they’d trust their audience a little more. Haha…🫠

SO! We open in a dimly lit church. Joel sits alone in a confessional box. The air is thicc with two C’s. The priest enters. There’s a really long, awkward beat as the priest waits for Joel to speak. He asks Joel if there’s anything he’d like to discuss. Joel finally admits that he’s hurt someone.

The priest would ask if he had sinned.

Joel scoffs at that. “We’re all sinners.”

The pastor presses and says something of the sort: You must confess—not to me, but to the person you’ve wronged. Then give yourself to God. Blah blah blah. Joel stares ahead. He doesn’t say a word. He leaves the box. I think religion plays a huge part in TLOU 2, Dina’s Jewish, Joel is religious (Christian or Catholic, I assume, given his Texan roots), and of course, the Seraphites. I thought it would be interesting to explore Joel’s religious side a bit more.

The hardest thing for Joel is that he can’t confess. He’s scared he’ll lose the one person that matters most to him.

I’m keeping the part where Seth and Joel trade Legos for cake from the show, and Joel returns home to find Ellie and Cat curled up. He reminds Ellie shortly about getting her tattoo touched up(just the tattoo in general lol), the drugs, and the sex.

Ellie makes it known: “I’m not your kid.”

Joel says she’s right…and leaves. ANGST😔😔

I’m also keeping the part where night falls. Joel carves a wood sculpture in the quiet until he hears noise upstairs. He finds Ellie moving her belongings. Joel tells her he’ll help her move out.

We cut to Ellie now moved in, and she’s practicing asking Joel the truth. Ellie ultimately decides fuck this. She rips a page from her journal and leaves it for Joel. Ellie sneaks out of Jackson. The journey is long, but we speed it up with a montage.
Ellie arrives at the Boston hospital. Finds the tape Joel left behind.

Joel arrives. They have a confrontation. Ellie forces Joel to confess.

Joel finally does it.

She tells him it’s over between them.

We cut again to the day before Joel’s death. Joel is playing guitar on the porch when Ellie approaches. She stops and they stare at one another. Ellie walks away.

They’re done. End of Episode Six.

SEATTLE DAY THREE

Jesse tells Ellie that Dina needs to get care back home in Jackson. So, they compromise—find Tommy and forget Abby. Ellie agrees. Ellie and Jesse set out toward one of the rendezvous points Jesse hadn’t checked to find Tommy. But of course, Tommy isn’t there.

Ellie scans the buildings nearby.

“Higher ground,” she says.
“We might see something from up there.”

They climb a building. A WLF scout watches the streets below. Jesse sneaks up. Subdues him quietly. The man carries a radio. Static crackles.

Manny’s voice cuts through:

“There’s a sniper picking us off…!” And he calls for backup.

The pair hears distant gunshots nearby, but in the opposite direction.
The aquarium. Jesse and Ellie have a disagreement about Abby and Tommy. Jesse leaves. Ellie moves alone now.

She takes the WLF sniper’s rifle.

The hunt begins.
ELLIE IS RECKLESS BY THIS POINT.

She is tired, but she’s hungry for revenge.
WLF fall one by one at the hands of Ellie’s Remington 700. Ellie fights her way down to a boat. She boats towards the aquarium. Nearly drowns AGAIN. But she makes it.

The Aquarium.

Inside, Ellie gets attacked by Alice(the dog). Ellie should kill a dog or two, because I say so. She finds Yara bandages, and Owen and Mel arguing. Ellie demands to know where Abby is. Owen reaches for his gun. Ellie aims to shoot. Mel tries to stop her. Ellie shoots Owen.

Mel tries to stab Ellie. Ellie turns it back on her and stabs her in the neck.

She bleeds out—but not before clawing at her stomach.

Ellie opens her jacket.

She’s killed a pregnant woman.
Unlike the show, Ellie is intentional about her kills in this version. Tommy and Jesse find her, and everything plays out the same as the game.

Back to the theatre. Jesse dies. Ellie is held at gunpoint. Boom.

The screen cuts to black.

Then close on Abby’s Day One.

And there you have it!! The full rewrite. LORDT I’ve been writing this for like three days. I think I stayed quite faithful to the games and took some creative liberties here and there. Tell me what you think of the rewrite and your version of events. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

MAJOR SPOILERS

Last night's episode…was a lot, both emotionally and narratively. As a longtime fan of the games, I found myself bracing for the inevitable for a while now. From the moment the first episode aired, I knew Joel’s fate was sealed, but that didn’t make the journey any easier to watch. The first episode of season 2 was the calm before the storm, and episode two delivered that storm in full force, both metaphorically and quite literally.

In this episode, Jackson and the surrounding area succumb to a blizzard that becomes a looming, unrelenting force that strips the characters of control and sets the tone for the chaos that follows.

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Abby—still on her mission to track down Joel, unknowingly spots him and follows after him, only to fall into a layer of frozen infected. I’ve got to admit, when the series first introduced the concept of tendrils back in Season 1, I wasn’t entirely sold on the idea. As someone deeply attached to the original lore of the game, it felt like an unnecessary change. But watching that sequence unfold, especially with Abby running away from the infected, breaking from the snowy earth. I’ve grown to appreciate what the tendrils add in terms of visual tension and world-building. The whole scene was intense and did justice to the spirit of the game's counterpart.

That being said, one of my least favorite aspects of the episode was the altered patrol pairing. In the game, Joel and Tommy patrol together, while Dina and Ellie share their own route. This dynamic not only created intimate moments between characters but also helped establish bonds and motivations that paid off later in the narrative. In contrast, the show chose to have Tommy remain in Jackson, fighting off the infected horde, while Dina pairs up with Joel instead.

I understand the reasoning. Adaptations need to restructure events for pacing, logistics, and sometimes even thematic clarity. But the change left me a bit… disappointed, especially with how little screen time we got of Bella Ramsey. Ellie’s emotional absence in the buildup made the whole scenario feel slightly off-balance, especially for those of us who cherished the "couch scene" from the game— a moment that allowed Ellie and Dina's bond to truly shine and gives payoff to a scene later in the game.

Of course, I recognize I’m being a little nitpicky. The show’s choice to pair Dina and Joel does actually help address one of the main criticisms from the original game. The moment when Joel and Tommy casually reveal their real names to complete strangers. Dina unknowingly reveals Joel's name in the show. And it’s here that the altered pairing served to highlight Joel’s instinctive need to protect others, especially when he risked his life to save not only Dina but Abby as well—and look where that got him. While I still prefer the game’s original structure, this change did add a layer to Joel’s character that was meaningful.

That said, I do think the large-scale horde attack on Jackson slightly overshadowed the emotional buildup and impact of Joel’s death. The intensity of the action made for great TV, but it also left less room for the quieter, more haunting dread the game so perfectly cultivated.

Another thing I just have to call out— the characters’ constant hesitation. Why do they always stand around, frozen, when every second counts? I caught myself yelling, “BITCH MOVE!” at the screen more than once. It’s one of those recurring tropes in TV and film that still frustrates me. Like YALL CAN WE PLSS LOCK IN!!😔

Now onto the real highlight: Kaitlyn Dever. I’m honestly not sure why anyone would doubt my bitch in the first place. I mean—yes, I too felt a little pang of disappointment when I realized Abby wouldn’t have her signature muscles in the show, but Dever has proven she can act down.

When she said, “You stupid old man,” I could have sworn I was listening to Laura Bailey. Dever’s performance oozed not only grit but tenacity and raw emotion. It was clear that she wasn’t just playing Abby— she embodied her.

However, I did have some issues with the writing during her monologue. The moment Abby spilled all her cards on the table, revealing her motives, it felt a bit… forced. Part of what made Joel’s death in the game so gut-wrenching was the sheer shock of it. The player didn’t know who Abby was or why she was doing what she did— and that mystery added to the horror.

The show, on the other hand, let the tension unravel a bit too early, and by the time she got to the "villain monologue," it started to feel a little too theatrical.

That being said, Joel telling her to “shut the fuck up” was warranted, hilarious, and right on par with Joel’s character. I just wish the monologue had been trimmed.

When the moment finally came, and Ellie was thrown to the ground, I wasn’t as emotionally shaken as I was when playing the game. Part of that, I think, comes from already knowing what was going to happen. The shock value was gone, and in its place was honestly…a really quiet, heavy sadness.

Bella Ramsey did a fantastic job with what they were given, and the scene hit all the right emotional notes. The choice to dial back on the graphic violence, compared to the game, was actually something I’ve come to appreciate. Sometimes, less is even more.

I still can’t think about the game’s version of Joel’s death without cringing. That final swing to the head—man, brutal. It reminded me a lot of Glenn’s death in The Walking Dead. That was another scene that stuck with me for days, not just because of the violence of it all, but because of the emotional weight it carried. So much so that The Walking Dead was never the same again, and I can only hope that The Last of Us does not meet the same fate, because I believe this is a story worth telling.

Despite any critiques, this episode was a masterclass in performance. Pedro Pascal, Kaitlyn Dever, and Bella Ramsey all delivered deeply moving work, especially in the final moments. Watching Joel attempt to get up when Ellie pleaded for him to do so was heartbreaking. And of course, when Ellie crawled toward him, the weight of the moment hit full force.

I mean the callback to Season 1:

I need a cigarette.

Despite watching Joel die for the millionth time on my television screen, I’m still excited to see how this show will adapt the story. Ellie still feels very similar to her Season 1 counterpart, and I have no doubt that was intentional on the part of Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin. It sets the stage for the painful, rapid transformation that’s about to happen. We’re about to witness Ellie shed her youth and take on a much darker, more hardened persona, and I know Bella Ramsey is going to kill it—both literally and emotionally.

While I try not to compare the two mediums too directly, I have to say: the game excels in storytelling, but the show isn’t far behind its predecessor. This episode was a clear demonstration of how adaptation choices can both enhance and challenge fan expectations, and I’m excited to see where the show takes us next. 8/10

Last night (last Thursday — I’m a slow writer, please) I watched Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan and you guessed it— Michael B. Jordan. The film has amassed rave reviews from critics and pre-screener audiences alike. It’s been highlighted for its originality and the artistry of its music, so I was incredibly excited to sit down and watch.

Sinners takes place during the Jim Crow era, in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Twin brothers Stack (Michael B. Jordan) and Smoke (Michael B. Jordan) are returning soldiers, looking to open their first juke joint with the help of their community and family.

The film has a distinctive first and second half. The first half is, of course, setup — but beautifully done. The world feels lived-in and tangible, like you’ve been transported in your seat to another time. The set designs and costuming are equally as phenomenal; you can tell that Coogler and his team put an extensive amount of research, time, and love into this film.

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Michael B. Jordan does a fantastic job performing as both twins and handling their two contrasting stories. Ensemble performances by Miles Canton, Wunmi Mosaku, Hailee Steinfeld, Delroy Lindo, and Jayme Lawson not only heighten the world of this film but also enrich the characters of Smoke and Stack.

The music—dude—Sinners is ultimately a love letter not only to the blues but to all music. It’s what drives this film at its core, and it’s the aspect that makes Miles Canton the heart and soul of the story.

Miles Canton. What a voice.

There’s a scene in the film that Canton absolutely kills. It encompasses the legacy of Black music and culture, both past and present. I’d argue this is the definitive point where the second half of the film fully takes over.

And then..

the vampires.

I loved the callback to the classic vampire rules: they burn in the sunlight, garlic repels them, they hate silver, and—most importantly they need to be invited in. So many modern vampire adaptations (Twilight —team Edward!— Vampire Diaries, etc.) stray away from these traditions, so it was oddly refreshing to see the basics honored here.

Jack O’Connell plays the head honcho of the vampires, and he’s magnificent in the role. He’s charming but admittedly too charming, so the hairs on the back of your neck begin to rise.

The backstory of his character is told within his dialogue, and the way the character tries to juxtapose his lineage with that of African Americans to manipulate the twins into joining his army is really interesting. I’d even argue it’s a clever way for Coogler to tackle a deeper theme without making it too on the nose. O’Connell’s character is mentioned to have Irish heritage, and there’s one scene where even I, along with the characters, was dancing in my seat.

I’m afraid he might’ve gotten me.

Despite all my praise for the film, I do think the latter half didn’t hold up as well as the first. The film followed the same play-by-play we often see with vampire movies, much like From Dusk Till Dawn— when our characters lock in for battle.

Characters make dumb choices, like turning their backs on vampires and inviting unwelcome visitors in. The ending was action-packed and fun, but also lowkey messy and rushed. But a part of me is just being greedy, if I could watch a 24-hour cut of this film. I would.

Sinners tries to be a lot of things at once, but it struggles to fully deliver under such a limited timeframe. See? I’m being greedy again. Ryan, PLEASE, there’s gotta be an extended cut, man.

I remember thinking, right before the end credits: I don’t know how to feel about this. I felt like I was turned every which way, and maybe that’s the feeling Coogler wanted the audience to have. But personally, I wish the film had more time to flesh out certain aspects.

Like, there are still moments I believe they could’ve absolutely expanded on, even in a reasonable runtime—I’m looking at you, Native American scene.

I wanted to be nosy.

The post-credit scene, at least, gave me more of a sense of closure. It was slower, which was nice, especially after the wild ride the last twenty minutes put you through.

Overall, I give the film a solid 4 stars out of 5. If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor and go watch it in theaters. The crowd amplified my particular screening, and this film is literally made for the big screen. And if you have, did you like it or were you left feeling a bit overwhelmed?

Support original work and artists in this industry. And be on the lookout for Miles Canton, I’m telling you, he is a damn star.

Kim Soo-Hyun is a South Korean actor, You may have seen him in K-dramas such as Secretly, Greatly (2013), It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020), and Queen of Tears (2024). This past Monday in Seoul, South Korea, Soo-Hyun cried crocodile tears while addressing the accusations that he dated actress Kim Sae-ron when she was only 15. She died by suicide at the young age of 24 on Soo-Hyun’s birthday this past February.

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Soo-Hyun admitted the pair had dated for a year, but assured that Sae-Ron was an adult by the time of their relationship.

“I never dated her when she was a minor,” he said. “Except for the fact that both of us were actors, our relationship was just like that of any other ordinary couple.”

Right…

Following that tearful press conference, Soo-Hyun and his legal team wasted no time in filing multiple lawsuits—not only against the YouTube channel Garosero Institute that exposed Soo-Hyun and brought forth the allegations but also against Sae-Ron’s family. He accused them of defamation and violation of information protection.

As if the death of their daughter wasn’t enough.

Mind you, the YouTube channel had both photo and video evidence supporting its claims.

Kim Sae-Ron was born on July 31, 2000. She started her career as a child model in 2001 and transitioned to acting years later.

You may recognize her from Bloodhounds (2023), The Man from Nowhere (2010), and Mirror of the Witch (2016). Her future was on the rise and incredibly bright. But two years before her death, she was involved in a drunk driving incident and was heavily ridiculed online, which devastated her public image beyond repair.

Sae-ron’s family claims that Gold Medalist (Soo-Hyun’s agency) had agreed to cover her legal fees regarding the incident. However, instead of honoring that agreement, the company switched its stance, taking legal action against Sae-Ron for repayment while ignoring her requests for more time to settle the issue.

It’s stated that Sae-Ron was continually ignored by Soo-Hyun. Sae-Ron’s family lawyer said that Sae-Ron posting this photo of them together on Instagram was her desperate attempt to get his attention but she was berated by netizens—his fans.

Soo-Hyun denied those claims during Monday’s press conference, stating that Sae-ron did not make, “the tragic choice because of me or my agency pressuring her over a debt.”

“Many people are suffering because of me,” Soo-hyun added, seemingly apologizing to his fans and staff. “I also feel sorry that the late actress [Kim Sae-ron] isn’t able to rest in peace.”

He couldn’t even summon the human decency to say her name. Instead, he offered hollow words and a soulless apology to his fans and staff while, in the same breath, suing her grieving family.

Despite Soo-Hyun denying any inappropriate relations with a minor and having a legal team providing text messages to back his claims. Sae-Ron’s family refuted these claims by revealing original Kakao talk messages between Sae-Ron and her cousin.

In one of those messages, Sae-Ron wrote:

“I was 16 years old, and my partner was 30. Our 6-year relationship came to an end just like that. Since I was born to become an actress, during the season when my company and management were about to renew their contract, I was looking into other companies. While I was discussing a contract with my ex-partner's company, I ended up signing a contract with the Gold Medalist without considering the contract terms and conditions. I took on roles such as new talent casting and visual directing without hesitation, but I would like to make it clear that I did not receive any fair compensation for this work.”

Alongside this, Garosero Institute published screenshots showing the following text:

Red box text:
"The photo uploaded to the story is from 2016. The relationship lasted from November 19, 2015, to July 7, 2021. I was 16 years old, and my partner was 30 years old. Thus, our six-year relationship came to an end."

Yellow text:
"The original clearly specifies the date of the photo and the duration of the relationship."

This directly contradicts Soo-Hyun’s defense.

The full translated messages can be found here. And the original article in Korean, with a side-by-side comparison of Soo-Hyun claims and Garosero Institute’s original messages (including screenshots and a video scrolling through the conversation), can be found here.

Since the allegations surfaced, Soo-hyun has been dropped and collaborations have ended with companies including Parada, Dinito, and Disney+, which has reportedly paused a show starring him.

The press conference took no questions, but one brave reporter, a woman, spoke up at the end. I can't translate her exact words—my Korean is a bit cooked—but essentially, she asked: "When did you first meet Kim Sae-Ron?"

The actor did not acknowledge or answer the question, likely because admitting it would mean he would have to confront the uncomfortable truth:

He met her when she was around 12 years old. He was 25-26.

Kim Sae-ron, you deserved better. 편히 쉬세요.

CINEMACON DAY 2

Day 2 of CinemaCon was all about Lionsgate and Warner Bros! However, to some fans' disappointment, there weren’t many new announcements or major updates regarding the DC Universe. A bit underwhelming—but we ball. This Hollywood Bulletin is a bit short, sorry y’all😔✊🏾.

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TL;DR

• Dynamic Duo, featuring purely puppetry animation and stunning cinematography, was showcased in brief footage at CinemaCon.

• David Fincher will direct a sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood for Netflix, with Quentin Tarantino writing the script. Brad Pitt is expected to return, and Leonardo DiCaprio is in talks to reprise his role.

  

• The Conjuring: Last Rites will be the final film in the mainline Conjuring franchise, following the Warrens' last case. It releases on September 5.

• Joseph Kosinski’s F1 premiered the first 10 minutes at CinemaCon.

• Now You See Me 3 debuted its first trailer at CinemaCon, revealing that the original group has disbanded. J. Daniel Atlas (played by Jesse Eisenberg) teams up with newcomers Dominic Sessa and Ariana Greenblatt. Now You See Me 4 is also in the works, with the third film releasing on November 14.

• A new trailer for Bring Her Back, a horror film from Talk To Me directors Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou, drops on May 30.

• Billy Ray, a writer on the first Hunger Games, will pen the script for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, slated for release on November 20, 2026. Casting is currently underway.

• Luca Guadagnino confirmed that work is underway for a new American Psycho film, with talks ongoing with potential leads.

• John Wick spin-off Caine, starring Donnie Yen, is moving forward with Yen set to direct and star.

• A Warner Bros. sizzle reel at CinemaCon featured Scorpion from Mortal Kombat 2 shouting his iconic line: "Get over here!"

• The Housemaid trailer premiered at CinemaCon, starring Sydney Sweeney as a live-in maid tormented by a couple, played by Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar.

• Zach Cregger’s new horror film Weapons follows a town where an entire classroom of children mysteriously disappears overnight. Starring Alden Ehrenreich, Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, and Benedict Wong.

• The Long Walk, an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, will be released on September 12, starring Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Ben Wang, Charlie Plummer, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill.

• Good Fortune premiered its first trailer at CinemaCon.

• New animated Tom & Jerry, Looney Tunes, and Flintstones films are currently in development.

• Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride debuted exclusive footage at CinemaCon.

• Three new John Wick films were confirmed at CinemaCon.

• Karate Kid: Legends’s new trailer has been released and will be in theaters on May 30.

• Caine, a John Wick spin-off starring Donnie Yen, is moving forward with Yen set to direct and star.

• HBO's The Last of Us podcast will return for season 2, with Troy Baker, Neil Druckmann, and Craig Mazin coming back.

• The Cat in the Hat star Bill Hader took the stage at CinemaCon, where footage was shown.

  ---

The domestic box office saw a steep Monday slump, with Snow White leading at $1.34M, but its -69.5% drop from Sunday spells trouble for Disney’s latest live-action remake. The film has earned $68.2M in 11 days, but weak weekday numbers suggest it may not have the legs to go the distance. The film reportedly cost $250-270 million to make.

Meanwhile, Amazon MGM’s A Working Man is proving to be a surprise contender, pulling in $1.28M on its fourth day and boasting a strong per-theater average of $392, higher than Snow White.

Captain America: Brave New World is nearing $200M domestically, though its daily earnings are slowing down. Though Dog Man continues to power along with $97.3M in 60 days, proving that family films have some staying power 🥸

That’s it for today! Until next time

CINEMACON DAY ONE

CinemaCon kicked off yesterday! The annual convention for the movie theater industry is home to exclusive footage, first-look reveals, and major announcements for highly anticipated films. The event runs until April 3, and today was all about Sony Pictures Entertainment. SPIDER-MAN, BITCHES. I’m getting ahead of myself. The top reveals of CinemaCon Day One are down below!

TL;DR

• Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse will hit theaters on June 4, 2027.

• Tom Holland’s Spider-Man film, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is set for release on July 31, 2026.

• Nathan Fillion will reprise his role as Guy Gardner in the upcoming Lanterns HBO series.

• Shailene Woodley has been cast in a major role for Paradise Season 2.

• Wizards Beyond Waverly Place has been renewed for a second season.

• Halle Berry is reportedly close to finalizing a deal to return as Storm in Avengers: Doomsday (source: DanielRPK).

• Production on House of the Dragon Season 3 has officially begun.

• A new photo of Milly Alcock on the Supergirl set has been released.

• Princess Mononoke was re-released in IMAX, earning $1.2 million domestically on Thursday.

• The first look at the Beatles biopic cast has been revealed:

  • Harris Dickinson as John Lennon

  • Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney

  • Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr

  • Joseph Quinn as George Harrison

  • The four-film event will be released in theaters in April 2028.

• The Chainsaw Man movie will premiere in theaters on October 29.

• Jake Kasdan is set to return as director for Jumanji 3, which will hit theaters in December 2026.

• Takashi Yamazaki is moving forward with his first English-language film, Grandgear.

• Jason Mamoa confims he is returning for Dune 3. “If you didn’t read the books, it’s notmy fault.'“ He adds.

• Karate Kid: Legends trailer showcased at CinemaCon.

• Footage from I Know What You Did Last Summer reveals Freddie Prinze Jr.'s character returning at a town hall meeting about a series of summer murders.

• A Big, Bold, Beautiful Journey will star Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell as strangers traveling together through a red door that takes them into their memories.

• Zach Cregger says his Resident Evil film will focus on a single protagonist navigating a descent into hellish territory. It is set to release in September 2026.

• The first trailer for Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing showcases Austin Butler looking after an unstable, mohawk-wearing Matt Smith’s apartment—until multiple crime families come looking for Smith’s character.

• The first footage from Beyond the Spider-Verse reveals Miles and Gwen reuniting and Miles fighting The Prowler before embarking on an adventure with him. The animation style introduces new innovative techniques.

• Cillian Murphy is officially set to return in the 28 Years Later trilogy.

LOTS OF SPIDER NEWS AT CINEMACON AND MORE…🕷️🕸️

Spiderman

CinemaCon revlead to fans and move theatre owners alike, the the first look of Beyond the Spider-Verse. Producer Phil Lord spoke at the con saying, “It’s going to be a massive finale to the trilogy.” He hinted that Miles starts the film as a fugitive, on the run from every Spider in the multiverse, and cryptically added, “Gwen and his other friends may or may not be enough to help him save the family that’s been the leading part of the entire system.”

I wasn’t in the room (because I live on the freaking East Coast), but Variety reported that the footage showed Miles defiantly declaring that he’s done letting people tell him how his story should go. Gwen and his Spidey allies also made brief appearances in the teaser—which hasn’t been released to the public yet.

Lord ended the presentation by emphasizing that Beyond the Spider-Verse is meant for the biggest screens possible, promising: “We are prepping this movie especially for your large-format screens. It looks insane.”

Oh, and we finally have a release date: June 4, 2027

I’m fine. Totally fine.

But luckily to hold us over, Marvel and Sony’s collaborative Spider-Man film is coming before then.

Brand New Day

Tom Holland’s fourth Spider-Man movie is officially titled Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and in a pre-recorded message, Holland acknowledged the No Way Home cliffhanger, saying, “It’s a fresh new start. That’s all I can say.”

Fans are already speculating that the movie could adapt One More Day—a controversial comic arc where Peter Parker makes a deal with Mephisto to save a dying Aunt May. But honestly? I think we’re safe. Since you know. This happened 😃.

Yeah… but in other news, people are still trying to figure out who the hell Sadie Sink is playing in the film. Some fans are convinced she’s the “official” Mary Jane Watson—because apparently, Zendaya’s Michelle Jones-Watson being literally called MJ throughout the previous trilogy still isn’t enough for some people. But hey, whatever helps them sleep at night.

Others believe Sink may be set up as Jean Grey for the MCU’s inevitable X-Men lineup. Honestly? At this point, it’s anyone’s guess.

28 Years Later

I really hope this resurgence of The Last of Us, 28 Years Later, and The Walking Dead spin-offs sets us back into our zombie TV and movie era. This subgenre will always have a special place in my heart—especially since World War Z sequels were never finished, and I need at least a damn script to keep me from tweaking.

But back to the important part.

28 Years Later picks up—just like the title says—28 years after the rage virus spread across the globe. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and newcomer Alfie Williams must journey from their island to the English mainland, where it’s been nearly three decades since the infection began… and these zombies are hungry🧟‍♂️.

Danny Boyle, director of the film, spoke at the convention, confirming Cillian Murphy's return and teasing, "Like all good things in life, you may have to wait a little while for him to make his appearance."

The Beatles 🥁

Director Sam Mendes took to the stage at CinemaCon last night and revealed the cast poster for the four feature films set to release in April 2028. The four films will be framed from the perspective of each band member onstage. Set to star in the films are Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.

Mendes claimed that Sony film head Tom Rothman called the projects “the first binge-able theatrical experience.” After hitting the stage, all four actors recited lyrics from the band’s song “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and then took a Beatles-style synchronized bow. First bingeable movie experience? Sounds kinda cool to me.

Resident Evil

Literally foaming at the mouth writing this because when I tell you I’m such a hardcore Resident Evil fan, I’m not new to this—I’m true to it 😔✊🏾.

Obviously, nothing has been shot yet, but Zach Cregger still stopped by CinemaCon to tell movie theater owners about his rendition of the beloved horror game franchise, teasing his version as “unlike any of the previous films” and a “wild ride.”

“My movie will be built in the spirit of those games and follows one central protagonist from point A to point B, as they descend deeper into hell,” he added.

It was reported earlier in the week that Austin Abrams—most may remember him from his role in Euphoria as Ethan—was in early talks to star in the reboot. There’s also been speculation about Mikey Madison being offered the lead role in the film, but again, this is all speculation. Sony has made no official announcements regarding casting.

Regarding the plot itself, it was rumored by Daniel “DanielRPK” Richtman, who shared some insights into the story via his Patreon. According to Richtman, the Resident Evil movie may focus on a totally new character, as opposed to the well-established ones we already know.

“The upcoming Resident Evil film follows a hapless courier tasked with delivering a package to a remote hospital,” Richtman said. “He finds himself caught in the middle of an outbreak and must fight through hordes of mutated creatures to survive.”

Based on that, it seems like Cregger may be going with an original new story. As a fan, I’m not sure how I feel about that. I mean, I’d love feature films centered around each game with our favorite characters like Leon, Claire, Jill, Chris, etc., but I would be bummed again if they weren’t done right. So, maybe a new story wouldn’t be so bad. I don’t know, but I can’t lie and say I’m not a little excited about the prospect.

The film will release next year, on September 18, 2026.

Minecraft

Since the initial announcement, fans have been hesitant about what to expect from A Minecraft movie. And when the trailer dropped? Oh, the internet definitely had thoughts, especially on whether the visuals were worthy of the beloved game. But surprisingly, early reviews for Warner Bros. A Minecraft movie are shockingly positive? Critics are praising its comedic moments, vibrant world, and stellar performances from Jack Black and Jason Momoa.

“‘Minecraft Movie’ is an AWFUL… lot of fun! Director Jared Hess’s signature awkward/random humor had me audibly cackling several times. The VFX are impressive, even if the humans stick out. Its biggest faults are in its story & underdeveloped leads. Still, though, pretty entertaining.” — Journalist Cris Parker

“Jack Black & Jason Momoa is the combination I didn’t know I needed.” — Grace Randolph

As someone who was a hardcore Minecraft player back in middle school, I gotta say—I’m pleased. Sounds like Minecraft is actually a faithful adaptation.

A Minecraft Movie hits theaters this Friday, April 4th.

That’s all for today, folks. It’s 2 am and I feel like my computer screen is burning my retinas.

UNTIL NEXT TIME!

A STORY THAT MATTERS

The Academy has apologized after more than 700 voters called out the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for not naming No Other Land director Hamdan Ballal in its initial statement after he was attacked on March 24, 2025.

“On Wednesday, we sent a letter in response to reports of violence against Oscar winner Hamdan Ballal, co-director of No Other Land, connected to his artistic expression. We regret that we failed to directly acknowledge Mr. Ballal and the film by name. We sincerely apologize to Mr. Ballal and all artists who felt unsupported by our previous statement and want to make it clear that the Academy condemns violence of this kind anywhere in the world. We abhor the suppression of free speech under any circumstances.”

The Academy Board of Governors met yesterday morning over their response to the beating and abduction of Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal--one of the directors of No Other Land. A new statement has been composed and signed by leading members of the Academy—including actors such as Olivia Colman, Joaquin Phoenix, Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Emma Thompson, and directors Ava DuVernay, Errol Morris, Adam McKay, Jonathan Glazer, and writer Tony Kushner—pressing for a more proactive response to Ballal’s treatment by Israeli authorities.

The latest letter has been signed by more than 600 Academy members, representing every AMPAS branch. The letter holds the Academy's president, Janet Yang, and CEO, Bill Kramer, culpable for issuing a tardy and apathetic response regarding Ballal’s attack. The original letter did not mention Ballal's name or the title of the Academy Award-winning film. It was only after Yuval Abraham, an Israeli co-director of No Other Land, publicly posted on Twitter about Ballal’s kidnapping and assault—calling out the Academy for not speaking out on the matter—that the issue gained more attention.

This is the full list of filmmakers and signatories as of Friday morning, Pacific time. The letter is reported to still be circulating, so expect more names to be added.

TL;DR

• Paradise Season 2 has begun filming.

• Hollywood studios are asking YouTube to ensure ad revenue from fake AI movie trailers of their IP flows in their direction rather than being claimed through copyright.

• Joshua Orpin joins the cast of Jenn Kaytin Robinson’s I Know What You Did Last Summer.

• All episodes of the sitcom Mid-Century Modern are now streaming on Hulu.

• Death of a Unicorn is now playing in theaters.

• The live-action Legend of Zelda film will officially release on March 26, 2027.

• After six years, Matthew McConaughey is back on screen in the film The Rivals of Amziah King.

• Warfare debuts at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Stars ensemble cast D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Taylor John Smith, Michael Gandolfini, Adain Bradley, Noah Centineo, Evan Holtzman, Henry Zaga, Joseph Quinn, and Charles Melton.

• The Accountant 2 garners 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. Starring Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, J.K. Simmons.

• The Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement got 275M digital views, making it Marvel’s biggest livestream ever.

• James Patterson and MrBeast are writing a thriller novel together. Film and TV rights are being shopped with “8-figure offers”.

• Jasmine Cephas Jones has been cast in Lanterns.

• A film adaptation of Christopher Golden’s supernatural horror Road of Bones is in the works from Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill.

• Chandler Kinney joins the cast of the Legally Blonde prequel series.

Posters

• First poster for The Villager in the live-action Minecraft movie.

  

• The IMAX poster for Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan, has been released. In theaters April 18.

Support

• Cast members from The Pitt visited Children's Hospital Los Angeles to support the 10th Annual Make March Matter campaign.

  

Actor Spotlight

Number One on the Call Sheet is a two-part documentary celebrating the achievements of Black actors in Hollywood.

The documentary is divided into two parts, one for the black men in Hollywood and one for black women. Part one is directed by Reginald Hudlin and features Will Smith, Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington, Michael B. Jordan, Kevin Hart, Taye Diggs, Marlon Wayans, Morris Chestnut, and more. The actors share their testimonies and experiences as Black men both on screen and behind the scenes.

The second half of the documentary is directed by Shola Lynch, who explores the collective experiences of Black actresses navigating Hollywood success. Actresses featured include Whoopi Goldberg, Angela Bassett, Viola Davis, Halle Berry, Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and more.

Number One on the Call Sheet is available on Apple TV+ now.

Lili Reinhart wins Best Actress for Hal & Harper at Series Mania.

Lili Reinhart won Best Actress for Hal & Harper at France’s Series Mania, one of Europe’s grandest TV festivals. The indie dramedy series follows two siblings—Hal (director Cooper Raiff) and university senior Harper (Reinhart), an entry-level administrative assistant—who toil with cycles of past trauma and codependency 15 years after their mother’s suicide sent their father (Mark Ruffalo) into depression.

That’s all the news! Until next time 👋🏾

Snow White came out last week, and since 2022, 3 years before its release, the film had already had a significant amount of negative press. However, I couldn't help but notice it reached a boiling point, more recently, in unimaginable lengths. The film bolsters a score of—at the time of my writing— 42% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and an audience score of 74%. The film's budget was above 250 million (the number fluctuates from article to article—so a guesstimate), and last Sunday, it opened with $43 million in ticket sales. But none of these numbers are shocking; in fact, they were expected. And it may be all because of one common denominator...

Rachel Zegler.

Rachel Zegler was born May 3, 2001. Throughout her childhood she became enthralled with musical theater at the age of four and began taking voice and acting lessons by the age of 12. In highschool, Zegler began starring in several musicals, playing roles such as Belle in Beauty and the Beast (2016), Ariel in The Little Mermaid (2017), Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street (2018), and Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical (2019).

Throughout her adolescence, she’d run a YouTube channel that was active from July 2015 to August 2023, which garnered media coverage and critical praise for her performances. In January 2018, director Steven Spielberg posted an open casting call via Twitter for his new film adaptation of West Side Story.

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Zegler, 16 at the time, responded to the casting call. She was selected out of 30,000 applicants for the role of Maria and made her film debut in 2021. Zegler would then go on to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, making her the first actress of Colombian descent to win in that category as well as the youngest winner in that category at 20 years old.

Since then, she’s starred as Lucy Gray Baird in the Hunger Games prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Anthea in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and made her Broadway debut last fall as Juliet in a musical adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

The star’s career has been nothing short of magical: she was listed on The Ringer’s The Big Picture podcast's list of “top 35 actors under 35”, included in Forbes’ “30 under 30” class of 2022, and named one of AP Entertainment’s Breakthrough Entertainers of 2021. Initially not invited to the 94th Academy Awards—despite West Side Story receiving seven nominations, including best picture.

Luckily, after confirming to a fan on social media who had asked about her lack of an invitation. She was then backed by thousands online and was not only invited to the Oscars, but also as a presenter.

It all sounds like a fairy tale: a musical-theatre prodigy, a Golden Globe winner, a performer at the 64th annual Grammy Awards in honor of Stephen Sondheim— all by the age of twenty. The grandeur of it all.

But what was once her voice of reason, social media, is now the center of growing backlash.

Casting

It'd been two years since the announcement of Halle Bailey taking on the titular lead of Ariel in the live-action Little Mermaid, and audiences around the world were still up in arms about the race-swapping. That same crowd would then turn its sights on Rachel zegler in June of 2021, despite her Polish descent. Though it is worth mentioning she is also of Colombian descent, it would make Rachel Zegler the first live-action Latina princess.

Either way, the audience was not happy.

The general consensus? Rachel Zegler just wasn’t pale enough. “Snow White is called Snow White because her skin is as white as snow,” they’d argue. Others claimed her features were “too Latin” for a character rooted in German folklore, or that she simply just didn’t have the look for Snow White.

Though I’d argue she does. She has the hair (as pictured above), we’ve seen her sing and act—she’s a Golden Globe winner—and she has proven ability to play innocence and nativity through her role of Maria. She has the ultimate toolkit to play as Snow White, but because she’s two shades darker than the cartoon, her character is being pulverized? GUYS, GIVE ME A BREAK.

The official Snow White trailer has racked up 15 million views—with 65,000 likes and…1.9 million dislikes. (I had to get a browser extension to see the dislikes—this is real journalism.)

Now sure, some people are angry about the casting—but that’s not Rachel’s fault. That decision is made by the casting director, producers, director, and Disney. A group decision.

So, what has Rachel actually done to garner this much backlash? Nothing to be honest, but I’m getting ahead of myself. She just rode the wave of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and her breakout role as Maria in West Side Story, which, by the way, she was phenomenal in. Highly recommend.

But what in the world could make the world, mainly those from the right side of the political aisle, hate her so much that Disney even had to scale back the premiere of their first animated Disney princess?

I present to you—

THE INTERVIEW.

Here’s a mini transcript if you don’t care to watch:

When asked about defining the modern edge of the film, Rachel zegler clarifies by saying, “…It’s no longer 1997.” She says in a condescending tone. She continues, “We absolutely wrote a snow white—”

Gal Gadot chimes in from behind. “—She’s not gonna be saved by the prince.”

Rachel agrees, adding on, “…And she’s not gonna be dreaming about true love, she’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and the leader that her late father told her that she could be. If she was fearless, fair, brave, and true. And so, it’s just a really incredible story for I think young people everywhere to see themselves in.”

This interview was the fuel to the fire.

I personally didn’t find it offensive as some have. Maybe it’s because I’ve never seen the original snow white—I wasn’t a Disney kid, let me breathe. Or maybe because it’s obvious to me she’s poking fun… and it’s as simple as that? But as the internet usually does, it ruffled some feathers, and people took it to heart. From there onward, everything snowballed as more press snippets of Rachel speaking about the film began making it’s rounds. So let’s go through it, shall we? Rapid fire.

Things that Rachel said that have everyone raising their pitchforks:

• “I was scared of the original cartoon. I think I watched it once and never picked it up again.”

• “There’s a big focus on her love story—with a guy that literally stalks her. Weird, weird, weird.”

• “It’s really not about the love story at all…”

• “…If I’m gonna stand there for 18 hours in a dress as an iconic Disney princess, I deserve to be paid for every hour that it is streamed online.”

You can find them all here ☟

Now granted, it sounds a little bad or at the very least that she may not be a huge fan of snow white—which is fine because at the end of the day this is a job. But listen, a lot of these are taken out of context.

“I was scared of the original cartoon. I think I watched it once and never picked it up again.”

Granted. If I were a little kid watching this—GIRL, I would’ve been scared too.

“…If I’m gonna stand there for 18 hours in a dress as an iconic Disney princess, I deserve to be paid for every hour that it is streamed online.”

She said this at a SAG-AFTRA rally. A rally advocating for actors to receive liveable wages and appropriate rights to their works…it’s like I say these things, and it goes over some of these people’s heads. Likewise, nobody quotes the rest of the interview where she praises the film, the crew, and calls this the biggest dream of hers: Linked here.

Update March 30th: Found this TikTok that completely encompasses my thoughts:

@bardboytroyReplying to @dianulad I recommend this video by my mutual Sadie for more:@sadie rose but I had to include these clips directly in this conversation #greenscreen #fyp #rachelzegler #controversial #disney #snowwhite #media #analysis

Tiktok failed to load.

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And making it this far, I still can’t help but laugh that people are this hell bent on hating her. Sure she said some unlikeable comments(deemed by some) about the original film—but it’s clear as day that Rachel zegler was simply poking fun, even if there we’re true sentiments to her statements. And quite honestly, the comments weren’t even that bad.

It’s odd, really. The side that constantly praises being tolerant and unemotional are the ones creating thousands of edited thumbnails of Rachel Zegler in unnatural, exaggerated, angry/emotional poses. These are the people writing think pieces about a 21-year-old’s dumb comments about… a cartoon.

Right….” Weird, weird, weird.”

Then the nail on the coffin…

Politics

Before the whole presidential election comment fiasco, there was D23. After the Snow White teaser trailer premiered at the fan event, it had reached 120 million views in 24 hours. Rachel would go on to thank supporters and follow up on social media by posting, “…and always remember, free palestine.”

Her statement reached 8.8 million views and it’s reported that Disney was shocked that she could potentially squander the promotion of the film with a political statement. Allegedly, a Disney executive raised the studio’s concerns to Zegler’s team, and even film producer Marc Platt flew to New York to speak with her directly. However, Zegler stood her ground, and the post remained for all to see.

As stated by Tatiana Siegel’s Variety article, “Behind the scenes, death threats toward Zegler’s co-star Gal Gadot, who is Israeli, spiked, and Disney had to pay for additional security for the mother of four.”

“She didn’t understand the repercussions of her actions as far as what that meant for the film, for Gal, for anyone,” says one insider.

I do believe it’s fair to point out that in an interview with Cosmopolitan, Zegler said the following:

“There was a lot of harassment from a certain group of people—they were showing up at my apartment and screaming profanities.”

People came to her apartment. Literally, terrifying. Though Siegel fails to mention or question whether Zegler had security provided for as well, which I think is worth noting. But I digress. It’s also interesting to see that Mark Ruffalo has been vocal for Palestine for several years now, yet his relationship with Disney doesn’t seem to have unraveled?

I’m just saying. It’s an OBSERVATION 👋🏾👁️✋🏾.

Three months after the re-election of Donald Trump, Zegler took to Instagram and wrote the following, “Fuck Donald Trump” and “May Trump supporters … and Trump himself never know peace.”

I knew the moment I saw her Instagram story that there would be WWIII. Unlike some people 🤠, I don’t care what she wrote; I rock with the First Amendment. As a matter of fact. Fuck that nigga.

But.

I knew her remark—this remark—would draw significant criticism. And if you couldn’t tell by now, I like Rachel Zegler and only want the best for her. And well, this statement did exactly that. With even well-known conservative commentators like Megyn Kelly demanding Zegler be fired from Disney’s live-action Snow White.

In response to the backlash, Rachel posted the following:

“Hi everyone, I would like to sincerely apologize for the election post I shared on my Instagram last week. I let my emotions get the best of me,” Zegler wrote on Instagram. “Hatred and anger have caused us to move further and further away from peace and understanding, and I am sorry I contributed to the negative discourse.” She continued, “This week has been emotional for so many of us, but I firmly believe that everyone has the right to their opinion, even when it differs from my own. I am committed to contributing positively toward a better tomorrow.”

Which—

To complete my statement from earlier. Zegler was not the common denominator for box office number sales flopping. Yes, her statements may have influenced some audiences’ perceptions, which were blown out of unimaginable proportions. But there were and are several factors as to the film’s disappointing results:

• The film was over $250-270 million. There’s no reason films—especially this film—should have the same budget as Captain America: Civil War.

• Disney faced criticism for not casting little people in the role of the dwarfs. Even Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage spoke out about the controversy:

“Literally no offense to anything, but I was sort of taken aback,” he said. “They were very proud to cast a Latino actress as Snow White, but you’re still telling the story of ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.’ Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me. You’re progressive in one way, but you’re still making that fucking backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together. Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough.”

• The film faced even more backlash when everyone assumed this leaked image was of the seven dwarfs. But in the film, they are referred to as the ‘bandits’. It has not been confirmed if they were supposed to originally play the seven dwarfs.

And several more reasons, but you get the deal. None of this is solely on Rachel, there was controversy in all departments. Social media can be such a dark place, and Rachel Zegler is a talented young woman who expresses kindness in many ways. I think this is greatly overlooked by the public disclosure. I’d even argue that most people aren’t even sure why they dislike her so much— they’re simply told to do so by the influx on social media and peers.

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I can only hope that Rachel Zegler is protecting her peace. Especially monitoring her intake of social media, because this level of hate she’s been subjected to is merciless. I believe that regardless of what political party you support or what you thought of the film, the amount of vitriol is excessive. And I guess that’s my point in all of this. To point out how crazy this whole scenario has become and how incredibly taxing it must be for Rachel to navigate all this.

Because this:

This is not normal.

On the bright side, Rahcel is still living her best life and is set to make her West End debut as Eva Perón in a revival of the classic musical Evita. The production will run at the London Palladium from June to September 2025.

So I hope this little analysis gave you some insight into the discourse around Rachel and why it’s pretty dumb. Do you agree with me? Let me know in the comments below. Or if you happen to disagree with me, we can dish it out in the comments below as well, but respectfully🫵🏾🥸.

That’s all for today. If you liked this analysis, please feel free to subscribe and/or become a paid subscriber. You can get analyses like this one for as low as $5 a month.

Free promo because I can

I’m launching another Substack pretty soon! This substack is all about girlhood, navigating being a young adult, being just a girl, crying about the job market, and more! Okay, bye now!🩰*ੈ✩‧₊˚

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚the adult girl diaries 𐙚🧸ྀི

By Chakya Williams

TL; DR

• Zendaya will star as Ronnie Spector in Be My Baby, directed by Barry Jenkins.

• The Avengers: Doomsday casting reveal lasted 5 hours, featuring a mix of Avengers, Thunderbolts, and some surprises. The film is set for release on May 1, 2026.

• A live-action Scooby-Doo series is being reimagined by Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg for Netflix.

• Mel Gibson’s sequel to The Passion of the Christ will begin production in August.

• Governor Newsom has proposed increasing California’s film and television tax credit from $330 million to $750 million annually to attract more productions to the state.

• Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building has cast Renée Zellweger.

• Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 will be released in less than a week.

• CBS is eyeing a Yellowstone spinoff series starring Luke Grimes & Spencer Hudnut.

• Watson has been renewed for Season 2 at CBS.

• Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired the RED SONJA movie.

• Severance cast appeared at a pop-up in London, following the Season 2 finale.

• Ahsoka Season 2 has officially begun filming.

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Hot Stories

A24’s First Biopic

Zendaya is set to star as Ronnie Spector in a biopic titled, Be My Baby, directed by Barry Jenkins (Moonlight, Mufasa: The Lion King, If Beale Street Could Talk). Jenkins and Spector discussed wanting a version of the story that immerses audiences in her life with troubled producer Phil Spector, instead of the typical cradle-to-grave biopic. Before her passing, Ronnie Spector selected Zendaya to play her in the upcoming film.

Doomsday Chairs

Marvel’s livestream yesterday featured actor chairs for 15 minutes at a time, totaling up to 5 hours. The notable surprises towards the end of the live stream, which concluded with Robert Downey Jr. The production is officially underway with a release date set for May 1, 2026.

The list of actors included and not included on the livestream, and if you’re feeling a bit cynical, the five hour long livestream can be found here.

California Tax Credit Proposal

California is considering enhancements to its film and television tax credit program to attract productions back to the state. Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed increasing the annual tax credit from $330 million to $750 million. This proposal aims to revitalize the local entertainment industry, which has faced lasting challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, labor strikes, mergers and acquisitions, and the recent wildfires that California is still recovering from.

Additionally, the California Film Commission has awarded tax credits to a record 43 independent films, signaling a positive trend in local production.

New Scooby-Doo Series Coming to Netflix

A new live-action Scooby-Doo series is being reimagined by showrunners Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg. The series will follow Shaggy and Daphne in a haunting mystery involving a lost Great Dane puppy. The show will be produced by Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. As Scooby-doo’s number one fan since the literal womb. Netflix, please, cook.

Yesterday was a trip. Marvel live-streamed for a whopping 5 hours, revealing the cast members for Avengers: Doomsday. The live stream hit 90,000 viewers on YouTube, and I remember seeing on Twitter that it peaked from 2 million to 4.7 million in just an hour and a half. I, of course, did not watch, because I love my sanity.

Anyway! Here are the names revealed yesterday:

• Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom

• Chris Hemsworth as Thor

• Tom Hiddleston as Loki

• Paul Rudd as Ant-Man

• Simu Liu as Shang-Chi

• Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards

• Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm

• Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm

• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing

• Lewis Pullman as Sentry

• Ian McKellen as Magneto

• Sebastian Stan as Bucky

• Kelsey Grammer as Beast

• James Marsden as Cyclops

• Channing Tatum as Gambit

• Rebecca Romijn as Mystique

• Patrick Stewart as Professor X

• Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler

• Letitia Wright as Black Panther

• Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor

• Danny Ramirez as Falcon

• Anthony Mackie as Captain America

• Florence Pugh as Yelena

• Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent

• David Harbour as Red Guardian

• Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost

• Winston Duke as M’Baku

Cast Not Included:

• Chris Evans as Captain America

• Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter

• Mark Ruffalo as Hulk

• Danai Gurira as Okoye

• Chris Pratt as Star-Lord

• Charlie Cox as Daredevil

• Benedict Wong as Wong

• Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel

• Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye

• Tom Holland as Spider-Man

• Oscar Isaac as Moon Knight

• Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie

• Evangeline Lilly as The Wasp

• Paul Bettany as White Vision

• Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk

• Don Cheadle as War Machine

• Brie Larson as Captain Marvel

• Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster

• Dominique Thorne as Ironheart

• Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury

• Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop

• Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch

• Dakota Johnson as Madame Web

• Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez

• Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau

• Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange

MY 🐐’S ARE BACK!! 😭

I’m so excited to see Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart on our screens again and of course, our other members of the X-Men. But I still can’t help but ask where are Storm (Halle Berry) and Jean (Famke Janssen)? Not to mention, Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), who was last seen with Beast (Kelsey Grammer) and in a whole other universe. And how could I forget— MY QUEEN WANDA (Elizabeth Olsen)?

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But fear not!

According to THR, their sources say, “…that even with 26 actors announced, Marvel isn’t done revealing the entire cast. However, when and how the next unveiling will happen is unclear.” So at least there’s hope.

Everything about Avengers: Doomsday has been pretty hush-hush considering the film's significance. The Russos also told The Hollywood Reporter about the difficulty of casting actors and the large pool of characters. They confirmed in their interview that they use baseball cards featuring every Marvel actor and character. They also did this while working on Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.

“Now they have magnets on them so we can put 'em on a board and look at 'em. It’s the only way to keep track of the amount of characters that we’re working with,” said Joe Russo.

Anthony Russo chimed in, “And as far as how we look at who’s in the movies, it’s just a long creative process of exploring where we want to take the story. What is the most surprising and exciting area for us to push into, and which characters help us in that effort?”

So, what do we know so far?

We know that Doomsday, originally titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, has undergone several changes since it was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022. Since you know… never mind.

Although an official synopsis for the movie hasn’t been released yet. The comics could tease what’s in store. In 2011, a multi-issue comic was released titled Ultimate Comics: Doomsday, in which the Fantastic Four teamed up with various Marvel superheroes to stop a mysterious villain trying to destroy their timeline. Some fans theorize the film could also pull from the comic Time Runs Out.

It’s a crossover event where the Avengers and Illuminati struggle to prevent the collapse of the Multiverse. Alternate realities begin to merge and unravel. Ultimately leading into the Secret Wars event.

But it’s all speculation at this point.

Tell me your thoughts in the comments below! What do you think about the casting? Any predictions or theories on the plot? Let’s clank our brain cells together.

Doomsday is set to release May 1, 2026, while the follow-up Avengers: Secret Wars is scheduled for May 7, 2027.

The British limited series Adolescence, starring newcomer Owen Cooper, is a masterclass into the prepubescent male psyche. The show is filmed continuously in one-take across all four episodes—which at first admittedly, I believed was a gimmick. I mean we see this all the time now. But in this case, I argue it did its job in serving the narrative and it allowed for the show to feel like you've been dropped into a really, really bad Tuesday morning.

Aside from the outstanding cast, and crew—because god, I can only imagine the stress behind the scenes. The show lifts the curtain on the disturbing and increasingly relevant issue: young boys indulging in red pill/ incel content and thinking. Now if you are living under a rock, or possibly over the age of 35, and are unaware of what these terms mean.

The “red pill” is slang for a political ideology that's often misogynistic, homophobic, and racist. Meanwhile, "incels" (short for involuntary celibates) are typically young men who are unable to attract women romantically or sexually and have a hostile view towards women.

Incels usually start becoming radicalized around the ages of 16 —25. However, Adolescence uniquely delves into a younger audience of boys. In the digital age, social media plays a massive role in shaping young minds, and the series doesn’t shy away from its impact. One of the most striking moments in the show is its reference to Andrew Tate. A controversial figure arrested in 2022 on accusations of luring women to Romania and sexually exploiting them.

Social media has had a large impact on young boys. A study by Netsanity stated, “Boys will compare themselves to other boys on social media or even men that they see on TV and in print ads. Today, boys as young as 6-8 are already developing issues with their body image because of things that they have seen through social media, television, and even from offline experiences.”

This struggle is embodied in the character Jamie (Owen Cooper), who desperately craves validation from both his father and his psychologist, played by Erin Doherty—neither of whom provides it.

The show highlights how this simple neglect, combined with rising depression among youth, makes preadolescent boys particularly vulnerable to radicalization. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, about 3 million teens ages 12 to 17 had had at least one major depressive episode in 2015. About 30% of girls and 20% of boys – 6.3 million teens – have had an anxiety disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Furthermore, experts agree that this is likely on the low end since young people, especially boys, often don’t talk about depression and anxiety issues to parents or friends.

Again a study done in 2015. Before the global pandemic upended our lives, before we were confined to our homes, glued to our phones, and more susceptible to online influence. Now, Social media does have its good qualities. The sense of community is the biggest, but it can also isolate and make feelings of loneliness more intense and intensify harmful self-comparisons.

When these young boys find community online through these red pill influences and feel validated—these ideologies don’t just stay behind the screen—they spill into real life. I’ve witnessed it firsthand, whether online, through friends, or in the attitudes of their younger siblings. Adolescence serves as both a gripping drama but also as an urgent PSA, reminding us to be more mindful of a child’s social media access and presence. Left unchecked it can have damaging consequences to not only them but, for the people around them.

Nearly four years after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) is back in the limelight with his own film, Captain America: Brave New World. Before the film’s release, the review embargos were lifted—and man, it was not looking good online. It received harsh criticism on Rotton Tomatoes and is now sitting at a critic score of 50% and an audience score of 79% as of me writing this. Regardless, I went into the theatre with an open mind, and sure it’s not perfect by any means but it’s a worthy film unlike some of the latest MCU slate—I’m looking at you Thor: Love and Thunder.

The film kicks off with Sam Wilson, fully cemented in his role as Captain America on a mission. He’s ordered to retrieve a package, but in true Captain America fashion, he opts to save the hostages first. Anthony Mackie is Captain America through and through, he’s an incredible actor even when given some clunky dialogue. He’s charismatic, and grounded, and there’s one particular scene where I think he shines exceptionally—but I’ll save that for later.

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When we finally run into Seth Voelker played by the phenomenal Giancarlo Esposito, I couldn’t help but feel how underutilized this character was. This entire sequence is a little clunky, and I think they really needed to refine the fighting choreography— though the rest of fight scenes in the movie are better choreographed.

Then we meet President Ross who is now played by Harrison Ford, and it reminded me why I love to see him on screen. He commands every scene he’s in and when he and Anthony Mackie share it, it’s pure movie magic. In the first half of the film, President Ross asks Sam Wilson to restart the Avengers.

That all gets put on the back burner when Isiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) and several others are mind-controlled into attacking President Ross. This is after President Ross reveals the Celestial island—the massive Tiamut from Eternals(2021), now treated as a global treaty site and the source of adamantium. This is a retcon of the Eternals and a clear setup for future X-Men films.

The rest of the film follows Sam and Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) as they try to uncover who’s behind this attack so Sam can get Isiah out of jail. When we finally do learn the culprit behind all this—Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson)—his whole motive is….well, como se dice boring, and the plot becomes a bit convoluted.

So if my memory serves me right, Ross needs Samuel Sterns to keep pumping out these white pills—his medication that keeps him alive so he can watch the cherry blossoms with his daughter. Meanwhile, Samuel Sterns wants to see Ross fall from grace and does so by stealing Japan's adamantium and returning it, and making it look like President Ross was scheming to steal all the adamantium from Celestial Island for the United States. Right? Sure. I don’t know— I took a bathroom break during the film, give me a break here.

Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) makes a cameo and offers some advice to Sam, which I thought was a great look into Sam’s psyche. At the scene, Sam feels weak and admits he should’ve taken the super serum like Steve. And Bucky helps him understand that even with the super serum, Steve wasn’t able to save everyone— and that’s what being a superhero is all about.

Then comes the twist—those pills from earlier? They’re how Samuel Sterns has been injecting doses of gamma radiation into Ross over the years. And then we meet Red Hulk.

It was a shock to me that he was only in the last ten minutes of the film. The marketing of the film really made him out to be a bigger player. But seeing Red Hulk throwing and smashing stuff was fun to see and a solid payoff. The CGI? I thought was solid in my opinion, except for one shot that everyone keeps harping on. The artists did incredible work on this film. Not sure why people are out here expecting Avatar-level CGI from comic book movies. But I digress.

The film ties up with Sam visiting Joaquin in the hospital. And this—this is where I think Anthony Mackie truly shines. Joaquin tells Sam that he’s always looked up to him, and Sam Wilson opens up about the pressure of being that role model and living up to the Captain America name. There is so much subtext about race in this scene—without being in your face about it because, you know, how people are these days.

It’s truly a profound scene between two incredible actors.

Overall the film was enjoyable I had fun. The actors did amazing with what they were given. I think the MCU needs to work on their writing and strengthen it. That being said, I love the grounded approach they took. And I love that the MCU is learning to grow with its audience because, for the love of god if I see another film like Thor: Love and Thunder on their roster, I’m throwing myself off a cliff. If there’s no hater for that film, I am dead.

I gave the film a 3 out of 5.

'EUPHORIA' SEASON 3 EXPECTED TO BE THE FINAL SEASON
HBO has announced that the third season of Euphoria is—likely— expected to conclude the series.

'THE LAST OF US' ANTICIPATED TO RUN FOR FOUR SEASONS
In an interview with Deadline, HBO executive Francesca Orsi mentioned that while there isn't a complete or final plan for The Last of Us series, it's looking like it will span four seasons. She stated, "I wouldn't want to confirm that, but it's looking like this season and then two more seasons after this and we're done."

'HOUSE OF THE DRAGON' SEASON 3 TO START THE BATTLE OF THE GULLET
The upcoming third season of House of the Dragon will start with the Battle of the Gullet—Jacaerys Velaryon please where extra armor. I beg 😔🙏🏾

NEW TRAILER FOR LIVE-ACTION 'HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON' REMAKE
A new trailer has been released for the live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon. The film is set to premiere in theaters on June 13th.

FIRST TRAILER FOR 'G20' STARRING VIOLA DAVIS AND ANTONY STARR
The first trailer for G20, a new action thriller featuring Viola Davis as the President and Antony Starr as a terrorist. The film is scheduled for release on April 10th on Amazon Prime Video.

'REACHER' SEASON 3 PREMIERING FEBRUARY 20TH
A new clip from Reacher Season 3 has been released, with the season premiering on February 20th on Amazon Prime Video.

'THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER' RENEWED FOR SEASON 3
Amazon has officially renewed The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power for a third season. The upcoming season is set several years after Season 2 and will depict Sauron beginning to craft the One Ring.

'COBRA KAI' CONCLUDES AFTER SEVEN YEARS
The popular series Cobra Kai has officially ended after a seven-year run.

NEW TRAILER FOR THE LIVE-ACTION 'UNTIL DAWN' MOVIE
A new trailer has been released for the live-action adaptation of Until Dawn. The movie is slated to be in theaters on April 25th.

OSCAR-NOMINATED ANIMATED FILM 'FLOW' JOINING THE CRITERION COLLECTION
The Oscar-nominated animated film Flow is set to join the Criterion Collection later this year.

TAKASHI YAMAZAKI DEVELOPING 'GODZILLA MINUS ONE' SEQUEL
Director Takashi Yamazaki has begun writing and storyboarding the sequel to Godzilla Minus One. The upcoming film will have a higher budget than its predecessor, which was made for $15 million.

LEXI MINETREE CAST AS YOUNG ELLE WOODS IN 'LEGALLY BLONDE' PREQUEL SERIES
Lexi Minetree has been cast as young Elle Woods in the upcoming Legally Blonde prequel series.

FIRST TRAILER FOR 'BORDERLINE' STARRING SAMARA WEAVING AND RAY NICHOLSON
The first trailer for Borderline, a thriller featuring Samara Weaving and Ray Nicholson, has been released. The film follows a pop star who is kidnapped by an obsessive fan who believes they are destined to marry. Borderline is set to be in theaters on March 14th.

Former president Joe Biden has signed with talent agency powerhouse CAA. Yeah, I was scratching my head too—but Uncle Joe was previously represented by CAA from 2017 to 2020, following his eight-year term as the 47th Vice President of the United States.

As a client at that time, President Biden published his #1 New York Times bestselling memoir, “Promise Me, Dad,” launched the 42-date “American Promise” tour, which sold more than 85,000 tickets nationwide, and headlined numerous speaking engagements.

CAA also represents other politicians, including high-profile Democrats such as the Obamas' Higher Ground Productions, former West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, and former Texas Representative Beto O’Rourke.

‘BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER’ REVIVAL IN THE WORKS

A Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival is officially in the works. Sarah Michelle Gellar is set to return as Buffy, with Academy Award-winning director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, Eternals) slated to helm the project. The series will be produced by Hulu.

THE FIRST CLIP FROM ‘CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD’

A new clip from Marvel’s upcoming film Captain America: Brave New World has been released.

FIRST LOOK AT ‘THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS’

Marvel fans got their first look at The Fantastic Four: First Steps, teasing the long-awaited MCU debut of Marvel’s first family.

Meanwhile, Marvel Studios executive Nate Moore has addressed the ongoing rumors about recasting T’Challa in the MCU: "There’s no truth to those rumors. Never say never to anything… but everything you read online is not true, if for no other reason than we just haven’t started.”

‘JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH’ TRAILER DROPS WEDNESDAY

The official trailer for Jurassic World: Rebirth will be released this Wednesday.

‘THE LAST OF US: PART II’ ADAPTATION TO SPAN MULTIPLE SEASONS

HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us: Part II will be spread over more than two seasons, according to the show’s creators, "I think it's pretty likely that our story will extend past a Season 3."

Read all about it here:

Additionally, Neil Druckmann confirmed that Kaitlyn Dever, who plays Abby in Season 2, was not required to bulk up for the role: "That doesn't play as big of a role in this version of the story... It's more about the drama."

‘INVINCIBLE’ SEASON 3 DEBUTS WITH A PERFECT SCORE

Season 3 of Invincible has premiered with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. All three seasons of the hit animated series have now debuted at a perfect 100%.

KE HUY QUAN HONORED AT TCL CHINESE THEATRE

Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan celebrated a career milestone with a hand & footprint ceremony at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre for his upcoming film Love Hurts.

‘ONE PIECE’ SEASON 2 OFFICIALLY WRAPPED

Netflix has confirmed that Season 2 of the widely popular One Piece has wrapped. An official release date has not been announced.