The weekend's top twelve combined to outperform the same weekend last year by more than 43%, which means the year-to-year gap continues to close, but the weekend's new releases both struggled mightily. Universal and Illumination's The Secret Life of Pets 2 was unable to even deliver half of the opening the first film delivered just a few years ago, while Fox's Dark Phoenix entered the weekend as the worst reviewed film in the X-Men franchise ever and, predictably, delivered the lowest opening weekend of the franchise. At the top of the box office is Universal and Illumination's The Secret Life of Pets 2 with an estimated $47.1 million from 4,561 locations (the second widest opening ever only to Avengers: Endgame). The performance is less than half of the original, 2016 film's $104.3 million, which remains a record opening for an original, animated feature. Heading into the weekend expectations weren't exactly meteoric, with the studio hoping for an opening over $50 million, but even that proved an impossible task. Looking ahead, Pets 2 received an "A-" CinemaScore from opening day audiences, while playing to a crowd that was 57% female with 62% of the film's opening crowd being family moviegoers. As for the film's future, it compares to the $48.4 million opening for Hotel Transylvania 2 and the $47.6 million debut for Kung Fu Panda 2, both of which went on to gross over $165 million, albeit neither played in the middle of the summer movie season, which will make the future of this film interesting to watch. Internationally, Pets 2 began playing overseas two weeks ago and this weekend added 21 markets including the Netherlands ($1.7m), Vietnam ($1.3m), Italy ($1.1m) and Taiwan ($800k). Overall, the film brought in $16 million this weekend from a total of 30 markets for an international cume that currently stands at $49 million. The film's top market is Russia with just shy of $17 million with openings yet to come in Australia (Jun 20), Germany (Jun 27), Brazil (Jun 27), China (Jul 5), Japan (Jul 26), Korea (Jul 31), France (Jul 31), Spain (Aug 9) and Mexico (Aug 9). In second place things don't get any better as Disney's release of Fox's Dark Phoenix could only manage an estimated $33 million debut, making it the first film in the X-Men franchise to fail to deliver a $50+ million opening. In fact, like Pets 2 the film's opening is well off even the studio's modest, $40-50 million expectations and over $30 million shy of the disappointing, $65.7 million opening for X-Men: Apocalypse three years ago. The average multiplier for films in the X-Men franchise is 2.5x, which would suggest we're looking at an $82.5 million domestic run for Dark Phoenix, which would make it the first film in the franchise to finish below $100 million domestically. The film received a "B-" CinemaScore from opening day audiences, which is a grade below the "A-" score for X-Men: Apocalypse, as audiences seemed to agree with the negative critical reception. The audience was 57% male with 61% of the opening weekend crowd coming in aged 25 years or older. Internationally, Dark Phoenix debuted in all but Japan this weekend, bringing in an estimated $107 million, led by a $45.6 million opening in China. Additional openings include South Korea ($5.7m), Mexico ($5.0m), UK ($4.9m), France ($3.8m), Russia ($3.4m), Brazil ($2.9m), Philippines ($2.4m), Taiwan ($2.3m) and India ($2.3m). The film will open in Japan on June 21. Disney's Aladdin took third with an estimated $24.5 million, signaling a solid, -43% drop as it enters its third week in release. The film's domestic cume is now over $232 million. Internationally, the film added another $67.6 million this weekend for an overseas cume totaling $372.5 million, pushing Aladdin's global tally just shy of $605 million In fourth, Warner's Godzilla: King of the Monsters dropped hard, falling -67.5% for an estimated $15.5 million second weekend. The drop isn't exactly a surprise, though it is a fraction steeper than the large, -67% drop the 2014 original felt, which continues to put a question mark on the film's overall domestic run and whether or not it will be able to go much higher than $100 million. The film's domestic gross currently stands at $78.6 million. Internationally, Godzilla added $47.1 million this weekend for an overseas cume that stands at $213.7 million and a global tally topping $292 million. Spain remains the final key market for the film, where it will release on June 21. Rounding out the top five is Paramount's Rocketman, which dropped -46% in its second weekend for an estimated $14 million. The film's domestic cume now stands at just over $50 million after ten days in release. Internationally, the film added $13 million from 50 markets for an overseas cume that now totals just over $51 million and a worldwide gross over $101 million. In limited release, Amazon Studios began the platform release of their record, $13 million Sundance acquisition, Late Night, debuting the film in four locations this weekend with an estimated $249,654 and a chart-topping $62,414 per theater average. The film will go nationwide in over 1,500 locations next weekend. Additionally, A24's The Last Black Man In San Francisco opened in seven theaters in NY, LA and San Francisco and delivered an estimated $230,744 for a per screen average of $32,963. The film will expand into top markets next weekend. Other limited releases include CBS Films's Pavarotti, which opened in 19 locations with an estimated $142,500 ($7,500 PTA); Super's This One's for the Ladies opened in one theater with an estimated $16,000; and IFC's Framing John DeLorean brought in an estimated $9,106 from one theater. Next weekend will see Sony's release of Men in Black International debut in over 3,800 location; WB will release Shaft in over 2,900 theaters; Focus will debut Jim Jarmusch's The Dead Don't Die in approximately 550 theaters; and the aforementioned Amazon release Late Night will go into wide release.

James Wan has urged fans to continue watching Swamp Thing, despite its cancellation. Following Titans and Doom Patrol, the more horror-influenced series was the third original series to air on DC Universe. Though the former two exist within the same world, Swamp Thing existed solely as its own entity. Created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, Swamp Thing tells the story of Alec Holland. In the comics, Holland is a scientist whose consciousness and memories are transferred to the plant life surrounding his lab after an attempt on his life. The show, however, follows Abby Arcane (Teen Wolf's Crystal Reed) as she investigates a mysterious virus. Although at first believing it to originate from the swamp, she finds that larger forces are at work. The first episode debuted on May 31. Despite mostly positive reviews, the show was officially canceled a week later. The news was a surprise to many, despite the previous reduction to the episode count. Fans immediately began protesting the decision on social media, calling for the show to be saved. Others, meanwhile, began investigating what led to the decision. For a while, it seemed as though the issues stemmed from an error on the budgeting side of things. Screen Rant itself quickly discovered, however, that it wasn't because of state grant issues. Taking to Instagram, Wan revealed that he was just as in the dark as fans. Posting a particularly eerie image of Swamp Thing, he declared that he didn't "really know or understand why Swamp Thing had been canceled." What he did know, though, was just how much time and effort had gone into creating the best adaptation possible. "Really proud of everyone’s hard work," he continued, before urging people to continue watching each episode regardless. "Go watch episode 2, and immortalize these 10 episodes. Swampy deserves it." FireShot Capture 715 - James Wan Urges_ - https___screenrant.com_james-wan-swamp-thing-cancellat.jpg Wan is no stranger to the world of DC. As well as serving as an executive producer on Swamp Thing, he also directed the DCEU's recent mega-hit Aquaman. He's already onboard to direct the sequel, which is currently being written. Warner Bros. also recently greenlit a Trench horror spinoff. Outside of the world of superheroes, Wan has a number of other horror franchises currently ongoing. The ever-expanding Conjuring universe will continue later this month with Annabelle Comes Home. On top of that, he has a Mortal Kombat reboot in the works, and will direct the pilot of Mark Millar's The Magic Order TV show. Swamp Thing isn't the first show to be cut down seemingly before its time, and it probably won't be the last. That's no reason that a show cannot make a lasting and meaningful impact, however. Just look at Firefly and countless others. As disappointing as it can be to invest your time in a show that seems doomed, there's no telling what the future holds. There's never a guarantee that a canceled show can be saved. Especially one as expensive as Swamp Thing is reported to have been. Whatever the case, all fans can do is pour all the passion they feel into watching and enjoying the remaining episodes. And hope that such upcoming shows as Stargirl, the Harley Quinn animated series, and the second season of Titans fare better. Swamp Thing is currently available for streaming on DC Universe.

Jason Reitman, the director of next year's Ghostbusters movie, says that his film is a love letter to the original. The first Ghostbusters movie was released back in 1984, and was directed by Ivan Reitman, who returned five years later for Ghostbusters II. Now, 35 years after the first movie was released, Reitman's son is bringing the franchise back to the big screen. At the beginning of the year, Reitman surprised everyone when he announced that he would be directing a new Ghostbusters set in the original universe. The following day, Ghostbusters received a teaser trailer, and soon after landed a July 2020 release date. Ever since the film was announced, the main question fans have had is whether or not the original cast members will be returning to their iconic roles. The surviving cast members like Bill Murray seemed interested in the project, but Sigourney Weaver recently confirmed that she and the original Ghostbusters were returning for Reitman's film. Now, Reitman has given fans some more insight on the film. The official Ghostbusters Twitter page recently shared a quote from Reitman, who appeared this weekend at the Ghostbusters Fan Fest in Culvers City, CA. Reitman likely gave a more detailed statement at the actual panel, but the quote pulled for the Ghostbusters tweet reads, "We wanted to make a love letter to the original movie". The full tweet can be seen below. FireShot Capture 714 - New Ghostbusters Movie a Love Letter _ - https___screenrant.com_ghostbust.jpg While some might see the new Ghostbusters as a love letter to the original, others aren't too fond about the sequel. Back in January, Saturday Night Live star Leslie Jones had some harsh words to say about the sequel. Jones starred in the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot directed by Paul Feig, who supported Jones' comments. At that point, the original cast hadn't been confirmed for the movie, so many didn't think a new movie featuring a group of teenagers as Ghostbusters would have been much better than what Feig did with his reboot. Even though younger actors Finn Wolfhard and McKenna Grace have been cast in the film, it was huge news when Weaver revealed that the original cast was returning. Actors like Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Murray, and Weaver all appeared in Feig's Ghostbusters, but they just played cameo roles that didn't connect to the first two movies. Reviews for Feig's Ghostbusters were mixed, but many people disregarded the film simply because of the all-female cast. Fans have been waiting for three decades to see Ghostbusters III, and if Reitman's new film really is a love letter to the original, the original cast will likely have more than just cameo roles. Ghostbusters 3 (2020) release date: Jul 10, 2020

Official concept art for the Disney+ Loki TV series has shown Loki on Earth in what seems to be 1975. The Disney+ streaming service will be host to a whole range of live-action series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, featuring actors from the films themselves. One of the most exciting sees Tom Hiddleston reprising the role of Loki, the Trickster God who bedeviled his brother Thor. Writer Michael Waldron has joined up with Marvel as showrunner of the Loki TV series, and there are reports that it will serve as a prequel series revealing Loki's secret role in human history. The first two Thor movies clearly established that Loki knew how to leave Asgard without using the Bifrost, which means he could potentially crop up anytime in the last millennia. It's generally been assumed that the focus would mostly be on events before the 20th century, an era essentially unexplored by the MCU to date. An official photo from the Walt Disney Company's Investor Day suggest that won't necessarily be the case. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige took to the stage to preview some of Marvel's upcoming projects, and he unveiled an official logo for Loki along with a piece of concept art that shows Loki on Earth in what appears to be 1975. Loki-Disney-Plus-Series-First-Look-Image.jpg The logo has a simple font, with a mix of capital and lowercase letters, and is clearly evocative of Loki's chaotic nature. It doesn't have any direct comic book inspiration, but is vaguely reminiscent of the logo used by 2014's Loki: Agent of Asgard series. Meanwhile, the image itself shows Loki walking down a crowded street. The cinema sign behind the Trickster God is advertising Jaws, which sets the concept art in 1975. There have been reports that the Loki series will explore different periods of Earth's history, so it's impossible to say for certain whether or not 1975 is an important time period. If it is, though, it's interesting to speculate how Loki could have shaped human society. The most notable events in the United States in 1975 were the end of the Vietnam War and Bill Gates' founding of Microsoft; Loki could potentially be involved in either, although Vietnam seems less likely given the conflict ended in April, while Jaws didn't release until June. Still, it's worth remembering that Marvel's previous period pieces - most notably Captain Marvel - played a little fast and loose with the timeline, so that may not be an indicator. Marvel has been keeping their post-Phase 3 slate - including the Disney+ TV shows - under wraps until after the theatrical release of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Little by little, though, details are beginning to slip out, in this case through a presentation to Disney investors. Presumably more will be revealed at SDCC 2019, and this year's D23.

Godzilla vs. Kong may get delayed from its March release date to later in 2020. The upcoming MonsterVerse crossover event was actually originally supposed to release on May 22, 2020, but was moved up to March 13, presumably to avoid competition with Fast & Furious 9. Godzilla vs. Kong serves as a sequel to Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Kong: Skull Island. Not too much has been revealed about the story, but a plot synopsis was released. Also, Godzilla: King of the Monsters director and Godzilla vs. Kong writer Michael Dougherty compared the upcoming battle to Rocky's fight with Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. A teaser poster was also seen at the Licensing Expo. Fans have been anticipating this crossover between titans, but the wait for it may now be a bit longer. Warner Bros. studio chairman Toby Emmerich recently commented on Godzilla vs. Kong (via Deadline). According to Emmerich, the film "will deliver for fans in the way they were looking for" with Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Emmerich continues, "It might come out later in the year, so we can deliver an A+ movie." It sounds like there's a good chance Godzilla vs. Kong won't be released until late 2020. Godzilla-in-King-of-the-Monster-with-King-Kong.jpg Although a delay isn't yet confirmed for Godzilla vs. Kong, fans should prepare for one. After being pushed up to March, the film was originally likely not going to be delayed, but this is coming after Godzilla: King of the Monsters' bad critical reviews and disappointing box office performance. It's the lowest-rated MonsterVerse film on Rotten Tomatoes, and has the worst box office opening from the films as well. Delays are always disappointing, but many would agree that a delay is worth it to make a film better. At the same time, many are likely wondering if this means Godzilla vs. Kong, as it is right now, may be changed from its original vision after criticism of Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Warner Bros. may be reevaluating Godzilla vs. Kong to predict if it will repeat the previous film's disappointing performance. Interestingly, the gap between critic and fan response appears to be big for Godzilla: King of the Monsters. A majority of fans enjoyed the film. While that's a good thing, Warner Bros. wants to see good critic responses for Godzilla vs. Kong, which will probably lead to more tickets sold than if just fans enjoy it. Many critics agree that the human element in Godzilla: King of the Monsters is weak. It's true that a monster film needs to focus a good amount on spectacle, but it still must have a good script. While the monster action was praised, a common criticism was that the battles took place at night or during stormy weather. Godzilla vs. Kong can be better received if it has a good script, and satisfying monster battles in the daytime. Hopefully we'll get a confirmation on Godzilla vs. Kong's delay soon.

When is Shark Week coming to Discovery Channel this summer? The annual week dedicated to shark-based programming first began in 1988. Since then, it's grown into a full week of can't miss specials and documentaries focusing on one of the ocean's most fascinating creatures. Shark Week was never intended to strike fear into humans by showcasing the species in a negative light. Instead, the TV event was created to educate viewers by clearing up misconceptions about sharks. It was also meant to aid in conservation efforts as the species is continuously threatened by the actions of humans. So when can audiences expect Shark Week to arrive later this year? Discovery has announced that Shark Week is scheduled to begin on Sunday, July 28 and will run through August 4. The press release promised that the week-long event will feature more than 20 hours of shark programming. They have once again partnered with marine biologists and scientists to develop ground-breaking studies into the world of sharks. Shark-Week-Air-Jaws-special-.jpg There hasn't been a released schedule for the upcoming Shark Week but the network has provided a few clues. The 2019 lineup will feature a number of brand-new specials including the search for what they refer to as "Deep Blue." The specials will also feature the latest set of technology as professionals go to great length to study various species of sharks. The crew will unveil the first drone-towed seal decoy in order to attract the majestic beasts. More details about the Shark Week specials will be released later this summer ahead of the TV event. In the past, Discovery Channel has crossed-over some of their most popular programming to coincide with Shark Week. They once aired a two-hour MythBusters special that focused on Jaws-related content. The network might try to follow suit this year and once again feature their most popular series during their largest-watched event of the year. Actor Rob Riggle is expected to host this year's Shark Week while he invites some of his celebrity pals along for the fun. He made an appearance during last year's 30th anniversary alongside Shaquille O'Neal. Viewers can expect Shark Week to expand over social media channels for an enhanced viewing experience. The longest-running TV event on cable aims to go bigger each year and they continue to deliver. But it's not just about ratings to the network. Discovery has partnered with Oceana this year to help the crusade to protect sharks. In addition, they are teaming up with Ocean Conservancy to keep the oceans clean. Throughout the week-long event, viewers will learn how they can directly help the cause. It's important to remember that without protection endeavors and clean oceans, there would be no Shark Week to enjoy.

When will the Zombieland 2: Double Tap trailer release? The sequel to the cult classic has been rumored for years and was finally confirmed last summer. The core Zombieland cast is set to reprise their roles as the movie is set to hit theaters in October. The sequel will debut a decade after the first Zombieland was released. In addition to the cast returning, Ruben Fleischer (Venom) is also back to direct. Development on Zombieland: Double Tap moved along quickly, with filming only taking two months to complete. Now that the filming stage is over, when can fans expect the Zombieland 2 trailer to arrive? Zombieland 2 is set to premiere on October 18, 2019. The first Zombieland movie released a few weeks earlier in the same month, with a trailer hitting four months prior. Based on the timeline used for the first film, the trailer for Zombieland: Double Tap should be expected in late June or early July. The timeline matches with fellow Columbia Pictures film, Once Upton a Time in Hollywood; the first teaser for Tarantino's latest movie released four months before the late July release date. Zombieland-Three-e1550942728857.jpg It's possible that the producers behind Zombieland: Double Tap will hold out a few weeks to show the trailer at San Diego Comic-Con in late July for maximum exposure. After ten long years, fans can surely wait a few more weeks. If that's the case, in contrast to SDCC tradition, the trailer would unlikely be a Hall H exclusive. The sequel will follow up with the four fan-favorite characters - Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock - as they move to the American heartland. Not much more is known about the plot of Zombieland: Double Tap except for that the group will encounter evolved zombies. We can assume that Columbus has revised his list of rules for surviving the zombie apocalypse, and there's hope Tallahassee found more Twinkies over the past decade (for everyone's sake). Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin are reprising their original roles but they won't be the only ones along for the ride. Bill Murray will reportedly be back and his Ghostbusters pal, Dan Akroyd, is joining him this time around. Rosario Dawson, Thomas Middleditch, Luke Wilson, Zoey Deutch and Avan Jogia have also been cast in Zombieland 2. Zombieland 2 (2019) release date: Oct 18, 2019

Ellen Ripley. Sarah Connor. Maureen Robinson. It's the last thing fans expected from Netflix's reboot of Lost in Space, but there's no denying how quickly and completely the matriarch of the Robinson family cemented her legacy among the great heroines of science fiction. And based on her brilliance, bruises, and blind ambition, may have proven far more formidable than other 'badass' feminst icons--especially to viewers who know that being 'strong' doesn't mean the same thing as being 'perfect.' With Lost in Space: The Complete First Season now available on DVD and Blu-ray, a new generation of families can see how the reboot flips the classic gender archetypes, with actress Molly Parker portraying the head of the family, and co-star Toby Stephens confirming that this time around it's Maureen who's "wearing the pants" in the marriage. That's what attracted them to the parts, and the finished product makes that clear: it's Maureen Robinson who is dragging her family into the stars in search of humanity's future. And if they all get killed or lost in the process... well, that will be her fault, too. Screen Rant had the chance to speak with 'Maureen' herself, Molly Parker, who after years spent facing off against dangerous, calculating, and reckless men in shows like Deadwood and House of Cards, is finally leading that charge. Parker may not boast that Maureen Robinson is a new kind of heroine, shaped by the last two decades and looking forward towards the next ten. But if the next season picks up where Lost in Space's season 1 ending left off, science fiction fans will soon have another icon to honor. One flawed enough to make it hard for future females to be measured against her--which, in the end, is kind of the point. A lot of families, especially multi-generational ones with fondness for the original series didn't know what to expect from this re-imagining of Lost in Space and the Robinsons. What has the reception been like for you? It's the first time I have done anything [laughs] really, in 27 years that has that kind of 'fan.' I mean I have a 12 year old, so he and his friends love the show. That's made me really, really popular on the schoolyard, which is cool. But then I meet older people all the time who watch the show who loved the original, and remember Maureen when she was a woman in space who made sandwiches. And used the awesome clothes-cleaner, where they all came out folded and packaged magically. So it's really wonderful like that. I'm really proud of it. Lost-in-Space-John-Maureen-Robinson.jpg It goes without saying that this is a show about family. But I distinctly remember watching the first episode and wondering, "Why does this feel like the most real, authentic marriage, and family, that I've seen on television?" Is that as unique to find as an actor as it seems to be as a viewer? That's a good question. I think in a way the writers were interested in re-imagining this family genre, you know? I think that's partly what Netflix was looking for, and what they wanted from the show. Which was: beyond the fact that it happens in space, and it's science fiction, and it's a remake of this beloved show from the '60s, all of us wanted this family to feel like people we recognized. When we meet them the parents are separated, they barely talk to eachother. The children have all of their own difficulties, all of these characters are flawed. That's who we are. We just wanted them to be real people. One of the things that was difficult, I think, before the first season came out was trying to explain how the show was a family show, but it's not for little kids. Like it's scary, the first episode is frightening. Part of what Toby Stephens and I were trying to do all the time, every scene we had together, was to layer it in a way that it works storywise, but then also adults, parents, grown-ups who are watching it would recognize themselves in it and see, 'Okay they might be talking about this, but just underneath that is this sort of boiling amount of resentment, or hurt.' So we did try really hard to create something that... not just would speak to multiple generations, but be something you could watch together at a time when a lot of families--I know this happens in my family--my son's watching something on his screen, I'm watching something in another room... it's not happening together. I love this show for that, and I will say that this coming season, although I can't say much about what happens storywise, it is better. It is so good. It's deeper, and richer, and as the kids grow older the story gets a little bit more mature. I'm really excited about it. Maureen Robinson might be one of the most underrated science fiction heroines of the last decade or longer. The coolest Space Mom, without a doubt. Not only because she is so clearly the head of the family, but it almost feels patronizing to say that she's "strong" because... she's not doing what she's doing to BE strong. She is very much who she is from the first time we see her, and never really stops to question that. Was that always a part of this version of Maureen? Yeah. Yes. It was their intention, it was the way it was presented to me when they approached me about doing the show. And it is absolutely one of the things that made me really excited to do it. On the face of it, doing a remake of Lost in Space wasn't what I was looking for, but as I started to understand what they wanted to do, it was more and more exciting to me. And thank you so much for understanding that to talk about this particular character, or even at this point most female characters in film as 'strong women' is reductive. Because at the very least, my ambition is to try to create not 'strong' people, but complicated people. Human people, people who are conflicted so that we see the range of humanity in them. Lost-in-Space-Netflix-Molly-Parker.jpg Certainly Maureen is strong, but she's also flawed, and she's also full of secrets, and she's also insensitive, and she's also brilliant. She is all of those things. That's what I want her to be. These writers are so wonderful, and they really just think of her as this... One woman today said, 'She's an American hero!' And I'm Canadian, so it made me laugh... But I am always trying to shine a light into the corners of the antihero in her as well, you know? So it's really fun. And you touched on something that I feel is really important, one of the things that I love about this show is that--it's set now in another slightly different reality, or 30 years into the future, basically. But my ambition, all of our ambition on this show is to present a situation where, for the women and the girls on the show, it's never a question that they are capable, that they can do what the men can do. Or they do what they do, and the men do what they do. In the same way, we don't really even get very far into discussing why we have a daughter who's mixed race. Families look all kinds of ways now. I love being in a place where we are at least trying to create something where... we don't have to talk about it. Anyway. That was a rant. The best compliment that you can pay John Robinson is saying he was smart enough to marry Maureen. I suppose female roles today are what they are, depending on the genre, but were you just reading these scripts as the season develops, and Maureen tackles one thing after another, thinking 'I get to do THIS too? Are you kidding me?! [Laughs] Yeah! I mean, there's a bunch of levels on which that operates. One of them is this show is much more physical than I had anticipated it to be, and I've never done anything quite like... they didn't really tell me until we were well into shooting the first couple of episodes that they were like, 'No no, she's an action hero.' Like, 'What are you talking about? I thought we were going to be in a studio, and we're up on these mountains, in space suits.' It's fairly intense. There's all of that, and she is that, but what I see now when I look back at the first season as a whole, this is a character who again and again is coming from this... they really inverted the archetypal male/female roles in John and Maureen. So Maureen is coming from this scientific, logical place first. That's her first go-to, and has this kind of mantra that every problem has a solution and if she can just figure it out, you know. And yet she has put them in this situation, and it's her lack of emotional intelligence that always gets in her way. She finally does get to a place at the end of the season where there is no answer to the problem, and she has created the problem. I think she ends up having to face this part of herself that she doesn't really want to even admit exists. Which is that she's ambitious. On the face of it she's told everyone that she's taken her family into space to give them a better life. Yet what she's done is--again and again and again--put them into situations where they almost die. They're not where she thought they would be but... she is the one who wanted to go to space her whole life, not the other four. In some ways she's one step ahead of everyone in terms of knowing what their future would be if they stayed on Earth, but in another way it comes at a massive cost for all of them. I really appreciate that these writers have allowed her to have those flaws. 44Lost-in-Space-Maureen-and-John-Robinson.jpg When you look around at what's happening in the world right now, does working on something like Lost in Space have a therapeutic aspect to it? To be part of a story that looks to the future, at what's possible? Right. I think that it's aspirational in the sense that, even if we're following this family that happens to be an American family, it's really an international effort. It's aspirational in the sense that it's hopeful. There's a lot of hope in this show, which I think we are desperately in need of right now. Without hope we can't really affect meaningful change, even in the way things are here at this moment. There are definitely aspects of the show that, to me, reflect a kind of migrant story, and refugee story. It's a really good time to have to watch a privileged, Western family have to struggle with survival. Because it's not something a lot of us in the West really have to do, and so much of the rest of the world is doing it on daily basis. But I think there's all kind of different things, like just between classes, and who gets to go? These are really privileged people who get to go. You have to be the best of the best, and the smartest of the smartest, and pass all these things. So there's so much to unpack there, and luckily we have at least one more season to do it in. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us, we really appreciate it. Bye Andrew! Fellow Canadian! Lost in Space: The Complete First Season is now available for pre-order and will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on June 4th from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Bharat box office collection Day 4: Salman Khan's latest film Bharat has crossed Rs 100 crore benchmark today. The film earned Rs 26.70 crore on Saturday, taking the total collection to Rs 122.20 crore. Salman Khan’s latest film Bharat has crossed the Rs 100 crore mark today. The movie, directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, has raked in Rs 122.20 crore so far. Bharat also stars Katrina Kaif, Tabu, Sunil Grover, Disha Patani and Jackie Shroff. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted the film’s figures. He tweeted, “#Bharat rocks the BO… Biz jumps on Day 4… Multiplexes join the party, single screens rock-steady… Will continue its winning streak today [Sun]… Being patronised by family audience… Wed 42.30 cr, Thu 31 cr, Fri 22.20 cr, Sat 26.70 cr. Total: ₹ 122.20 cr. India biz.” In another tweet, he wrote, “As #Bharat cruises past ₹ cr mark today [Day 4], Salman Khan sets another benchmark: Highest number of films in ₹ cr+ Club… The tally rises to 14 with #Bharat… Breakup: ️ ₹ 300 cr: 3 ️ ₹ 200 cr: 2 ️ ₹ 100 cr: 9 India biz.” Katrina Kaif spoke about the film’s success to DNA in an interview. She said, “There is a lot of heart and passion behind the decision to make this film. I loved the script from day one. It was a joy to be on the sets. I was having such a good time playing the character; I felt confident that people would respond positively to it. I was able to find enjoyment and connection with the character.” She also spoke about being recognised for her acting skills in the film. “In the initial few years, there is a lot of glamour and other things about being an actor that excites you. At this point, it just has to be the role. Now, it’s about trying to explore the character and create something out of it. My greatest desire now, when I’m doing a film, is to see how much the audience can connect with my role,” she said.

In the Game of Thrones series finale, Drogon took Daenerys' body and appeared to have flown to Valyria in order to leave her in her final resting place, but what if he took her to be resurrected instead? At first, fans were unclear about where Drogon ferried Dany off to, after first destroying the Iron Throne. Later when someone asks whether he’s been seen, Sam manages to get out, “He was last spotted flying east, toward Volant-" before Bronn cuts him off with, “The farther away, the better.” Bran dreamily opines that perhaps he can find him, and that’s the last we hear on the subject… forever. But considering Dany’s death and eventual resting place felt like a loose end, fans have naturally come up with their own conclusions about what Drogon’s intentions were. A particularly interesting theory gives Dany a much happier ending than she got on the show, or at least a more interesting afterlife - it posits that Drogon was indeed taking Dany to Volantis for the express purpose of delivering her to the Red Priests so she could be resurrected, like Jon Snow. In the A Song of Ice and Fire books, the followers of R’hllor throw their support behind the Dragon Queen, as Jorah and Tyrion see when they visit Volantis on the way to Meereen. There are demonstrations in the streets courtesy of a high-profile priest named Benerro; the widow of the waterfront goes so far as to tell Jorah that the people of Volantis await the Dragon Queen and implores him to tell her to hurry. While nominally the Red Priests support Dany because they believe her to be Azor Ahai reborn, the widow reveals a more immediate reason - Volantis and the Red Priests are made up of many former slaves, and Dany’s mission clearly aligns with their values on an unprecedented scale. So much so that a former slave and now Red Priest named Moqorro also makes his way to Meereen in A Dance with Dragons intent on offering his considerably services to Dany once he arrives. These events are lightly touched on in the show when Tyrion and Varys arrive in Volantis in season 5 and witness a Red Priestess preaching in the streets about Dany just as Benerro did, and when Kinvara, another Red Priestess, arrives in Meereen in season 6 to offer her services as Moqorro intended to in the books. Clearly the followers of the Lord of Light have invested in the Mother of Dragons in the books, and the show was aware of that relationship, despite not following up on it as thoroughly as fans might have liked. Ultimately, it’s that inconsistency between the way the show and the books treat Dany’s relationship with the followers of R’hllor that makes the theory intriguing and confounding at the same time. IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE? Game-of-Thrones-Finale-Drogon-and-Jon.jpg Speaking strictly in terms of whether or not this could happen rather than interrogating the likelihood of it happening, it's possible that Drogon could’ve taken Dany to Volantis and that she could’ve been resurrected there. We know the Red Priests have mastered this particular magic, however inconsistently, and we know Drogon possesses uncanny knowledge and instincts regarding Dany’s safety, as well as the geography of Essos. He probably couldn’t make it to Volantis in one trip, but he could certainly get there in enough time for Dany’s body to still be intact enough for a resurrection to take place. If Kinvara is, in fact, in Volantis, she is the High Priestess of the order and probably willing to attempt a resurrection. We can also say with reasonable certainty that there’s at least one fanatical Red Priest who’d be up for the task of trying, if only to gain a champion in the fight against slavery in Essos. The magic is difficult to perform, but if Dany still had some important role to play in the Lord of Light’s master plan (assuming he has one), it’s possible he would bestow his grace upon one of his servants who asked for the ability to bring Dany back - especially if she was indeed Azor Ahai, and her work wasn’t done yet. And beyond all of this, the idea that Drogon would bring his mother someplace in the hopes of bringing her back to life is consistent with the way Game of Thrones has characterized Drogon as Dany’s most loyal champion at the end of everything. There’s also something elegant and sweet about endowing one of the show’s most aggressive creatures with the childlike desire to bring his mother back to life after her death. HOW LIKELY IS IT AS AN END FOR DANY ON THE SHOW? 33Game-of-Thrones-Finale-Jon-Drogon-and-Daenerys.jpg But once we actually start looking at Game of Thrones and the context of Dany’s death, the theory starts to look more and more like wishful thinking. For starters, the Red Priests on the show support Dany solely because of they believe she is Azor Ahai - Kinvara says as much, and when Melisandre meets Dany at Dragonstone and introduces Dany to the Azor Ahai theory, Missandei points out that the prophecy about the legendary hero’s return doesn’t specify the gender of the Prince That Was Promised. Melisandre’s far less certain of her predictions given her recent embarrassing experience with Stannis Baratheon. So instead of assuring Dany that the Dragon Queen is the focal point of the prophecy, she simply states that the other potential subject of the prophecy, Jon Snow, also has a significant role to play. And that’s largely where the show stops dealing with the Azor Ahai prophecy directly. If the order somehow managed to get word that it was Arya who killed the Night King and that Dany had been assassinated without completing her mission, that might sway the Red Priests from believing in her. Or they could have simply looked at the defeat of the Night King and the avoidance of a second Long Night as evidence that the Prince Who Was Promised did arrive, did their job, and left again. But at the end of the day, Game of Thrones abandoned the role of the prophecy and the Lord of Light during season 8, choosing to make a more philosophical statement about Dany’s leadership and values instead. The idea that the showrunners intended Dany to be reborn, but chose not to show that or even foreshadow it, makes it highly unlikely that was their original intent when Drogon flew away. But in the context of the books, this theory is far from dead in the water, though the likelihood of it happening is hugely dependent on timing. WHAT ABOUT THE BOOKS? 44Game-of-Thrones-George-R-R-Martin-Book.jpg As previously mentioned, the Red Priests' support for Dany has far greater implications in the books. We’ve yet to see Moqorro actually make it to Meereen, but if his characterization as a very accurate reader of the flames is any indication, he’s bound to be of some significance in Dany’s story. Whether or not that significance will manifest in a resurrection for her remains to be seen. At the very least, we can surmise that the Azor Ahai theory and the political relationship the Red Priests seek with Dany will get far more attention, so it’s likely her interests will intersect with their magic in some fashion, if only to serve as a juxtaposition with Stannis’ doomed blind faith in Melisandre. As for a resurrection, it’s timing that plays a key role in whether or not such a thing makes sense in the books. An idealistic interpretation could see events play out similarly on the show - Dany and Jon fall in love, work together to defeat the Night King, but eventually Dany becomes the tyrant she swore to protect others from, and Jon (or someone) kills her before she takes the throne. But instead of Game of Thrones ending with Drogon flying off to who knows where with her body, perhaps there’s an epilogue that sees Drogon bring Dany to Volantis, where she’s brought back to life and takes a second chance to stay in Essos and work on building a better world there, or just flying off with Drogon to start a new life without responsibilities she never asked for. But such an ending flies in the fact of Dany’s characterization (and others who’ve been resurrected) in a few different ways - if she were brought back to life, it feels unlikely she’d take her death as a lesson learned and abandon her cause while she still had the most powerful pet in the known world. It makes far more sense that she’d simply renew her mission undeterred. As disappointing as it ultimately was, Dany’s thirst for vengeance was so strong it clouded her judgement; it’s doubtful her murder would temper that instinct. Conceiving Dany’s resurrection as a happy ending for the Dragon Queen if she follows the same fate as her show counterpart, requires a willful ignorance of her character and how said resurrections have worked in the past in Martin’s work. 55Game-of-Thrones-Books-with-Tyrion-and-Arya.jpg But if we change the timing of the resurrection, the idea of it happening at all becomes a little more palatable. If Dany is killed with a significant part of her story left to be told - not unlike Jon Snow - someone getting her to a Red Priest via Drogon or not and in Volantis or not could make sense. If she’s prematurely assassinated and the Red Priests still believe her to be Azor Ahai, it’s likely they would try and bring her back. But that idea becomes redundant if we take into account Jon Snow’s probable arc in The Winds of Winter. It seems highly likely that he’ll be brought back to life by Melisandre as he was in the show, and it also seems likely he’ll take Stannis’ place in her mind as Azor Ahai once that happens. The idea that Dany would have such a parallel journey be it at the end of her story or at some other point feels unnecessary to the point of impossibility. Finally, the A Song of Ice and Fire books have yet to establish if Drogon is smart enough to carry out such a mission. It would require no small amount of magical thinking to imbue Drogon with the political or even practical awareness of the Red Priests to justify the idea that he could deliver Dany there in the event of her death. Drogon definitely has a bond with his mother, but it’s a stretch to give him credit for knowing where to take her, even if he was guided by the Lord of Light - a deity that hasn’t ever been associated with dragons in the books or the show.

The HBO miniseries Chernobyl has increased tourism of the nuclear site by 40 percent. The five-part historical drama aired early in May on the streaming service and chronicles the events that unfolded at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in April 1986 near the city of Pripyat, Ukraine. The episodes follow the explosion at the plant's fourth reactor and the radioactive fallout from it that killed hundreds of first responders, engineers, and bystanders in the first couple of weeks. It also covers the politics of it all, and how that affected those involved in the incident. It's been praised by critics and fans alike, even being referred to as the best HBO show in years. The show couldn't have come at a more perfect time, either. It was a brand new, captivating, and incredibly evocative series for HBO subscribers, especially after Game of Thrones' divisive final season. It's also stayed true to its source material, something that Game of Thrones received flack for once it forged its own path away from George R. R. Martin's book series. It's raw storytelling that left viewers stunned, and apparently on the hunt to see the site for themselves. According to Reuters, the success of the miniseries saw an upturn in tourism for the Ukrainian ghost town of Pripyat and the Chernobyl plant. One tour, the SoloEast tour, explained that the company, "saw a 30% increase in tourists going to the area in May 2019," adding in that, "bookings for June, July and August have risen by approximately 40% since HBO aired the show." Another tour guide who leads the Chernobyl Tour said he, "expected a similar increase of 30-40% because of the show." HBO-Chernobyl-Site-On-Fire.jpg The tour takes guests to see monuments of the victims, abandoned villages, and have lunch in the only restaurant in Chernobyl. They're also taken to see reactor number four, "which since 2017 has been covered by a vast metal dome 150 meters (344 ft) high which envelops the exploded core." According to tour guide Viktoria Brozhko, the visitors are safe and, "during the entire visit [...] you get around two microsieverts," which is equal to, "the amount of radiation you'd get staying at home for 24 hours." Chernobyl is just the beginning of a new slate for HBO that appears strong post-Game of Thrones. With popular series making their triumphant returns, such as Big Little Lies and The Young Pope's sequel series The New Pope, along with epic adaptations like His Dark Materials and Watchmen, HBO subscribers are in for a banner year with the streaming giant. It's definitely a service worth keeping around, simply for the exciting things coming up on its slate. It makes sense that the success of HBO's miniseries Chernobyl has sparked such an intrigue in its titular location. The high amount of accuracy that the show provides gives a terrific insight into the horrific incident and how it affected a large portion of Europe. Even though the site itself is said not to be habitable for humans for at least 20,000 years, the tours serve as an ideal way to educate visitors on the tragic incident and the effects that it had on the world.

John Cena has been officially cast in the as-yet-untitled Fast & Furious 9. Although his casting was already revealed back in April in a posting on Vin Diesel’s Instagram, now official confirmation has come down that Cena will be a part of the action franchise, with the newest installment set to start filming later this month. The Fast and the Furious franchise began back in 2001, with its first entry of the same name featuring undercover police officer Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) infiltrating a group of street racers led by Dominic Toretto (Diesel) who are suspected of being behind a number of transport truck hijackings. The film received only average reviews and was frequently commented to be little more than a riff on Point Break, swapping surfboards for street racing, but a large box office return on a modest budget secured its continuation. It initially moved forwards without Diesel when he opted to make The Chronicles of Riddick, but he returned for a cameo in Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift and fully in part four, Fast & Furious. As the series progressed, each subsequent installment began to feature increasingly greater physics-defying stunts, growing into the over-the-top explosive action for which it is known today. The news of John Cena officially joining Fast & Furious 9 has been confirmed by Universal (via Deadline). Exactly who he will be playing, as well as whether his character will be a hero or villain (or, like many of the series’ characters, something in between) is currently still under wraps. The only official description of his character is that he is “a badass,” which is not much of a revelation as this describes about 90% of the entire franchise. fast-and-furious-6.jpg John Cena initially made his name as a wrestler performing in WWE, joining its main roster in 2002, first as a white rapper characterand then a military man during the promotion of his first starring role in The Marine. His notoriety and popularity grew, leading to his becoming World Champion in 2005, going on the gain championship titles a record 16 times. Unsurprisingly, his initial acting roles were in action movies in line with the tough persona most professional wrestlers portray by default, but in the last few years he has displayed a great deal of comedic talent with supporting roles in the likes of Trainwreck and Sisters, and as one of the main leads in Blockers, while his performance as the main human antagonist in Transformers spinoff Bumblebee showcased a little more range. Although he has largely left wrestling behind, he does make the occasional surprise return. Even though it was already all but a known fact that Cena would be featured in Fast & Furious 9, Diesel’s video didn’t explicitly state it, so the official confirmation of his appearance removes any lingering doubt. The addition of “franchise Viagra” Dwayne Johnson proved a masterstroke in increasing the saga’s popularity, so it stands to reason that the inclusion of another charismatic former wrestler should have a similar effect, especially since Johnson won’t be appearing in Fast & Furious 9, instead joint headlining Hobbs & Shaw, the first of what will likely be several spinoff films. Given the increasing evidence of Cena’s versatility, it will be surprising if his presence has anything other than a positive effect on the film. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) release date: Aug 02, 2019 Fast & Furious 9 (2020) release date: May 22, 2020

Picard-and-the-Enterprise-in-Star-Trek.jpg There are many versions of the iconic starship Enterprise in Star Trek, and upcoming series Star Trek: Picard is set to potentially answer which version is in service in the late 24th century, twenty years after Star Trek: Nemesis. Star Trek's fictional history covers three centuries, and in each era at least one vessel dubbed Enterprise has played a pivotal role in Starfleet's mission. So far, there have been seven major Starfleet vessels named Enterprise; the most closely associated with Jean-Luc Picard is the Enterprise-D, which he commanded for seven seasons on Star Trek: The Next Generation. The Enterprise-D met its end in Star Trek: Generations, the first movie to feature the TNG crew. For the remaining three Next Generation films, Picard and the crew helmed the Enterprise-E, the most technically advanced starship in the Federation's arsenal up to that point. The events of Star Trek: Picard reportedly pick up twenty years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis, the last film to feature the TNG crew, and which ended with the Enterprise-E undergoing a major refit. While there have certainly been plenty of Enterprises in Star Trek over the years, Starfleet vessels actually tend to stay in service for many years. James Kirk's Constitution-class Enterprise was in service for three decades, though it had at least two major overhauls along the way. The Enterprise-B was an Excelsior-class starship that had its maiden voyage at the beginning of Generations. It was launched in 2293, and Excelsior-class vessels were still in service almost a hundred years later. 8-picard-crusher-and-data.jpg When it was introduced at the beginning of The Next Generation, the Galaxy-class Enterprise-D was framed as a technological leap forward, the jewel in Starfleet's crown. Despite the destruction of the Enterprise-D, the Galaxy-vessel remained one of the fleet's heavy hitters all the way into the 2370s. But for the fleet flagship, Picard and the TNG crew were given the Enterprise-E, Starfleet's first Sovereign-class vessel, equipped with enough firepower to take on heavy hitters like the Borg and the Dominion. There's, of course, the real world consideration of whether or not the producers of the Picard series may want to design a new Enterprise for the series. Creating an unfamiliar Enterprise-F could be an effective way of communicating Picard's existential distance from Starfleet. But barring something truly catastrophic, there's no reason the Enterprise-E shouldn't still be in service when Star Trek: Picard begins. The ship was state-of-the-art two decades ago, and Starfleet tends to get more than twenty years of life out of their major vessels. Barring an offscreen war or a massive accident, the Enterprise-E should probably still be around. Her captain, of course, will not be Jean-Luc Picard. By the beginning of the new series, Picard has retired from Starfleet, spending his days tending to his family vineyard. We still don't know why Picard walked away from the organization that so defined his life, only that he suffered a great loss, possibly tied to the destruction of Romulus. It wouldn't really make sense for any of the other TNG cast to be the ship's new captain other than Data, who at the moment is still technically dead.

It looks like Disney’s “X-Men: Dark Phoenix” won’t be rising from the ashes anytime soon. According to Friday’s early estimates, the 12th and final installment in the Marvel-owned franchise is heading for a disappointing $37.7 million opening weekend, after a lackluster Friday showing. Originally, Disney estimated a start between $40 million and $50 million which would have already ranked the film as one of the franchise’s lowest openings. Also opening this weekend is Universal-Illumination’s “Secret Life of Pets 2,” which should pull around $48.5 million following $17 million in Friday grosses. The numbers are close to early predictions for the film, which estimated a $50 million to $55 million opening. However, it will likely fall short of its predecessor, which opened to a surprise $104 million its opening weekend and holds the record for the biggest opening weekend ever for an original film. “Dark Phoenix” is the first X-Men film to be distributed by Disney and a direct sequel to 2016’s “X-Men: Apocalypse,” which bowed with $65 million and went on to earn $543 million in ticket sales worldwide. In comparison, “Dark Phoenix” will likely finish Friday with only $15 million, following a $5 million showing on Thursday night. Contributing to the film’s less than stellar opening are a spate of poor reviews — currently 23% on Rotten Tomatoes. With a hefty $200 million price tag, international returns will have to be stellar to help maintain profitability. “The Secret Life of Pets 2” is opening with a smaller but still sizable $80 million budget alongside an all-star voice cast including Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Jenny Slate and Patton Oswalt, who replaced Louis C.K. after the comedian was removed from the film following allegations of sexual misconduct. Chris Meledandri and longtime collaborator Janet Healy produced alongside director Chris Renaud and screenwriter Brian Lynch. Likely to come in third this weekend is Disney’s live-action film “Aladdin,” which is set to finish its third weekend with a projected $24.7 million. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich produced “Aladdin,” which has generated mixed reviews from critics, earning a 56% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

It looks like Disney’s “X-Men: Dark Phoenix” won’t be rising from the ashes anytime soon. According to Friday’s early estimates, the 12th and final installment in the Marvel-owned franchise is heading for a disappointing $37.7 million opening weekend, after a lackluster Friday showing. Originally, Disney estimated a start between $40 million and $50 million which would have already ranked the film as one of the franchise’s lowest openings. Also opening this weekend is Universal-Illumination’s “Secret Life of Pets 2,” which should pull around $48.5 million following $17 million in Friday grosses. The numbers are close to early predictions for the film, which estimated a $50 million to $55 million opening. However, it will likely fall short of its predecessor, which opened to a surprise $104 million its opening weekend and holds the record for the biggest opening weekend ever for an original film. “Dark Phoenix” is the first X-Men film to be distributed by Disney and a direct sequel to 2016’s “X-Men: Apocalypse,” which bowed with $65 million and went on to earn $543 million in ticket sales worldwide. In comparison, “Dark Phoenix” will likely finish Friday with only $15 million, following a $5 million showing on Thursday night. Contributing to the film’s less than stellar opening are a spate of poor reviews — currently 23% on Rotten Tomatoes. With a hefty $200 million price tag, international returns will have to be stellar to help maintain profitability. “The Secret Life of Pets 2” is opening with a smaller but still sizable $80 million budget alongside an all-star voice cast including Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Jenny Slate and Patton Oswalt, who replaced Louis C.K. after the comedian was removed from the film following allegations of sexual misconduct. Chris Meledandri and longtime collaborator Janet Healy produced alongside director Chris Renaud and screenwriter Brian Lynch. Likely to come in third this weekend is Disney’s live-action film “Aladdin,” which is set to finish its third weekend with a projected $24.7 million. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich produced “Aladdin,” which has generated mixed reviews from critics, earning a 56% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Creator Mike Schur, in an extensive interview explains how he came to the decision, how the network, studio and cast responded and what he hopes viewers take away from his award-winning comedy. The Good Place's time clock is ticking down to an endgame. The NBC comedy from prolific showrunner/producer Mike Schur will end with its previously announced fourth season on NBC. Schur (Parks and Recreation) previously said that his other-worldly comedy, starring Kristen Bell and Ted Danson, was never designed to be a long-running series. "Obviously because of that DNA, where status quos get blown up so frequently, this is not a show that is destined to be on for nine years," he said in December. "It's not a 200-episode, Friends kind of a deal. It's not a hangout show. So, yeah, we've given it a lot of thought, and we have a certain plan, which I think you'll get the sense of in the fairly near future." The final season news, announced Friday night at the show's For Your Consideration Emmy panel, arrives after Schur solidified his future with The Good Place producers Universal Television, inking a massive five-year, nine-figure deal said to be worth $25 million annually to remain with the studio. The Good Place was a dependable, if modest, performer for NBC in its third season (which wrapped in January). The serialized fantasy series ranked as the network's top comedy among the all-important adults 18-49 demographic. What's more, The Good Place has been a rare awards season player at a time when few broadcast shows are able to cut through amid a glut of premium and streaming fare. It earned the prestigious Peabody Award this year and Emmy nominations for lead Danson and guest star Maya Rudolph, among best comedy mentions at the Golden Globes (and for Bell), among others.Schur, who also exec produces Fox-turned-NBC favorite Brooklyn Nine-Nine alongside showrunner Dan Goor, has also become a prolific developer. This season, he launched big swing outdoor-set multicamera comedy Abby's (which was recently canceled) and his pilot — Sunnyside, starring Kal Penn — was ordered to series at NBC. The latter single-camera entry, about an ex-New York councilman who helps immigrants in search of the American Dream, is written by Penn and Parks grad Matt Murray. With the final season news, there's additional pressure on NBC to launch a new comedy hit to air alongside the fading Will & Grace revival, modest performer but critical favorite Superstore and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, especially as The Good Place is a short-order series and runs 13 episodes per season. The Good Place joins ABC's Modern Family, CBS' Criminal Minds and Madam Secretary, NBC's Blindspot, Fox's Empire and The CW's Supernatural and Arrow as broadcast series that will end their runs during the 2019-20 season. Below, Schur opens up in an exclusive interview about his thought process behind ending the show, the network, studio and cast's response to its endgame and what he ultimately hopes viewers take away from their time with The Good Place. Why end with season four? After season one ended and aired and it seemed like the show was going to survive the gauntlet of being a TV show in the modern era, I was like, "Well, this show isn't a typical show where the goal is to do it as long as we can and as many episodes as we can." It was never designed that way — we do 13 episodes per year from the beginning. I knew I needed to map this out in the same way that I mapped out the first season, I needed to map out the whole show. I didn't feel like it needed to be definitive but I needed to have a sense of how long I thought the idea could sustain itself. I came to the conclusion pretty quickly that it was four seasons. There were times early on where I felt like maybe five and maybe it's three. (Laughs.) Once I settled on four seasons, I didn't tell anyone — except the writers. I didn't tell the studio or network because I wanted to make sure that I was right and I wanted to leave open the possibility that as we as a team developed the show, I wanted to allow the possibility that something could change and there was more I wanted to do. But it was pretty much always four from early on as a general map. We spent all of season three checking in and making sure that we were pacing things correctly and there was going to be enough time to do what we wanted but not too much time so that we were running in place. Toward the end of us shooting season three, I told the studio and then we told the network soon after that. It was completely dictated by the idea and how much juice I thought the idea contained and the pace at which we were letting story unfold and stuff like that. The nice thing about TV shows nowadays is it's not a forced marathon. You can let the idea dictate the number of episodes that you actually do, which is great for creativity. When you cast Ted and Kristen, was this part of your original pitch to them? That this isn't a show that will run for 100 episodes? Like, 'Ted, this isn't CSI, in terms of episode longevity?' I didn't talk about that to them because it seemed premature because I didn't know what was going to happen. I wanted to allow for the possibility that things would go in an unexpected way. I didn't want to curtail the good ideas by saying, "No, it has to be this many episodes or this many seasons." I didn't tell them until we were pretty deep into season three and I made this definitive decision in association with the writers. It was a group conversation to say, "Are we missing something? What else could we do? Where else could we go?" I didn't tell them until I was sure because I didn't want to tell them something and have to backtrack. I wanted until I was 100 percent sure, which was toward the end of shooting season three. I called Ted and Kristen and said this was the plan. The other thing was that I wanted to be fair to actors. They want to work and I wanted them to know a year out that we would be winding things down here and if they wanted to plan their lives, they would have enough time. It's only fair to actors to keep them included in those conversations because if you spring it on them a week before, they may have turned down some other offers they didn't do because they thought it would conflict with their home-base TV schedule. That was also a consideration for me and I wanted everyone to know so they could plan their lives a little better than if I had waited until the last second. That's a very classy move. That's what happens when you do a show about ethics, you start thinking all the time about everybody else's lives in a really good way. It would maybe benefit me, personally, to do things this way but it will hurt everybody else. It's a very simple utilitarian calculation that there are other people involved here and they have every right to know what their futures are. Is part of you bummed that this news is out now considering the highly secretive nature of the show? I go back to the season one finale that came as such a massive surprise for everyone — especially since it didn't leak. And you've protected all your biggest secrets so well for the past three seasons. Was there a part of you that wanted to surprise viewers with a series finale that nobody knew was coming? (Laughing.) No. This isn't a creative surprise. The creative surprises we guard very zealously and carefully because to me, there is no greater experience as a viewer of something than watching something and being genuinely surprised. I said this after the season one finale. I still feel that way about the creative stuff. But I don't feel that way about the show ending because it's a creative decision but it's the situation. We'll wrap things up and if you've been following the show, it's only fair that they know what our plan is for how long the show is on the air. There is something tempting about the idea of Beyonce-ing the ending of the show, where you do an episode and say goodbye and runaway! That's a fun idea in theory but the way we've planned out the final season, I don't think people would not know. You're going to get the sense as you watch the final season — about halfway through you're going to see there's no way that this isn't the endgame. It didn't strike me as having the same importance to keep this secret as the internal plot. The larger goal with most broadcast shows is to have a long run to get to the 100-episode marker for syndication. And you guys are ending at half of that run — and when the show is at the top of its game. How much did NBC and Universal TV want this to keep going — or ask what the spinoff is? They are very supportive of me and the show and they were a little bummed because I think they like it (laughs). I had hinted a little bit to the studio at the end of season one that I didn't see this as being a 10-season deal. The show just moves too fast and at a certain point, there aren't that many more moves we can make that are interesting and we'd be repeating ourselves and we didn't want to run in place. In part of my earliest conversations with Damon Lindelof about the show, he talked about how Lost in its second and third season it got fuzzy for them and as soon as they set an end date, things clicked into place and they found their footing again. He talked a lot about needing to know where you're going. If you're going to try to serialize a show as heavily as we're going to serialize it and you have the twists and turns that we're planning, he said you just need to know where you're going all the time. So, it wasn't a complete surprise to the studio but it was more of a surprise to the network — and they were a bit bummed out. But we're living in a different time now. The white whale for every studio and network is The Big Bang Theory and a show that goes for 12 years and 300 episodes. But there aren't that many Big Bang Theorys out there. It's also not the only way to make money anymore. It was the only white wale for decades because that was the only way the studios could make their money back on shows they were deficit spending on. But that's not the case anymore. Our show was sold to Netflix after one season and season three is launching there in a couple months. And there's Hulu and NBC.com. Our overnight rating when the show airs on NBC is 4 million or something. By the time a couple weeks have gone by, it's up to 9 million or 10 million. They're figuring out a way to make money on TV shows that don't have to last, go into syndication or get a cable sale. It's still important and still a better money-making operation for any studio if a show lasts for 10 years and makes 200 episodes. But they can make money on every show now. So they were bummed because they like the show but also I didn't get any pushback at all. They were completely creatively supportive and understood 100 percent why we were doing it this way. What was the cast's reaction to the show's abbreviated lifespan? They were surprised and saddened but then quickly not surprised or saddened because it's been really fun to make this show. They get along really well and have all become really good friends. They've have this special journey that they've been on and their careers are all exploding. Ted and Kristen came with pre-exploded careers but Manny [Jacinto] is in Top Gun and Will [Jackson Harper] is writing plays and appearing in movies and Jameela [Jamil] is the queen of the internet right now. And D'Arcy [Carden] is everywhere and in every magazine. This has been a very special, highly concentrated thing that we've gotten to do for 53 episodes — because we're doing 14 episodes this season and doing an hourlong series finale. We're just chewing up story at an incredibly fast rate and it immediately makes sense that we would want to get out on our own terms and not feel like we were throttling back and moving more slowly or deliberately than we have to this point. That just wouldn't seem like the same show. So we're going full tilt until the end. Everybody at the end of the day is happy that we're going to end it the way we started it: at a breakneck speed, with a lot of crazy, wild twists and turns. Is there a theme for the final season? Not that's different from the themes of first three seasons. When you wrap up a show, there's a certain amount of tying up loose ends that goes into it that's a little different than what we've done so far. The way that the third season ended was that they're going to repeat this grand experiment of Michael's neighborhood with new people and see what happens when it's new people. Their wager is that any group of people, if given a certain amount of love, support, empathy and help, can become better. That essentially no one is beyond rehabilitation. That's the first chunk of episodes: repeating this experiment with these new people and having our crew now shift from students to teachers a bit. That's the plot experiment that's happening. The aftermath is the aftermath and I won't get into that too much. The themes are the same and the way the stories unfold is a bit different. Instead of our group being the guinea pigs, they're now the scientists. The Good Place is part of philosophical wave of shows that includes Westworld, Russian Doll and After Life that explore what it means to be human. What kind of message do you hope to send in general with the show as you think about the feeling that comes with writing "end of series"? I hope one of the takeaways is that ethics is a really important discipline. Ethics and living an ethical life or trying to live an ethical life is incredibly important to me and I hope it's important to other people. … I hope the main lesson of the show, in terms of ethics, is that the important thing is that you try and you're aware that ethics matter and are factoring them in to your decision making at all times as best you can. We're trying to say at some level that trying is as important as doing because trying means you're thinking about it and you're making the effort. Too many people don't make any effort or deliberately make the wrong effort in order to make their own lives better at the expense of other people. This show is trying to say that this is a thing that matters and it should be a factor in every moment of your life. And there's a downside — if you think about it too much, you become Chidi and you don't do anything. So putting a filter on your life that when you have to make decisions, you do a quick check at the end with your ethical compass and say, "What am I doing? Why am I doing it? And could I be doing something better?" It's not that hard. This show is taking a very simple and obvious position that it's better to live that way than to not live that way. That's one of the main messages of the show. The other one comes from that book, What We Owe to Each Other, the actual philosophy of that book is complicated and it involves a lot of hard to untangle social theory stuff. It basically says if you're setting up a society, you should do it through a system where everyone has a vote and anybody can veto anybody else's idea. And if someone proposes an idea and you're a reasonable person and you don't reject that idea and no one objects, that's a good idea. That's the basic distillation of that book. But the larger sense of that book, to me, is that we owe things to each other. That you start from a position of owing things to other people and that your life should be led with that in mind all the time. That this is not an everyman or -woman for him or herself situation. That we have obligations to each other and it's up to us to take care of each other; and that no one can really live a full and happy life without the support of other people. So, it's incumbent upon each person to provide that help, love and support for other people to the best of his or her ability. Those are the basics. It's ironic to say this but we're trying not to be moralistic about it in this show about moral philosophy. (Laughs.) Those are basic ideas; those shouldn't be controversial ideas — you should always try to live your life as ethically as possible and that you have obligations to other people. If we can't agree on those two principles then we're doomed. (Laughing.) You just signed a five-year deal to remain with Universal TV. You're exec producing NBC's Kal Penn comedy, Sunnyside, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Master of None, none of which you're writing. What do you hope to do next, especially with the upcoming Comcast streaming platform? I'm not 100 percent sure. There are a bunch of projects I'm either exec producing or co-creating/shepherding in various stage of development. What interests me the most is there's a bunch of people that I've worked with at various shows who are now champing at the bit to have their own shows and to be captains of their own ships. It's very exciting to me to think about trying to help them. Either by co-creating or exec producing or advising because there are a lot of voices that are worth hearing and being on TV. So, my focus is helping other people right now. That feels appropriate after the messaging in The Good Place. Exactly. I've been running my own show in some form or another continuously since 2008 and it's been really fun. Parks and Rec was amazing and the first two seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine that Dan Goor and I were running together were great and The Good Place has been great. But I feel like there's been enough of my particular voice for the time being. I'm eager to help other people put theirs on TV.

Winston Duke, Zazie Beetz and Bill Skarsgard are toplining the indie sci-fi drama Nine Days, the debut feature from writer-director Edson Oda. Duke is to pay a reclusive man in an unreal house who interviews potential candidates, including the characters of Beetz and Skarsgard, to enjoy the privilege of being born. Nine Days is produced by Mandalay Pictures, Nowhere, Juniper Productions and Macro, in association with The Space Program, Mansa Productions, Oak Street Pictures, 30WEST, and Datari Turner Productions. The project, which also stars Benedict Wong and David Rysdahl, was developed through the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program Labs. Production is set for this summer. "I’m thrilled to be working with such an incredible cast and amazing team. So grateful for all the support I have received. Nine Days is a very personal story to me, and I can’t imagine a better team to help me tell it," said director Oda in a statement. Duke appeared on a handful of television shows such as Person of Interest before being cast as M’Baku, the bellicose leader of a warrior kingdom in Black Panther. He became a breakout character and also appeared in Us. Beetz gained notices for her breakout work on FX’s Donald Glover-led series Atlanta. The show trampolined her into high-profile movie roles, including the Deadpool sequel and Fox Searchlight’s upcoming Noah Hawley sci-fi drama starring Natalie Portman. Skarsgard played Pennywise the Clown in It and also appeared in Assassination Nation. CAA Media Finance and 30WEST are representing worldwide distribution rights for Nine Days. The producer credits are shared by Jason Michael Berman, Mette-Marie Kongsved, Laura Tunstall, Matthew Lindner and Datari Turner. Nine Days is executive produced by Charles D. King, Kim Roth, Gus Deardoff, Kellon Akeem, Dwight Howard, Renee Frigo, Beth Hubbard, Trevor Groth, Duke, Will Raynor, Michelle Craig, Piero Frescobaldi, Caroline Connor, Mark G. Mathis, Mark C. Stevens and Larry Weinberg.

The former Backstage Theater, the 102-seat primary theater on the studio's Culver City lot, had been renamed the John Singleton Theater. Sony Pictures Entertainment, which released John Singleton's breakthrough first film, is honoring the late filmmaker by renaming a movie theater after him. On Friday SPE announced that the former Backstage Theater, the 102-seat primary theater on the studio's Culver City lot, had been renamed the John Singleton Theater. The theater hosts employee screenings, private and VIP screenings and showings for filmmakers looking to watch their films in theater during post-production. “As the first African American filmmaker to earn an Academy Award nomination for best director, John broke a major barrier in our industry and inspired a generation,” Tom Rothman, chairman of Sony Picture’s Motion Picture Group, said in a statement. “His vision and skill enriched the world with great film and television content and he leaves a tremendous legacy, especially here at Columbia Pictures. We are honored to memorialize him in this way and look forward to dedicating the new theater with his friends and family later this summer.” Sony, under its Columbia Pictures label, released Singleton's acclaimed first feature Boyz N the Hood, which earned him the first-ever best director Oscar nomination for an African American and made him the youngest person ever nominated in the category. Columbia Pictures went on to release Singleton's film Poetic Justice (1993), Higher Learning (1995) and Baby Boy (2001). “We are so pleased that Sony Pictures will be honoring our father in this way,” two of Singleton's children, Justice and Maasai, said in a statement. “It is such a fitting tribute, given the special place that Columbia Pictures was for him at the beginning of his career. The studio system was incredibly supportive of him in his work, which is something he deeply appreciated. This is especially touching for us. As children we were often brought to the lot while our father worked. Those days were fun and educational, and laid the groundwork for our own careers today.” Singleton died on April 29 at 51 years old after suffering a stroke and that left him on life support. At the time, Singleton was the executive producer of the FX TV show Snowfall, which he co-created with Eric Amadio and Dave Andron. At the time of his death, the third season was set to begin in September. A private funeral was held in early May. Later that month, Singleton's alma mater, USC, hosted a memorial service.

A Christmas Carol is the gift that keeps on giving to Hollywood. Paramount and Kevin Hart have teamed up to develop a remake of Scrooged, the 1988 Christmas comedy that starred Bill Murray and was directed by Richard Donner. The update is being eyed as a potential acting vehicle for Hart, who will produce via his Hartbeat Productions. A search for a writer to pen the script is underway. Scrooged was a modern retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, centering on a selfish television executive, played by Murray, who is visited by various ghosts who help him regain his Christmas spirit. Also in the cast were Karen Allen, Bobcat Goldthwait and Robert Mitchum. The movie was a moderate box office hit when it was released but has become a cult hit and Christmas fixture. One reason for the long-lasting appeal is the movie's irreverent but still heartfelt take on the Dickens material, which has been adapted for screens big and small numerous times, with performers ranging from Marcel Marceau to Jim Carrey to even Mickey Mouse taking on the characters. Hart is currently gearing up to shoot Fatherhood, Sony’s adaptation of the weepy best-seller Two Kisses for Maddie, which Paul Weitz is directing this summer. Hart is also among the project’s producers. He is one of the voice stars of The Secret Life of Pets 2, which Universal and Illumination open Friday, and next appears on the big screen in the sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which opens December.

Sigourney Weaver has confirmed her involvement with Ghostbusters 3, and indicated that original stars Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd will also be returning. Weaver famously costarred in the 1984 Ghostbusters as Dana Barrett, a cellist who reaches out to the Ghostbusters when she finds herself being haunted by a mysterious demon called Zuul. The screen icon and her costars would go on to reprise their various roles in 1989's Ghostbusters II, but the sequel's overall middling reception led to the franchise being put on ice until 2016, when it was rebooted by director Paul Feig. And while Feig's movie included cameos from the original Ghostbusters cast (sans the late Harold Ramis), it ultimately ended up becoming a box office disappointment. Jump to the present and Ghostbusters 3 is now moving forward, with filmmaker Jason Reitman (son of Ghostbusters 1 & 2 director Ivan Reitman) calling the shots from a script he co-wrote with Gil Kenan (Monster House). The film will reportedly revolve around a group of teenagers who take up the ghost-busting business in the present-day, and counts Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard, Captain Marvel's McKenna Grace, and The Leftovers' Carrie Coon among its confirmed cast members so far. Now, it appears we can add a few more names to that list. During a recent interview with Parade, Weaver confirmed she will appear in Ghostbusters 3. She also indicated that Aykroyd and Murray are members of the film's cast, saying "It’s going to be crazy working with the guys again!” Beyond that, however, Weaver avoided revealing anything in the way of new plot or character-related information. ghostbusters-ftr.jpg Aykroyd co-wrote the original Ghostbusters with Ramis and has been the franchise's biggest supporter since it was launched, so it's no surprise that he's coming back for Ghostbusters 3. Murray, by comparison, has long been vocal about his disappointment with Ghostbusters II and didn't seem all that interested in making a third film throughout the 1990s and 2000s. However, just this past month, he said he's open to appearing in Ghostbusters 3, and explained that his hesitancy about making the movie in the past had more to do with Sony's changes in leadership over the years than anything else. It appears he wasn't just talking, either, and has now committed to sharing the screen with Weaver, Aykroyd, and their younger costars in the forthcoming sequel. That just leaves Ernie Hudson unaccounted for, as far as the primary stars of the 1984 Ghostbusters are concerned. There's no mention of him in Parade's article, but Hudson has confirmed that he met with Reitman to congratulate him after Ghostbusters 3 was announced. At the time, Hudson said he hadn't been approaching about reprising his role as Winston Zeddemore in the film, but signaled that he's open to the idea. It would certainly be nice to have him back with the rest of the returning guard in Ghostbusters 3, so here's hoping Reitman finds room for Hudson in the movie. Ghostbusters 3 (2020) release date: Jul 10, 2020

Rosa Salazar (Alita: Battle Angel) heads up Amazon’s upcoming adult animation series Undone in the first teaser trailer for the new show. The series is the first foray into adult animation for the streaming service, and considering the bona fides of the people involved, it sounds as though Amazon’s wait will pay off. The series hails from Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg of BoJack Horseman fame, which means it will be well equipped to explore some complex ideas in an original and entertaining way. In addition to Salazar, the series also stars Better Call Saul’s Bob Odenkirk, Sex and the City’s John Corbett, and Enlisted’s Angelique Cabral. And while the impressive cast and creators will certainly be a draw (no pun intended) to the animated series, its impressive rotoscope visuals will likely be what brings all sorts of interested viewers. Amazon said in a release that the technique has never been “used before in episodic television,” and “the unique look of the animation, under the direction of Hisko Hulsing (Montage of Heck), utilizes a variety of mediums, including oil painting on canvas to render the backgrounds.” The series certainly looks unique and it also appears to have a story to match the surreal visuals. Those visuals look very similar to what Richard Linklater did in his adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s A Scanner Darkly, though given that that film was released roughly 13 years ago, it looks as though the technique has advanced somewhat, in addition to becoming versatile enough that a television series can make use of it. Check out the teaser trailer for Undone below along with a synopsis of the series: Undone-Teaser-Poster-Amazon.jpg “From acclaimed creators Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg (BoJack Horseman) comes Undone, a groundbreaking and genre bending animated series about a young woman’s complex journey to unlock her past and solve the mystery of her father’s death. Alma Winograd-Diaz (Rosa Salazar, Alita: Battle Angel) takes her mundane life one day at a time until a near fatal accident induces visions of her late-father, Jacob. Through these persistent visions he urges her to tap into a mysterious ability that allows her to travel through space and time with the hopes of preventing his untimely death. This quest challenges Alma’s relationships and brings into question her mental wellbeing with those closest to her.” With its impressive visuals and cast, Undone looks to be a departure from the Hollywood satire of BoJack Horseman, though it may still retain some of that show’s sardonic sensibilities. Amazon is screening the first two episodes of Undone at ATX TV Festival, so expect some reactions online afterward. Undone will premiere late in 2019 exclusively on Amazon Prime.

DC's Black Adam movie starring Dwayne Johnson eyes The Shallows director Jaume Collet-Serra. Warner Bros. and DC Films are steadily moving ahead with their Worlds of DC franchise, recovering from the stutter steps in its early days of divisive movies like Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad. However, with Aquaman topping $1 billion at the box office and some Shazam! reviews naming it the best DC movie of recent years, the franchise is no doubt recovering. Further proof of Warner Bros. and DC Films solidifying their vision for the franchise's future is their upcoming slate of films. From the alternative universe Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix and the Birds Of Prey spinoff to sequels Wonder Woman 1984 and Aquaman 2, the studio has plenty of exciting projects in the works. However, given all the various properties Warner Bros. and DC put into development over the last few years, there are still many that haven't moved forward in quite some time. One of these is the Black Adam movie, which already has Dwayne Johnson attached to star. Now, the movie takes a significant step forward. Both Variety and Observer report that Warner Bros. and DC Films are eying The Shallows director Jaume Collet-Serra to shepherd the Johnson-led comic book movie. Previously, Collet-Serra was the frontrunner to direct the Suicide Squad sequel before passing on the project to work on Disney's The Jungle Cruise, which Johnson also stars in. Warner Bros. has since tapped Guardians of the Galaxy writer-director James Gunn for The Suicide Squad. But it seems Collet-Serra may work on a DC movie after all. Variety further reports that the Black Adam movie is a priority for the studio after the success of Shazam! earlier this year. Black-Adam-and-Shazam-Movie-Actors.jpg Johnson's Black Adam was originally slated to debut in Shazam! but was eventually separated out for his own solo movie. In 2017, there were rumors Black Adam would appear in Suicide Squad 2, but that was back when Gavin O'Connor was writing and directing the sequel. As for the Black Adam movie, writer Adam Sztykiel was tapped in October 2017 to pen the script, but with no director and Johnson's busy filming schedule, it was unclear when the movie would go before cameras. Should Collet-Serra officially join the project, Black Adam may film next year as Johnson most recently teased, and hit theaters in the coming years. Considering his work with Johnson on Jungle Cruise and his history of almost working with Warner Bros. and DC Films on another superhero project, Collet-Serra seems a good choice for Black Adam. Further, Black Adam will give Collet-Serra a chance to work with Johnson and Sztykiel to develop the character for his first big screen appearance in this universe, rather than a sequel to another director's already established vision as Suicide Squad 2 would've been. Hopefully, Collet-Serra, Johnson and the whole team behind Black Adam will be able to give this franchise another hit. Joker (2019) release date: Oct 04, 2019 Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020) release date: Feb 07, 2020 Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) release date: Jun 05, 2020 The Batman (2021) release date: Jun 25, 2021 The Suicide Squad (2021) release date: Aug 06, 2021 DC Super Pets (2022) release date: May 20, 2022 Aquaman 2 (2022) release date: Dec 16, 2022

Season 2 of Netflix’s German sci-fi series Dark gets even more mysterious with an all-new teaser trailer. The twisty mind-bender was one of the most exciting and unexpected new series to hit the streamer in 2017, delivering a moody, atmospheric story about a small town in Germany whose residents are unwittingly caught in a bizarre set of circumstances that repeatedly impact the past, present, and future. And as the series illustrated in the season 1 finale, the future is not at all a place anyone would want to be. As such, season 2 (or the Second Cycle, as the series has taken to calling it) will follow through with Jonas (Louis Hofmann), who found himself whisked away to the near future, which is a dystopian wasteland thanks to an apocalypse that he is apparently destined to see come to pass. Whether or not that happens is ideally the crux of this new season, but considering it was announced by Netflix that the series would reach its conclusion with season 3 (or the Third Cycle, apparently), it stands to reason that the upcoming episodes will dig deeper into the show’s overarching mystery and possibly come up with some new and unexpected entanglements in the process. Though the new teaser is less than a minute long, it the details revealed from the new season are intriguing. The preview is also almost entirely devoted to Jonas’s ongoing exploration of the mysteries of time travel, which apparently includes a physical manifestation of some sort that may or may not allow greater control of where and when a person goes when messing with the time-space continuum. Check out the teaser below:

Ant-Man star Michael Douglas claims Steven Spielberg blocked him from winning Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his performance in the HBO-produced Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra. With the rise of streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, alongside the ongoing success of subscription cable outlets like HBO, a debate has broken out over where the line should be drawn between television and feature film when it comes to handing out awards. Legendary director Steven Spielberg lent his considerable voice to this heated argument, and indeed fanned the flames considerably, back in early 2018 when he proclaimed that Netflix movies don’t deserve Oscars, even if they receive a limited theatrical release to qualify for Academy Award consideration. “Once you commit to a television format, you’re a TV movie,” Spielberg said, arguing that “token” theatrical releases should not count toward qualifying for Oscars. The Cannes Film Festival too has taken a hard line against Netflix, banning the streamer’s films from competing for its various awards. In a new interview, Douglas offers what he claims is a glimpse of just how much certain forces in the movie business are against outlets like Netflix and HBO competing for major movie awards. Speaking to Variety as part of their Actors On Actors series, Douglas told fellow thespian Benicio Del Toro what happened to him when he was up for Best Actor at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival for his film Behind the Candelabra. The movie, an HBO-produced biopic of the famous musician Liberace, received theatrical release overseas and was shown in competition at Cannes, but this didn’t matter to one major power player according to Douglas (the full video can also be seen below): I don’t want to say nothing, but Steven Spielberg was [jury] president of the Cannes Film Festival the year I was there in Cannes and the word was, and the rumor was, I was sort of favored for the Best Actor award, that he put the kibosh on that because it was an HBO film for television. Even though it had played theatrically. https://twitter.com/i/status/1136739541019181057 Though Douglas was allegedly blocked from winning Best Actor at Cannes, Behind the Candelabra would ultimately pick up plenty of hardware. Douglas himself would grab a Best Actor award from the Golden Globes - in the television category - as well as an Emmy for Best Actor. Douglas’ story of being blocked may or may not be true - even he admits it was a “rumor” that he was up for the Best Actor award to begin with - but there’s no question that filmmakers like Spielberg have a major problem with outlets like Netflix and HBO competing for awards that are traditionally reserved for theatrical films. Many no doubt agree with Spielberg that a solid line must be drawn between television and film, but others will argue that with the proliferation of TV and streaming outlets, and the increasing lack of movie studio interest in making smaller budget films that might compete for awards, the time has come to put aside such outdated categories and embrace the new, diverse reality. Either way, Netflix has arrived as a major awards player after the Oscars performance of last year’s Roma, and that’s a reality that old school folks like Spielberg will just have to reckon with.

His Dark Materials has added to its already sprawling cast, announcing that Amir Wilson will play Will Parry. The show is an adaptation of Philip Pullman's best-selling novels and is co-produced by HBO and BBC. Filming on the first season was only partway into production when BBC preemptively renewed the series for season 2. The first official His Dark Materials trailer was recently released, teasing a promisingly faithful adaptation of the popular source material, including some of the dark themes and shocking moments. Helmed by Tom Hooper (The King's Speech) and written by Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), the show stars Dafne Keen (Logan) as Lyra Belacqua, an adventurous orphan who finds herself on an epic quest and beset by various threatening forces as she investigates the disappearance of a friend. Set in a world where people's souls exist outside of their bodies and take the form of animals, James McAvoy (IT Chapter Two) will also star as Lyra's Uncle Asriel. The rest of the cast, meanwhile, will be rounded out by Ruth Wilson (Luther), who plays the mysterious Mrs. Coulter, and Lin-Manuel Miranda (Mary Poppins Returns) as aëronaut Lee Scoresby. Posted on the official His Dark Materials Twitter page, the casting announcement of Amir Wilson comes complete with a quote from the books and a photo of the young actor. The character of Will doesn't appear in the source material until book 2 of the original trilogy: The Subtle Knife. He plays an important role in the original, however, as a friend and trusted ally of Lyra. A master of the art of blending in and remaining hidden, he ultimately comes into possession of a rare and powerful knife that allows him to pass between worlds. As such, he will likely not appear on the show until the second season - barring any potential teases the show might include at the end of season 1. FireShot Capture 707 - His Dark Materials Casts Amir Wilson _ - https___screenrant.com_his-dark-.jpg The young actor has very few credits to his name. Following an uncredited part in The Kid Who Would Be King, Wilson is booked his first major role in a fresh adaptation of The Secret Garden. The film, which stars Colin Firth, was also written by Thorne. Posting on his own Twitter, he declared that experience of working with Wilson as the reason he will be perfect as the bearer of the knife. As remains the case with every character taken from the page and brought to life, there will be those who deem the casting a failure to match the source material. Just ask Robert Pattinson, who will officially play Bruce Wayne in The Batman. For the most part, however, the news has been met with overwhelming praise. While there remains little evidence of Wilson's acting ability to draw an opinion from, the photo alone bears more than a passing resemblance to the character's curiosity, determination, and singular spirit. Given how well everything has looked and how perfect the casting has been thus far, there is little reason to doubt that Wilson will prove equally so. His Dark Materials is expected to air on HBO and BBC later in 2019.