After floating along in development hell for the better part of three years, Lucasfilm's Lando series is back in development--and the actor originally behind the role may be teasing his involvement. Following up on an Instagram post he made earlier this month, Billie Dee Williams shared another similar tease on Monday. Though the actor was playing coy, he teased a "major" announcement involving himself would happen soon.

"I am thrilled to share that something truly magnificent is coming soon," Williams shared on Twitter. "This is a dream come true for me, on all that has sustained and carried me through a lifetime of dreams and adventure, it is my honor to share with you. Make sure to enable notifications for stories and posts to stay in the loop, you don't want to miss this... May the Force be with you all."

pic.twitter.com/P2yw5IJt3y

-- Billy Dee Williams (@realbdw) August 1, 2023

Does this mean Billie Dee Williams is going to be in the new Lando series?

Though it's always possible Williams could be cameoing in the series, it's unlikely the actor will have a major on-screen role given the series will both star and be written by Donald Glover. Glover has been attached to return to the role ever since the series was first announced back in 2020 and only recently, it was revealed he'll also be writing the series after it was presumed dead on arrival.

"I would love to play Lando again. It's a fun time to be him. It just has to be the right, it just needs to be the right way to do it," Glover said in an interview with Deadline earlier this year. "Time is precious. I think everybody's in the past couple of years, this pandemic sh-t, had people experience time in a way where they're like...People kind of realize their time is valuable, you only get so much. So like, I'm not interested in doing anything that's just gonna be like a waste of my time or just a paycheck. I'd much rather like spend time with people that I l enjoy. So it just has to be the right thing, which I think it could be. I mean like Lando is definitely somebody I'd like to hang out with. I mean we're talking about it. That's as much as I can say, you know, without Kathleen Kennedy like, hunting me down."

He added, "He also feels pulpy. The rest of those the whole Skywalker family. You can't really f--k with the cannon. You can have a pulpy, kind of like, sh--ty, Lando novel that feels like outside of the Star Wars universe, but still in it. And I think that's why people like him. He's the most elastic of the characters because you don't know where he is from or who he is or whatever. There's only really those like three little books. So yeah, it was dope to play him. It was really fun."

That said, it's possible Williams could serve as the show's narrator or provide help in a similar way.

Lando has yet to set a release date. The latest series in the Star Wars saga, Ahsoka, is set for release on August 23rd.

The future of the DC Universe is getting brighter, with a lot of new projects in a "revamped" universe being greenlit by DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran. The duo unveiled ten movies and Max-exclusive television shows that will be a part of their "Chapter One: Gods & Monsters" slate, with the promise of more on the horizon. In a recent post on the social media app Threads, Gunn confirmed one surprising detail about those additional projects -- they will include at least one theatrically-released animated movie.

While confirming to a fan that the forthcoming Watchmen and Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths animated movies are not a part of the main DCU slate, and are instead "Elseworlds" stories, Gunn was asked if "we can expect theatrical animated projects" in the future, to which Gunn answered with a simple "Yes." Following the recent success of animated superhero blockbusters like Sony's Spider-Verse franchise, there's no telling how ambitious that hypothetical film could be.

What Are the DCU's Animated Projects?

Back in January, Gunn and Safran confirmed that their new blockbuster relaunch of the DC Universe will include animation, beginning with a Creature Commandos Max-exclusive series.

"Creature Commandos is based on the great team from DC," Gunn explained at the time. "What we're doing with the DCU is, we are having animation tied directly into live action. Television, movies, and games all intertwine within the same universe. We're going to cast actors that are going to be able to play the characters in this as well as in other things, some of which we've already cast. I've written all seven episodes of the show, and it's in production. So that's the first thing, and I love it."

What Is on the DC Universe Slate?

As Gunn and Safran revealed earlier this year, the initial DC Studios slate for "Gods and Monsters" will include movies for Superman: Legacy, The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Swamp Thing, and The Authority. It will include the HBO Max television shows Waller, Booster Gold, Lanterns, Paradise Lost, and an animated Creature Commandos series. Legacy has already been and set for a Summer 2025 release date, with a cast that includes David Corenswet as Clark Kent / Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho.

"We got James Gunn and Peter (Safran) working very hard on DC, which is going to be a very big growth driver for this company," Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav explained earlier this year. "We are very bullish on DC. The Superman script first draft is done. Gunn is on a mission from god. It is a really good moment to prove out on DC what we got and how strong it is globally for long-term sustainable growth."

Are you excited for DC's animated movies and TV shows? What do you hope its theatrically-released animated movie is? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Dame Judi Dench earned her eighth Oscar nomination in 2021 and since then, she's been increasingly candid about her ongoing battle with macular degeneration. Though medical professionals say it's rare that people with the condition go completely blind, it's very common for those with the disease to go legally blind--something Dench says she's now nearing. In a recent interview with The Daily Mirror, Dench said she can't see much on a film set anymore.

"I mean I can't see on a film set any more," Dench told the tabloid. "And I can't see to read. So I can't see much. But you know you just deal with it. Get on. It's difficult for me if I have any length of a part. I haven't yet found a way. Because I have so many friends who will teach me the script. But I have a photographic memory."

It's not the first time Dench has spoke about her condition this year, previously revealing on The Graham Norton Show she has had to ask people to read her scripts to her in recent years. She was first diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration in 2012.

"It's become impossible because I can't see now, I can not read or anything," she said on the talk show. "Normally somebody could just teach you the lines, and goodness knows that's happened before, but now I've just found I have a photographic memory."

Dench's latest role came in Apple TV+'s Spirited, appearing as herself alongside Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds. Before that, her films included Allelujah (2022) and Belfast (2021), where she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Dench is set to turn 89 this December.

She has one Oscar win under her belt--for 1998's Shakespeare in Love--and countless other awards.

It looks like Barbie has over-performed yet again, continuing its run as one of the biggest box office success stories in quite some time. After smashing records in its opening weekend, Barbie won the box office for a second time this past weekend. Initial reports, based on the Sunday estimates, indicated that Barbie had earned $93 million at the domestic box office in weekend number two, in addition to $122 million internationally. Well, once all of Sunday's ticket sales were counted, Barbie's international total was even higher than that.

According to Deadline, Barbie actually earned $127 million at the international box office this weekend, coming in $5 million higher than initially reported. That puts Barbie's total after Sunday at a whopping $780 million. It shouldn't take much longer for Greta Gerwig's blockbuster to reach $1 billion.

Barbie is just days away from passing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to become the second-biggest movie of 2023.

Barbie Sequel Possibilities

With this kind of success, there is obviously a lot of conversation about a potential Barbie sequel. Mattel and Warner Bros. will want to go all-in on Barbie after this theatrical showing and Ynon Kreiz, Mattel's CEO, has talked about building out a universe based on the brand.

"Barbie, as a brand, has many different iterations. The product lines of Barbie is a very broad brand. In addition to the main Barbie figure, she has family, she has a lot of elements around in her universe," Kreiz told Variety. "It's a very rich universe... It's a very broad and very elastic brand, in terms of opportunities."

"At the outset, we're not saying, 'Okay, let's think already about movie two and three.' Let's get the first one right and make that a success," he continued. "And if you do that, opportunities open up very quickly, once you establish the first movie as a successful representation of a franchise on the big screen."

Greta Gerwig and Barbie 2

While Mattel and Warner Bros. may be high on a second Barbie movie, director and co-writer Greta Gerwig doesn't have any ideas or plans for a follow-up.

"At this moment, it's all I've got," Gerwig told The New York Times. "I feel like that at the end of every movie, like I'll never have another idea and everything I've ever wanted to do. I wouldn't want to squash anybody else's dreams but for me, at this moment, I'm at totally zero."

In Barbie, to live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you're a Ken. From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig comes Barbie, which hit theaters on July 21st. Barbie stars Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell. The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Scott Evans, Jamie Demetriou, Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, Ritu Arya, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren. Gerwig directed Barbie from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach, based on Barbie by Mattel.

A24 has another horror hit on its hands, as Talk to Me is finding quick success at the box office. The buzzy Sundance hit was acquired by the indie studio and released into theaters this past weekend, where it scared up $10 million and set A24 up for success. Of course, with box office success comes talks about potential sequels, especially where horror films are concerned. For directors Danny and Michael Philippou, a Talk to Me sequel is absolutely on the table.

The film's conclusion is slightly open-ended, leaving things open for a sequel if one ever happens. While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the Philippou twins shared that it'd be hard to turn down a return to that world.

"Part of me is like, 'Yeah, maybe it is done,'" Danny said. "The other part of me is like, 'Oh, my God. Give me a sequel, please.' I've got these set pieces that I'm like, 'Oh, my God, I so badly want to shoot this. This is the coolest thing ever.' So, if A24 came to me and said, 'You know what? We'd like a sequel.' I wouldn't be able to resist. I'd want to do it so bad."

"I guess a question would be, would you continue the story around Mia and those characters, or do you go to another part of the world? That's a debate," added Michael.

Talk to Me Winning at the Box Office

Talk to Me may not have cost very much to produce, but it's already turning into a money-maker for A24. This weekend, the film debuted on more than 2,300 screens across North America and earned over $10 million. That's enough for the second-biggest opening weekend in A24 history.

The only A24 movie to earn more in its opening weekend was Ari Aster's instant horror classic Hereditary. That film earned $13.6 million in its first weekend. Talk to Me doubled its opening weekend projections and looks to be a smash horror hit for A24, even when going up against the biggest movies of the year.

Talk to Me Cast

Talk to Me stars Sophia Wilde, Joe Bird, Alexandra Jensen, Otis Dhanji, Miranda Otto, Marcus Johnson, Alexandria Steffensen, Zoe Terakes, and Chris Alosio. Danny and Michael Philippou directed the film from a screenplay the former wrote alongside Bill Hinzman.

The logline for Talk to Me reads: "When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces."

Barbie has become nothing short of a cultural phenomenon, with the film on track to earn a billion dollars at the global box office, and its impact on viewers continuing to be felt. The Barbie movie is easily the splashiest project yet for director and co-writer Greta Gerwig, and now that the film is out into the world, there's a lot of eagerness to see what she'll do next. Based on recent comments, it sounds like Gerwig might work on (once the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are over) two films adapting Chronicles of Narnia for Netflix, but there's no telling if and how those will become a reality.

If Gerwig's filmography -- and particularly her work on Barbie -- prove anything, there is another upcoming high-profile project that she would be a great fit for: DC's forthcoming Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow movie.

What Is Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow About?

Woman of Tomorrow, DC's eight-issue comic miniseries from Tom King and Bilquis Evely, takes the status quo of Kara Zor-El / Supergirl into a new territory. Part sword-and-sorcery epic, part interplanetary road trip, the story follows Kara's efforts to protect and avenge a young girl named Ruthye across the cosmos. In the process, Kara comes to terms with her own self-worth and status as a superhero -- something she feels shut out of on Earth, thanks to the prominence of Superman and Superboy.

A Woman of Tomorrow movie was confirmed to be in the works this past January, in the first wave of movies and Max-exclusive shows shepherded by DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran. Details surrounding the film adaptation have been scarce ever since, although King being a part of Gunn and Safran's "writers room" for the DC Universe does hint at the movie potentially being very faithful to its source material.

Why Should Greta Gerwig Direct Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow?

For starters, Gerwig's work on Barbie showcased her ability to oversee something refreshing in this current film world -- over-the-top practical effects. From the impossibly-detailed designs of Barbieland, to the classic Hollywood tactics used for the journeys in and out of the Real World, Barbie set a precedent that Gerwig's future blockbuster work (and honestly, large swaths of the CGI-heavy film industry) can easily follow suit on. While we'll have to wait and see how Gunn's Superman: Legacy establishes the aesthetic for the cosmos of the DCU, Evely's work on the Woman of Tomorrow comics takes things to an even more colorful and fantastical direction. It's easy to imagine Gerwig having an inspired approach to bringing those alien worlds to life onscreen, probably with a fair amount of practical effects to boot.

And when you take one look at Gerwig's filmography -- which, in addition to Barbie, also includes 2017 indie darling Lady Bird and 2019's beloved adaptation of Little Women -- reveals some commonality with Woman of Tomorrow. Each of these three films have become touchstones for their honest representation of womanhood and girlhood, to the point where a passionate third-act monologue on the topic has become a welcomed trope. Regardless of how you personally felt about Barbie, the film provoking a weeks-long conversation about feminism and patriarchy (and helping younger viewers begin to grapple with both concepts) is something notable. In the hands of Gerwig, Woman of Tomorrow could profoundly tackle Kara's personal feelings about her Kryptonian heritage and her role as a superhero -- without softening her or turning her very real anger into a sort of caricature.

While Woman of Tomorrow will be the latest of several live-action takes on the maid of might, Gerwig could have just the right touch to make it something extraordinary -- and she's already expressed a desire to work in the superhero space, depending on the project. Plus, as Gunn, Safran, and Warner Bros. Discovery work to establish this newer, more accessible DCU, having a title card proclaiming one of their projects is from "The Director of Barbie" would definitely be a major flex.

Would you want to see Greta Gerwig direct Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Cocaine Bear was a solid success for Universal early in the year, earning about three times what it cost to produce throughout its theatrical run. Given that it made money, fans of Cocaine Bear have already wondered if the action comedy -- which is shockingly based on a true story -- could get the sequel treatment at some point in the future. While there doesn't seem to be any public traction on that front, director Elizabeth Banks would love to step behind the camera for a second Cocaine Bear movie.

Banks, who directed the film for Universal, recently spoke to Rolling Stone and was asked about the possibility of making another Cocaine Bear. She opened up about how much fun the first one was to make, and how she'd absolutely take the chance to do it again.

"I loved how subversive, crazy, silly and funny it was," Banks said. "I loved surprising people with the cast. I don't think anybody was expecting Margot Martindale, who's 70 years old, to shoot that kid. We had a lot of fun, and if I got the opportunity to surprise the audience and delight myself again, I would take it."

Banks went on to say that Cocaine Bear was a great project for her because, in addition to being a good time, it checked a lot of personal boxes for her.

"I've been very fortunate to work across a lot of genres and things that appeal to me," she added. "Cocaine Bear also came to me during the pandemic. We were all locked away, and I loved the sense of fun inside of it. It was what I wanted to see. And it had this message about mankind's culpability in nature's demise. It spoke to me on a lot of levels."

Cocaine Bear Sets Up a Sequel

There hasn't been any official conversation about a Cocaine Bear sequel just yet, but there is a slight setup for another movie at the end of the film. Speaking to ComicBook.com, W?t? FX supervisor Robin Hollander revealed how Cocaine Bear plants the seeds for a second adventure.

"I do like in the movie how they tease at a sequel when Stache, the guy played by Aaron Holliday, hitchhikes out and he puts the bag in the back with all the sheep," he told us. "I love that bit because the audience is like, 'Oh, okay, okay. I see where there is going.'"

"There was a few little discussion points as they were sort of redesigning the sort of outro scenes in how we could tease a sequel. I have no idea if there is an interest in making a sequel," Hollander added. "Obviously, we'd love to be involved because it was hands-down the funnest project that I've ever we've been involved in. But I think there's a lot of options for animals and drugs and yeah, it's a niche market that needs more exploring, I think."

SAG-AFTRA has been on strike for a few weeks now, something Stephen Amell now admits he doesn't support. As SAG-AFTRA members hit the picket lines in search of fair wages and better residuals in a new digital-fueled age, the Arrow star says striking is a "reductive tactic" in the union's negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

"I feel like I'm insulated in Hollywood, because that's where I live. I feel like a lot of people in this room aren't aware of the strike," Amell said at Raleigh's GalaxyCon over the weekend. "I support my union, I do, and I stand with them but I do not support striking. I don't. I think that it is a reductive negotiating tactic and I find the entire thing incredibly frustrating. I think that the thinking as it pertains to shows, like this show that I'm on that premiered last night, I think it is myopic and I stand with my union."

#stephenamell support's his union. Let him live. All those popping up with tweets about how he chooses to do what he does,.can go suck an electrical socket. He has a right to his own opinion and how he chooses to move forward. I got his back 100%.
????????????? pic.twitter.com/OqR3N6909D

-- ??Opal Valencia??S?? ???? (@playthetape58) July 30, 2023

Why is the actors' union on strike?

According to SAG-AFTRA officials, negotiators with the AMPTP were hoping to pay actors just a day's salary to use their likeness in perpetuity, being able to digitally recreate their face at a later date without payment or consent.

"This 'groundbreaking' AI proposal that they gave us yesterday: they propose that our background performers should be able to be scanned, get paid for one day's pay, and their company should own that scan their image, their likeness and should be able to use it for the rest of eternity in any project they want with no consent and no compensation," SAG-AFTRA's Duncan Crabtree-Ireland revealed earlier this month. "So if you think that's a groundbreaking proposal, I suggest you think again."

The biggest names in Hollywood have spoken out against the technology, with the likes of Christopher Nolan saying studios needed accountability if they were to continue using AI.

"The rise of companies in the last 15 years bandying words like algorithm - not knowing what they mean in any kind of meaningful, mathematical sense - these guys don't know what an algorithm is," Nolan shared. "People in my business talking about it, they just don't want to take responsibility for whatever that algorithm does."

He continued, "Applied to AI, that's a terrifying possibility. Terrifying ... Not least because, AI systems will go into defensive infrastructure ultimately. They'll be in charge of nuclear weapons. To say that that is a separate entity from the person wielding, programming, putting that AI to use, then we're doomed. It has to be about accountability. We have to hold people accountable for what they do with the tools that they have."

To quote Pee-wee Herman: "I don't have to see it, Dottie. I lived it." Actor Paul Reubens, who played the childlike Pee-wee Herman in Pee-wee's Playhouse and three feature films, died Sunday after a private bout with cancer. He was 70. Reubens' passing was first announced on his official Facebook page, which shared a posthumous statement from the Pee-wee actor: "Please accept my apology for not going public with what I've been facing the last six years. I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans, and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you."

"Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness," reads a statement shared by Reubens' social media pages. "Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit. A gifted and prolific talent, he will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit."

Below, we've rounded up where to watch Paul Reubens movies and TV shows online, including episodes of Pee-wee's Playhouse and 1985's Pee-wee's Big Adventure, 1988's Big Top Pee-wee, and 2016's Pee-wee's Big Holiday.

Where to Watch Pee-Wee Herman Movies:

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

"The eccentric and childish Pee-wee Herman embarks on a big adventure when his beloved bicycle is stolen. Armed with information from a fortune-teller and a relentless obsession with his prized possession, Pee-wee encounters a host of odd characters and bizarre situations as he treks across the country to recover his bike."

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure is available to rent digitally on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, the Microsoft Store, Redbox, Vudu, and YouTube. Directed by Tim Burton in his feature debut, the movie is currently not available to stream for free.

Big Top Pee-wee

"Paul Reubens stars as Pee-wee Herman in his second full-length film about a farmer who joins the circus after a storm drops a big tent in his front yard. Pee-wee, along with an outlandish cast of animals and circus performers, puts on the best show ever."

Big Top Pee-wee is currently available to stream on Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, Fubo TV, and MGM+. It's available for digital download on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, the Microsoft Store, Redbox, Vudu, and YouTube.

Pee-Wee's Big Holiday

"A chance encounter with a mysterious stranger (Joe Manganiello) points Pee-wee toward his destiny -- and his first-ever holiday!"

Pee-Wee's Big Holiday is streaming only on Netflix and Netflix Basic with Ads.

Where to Watch Pee-wee's Playhouse

All 45 episodes across five seasons of Pee-wee's Playhouse are available to watch on the digital service hoopla, which is available for free with a library card via Apple TV+, Android TV, Fire TV, and Roku.

Where to Watch Paul Reubens Movies

1986's Flight of the Navigator, which features Reubens as the voice of Trimaxion Drone Ship nicknamed "Max," is streaming on Disney+.

In a cameo as the Penguin's (Danny DeVito) father, 1992's Batman Returns reunites Reubens with his Pee-wee's Big Adventure director Tim Burton. The Batman sequel is currently available to stream on Max .

Reubens portrayed the vampire acolyte Amilyn in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The film that spawned the TV series of the same name is streaming on Max.

Reubens voiced the devilish Lock in 1993's The Nightmare Before Christmas, which is streaming on Disney+.

1996's Matilda, which paired Reuben with Tracey Walter as FBI Agents Bob and Bill, is available to for digital rental on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, the Microsoft Store, Redbox, Vudu, and YouTube.

Dr. Dolittle, the 1998 film starring Eddie Murphy as the eponymous physician who can talk to animals, featured Reubens as the voice of a raccoon. The hit comedy is currently available to watch on Disney+.

1999's Mystery Men -- the cult classic comedy featuring Reubens as part of an ensemble that includes Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, William H. Macy, Kel Mitchell, and Janeane Garofalo as superhero misfits -- is streaming on Peacock and STARZ.

Reubens voiced the prankster Jokey Smurf in 2011's The Smurfs (streaming on Amazon Freevee) and 2013's The Smurfs 2 (streaming on Netflix).

Summer blockbuster season is officially back, thanks to Barbie and Oppenheimer making a healthy amount of change at the box office. The movies have had such a great first week, both the films and theaters alike are putting up sales records. Sunday, AMC Theaters announced it tallied its best week in ticket sales over the course of the company's 103-year history. In addition to the entire chain setting a record, 65 AMC locations across the country also set location-specific records.

"The monumental success of Barbie and Oppenheimer has the entire movie and movie theater industry abuzz, with discussions of new records and new benchmarks being realized seemingly wherever you turn," AMC chief Adam Aron said in a press release Sunday night. "These two movies, along with the many others playing on our huge silver screens, continue to rewrite what is possible at the box office. At AMC, we are thrilled to add our own new all-time records into that conversation. Achieving the most admissions revenue in a single week in AMC's storied 103-year history is a testament to the moviegoing audience, who has demonstrated once again that they are ready, willing, and eager to come out to movie theaters in huge numbers. Thank you to our guests for choosing AMC Theatres in the U.S. and Odeon Cinemas abroad."

Through Sunday, Barbie has made a massive $773 million global box office haul while Oppenheimer's $400 million worldwide sum is better-than-great for R-rated films.

Aron continued, "Our appreciation extends to so many of our friends in Hollywood for releasing all the many hit movies that have graced our theaters, especially over the past few months. The gratitude we feel for studios, film makers, cast and crew is heartfelt and genuine. Their creativity and determination to entertain, enlighten, inform and amuse audiences, combined with our industry's commitment to operate first class theaters, is why in our opinion moviegoing, in theaters, will play a central role in the cultural fabric the world over for decades and decades to come."

In Barbie, to live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you're a Ken. From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig comes Barbie, which hit theaters on July 21st. Barbie stars Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera , Kate McKinnon , Michael Cera , Ariana Greenblatt , Issa Rae , Rhea Perlman , and Will Ferrell. The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackey , Hari Nef , Alexandra Shipp , Kingsley Ben-Adir , Simu Liu , Ncuti Gatwa , Scott Evans , Jamie Demetriou , Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, Ritu Arya , Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren . Gerwig directed Barbie from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach , based on Barbie by Mattel .

Both Barbie and Oppenheimer are in theaters now.

Filmmaker Tim Burton is remembering his friend and collaborator Paul Reubens, who died at age 70 Sunday after a private bout with cancer. Reubens starred as the zany Pee-wee Herman in the Pee-wee's Playhouse TV series and 1985's Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Burton's feature film directorial debut. (According to the book Burton on Burton, Reubens and the film's producers picked Burton to direct the feature based on the then-Disney animator's stop-motion animated short Vincent and his 1984 short film Frankenweenie.) After Pee-wee's Big Adventure grossed $41 million off a $7 million budget, Burton went on to direct two more hit films for Warner Bros.: 1988's Beetlejuice and 1989's Batman.

"Shocked and saddened. I'll never forget how Paul helped me at the beginning of my career. It would not have happened without his support," Burton wrote on Instagram alongside an image from the making of Pee-wee's Big Adventure. "He was a great artist. I'll miss him."

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A post shared by Tim Burton (@timburton)

Burton and Reubens would reunite on 1992's Batman Returns, with the Pee-wee Herman actor making a cameo as the father of Danny DeVito's Penguin. Reubens also voiced Lock -- the devilish leader of Oogie's Boys -- in 1993's The Nightmare Before Christmas, director Henry Selick's stop-motion animated adaptation of Burton's original poem.

"Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness," reads a statement from the actor's Facebook page published on Monday. "Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit. A gifted and prolific talent, he will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit."

Accompanying the announcement was a statement from Reubens, reading: "Please accept my apology for not going public with what I've been facing the last six years. I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you."

Reubens' Facebook page asked "that any expressions of sympathy be made in honor of his late parents, Judy and Milton Reubenfeld, to Stand Up to Cancer or organizations involved in Dementia and Alzheimer's care, support and research."

You ever wonder where characters and planets in Star Wars get their names? They come from all sorts of places, depending on who came up with the idea and what was on their mind that day, but one of the most pivotal names in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story actually came from a mistake at a coffee shop. A barista serving director Gareth Edwards coffee didn't hear his name correctly and accidentally named the final planet in the film.

Scarif, the planet that housed the plans for the Death Star, was home to most of the third act of Rogue One. Edwards was tasked with coming up with the planet's name before going out to get a coffee. In an interview with Edwards that was recently posted to social media by Industrial Light & Magic, the filmmaker said that the barista misunderstood his name and wrote "Scarif" on his cup. You can check out the clip from the interview below!

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"When you're a kid and you dream about making a Star Wars film, one of the amazing things that could happen if you got lucky enough to do that would be to name characters or name something in the movie," Edwards said in the interview. "Gary Whitta was writing the draft of the movie. He was really excited about it but after a while, after naming like the 50th thing and trying to come up with a unique name, he was getting a little bit bored and wanted to share this problem, and he was like. 'Gareth you got to start naming some stuff.' And he's like, 'Okay, you've got to name the end planet.' And I was like, 'Okay this is a big deal.'

"I came out and I went and got a coffee. You know, they write your name on the coffee and everything and I must have said when they asked my name, 'It's Gareth.' And what they heard was 'Scarif.' And so I just looked at the coffee cup and it said, 'Scarif.' And I just came back in to Gary and I put it on the table and I went, 'It's called Scarif.' And I feel like the Barista doesn't realize the influence they've had in a galaxy far, far away."

The Creator: Gareth Evans' New Movie

Edwards is returning to the big screen later this year with The Creator, his first film since Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. John David Washington stars in The Creator as an ex-special forces agent named Joshua, who is grieving the disappearance of his wife. In the middle of a war between humans and artificial intelligence, Joshua is hired to hunt down and killed a being known as the Creator, the architect of the AI who has the power to end the war, as well as mankind itself.

In addition to Washington, the film stars Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, and Allison Janney. Edwards wrote the script with Chris Weitz and produced the film alongside Kiri Hart, Jim Spencer, and Arnon Milchan. The executive producers are Yariv Milchan, Michael Schaefer, Natalie Lehmann, Nick Meyer, and Zev Foreman.

The Creator is set to arrive in theaters on September 29th.

Before he came to direct Blue Beetle, filmmaker Angel Manuel Soto had a different pitch for Warner Bros. and DC: he wanted to explore the origin of Bane, a character of Latino heritage in the comics, and one who was entirely shaped by the dire circumstances he was born into. Previously played on the big screen by bodybuilder Robert Swenson in Batman & Robin, then Tom Hardy in The Dark Knight Rises, the Bane of the comics was born in Santa Prisca, a Central American nation where his mother was in prison, where he was born and grew up. While his heritage was not a big part of the "KnightFall" story that introduced him, it became key to Bane's identity soon after.

Instead, Warner pitched Soto on Blue Beetle, a movie featuring a young Hispanic teen and defined by the relationship between its lead and his non-powered supporting cast -- something few superhero comics have anymore.

"I wanted to pitch ideas, and one of them was the Bane origin story," Soto told Den of Geek in their latest print issue. "I always thought that there was something interesting in exploring his reality and how a character like that comes to be." He quickly found out, though, that "the conversation was not about that."

From Warner Bros. Pictures comes Blue Beetle, which arrives in theaters on August 18th, marking the DC superhero's first time on the big screen. The film, directed by Angel Manuel Soto, stars Xolo Maridue?a in the title role as well as his alter ego, Jaime Reyes. Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero BLUE BEETLE.

Starring alongside Maridue?a are Adriana Barraza, Dam?an Alc?zar, Elpidia Carrillo, Bruna Marquezine, Raoul Max Trujillo, with Oscar winner Susan Sarandon, and George Lopez (the "Rio and "Smurf" franchises). The film also stars Belissa Escobedo and Harvey Guill?n. Soto directs from a screenplay by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, based on characters from DC. John Rickard and Zev Foreman are producing, with Walter Hamada, Galen Vaisman and Garrett Grant serving as executive producers.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is ready to make a comeback, and trust us - you have never seen the half-shell heroes look so good. This weekend will bring Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem to theaters, and all eyes are on its four stars. For anime fans, their attention is on Donatello as the geeky turtle has already shown his love for anime in past promos, and a new blip is now putting JoJo's Bizarre Adventure on the spot.

As you can see below, a new ad was dropped for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, and it is there fans can spot our heroes at school while in disguise. Donatello is rocking a purple hoodie as that is his signature color, but it isn't boring by any means. After all, it is rocking the logo for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure across its front.

LET ME FIND OUT DONNIE A JOJO FAN pic.twitter.com/WYQfpUoN4y

-- DeDetheGod (@Dcain30Thefam) July 31, 2023

So there you have it. Donatello has a thing for Jujutsu Kaisen and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Brb, we are going to get an anime recommendation from the teenage turtle!

It is hard to tell from a distance, but this nod to JoJo is easy to make once you compare this hoodie to the anime's logo. There are some color variations here, but Donatello is most definitely rocking a hoodie with the classic JoJo logo on it. The only question left for fans now is which of the JoJos is Donatello's favorite...

With this anime nod in mind, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem has solidified its place in the otaku fandom. From a Jujutsu Kaisen nod to an Attack on Titan soundtrack reference, this animated movie has it all. So if you want to know more about the film, you can check out the synopsis for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem below before it debuts on August 2nd:

"After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers. Their new friend, April O'Neil, helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them."

What do you think about this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles nod? Did you expect JoJo to pop up in this feature? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

David Ayer is showing support for Blue Beetle, DC's first Latino-led superhero movie. "Representation matters," the 2016's Suicide Squad director tweeted in response to a video highlighting the Blue Beetle familia: cast members Xolo Maridue?a (Cobra Kai), Belissa Escobedo (Hocus Pocus 2), Bruna Marquezine (Maldivas), and George Lopez (Lopez vs Lopez). Zack Snyder -- who directed DC's Watchmen before going on to helm Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Zack Snyder's Justice League -- previously highlighted that message on Twitter / X. "Looking forward to taking my kids to see Blue Beetle," Snyder wrote with the hashtag "#RepresentationMatters."

Maridue?a leads a cast that includes Adriana Barraza (Rambo: Last Blood) as Jaime's grandmother, Nana; Dam?an Alc?zar (Narcos) as his father, Alberto; Elpidia Carrillo (Mayans M.C.) as his mother, Bianca; Escobedo as his sister, Milagro; Lopez as Jaime's Uncle Rudy; and Bruna Marquezine (God Save the King) as Jenny Kord. Blue Beetle also stars Raoul Max Trujillo (Sicario) as the villain Carapax, the indestructible man, Harvey Guill?n (What We Do in the Shadows) as Dr. Sanchez, and Susan Sarandon (Monarch) as Victoria Kord, who in the comics is the CEO sister of Ted Kord.

? #RepresentationMatters https://t.co/xPRnumiYPl

-- David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) July 31, 2023

"We wanted to keep it as authentic as possible, not Hallmark, cookie-cutter Latinos," director Angel Manuel Soto told ComicBook and other outlets at a Blue Beetle trailer reveal in April. "We wanted [the audience to] feel like, 'Yeah, that's my uncle,' or 'I can totally relate to that.'"

The plot centers on Mexican-American superhero Jaime Reyes (Maridue?a), who possesses an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab, a.k.a. Khaji-Da (voiced by Becky G). When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers -- transforming him into the armored superhero Blue Beetle. And unlike most superhero origin stories, Jaime's not-so-secret identity is immediately exposed to the Reyes family.

"It's kind of funny. We see some of these other superheroes who are able to hide the fact that they're a superhero from their family. But as you just saw in the trailer, his family is right there on that first transformation. So good luck keeping that a secret," Maridue?a said. "Coming through this journey together is something that we haven't seen before in superhero movies, and that really is the beating heart of this movie. It transcends ethnicity and it transcends color of skin -- because that's something we can all relate to."

DC's Blue Beetle opens only in theaters August 18th.

Paul Reubens, the comedic actor best known for his character Pee-wee Herman, has died at age 70. Reubens' passing was confirmed by the Pee-wee Herman Official Page on Facebook, which posted the following information and euology:

Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness. Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit. A gifted and prolific talent, he will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit.

There was also a message from Paul Reubens included in the Memoriam post, thanking his fans while apologizing for this sudden, surprising, exit:

"Please accept my apology for not going public with what I've been facing the last six years," Reubens wrote. "I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you." -Paul Reubens

A note on the post also instructs fans how to honor Paul Reubens: "Paul asked that any expressions of sympathy be made in honor of his late parents, Judy and Milton Reubenfeld, to Stand Up to Cancer or organizations involved in Dementia and Alzaheimer's care, support and research."

Paul Reubens was born "Paul Rebenfeld" in Peekskill, New York, in 1952. He grew up in a Jewish family, spending a lot of his time going between New York and Sarasota, Florida, where his parents Judy (a teacher) and Milton Rubenfeld (an auto salesman and combat pilot) owned and operated a lamp store. Paul was the oldest of three siblings, growing up with his younger brother Luke (a dog trainer) and younger sister Abby (an American Civil Liberties Union attorney in Tennessee).

Sarasota introduced Paul Reubens to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, whose winter headquarters were located in that city. Between the circus and I Love Lucy, Paul Reubens gained a love of entertainment and performance, putting on his first plays with his siblings starting at age 5. He became president of the National Thespian Society at Sarasota High School and gained a lot of academic acclaim for his performance skills. He went to Boston University and, after numerous acting school rejections he ended up at the California Institute of the Arts, which moved him out to California.

In the 1970s Reubens was working in comedy clubs and appearing on The Gong Show with Charlotte McGinnis, in an act called The Hilarious Betty and Eddie. That led Reubens to the famous Groundlings improv group, working with the likes of Phil Hartman, which led to appearances in films like The Blues Brothers. It was in The Groundlings that Reubens took a bit character from a 1970 play he'd done, and fully developed his Pee-wee Herman character (named after a Pee Wee harmonica Reubens owned as a child, and a boy surnamed "Herman" from his youth).

Reubens launched "The Pee-wee Herman Show" in LA's Roxy Theater in the early 1980s, after infamously getting rejected from Saturday Night Live (who gave Reubens' slot on the cast to comedian Gilbert Gottfried that year). After selling out both late-night shows (for adults) and matinees (for kids), HBO featured The Pee-wee Herman Show on their uncensored stand-up series On Location. Reubens leaned into playing Pee-wee in public outings, appearing in movies like the Cheech & Chong films before getting his own film, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, in 1985. Big Adventure made $40.9 million on a $7 million budget and gained a big cult following for Pee-wee Herman, leading to CBS developing Pee-wee's Playhouse with Reubens as a live-action children's program. Pee-wee's Playhouse ran from 1986-1991 and became Reubens' biggest success and most legacy in the entertainment industry, winning 15 Emmy Awards, inspiring generations of children, and even helping launch the careers of actors like Laurence Fishburne.

Reubens suffered an embarrassing 1991 controversy where he was arrested at an adult theater in Sarasota, Florida; the resulting backlash from business partners and sponsors, not to mention public ridicule and mockery, made Reubens largely retreat from the public eye. He popped up in movie roles (Batman Returns, Matilda) and did a recurring stint on Murphy Brown. He finally became a full-fledged public figure again in the late '90s/00s, after breakout roles in films like Mystery Men and Blow - the latter of which sparked a whole new era of roles for him as "Paul Reubens," the serious actor, rather than "Pee-wee Herman."

Following another controversial case about his personal sexual memorabilia collection in the mid-2000s, Reubens went even harder with his comeback, appearing on hit shows like Reno 911!, Tina Fey's 30 Rock, FX's Dirt, and voicing numerous characters for Cartoon Network shows like Re-Animated or Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

By the 2010s, Paul Reubens had come full circle, starting a new era of The Pee-wee Herman Show for the stage, which sold out over $3 million in advanced tickets and was filmed as an HBO special that aired in 2011. He resumed work on the unproduced Pee-wee works he'd had in mind - working with Judd Apatow to launch a new film, Pee-wee's Big Holiday on Netflix in 2016.

It's now clear that Reubens found out about his cancer battle after Pee-wee's Big Holiday was released, and it likely derailed his subsequent plans for the character. Still, millions of fans around the world are both mourning and celebrating the legacy of laughter and learning that Paul Reubens (and Pee-wee Herman) left them with.

Paul Reubens would've turned 71 on August 27th. We send his family and friends our condolences in their time of grieving.

Netflix has released a first look at Spy Kids: Armageddon, the reboot of the beloved franchise from filmmaker Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) and stars Zachary Levi (Shazam!) and Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin). The series, which debuted in 2001 with a film directed by Rodriguez and starring Alexa PenaVega and Daryl Sabara. The premise was that a pair of kids take over for their spy parents, after the parents are out of the picture and the kids figure out that someone needs to step forward and save the day.

The film comes from Spyglass Entertainment, producers of the Scream reboot who have not just a sequel to that movie coming, but also a Hellraiser reboot coming to Hulu next year. Rodriguez, who alternates between family fare like Spy Kids and Sharkboy and Lava Girl and adult entertainment like Sin City and El Mariachi, is bringing the project to Netflix.

You can see the announcement video below.

Netflix is working with Rodriguez on this after the success of We Can Be Heroes, a follow-up to Sharkboy and Lava Girl. That project has become a huge hit for the streaming giant since its release in 2001. The original series had four installments before Rodriguez moved to Netflix, where they had an animated series before rebooting now. Last year, Rodriguez revealed he had cast Zachary Levi (Chuck) and Gina Rodrigues (Jane he Virgin) as the main kids' parents.

"My most rabid fanbase all these years, by far, has been my kid films. My Spy Kids audience," Rodriguez previously shared at Cinema-Con. "These kids watch those movies over and over because they're action films made for children and families, in particular at a time when they need empowerment. Netflix came to me [for We Can Be Heroes] because the Spy Kids movies had done just so well on their service. They said 'Could you make a series of films that do that?' And I said, 'I'd love to!'"

The original Spy Kids film was released over 20 years ago, and surprised moviegoers by earning $112 million at the domestic box office. The movie starred Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alexa PenaVega, Daryl Sabara, Alan Cumming, Tony Shalhoub, Teri Hatcher, Cheech Marin, and Danny Trejo. In fact, it was Spy Kids that launched Rodriguez's hyper-violent Machete films, which saw Trejo reprising his Spy Kids character in a much different way.

Spy Kids: Armageddon is set to hit Netflix on September 22.

Even nearly two years removed from Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans are still clamoring for Andrew Garfield to complete his unfinished Peter Parker trilogy. The British actor starred as Spider-Man in two theatrical films in 2011 and 2014, distinguishing itself from the Tobey Maguire movies by branding as The Amazing Spider-Man. 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 received mixed reviews from critics and underperformed by Spidey standards at the box office, leading Sony Pictures to scrapping its future plans for Garfield, opting to join forces with Marvel Studios to reboot the character once again, this time with Tom Holland in the lead.

Garfield got his closure in No Way Home when he returned as his Peter Parker. While footage from his universe was never shown, Garfield's Spider-Man alluded to how he changed following Gwen Stacy's death in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Following some motivational speak and a web-slinging team-up later, Garfield's Spider-Man returned to his universe.

Garfield Sparks Hope Regarding The Amazing Spider-Man 3

In a new quote from the official Spider-Man: No Way Home art book, Andrew Garfield has teased that his Peter Parker's story is continuing no matter what future productions hold.

"The story never ends, whether we film it or not. There's a story happening in a universe somewhere," Garfield said (h/t Spider-Man News). "There's endless potential with this character and all the different iterations. So, yeah, he's definitely out there doing something."

That continuing story exists with a renewed purpose, as Garfield believes Spider-Man: No Way Home redeemed his Peter.

"It's changed his life," Garfield continued. "He's going back knowing that he has brothers. He's going back in re-inspired to follow his destiny, his calling - the purpose of his life. By catching MJ, he got to make up for a terrible tragedy that he tried to avoid in his world.

"If he hadn't been in Peter 1's world, then it's possible MJ may have met the same fate as Gwen. His presence was a purpose presence in that regard. And I think he's going back with a mind blown about the cosmos and the universe and string theory and multiple dimensionality. He's going back incredibly reinvigorated."

Will The Amazing Spider-Man 3 Happen?

While Garfield will be questioned about The Amazing Spider-Man 3 until the end of time. it does not seem to be in the cards logistically right now. Sony Pictures has plenty of Spidey-related content in the pipeline, with Kraven The Hunter and Madame Web both set to release next year. Venom 3 and a fourth Tom Holland-led Spider-Man film are also in early development. Sony is partnering with Prime Video for a Spider-Man Noir project as well, and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is also on the way.

That said, Sandman actor Thomas Haden Church recently told ComicBook.com that he has heard rumors about Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire working on a fourth Spider-Man movie. If that rumor comes to fruition, it could open the door even further for Sony to also revisit Garfield's franchise.

Paramount has released a new poster for PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie. A sequel to 2021's hit PAW Patrol: The Movie, the film is based on the massively successful animated series at Nickelodeon (even if it seems to be set in an entirely different continuity than the show itself). The movie, coming to theaters and Paramount+ this fall, will give a big-budget adaptation to the "Mighty Pups" sub-series, in which the PAW Patrol get super powers after coming in contact with a magical meteor. For those only casually familiar with the PAW Patrol series, there are a number of such sub-series, including stories where the pups interact with living dinosaurs, go on spy missions, or work undersea. What's arguably the most interesting part of PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie is that the "Mighty Pups" stories started with a TV movie (later released on DVD), titled just PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups.

Based on the official synopsis for the new movie, it sounds like PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie will retell the story of the Mighty Pups movie, this time including Marsai Martin's Liberty in the story. That character, introduced for 2021's PAW Patrol: The Movie, was not part of the original TV movie (which came out in 2018).

In the original Mighty Pups movie, Mayor Humdinger worked with his nephew Harold to steal the "mighty meteor," giving them powers. In the movie, it doesn't appear Harold is anywhere to be seen. Instead, Humdinger teams up with Victoria Vance, a mad scientist voiced by Taraji P. Henson.

While the first teaser poster featured a shadowy look at the pups in their hero forms, the new one features each of their faces around a stylized meteor logo, with their Mighty Pups vehicles featured below. You can see it here.

While the movie will introduce a new villain named Victoria Vance, the synopsis also promises that "Humdinger breaks out of jail," suggesting that in the world of the movie, the series' main antagonist has been in custody following his first shenanigans in Adventure City.

Here's the film's official synopsis:

When a magical meteor crash lands in Adventure City, it gives the PAW Patrol pups superpowers, transforming them into The MIGHTY PUPS! For Skye, the smallest member of the team, her new powers are a dream come true. But things take a turn for the worse when the pups' archrival Humdinger breaks out of jail and teams up with Victoria Vance, a meteor-obsessed mad scientist, to steal the superpowers and turn themselves into supervillains. With the fate of Adventure City hanging in the balance, the Mighty Pups have to stop the supervillains before it's too late, and Skye will need to learn that even the smallest pup can make the biggest difference.

PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie is in theaters on September 29.

After a blockbuster second weekend at the box office, Barbie has earned a huge $774 million globally, earning it a spot in the top 20 highest-grossing movies ever from its studio, Warner Bros. That puts it in rarefied air, with only three big franchises -- the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, DC, and J.R.R. Tokien's Middle Earth -- taking up spots above it on the charts. It is also now the highest-grossing movie Warners has put out since 2019's Joker, beating out The Batman (which earned $766,039,263 during its global theatrical run) on Sunday.

That makes it, at least for the time being, Warner's biggest hit of the 2020s. That increases the odds that the studio will be desperate for a sequel -- or at least to continue working with Mattel, which has a huge slate of projects in the works.

Barbie and Oppenheimer held steady at the top of the box office, each making about half of what it did the week before, with Barbie bringing home an estimated $93 million and Oppenheimer drawing $46 million. That's in spite of competition from Disney's Haunted Mansion, which took home around $30 million amid lukewarm reviews. The LaKeith Stanfield/Tiffany Haddish comedy based on the beloved Disney ride fared much better with audiences than critics, scoring 86% positive on Rotten Tomatoes (as opposed to 42% from critics) as of this writing.

Barbie is projected to easily pass the $1 billion mark at the global box office before its theatrical run wraps up, with a domestic/foreign split that roughly mirrors the only other movie to do so this year, The Super Mario Bros. Movie. It's likely a sign of the increasing importance of the international market that Barbie passed The Batman at the worldwide box office, but still has to make another $19 million to catch up to it domestically. If you take last week's numbers, and its roughly 50% drop week-over-week into account, that will probably come on Wednesday or so.

Barbie's success is important for Warner Bros., who recently lost a fortune on The Flash and who are facing down the possibility of another financial loss with Blue Beetle, which is tracking for a pretty small opening weekend in spite of fan excitement among DC and Cobra Kai fans. It's also important because with DC scaling back its number of releases, the Tolkien estate taking Middle Earth elsewhere, and the last few Fantastic Beasts movies disappointing, Warner Bros.' most successful franchises are all in distress at the moment. When you look past DC, Potter, and Tolkien, the next batch of movies on Warner's "highest-grossing" chart come from sources where sequels are unlikely: It, The Matrix, and Oppenheimer filmmaker Christopher Nolan, who famously took his ball and went home (to Universal) after he was unhappy that Warners gave their 2021 release slate same-day digital releases on HBO Max.

In Barbie, to live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you're a Ken. From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig comes Barbie, which hit theaters on July 21st.

Barbie stars Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell. The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Scott Evans, Jamie Demetriou, Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, Ritu Arya, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren. Gerwig directed Barbie from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach, based on Barbie by Mattel.

The current box office conversation revolves almost entirely around the massive successes of Barbie and Oppenheimer, but a horror movie with a whole lot of buzz behind it is proving to be the little engine that could after its debut in theaters this weekend. Talk to Me, the chilling film that has been getting a lot of attention since it was shown at Sundance earlier this year, was given a wide release by popular indie distributor and studio A24.

The gamble paid off for A24, as Talk to Me delivered the second-biggest debut weekend in the company's history. Talk to Me earned more than $10 million at the box office this weekend, playing on 2,300+ screens across the country. The only A24 movie to earn more in its opening weekend was Ari Aster's instant horror classic Hereditary. That film earned $13.6 million in its first weekend.

Talk to Me doubled its opening weekend projections and looks to be a smash horror hit for A24, even when going up against the biggest movies of the year.

Talk to Me Is Both a Horror and Drama Film

Ahead of Talk to Me's debut in theaters this weekend, directors Danny and Michael Philippou spoke with ComicBook.com about making sure the characters were always at the center of the film's story.

"We knew that we wanted all the horror to be rooted in character, and we didn't just want a splatter film where people are getting picked off here and there," Michael explained. "We wanted scenes to have the impact that was necessary. We wanted it to be rooted in reality for the film to work as both a horror film AND a drama film."

"We wanted it to be current," added Danny. "We wanted to make something that was modern. Gen Z and the problems they face with social media are just a part of life now. It's a lot of what we understand and where we come from. We came to realize that some of the things we wanted to say worked well in focusing on that."

Talk to Me Cast

Talk to Me stars Sophia Wilde, Joe Bird, Alexandra Jensen, Otis Dhanji, Miranda Otto, Marcus Johnson, Alexandria Steffensen, Zoe Terakes, and Chris Alosio. Danny and Michael Philippou directed the film from a screenplay the former wrote alongside Bill Hinzman.

The logline for Talk to Me reads: "When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces."

The films from DreamWorks Animation have a tendency to perform well on streaming services, regardless of which actual service they find themselves on. Whether it's Hulu, Peacock, Netflix, or another major streamer, DreamWorks films have a way of rising up through the crowd and catching the attention of families. Next month, quite a few DreamWorks animated movies are going to be added to Peacock's streaming lineup, giving folks a new place to watch some of their favorite animated titles.

Peacock recently released the complete list of films and television shows being added to its lineup in the month of August. On the first of the month, Peacock is adding The Croods, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Over the Hedge, Shark Tale, and Shrek Forever After. That's five more DreamWorks movies coming to the service's roster. Additionally, Peacock will be adding Illumination films Minions and Dr. Seuss' The Lorax on that same day.

Peacock's August 1st Additions

The aforementioned DreamWorks films are hardly the only titles making their way to Peacock at the start of the month. Here's the complete list of movies being added to Peacock's streaming lineup on August 1st:

2012
21 Jump Street
8 Mile
Admission
Along Came Polly
The Best Man
The Best Man Holiday
Bowfinger
Casa de mi Padre
The Change-Up
Colombiana
The Croods
Dazed and Confused
Deep Impact
Definitely, Maybe
Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
Enough
Fanboys
For a Good Time, Call...
Greenberg
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The Interview
It's Complicated
Jerry Maguire
Marmaduke
Minions
National Lampoon's Animal House
Neighbors
The Nutty Professor
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps
Our Idiot Brother
Over the Hedge
Pineapple Express
R.I.P.D.
The Replacements
Safe House
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Self/Less
Sex Drive
Shark Tale
Shrek Forever After
Ted 2
There's Something About Mary
Tower Heist
Wanderlust
What Happens in Vegas
When Girls Ride
Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Peacock Raising Its Subscription Prices for the First Time

Peacock has some great movies on the way in August, but the streaming service is also preparing to raise the prices of its subscriptions for the very first time since it launched.

The service announced the price hike earlier this month, confirming that the Peacock Premium subscription tier will now cost $5.99 per month, up from the previous price of $4.99. Peacock Premium Plus is going up from $9.99 per month to $11.99.

One of Hollywood's biggest studios is pulling its physical media presence out of an international market entirely. Australians hoping to get their hands on Disney releases on either DVDs or Blu-rays will soon be out of luck. According to 7NEWS Australia, the House of Mouse is stopping its physical media presence in the Land Down Under after copies of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hit stores.

After Guardians hits stores in August, no further releases from Disney-owned studios will be available for purchase in the country, which insiders suggest is because of rapidly dwindling sales numbers.

Why is Disney removing movies from Disney+?

As physical media inches ever closer to eternal obscurity, streamers are also making it more difficult for fans to watch productions on streaming. Most recently, the likes of Disney+ and Max have started removing films and shows for a variety of reasons. In one case, Disney+ removed the first season of Lucasfilm's Willow follow-up and given the show was exclusive to the streamer, it's impossible to watch it in any form unless Disney eventually opts to reverse course.

"I've been quiet on this news that Willow is leaving [Disney+] 'cause... I'm kinda into it. I grew up at a time when [Disney] movies were periodically re-released and not available to own, and it made them... more special. I worry about many things...but NONE of them are that Willow will never be available again, either on [Disney+] or perhaps... someplace else, & ya never know where that could lead... stranger things have happened," Willow writer Jonathan Kasdan previously on Twitter. "So grateful for all the love and enthusiasm; it's truly what keeps these worlds alive."

Kasdan's tweets came weeks after the writer expressed hope the cast and crew would be able to reunited on a second season at some point in the future.

"A decision was made last week to release our main cast for other series opportunities that may arise for them in the coming year," Kasdan explained in a statement at the time. "With all the TV and movies in production around the world, it feels unfair to limit an actor's availability without a clear sense of when you're going to need them again. It's further triviliased by the simple reality that the scripts we've been working on require just as many actors with whom no such contractual hold exists."

He added, "But here's what's equally true: with the enthusiastic and unwavering support of Lucasfilm, and Disney, we've developed and written what we hope is a brain-meltingly fun, richer, darker, and better VOLUME II, which builds on the characters and story of our first eight chapters (The Wyrm survives!)"

Netflix sees plenty of changes to its streaming roster each and every month, and August is no exception. In the coming month, Netflix is preparing to add several movies and TV shows to its lineup. Unfortunately, it will also be losing quite a few titles as well. From beloved sitcoms to hit horror films, there are some major titles set to exit Netflix over the course of the next several weeks, beginning with a historical drama in the middle of the month.

The exits in August begin on August 12th, as both seasons of Knightfall make their way off the streamer. The biggest day for exits, however, is at the end of the month.

On August 31st, Netflix will be saying goodbye to hit films like Mean Girls, Paranormal Activity, The Ring, Open Season, and Sleepless in Seattle. It will also be losing all three seasons of the Scream TV series and every season of Sister, Sister.

Everything Leaving Netflix in August 2023

Here's the full list of movies and shows exiting Netflix next month:

Leaving 8/12/23
Knightfall: Seasons 1-2
Leaving 8/14/23
Winx Club: Seasons 6-7
Leaving 8/15/23
Les Mis?rables
Leaving 8/24/23
Jobs
Leaving 8/31/23
A Knight's Tale
If Beale Street Could Talk
InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time
InuYasha the Movie 2: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass
InuYasha the Movie 3: Swords of an Honorable Ruler
InuYasha the Movie 4: Fire on the Mystic Island
The Italian Job
Mean Girls
Moving Art: Seasons 1-3
Open Season
Open Season 2
Paranormal Activity
The Ring
Salt
Scream: Seasons 1-3
She's Gotta Have It
Sister, Sister: Seasons 1-6
Sleepless in Seattle

Netflix's New August Additions

Netflix may be losing some big titles in August, but the streaming service also has quite a few movies and TV shows making their way to its lineup next month. As always, the first day of the month will be the biggest day for new additions. That day will see five Fast & Furious movies make their way to Netflix, along with all four seasons of ABC's Ugly Betty.

Here's everything coming to Netflix on August 1st:

2 Fast 2 Furious
Bee Movie
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
Coming to America
Despicable Me
Despicable Me 2
Eat Pray Love
Fast & Furious
Fast Five
The Fast and the Furious
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Friends with Benefits
It's Complicated
The Jerk
Just Go With It
Lost in Translation
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
No Strings Attached
Pawn Stars: Season 14
Poms
Terminator Genisys
Ugly Betty: Seasons 1-4
Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

Disney's new take on the Haunted Mansion is off to a difficult start at the box office. The film debuted in theaters this weekend and faced an uphill battle, going up against the second weekend of record-breaking box office behemoths Barbie and Oppenheimer. With those two movies still commanding all of the big screen attention, Justin Simien's Haunted Mansion is having trouble getting any attention, opening below its already soft expectations.

Heading into the weekend, Haunted Mansion was eyeing an opening between $25 million and $30 million. Sunday's updated estimates, according to Variety, indicate that the new Disney live-action film won't even reach the lower end of that range. Haunted Mansion is currently looking at an opening weekend total of $24.6 million in North America, alongside just $9.1 million internationally.

With just around $33 million globally after one weekend, Haunted Mansion is going to struggle to make back its reported $150 million budget over the course of its theatrical run. There are a lot of factors playing into the muted debut for Haunted Mansion, with Barbie and Oppenheimer's success front and center, but the timing of the release is certainly a head-scratching move. Haunted Mansion is the type of movie that feels much more suited to a fall release, timing its debut closer to Halloween season and not in the middle of a summer blockbuster run. Not only would the theaters be less crowded with other films, but the season itself would make more sense for the movie's content.

Haunted Mansion Sequel Potential

Haunted Mansion's struggles out of the gate don't bode well for a potential second movie, but things could change after this weekend. Elemental recovered from a rough opening to become a surprising box office hit for Pixar, and there's no reason Haunted Mansion couldn't do the same. It could also find big success with home sales or on Disney+. There are paths forward for the potential franchise beyond the box office.

Haunted Mansion director Justin Simien told ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis that there are absolutely ways a sequel can work, and that the film itself leaves the door open for the possibilities.

"It definitely leaves a door open for more and for other spaces where, you know, ghosts might materialize," Simien explained.

Haunted Mansion Cast

LaKeith Stanfield leads and all-star Haunted Mansion cast that also includes Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Chase W. Dillon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jared Leto, Winona Ryder, Hasan Minhaj, and Dan Levy amongst others. Simien directed the film from a script written by Kate Dippold.

Did you see Haunted Mansion in theaters? What did you think? Let us know in the comments!

Barbie is one of the biggest box office success stories in years, and it continues cementing its legacy as it approaches its third week in theaters. Over the weekend, Barbie showed incredible resilience, nearly passing $100 million for the second weekend in a row. Greta Gerwig's blockbuster took in $93 million domestically, helping take its global total to nearly $775 million in less than two weeks on the big screen. It won't be long before Barbie reaches the coveted $1 billion mark.

So far in 2023, only one other movie has crossed the billion-dollar threshold, and that was The Super Mario Bros. Movie that Illumination and Universal released earlier in the year. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Barbie should pass the mark by the time Barbie wraps up its third weekend at the box office.

Barbie's success is unparalleled, especially considering it opened alongside Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, which is setting box office records of its own. This week, the film will pass the Patty Jenkins-directed Wonder Woman, which earned $822 million back in 2017. That will make Barbie the highest grossing film ever solely directed by a woman and there's a chance it ends up as the highest earning film in all of 2023.

To-date, only 52 movies in the history of entertainment have earned more than $1 billion at the global box office. Barbie's inclusion in that club is a matter of when, not if, and it will become billion-dollar movie number 53.

Barbie Sequel Possibilities

With this kind of success, there is obviously a lot of conversation about a potential Barbie sequel. Mattel and Warner Bros. will want to go all-in on Barbie after this theatrical showing and Ynon Kreiz, Mattel's CEO, has talked about building out a universe based on the brand.

"Barbie, as a brand, has many different iterations. The product lines of Barbie is a very broad brand. In addition to the main Barbie figure, she has family, she has a lot of elements around in her universe," Kreiz told Variety. "It's a very rich universe... It's a very broad and very elastic brand, in terms of opportunities."

"At the outset, we're not saying, 'Okay, let's think already about movie two and three.' Let's get the first one right and make that a success," he continued. "And if you do that, opportunities open up very quickly, once you establish the first movie as a successful representation of a franchise on the big screen."

Greta Gerwig and Barbie 2

While Mattel and Warner Bros. may be high on a second Barbie movie, director and co-writer Greta Gerwig doesn't have any ideas or plans for a follow-up.

"At this moment, it's all I've got," Gerwig told The New York Times. "I feel like that at the end of every movie, like I'll never have another idea and everything I've ever wanted to do. I wouldn't want to squash anybody else's dreams but for me, at this moment, I'm at totally zero."

In Barbie, to live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you're a Ken. From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig comes Barbie, which hit theaters on July 21st. Barbie stars Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell. The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Scott Evans, Jamie Demetriou, Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, Ritu Arya, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren. Gerwig directed Barbie from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach, based on Barbie by Mattel.

It's a good time for movies at the box office. As Barbie increases its massive global haul, Oppenheimer isn't too far behind with some theatrical longevity itself. With a much smaller demographic due to its R rating, Oppenheimer is expected to break $400 million worldwide Sunday. That sum puts the film on track to becoming Christopher Nolan's highest-grossing film in at least 28 international markets including India, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Furthermore, it's Nolan's highest-grossing non-Batman feature in an additional 40 marketings.

Between its first and second weekend in theaters, Oppenheimer dropped about 44-percent of its box office haul, seemingly suggesting the project could have some serious legs in theaters.

"Our guests have been incredible in showing their enthusiasm for this slate. We've had plenty of patrons showing up wearing themed Barbie outfits and sharing their excitement of seeing these movies at our theaters on social media," Marcus Theatres' VP Clint Wisialowski said in a new chat with BoxOfficePro. "These titles are appealing to an incredibly diverse audience which includes some folks we have not seen in quite a while. We are happy to welcome them back."

$174 milliion of Oppenheimer's total receipts has been stateside while $226 million has been earned in international markets. Barbie, on the other hand, is well on its way to serious cash as it's encroaching the $750 million global milestone.

Who Stars in Oppenheimer?

Oppenheimer stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer, Matt Damon as Leslie Groves, Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, Benny Safdie as Edward Teller, Michael Angarano as Robert Serber, Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence, Dylan Arnold as Frank Oppenheimer, David Krumholtz as Isidor Isaac Rabi, Matthew Modine as Vannevar Bush, Josh Peck as Kenneth Bainbridge, Devon Bostick as Seth Neddermeyer, Matthias Schweigh?fer as Werner Heisenberg, Christopher Denham as Klaus Fuchs, Guy Burnet as George Eltenton, Danny Deferrari as Enrico Fermi, Emma Dumont as Jackie Oppenheimer, Gustaf Skarsg?rd as Hans Bethe, Trond Fausa Aurv?g as George Kistiakowsky, and Gary Oldman as Harry S. Truman.

Both Barbie and Oppenheimer are playing exclusively in theaters.

Ahmed Best first joined Star Wars in 1999's Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace as Jar Jar Binks, a character that ended up being hated by many. Over the years, Best has opened up about the emotional toll the fan backlash had on him, so fans were incredibly happy to see him playing Jedi Master Kelleran Beq in the most recent season of Star Wars: The Mandalorian. Recently, Best spoke with The Guardian about his Star Wars history and his recent appearance on the new podcast, The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks.

Best has spoken before about contemplating suicide, and during his recent interview, he recalled the moment he stood on the Brooklyn Bridge as he thought about taking his own life. "I'll show all of you. I'll show you what you're doing to me. And when I'm gone, then you'll feel exactly what I went through," the actor remembered thinking. "It was terrible," Best explained. "It was the lowest I've been in my life," he added, saying he struggled to leave his home at the time.

"Jar Jar Binks isn't this rare story from 24 years ago. There are Jar Jars today, who it's socially acceptable to make jokes about online," Dylan Marron, host of The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks, explained. "I want people to hear what it's like to survive this abuse."

Best added of getting to save Grogu in The Mandalorian, "It really felt good ... As an artist, I lost my confidence for so many years, but The Mandalorian gave me that affirmation of 'You were always doing the right thing ... It wasn't you.'"

"Telling this story is never easy," Best wrote in an Instagram post this week. "I've held on to it for so long and sometimes sharing it brings me back to those challenging emotional times. The biggest reason I persist on sharing is because I realized I'm not alone. You are not alone Thank you @guardian and @dylanmarron for allowing me to share my story with you all." You can view his post below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ahmed Best (@bestahmed)

Will Ahmed Best Ever Play Jar Jar Binks Again?

Despite the Jar Jar Binks backlash, Best has said he'd be open to playing the Gungan again. "I would return as #jarjarbinks but it really depends on the story," the actor tweeted when a fan asked about a possible return back in 2020. Some fans thought he might pop up in Obi-Wan Kenobi last year, but it did not end up happening.

"Not as far as I know, no. I haven't been asked," Best shared with Jamie Stangroom's YouTube channel about being involved in the Ewan McGregor-led series. "I just don't know. To be completely honest I think Jar Jar is something Lucasfilm are trying to move away from, I'm not going to hold my breath for a Jar Jar cameo in Obi-Wan but you know, who knows."

The final episode of The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks will be available to stream for free on August 2nd.

Few things live up to their hype, but there are always exceptions. In the world of anime, Akira ranks as this truth's shining example as the classic film ages better by the day. The Katsuhiro Otomo movie is renowned as one of the best sci-fi films in history, and its animation has inspired millions. So of course, debate was going to crop up when one fan decided to give Akira a remaster with the help of AI.

The whole thing came to light when Erica Groza took to Instagram to share a piece of AI-derived work they put together at home. They took Akira and used Adobe's Beta AI to reimagine how the anime flick looked on screen. Specifically, they wanted to give Akira better formatting for vertical screens, so they plugged footage from Akira into Adobe's emerging software.

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A post shared by Eric Groza (@gro3a)

"Using Adobe's Beta AI, I was able to extend the 16X9 backgrounds to a full-vertical shot. Complete in the art style of the original background paintings. Then I recomposed the scenes and edited them as an additional video layer. Why is this a big deal? Because this not a blurry-out-of-focus photo, it's a distinct style which the AI was able to replicate after lots of tinkering and error," Groza shared.

"This is why real artists will learn to love AI. ... Brands, productions, and animation studios often just crop into a horizontal image to make a vertical format - which cuts out part of the action and often reduces image quality. For artists, it means, that they can augment their style and scale their work. It's a win for the creative individual who wants to do more with their own hands."

As you can imagine, some tech heads were eager to see how this AI worked, but plenty more weren't pleased by the revision. The unofficial remaster toys with the intentional layout and composition that Otomo approved when creating Akira. Over on social media, this little clip has now reignited the war between AI and anime as the industry's wariness looms large. With dismal conditions at work, anime creators are rightfully worried about how AI might overtake the industry, and tests like this are leaving a bad taste in their mouths.

If you have never seen Akira to spot the difference in this clip, you can always find the film in stores or on Digital HD. For more details on Otomo's classic flick, you can read its official synopsis below: "In the future, Shotaro Kaneda and his motorcycle gang tear through Neo Tokyo, a city divided by growing tensions. But when caught in an accident, Kaneda's friend Tetsuo Shima discovers a secret government project and receives psychic abilities beyond his control."

What do you think about this Akira debate? Is there any future where AI and animation can coexist? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is extending its exclusive run in IMAX. The 3-hour, R-rated epic about the creation of the atomic bomb opened opposite box office behemoth Barbie on July 21st and helped fuel the company's fourth-best weekend ever, according to IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond. Shot for IMAX with IMAX film cameras, Oppenheimer originally secured an exclusive three-week run in the premium format (including special presentations in IMAX 70mm film). But after surpassing $400 million globally over its second weekend, Oppenheimer will continue to screen in IMAX through mid-August before those screens shift to DC's Blue Beetle and Sony's just pushed-back Gran Turismo.

IMAX said in a statement: "In light of its extraordinary performance, IMAX is extending Oppenheimer's run an additional week through August 16/17, with plans to bring-back IMAX showtimes of Oppenheimer in the late summer/fall, as availability permits."

After Blue Beetle and Gran Turismo, Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary locked down IMAX screens for Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic Dune: Part Two, which will push out Marvel Studios' The Marvels during its exclusive six-week run in IMAX. Oppenheimer's eventual return to IMAX could contend with Tom Cruise and Paramount's Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, which lost its screens to Nolan after one week. According to Gelfond, Mission: Impossible could be re-issued in IMAX after Oppenheimer.

"I feel sad in a way we can't accommodate all of them. I know Mission: Impossible is going to be a really big movie," the IMAX CEO told Variety in June, before "Barbenheimer" blew past expectations at the box office. "Nolan has a special place in IMAX's heart because he uses our cameras and promotes us. It's not a matter of us saying which we can make more money on. I would hope after Oppenheimer's run, we can bring back Mission."

Both Barbie and Oppenheimer contributed to what Gelfond referred to as "a historic few days at the global box office" during an earnings call last week.

"In a weekend where moviegoing reasserted itself as an unparalleled cultural and commercial force, IMAX demonstrated its ever-strengthening position at the vanguard of cinema," Gelfond said on the call. "The paradigm shift to IMAX has never been more apparent. IMAX obliterated expectations with a $35 million opening for Oppenheimer, delivering a staggering 20% of the film's global debut on only 740 screens. In China, we delivered more than 16% for local blockbuster, Creation of the Gods, on just 1% of total screens, our best-ever indexing for China film. And we scored 20% of the debut of Mission: Impossible 7 in Japan on just 48 screens."

The combined $46.4 million weekend was the fourth-best in the history of IMAX, said Gelfond, adding "there is real heat" around the IMAX brand and technology in the marketplace.

In Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy plays theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, leading a starry cast that includes Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place) as Oppenheimer's wife, biologist and botanist Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer, Matt Damon (AIR) as General Leslie Groves Jr., director of the Manhattan Project, and Robert Downey Jr. (Avengers: Endgame) as Lewis Strauss, a founding commissioner of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. Oppenheimer also reunites Nolan with his Batman star Gary Oldman as Harry S. Truman and features Florence Pugh (Dune: Part Two) as psychiatrist Jean Tatlock, Benny Safdie (Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret) as theoretical physicist Edward Teller, Michael Angarano (Minx) as Robert Serber, and Josh Hartnett (30 Days of Night) as pioneering American nuclear scientist Ernest Lawrence.

It's an interesting time for DC as The Flash hit theaters this summer and became one of the biggest flops in comic book movie history. With James Gunn and Peter Safran taking over as co-CEOs, there are many big changes on the horizon, and the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom could be the final movie of the Snyderverse era that started with Man of Steel back in 2013. But first, Blue Beetle is being released, and Gunn has said the character will be a part of his new DCU. While Zack Snyder may be done with the franchise, he's still supporting it. In fact, he took to Twitter today to reveal he's excited about Blue Beetle.

"Looking forward to taking my kids to see Blue Beetle. #RepresentationMatters #BlueBeetle," Snyder wrote. You can view his post below:

Looking forward to taking my kids to see Blue Beetle. #RepresentationMatters #BlueBeetle pic.twitter.com/dJZxQxlWIO

-- Zack Snyder (@ZackSnyder) July 30, 2023

Despite saying Blue Beetle is a part of DC's next chapter, Gunn has also said Blue Beetle is "totally disconnected" from any other DC-related property.

"I think that we've gotten lucky with the next four movies, frankly, because we have [Shazam! Fury of the Gods], which leads into Flash, which resets everything, which then goes into Blue Beetle, which is totally disconnected. He can totally be a part of the DCU, goes into [Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom], which leads into Superman, our first big project," Gunn said during a press conference earlier this year. "But the one thing that we can promise is that everything from Superman forward, or from our first project forward, will be canon and will be connected. We're using some actors from the past. We're not using other actors from the past, but everything from that moment forward will be connected and consistent."

What Is Blue Beetle About?

From Warner Bros. Pictures comes Blue Beetle, which arrives in theaters on August 18th, marking the DC superhero's first time on the big screen. The film, directed by Angel Manuel Soto, stars Xolo Maridue?a in the title role as well as his alter ego, Jaime Reyes. Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero BLUE BEETLE.

Starring alongside Maridue?a are Adriana Barraza, Dam?an Alc?zar, Elpidia Carrillo, Bruna Marquezine, Raoul Max Trujillo, with Oscar winner Susan Sarandon, and George Lopez (the "Rio and "Smurf" franchises). The film also stars Belissa Escobedo and Harvey Guill?n. Soto directs from a screenplay by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, based on characters from DC. John Rickard and Zev Foreman are producing, with Walter Hamada, Galen Vaisman, and Garrett Grant serving as executive producers.

Earlier this month, the actor's guild SAG-AFTRA officially went on strike, which means actors are currently on the picket lines calling for better residuals and much more. Not only have most film and television productions halted due to the strike, but actors can't promote their films, and casting for future projects is currently on hold. Marvel fans have been eagerly awaiting news of Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four movie for quite some time, but you shouldn't expect to learn who is playing the core four until the strike is over. There have been many rumors over the last couple of years, but it remains one of the biggest question marks of the franchise. For a while, there have been rumors that Star Wars sequel alum Adam Driver would be playing the MCU's Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, but a recent report claims the actor passed on the role.

According to The Hot Mic podcast with John Rocha and Jeff Sneider, Driver passed on Fantastic Four early in the casting process. "This contradicts some stuff some we've put out there in the past, but...this comes from someone apparently working on the Fantastic Four movie," Sneider said in their latest episode (via ComingSoon). "They said that Adam Driver was never really engaged in this. They sent Adam Driver the script a while back and he said that he couldn't connect with the character on the page, and he passed very early on."

Which Actors Are Rumored To Star in Fantastic Four?

There have been many names mentioned for the upcoming Fantastic Four film, which is expected to be directed by WandaVision's Matt Shakman. For a long time, fans have suggested real-life couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt as Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman/Sue Storm, but it doesn't look like Kransinski will be playing the role again and Blunt has expressed disinterest in joining the MCU.

Rumors have included stars such as Stranger Things Season 4 breakout, Joseph Quinn, as Human Torch as well as You star Penn Badgley as Mr. Fantastic. Other names include DCEU and Barbie star Margot Robbie as Sue Storm, Killing Eve star Jodie Comer as Sue Storm, and even That '70s Show alum Mila Kunis as a gender-swapped The Thing. The list goes on and on, and yet no names have been confirmed for the film. Another actor that has popped up in the rumor mill is Vanessa Kirby, who recently spoke to ComicBook.com about possibly playing Sue Storm during an interview for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One.

"It would be an honor," Kirby shared. That doesn't tell us much, but it isn't a denial or an outright claim of ignorance, and it does suggest she'd be game to play Sue Storm if the opportunity arose.

Who do you want to see play the Fantastic Four? Tell us in the comments!

Lizzo is once again proving her ultimate nerd status by combining her musical talents with a fan-favorite franchise: Lord of the Rings. Lizzo has continued to impress with her iconic pop culture Halloween costumes and has talked about her dream Marvel Cinematic Universe cameo. Earlier this year, the Grammy-winning star also appeared in an episode of Star Wars: The Mandalorian alongside Jack Black. This week, Lizzo went fill "Lizzolas" by dressing in her best Elf wear and visiting The Shire.

"House hunting," Lizzo captioned her first post, which sees her checking out some Hobbit habitats. "Lizzolas in her natural habitat," she added in another post, which sees her performing part of Howard Shore's "The Shire" on her recorder. Surprising absolutely no one, Lizzo crushes the iconic score. You can check out her posts below:

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A post shared by Lizzo (@lizzobeeating)

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A post shared by Lizzo (@lizzobeeating)

How Did Lizzo Join The Mandalorian?

Star Wars fans were shocked and delighted by Lizzo and Jack Black's appearance on The Mandalorian, and showrunner Jon Favreau previously explained how they got involved with the show.

"Lizzo and Jack Black got involved because, honestly, one of the things we really like about working on the show is we like to bring people in who are fans themselves," Favreau told Entertainment Weekly. "Lizzo and Jack Black were both very active on social media."

He added, "I know Jack from way back but he was doing Mandalorian things on Instagram or TikTok and Lizzo was dressing up like Grogu and my kids were showing me all these videos of how into it Lizzo was. We had an episode that was going to have this really eccentric royal couple in a court like something that felt out of Alice in Wonderland so we reached out and they were like, 'We'd love to.'"

Favreau continued, "There's something really fun about being on the set with people who are excited to meet Grogu...people, when they hold that little puppet, it's like they're dealing with a real character ... It was really fun and exciting on the set. A lot of pretty heavy, serious stuff happens this season, so this planet gave us permission to have a lot of fun with it."

We can't wait to see which iconic franchise Lizzo dominates next!

Digimon is gunning for a comeback, guys. If you did not know, the digital series is more alive these days than we've seen in recent years. Thanks to Toei Animation, Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning is on the horizon, and we just got a first look at the big project!

As you can see below, a new trailer for Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning has gone live, and it showcases all of our season two favorites. Much like the generation before them, these DigiDestined are on a mission of their own to save the world. The second generation of adventurers are dealing with the ins and outs of high school while still dealing with the Digital World. So if you are ready to revisit Digimon Adventure 02, this movie will make your dreams come true.

Latest Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning trailer pic.twitter.com/7IoaN5svlI

-- Wikimon (@Wikimon_net) July 30, 2023

Now if you are not familiar with Digimon Adventure 02, you should know the series 2as created in 2000. It acted as a sequel to Digimon Adventure, the original anime of the franchise. This sequel followed a new cast of DigiDestined four years after the events of Digimon Adventure. At the time, the sequel was met with mixed reviews by fans, but Digimon Adventure 02 has become a cult classic as of late. So of course, fans are eager to see kids like Kari and Cody return to the screen.

Currently, Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning is slated to debut on October 27, 2023 in Japan. No word has been given on when the movie will premiere in the United States. This sequel will take place two years after the events of the Digimon Adventure sequel films and introduce a new DigiDestined named Rui Owada. So if you need to catch up on the original Digimon 02 anime, you can find it on Crunchyroll right now.

Want to know more about Digimon? No worries! You can read the synopsis of the original Digimon Adventure 02 anime below:

"An evil Digimon Emperor has seized control of the digital world, and since some of the original DigiDestined have moved on to high school, new kids Davis, Yolei, and Cody join T.K. and Kari in the ranks of the DigiDestined and travel to the digital world to fight the Emperor and the evil he's spreading. The DigiDestined discover that the Digital Emperor is someone from the human world, so they must change the way they fight to ensure success. Finding Digi-Eggs, which allow the DigiDestined's Digimon to digivolve, remains a high priority, but when the dark control spires and digispirals that the Emperor is rapidly constructing keep the Digimons from digivolving, the destruction of the spires becomes an even more pressing directive. Then Arukenimon, another new enemy, enters the scene, and it looks like darkness may prevail in the digital world and beyond. The DigiDestined's fight in the digital world helps each of the DigiDestined find their own inner strength and begin to realize the true power of dreams and optimism."

What do you think about this Digimon Adventure teaser? Are you excited to check out this new movie when it drops? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

Earlier this week, Sony announced an updated list of their release schedule, which saw some major films getting pushed back. There were also a couple of movies on the list that have been removed from the schedule altogether, including the Blumhouse movie, They Live. Originally, the film was supposed to be released next month but was recently delayed until August 2, 2024. Now, the film is listed as "TBC" on Sony's line-up.

Blumhouse's They Listen is set to star John Cho and Katherine Waterston and will be directed by Chris Weitz, who is best known for helming About a Boy, The Golden Compass, and The Twilight Saga: New Moon. The film will also feature Riki Lindhome, Lukita Maxwell, and Greg Hill. The film marks the eleventh collaboration between Cho and Weitz who originally worked together on American Pie. For now, the plot of They Listen is unknown. Jason Blum, Weitz, and Andrew Miano are producing the project while Bea Sequeira, Dan Balgoyen, Britta Rowings, and Paul Davis are serving as executive producers.

When Is Bluhouse Merging With Atomic Monster?

Last year, it was announced that Blumhouse would be merging with James Wan's Atomic Monster.

"I don't have one idea to turn into a horror movie," Jason Blum told The New York Times. "Not one. I built a business by recognizing great ideas from other people." Wan added, "I have so many ideas - so many ideas - more than I can handle by myself...It really allows me a bigger canvas to paint on, if you will. Universal is very supportive of filmmakers and brilliant at marketing. To have partners that trust you, that believe in you, that goes a long way." The outlet added that Wan has ambitions to expand their partnership beyond horror films and extend into horror video games plus "podcasts, live events and perhaps merchandise."

Last month, Blum told The Wrap the merger was "dangerously close" to closing.

Sony's New Release Schedule:

• Gran Turismo (Columbia Pictures) - August 25, 2023
• Untitled Bad Boys Sequel (Columbia Pictures) - June 14, 2024
• Untitled Venom Sequel (Columbia Pictures) - July 12, 2024
• Madame Web (Columbia Pictures) - February 14, 2024
  
• Untitled Ghostbusters Sequel (Columbia Pictures) - March 29, 2024
• Kraven the Hunter (Columbia Pictures) - August 30, 2024
• Karate Kid (Columbia Pictures) - December 13, 2024
  
• Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation) - TBC
• They Listen (Columbia Pictures/Blumhouse) - TBC
  

How do you feel about these release date shifts? Tell us in the comments!

The T-800 is officially in Fortnite. Saturday night, the beloved battle royale launched its latest collaboration with The Terminator franchise, allowing gamers to claim victory in spectacular science-fiction fashion. While the character has been added as a skin in the game before, that was the T-800's full self with no human disguise attached. This time around, the T-800 is donning the likeness of Arnold Schwarzenegger, a classic unmistakable look for many.

"He needs your Back Bling, your Pickaxe and the keys to your Battle Bus. You can find Terminator in the shop, now!" the official Fortnite account tweeted Saturday night.

He needs your Back Bling, your Pickaxe and the keys to your Battle Bus.

You can find Terminator in the shop, now! pic.twitter.com/CJyP2vaqE6

-- Fortnite (@FortniteGame) July 30, 2023

Will there be more Terminator movies?

Though Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) didn't win many hearts at the box office, it received generally positive reviews from critics and those movie-goers that went to theaters to see it. Though it has yet to be pushed into development, James Cameron said as recently as this May he's started to write another entry in the franchise.

Still, Cameron said in a Deadline interview last year he thought the filmmakers behind Dark Fate got a bit too "high on their own supply" while making the movie.

"And then Tim wanted Linda. I think what happened is I think the movie could have survived having Linda in it, I think it could have survived having Arnold in it, but when you put Linda and Arnold in it and then, you know, she's 60-something, he's 70-something, all of a sudden it wasn't your Terminator movie, it wasn't even your dad's Terminator movie, it was your granddad's Terminator movie," Cameron expressed. "And we didn't see that. We loved it, we thought it was cool, you know, that we were making this sort of direct sequel to a movie that came out in 1991. And young moviegoing audiences weren't born. They wouldn't even have been born for another 10 years."

He added, "So, it was just our own myopia. We kind of got a little high on our own supply, and I think that's the lesson there."

Terminator: Dark Fate is now streaming on Hulu.

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has finally released their latest animated Justice League movie with a star-studded voice cast led by Darren Criss and Jensen Ackles, and it will focus on a very familiar plot: the Warworld. Justice League: Warworld looks like another fun installment of DC Entertainment's animated universe that started off with Superman: Man of Tomorrow. Not much is known about the film, but it will feature a full roster of Justice League characters finally uniting after that huge Watchmen tease at the end of Legion of Superheroes. It was also revealed that Justice League: Warworld will be Rated R, and the producers of the film are explaining why it has that rating. While speaking with Screen Rant at San Diego Comic-Con, Justice League: Warworld producers Jeff Wamester, Jim Krieg, and Butch Lukic explained that the rating is due to the film's excessive violence.

"The nudity is tasteful," Wamester jokingly told the site before Krieg ran with it. And artsy. [Laughs] There's no nudity."

Lukic continued, "It's mostly rated R because of the violence. There's a lot of bloodletting, sword-fighting, and gunfights. The violence, and then the R rating's coming from that. Originally, honestly, it's a PG 13."

"If you cut out the blood with swords and guns, there's nothing. There's not a lot left." Krieg added.

What is Justice League: Warworld About?

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment describes the DC Elseworlds film as follow: "Until now, DC's Justice League has been a loose association of super-powered individuals. But when they are swept away to Warworld, a place of unending brutal gladiatorial combat, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and the others must somehow unite to form an unbeatable resistance able to lead an entire planet to freedom."

Justice League: Warworld has a lot of all-Star voice talent like Jensen Ackles as Batman/Officer Wayne, Stana Katic as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Darren Criss as Superman/Agent Kent. It also includes Ike Amadi as Martian Manhunter/J'onn J'onzz, Troy Baker as Jonah Hex, Matt Bomer as Old Man, Roger C. Cross as Machiste, Brett Dalton as Bat Lash, Trevor Duvall as Drifter, John DiMaggio as Lobo, Robin Atkin Downes as Mongul, Frank Grillo as Agent Faraday, Rachel Kimsey as Mariah Romanova, David Lodge as Sheriff, and Damian O'Hare as Deimos and Teddy Sears as Warlord.

Justice League: Warworld is now available on 4K Blu Ray, DVD and digital download. Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for more updates on the DC Animated Movie Universe as we learn them!

What do you think about their comments? Are you excited to see a Rated R Justice League movie? Let us know in the comments below or by hitting up our writer @NateBrail on Twitter!

The first trailer for Saw X has been released by Lionsgate and the latest chapter in the horror franchise has already dropped some Easter eggs. Ahead of the release of the Saw X trailer, the studio revealed the first synopsis for the sequel, confirming that it will mess with the timeline and its events will be set in-between Saw 1 and Saw 2, following Tobin Bell's John Kramer. This key detail, something that the trailer also makes clear, paves the way for Saw X to include franchise Easter eggs referencing the events of the future movies. Let's break down the Saw X trailer Easter eggs below.

Notably in the trailer, Jigsaw is seen sketching out drawings for "The Rake," one of the main torture traps found in the events of Saw III.

The Saw Bathroom is back

As the Saw franchise is want to do, the Saw X trailer also confirms that they will return to "the bathroom" as seen in the original Saw. It's unclear what the context of the scene is, but the franchise will seemingly be adding another wrinkle into the mythology of that gross little room.

The accomplices of Jigsaw return

Shawnee Smith's Amanda Young is confirmed to return for Saw X, and given her haircut, the timeline of being in-between Saw and Saw II is confirmed.

She may not be the only one however as a line of dialogue in the trailer sure sounds like Costas Mandylor as Detective Hoffman, Jigsaw's other apprentice. There's even a sequence in the trailer where someone's hand appears on a character's mouth, seemingly kidnapping them for Jigsaw, which seems like a very big hand that belongs to another person...almost certainly Hoffman.

In addition to Bell and Smith reprising their roles for Saw X, confirmed cast members that will appear in the movie include Synn?ve Macody Lund (Ragnarok), Steven Brand (The Sandman), Michael Beach (S.W.A.T.), Renata Vaca, Paulette Hernande, Joshua Okamoto, and Octavio Hinojosa. Director Kevin Greutert is also returning to the franchise to direct the movie, having previously directed Saw VI and Saw: The Final Chapter in addition to editing six other movies in the franchise.

Lionsgate describes Saw X as follows: "John Kramer (Tobin Bell) is back. The most disturbing installment of the Saw franchise yet explores the untold chapter of Jigsaw's most personal game. Set between the events of Saw I and II, a sick and desperate John travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer - only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable," the press release reads. "Armed with a newfound purpose, the infamous serial killer returns to his work, turning the tables on the con artists in his signature visceral way through devious, deranged, and ingenious traps."

The upcoming Saw X is scheduled for release on September 29, 2023.

Haunted Mansion is now playing in theaters, and it's the latest film to be based on a Disneyland ride. The success of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl back in 2003 launched an entire franchise, and it's clear Disney has been chasing that success with other ride-based films like Jungle Cruise. Currently, Haunted Mansion is not off to a great start at the box office, but there's always a chance the movie might find its audience when it hits Disney+. Recently, ComicBook.com had the opportunity to talk with Haunted Mansion director Justin Simien in New Orleans, and we asked if he has any sequel ideas brewing.

"Absolutely," Simien replied when asked if there are more Haunted Mansion stories to be told. "My favorite thing about being a director is building the world around the story so that you feel like, 'Okay, after the story ends and before the story begins, there's still a world there.' That's my favorite part. And so there's a lot of things that we set up in the movie and a lot of places that we just point to as being over there, but we don't necessarily go all the way in that particular room or go all the way into that particular mansion. So I think that there is plenty, plenty more story left, plenty more mysteries to discover in the mansion itself. And shockingly, even more Easter eggs, if you can believe it."

Is Haunted Mansion Too Scary For Kids?

During our chat with Simien, he revealed Disney was concerned some moments in the upcoming film would be too scary. However, kids in the test audience felt differently.

"There were some things that the studio thought would be too scary," Simien revealed. "And then we started to screen the movie and the first folks in, we'd be like, 'Is the movie too scary?' Kids would raise their hands like, 'No, I can handle it. We want more.' And so eventually there were things that I truly didn't think were, especially involving the Hat Box Ghost, and especially with some of the jump scares, that I wasn't sure if it was really going to make it through, but it did because the kids wanted more of it. And I kept saying my first Disney movies, those are still the scariest movies I've ever seen. So I talk about Pinocchio becoming a donkey, Snow White getting lost in the forest, these things are terrifying. Like Simba losing Mufasa, these are scary moments."

"And kids can handle it. And if you just respect them enough to handle the story, they can do it. And we just leaned into that," he added. "Life is scary."

What Is Haunted Mansion About?

In Haunted Mansion, a doctor (Rosario Dawson) and her 9-year-old son (Chase Dillon), looking to start a new life, move into a strangely affordable mansion in New Orleans, only to discover that the place is much more than they bargained for. Desperate for help, they contact a priest (Owen Wilson), who, in turn, enlists the aid of a widowed scientist-turned-failed-paranormal expert (LaKeith Stanfield), a French Quarter psychic (Tiffany Haddish), and a crotchety historian (Danny DeVito).

The film is based on Disney's classic theme park attraction and is directed by Justin Simien (Bad Hair, Dear White People) and produced by Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich (Aladdin). Nick Reynolds (Easter Sunday) and Tom Peitzman (The Lion King) are the executive producers.

Haunted Mansion is now playing in theaters.

Ridley Scott is about to take another crack at a historical film after releasing The Last Duel almost three years ago, and it will focus on one of the most important historical figures in history, Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon will star Joaquin Phoenix as the emperor and will feature an all star cast under the helm of Scott. From everything we've seen in the first trailer for Napoleon, Scott and Phoenix are pulling out all the stops for awards season, and we may be in for something special. The latest issue of Empire Magazine features Napoleon on the cover, and they also revealed a cool new look at Phoenix as the emperor on horseback wielding a sword.

You can check out the image below.

"I compare him with Alexander The Great. Adolf Hitler. Stalin," Scott told the magazine. "Listen, he's got a lot of bad shit under his belt. At the same time, he was remarkable with his courage, and in his can-do and in his dominance. He was extraordinary."

Meanwhile, Phoenix was set on avoiding the tropes of doing a biopic, "That's definitely something we wanted to avoid. Certainly speaking for myself, I actively wanted to avoid the conventions of the biopic."

What is Ridley Scott's Napoleon About?

Sony Pictures describes the Joaquin Phoenix-led Napoleon as follows, "Napoleon is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, played by Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix. Against a stunning backdrop of large-scale filmmaking orchestrated by legendary director Ridley Scott, the film captures Bonaparte's relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed."

In Napoleon, Phoenix plays Napoleon Bonaparte with Vanessa Kirby starring as Napoleon's love and future empress, Jos?phine. The film also includes Tahar Rahim as French revolutionary leader Paul Barras. Napoleon's cast also includes Ben Miles as Napoleon's advisor Caulaincourt, Ludivine Sagnier as socialite Theresa Cabarrus, Madame Tallien, Matthew Needham as Napoleon's brother Lucien, Youssef Kerkour as Marshal Davout, one of Napoleon's commanders, Phil Cornwell as Sanson 'The Bourreau', king of France, Edouard Philipponnat as Tsar Alexander, Ian McNeice, Paul Rhys as the diplomat Talleyrand, John Hollingworth as celebrated soldier Marshal Ney, Gavin Spokes as Moulins, and Mark Bonnar as Jean-Andoche Junot. Scott helms the film from a script that was penned by David Scarpa.

Napoleon hits theaters on Thanksgiving. Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for more updates on Napoleon as we learn it!

What do you think about the new look at Napoleon? Are you excited to see Joaquin Phoenix in the film as the historical icon? Let us know in the comments below or by hitting up our writer @NateBrail on Twitter!

The first Saw X trailer has been released, revealing the latest sequel in the horror series. Lionsgate has been trying to get the Saw franchise back to the highest point of the horror genre for quite some time, and fans have been eagerly awaiting the upcoming tenth film in the franchise. Saw X will be arriving in theaters in just a few months, but we have already been getting a few teases from the upcoming film, and we just saw the first poster get released. We also got our first look at the puppet, Billy, who will be coming back to the franchise, as well as Jigsaw actor Tobin Bell. Now, Lionsgate has finally revealed the first trailer for Saw X.

You can check out the trailer below and watch Saw X in theaters on September 29th.

What is Saw X About?

Lionsgate described the tenth Saw film as follows, "John Kramer (Tobin Bell) is back. The most disturbing installment of the Saw franchise yet explores the untold chapter of Jigsaw's most personal game. Set between the events of Saw I and II, a sick and desperate John travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer - only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable. Armed with a newfound purpose, the infamous serial killer returns to his work, turning the tables on the con artists in his signature visceral way through devious, deranged, and ingenious traps."

Saw started off with seven installments, beginning with James Wan's (Aquaman) breakout film in 2004, and ending with Saw 3D: The Final Chapter back in 2010. Following its finale, the franchise was put on ice for for quite some time, before taking on two attempts at reboots. Jigsaw (2017) told the story of Kramer's secret first apprentice, who was recruited from the early stages of his wrongdoings before the first Saw. Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) revealed a copycat that uses Jigsaw's legacy to begin an era of more twisted games. Both attempts were met with really bad responses, which is why Lionsgate is going back to a fan-favorite director and the franchise star for this newest installment.

Saw X is scheduled to be released on September 29th. Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for more updates on the Saw franchise as we learn it.

What do you think about the new trailer for Saw X? Are you excited to see Saw X when it arrives in theaters later this year? Let us know in the comments below or by hitting up our writer @NateBrail on Twitter!

This month, the actor's guild SAG-AFTRA went on strike after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers broke down with no deal in place. Between the recent SAG strike and the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, most film and television productions have halted. Many famous faces have been spotted on the picket lines, and actors have been speaking out about the current state of Hollywood. Yesterday, Will Smith took to Instagram to pay tribute to his acting mentor and talk about what the art form means to him.

"I wanna talk for a second about ACTING. As some of yall mighta heard, my guild, @SAGAFTRA are on strike along with our writer colleagues in the WGA," Smith wrote. "It's a pivotal moment for our profession. 33 years into my career as an actor and there are still some days when I feel like I'm that kid from Philly who's on borrowed time, even though I know I've been extraordinarily blessed and lucky to have worked as an actor all this time. It's thanks to my friend, my teacher and my mentor @aaronspeiser whom I fondly refer to as 'coach' that those days when I feel like I don't belong are fewer and further between."

He continued, "Coach invited me to an acting class the other day and I met a group of our talented next generation of actors and they amazed and inspired me! I'm grateful to coach for continuing to support these talented hopefuls in this art-form that I love and have been lucky enough to work in for three decades of my life! Thanks COACH!" You can view his post below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Will Smith (@willsmith)

Bad Boys 4 Gets Release Date:

Will Smith's next project will see him renting with Martin Lawrence for a fourth Bad Boys film. Yesterday, Sony officially announced the movie will be coming on June 14, 2024. The duo first played Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett in Michael Bay's Bad Boys back in 1995 and they went on to reprise their roles in Bad Boys II in 2003 and Bad Boys For Life in 2020. After the success of the threequel, which was one of the only movies to have a full run at the box office in 2020 before the pandemic shut everything down, a fourth movie was quickly put into development and it was officially announced to be in the works this January.

In addition to Smith and Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens will be reprising her role as Kelly. Fantastic Four star Ioan Gruffudd has also joined the cast as Lockwood, "a high-profile attorney running for election." Aside from a few new character details, the plot of the fourth Bad Bays movie is currently unknown. Bad Boys For Life actors Paola N?nez and Alexander Ludwig are also expected to reprise their roles.

Stay tuned for more updates about the SAG strike.

Make no mistake about it, but the box office is back. Thanks to Barbie and Oppenheimer dropping in the same weekend, the box office is on a tear as both movies continue to bank record-setting sums. In fact, Oppenheimer continues to be a top earner for R-rated movies, earning an additional $46 million during its second weekend in theaters. Should it keep pace with expectations, that means the Christopher Nolan flick would tally the fifth-highest second weekend in the history of the box.

Domestically, the biopic has earned $141 million while its global haul sits at $253.3 million. It's expected that global haul will balloon to over $280 million by the end of the weekend. On top of that, Oppenheimer also happens to be the highest-earning non-IP movie released this year.

Why is Oppenheimer doing so well at the box office?

In addition to being the latest Christopher Nolan picture, critics and audiences alike are praising the performance of Cillian Murphy as the film's namesake physicist. In real life, J. Robert Oppenheimer oversaw the development of the world's first nuclear weapons, something the film portrays as equally haunting.

"I do think that he believed it would be the weapon to end all wars," Murphy told NME of his role earlier this year. "He thought that [having the bomb] would motivate countries to form a sort of nuclear world governance. He was naive."

"Chris used this amazing phrase," the actor recalled. "We were talking about Oppenheimer's arc and he said, 'You know, he's dancing between the raindrops morally.' That unlocked something in my mind when I was preparing."

Who Stars in Oppenheimer?

Oppenheimer stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer, Matt Damon as Leslie Groves, Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, Benny Safdie as Edward Teller, Michael Angarano as Robert Serber, Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence, Dylan Arnold as Frank Oppenheimer, David Krumholtz as Isidor Isaac Rabi, Matthew Modine as Vannevar Bush, Josh Peck as Kenneth Bainbridge, Devon Bostick as Seth Neddermeyer, Matthias Schweigh?fer as Werner Heisenberg, Christopher Denham as Klaus Fuchs, Guy Burnet as George Eltenton, Danny Deferrari as Enrico Fermi, Emma Dumont as Jackie Oppenheimer, Gustaf Skarsg?rd as Hans Bethe, Trond Fausa Aurv?g as George Kistiakowsky, and Gary Oldman as Harry S. Truman.

Both Barbie and Oppenheimer are playing exclusively in theaters.

Seth Rogen has been crushing the production game with projects like The Boys and even the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, so you'd think that he and Evan Goldberg would want to move to the major leagues. If you thought that the producing duo would want to work on a Marvel Studios or DC Studios project, then you would be wrong. Rogen has been doing promotion for his upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, and he was asked a bunch of interesting questions, like if he'd want to adapt a Grant Morrison comic book. Now, it seems that he's being asked why he hasn't worked with Marvel or DC. In a new interview with Polygon, Rogen revealed that he doesn't want to work with the two companies and his reasons why.

"Honestly, probably fear. [laughs] We really have a pretty specific way we work; me and Evan have been writers for 20 years at this point," Rogen told the website. "It's a fear of the process, honestly. And I say that knowing nothing about the process. There are a lot of Marvel things I love. It's mostly a fear of how would we plug into the system they have in place, which seems like a very good system, and a system that serves them very well. But is it a system that we would ultimately get really frustrated with? And what's nice about [Mutant Mayhem] is that we're the producers of this. So we dictated the system, and we dictated the process in a lot of ways. And that's what's also appealing for us about The Boys and the other bigger franchise-y type things we've done, is that we are creating the infrastructure and process for them, not plugging into someone else's infrastructure and process. We're control freaks!"

Seth Rogen Says Marvel Studios Movies are for Children

Rogen recently revealed in an interview with Total Film that Marvel Studios movies were geared towards kids and weren't for him.

"I think that Kevin Feige is a brilliant guy, and I think a lot of the filmmakers he's hired to make these movies are great filmmakers," Rogen said in a recent interview. "But as someone who doesn't have children... It is [all] kind of geared towards kids, you know? There are times where I will forget. I'll watch one of these things, as an adult with no kids, and be like, 'Oh, this is just not for me.'"

Rogen's next big movie will be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and it's set to hit theaters on August 2nd. Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for more updates on Seth Rogen, Marvel Studios and DC Studios as we learn them!

What do you think about Seth Rogen's comments? Would you want him to produce a Marvel or DC project? Let us know in the comments below or by hitting up our writer @NateBrail on Twitter!

Disney's latest release is in danger of bombing. The Haunted Mansion is speculated to bring in about $25 million at the box office this weekend. Previously, industry experts had tabbed Justin Simien's movie for about $30 million. However, it feels like Barbie and Oppenheimer are just going to be too much for the spooky season flick. Adding to that frustration is the fact that The Haunted Mansion has a reported budget of $150 million. Now, as Elemental proved to audiences earlier this year, maybe it can earn that total back. But, it's going to be an uphill battle as Barbie continues to climb at the box office and shows no signs of slowing down.

Here's how Disney describes the movie this weekend: "Inspired by the classic theme park attraction, 'Haunted Mansion' is about a woman and her son who enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters."

Haunted Mansion's Director Really Cares About The Project

ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis spoke to Justin Simien at San Diego Comic-Con ahead of the movie's release. He clearly loves everything about The Haunted Mansion. When it comes to the feel of the iconic building, New Orleans, Louisiana provided the basis for everything you see on the screen.

"It's definitely the New Orleans one for this film anyway. Katie set the movie in New Orleans and my family's actually from Louisiana," Simien explained "And my only tiny critique about The Haunted Mansion in Disneyland is that you go to New Orleans Square and it's just a little, let's say whiter than the New Orleans that I understood from my life and times."

"And I felt like, gosh, I think actually if you root The Haunted Mansion, that original one even deeper in an authentic New Orleans, it actually becomes more itself because that's the birthplace of jazz and spooky jazz and funny jazz and Cab Calloway and these people who were already blending horror and humor and sexiness and fun," he continues. "And so that was kind of the goal for me. And you definitely get a sense that there's a wider universe and other mansions perhaps out there and other kinds of ghosts that could come in and out of the story. But the heart of this one is certainly the New Orleans mansion."

Is Haunted Mansion Actually Good?

The Haunted Mansion might be up against some tough opposition. But, ComicBook.com's Charlie Ridgely enjoyed his time with the movie. It feels like other critics are basically in agreement too. Our critic gave it four out of five stars.

"Unlike the 2003 take on Haunted Mansion, Simien and Dippold's version actually makes great use of the New Orleans setting. Whether it's as a tool to get more supernatural elements into the story or to focus on the city's stunning architecture, New Orleans is made to be a part of this film down to its very foundation," Ridgely said about the new release.

The writer continued, "The design of the actual house takes its nods from that architectural style, as well as the Disneyland ride, allowing it to feel like something both spooky and tactile. It would've been easy to simply make a few random rooms that are supposed to exist in a creepy old haunted house, but Haunted Mansion's design team clearly put a lot of love and effort into creating something that would feel different than what we've seen on screen before."

Will you see The Haunted Mansion this weekend? Let us know down in the comments!

Back in May, the Writers Guild of America officially went on strike after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for better pay and residuals failed. In July, the actor's guild SAG-AFTRA followed suit. The negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP officially broke down with no deal in place, which means most film and television productions have halted. Today, the news broke that Apex, the new Formula One movie from Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski, has also stopped production due to the strike. According to The Sun, the film's star, Brad Pitt, made the call to halt production in solidarity with SAG.

"Brad is arguably one of the nicest guys in Hollywood and this move seals that reputation," an unnamed source told The Sun. "He has been filming Apex, his new Formula 1 film, for the past few weeks but has now pulled the plug." They added, "Brad agreed that they would finish shoots booked in but has postponed planned production over the next two months ... The cast and crew of Apex have been filming in Budapest but Brad has called for the future dates to be put back, in solidarity with everyone striking."

"Everyone has been informed that there will be a two-month hiatus now," the source continued. "Conversations about when to start up again are ongoing but it's likely it will be in November when they will be going to Las Vegas to shoot some scenes ... Postponing the production was a massive call, especially financially, but Brad has listened to the concerns of the people he works with and wants to show his support."

Last week, an unnamed agent spoke with Variety and revealed some strikers were upset to see big stars at Wimbledon instead of on the picket lines, and Pitt's name was mentioned.

"The real place the A-listers can help is donating to relief funds and lobbying the studio heads behind the scenes," an agent told Variety. Pitt was mentioned along with Ariana Grande and Andrew Garfield after they were photographed at Wimbledon during the strike's first weekend. One "power publicist" told the outlet it wouldn't hurt for Pitt "to throw on a SAG-AFTRA shirt when he knows there will be paparazzi."

Earlier this week, Dwayne Johnson made a "historic" donation to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, which helps SAG-AFTRA members financially in times of hardship. Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest also donated $25,000 to the cause.

Stay tuned for more updates about the current strikes in Hollywood.