Britt Hayes is a writer, movie lover, and sensible sweater enthusiast living in Austin, Texas. She watches too much TV and never eats her vegetables.
Britt Hayes
Stephen King Reveals His Favorite Easter Egg in ‘The Dark Tower’
It doesn’t take a Stephen King super-fan to spot the two major easter eggs in the first trailer for The Dark Tower, but as Constant Readers (King’s nickname for his loyal fanbase) can tell you, that’s probably just the tip of the iceberg. King’s epic novel series is, among other things, a riveting piece of meta-fiction that ties all of his works (and worlds) together, so it’s inevitable that this summer’s highly-anticipated film adaptation will have more than a few easter eggs for casual fans and Constant Readers alike to discover — and King himself is giving you a head start.
Tom Hardy Is ‘Venom’ in Spider-Man Villain Film From ‘Zombieland’ Director
In news that clearly came from the farthest depths of left field, Tom Hardy has been cast as the lead in Venom, Sony’s upcoming film about the famous Spider-Man villain. That’s not all: Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer will direct the movie, which is reportedly not a spinoff from Spider-Man: Homecoming, but a standalone project of sorts. Oh, and that’s still not all: Sony has shared an official announcement photo featuring Hardy in one of his classic Hardy-selfie poses, sporting a Venom t-shirt — in case you missed the point.
We Almost Lived in a World Where Jeff Goldblum Was the Voice of Apple’s Siri
We don’t really need further evidence that we are living in a total nightmare (or an alternate timeline, if you’re one of Those People), but then a piece of news comes along that forces us to confront the true horror of reality by offering a painful glimpse at a beautiful life that could’ve been — and never was (at least not in this timeline, if you’re one of Those People). Today, it’s the heartbreaking revelation that Jeff Goldblum — national treasure, king of the silver foxes and master of the universe — could have been the voice of Siri on your iPhone. In the mournful words of the wise Adele, WE COULD’VE HAD IT AAAALLLLLL.
‘The Lion King’ Casts Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen as Live-Action Timon and Pumbaa
Jon Favreau’s “live-action” (let’s use that term loosely, here) remake of The Lion King is batting 1,000 when it comes to casting, with Donald Glover in the role of Simba and Beyoncé (rumored) for the role of Nala. But today’s additions might be the most perfect yet, as Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen have signed on to voice Timon and Pumbaa, everyone’s favorite unlikely-but-lovable meerkat and warthog buddy duo. Meanwhile, we’ll just be waiting for the other shoe to drop in this casting situation — like, say, if Favreau decides to cast Steve Bannon as Scar. Wait, actually that would be sort of perfect.
‘Star Wars: Episode IX’ Gets an Official Release Date
When Lucasfilm initially announced Star Wars: Episode IX, the tentative plan was to release it in theaters on May 23, 2019 — that date was never confirmed, however, and when the studio shifted their releases to December (with the exception of the young Han Solo spinoff), everyone just assumed that it was only a matter of time before Episode IX’s release date was changed, too. That’s definitely not the case, as Disney and Lucasfilm have announced a metric Jabba-ton of new release dates, officially confirming the final film in their Star Wars trilogy for May 24, 2019.
‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Reveals All the ‘Bells and Whistles’ on Spidey’s New Suit
After failing to capture audiences with their last Spider-Man reboot, Sony found a surefire way to win us back by teaming up with Marvel. Thanks to that deal, not only do we get to see Tom Holland’s Peter Parker swing over to the MCU to play with the Avengers, we also get to Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark pal around with everyone’s favorite high school hero in this summer’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. And, as teased at the end of Civil War, being friends with a billionaire inventor / superhero has some serious benefits, like a free super-suit upgrade.
Disney Eyes Will Smith for Genie Role in Guy Ritchie’s Live-Action ‘Aladdin’
Get your Prince Ali mash-up memes ready because Will Smith might be taking on the role of the charismatic Genie in Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin. The studio was previously in talks with Smith to play the villain role in Tim Burton’s live-action Dumbo movie, and although those discussions ultimately fell apart, it looks as though Disney might be able to land the actor for a part in another one of their many, many, many live-action remakes.
What’s Expiring From Netflix Instant: May 2017
You know the drill: Every month, Netflix Instant delivers a glorious bounty of new titles for us to stream until we can’t feel our butts anymore. But just as Netflix giveth, so must they taketh away, and with each new month comes a list of movies and TV shows that are set to expire from the streaming service — some temporarily, some perhaps forever. Think of it as your monthly reminder to stop procrastinating with that bloated queue of yours.
‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Trailer Breakdown: Finding the Hints in the Light and the Dark
The first trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi debuted this morning, and…wow, we’re gonna need a minute (or 20) to process, especially with Luke Skywalker’s suspenseful voiceover. We were promised we’d get to hear Mark Hamill speak, and speak he does — throughout most of the trailer, ending with a fairly chilling line: “It’s time for the Jedi to end.” But what does that mean?! Is Rey the eponymous last Jedi, or is Luke? That’s something we probably won’t know until December. For now, join us as we try to break it all down and take a closer look at the most thrilling (and possibly telling) moments with GIFs and screenshots from the trailer.
Big ‘Star Wars’ Announcement Teased for 40th Anniversary
Star Wars Celebration is set to kick off in just a few days, and with the 40th anniversary of the iconic franchise on the horizon, fans are expecting this year’s festivities to be extra special — but it looks like we won’t have to wait until later this week for major news from a galaxy far, far away. Good Morning America is teasing a big Star Wars announcement for tomorrow’s episode, but what could it possibly be? The first teaser for The Last Jedi? A revelation about one of your favorite characters?
Don Rickles, Iconic Comedian and Actor, Dead at 90
Don Rickles’ talents were seemingly limitless: An outrageous insult comic, a gifted dramatic actor, a welcome sight on stages and screens (big and small), and a constant presence whose career endured for decades, often surpassing his contemporaries. And now he’s gone on to join them, as the legendary Rickles passed away today, April 6, at the age of 90.
‘It’ Trailer: Stephen King’s Horror Classic Is Back to Haunt You Again
Horror fans have been waiting for months. Stephen King fans have been waiting for years. And after a week of teasers and sneak peeks, the first trailer for It, Andres Muschietti’s highly-anticipated adaptation of King’s classic horror novel (or one half of it, anyway) is finally here to give us our best look yet at that divisive new take on the iconic evil clown. Beep beep, we’re all gonna float.
Han Solo ‘Star Wars’ Movie Reveals How Han Met Chewie and ‘Got His Name,’ Whatever That Means
Just last night, Woody Harrelson offered a few details regarding his role in Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s young Han Solo movie, in which the actor (and former pothead, thankyouverymuch) will play mentor to Alden Ehrenreich. As for the rest of it, Disney CEO Bob Iger has revealed some new plot intel for the Star Wars spinoff, which apparently explores how Han met Chewie and acquired the Millennium Falcon, as well as…well, that’s the confusing part.
New ‘It’ Photo Puts Pennywise in the Gutter, Director Says ‘You’re Going to S— a Brick’
After a somewhat tumultuous development stage, the new adaptation of Stephen King’s classic horror novel It is finally heading to the big screen in September, courtesy of Mama director Andy Muschietti. While we wait for the first trailer (which may be arriving sooner than you think), a new photo of Pennywise the clown has debuted online, giving us another look at the iconic villain in a scene that fans of King’s novel and the original miniseries adaptation will immediately recognize.
Iconic Weirdo Michael Shannon Is the New Frontrunner for Cable in ‘Deadpool 2’
Well, that certainly took a pleasantly unexpected turn. Just days after the writers of Deadpool assured fans that we’d know who’s playing Cable in the sequel “very soon” comes a very interesting update. Michael Shannon is the latest frontrunner for the role of the comic-book character making his highly-anticipated debut in Deadpool 2. Although there are still a few other names on the studio’s shortlist, everyone’s favorite weirdo is the current favorite — because obviously.
What’s Leaving Netflix Instant: April 2017
Every month, as dozens of new titles are added to Netflix Instant’s vast streaming library (with even more possibilities for your endlessly indecisive scrolling), several movies and TV shows are taken away, spirited into the expiration ether. Now’s the time to stop procrastinating and do a little spring queue-cleaning by watching some of these titles before they disappear — possibly for good. Read on for a full list of what’s expiring from Netflix Instant in April.
New Netflix Instant Releases: April 2017
April showers bring…new titles to stream on Netflix Instant. That doesn’t rhyme, but you get the idea. Next month’s additions include new seasons of Netflix Original series The Get Down and Chewing Gum, as well as the first season of Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return, and the premiere of one of two Louis C.K. comedy specials hitting the service this year. You’ll also find a couple of recent Disney films, classic movies like Gremlins and A Nightmare on Elm Street, and plenty of new Netflix Original Films. Read on for the full list of releases coming to Netflix Instant in April.
That New ‘Matrix’ Movie Isn’t a Reboot or a Remake
When news broke earlier this week that Warner Bros. is developing a reboot of The Matrix, the only appropriate response was one that Keanu Reeves would approve of: Whoa. And that’s not necessarily a good “whoa,” especially since the Wachowskis reportedly aren’t involved. But Matrix fans can relax a bit because, according to the writer of the new project, this isn’t a reboot or a remake after all.
Disney Attempts Another New ‘Tron’ Movie, This Time With Jared Leto
After a series of delays and false starts (or near-misses, however you want to define it), Disney officially nixed Tron 3…but they didn’t take the Tron franchise off the table entirely. Just this week, Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski divulged some details from the third Tron film (titled Ascension) and revealed that the sequel wasn’t totally dead, but in “cryogenic freeze.” According to a new report, Disney is gearing up to return to the world of Tron, with Jared Leto eyeing a lead role in the new project — but it’s not exactly a sequel.
Oscar Accountants Predicted Their ‘Unlikely’ Envelope Mixup Days Before the Awards
It was the Best Picture Winner announcement heard ’round the world; for just a brief, hilariously awkward moment in time, when La La Land was erroneously declared the big winner of Oscar night 2017, we forgot all about our current political turmoil and embraced the total madness of Envelopegate. How could such a ridiculous mixup happen? The explanation for the confusion is fairly simple, but, in a twist befitting the ongoing insanity of this whole debacle, the dependable accountants of PricewaterhouseCoopers may have predicted their own error just days before the awards. The plot thickens.