Wuthering Heights: The 10 Biggest Book Changes Emerald Fennell Made

Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights is not a novel for the faint of heart. Dark and transgressive, especially at the time of its publication in 1847, the story features intentionally cruel protagonists, a toxic central relationship, and an almost shocking amount of physical and psychological violence. It wrestles with themes of class, generational abuse, trauma, and revenge. And while Brontë’s prose drips with all-timers in terms of memorable quotes (“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same”), it’s not an especially easy read.

Fittingly, perhaps, director Emerald Fennell’s 2026 feature film adaptation is also not a film for the weak of heart. Bursting with colorful anachronisms, gorgeous butterfly-bright gowns, and sensual audiovisuals, it’s often an adaptation in only the loosest sense of the term, a movie that’s more about vibes than stringent adherence to its source. (That it gets those vibes exactly right is the film’s primary saving grace.) But to bring her vision of putting “the greatest love story ever told” to the screen, Fennell had to make some fairly radical changes to Brontë’s story as we know it. Here are 10 of the biggest.

Emerald Fennell Cuts Out the Second Half of the Story

In Wuthering Heights, Catherine Earnshaw dies in Chapter 16. However, the book has another 18 to go before we bid adieu to Heathcliff and Thrushcross Grange. Which is to say about half of Brontë’s book takes place after its hypothetical heroine is no longer part of the story. At least directly so. The remainder of the novels follows Heathcliff as he achieves his supervillain final form on a revenge quest that encompasses not just the lives of himself and his established rival/brother-in-law Edgar Linton, but the next generation as well: Cathy’s daughter (also named Catherine), Heathcliff’s son (Linton), and Hareton Earnshaw (the son of Cathy’s brother Hindley, who gets excised from Fennell’s movie entirely).

In terms of adaptation choices, this isn’t as big a swerve as it sounds. Historically, most cinematic interpretations on Wuthering Heights tend to avoid its darker and more uncomfortable back half, which involves everything from child abuse to enforced marriage. The full breadth of Brontë’s book was even’t truly attempted until Andrea Arnold’s 2011 miniseries version. Still, an exploration of cycles of abuse that sees Heathcliff literally pass his own trauma down to his and Cathy’s children is not exactly peak romance material. Which might be why like other Hollywoodized nips and tucks, including most famously William Wyler’s 1939 iteration starring Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon, Fennell just decided to skip all that buzz-killing stuff.

Everyone Is a Whole Lot Older Than They Should Be

Both Cathy and Heathcliff are much younger in Brontë’s text than they are in Fennell’s film. She’s just 15 when she accepts Edgar Linton’s proposal and about 19 years old when she dies. In many ways, her youth is an explanation for much of Cathy’s behavior—didn’t we all have an ill-advised bad boy period at her age?—and adds to the tragedy of her death.

Though the actress herself is 35, Margot Robbie’s Cathy seems meant to be in her mid-to-late 20s. Cathy’s age is hinted at throughout the film, with Nelly calling her “well past spinsterhood” at one point. The film also leans into the Earnshaws’ poverty, repeatedly underscoring the social pressures she faced as her father’s only heir with limited prospects. To Robbie’s credit, her performance absolutely makes Cathy’s childish, obsessive nature central to her character, which often makes her feel as though she’s younger than she actually is.

Cathy’s Missing Brother (and Heathcliff’s Greatest Enemy)

Perhaps most dramatically at the start of Fennell’s movie is the absence of Hindley, Cathy’s older brother who, admittedly, sucks. He’s Heathcliff’s primary tormenter throughout the story, a cruel bully who makes his life miserable and is extremely jealous of the other boy’s close bond with Mr. Earnshaw. (In the book, Mr. Earnshaw is actually quite kind to Heathcliff, doting on him more than his own children, hence the self-loating sadism of Hindley). Heathcliff’s abusive treatment at Hindley’s hands is a big reason for his growing into the monster he ultimately becomes. Their overt, ongoing hatred of one another is also fairly significant plot point in the latter half of the novel, with Hindley being the ruined drunk that Heathcliff bankrolls into a nearly grave in exchange for Wuthering Heights. Hindley, in turn, fantasizes about murdering Heathcliff and makes several attempts before his death, which leaves his only son left to be raised and denied an education by his worst enemy.

In the film, young Cathy mentions she had a brother who died—in fact, she even claims to have named Heathcliff after him!—but he is otherwise never referred to again. Much of Hindley’s story, particularly the alcoholism, excessive gambling, and his poor treatment of Heathcliff, is transferred to Cathy’s father, but his absence also allows Fennell to soften some of her hero’s rage. Hindley and Mr. Earnshaw’s absence when Isabella arrives to Wuthering Heights, also deletes some of the more Gothic and eerie detours in Brontë’s tale.

Cathy Meets the Lintons as an Adult

Book Cathy and Heathcliff meet their neighbors the Lintons as children. It occurs when Cathy is roughly 12 or 13. Bitten by a dog, Cathy stays at the Lintons to heal. Isabella is Edgar’s pampered sister and roughly Cathy’s same age.

In Fennell’s take, Cathy sustains a similar injury but she’s a grown woman and falls from a garden wall after attempting to spy on the new residents who’ve just moved into the neighboring estate. (The Lintons are demonstrably, lavishly rich and Isabella is now, curiously, Edgar’s “ward”.) It’s a shift that not only speeds up the marriage plot, which ultimately divides Heathcliff and Cathy, but also makes Edgar a relative stranger when she decides to say yes to his proposal.

There’s a Whole Lot of Sex

The literary version of Cathy and Heathcliff never explicitly consummate their relationship, and most of the heat between the two is generated through Brontë’s outstanding prose. The pair finally shares a passionate embrace only as Cathy is literally dying.

Fennell’s film is bursting with sex, from the opening moments in which the sounds of a man hanging could be easily mistaken for the throes of passion. Soon thereafter, Cathy and Heathcliff are banging constantly: on the moors, in a bed, out in the rain, even in a carriage, Bridgerton-style. She cheats on her husband with full awareness of the moral implications of her actions, and Heathcliff even offers to kill Edgar for her at one point. But this Wuthering Heights’ horniness isn’t limited to its central couple. There’s BDSM play, masturbation, and multiple inanimate objects that exist only to be penetrated in some form or other.

Heathcliff Is A Much Bigger Dirtbag In the Book

Let’s just get it out of the way: The literary Heathcliff is a villain. We can’t really argue about it. He’s a monster, one admittedly shaped by trauma and tragedy, but his choices are ultimately his own. And he repeatedly chooses cruelty and revenge, making much of his life a quest to punish those he believes have wronged him, up to and including his own son. Yes, there are reasons for this: His loss of Cathy, lingering pain from the abuse he suffered at the hands of Hindley, Linton, and even Cathy herself, a lifetime of being told he was lesser, and an awareness that his position prevented him from being with the woman he loved. There are moments of grand tragedy that if one were to, ahem, stop the story at its midpoint would render him a complex Byronic hero. But he’s not, and probably shouldn’t be, anyone’s dream man.

Fennell’s take on Heathcliff is much more in line with the Byronic hero archetype. Her Heathcliff is moody, angsty, frequently shirtless, and fully obsessed with Cathy. (Plus, he’s played by Jacob Elordi, who can literally pick Margot Robbie up by her corset laces.) We’re only given glimpses of his cruelty and pettiness, primarily through his treatment of Isabella. (And ditching the second half of the novel means Fennell doesn’t have to wrestle with how to present him at his absolute worst.)

Nelly Becomes the Story’s Villain (Sort of)

Nelly Dean is the narrator of Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, a housekeeper who serves three generations of the Earnshaw and Linton families. Less a character and more a narrative device, she doesn’t have a terribly active role in the story or much agency of her own.

Fennell turns Nelly into something that comes quite close to the story’s villain, howver: she’s a bastard taken in to serve as a companion and maid to Cathy. She’s resentful and jealous, both of her charge’s close friendship with Heathcliff and her social position. The Earnshaw family finances aren’t great at the time of this story, but they’ve been landowners in Yorkshire for hundreds of years. She has a great deal more agency than her book counterpart, but in Fennell’s adaptation, she’s the deliberate cause of multiple misunderstandings and seems to work to keep Cathy and Heathcliff apart.

She’s aware that Heathcliff’s listening at the door when Cathy says being with him would “degrade her” and doesn’t tell her what happened, even in the face of her charge’s devastation over his disappearance. And she burns all of Heathcliff’s letters to Cathy following his marriage.

Isabella Is a Willing Participant In Her Own Degradation

Outside of the sex—which is admittedly a big deal—Fennell’s reimaging of Isabella Linton is probably the movie’s biggest swerve from its source material. Edgar’s privileged younger sister is transformed into his socially awkward ward, a complete weirdo who collects ribbons, keeps an elaborate dollhouse, and occasionally outfits her dolls with real human hair. A complete freak from start to finish, she’s openly attracted to Heathcliff, fully okay with it when he explains to her all the ways he’ll treat her terribly and use her to make Cathy jealous, and willingly engages in BDSM play that seems designed to humiliate, complete with a dog collar and chain.

In the book, Isabella marries Heathcliff on the assumption that he might somehow manage to become a real gentleman one day. Brontë is pretty clear that she’s subsequently a victim of domestic violence, with her self-narrated arrival to Wuthering Heights being some of the most outwardly Gothic and horrific passages of the book. Her exit from the story is to eventually flee into the night and move to London where she tries to hide the fact that she gave birth to Heathcliff’s child. She dies young, and Heathcliff defies her reaches by raising the child up as his own back at Wuthering Heights. There is zero puppy play.

Cathy’s Death

In the book, Cathy gives birth to her and Edgar’s daughter just before she dies, and Heathcliff delivers his whole “Haunt me then!” rant to Nelly (and a tree) outside. Importantly, however, Heathcliff does manage to see Cathy before she does, and the two share their (first!) embrace.

Elordi’s Heathcliff doesn’t make it to Thrushcross Grange before Cathy shuffles off this mortal coil, which means they technically never speak again after his marriage to Isabella. In both versions, however, Cathy’s death is essentially self-induced. Refusing to eat or leave her bed, she deteriorates rapidly, and it’s implied, causes the miscarriage that ultimately kills her. In the book, however, she lives long enough to warn Heathcliff she’ll never let him forget her and that she wishes she could “hold you till we were both dead.'”

There’s a Distinct Lack of Ghosts

Lastly, a significant thing that’s lost in Fennell’s decision to emphasize the physical and carnal of hte story is that Wuthering Heights is haunted. Literally. Cathy’s ghost is a recurring character in the book. We, in fact, meet her ghost before we meet Cathy as the story begins when Heathcliff is already an old man, and a new neighbor has the misfortune of looking out her childhood’s bedroom window one night, and to feel her icy hand grab his as she begs to be let back into her home after being cast out in the dark so many years. Her spirit recurs again throughout the novel’s back half as a reminder of the inescapable sins of the past, haunting Heathcliff until he dies from presumably self-induced starvation, just as Cathy did.

The novel begins as a ghost story and ends in bitter regret. Fennell’s movie begins with the living getting off at the sight of death, and ends with the audience presumably encouraged to do much the same. They’re drastically different takeaways from the same material.

John Munch: The Real and Fictional Lives of TV’s Most Prolific Detective

In the season 2 episode of The Wire “Stray Rounds,” a curious detective arrives at the site of a shooting, accompanying Major Bunny Colvin. A thin man with close-cropped silver hair and dark glasses, the detective surveys the chaos with a bemused expression. In his later appearances in seasons 3 and 4, the detective delivers wry, not always welcome observations about the various cases, sometimes irritating his superiors.

You may think that the description above refers to John Munch, the much beloved Law & Order character played by Richard Belzer. No, The Wire is not one of the many, many Law & Order spinoffs, nor is it any of the many, many other shows in which Belzer has appeared as Munch.

However, your guess would only be partially right. Because that character is Dennis Mello, played by Jay Landsman. But Jay Landsman is a character on The Wire, the surly sergeant portrayed by Delaney Williams. And what does that have to do with John Munch, who does look like Bello, but doesn’t actually appear in The Wire?

Don’t worry, we’ll connect all the pieces, just like the best detectives of Baltimore or New York.

Landsman’s Life on the Street

The first chapter of the 1991 non-fiction book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets begins with the description of a detective examining the body of a dead man. Turning the man’s head reveals a hole from which blood oozes out. “There’s your problem,” the detective observes. “He’s got a slow leak.”

According to the narrator, the line is “vintage Landsman, delivered in perfect deadpan
until even the shift commander is laughing hard in the blue strobe of the emergency lights.” Landsman is just one of the detectives featured in Homicide, a book that chronicles the year Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon spent alongside members of his city’s police department. Although Landsman and his compatriots initially balked at the idea of a reporter following them on investigations, they eventually agreed to give him great access, which gave the book enough detail to be a best seller.

Homicide was so much of a hit, in fact, that it caught the attention of writer Paul Attanasio who, with the help of filmmaker and Baltimore native Barry Levinson, turned the book into the NBC procedural, Homicide: Life on the Street. Rather than directly adapt people from Simon’s book, Attanasio created fictional characters based on the real life cops. Thus, Lieutenant Gary D’Addario became Al Giardello, played by Yaphet Kotto. Detective Harry Edgerton became Frank Pembleton, played by Andre Braugher. And Jay Landsman became John Munch, played by comedian turned actor Belzer.

Munch Makes Moves

Homicide lagged in the ratings behind fellow cop shows of the era NYPD Blue and Law & Order. Yet, it garnered enough critical and good will to last seven seasons and a movie. Those fans included Law & Order creator Dick Wolf, who saw an opening for one of the characters when the show ended in March of 1999. When Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered a few months later, there was John Munch serving alongside detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler.

Where Homicide had an arty realism, inspired by the independent cinema movement of the time, SVU is a slick network show. The change gave Belzer room to go broader with Munch, turning his rants about ex-wives and mistrust of the government into likable quirks instead of signs of a potentially unstable personality.

The shift in Munch’s personality made him a fan favorite. Moreover, it allowed him to do more than just jump from Homicide to SVU. While Belzer continued to play Munch in SVU, as well as the main Law & Order series and the spin-off Trial By Jury, he also had one-off appearances in a wide range of shows and movies. Munch shows up in The X-Files episode “Unusual Suspects” and in Arrested Development‘s “Exit Strategy.”

An animated Munch appears in American Dad! while Mike Brady asks Munch for help in A Very Brady Sequel. Belzer plays Munch in fictional episodes of Law & Order for shows such as Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and 30 Rock. In fact, no other fictional character played by a single actor has appeared in more series than Richard Belzer as John Munch.

Back to Jay

But what about the guy who started it all, Jay Landsman? When he turned his attention to making his own TV shows, Simon brought Landsman along. The 2000 HBO miniseries The Corner, based on the 1997 book The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood, which Simon co-wrote with former cop Ed Burns, has a brief appearance from the real Landsman.

Simon did not bring Landsman into his next HBO show The Wire—at least not in body. The big, gregarious Delaney Williams doesn’t match Landsman’s frame, but he did have the same sarcastic sense of humor found in the first chapter of the Homicide book, which justified Simon’s decision to name the character Jay Landsman.

Enjoyable as Williams’s take was, he couldn’t replace the real guy. Which is why we get to finally see the actual Jay Landsman on screen throughout The Wire. Sure, he never steals the spotlight from McNulty or Bunk, or even Williams’s outgoing Landsman. But he never misses with his sardonic observations, forever proving that Jay Landsman is the true John Munch.

20 Dark Movies for an Unhappy Valentine’s Day

Moviegoers love love. We love love so much that not only does Hollywood make movies all about love, but studios also put love into movies that don’t require love. So if you’ve got a hot date this Valentine’s weekend, or if you’re just going to spend it on the sofa with someone you adore, you’ll find a multitude of movies to compliment the mood.

But what about everyone else? What about the people who are sick to death of all this crap? Are they forced to swear off cinema this weekend?

Not at all. We’ve compiled a list of 20 films all about the unpleasant parts of romance, movies that will make you happy that you’re so unhappy and alone.

Tillie’s Punctured Romance (1914)

In the early silent era, few studios were as successful as Keystone Pictures. Founded by Mack Sennett, Keystone built its reputation with ludicrous slapstick shorts, launching the film careers of Mabel Normand, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, and Charlie Chaplin. Keystone’s sole feature-length film captured everything great about the studio and its anarchic vision of the world, turning its eye specifically toward love and romance. Tillie’s Punctured Romance stars Marie Dressler as a lonely woman who gets swept away by promises of love from a swindler (Chaplin), who plans to bilk her of her fortune and run away with his own girlfriend (Normand). Not only does Tille’s Punctured Romance turn a dispeptic eye toward all things lovey-dovey, it punctuates its cynicism with lots of people getting kicked in the rear and an epic pie fight.

Casablanca (1942)

Many a couple have turned on Casablanca for Valentine’s Day only to find very little of the love and affirmation they hoped for. Sure, a flame still burns between Rick (Humphrey Bogart), the nightclub owner who swears he’s an uncaring and amoral mercenary, and Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), the woman who broke his heart. But the film recognizes that the two cannot be together, even if her presence is enough to spark some sort of passion in him again. As the movie’s famous final lines point out, Casablanca is about the beginning of a beautiful friendship… and about the death of a long-past romance.

Vertigo (1958)

Alfred Hitchcock made great use of Jimmy Stewart’s affable persona in his thrillers, none better than 1958’s Vertigo, precisely because it could be confused as a romance. Stewart plays Scottie, a police detective stricken with the titular malady and hired to investigate a woman named Madeline (Kim Novak). No sooner does Scottie fall for Madeline than she commits suicide. However, he later meets a woman named Judy Barton, who looks just like Madeline (also Novak). As the twisty plot unfolds, Jimmy and Madeline become less doomed lovers and more obsessives who want to control the people around them.

Contempt (1963)

Just the title of Contempt is enough to tell you how director Jean-Luc Godard is going to approach the petite bourgeoisie couple at the center of his film. On a plot level, Contempt deals with playwright Paul Javal’s (Michel Piccoli) attempt to work on a screenplay adapting The Odyssey. However, Godard is more interested in the banal and dying marriage between Paul and his wife Camille (Brigitte Bardot). The rich colors and warm cinemotopgraphy belie the film’s frank depiction of an uncoupling that occurs because neither person has the capacity to care.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is the loud, angry American cousin to Contempt. Both movies chronicle the end of middle-class marriages, but Virginia Woolf, based on the play by Edward Albee and directed by Mike Nichols, does so with plenty of shouting and grandstanding. The film seems simple enough, capturing a dinner shared between professor and his wife (Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor) and a young new professor and his partner (George Segal and Sandy Dennis). However, the party is enough to open up all manner of festering wounds, which leads everyone involved to shout about how much they hate their relationships.

A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

Nobody takes a hard look at relationships like actor-turned-filmmaker John Cassavetes, especially in films that starred his real-life wife Gena Rowlands. That is particularly clear in Cassavettes’s best film, A Woman Under the Influence. The movie lives up to its title, a raw look at a nondescript working-class woman (Rowlands) who has a nervous breakdown. Although her husband (Peter Falk) stands by his wife throughout it all (imperfectly, to be sure), and the film ends on a tender note, A Woman Under the Influence reminds viewers that it being in relationship work can be hard work.

The Stepford Wives (1975)

Based on the novel by Ira Levin, The Stepford Wives a classic conspiracy thriller built around the American dream, as reimagined for the women’s lib generation. Katharine Ross stars as Joanna Eberhart, a free-spirited photographer who moves to the suburbs with her daughters and her apparently supported husband Walter (Peter Masterson). But as Walter becomes friendly with his male neighbors, Joanna begins to feel that he’s comparing her to his friends’ perfect wives. Probably everyone knows the twist of The Stepford Wives, but they may have forgotten that it paints such a dismal portrait of the marital couple.

Possession (1981)

Anyone just reading the synopsis of Possession may be forgiven for thinking it’s a sexy espionage movie in the vein of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The dour tone that Polish director Andrzej Żuławski brings to Possession quickly disabuses anyone of that expectation, but it’s really the performance of Isabelle Adjani as Ana, wife of spy Mark (Sam Neill) that makes the film wholly unique. Adjani’s performance as a woman who becomes something different after asking her husband for a divorce remains one of the most powerful pieces of acting ever put on screen.

Modern Romance (1981)

The other 1981 pick on this list goes in the exact opposite direction of Possession. Modern Romance stars Albert Brooks, who also directs and co-writes the script with Monica Johnson, as film editor Robert Cole. When Robert lets his worries get the best of him, he breaks up with his long-suffering girlfriend Mary (Kathryn Harrold). Yet, as he goes through date after date, Robert shows the audience (though he doesn’t quite show himself) that he is the problem. Although it’s possible that some could read the end of Modern Romance as a statement about the hard, worthwhile work of a relationship, the prospect of ending up with a guy like Robert is enough to scare anyone into being single forever.

Heartburn (1986)

The name Nora Ephron is synonymous with When Harry Met Sally… and Sleepless in Seattle, as she wrote some of the best romance movies of all time. But her first movie about relationships took a decidedly more cynical approach to the topic. Heartburn, directed by Mike Nichols (this whole list could be made up of his movies), tells a fictionalized account of Ephron’s marriage to Carl Bernstein of All the President’s Men fame, with Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson standing in as Rachel Samstat and Mark Forman. We won’t spoil the story for you here, but let’s just say that Rachel and Mark don’t end Heartburn on the observation deck of the Empire State Building.

She’s Gotta Have It (1986)

Spike Lee isn’t a name often associated with romance movies, so it may be surprising to some that his debut feature She’s Gotta Have It deals with relationship issues. The film follows Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) as she deals with three boyfriends (played by Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell, and Lee himself). Within comedic moments of Nola loving and loathing her suitors, She’s Gotta Have It becomes a celebration of non-monogamy and non-commitment—even through its surprising and potentially bleak final moments.

The War of the Roses (1989)

Modern viewers showed little interest in The Roses, the 2025 remake of The War of the Roses starring Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch. But that shouldn’t diminish the power of the 1989 original. Based on the novel by Warren Adler and directed by Danny DeVito, who also has a supporting role, The War of the Roses chronicles the increasingly ridiculous divorce battle between a rich couple played by Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. As mean-spirited as any movie on this list, The War of the Roses doesn’t have much to say about how we get together, but it has a lot to say about the depths to which we sink when we break up.

Wild at Heart (1990)

For as weird and off-putting as he could be, David Lynch was an unfailing optimist, which makes Wild at Heart a potentially strange pick for this list. After all, the movie ends with no less than Glinda the Good Witch from The Wizard of Oz arriving in her bubble to tell Sailor (Nicolas Cage) to go back to his beloved Lula (Laura Dern). Yet, Wild at Heart is also Lynch’s most off-putting movie, and not just because of the bizarre figures who try to break the couple apart. While Lynch himself probably believed in the purity of Lula and Sailor’s devotion to each other, everyone else might be wondering if their romance was worth the destruction left in its wake.

Three Colors: White (1994)

Technically, White is the comedic portion of Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colors trilogy, coming after the heartbreaking Blue and the more affirming Red. But some may find it hard to laugh at the sad sack protagonist Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) and the abuse he suffers at the hands of his French wife Dominique (Julie Delpy). Abandoned in Paris after Dominique demands divorce before they can consummate their relationship, Karol is forced to make his way through a foreign country while trying to win back his love. Even allowing for the fact that Dominique is played by the radiant Delpy, one has to wonder if it’s all worth it.

First Wives Club (1996)

Easily the most upbeat of the entries on this list, First Wives Club is the paradigmatic film about divorce leading to freedom. First Wives Club stars Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton as women who were all left by their husbands for younger women. The trio team up to get revenge, a journey that involves both financial success and, in at least one case, a reconciliation. It’s not exactly realistic, but there is something refreshing about seeing a movie in which the key to happiness is not found in marriage.

Audition (1999)

Oh, to be one of the people who saw Takashi Miike’s Audition before the twist became common knowledge… The first half of Audition, based on the novel by Ryū Murakami, plays like a sweet, if odd, story about a widower searching for love. With the help of a friend in the movie business, the widower Shigeharu (Ryo Ishibashi) holds a series of auditions for a fake movie, where he is immediately enchanted by Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina). Thinking that he’s found the love of his life, Shigeharu pursues Asami, especially after she disappears. Eventually, Shigeharu and Asami reunite and where it goes from there is, well—if you know where it goes, then you know nothing I could write can match it. If you don’t know, don’t let yourself be spoiled. Just go watch Audition now (if you have the stomach for it).

Blue Valentine (2010)

Ryan Gosling has long been a reliable leading man, but he’s always had a weird side. Director Derek Cianfrance, who also worked with Gosling in the crime drama The Place Beyond the Pines, taps into that energy for Blue Valentine, an incredible bummer of a love story. Cianfrance employs a bifurcated narrative structure to contrast the passionate beginning of the marriage between Dean and Cindy Pereira (Gosling and Michelle Williams) and their equally fiery but far less pleasant break-up. The two leads have constant chemistry through it all, making their dissolution all the sadder.

Gone Girl (2014)

Audition may be the ultimate relationship cautionary tale, but Gone Girl is the more famous one. David Fincher‘s icy adaptation of the hit novel by Gillian Flynn (who also pens the screenplay) features a couple at their worst. The film deftly plays with audience allegiances, inviting viewers to believe that Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) killed his famous wife Amy (Rosamund Pike), and then revealing the true reason that Amy went missing, before finally settling on the fact that both Nick and Amy are terrible people. Gone Girl is a thrilling and unpleasant film, and perhaps be the worst date movie of all time.

It Follows (2014)

Horror movies have long drawn an implicit connection between sex and death, but It Follows made it explicit. So when teen Jay (Maika Monroe) has a dreamy romantic tryst with a new guy called Hugh (Jake Weary), we know that she’s in for a bad time. Maika doesn’t get to bask in the afterglow long, as she’s immediately drugged by Hugh and tied to a chair while he explains the rules to her. By having sex, Hugh has passed onto Jay an invisible entity that will slowly and constantly follow her to destroy her. The only way she can delay her fate is to have sex with someone else, making them the next target. The gauzy direction from David Robert Mitchell and Monroe’s fresh performance transform what could have been an obvious STD allegory into something moving and frighting, but definitely not romantic.

Marriage Story (2019)

Everyone on the internet knows the meme showing Adam Driver punching a wall while arguing with Scarlett Johansson. However, most of them probably don’t know how scary and sad that scene is in its original context, the Noah Baumbach film Marriage Story. Like many films on this list, Marriage Story shows a couple at the start and the end of their relationship, and includes the expected dramatic beats such as the discovery of an affair or sessions with cut-throat lawyers. However, Baumbach keeps the movie grounded in reality, which gives the movie a sense of earned melancholy.

Die My Love (2025)

Many movies of 2025 felt like they were trying to follow in Cassavettes’s footsteps. Movies like If I Had Legs I’d Kick You and Hamnet had big performances of women breaking down, but only Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love put the protagnist’s marriage at the forefront. Jennifer Lawrence plays an absolutely feral woman who marries an unfaithful dimwit played by Robert Pattinson. That summary promises a broad comedy, but between Lawrence’s ferocious performance and Ramsay’s sensitive filmmaking, Die My Love is a rich movie about how some people should never be in a relationship.

The Muppet Show Special’s Ratings Prove That All We Wanted Was The Muppet Show

Turns out, it is indeed time to play the music, time to light the lights. According to Variety, the one-off special episode of The Muppet Show has drawn 7.58 million across Disney+ and ABC. This broad popular appeal comes alongside almost unanimous critical praise, with the special currently sitting at 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Those not paying attention may wonder what cutting-edge gimmick Disney used to garner such attention. Did ChatGPT create new, hip Muppets? Did the Muppets become superheroes? Did a Russian and Canadian Muppet have a steamy but hidden affair that their teammates would never understand?

No, the special was just an episode of The Muppet Show. Which is what we’ve wanted all along.

The Muppet Show originally ran from 1976 to 1981, first on ATV in the UK and then in syndication in the US. The series famously struggled at first. Not only did ABC pass on the first two pilots that Muppet creator Jim Henson and his partner Frank Oz made for a series, but the Muppets proved a poor fit on Saturday Night Live, where they were part of the show’s first season.

However, the show soon found its groove, and fans thrilled to its wacky take on vaudeville variety routines. Even though first season guest hosts included people who would never in a million years appeal to kids—season one featured Broadway folks like Ruth Buzzi and Joel Grey, and past-their-prime sitcom stars Jim Nabors and Florence Henderson—the show still entertained. It survived past its original Gen X audience to become a mainstay of kids’ entertainment.

To be sure, part of that survival is due to spinoffs that put the characters in different scenarios. The Muppet Movie and Muppet Babies work as prequels to The Muppet Show, but The Great Muppet Caper, Muppets Take Manhattan, and The Muppet Christmas Carol have little to nothing to do with the variety show.

However, later attempts to revive the Muppets have seemed almost afraid to return to the basic show format. MuppeTelevision from The Jim Henson Hour, Muppets Tonight, and Muppets Now did away with the vintage format to put Kermit in co. on a hip modern talk show or on a streaming web series, making for an awkward fit each time. The Muppets Mayhem was a narrative series about Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, which didn’t work, but was still better than the disastrous the muppets, a mockumentary sitcom in the vein of The Office.

The 2026 The Muppet Show is none of these things. Yes, it has Gen Z pop star Sabrina Carpenter as the guest host, and yes, she does sing her hit song “Manchild” (her other number is the decidedly not Gen Z Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers classic, “Islands in the Stream”). But the structure is all classic Muppet Show: different acts, backstage drama, Statler and Waldorf cracking jokes.

The fact that people of all ages have responded so well to the new special proves that the experiments are no longer needed. We just want The Muppet Show again. So why don’t we get things started?

The Muppet Show is now streaming on Disney+.

Love Is Blind Season 10’s Most Distinctly Ohio Moments

Love is Blind endured a season in which no one made it to “I do,” but it never lacked confidence in its bizarre social experiment. Season 10 marks a milestone for the reality Netflix juggernaut, surviving five years of streaming and somehow finding a place on the list of Netflix’s longest running original series. This season is also personal for one of the series’ hosts, as all the couples bracing the pods are from the great state of Ohio, which is the same state that gave us Nick Lachey (and weirdly half the staff of Den of Geek).

If you’re thinking: Ohio is an interesting choice, you’re not alone! Ohio has long occupied a strange place in the internet’s imagination. It doesn’t quite have the same gnarly reputation as Florida, but it’s certainly not viewed in a normal way by the people who’ve only flown over it. Since the mid-2010s, the “Only in Ohio” meme surge soundtracked by Lil B’s anthem “Swag Like Ohio” inflated the Buckeye State’s image online. By 2022, TikTok had turned Ohio into a digital fever dream. Creators heavily leaned into the state’s supposed uncanny valley vibe, making absurd, glitch-in-the-simulation images look like an average day in Ohio.

So when the Midwest singles were announced, one question emerged: would this season humanize Ohio or confirm everything the internet already thinks? Based on the first batch of episodes, the answer might be worse.

This season feels painfully mid. It’s bloated with way too many engagements, uneven screen time, and much fewer unforgettable pod moments. But buried in these skippable episodes are flashes of moments that felt strange and uniquely Ohio. Maybe these moments won’t go viral in the same way Andrew did with his eye drops in season 3, but they’re strange enough to linger.

If anything good came from this first batch of episodes, it confirmed that Ohio has not yet been eliminated. Here are the most “Only in Ohio” moments that deserve to be turned into noise edits with cryptic text and zero coherent context.

Mr. Brightside Connor

There’s nothing more Ohio than proudly declaring that your favorite song is “Mr. Brightside.” To be fair, it’s not like it’s an out-of-place deep cut, and it’s still far more reasonable than Zach and Bliss’ season 4 pick,“I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack. So when Connor, one of the cast members who makes it out of the pods engaged, announces that The Killers anthem is his “favorite of all time” to Briana, a University of Michigan alumna, it feels like a romantic regional destiny.

There’s something so charmingly corny about Connor walking out of the pods to that booming melodramatic chorus like he’s emerging from some kind of suburban coliseum and not a Netflix soundstage. It’s not only funny on the surface, it’s also hilarious how earnest this introduction to Connor feels. This is him. Your classic millennial Ohioan who loves The Killers and is passionately anti-Ohio State. Only in Ohio could “Mr. Brightside” function as both a love language and cultural shorthand.

“Notebook-Esque” First Time

Not all Ohio men are charming, as evidenced by singles from the Midwest like Amber saying at the couples’ first meetup she normally has “a strong distaste for men.” There’s always a Shake-from-season-2-adjacent menace lurking in the pods, and Steven is no exception. But unlike Shake, he doesn’t leave engaged.

At first, he seemed harmless enough with Emma. But that facade cracked when she shared the story behind the scars on her arm from a childhood surgery and how bullying left her feeling undesirable for years.

Instead of responding with, say, empathy, he grabbed another White Claw and made it his turn to be vulnerable. Apparently, the most vulnerable thing one could share is a retelling of losing their virginity with the self-awareness of a middle school boy. He called it “Notebook-esque” and pressed Emma about her first time because women’s first times are always also perfect and never awkward or uncomfortable.

Poor Steven was shocked when hers wasn’t cinematic and that she wasn’t pursued in that way until college. Then, to make an uncomfortable situation worse, he called her “a late bloomer” right after she talked about being bullied. The fact that this happened in the first episode set the stage for the tone of the season. Fortunately, the other men had more redeemable conversations, but Steven is not exactly a shining example of Ohio’s dating pool.

Keya Standing on Business

We’ve seen plenty of women enter reality dating shows claiming to be a “girls’ girl” after the internet reacted to Micah and Irina’s behavior in season 4. People have done lots of unadmirable things on this show, but get called a “mean girl” on TikTok, and your life is basically over.

Keya stood 10 toes down, calling out Kevan for keeping her around until the last minute. She only got clarity from him after his other connection, Tyler L., left. While one can admire Kevan’s honesty, he should’ve known by how calmly Keya reacted to all his indecisiveness that a storm was coming.

What followed was simultaneously the most respectful and the nastiest dismantling of a man on reality TV. The way Keya let down Kevan with such cunning precision and grace deserves to be studied. Because when else has a cast member told a man in his 30s that he was never ready for marriage and needs to get his shit together, only for him to thank her for her time afterward? That’s how well Keya read him. He literally thanked her for destroying his confidence after thinking he had it all figured out.

She also brought up Tyler and asserted that she also deserved better. Normally, when women try to be more ballsy and speak plainly on this show, it’s received poorly, but Keya held her head high, wasn’t overly rude, and still let Kevan down painfully. This has to be an “Only in Ohio” moment because how often do we see a harsh breakup delivered this seamlessly?

“I Expected a Little More Depth to This”

We finally leave the pods in episode 5 and get a taste of what the cast is like in the real world. As usual, people acted differently when meeting face-to-face, but this time it was so unsettling how guarded everyone was at the first couples meetup that Briana told multiple people she expected “a little more depth” to the gathering. Where is the vulnerability? What happened to the hours of conversations all these people spent getting to know each other? Why is everyone acting like strangers? It’s fair to say, she wanted to cut to the uncomfortable talks with pod exes

Conversations between pod exes rarely go well. There’s always a few uncomfortable moments of borderline cheating that end up getting played at the reunion. Before she and Connor really spent time getting to know each other, Briana wanted a vulnerable and vaguely flirty conversation with Chris that delivered closure beyond their pod breakup. And her desire for that conversation, even if it was innocent, made Connor very uncomfortable. It’s not looking like their shared love of “Mr. Brightside” is enough to propel Connor and Briana to the altar.

All Devo Wants To Do Is Read A Book And Watch The Sunrise

After finding out they’re the only couple that hasn’t consummated their engagement, Brittany W. can’t help but wonder if Devo is holding back emotionally because she hasn’t welcomed sex in their very new union. In turn, Brittany tells him she’s open to taking that next step if it will bring them closer, but Devo remains guarded. God forbid a man wants to sit in silence and not talk about his emotions on the “talk about your emotions” show.

As Brittany builds up the strength to confront Devo, telling him she doesn’t even feel engaged, he explains with the classic Midwestern reasoning that sometimes he just doesn’t want to talk. He’d rather read outside while watching the sun rise instead of staying in bed until Brittany wakes up. She originally didn’t want to rush into a sexual relationship, and that’s fine because outside of the pods, Devo doesn’t want to be intimate with her period, emotionally or physically. Production also did him so dirty zooming in on his feet during this conversation for absolutely no reason. Thank you, Love Is Blind, for creating even more uncomfortable Ohio memes.

Telling Your Fiancée They’re Not Your Type

At the first couples meetup, people didn’t have too many complaints about their respective partners, but if he had to say something negative, Alex H. would tell the guys and Brittany that his fiancée Ashley is not a type he generally goes for. That’s right: Alex, who in all the scenes with just Ashley can’t keep his hands off her, is apparently not into blondes. Could have fooled literally anyone watching. Everyone in the pods likes to say looks don’t matter, but how often does someone add, “It’s not really a problem, but I must tell her she’s not my type”? With their strong physical connection, it feels odd that Alex places such emphasis on his attraction to darker features; a preference he feels so strongly that it’s only right to break the news to Ashley, or else he’s being dishonest.

He also encourages Brittany to tell Devo, who is already guarded, that he’s not her usual type either. Because everyone knows Love is Blind is all about finding the right person who looks exactly like all of your exes. At least these Ohioans are honest?

Messy Suitcases

Mike really doesn’t like that Emma has untidy suitcases. He not only brings it up to the guys as a defining flaw at the first meetup, but also tells Emma later that he hates how unorganized her suitcases are. As long as she got all her stuff from the pods to Mexico, who cares how unorderly she packed them? What an odd thing to get hung up on. It seems like Mike has the same urge that Alex does in looking for red flags for the sake of it. People from Ohio are so ordinary that this cast really has to dig deep to bring the drama.

Turns out Emma’s actual number one, Connor, welcomes the mess and doesn’t stress about clothes left on the bathroom floor, which coincidentally rubs his fiance Briana the wrong way. Hopefully, these messy star crossed lovers find their way back to each other soon.

The first six episodes of Love Island season 10 are available to stream on Netflix now. New episodes premiere Wednesdays, culminating with the finale on March 4.

Friday the 13th: How a Real Hockey Team Led to Jason’s Iconic Look

Here’s what we all know about Jason Voorhees: he lives at Camp Crystal Lake, he likes to kill partying teenagers, and he wears a hockey mask. Yet, none of those things were true in the original 1980 Friday the 13th, as the killer in that movie was Pamela Voorhees (Betsy Palmer), who was murdering teens at Camp Crystal Lake after young Jason’s death years earlier. It took a few more movies for Jason to become the character we know and love today.

In particular, Jason doesn’t put on a hockey mask until midway through the third entry, 1983’s Friday the 13th Part III. And the iconic face wear only came into play because someone working on the film happened to be a fan of one of the worst sports teams of the early ’80s, the Detroit Red Wings.

Jason, Masked

When producer Sean S. Cunningham first got the idea for Friday the 13th, he only had a title and a grandiose tagline. “The most terrifying film ever made!” declared the ad that Cunningham put in Variety, despite the fact that not only had said film not been made, but he didn’t even have a script. All Cunningham had was a desire to get a bit of the success that Irwin Yablans and Moustapha Akkad enjoyed with John Carpenter‘s low-budget, holiday-themed slasher Halloween.

That cart-before-the-horse approach has resulted in many unexpected elements of the Friday the 13th franchise, including its ambling approach to building the main character. The hockey mask comes into play in the third movie, not initially because of Jason, but rather because of perhaps the most irritating character in slasher movie history. Larry Zerner plays Shelly, the prankster best friend to hunk Andy (Jeffrey Rogers) and blind date companion to the disappointed Vera (Catherine Parks). Although she clearly isn’t attracted to Shelly, Vera is at least polite when turning down his advances. In response, Shelly either pulls elaborate stunts that annoy everyone or he sulks about the fact that people don’t like it when he does the exact thing they tell him they don’t like.

For his final stunt, Shelly grabs a hockey mask, a diving suit, and a harpoon gun. He scares Vera with it, who once again tells him that she doesn’t like being scared, but also explains calmly that people would want to spend time with him if he actually treated them well. Instead, Shelly goes off to pout, a pity party that thankfully gets cut short when Jason arrives to cut his throat. Even better, Jason takes the harpoon gun and the mask for himself. While the gun doesn’t return after this entry, the mask stays forever.

Jason’s hockey mask has become such an accepted part of horror lore that nobody really questions its origins. When watching Part III with fresh eyes, however, one has to wonder: why wear a hockey mask in the water? The answer involves the Detroit Red Wings.

A Different Type of Dead Thing

In 1926, the National Hockey League was looking to expand further into the United States and sought applications from teams in Detroit and Chicago. In addition to the Chicago Black Hawks (now Blackhawks), the NHL accepted the Detroit Cougars, in honor of the recently-folded Victoria Cougars. The Cougars struggled in its first few years, so badly that they changed the name to the Falcons in 1930 in hopes that the rechristening would inspire the players. When that didn’t work, new owner James E. Norris called the team the Red Wings, and gave them a distinctive logo that honored their Motor City roots. Even better, Norris hired legendary coach Jack Adams, who turned around the team’s fortunes.

In 1936, the Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup, and would win seven more over the next few decades. Their teams would include some of the greatest names in sports, including Ted Lindsay, Alex Delvecchio, and, of course, Gordie Howe. The highlights of those years were enough to make the Wings favorites, even when the team returned to their losing ways.

That was certainly the case in 1980, the year that Jason Vorhees first hit our screens. Starting in 1967, the Wings entered a 20-year slump, a period marked by poor general manager decisions and dissension among the players. Combined with the recession that hit the blue-collar city, Detroit stopped caring about their hockey team. Owners tried to lure fans to the Detroit Olympia and, later, Joe Lewis Arena with new car giveaways, but fans dismissed the product on ice as the Detroit Dead Things.

Yet, as bleak as things were, the team still had its fans. In fact, three of them were working on Friday the 13th Part III, including Martin Sadoff, the man responsible for the film’s 3D effects. According to Crystal Lake Memories, when director Steve Miner noted that the script by Martin Kitrosser and Carol Watson called for Jason to don another mask, Sadoff ran to his vehicle and grabbed the replica Terry Sawchuk mask he had and the rest is movie history.

Winging it With Jason

Well, almost. Miner liked the hockey mask idea, but found the original one fit too small on the head of Jason actor Richard Brooker. Makeup effects director Doug White created a larger mask based on the original, which he decorated by using a drill to make a hole design. But the original Red Wings elements remained in the form of two crimson triangles painted onto the mask.

Over the years, Jason’s hockey mask has been altered and reimagined. It acquired a giant gash from a machete sunk into Jason’s head at the end of The Final Chapter, and Jason X turned it into a metallic faceplate. But fans and filmmakers alike keep coming back to that original mask from 1983.

1983 turned out to be a big year for the Red Wings too. That was the year that then GM Jim Devellano drafted a rookie from British Columbia named Steve Yzerman. In 1986, Yzerman would be named the Wings captain, thanks to his scoring touch. But Yzerman’s real impact came when legendary coach Scotty Bowman joined the team, and instituted a system that required Yzerman to be more of a playmaker than a scorer. Instead of balking, Yzerman took on the new role and captained a team that included Russian superstars Sergei Fedorov and Vladimir Konstantinov.

Under Yzerman’s leadership, the Wings became one of the most dominant teams of the 1990s and 2000s, winning three Stanley Cups during that period. Today, the Wings are (hopefully) coming out of another Detroit Dead Things slump and are on their way to their first playoff appearance in a decade. And who is leading their return to the postseason? Why, it’s their General Manager, Steve Yzerman.

Things haven’t been as good for Jason, as legal squabbles have stalled the franchise at twelve movies. But if the upcoming A24 prequel series Crystal Lake can revive interest in Friday the 13th, then maybe Jason can join his favorite hockey team in a return to prominence.

The Gilded Age Will Have More of Its Best Character in Season 4

Unlike its older English sister Downton Abbey, The Gilded Age casts a more skeptical eye upon its upper-crust protagonists. The central family, led by George and Bertha Russell (Morgan Spector and Carrie Coon) are unapologetic robber barons who find it more challenging than expected to buy their way into the high society of 1880s New York City. Yet, creator Julian Fellowes still has affection for the humanity of his characters and finds space for some delightful people even among the upper crust, none more so than Mrs. Mamie Fish, played by Ashlie Atkinson.

For those who love Mrs. Fish’s gleeful mess-making, season 4 of The Gilded Age will be the best yet. That’s because Atkinson has been bumped up from a recurring cast member to regular, alongside Jordan Donica, who plays Dr. William Kirkland, the love interest to Peggy Scott (Denée Benton). The promotion for Atkinson means that we’re sure to see more of Mrs. Fish giggling at all of the rich person foolishness, much to our delight.

And there is certain to be plenty of rich person foolishness in The Gilded Age‘s fourth season. Season 3 ended with George reaping what he sowed when a clerk shot him, only to be saved by the fast action by Dr. Kirkland. The incident did nothing to diminish his anger at his wife’s manipulations, particularly as they involved son Larry (Harry Richardson) and daughter Gladys (Taissa Farmiga), and he ended the season by telling Bertha that he wants to separate from her. Given the way the social stigma against divorce played throughout the previous episodes, George’s reprimand hits Bertha particularly hard.

Conversely, Kirkland’s ability to save George plays into his proposal of marriage to Peggy, a proposal that came against the wishes of his snobby mother (Phylicia Rashad). At the same time, the season saw the closeted Oscar van Rhijn (Blake Ritson) enter into a sham marriage with the widowed schemer Mrs. Winterton (Kelley Curran).

All these couplings and decouplings make for good soapy watching, and no one enjoys them more than Mrs. Fish—which is accurate to real American history. Marion Graves Anthon Fish lived in New York between 1853 and her death in 1915, a socialite who described herself as a “fun-maker.” The real Mamie Fish hosted grand parties for both new money and old, and, like her television counterpart, spiked her conversations with sharp observations.

As if the big events in the season 3 finale didn’t give Mrs. Fish enough to talk about, season 4 will also see several supporting characters enter the story. Most notable among them are the infamous John D. Rockefeller, portrayed by Neal Huff, and a trouble-making member of the Astor family named Fiona Summers, played by Maggie Kuntz. Television great Dennis Haysbert will also be joining the cast as a mentor to Dr. Kirkland.

Obviously, there will be lots to talk about in The Gilded Age season 4. And if the previous seasons are any indication, there will be lots of horrible behavior among the rich and powerful. But as long as Mrs. Fish is there with her barbed commentary, we can at least laugh as we gasp at them.

The Gilded Age seasons 1 through 3 are streaming on HBO Max.

James Van Der Beek Was At His Best Playing Himself…and That’s No Small Task

Teen drama Dawson’s Creek was a cultural phenomenon. The series became so ubiquitous in the early aughts that even people who didn’t watch it managed to absorb many of its key characters and plot twists through a kind of social osmosis. A show that took the teen experience seriously, Dawson’s was always unselfconscious in its earnestness, depicting all the heightened drama, heartbreak, and triumph of this stage of life with its heart on its sleeve. And nowhere was that more apparent than in its titular lead, aspiring filmmaker and avid cinephile Dawson Leery, played by James Van Der Beek, whose warmth and sincerity made the character something much more complicated and interesting than he probably had any right to be.

Van Der Beek passed away this week at the age of 48 from colorectal cancer — consider this a heartfelt exhortation to please get regular screenings, folks — a tragedy that leaves behind a devoted wife, six children, and a generation of TV fans for whom his Dawson was a formative figure. But while he will undoubtedly be remembered primarily for his time on the Creek — every person who has been any degree of “online” in the past two decades almost certainly has a copy of the infamous “Dawson crying” GIF favorited in some form or other — Van Der Beek’s career was much weirder and more fun than most likely realized. Dawson Leery may have made him famous, but it wasn’t the role that ultimately defined him as a performer.

Part of this may well have been because, despite his status as the series’ titular lead, Van Der Beek was more aware than most of the lightning-in-a-bottle chemistry between his Dawson’s Creek costars Joshua Jackson and Katie Holmes, the kind of unexpected TV gold that upends almost every prewritten plan a showrunner might possess. The love triangle between the three became the stuff of television legend, and Pacey and Joey’s relationship slowly evolved into the narrative and romantic focus of the show.

Dawson, for his part, was largely relegated to B plots involving his various artistic endeavors, abbreviated/aborted attempts at romance with people who weren’t Joey, occasional attempts to reunite with Joey, and the long tail impact of his father’s death (insert crying face GIF here). Van Der Beek handled his (obvious and occasionally uncomfortable) demotion with grace — never missing a beat and consistently embodying the same warm earnestness and white knight attitude that were so central to who the character of Dawson was.

In fact, Van Der Beek was so good at playing Dawson — honestly, at being Dawson to the legion of fans who tuned in each week — that it took him several years following the show’s conclusion to break out of the box the Creek had basically trapped him in. Yet, despite his lifelong association with the role of Dawson and with teen drama in general, Van Der Beek never punched down at the genre that gave him his start. In fact, his most impressive performances often stemmed from his willingness to not only embrace his own past but to gleefully wink and nod at the audience who knew him way back when, bringing them along for the ride as he pokes fun at his own fame. Van Der Beek’s greatest role, it ultimately turned out, was playing himself.

This happened several times over the course of his career, from a Scary Movie cameo in which he climbed through a window, Dawson Leery-style, to an appearance as a slightly goofier version of himself in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. But it is the wildly underrated (and tragically named) ABC comedy Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23 that showed us the best of what Van Der Beek was capable of — and how far he was willing to go to let everyone in on the joke. From future Fresh Off the Boat creator Nahnatchka Khan, the series ran for two seasons from 2012 to 2014 and was so much more fun than its name implied. It followed the story of a stereotypical Indiana girl (Dreama Walker) who moves to the big city and becomes roommates with Chloe (Krysten Ritter), the infamous “B” of the series title.

Van Der Beek played Chloe’s best friend James, an exaggerated take on himself that pretty much riffed on every known Hollywood stereotype and joyfully deconstructed his public persona in hilariously fun ways. From his love-hate relationship with his Dawson’s history — he deploys his character’s signature flannel shirt to seduce a woman in the series’ pilot — to his idiosyncratic personal ticks, this James is self-centered, out of touch, insecure, and painfully candid by turns. Desperate to reclaim his lost relevance, he tries out multiple secondary career paths, from a line of personally branded Beek Jeans (“Put your cheeks in a Beek!”) to a stint on Dancing with the Stars (a move that Van Der Beek himself would mirror in real life a few years later). He’s chaotic and unhinged, taking a role that should have been a one-note joke and turning it into a real, complex character who was a perfect match for Ritter’s manic energy.

Playing yourself onscreen once is challenging enough, but Van Der Beek managed to turn it into something of a second career. Sure, he acted in many other projects over the years — the beloved quarterback of Varsity Blues, a serial killer on Criminal Minds, a scumbag Trump employee on Pose — but the part he inevitably seemed to circle back to was himself. And there’s some glorious honesty in that. Van Der Beek was willing to laugh at himself before the ability to be glib and self-referential was a required aspect of celebrity, and his transition from Tiger Beat-style heartthrob to relatable dude willing to embrace his most cringe traits (the crying GIF, again!) took no small amount of bravery. It’s also deeply humanizing and strangely honest in a way we are rarely allowed to see from anyone in this industry. Van Der Beek was so special precisely because he was so willing to acknowledge his own privilege and flaws.

Many performers have love-hate relationships with the roles that made them famous. Van Der Beek always understood what he owed to Dawson Leery — and what made his most famous role so beloved. His mockery was always tinged with affection, with respect, and with a deep certainty that we were all in on the joke together. He was a man ahead of his time, and it’s a real loss that we won’t get to see where his career would have taken him next.

KPop Demon Hunters Producers Want a Spider-Verse Style Expansion in Sequel

Perhaps even more than its excellent voice acting or its double platinum soundtrack, KPop Demon Hunters is special because of its animation. Distributed by Netflix by produced by Sony Animation, KPop Demon Hunters uses the same engine as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, giving it a dynamism that matches its high mythology story and its spectacular musical numbers.

As they start devising a sequel to KPop Demon Hunters, producers hope to follow Spider-Verse in a different way. According to Sony Animation heads Kristine Belson and Damien de Froberville, they want to expand the world in the same way that Beyond the Spider-Verse went even bigger than its predecessor. “It’s just like Spider-Verse,” de Froberville said of KPop Demon Hunters to Hollywood Reporter. “The world is so rich — the world of the demons and the pop star [element], what happened to Jinu. There’s so much we could expand into.”

That expansive approach is the exact opposite of what directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans did with KPop Demon Hunters. Working from a screenplay they co-wrote with Danya Jimenez and Hannah McMechan, Kang and Appelhans focus narrowly on not just the vocal trio Huntrix, but specifically lead singer Rumi (Arden Cho). Raised after her mother’s death by the hunter Celine (Yunjin Kim), Rumi has been taught that all demons deserve death, a belief shared by her bandmates Mira (May Hong) and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo). However, Rumi herself is a half demon, a secret that becomes harder to hide as they approach the Golden Honmoon, the moment that could allow humans to banish all demons forever.

That narrow focus on Rumi’s struggle and her attraction to Jinu, the former human turned demon who leads competing group the Soja Boys, allows viewers to stay engaged with the story without being overwhelmed by its world-building.

But de Froberville is right: there’s a lot to unpack in the world of KPop Demon Hunters. Most obvious is the tradition of demon hunting and the demon’s ruler Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun). The movie gives just enough backstory to Gwi-Ma and the demons to make Rumi and Jinu complex characters, but we don’t really know much about how demons came to be so hated. And then there’s the issue of Rumi’s parents and Celine, as the film only gestures toward their story or the history of hunters.

Beyond just the potential for storytelling, Belson and de Froberville can also look at the success of Across the Spider-Verse for inspiration. That movie left fans not only wanting more of protagonist Miles Morales, but also more of the new characters it introduced, especially Hobie Brown a.k.a. Spider-Punk.

Of course, that leads to a problem that Belson and de Froberville will have to face, the same one plaguing Spider-Verse. It takes a long, long time to make these animated movies, and fans get impatient. When Hollywood Reporter observed that even 2029 seemed too early for a sequel, Belson agreed. However, she did assure fans that directors Kang and Appelhans will get right to work on it… as soon as the Oscar campaign is done. “There’s been a lot to tend to in terms of the award campaign,” Belson admitted.

Which is another way that KPop Demon Hunters follows the critically-adored Spider-Verse movies. And if awards hype is what needs to happen to get a sequel, for both Kpop Demon Hunters and Spider-Verse, then it’s all worth it.

KPop Demon Hunters is now streaming on Netflix.

Mix-and-Match Godziburst Godzilla Figures to Debut at New York Toy Fair

Godzilla, the King of the Monsters, is getting a very interesting new line of collectible figures. Set to debut at New York Toy Fair 2026, the “Godziburst” figures from Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles feature interchangeable parts to mix-and-match and QR codes that lead to a series of short-form animated episodes.

Gigan, MechaGodzilla, and Space Godzilla are among the kaiju joining the classic Godzilla, all redesigned with vibrant color schemes that give them a stylish edge while retaining their classic looks. Godziburst also includes various accessories like a more pronounced dorsal fin and shoulder-mounted cannons. But as cool as it is to see Godzilla armed and ready for battle, the novel twist is that these figures’ accessories are also interchangeable, with owners able to swap out parts across models. This allows for scores of possible customization combinations for fans to create their own iterations of the King of the Monsters.

“New York Toy Fair is the perfect stage to introduce Godziburst, as toy lovers come together to see what the year has in store for play and imagination” says Tomoaki Ishikawa, Bandai Namco Senior Vice President, Brand Toy Department in a written statement. “Godziburst is designed to spark creativity, giving fans the freedom to reimagine, customize, and transform the Godzilla universe in ways that feel personal and uniquely their own.”

The Godziburst figures stand in 3.5” scale and come with five to seven points of articulation, depending on the figure. One of the particularly interesting features with the Godziburst line, beyond the interchangeability between individual figures, is a QR code that leads to a series of short-form animated narratives.

Per Bandai, scanning the QR codes takes fans to the toy line’s official website, with each code unlocking an original three- to four-minute episode starring Godzilla. Collecting all figures in the set unlocks the multi-installment animated series in full, not only continuing the celebration of the world’s most iconic kaiju but presenting a new way to see them in action.

The more Godziburst figures that fans collect, the more expansive this colorful world becomes, from gaining more interchangeable customization options to unlocking more animated episodes. Both the episodes and the figures honor the franchise’s extensive history, from its classic Shōwa era to its more modern iterations of the long-running kaiju film series. Even for those not expertly knowledgeable on the franchise’s lore, the episodes and figures should have their own strong appeal.

Pre-orders for the Godziburst figures begin on Amazon for $9.99 on April 13, 2026, and they will be available on shelves at Target on July 19, 2026. Expect more information about this line to be unveiled at New York Toy Fair 2026 from February 14-17 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.

The 20 Weirdest Comic Book Couples of All Time

As a genre about people in colorful tights with incredible powers, superhero comics embrace weirdness wherever they can. However, cape and cowl stories tend to get more absurd the more they deal with the banal. In other words, superhero romances boggle the imagination.

What happens when people with perfect bodies and nearly unlimited power get together? Much, much more than you’d expect, especially when you throw in shape-shifting, time travel, and so many clones. Yet, even by those standards, these 20 relationships make for love at the most extreme.

Batman and Batgirl

This one’s less weird and more just gross. Batgirl is, of course, Barbara Gordon, the college-aged daughter of Commissioner James Gordon. Further, Barbara took the Batgirl identity without Bruce Wayne’s knowledge or approval, so she doesn’t have the same fatherly connection to him as do any of the Robins. Still, Batman cannot help but have some sort of father role to Batgirl, which makes their pairing (mostly in stories by Batman: The Animated Series‘s Bruce Timm) feel deeply uncomfortable. Fortunately, they are all non-canon… so far.

Captain Marvel and Stargirl

At first glance, the brief flirtation between Justice Society members Captain Marvel (today known as either Shazam or the Captain) and Stargirl just feels like one more uncomfortable age gap. At least, that’s what fellow JSAers Green Lantern and Flash thought when they saw the grown man Captain Marvel hanging around young teen Stargirl. Stargirl, however, knew the truth, that Captain Marvel was, in fact, a boy her age named Billy Batson, who turned into a powerful grown-up when he said the word “Shazam!” Recognizing the poor optics of the situation, but deeming it unwise to reveal his identity, Captain Marvel broke off the relationship and left the team.

Doctor Doom and Sue Storm

As we look forward to Avengers: Doomsday, quite a bit of hype has built up around Doctor Doom. And with good reason. Not only is Doom perhaps the greatest villain in all fiction, he’s become a god and conquered the world on numerous occasions. But that doesn’t mean that Doom avoids looking pathetic, which is exactly what happened during the 2015 Secret Wars crossover. Having gained the ability to rewrite reality, Doom creates a world in which he is the God Emperor and in which his nemesis Reed Richards does not exist. Further, Doom takes Sue as his wife and Reed’s children Franklin and Valeria as his own, which ends up looking less like a power move and more like an admission that Richards is the better man—an admission he had to explicitly make when Reed returns to reclaim his wife and family.

Doctor Octopus and Aunt May

Late in life, Aunt May marries Jay Jameson, father of cantankerous editor J. Jonah Jameson. It isn’t the first time May’s love life made Peter family to someone who hated him. Way back in 1974’s Amazing Spider-Man #131, May almost married Doctor Octopus. By the end of the issue, Spidey learned that Doc Ock only pursued May because the marriage could allow him to control a nuclear facility she inherited via a family member’s death. Yet, despite the obvious supervillain plot, the story has grown strangely sweet over time. As both Otto and May have become more three-dimensional, their near-wedding feels less like an evil mastermind’s plan and more of a missed connection.

Deathstroke the Terminator and Terra

Time to get icky again. The Teen Titans began as a team consisting of all the superhero sidekicks: Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Speedy, and Wonder Girl. In the 1980s, the book was retitled The New Teen Titans and started embracing more soapy, complicated storylines. None were more soapy or more beloved than The Judas Contract by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller George Pérez, in which Deathstroke the Terminator sent a teen hero called Terra to infiltrate and undermine the Titans. We can accept that type of behavior in our supervillains, but we cannot excuse the fact that Deathstroke, a man in his mid-to-late 40s, was sleeping with the teenage Terra. It’s an unforgivable (and unnecessary) black mark on what could have been one of the great storylines of the ’80s.

Green Goblin and Gwen Stacy

Peter Parker always has bad luck, so it wasn’t too shocking when the 2004 storyline Sins Past revealed that Spidey’s late love Gwen Stacy gave birth to two children, children who now had superpowers and blamed him for their mother’s death. It was shocking, however, to learn that the kids’ father was none other than Norman Osborn, who had apparently seduced his son’s high school pal way back when. Making matters worse was artist Mike Deodato Jr.’s decision to draw Norman exactly like actor Tommy Lee Jones. Fortunately, this story has been completely retconned as a matter of clones and illusions, but the image of Tommy Lee Osborn nuzzling up to Gwen will never, ever go away.

Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and Arisia

Yes, we’ve got to talk about Arisia. On the surface, Arisia is a standard-issue hot alien lady who joins the Green Lantern Corps and starts dating Hal Jordan, its most famous member. However, when Hal first met Arisia in 1981’s Tale of the Green Lantern Corps #1, she was just 13, and Hal kept calling her “little sister.” When Arisia developed a crush on Hal, she used her power ring to age herself up, which certainly caught his attention. Hal accepted her explanation that her people age quickly (what Star Trek: Voyager fans call “the Neelix defense”), but then writer Steve Englehart and artist Joe Staton kept having other Green Lanterns call out how weird it is that he’s dating someone who was a young teen just a week ago.

Harley Quinn and the Joker

Harley Quinn has been a fan favorite since she debuted in a 1992 episode of Batman: The Animated Series. Even after jumping to comics, Harley became a mainstay in movies, video games, and TV shows. However, she couldn’t escape her origin as a smart woman who allows herself to be so abused by her boyfriend the Joker that she destroys all of her identity to mirror his. Fortunately, entries such as Birds of Prey, or the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn and the Harley Quinn animated series have moved her into a much better relationship with fellow reformed villain Poison Ivy.

The Human Torch and “Alicia Masters”

The Fantastic Four are a family. And sometimes, things get strange inside families, especially super-families. Case in point: Johnny Storm’s marriage to Alicia Masters, the girlfriend of Ben “The Thing” Grimm. Alicia had always been Ben’s love interest, but when Ben decided to stay in an alternate reality, she turned her attention to Johnny. And Johnny, never one to turn down a date, reciprocated. Despite the very reasonable feeling that he was betraying his pal, Johnny married Alicia—and the two stayed married until “Alicia” revealed herself to be a shape-shifting Skrull called Lyja, sent to infiltrate the team.

Troubling as the whole debacle was, family can forgive a lot, and so all is well with the Fantastic Four. Ben and Alicia have long since married and are raising a pair of adopted kids. Lyja died, resurrected, and reformed. And Johnny… well, Johnny recently slept with Doctor Doom’s fiancée the night before their wedding, so Johnny’s still Johnny.

Iron Man and the White Queen

When Iron Man and the White Queen Emma Frost began dating in 2022, the coupling shocked everyone. After all, this was during the Krakoa era, when Emma and other mutants were living on their own sovereign island nation, and after the X-Men and Avengers have had a few fights. But the pairing soon made sense, as both Tony Stark and Emma were incredibly rich jet-setters who traveled in the same circles. Even knowing that their marriage was one of convenience to thwart the anti-mutant group Orchis, its hard to hate the couple, and Marvel is even currently publishing Iron & Frost, an alternate future tale in which Emma becomes the new Iron Man to honor her love, Tony.

Kitty Pryde and Colossus

Relationships in X-Men are always tricky, and not just for the usual superpowered reasons. Throughout his legendary 17-year run on the series, writer Chris Claremont was unable to make any of his characters explicitly queer, which resulted in a lot of symbolic and inferred pairings between, say, Mystique and Destiny or Storm and Callisto.

However, it’s one of his most steady pairings that stands out as the strangest today. Shortly after the 13-year-old Kitty Pryde joins the team in 1980, she catches the eye of teammate Colossus, who is 18. The age difference rarely gets mentioned in those original issues, but it’s hard to ignore now, even as writers keep putting them together. Hopefully, now that Kitty has left Colossus at the altar and now that she’s canonically bisexual, fans are hoping she’ll find a partner that’s more suitable, in every sense of the word.

Ms. Marvel and Marcus Immortus

To this day, Avengers #200 (1980) stands as one of the most ignoble, ugly comic book stories of all time. The storyline sees Carol Danvers, who was going by the name Ms. Marvel at the time, find herself pregnant and suddenly giving birth to a child called Marcus. She later learns that Marcus is in fact, Marcus Immortus, a time-traveling variant of Kang the Conqueror, whom impregnanted Carol with himself. Worse, Carol professes her love for Marcus and runs off with him, while Cap and the other Avengers let her go. Fortunately, a follow-up story not only revealed that Marcus used mind control on Carol, but also gave Carol the chance to chew out her heroic colleagues for not coming to her aid when something was clearly wrong.

Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch

“But wait,” you ask, “Aren’t they…?” Yes. Yes, they are. Ever since they first appeared as members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, siblings Pietro and Wanda Maximoff a.k.a. Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch have had a close relationship. Usually, that’s explained as a certain protectiveness the brother has for his sister, stemming from their rough childhood—a childhood that only gets rougher as Marvel keeps changing its mind about who sired the duo.

But in the oh-so-edgy alternate-reality Marvel series The Ultimates, Pietro and Wanda were really, really close. To be fair, the relationship is only hinted at, and even Wolverine‘s “eyewitness” account of the two together has enough plausible deniability for those who want it. But that’s not enough to keep us all from getting very uncomfortable.

Saturn Girl and “Lightning Lad”

The success of superhero deconstructions like Watchmen and The Dark Knight Rises gave everyone permission to get a little nuts with cape and cowl books, none more so than the Five Years Later run of Legion of Super-Heroes comics that published between 1989 and 1994, spearheaded by Keith Giffen, Tom and Mary Bierbaum, and Al Gordon. Among the oddities in the series was a retcon to a Silver Age story in which Proty, a shape-shifting glob of goo, sacrificed himself to resurrect the fallen Legionaire Lightning Lad. During the Five Years Later run, after Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl had long since married and had children, we learn that Proty’s actions did not bring back the hero. Instead, Proty simply took the form of Lightning Lad and has been living with him ever since. The story even hints that Saturn Girl, a powerful telepath, knows the truth about her husband and is fine with it.

Supergirl and Comet

Okay, it is weird that Supergirl once fell in love with her horse Comet. But in the context of the relationship we just described and the one we’re about to discuss, the Supergirl and Comet pairing is downright adorable, if anachronistic. In Action Comics #293 (1962), Supergirl learns that her super-horse Comet is in fact a centaur from the future named Biron, who had been cursed to be a real horse and was launched into space, where he remained until Supergirl’s rocket from Krypton set him free. As Comet, Biron loves Supergirl. And when a wizard turns Biron into a man, Supergirl falls for him. However, after Supergirl loses all memory of him, Biron decides that it’s better for her to live without knowing him, which somehow overpowers all the potential ickiness of the story and makes it one of the genuinely romantic entries on this list.

Superman and Lois Lane (Silver Age)

Superman and Lois are easily the best couple in comics. Except for that time in the 1950s. And for a lot of the ’60s. Heck, the ’80s weren’t always great… Look, for whatever reason, DC Comics decided that most stories about Superman’s supporting cast would involve pranks, especially Lois Lane stories. Way too many issues of Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane were about Lois trying to force Superman to marry her, only for Supes to reveal that he knew all along and has been messing with her. Which means that comics’ greatest couple spent nearly 25 years acting like they’re in Phantom Thread, toxic playfulness on a super-level.

Superman and Wonder Woman

Despite what I said above, Superman should always be with Lois Lane. And yet, for some reason, DC Comics keeps floating the idea that Superman would find true love in the arms of his Amazonian pal Wonder Woman. To be fair, this pairing most often takes place in alternate future stories like Kingdom Come or The Dark Knight Strikes Again, in which Lois has died. But DC did briefly make the pairing canon with its New 52 reboot from the 2010s. Thankfully, that reality has been swept away and Superman’s back with his loving Lois.

Wonder Girl and Terry Long

Even for a superhero, Donna Troy a.k.a. Wonder Girl has a convoluted background. However, one of the most baffling things bout her remains her marriage to Terry Long. It’s not just that the bearded history professor was 10 years older than the teenage Donna when they first met, nor that he bore a strong resemblance to his creator, writer Marv Wolfman. It’s that Terry was the ultimate wet blanket, constantly whining about Wonder Girl doing Wonder Girl things.

X-Man and Madelyne Pryor

Everything about Madelyne Pryor is weird. A redhead who met Cyclops right after the death of his beloved Jean Grey, Maddie was later revealed to be a clone of Jean, and later she became the demonic Goblin Queen after Cyke dumped her for the resurrected Jean.

However, Maddie got really strange when she embarked on a romance with Nate Grey, the alternate reality hero called X-Man. Why? Because Nate is the son of Jean Grey, the woman from whom Maddie was cloned. Sure, there’s a whole reality and cloning to separate Maddie from Nate’s mom. But is that enough?

Yellowjacket and the Wasp

When MCU fans hear the name “Hank Pym,” they think of a likable, if somewhat confused, old guy and supergenius in the Ant-Man movies. When Marvel fans hear the name “Hank Pym,” they think of a very unstable man who beats his wife. The panel where Hank Pym slaps his wife Janet Van Dyne in 1981’s Avengers #213 has become legendary. But less is said about Hanks previous breakdown, when he took on the identity of Yellowjacket in 1968’s Avengers #59. Claiming to be a new person who murdered the untrustworthy Pym, Yellowjacket demands acceptance from the Avengers and marriage to Janet… and Janet accepts. Later, Janet explains that she recognized that Yellowjacket was Hank and just wanted to help him heal, which just sounds like the writers trying to justify a horrible relationship.

10 Times De-Aging Graced Our Screens, For Better or for Worse

Digital de-aging has become a common tool in modern filmmaking. Studios use visual effects to make actors appear decades younger, whether for flashbacks, sequels, or full-length performances set in the past. The results vary. In some cases, the technology blends seamlessly with live action footage. In others, audiences notice stiffness, lighting inconsistencies, or uncanny facial movement. As visual effects budgets grow and software improves, de-aging has shifted from novelty to standard practice in major franchises. Here are 10 notable examples where filmmakers used the technique, with mixed reactions from viewers and critics.

The Irishman

Digital de-aging allowed decades to be shown on a single actor. The effect worked very well, staying mostly natural, though some facial movements look slightly off.

Gemini Man

Will Smith played both his current and younger self. The effect was visually impressive, but some critics found facial expressions slightly unnatural.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Brad Pitt ages backward across the film. The de-aging was effective and contributed meaningfully to the story.

Tron: Legacy

Jeff Bridges appeared as a younger version of his character in certain sequences, blending CGI with performance capture, and the result was effective for action sequences.

Ant-Man

Flashback scenes used subtle de-aging to show younger versions of supporting characters without breaking visual continuity. The effect was barely noticeable, which worked in its favor.

Black Widow

David Harbour was digitally de-aged in flashback scenes alongside Florence Pugh, maintaining continuity without distracting from the story.

Captain America: Civil War

Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes was de-aged in flashbacks to depict events during World War II. The effect was subtle and visually coherent.

Captain Marvel

Samuel L. Jackson was de-aged to play a younger version of Nick Fury, maintaining continuity with the character’s earlier backstory in the MCU. The result looked natural and consistent.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2

Kurt Russell appeared de-aged briefly in a flashback scene to portray a younger Ego. The effect was limited but effective for storytelling.

Star Wars: Rogue One

Peter Cushing, who had passed away decades earlier, was digitally recreated to reprise his role as Grand Moff Tarkin.

The Apple TV Shows and Films We’re The Most Excited For in 2026

As 2026 begins, Apple TV is kicking off the year with a lineup of film and TV projects loaded with star power, respected creators, and bold conceits. At a recent press event in Santa Monica, California, Den of Geek got to learn about an array of upcoming films and series that span from intense thrillers to irreverent comedies.

The star-studded all-day affair offered a glimpse of the streamer’s ambitions. This includes acclaimed actors like Amy Adams, Javier Bardem, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Jake Johnson leading big projects; innovative showrunners and directors like Nick Antosca, Jonathan Tropper, and David Gordon Green shaping narratives around their unique voices; and both original and reimagined stories ranging from a TV series adaptation of Cape Fear to an original sports comedy about pickleball.

Here is everything we learned about The House That Ted Lasso Built’s incoming slate.

Cape Fear

Decades after Martin Scorsese’s 1991 film Cape Fear rattled audiences with Robert De Niro’s unforgettable portrayal of Max Cady, the story returns in a 10-episode Apple TV limited series. Executive producer and showrunner Nick Antosca (Brand New Cherry Flavor), working alongside Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, is not interested in simply creating another remake of the story. This time, Cape Fear will be reimagined and generously expanded upon, making the nightmare last longer and dig even deeper into the family drama.

Leigh and Sam Bowden played by Jessica Lange and Nick Nolte in 1991, have been renamed Anna and Tom Bowden for the upcoming series, with Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson stepping into the reimagined roles. Both characters are lawyers who carry secret burdens. At the panel, Adams, who also serves as an executive producer beside Wilson, described the series as capturing the same “fever-dream-energy” of the original, while opening the door for more nuance in the family drama.

And how could we forget about Javier Bardem? Bardem will be following in the footsteps of De Niro and Robert Mitchum (who played Max Cady in the 1962 Cape Fear), while adding new dimensions and levels of vulnerability to the legendary villain. Adams also teased that the new series will feature many “revelations” and “secrets” surrounding the characters that will resonate deeply with viewers. This is one family meltdown you won’t want to miss.

Cape Fear will premiere on Apple TV on Friday, June 5, 2026.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles

What will likely be one of the most audacious and heartwarming new shows of the year, Margo’s Got Money Troubles is already shaping up to be another hallmark series in Apple TV’s catalog. Based on Rufi Thorpe’s novel and adapted by TV titan David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies, Boston Legal), the series follows Margo, a young woman thrown into early motherhood with little support. As Thorpe explained at the panel, “Margo is the hero of her own story,” and viewers will get to watch her plummet into unexpected challenges with humor and grit, all while holding on to her dreams of becoming a writer.

The series, which is co-produced by A24, features a stacked cast that is nothing short of a dream team. Elle Fanning, who will play Margo during this chaotic stage of her life, was actually the only actress Kelley kept going back to when thinking of who to cast for the role. Michelle Pfeiffer and Nick Offerman will play Margo’s parents, while Thaddea Graham will portray her cosplay-obsessed roommate. At the panel, Graham spoke about being excited to sign onto the series because it celebrates the desire to belong and humanizes even the most eccentric of characters in the novel.

A defining theme throughout the panel was the tonal range the team says the series will capture. As Offerman noted, the show swings between slapstick comedy and life-and-death tension, which is a reflection of the unpredictability of real life. The show also promises to lean into raw portrayals of post-partum life, leaky nipples and all. With Kelley’s signature storytelling, a wildly talented cast, and Thorpe’s sharp humor, viewers would be remiss not to tune in.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles will premiere on Apple TV on April 15, 2026.

Imperfect Women

If you thought female friendships on TV were all brunches and pep talks, think again. The upcoming series by Annie Weisman, Imperfect Women, promises to flip the script and explore female friendships in a raw and unfiltered way. The series, which is adapted from a novel of the same name by Araminta Hall, is anchored by its powerhouse central cast: Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington, and Kate Mara, who will play Mary, Eleanor, and Nancy. The story kicks off when Nancy mysteriously vanishes, prompting her friends and family to search for the truth behind her disappearance. As secrets unravel, the women are forced to confront the complex dynamics that have shaped their friendship for over two decades.

Just like their characters had to navigate female friendship, the three actresses also had to establish rapport while working and filming together. At the panel, Washington says the cast had instant chemistry. Moss added that the three got so close that it was almost impossible to get anything done because they kept laughing while trying to film sad scenes. Their chemistry was able to shine on screen, making the relationships between characters appear more lived-in, which Washington said was important because audiences need to believe these women have been friends for over 20 years.

The supporting cast also promises to deliver just as much depth. Moss praised Joel Kinnaman, Corey Stoll, and Leslie Odom Jr. as Robert, Howard, and Donovan for bringing the same interesting, multidimensional character studies that the women do in the show. With friendships tested by secrets and betrayal, Imperfect Women turns the microscope on relationships between women from different characters’ perspectives in all its messy and compelling glory.

Imperfect Women will premiere on Apple TV on March 18, 2026.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

One word the cast of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters frequently uses to describe season 2 is “specific.” At the panel, the cast promised audiences an even deeper dive into the world where the colossal threat of monsters are closely tied to family and legacy. The 10 hours of content in this television format will allow the show to expand upon its character-driven storytelling, alongside grand monster battles and a lot of family drama. Season 2 also introduces a brand new Titan X and uncovers even more secrets of the Randa family.

Kurt and Wyatt Russell shared how playing the same character across generations both challenged and inspired them. Playing Lee Shaw at different points in his life pushed Kurt to think about continuity and growth while maintaining the character’s sense of identity. Anna Sawai also teased her character Cate’s evolution in season 2: “We really see her walk over that line and decide to not just uncover the secrets, but create this legacy.” Kiersey Clemons spoke about the increasingly intense stakes for May as she tries to survive and save the world. Anders Holm also had to balance dramatic moments against the backdrop of a gigantic monster action while playing Bill.

The panel highlighted that while Monarch: Legacy of Monsters continues to deliver massive monster battles, season 2 dives even deeper into the human side of the story. Actors described how their characters’ choices and relationships drive much of the story’s tension, making it clear that in season 2, humans and monsters alike leave their mark.

Monarch: Legacy of Monster will premiere on Apple TV on Friday, February 27, 2026.

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed

Blackmail, murder, motherhood, youth soccer… and cam boys? David J. Rosen’s upcoming dark comedy, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, will deliver suspense and humor you didn’t know you needed in 2026. Tatiana Maslany plays Paula, a mother trying to piece her life back together while dealing with custody battles, a messy divorce, and the everyday challenges of parenting. Jake Johnson brings his signature charm and wit as Paula’s ex husband, while Brandon Flynn put in the work researching the hustle it takes to be a cam boy for his role. Jessy Hodges’ character Mallory knows how to get exactly what she wants and goes for it unapologetically.

Though it’s fun to get tied up in the cam world and sexual aspect of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Rosen told the audience what the story really centers on is motherhood, specifically overwhelmed motherhood; as Rosen wanted to develop the “the most stressed out character who has the most things going on,” and he thought a lot about moms while doing so.

Rosen also described the thriller as “grounded” and “paranoid,” with moments of comedy but always action-forward, which was a tone shaped alongside the series’ director David Gordon Green. The panel also revealed just how fluid and joyous filming was. Maslany recalls a late night shoot in Long Island where she had a fun time working with cast and production, marveling at everyone’s talent and dedication to the series. Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed is sure to be an unpredictable and messy ride you won’t be able to look away from.

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed will premiere on Apple TV on May 20, 2026.

Matchbox: The Movie

Remember when Barbie hit theaters and Mattel announced it would adapt more of its catalog into live-action films? While so many of those projects are still long in development limbo, fans finally have something concrete to get excited about: Matchbox: The Movie. Produced by Mattel in collaboration with Apple TV, the film now officially has a release date, giving the toy’s fanbase a miniature-sized thrill to look forward to.

The starstudded cast of the movie, John Cena, Jessica Biel, Sam Richardson, Teyonah Parris, and Arturo Castro, spoke about the family-oriented film at the panel. It follows a group of childhood friends whose shared love of Matchbox vehicles has faded as they grew up. As the old friends catch up, they get thrown back into their passion in the most chaotic way possible, finding themselves on the FBIs most wanted list in association with a stolen nuclear warhead. “It’s a pretty dire situation, but luckily, they have each other to lean on and so many awesome vehicles to choose from,” Castro said at the panel.

Directed by stunt and action innovator Sam Hargrave of the Extraction franchise, Matchbox: The Movie promises crazy chases and spectacular stunts and hopes todelight fans old and new.

Matchbox: The Movie will premiere on Apple TV in October 9, 2026.

Lucky

At the Lucky panel, showrunner Jonathan Tropper promised audiences a high-octane and emotionally charged ride while watching his upcoming thriller series. He continuously praised the cast that includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Timothy Olyphant, and Cassie Pappas, for delivering powerhouse performances. Adapted from Marissa Stapley’s bestselling novel, the series follows Lucky Armstrong, played by Taylor-Joy, as she’s on the run from her past and the FBI. Her father John, played by Olyphant, is a con man whose actions pull Lucky into schemes that test her ingenuity and judgment. Along the way, she has to outsmart dangerous players and make split-second decisions that could change her life forever.

The cast spoke about the film schedule, which Pappas joked trauma bonded them, as their call times occasionally stretched from unconventional hours like 11 p.m. to 11 a.m. Taylor-Joy said exploring the nuances of her character was exciting because Lucky changes dramatically across episodes due to her constantly being in survival mode. Pappas spoke about how rewarding it was getting to work on the action-packed scenes, as she said they were always emotional and intentional, not just action for action sake.

The rest of the cast echoed that Lucky is really a people-centered thriller. Olyphant referenced the father daughter dynamic that drives every decision and danger Lucky faces, while Taylor-Joy emphasized the show’s exploration of micro-choices and their consequences. She also teased some intense improvised scenes that made the final cut. Fasten your seatbelts because this propulsive thriller is sure to keep you on your toes.

Lucky will premiere on Apple TV on July 15, 2026.

The Dink

Pickleball is punk rock now and Jake Johnson will be featured in two 2026 Apple TV productions—the world is healing. The Dink, an upcoming comedy produced by Ben Stiller, follows Dusty Boyd, played by Johnson, who is a washed-up tennis prodigy coaching kids at his father Chuck’s suburban country club. And Chuck, played by Ed Harris, hates that pickleball is the new sports craze in the country club. While recovering from an old injury, Dusty not only defies his father by giving pickleball a shot, he also falls in love with the sport, partly thanks to his partner, Candace, played by Mary Steenburgen.

What follows is a hilarious journey where Dusty finally confronts his past athletic failures, which includes a reunion with his childhood nemesis Andy Roddick. The cast is rounded out with loveable supporting characters played by hilarious actors, Patton Oswalt, Chloe Fineman, and Chris Parnell.

Directed by Josh Greenbaum and written by Sean Clements, The Dink is sure to be a sports comedy that will smash through expectations, whether you love pickleball or hate it.

The Dink will premiere on July 24, 2026.

TV Premiere Dates: 2026 Calendar

Wondering when your favorite shows are coming back and what new series you can look forward to? We’ve got you covered with the Den of Geek 2026 TV Premiere Dates Calendar, where we keep track of TV series premiere dates, return dates, and more for the year and beyond.

We’ll continue to update this page weekly as networks and streamers announce dates. A lot of these shows we’ll be watching or covering, so be sure to follow along with us!

Please note that all times are ET.

Note: These are U.S. releases. For upcoming British releases, head on over here.

DATE	SHOW	NETWORK
Thursday, February 12	How to Get to Heaven from Belfast	Netflix
Thursday, February 12	Millon-Follower Detective	Netflix
Thursday, February 12	FX’s Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessett	Hulu
Thursday, February 12	Can You Keep a Secret?	Paramount+
Friday, February 13	The Art of Sarah	Netflix
Friday, February 13	Museum of Innocence	Netflix
Friday, February 13	Neighbors	HBO Max
Sunday, February 15	Like Water for Chocolate Season 2 (8:00 p.m.)	HBO Max
Sunday, February 15	Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Season 13 (11:00 p.m.)	HBO Max
Sunday, February 15	Dark Winds Season 4 (9:00 p.m.)	AMC
Wednesday, February 18	Being Gordon Ramsay	Netflix
Wednesday, February 18	56 Days	Prime Video
Wednesday, February 18	Wild Boys: Strangers in Town	Paramount+
Thursday, February 19	The Night Agent Season 3	Netflix
Thursday, February 19	Murder in Glitterball City (8:00 p.m.)	HBO Max
Friday, February 20	The Last Thing He Told Me Season 2	Apple TV
Friday, February 20	Strip Law	Netflix
Friday, February 20	Portobello	HBO Max
Friday, February 20	Dreaming Whilst Black Season 2	Paramount+
Monday, February 23	Paradise Season 2	Hulu
Monday, February 23	The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins (8:00 p.m.)	NBC
Monday, February 23	The Voice Season 29 (9:00 p.m.)	NBC
Monday, February 23	CIA (10:00 p.m.)	CBS
Wednesday, February 25	Survivor Season 50 (8:00 p.m.)	CBS
Wednesday, February 25	Scrubs Season 10 (8:00 p.m.)	ABC
Wednesday, February 25	The Greatest Average American (9:00 p.m.)	ABC
Thursday, February 26	Bridgerton Season 4 Part 2	Netflix
Thursday, February 26	Crap Happens	Netflix
Friday, February 27	Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2	Apple TV
Friday, February 27	Celebrity Jeopardy! All-Stars Season 4 (8:00 p.m.)	ABC
Sunday, March 1	Actor Awards (8:00 p.m.)	Netflix
Sunday, March 1	Y: Marshals (8:00 p.m.)	CBS
Monday, March 2	Tribunal Justice Season 3	Prime Video
Wednesday, March 4	Daredevil: Born Again Season 2	Disney+
Wednesday, March 4	America’s Culinary Cup (9:30 p.m.)	CBS
Thursday, March 5	Ted Season 2	Peacock
Friday, March 6	Friends Like These: The Murder of Skylar Neese	Hulu
Friday, March 6	Outlander Season 8	Starz
Monday, March 8	Rooster (10:00 p.m.)	HBO
Tuesday, March 10	One Piece Season 2	Netflix
Wednesday, March 11	Scarpetta	Prime Video
Wednesday, March 11	Sunny Nights	Hulu
Saturday, March 14	Rooster Fighter (12:00 a.m.)	Adult Swim
Saturday, March 14	The Madisons	Paramount+
Wednesday, March 18	Invincible Season 4	Prime Video
Thursday, March 19	Steel Ball Run JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure	Netflix
Sunday, March 22	The Bachelorette Season 22 (8:00 p.m.)	ABC
Sunday, March 22	The Faithful (8:00 p.m.)	Fox
Sunday, March 22	The Forsytes (9:00 p.m.)	PBS
Sunday, March 22	The Count of Monte Cristo (10:00 p.m.)	PBS
Thursday, March 26	Jo Nesbo’s Detective Hole	Netflix
Friday, March 27	For All Mankind Season 5	Apple TV
Thursday, April 2	XO, Kitty Season 3	Netflix
Friday, April 3	Your Friends & Neighbors Season 2	Apple TV
Monday, April 6	Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord	Disney+
Wednesday, April 8	The Boys Season 5	Prime Video
Wednesday, April 8	The Testaments	Hulu
Thursday, April 9	The Miniature Wife	Peacock
Sunday, April 12	The Audacity (9:00 p.m.)	AMC
Thursday, April 16	Beef Season 2	Netflix
Sunday, April 19	From Season 4 (9:00 p.m.)	MGM+
Thursday, April 23	Stranger Things: Tales from ’85	Netflix
Wednesday, April 29	Widow’s Bay	Apple TV
Thursday, May 7	M.I.A.	Peacock
Tuesday, May 12	Devil May Cry Season 2	Netflix
Friday, May 15	Berlín and the Lady with an Ermine	Netflix
Friday, May 15	Rivals Season 2	Hulu
Wednesday, May 27	Spider-Noir	MGM+
Thursday, June 11	Sweet Magnolias Season 5	Netflix
Friday, June 19	Sugar Season 2	Apple TV

If we’ve forgotten a show, feel free to drop a reminder in the comment section below!

Want to know what big movies are coming out in 2026? We’ve got you covered here.

Avengers: Doomsday – Russo Brothers Identify Steve Rogers as “Central” Character

In one of the best moments of writer Jonathan Hickman‘s run on New Avengers, Namor visits the court of Doctor Doom. Namor has come to Latveria to get Doom’s help in fighting Incursions, the multiversal events that result in Marvel’s company-wide event Secret Wars. However, Namor first sought to throw in with heroes such as Reed Richards and Tony Stark, and only came to Latveria after rejecting them. That decision drives Doctor Doom to reject Namor. “You should have known,” he declares. “Doom is no man’s second choice.”

True as that statement may be in the pages of Marvel Comics, the MCU may be different. Speaking to Empire Magazine about Avengers: Doomsday, directors Joe and Anthony Russo put Steve Rogers at the center of their story. “We have a special affinity for this character,” they explained. “We can’t see this narrative without his central role in it, basically. The central place he holds among the ensemble, he sort of retains that moving forward.”

What does that mean for Doomsday? It’s still not clear. We, of course, have known that Chris Evans would be back as Rogers ever since the release of the movie’s first teaser trailer, which features Steve holding an infant child. Yet, as the Russos remind us in the Empire interview, those teasers are “narrative information,” which seems to mean that they’re more about the themes of the movie than they are any specific plot points.

Some online have speculated that Rogers’s decision to stay in the past after returning the Infinity Stones in Endgame has motivated Doom’s heel turn. They have interpreted the teaser’s emphasis on Steve’s son and home with Peggy Carter, the woman with whom he stayed instead of going back to the present, as an indication that Doom wants to destroy the Rogers family. That may be why Doom looks like Tony Stark, justifying the decision to cast Robert Downey Jr. in the role.

However, the reason may be more simplistic. As the Russos themselves point out, they have affection for Steve. After all, they made their MCU debut with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and returned for Civil War before jumping to the Avengers movies. Further, Captain America is, as the title of his first MCU tells us, the First Avenger, the moral figurehead that all the other heroes follow.

The more compelling question may be the one right in front of us. As in the aforementioned teaser, the Russos refer to the character as “Steve Rogers,” not as “Captain America.” They may be doing so just because secret identities aren’t really a thing in the MCU; or they may be indicating that Sam Wilson will remain Captain America in the MCU, and the returning Steve has no intention of supplanting him.

Or could it be that the return of Steve Rogers will demoralize the heroes even more than the reveal that Doctor Doom looks like Tony Stark? The comics have featured several evil versions of Steve Rogers, ranging from the zombie Colonel America to an evil Cap that worships Cthulu to, most recently, the fascist Captain Hydra. All of these characters are Steve Rogers, but not all of them are Captain America.

Obviously, Doctor Doom will be a key figure in Avengers: Doomsday. But if the Russos want to turn their love of Captain America into further doom for Marvel’s heroes, then an evil Steve Rogers would be a great choice… perhaps even a better first choice than Doom.

Avengers: Doomsday releases December 18, 2026.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’s Zoë Steiner Discusses an Uninhibited Tarima

The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 6.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’s “Come, Let’s Away” is an hour that has a whole lot going on. From bringing back Paul Giamatti’s colorful antagonist, Nus Braka, to sending the cadets on a training mission that takes a deadly turn, the episode contains real stakes and genuine consequences, of a sort that will resonate well past its end credits. Chancellor Ake gets outsmarted by Braka, a bunch of experimental tech gets stolen, a horrifying new alien species is introduced, and both an instructor and a student are killed. It’s kind of a lot to take in.

In the midst of all this, it might seem strange that this hour also represents a significant coming-of-age moment for cadet Tarima Sadal, a Betazoid empath who manages to rescue her classmates by essentially obliterating a squadron of Furies with the sheer force of her mind. Choosing to remove the neural inhibitor implant that’s been suppressing the full extent of her telepathic abilities, Tarima risks her life by finally unleashing the power she’s worked for most of her life to keep in check. And for actress Zoë Steiner, it’s a profound moment for her character, who must learn not only to accept but to embrace the truth of who she is.

“This was a huge episode for me, and it was such a gift as an actor to go to that depth emotionally,” Steiner tells Den of Geek. “I think, for Tarima, we really see in [this episode] her reckoning with and coming to terms with her power. We can obviously talk about Betazoids and their sensitivity, and their empathic abilities. But I think that sometimes [we] forget about what that means in terms of how much power is truly within her. And we see her really coming to terms with that, and being able to see her sensitivity as a strength, even like a superpower rather than a weakness.”

Starfleet Academy is a show that’s full of coming-of-age arcs, which makes sense given its setting, subject matter, and cast full of young cadets finding their way in the world. And while Tarima’s story looks quite a bit different from, say, Jay-Den Kraag’s or hologram student Sam’s, it’s no less impactful. Not the least of which reason being that it comes with a body count, but also because it ultimately asks the young Betazoid to embrace a new way of looking at herself in the world.

“She has her neural inhibitor, and it’s designed to protect her, and for a good amount of time it has,” Steiner says. “But, and people all have things like this in our own lives, the idea of things that we do, or behaviors [we] engage in that serve their purpose for a while, and then they don’t anymore. On the contrary, they might even be holding us back. And in that scene, she knew what she had to do; that inhibitor had to come off to get access to the sheer amount of power that was required. That protective mechanism had to go.”

Through Starfleet Academy’s six episodes to date, we’ve largely seen Tarima through the lens of her romance with fellow cadet Caleb Mir. Initially introduced as a flirt with serious playboy vibes, it’s through his relationship with Tarima that we’ve been able to see his more human and likable depths.

“Caleb has had to be so guarded his whole life, but [Tarima] just bypasses all the boundaries he’s had to set up without even trying,” Sandro Rosta, who plays Caleb, says. “She has so much capacity to understand him and can kind of feel and sense everything going on inside [him]. And she does that from day one. So there’s a huge amount of release that he gets emotionally, and a huge amount of safety that he feels when he’s around her. And I think that’s something that’s very new to him.”

In this episode, it is because of the strength of Caleb and Tarima’s connection — of both the mental and the physical variety, since one clearly informs the other — that she’s able to mindspeak with him and help save the students trapped on the wreckage of the Miyazaki.

“From the very beginning, when we first meet them — and we see this reflected particularly in the aquarium scene with the whales — Caleb really represents freedom, and that’s something that Tarima really yearns for,” Steiner says. “She just hasn’t really allowed herself to or hasn’t been in a position to experience that yet. Being behind the psionic barrier on Betazed, there’s that literal wall up around her, and with her abilities, it brings her a lot of shame and [she has] emotional walls up as well. So I think when she meets Caleb, a whole new world of possibilities opens up for her.”

“Come, Let’s Away” ends on something of a cliffhanger — or at least, with a lot of plot threads still to be dealt with. While most of the cadets make it safely back to the Athena (Rip, poor B’avi), Braka has escaped with a shipful of experimental Federation tech and Tarima herself in a coma. While we all know that she’ll wake up eventually, it seems equally safe to assume that she’ll be greatly changed by this experience when she does so. And she and Caleb will have to navigate what her newly enhanced abilities mean for their relationship going forward.

“I think that what we’ll see is that there are a lot of things that Caleb feels when he discovers this potential that Tarima possesses and what she’s capable of,” Rosta says when asked about his character’s reaction to his girlfriend’s abilities. “If anything, it deepens whatever emotions he has for her in a sense of respect, admiration, and all these things. But it kind of knocks him off his center, if you will. If you’re in love with someone and you realize that they have this incredible capacity to be utterly destructive, and that yes, it could be used for good, but also it’s something that is just so unexpected. And our relationship has been portrayed as very realistic. We don’t shy away from the complicated emotions that come up within him. And I think that, as the series progresses, it affects him in a very… I would say that it’s complex, but it’s also a deepening.”

And as for Tarima, she will have to face her own inner demons when it comes to who she is and what she’s capable of using her abilities to do. But to listen to Steiner talk, it’s ultimately a good kind of growth.

“With some difficulty. With great difficulty, actually,” she says, when asked about how Tarima will navigate life after her inhibitor. “I think she has a lot of shame about her abilities, and there is some fallout after what happens in episode six. And it’s just great. It’s just wonderful writing to explore that and see her navigate the shame and come out the other side.

New episodes of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premiere Thursdays on Paramount+, culminating with the finale on March 12.

Stranger Things Star Offers a Blunt but Sweet Take on That Ending

This post contains spoilers for the Stranger Things finale.

While the response to season five of Stranger Things has been decidedly mixed, fans still clearly aren’t done with the series. So much so that when Netflix announced a follow-up, some fans convinced themselves into thinking that there was some secret follow-up episode, one in which Eleven is still alive and the adventures of the Hawkins kids continue.

For one Hawkins kid, that conspiracy (dubbed “Conformity Gate”) makes no sense. “At first, I thought the ‘Conformity Gate’ theory was dumb,” said Caleb McLaughlin, who played Lucas on Stranger Things. “I get that people want to live in this optimistic place of, ‘Oh, we want more Stranger Things,’ but the show is done, guys,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I was like, ‘Guys, it’s over. It’s been 10 years. We were full-on kids and now we’re full-on adults, and we don’t need any more of us.'” When it comes to those who hope that Eleven still lives, McLaughlin is even more direct. “Yeah, she’s gone. I’m so sorry. I think she evaporated.”

Blunt as McLaughlin’s comments are, they are also well-earned. As he points out, McLaughlin and his cast mates have been working on the show since 2015, when he was just 14. Among the chief complaints of the series has been the difficulty of believing that he and his fellow now-young-adults were portraying high schoolers. Moreover, many of them are ready to branch out and do different types of roles, as demonstrated by McLaughlin voicing the lead character in the animated sports film GOAT, releasing this weekend.

At the same time, the conspiracy does come from a place of love for the series. Even if the fans were disappointed by how the show ended, they still weren’t ready to say goodbye. So unready were they that they’re willing to pretend that more is coming, against all realistic expectations.

For McLaughlin, that passion comes directly from the work that Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers did, especially with the finale. “We started off season one playing Dungeons & Dragons, and we ended just like that,” he pointed out. Specifically, the series ends with Mike presenting a D&D scenario that mirrors a potential fate for Eleven, in which she lives and fights on. “That’s just Mike’s imagination,” McLaughlin argues. “That’s who he’s always been, even in season one. It’s all just storytelling.”

Even though he has a very different reading of the scene than those who keep hoping for more, McLaughlin sees that hope as evidence of the Duffers’ success. They “wanted to leave everybody with this level of optimism that the show has always given everyone.” Clearly, that optimism worked, even beyond any frustrations some may have had with the finale.

All of Stranger Things is now streaming on Netflix.

Spider-Noir Trailer Reveals Period-Accurate Twist to Power Origins

All right people, let’s start at the beginning. Spider-Man is a story about a kid name Peter Parker, who gets bit by a radioactive spider, gets great power and great responsibility, and the ability to crawl on walls. But, as we saw in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the way that story gets told can change from universe to universe.

In fact, one of those Spider-People from Into the Spider-Verse is getting their particular story told in full, and it has some key differences from what we’ve seen before. The first trailer for Spider-Noir reintroduces us to Ben Reilly, the Spider-Man Noir, played this time in live action by Nicolas Cage. Among the many moody, hard-boiled images the trailer depicts, we also get a look at how Ben Reilly gained the ability to whatever a spider can, and its unlike any other Spider-Man we’ve seen before.

In the trailer, Cat Hardy—this reality’s version of the cat burglar the Black Cat, now a lounge singer played by Li Jun Li—asks Ben to go back to the beginning, but we’re not given anything specific about his origins. Instead, while Ben talks about the tics and impulses that he’s constantly battling, we see glimpses of what may have led to Spidey’s powers. In particular, we see a shot of Ben, in a military uniform that sure looks more German than American, staring at a spider in a jar. Later, we get a POV shot of what is likely to be Ben staring up at menacing-looking doctors about to perform on him. And then there’s Ben’s general attitude about his life, described thoughts delivered in Cage’s wonderfully idiosyncratic manner, which makes it clear that he did not ask to become a wall-crawler.

So is Spider-Man Noir the result of Nazi experiments?

Believe it or not, that origin wouldn’t be as far from the standard comics as you might think. The original story by Steve Ditko, Stan Lee, and Jack Kirby back in 1962’s Amazing Fantasy #15 simply established that Peter was bitten by a radioactive spider. Over time, various writers have expounded on that origin to explain why the spider was radioactive. Sometimes, it was accidentally exposed to chemicals or lasers, sometimes it was the result of some cosmic Madame Web nonsense, and sometimes it was the result of mad scientists such as Otto Octavius or Norman Osborn.

If Spider-Noir does go the Nazi experiment route, it will be deviating from one important Marvel comic: Spider-Man Noir, the 2009 miniseries by David Hine, Fabrice Sapolsky, Carmine Di Giandomenico, and Marko Djurdjević. In that series and its sequel, Peter Parker gained his powers when bitten by a spider from an exotic idol, an experience that gave him visions of a spider-god. However, this Spider-Man did go on to fight Nazis, who do eventually come looking for the idol, so maybe the show isn’t taking the liberties that one might expect.

Whatever Spider-Noir plans to pull from the comics, it’s also very much drawing from classic film noir and from Cage’s unique performance style. The result may be a Spider-Man different from any other, but as Into the Spider-Verse taught us, there have always been different Spideys, even way back at the beginning.

Spider-Noir streams on MGM+ and Prime Video on May 27, 2026.

Apple Considering Severance Spinoffs to Fill Gaps Between Seasons

As a show about company employees who split their identities into two halves, Severance is uniquely suited to expansion. Each episode follows Mark S (Adam Scott) as he learns more about Lumon Industries and its procedure that divides Mark’s work identity (or “innie”) from his out-of-work identity (“outie”). Although the show has been a critical and commercial hit, its slow release schedule has frustrated some viewers. Since Severance debuted on February 18, 2022, only nineteen episodes have been released, and season three is still in early production.

To help fill that gap, Apple is considering severing the show. According to a deep dive by Deadline, Apple Studios have acquired full rights to the series, created by Dan Erickson and produced by Ben Stiller. While Erickson and Stiller aren’t sure if there will be a fifth season of the show, the report reveals that “the duo are open to the idea of doing more with the Severance universe; possibilities include a prequel, spinoffs, and foreign versions.”

That news may worry some fans of the show. One of the great pleasures of Severance has been its tight focus on Mark S. and his immediate co-workers: the abrasive Dylan G. (Zach Cherry), the elegant Irving B. (John Turturro), and newcomer Helly R. (Britt Lower). Although we learn more about Lumon’s power structure and strange history, as well as the company’s upper management, and the lives of the employees’ outies, these bits of information have come to us through the main characters’ stories.

However, it’s also clear that Erickson and Stiller’s interests go far beyond the lives of these four people. What began as a light sci-fi take on corporate work culture, as Mark and his co-workers navigate absurd banalities such as waffle parties, has expanded into an almost Lost-esque mythology.

Over two seasons, we’ve seen how Lumon is more than just a mega-corporation. It takes on a vast, almost religious quality, as demonstrated by the higher-ups’ cult-like devotion to founder Kier Eagan. Moreover, season two gave us glimpses of other divisions and employees within Lumon, including one staffed by characters played by Bob Balaban and Alia Shawkat and some strange livestock division where Gwendoline Christie works with sheep.

Spinoffs and prequels may be the perfect way to develop the show’s mythology without losing sight of the central human story. The series began with a powerful, empathetic shot: Mark crying in his car before going into the office, his emotional state suddenly changing. It’s those human moments that keep us coming back to the show, moments such as Seth Milchick’s (Tramell Tillman) reprimand or Irving’s romance with Burt G. (Christopher Walken).

But, as Deadline notes, those moments can only do so much with such huge gaps between seasons. Spinoff shows are one way “to keep the show’s fandom engaged by releasing a smaller-scale offshoot in-between that also would increase the franchise’s value,” the report notes, citing similar experiments with Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad.

By splitting the show into multiple series, Apple may be able to give us a fuller Severance experience, letting us see not just innies and outies, but every aspect of Lumon and its employees.

Severance seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Apple TV.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Episode 6 Review – Come, Let’s Away

The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 6.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy continues its run of midseason bangers with “Come, Let’s Away,” an hour that sees both the return of Paul Giamatti’s Nus Braka and the cadets’ first real-life mission—that comes complete with unexpected and terrifying stakes. An hour that deftly balances its student-focused plot with a larger Federation-level catastrophe, it’s an episode that not only sets up some intriguing narrative threads for the back half of the season, but it also lets one of the show’s most underrated characters step into the spotlight on her own terms.

“Come, Let’s Away” isn’t an origin story for Betazoid War College cadet Tarima Sadal, since we covered her background — in broad strokes — back in “Beta Test”. But it is, in its own way, an emotional coming-of-age tale, in much the same way that “Vox in Excelso” and “Series Acclimation Mil” are for Jay-Den and Sam, respectively. Tarima’s decision to remove the implant that dampens her telepathic abilities is as life-changing a choice for her as anything we’ve seen happen to her classmates, just with the added bonus of literal life-or-death stakes attached.

One of the more intriguing aspects of Starfleet Academy’s set-up is the fact that it’s a school that isn’t necessarily a fixed location, and that students aboard the U.S.S. Athena still get the chance to have various adventures (though they probably refer to them as “learning opportunities”) across the galaxy despite their Earth-bound San Francisco home base. This episode sees the kids from both the Academy and the War College head out to run missions on the wreckage of a starship whose experimental drive — ostensibly an attempt to replace the warp cores that were destroyed during The Burn — melted down. The poor lighting and overall ship-graveyard vibes give everything a sort of thinly veiled horror feel, which is only exacerbated by the arrival of a particularly violent and frightening new alien species, known as the Furies.

Looking like nothing so much as the Star Trek take on the Mouth of Sauron from Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the Furies are violent and manipulative, threatening to kill all the cadets if their demands aren’t met. Enter Nus Braka. Given how prevalent the news of Giamatti’s involvement in this series has been throughout its pre-release marketing, we all pretty much had to know that he’d be back at some point. And the sketchy plot — which involves everything from overt lying and theft to emotional manipulation —that unfolds feels perfectly in keeping with everything we’ve come to know about this character up until this point. That he becomes the best of a lot of bad options kind of feels like the story of his life in microcosm.

Even though it feels like it should be obvious from the jump that Braka is basically using Captain Ake for his own purposes, Giamatti and Holly Hunter are dynamite together and make what is, admittedly, a fairly thinly drawn vendetta feel incredibly compelling. The two play these characters as though they have the complex, established history of Professor X and Magneto, rather than the fairly shallow and poorly sketched revenge plot they’ve shared to date. Giamatti’s gleeful cruelty and harsh truths — he gets downright nasty about Ake’s son’s death and the emotional compromises required of any being forced to live on a long enough timeline — strike with painful precision, and though Hunter keeps Ake stoic and grounded enough that her breakdown at episode’s end lands all the harder.

Whether Braka’s decision to team up with the Furies to execute a secret third plot involving stealing advanced experimental weaponry from a nearby Federation starbase for his own ends is a story any of us will care about past this point is a question only the rest of this season can answer, but it’s always nice when the show cares enough about its viewers to at least try to surprise them. And to its credit, “Come, Let’s Away” actually manages to do that several times.

It’s a given that at least some of these kids were likely only introduced for the sake of being cannon fodder, but it feels particularly rude to kill off one of the only two War College students who’d be given enough of a personality to be recognizable to viewers. Alas, poor B’Avi, we hardly knew you. But at least you fought bravely and managed to teach Caleb some valuable lessons about the humanity of those we dislike! (And, look, burying him with his favorite space adventure comic book got me. I’m not made of stone!!)

But while Caleb gets to be…well, predictably Caleb, throughout most of this hour, this is Tarima’s episode through and through. (Even though she’s never even technically part of the kidnapped mission.) It’s a particularly satisfying swerve given that this is a character who hasn’t had a ton to do beyond serve as a love interest and the revelation that she’s powerful enough to turn an entire squad of alien enemies into dust with her mind is….well, let’s just call it unexpected. (And very exciting.) Don’t get me wrong, Tarima and Caleb have a super sweet bond, and Starfleet Academy has smartly dialed down his initial playboy-esque instincts in favor of giving his connection with Tarima time to build some real layers. But we’ve already seen one Betazoid in the Star Trek universe consigned to being little more than a romantic partner; we don’t need to do it again. (And I say what as someone for whom The Next Generation’s Troi and Riker were a formative romance.)

Zoë Steiner’s performance walks a fine line between softness and steel, and there’s something deeply gratifying about the way Tarima refuses to make herself smaller in order to win Caleb’s approval or affection. In fact, if anything, this whole episode is about this character finally deciding to unleash her true self — to stop limiting what she’s capable of in order to make those around her feel better or safer or more like her equal — and it’s not just an act that saves a lot of lives, but one that completely reorients our understanding of this character and what the future holds for her. For the moment, that future appears to be a coma, but this is Star Trek; we all know that’s not going to last. But, for my part, I’m really excited to meet the young woman who comes out the other side of it.

New episodes of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premiere Thursdays on Paramount+, culminating with the finale on March 12.

Dan Trachtenberg Confirms He’s Working on Paramount Franchises and More Predator Movies

When we meet Dan Trachtenberg over Zoom, the writer-director is feeling pretty good. He seemed pretty jazzed, too, when he spoke to Den of Geek magazine for a cover story last fall. But by his own admission, that was before Predator: Badlands had come out or—for that matter—been completed in the edit. So he had no idea if anyone was going to dig his “a Predator and Weyland-Yutani robot walk into a bar” setup at the time.

“I was terrified,” Trachtenberg admits of his mindset late last year. Yet after he saw folks “were picking up what we’re putting down and stirred by the movie,” a wave of relief descended upon him. And that relief presumably included the box office where Predator: Badlands became the highest-grossing film in the franchise to date, both in terms of opening weekend, with its $40 million debut toppling Alien vs. Predator’s benchmark, as well as Badlands’ worldwide gross of $185 million setting a franchise best.

It’s at least partially for this reason that Paramount Pictures, the studio which first worked with Trachtenberg as a director way back in 2016 on 10 Cloverfield Lane, just signed a first-look deal with the helmer earlier this month. Now Trachtenberg is happy to chat—to a point—about what that future will look like both at Paramount and in the land of Predators and the robots they meet along the way.

“All things are true,” Trachtenberg confirms. “I’m still very much figuring out Predator movie stuff, but also insanely excited about what Paramount and I have discussed.”

The filmmaker further reveals that he’s developing original stories at Paramount in addition to beginning to open up that studio’s vault to see what franchises they might have on the shelf: “I definitely am thrilled at their excitement for some of my more original ideas, as well as looking into some of the stuff they have over there and see if there’s any fun unique ways into their IP.”

With that said, Trachtenberg confirms he is going to continue to work with 20th Century Studios/Disney on the future of the Predator franchise. In fact, he is toying with the prospect of the protagonists of Predator: Badlands, rogue Yautja short king Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) and his robo-bae Thia (Elle Fanning), crossing paths with Naru (Amber Midthunder), the Comanche protagonist of his other wildly bold live-action Predator reimagining, Prey (2022).

While Prey might be set in the 18th century, and Badlands in the 25th or further, the animated film that Trachtenberg also directed last year, Predator: Killer of Killers, featured a surprise easter egg where it turned out the Yautja deep-freeze any humans that best one of their species. Trachtenberg says the potential crossover that unlocks was “in the back of my mind, the side of my mind,” and everywhere else. He would also seem to tease that these dangling threads could mean a return of Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose beloved Dutch from the OG Predator (1987) is also seen in that Killer of Killers easter egg next to Naru.

“Basically where we are now is figuring out not only what would happen next with these Badlands characters but really all of the characters,” he cryptically doles out. “Like what would happen next for any of them, as well as, what have we not seen? What else has not happened yet in this franchise or in science fiction movies in general? So all things are being figured out now, as I had [to do] after Prey and then came up with Killer of Killers and Badlands.”

In the here and now, though, the filmmaker seems to still be basking in the victory of a film which he sheepishly admits took one of the most ferocious of movie monsters from the testosterone-heavy age of “Guns ’n Guns” action flicks in the 1980s, and put him in a scene that better echoed The Wizard of Oz (1939). It’s the one where Dek first meets a bisected Thia, hence her being absent her bottom half but not her chipper sense of humor. She’s strung up on an alien vulture’s nest asking for help, all but singing “if I only had a… pair of legs.”

“Definitely Wizard of Oz came up from time and time again, and yes, there’s a bit of Scarecrow there,” says Trachtenberg. “I was just talking about this with an actor the other day, there’s also a little bit of Willow, when they meet Madmartigan [Val Kilmer] for the first time, and he’s in the cage. There’s something in the vibe of that which is similar, even though for me the tone of Madmartigan is a little bit more [analogous] to Dek rather than Thia. But yeah that was a touching point as well as certainly Scarecrow.”

It’s the type of bold tonal mischief that both scared and thrilled Trachtenberg in the first place. He even recalls being on set and looking at three different actors of various enormity dressed to the nines as a paterfamilias Yautja and his two sons, and having an incredibly disquieting thought.

“When you’re talking to people about the movie while you’re still working on it, you don’t know if any of what you’re saying is going to be mocked and laughed at later because of how much you may have missed the mark,” Trachtenberg explains. “There was a big moment, halfway through shooting the movie, when I suddenly had this realization of ‘we could be making Howard the Duck right now!’ Like Howard the Duck, [George Lucas] made after Star Wars, and they had ILM working on it; they had an incredible costume designer; they built an awesome duck costume for the time; and they must have been feeling like, ‘We’re making something bold here. No one’s made a movie like this before!’ Which is how we were. No one’s done this. And then I realized that this could be ridiculous and silly, and people will mock us forever for thinking this was a good idea.”

Instead it would seem Trachtenberg was invited to level up to a bigger arena. There might be a lesson in that.

Predator: Badlands arrives on Hulu on Thursday, Feb. 12 and on 4K Blu-ray and home media on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

Paramount’s Plan for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Gets Their Multi-Generational Appeal

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been such an enduring concept, in part because everything you need to know about the characters is right there in the title. They are mutant turtles who do martial arts, and they like to party and eat pizza because they are teenagers. The simplicity of that concept has allowed TMNT to remain a pop culture phenomenon since the launch of their first animated series in 1987 up through today.

Paramount Studios is planning on banking on that popularity by ordering more Turtles content. However, instead of just doing another series about Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Leonardo, Paramount is doing several shows, a movie, an updated toy line, and more, each for very different audiences. The strategy embraces the inherent elasticity of the Turtles, which have always worked best when reinterpreted for different audiences.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio is still planning to make a sequel to Mutant Mayhem, the well-received animated reimagining from 2023. However, it is also giving the green light to Teeny Mutant Ninja Turtles, “30-episode CG-animated series exploring the early days of the brothers as ninjas-in-training” in the vein of the pre-K focused Spidey and his Amazing Friends. At the same time, the studio is developing an R-rated movie adaptation of The Last Ronin, a bleak dystopian tale about Michelangelo continuing the fight after the death of his brothers.

That’s three very different versions of the Turtles, but multiple versions of the team have always coexisted—even if the rights holders acted like there was only one. As most fans know, the Turtles came to be when cartoonists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird self-published their black and white Daredevil homage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 in 1984. Three years later, the duo softened their characters for a younger audience by licensing the Turtles to toy maker Playmates. The toy deal led to the creation of the 1987 animated series, a smash hit that sold not just toys, but also tie-in food, clothes, and, of course, a rock album and concert tour.

But when the 1990 movie combined elements of both the cartoon and the original comic book series (including swear words, much to the dismay of this writer, who saw the film in theaters with very conservative parents), fans had to face the fact that there were two very different sets of TMNT stories, for very different audiences.

Over the years, it seems like the TMNT franchise has wrestled against that fact. While the characters get regularly rebooted in films and television to appeal to a new audience, it generally seems as if 4Kids Entertainment, Paramount/Nickelodeon, or whoever owns the rights at the time wants there to be just one version of the team at any given moment. The prime audience tends to be new kids who can jump onto whatever take has been most recently launched. The 2009 movie Turtles Forever, in which the team from the 2003 relaunch met the original characters from 1987, was the exception that proved the rule.

While that approach tended to work with new sets of 10-to-14-year-olds, it seemed to leave out a lot of potential fans. Those who grew up with the series were given a clean jumping-off point with every new take on the characters, and those who were younger felt like the team belonged to their big siblings.

However, the new strategy shows that Paramount has realized that there are enough Turtles for everyone. Fundamentally, the team is both a violent sci-fi tale and a goofy story about outrageous amphibians. The new approach lets creators emphasize different elements, giving everyone their own favorite version of the Turtles. Moreover, it proves that, like a deep dish slice of pizza, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles concept offers plenty to chew on.

Debatably Gruesome Predator: Badlands Ad Banned in the UK

The Predator franchise has delighted audiences everywhere with its brutal scenes of violence ever since Arnold Schwarzenegger and his elite paramilitary rescue team first made their way into the jungle and got largely equalized by a menacing alien visitor in the original 1987 movie. So it seems vaguely amusing that the PG-13 installment Predator: Badlands has somehow gone beyond the pale in the U.K. in the year of our lord 2026.

Still, that is indeed the case, as the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority has now banned Disney from using a version of a digital video poster for Dan Trachtenberg’s hit movie, saying it could “cause fear or distress for young children.”

The poster, which shows the severed torso of damaged synthetic Thia (Elle Fanning) being hoisted into the air by predator Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), received [checks notes] two complaints from the public according to the ASA (via THR.) Disney had previously battled the ban on the ad – first launched in November of last year – by pointing out that Thia is not human.

“Whilst we acknowledged Twentieth Century Studio’s comment that the smaller figure was not actually a human, but rather a ‘synth’ robot, we considered that was not clear from the ad, and that the figure was likely to be interpreted as a human,” the ASA clapped back. “We further considered that the realistic depiction of the smaller figure’s severed torso and exposed spine was gory and likely to be disturbing to younger children.”

It’s not yet clear if Disney will relaunch the ad without the offending image, but they accepted the ASA’s ruling, stating, “We take our responsibilities to audiences very seriously and strive to work closely with partners to meet the required standards.”

The ban is extremely unlikely to have any impact whatsoever on the future of the Predator franchise, with Trachtenberg teasing his involvement in a third new installment by explaining to SFX (via Games Radar) that, “The reason why I felt possessed to make [these movies] and sort of why I rushed was because I was so eager to get to the third thing.”

The Mummy: Can Fraser and Weisz’ Chemistry Overcome Legacy Sequel Blandness?

It’s official: Rick and Evie are back. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz had been in talks to reprise their roles from the 1999 classic since the end of last year, but we now have confirmation that a fourth Mummy film is on its way, directed by Ready or Not duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.

As excited as we are to see this last, inevitable step in the Fraserssance, a certain worry sinks in. While there have certainly been some smart legacy sequels—Creed and Trainspotting 2 leap to mind—the returning heroes rarely crackle with energy. And even more than the spooky set pieces or classic monsters, the Mummy franchise needs Rick to crackle with energy, especially in his relationship with Evie.

The Mummy franchise contains not one, but two instances that show the importance of the chemistry between Fraser and Weisz. The first, of course, is the original film, specifically the movie’s reclamation over the past decade.

To be sure, the first film wowed audiences back in 1999, pulling in $422.5 million at the box office. But by 2009, excitement for the franchise had died down significantly. Between the disappointing 2008 entry The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and a glut of Scorpion King sequels and spinoffs—to say nothing of the ascending MCU—The Mummy felt old and stodgy.

Yet, as The Mummy neared its 20th birthday, moviegoers began to sense that they had lost something important. From social media posts to boutique bumper stickers, fans grew nostalgic for Rick and Evie. They didn’t long to see the now-clunky digital effects, nor did they really care about the titular ancient Egyptian villain (see: the tepid response to the terrible Tom Cruise version). No, they wanted to see Rick and Evie fight and flirt with one another again.

That desire was only stoked by the disastrous decision to recast Evie for Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Reportedly, Weisz did not care for the movie’s script or perhaps director Rob Cohen, who took Stephen Sommers’s place for the third movie. Whatever the reason, they chose Maria Bello to be the new Evie. Bello is a great actress and seemed to be a fine choice to replace Weisz. But on the screen, Rick and Evie felt less like an exciting pair of lovers and more like a tired, bored married couple.

Which brings us to the present. On paper, the idea of a Fraser and Weisz reunion in The Mummy 4 sounds great. Both actors have continued to do great work since their last on-screen pairing, and the goodwill they’ve built up will certainly help overcome any bumps in the new film.

However, The Mummy 4 is still a legacy sequel, one that will have to address the fact that decades have passed since Rick and Evie first met. Their son Alex will himself be in his 40s now, and the duo will likely have been out of commission for a while. Previous legacy sequels lean into time passed, and often even have the central couple separated for one reason or another: think of Indy and Marion in the last two Indiana Jones movies, or the Creed movies with Rocky as a widower after Adrian’s death.

The Mummy 4 cannot pull the same move. No, they cannot ignore the passage of time, and yes, we want to acknowledge that Rick and Evie aren’t the same youngsters they once were. But the movie cannot downplay their chemistry. Only that electricity can revive the Mummy franchise from the dead, just like the endless love that called forth its central monster.

The Mummy 4 is set for release on May 19, 2028.