The Alien timeline can get pretty confusing; with an abundance of prequels, sequels, alternate universe spin-offs, and games that have muddied the waters pretty bad since the first film way back in 1979. So when does the upcoming Alien: Romulus take place?

While we don’t yet have all the details surrounding the plot of the upcoming sci-fi horror, but the teaser trailer released last week has certainly got fans excited to see where director Fede Álvarez takes the franchise.

We also know that the film is set to be an interquel. What’s an interquel I hear you ask? Well, it’s what happens when a franchise has gone on for just a little bit too long. We’ve already had prequels and sequels that give a decent enough beginning and end, therefore setting an Alien film at either end of the timeline probably wouldn’t work, so that leaves us with the time in between. An interquel is both a sequel and prequel, as the name suggests, it takes place in a period between two movies.

Which two movies does Alien: Romulus take place between?

There are a lot of not-so-great Alien films, but thankfully Romulus is going to take place between two of the best. Speaking with Variety, Álvarez confirmed that the film would be set 20 years after the events of the original film. This would put it about 40 years before the sequel, Aliens. 

Steering clear of the later movies in the franchise is definitely a wise move, but it makes us wonder what the plot will be. After all, there is no mention of any other encounters with the Xenomorph species in Aliens, although it’s possible that the Weyland corporation covered it up.

It sounds like Álvarez has already thought of that, as he’s stated that he doesn’t “see it as upsetting the canon.” Luckily, there is a big enough gap between the first and second Alien films that the events of Romulus could potentially not affect either.

Miles Morales is now everyone’s favorite Spider-Man and it’s not hard to see why. But can the animated hero make a perfect translation into a live-action adaptation?

While the character received mainstream recognition after his big screen debut in 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, he made his debut in 2011 from writer Brian Bendis and and artist Sara Pichellil. Miles won hearts again in the second Spider-Verse movie, 2023’s Across the Spider-Verse, and the growing anticipation for Beyond the Spider-Verse shows that we still can’t get enough of the superhero high schooler. It’s no surprise then that many fans are wondering when next Miles Morales will show up, and if he will be getting a live-action debut anytime soon. 

Will there be a Miles Morales live-action?

The question of whether Miles Morales will be adapted to live-action was answered by Spider-Man producer Amy Pascal. In an interview with Variety, she confirmed that a live-action Miles Morales movie is in the works. However, she’s quelled some of the anticipation, stating that we should not expect it anytime soon. Pascal stated, “Not till we make two more movies.”

When will the live-action Miles Morales movie get here?

Following Amy Pascal’s statement that two more movies needed to be made before considering Miles Morales’ live-action movie, Chris Miller, who also worked on the Spider-Verse movies, shared some insight into her statement. He confirmed that the two movies Pascal was referring to were Beyond the Spider-Verse, and the fourth live-action Tom Holland Spider-Man movie. So, when will these two movies be made?

Beyond the Spider-Verse was initially slated for release in March 2024, but this release date has been delayed indefinitely. The production of both Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse took years so it is no surprise that the one-year gap between Across and Beyond wasn’t feasible. Over the years, animators, VFX artists, and other behind-the-scenes workers on the movies shared their experiences on the time and effort it took to create the iconic art style of the movies. Into the Spider-Verse took up to four years to create, and Across the Spider-Verse took around the same amount of time. With said, the most likely release window for Beyond the Spider-Verse is sometime in 2025.

The next Tom Holland Spider-Man movie is a whole other story however. Spider-Man: No Way Home was a huge hit, with an open ending that had fans eager for the next installment in Peter Parker’s journey. However, there has been very little news about Spider-Man 4 besides Amy Pascal’s confirmation that it will be made. At this point, fans can optimistically look towards middle to late 2025 for the movie. But if production doesn’t begin this year, we might as well expect it in 2026. 

Why we want a new Miles Morales adaptation 

As of this moment, the only certainty is that a live-action Miles Morales movie will undoubtedly sell out theaters. This was in part, because of the amazing animation and storytelling of the Spider-Verse movies, and because of Miles himself. Born to an African-American father and Puerto Rican mother, Miles is a beacon of representation for biracial, Black, and Hispanic people in the superhero genre. His story is about identity and understanding who you are- a message that resonates with many. 

Even though the character was initially met with mixed to negative reviews from fans when he was first introduced in the comics, Miles is more popular than ever now. Miles Morales and his journey as Spider-Man have always meant a lot to fans of all ages, and it’s been long overdue for the character to receive his flowers. 

Not only is Post Malone a 10-time Grammy-nominated superstar, but he’s also carved himself a place in the world of acting. So, is that who we saw in Amazon Prime Video’s reimagination of Road House?

Road House, which was released on the streamer in March, stars Oscar-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal, The Suicide Squad’s Daniela Melchoir, and former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor, among others. And, yep, Post Malone is also in the closing credits as both an actor and music contributor.

His yet-to-be-released single “Horsepower” opened up Road House, and it played at the beginning of the ending credits as well. But, there was a lot more for his fans to sink their teeth into. Not only did “Horsepower” get the action started, but Post Malone’s Carter Ford did too.

Incoming spoilers about Post Malone’s character and storyline.

Although it was a small role, Post Malone set the tone for Doug Liman’s project. He played the aforementioned Carter, a tatted-up, knuckled-up fighter knocking the senses out of his latest opponent in front of a rowdy audience.

The brute was a local fisticuff superstar, so much so that Jessica William’s Frankie showed up at the venue to offer him a job to turn her Key West establishment around. But, her target changed after Gyllenhaal’s Dalton challenged Carter. Carter knew Dalton was a notorious former UFC combatant, and he refused to fight him. Carter ultimately forfeited the match and propelled the central plot forward.

And that’s the last we saw of the bloodied and shirtless Posty on Road House. As mentioned, he was given his due during the closing credits when he was listed by his real name: Austin Post.

In February, Gyllenhaal posted a selfie and two videos of himself and Post Malone taken during Road House’s filming. “A man of many talents,” he wrote in the Instagram caption. “To say it was a pleasure working together is an understatement. Welcome to the #roadhouse @postmalone!” Check it out below:

Can you believe it’s Easter already? Time to dust off the bunny decorations and hide some eggs! One of the hardest parts of any holiday is what to do with your downtime when your family is in town. After you eat all the deviled eggs and ham, and sugar cookies, after everyone’s stuffed and can’t move.. what to do? Watch an Easter-themed Netflix movie, that’s what!

Maybe you want to watch something with Christian themes, maybe you’re looking for something for the kiddos to watch, or maybe you just want something non-religious but Easter adjacent, regardless we’ve done the research. The list below ranges from biblical stories to rabbit stories to everything in between. All of these movies are just a click away, so enjoy! Here are 11 of the best Easter movies on Netflix.

The Chosen

I know what you’re thinking. “This isn’t a movie it’s a show!” Well, yes, but each episode is basically a movie on its own, so you’re getting much more bang for your buck. Also, what better time than Easter to watch the story of Jesus? The show is set in 1st century Galilee as Jesus begins his search for apostles. Also, it’s a fan favorite with a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Watership Down

Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness

Chickenhare is the name of the main character of this whimsical children’s movie, and he’s half chicken and half rabbit. The little guy just wants to feel like he belongs and has quite the adventurous spirit. He meets up with a sassy turtle named Abe and a karate-kicking skunk named Meg and they go on a journey to save their kingdom from Chickenhare’s evil uncle. The movie is based on a comic book series of the same name and it’s appropriate for children of all ages.

Duck Duck Goose

This delightful children’s film boasts an impressive pedigree of voice actors, including Jim Gaffigan (Peng), Zendaya (Chi) and Carl Reiner (Larry). It’s a sweet premise, too. Peng wants independence from his flock so he ventures out on his own, but he comes across two ducklings in danger from a cat. He rescues them and all of a sudden he’s a parent. From there, they embark on an epic journey through scenic locales in search of their respective flocks and learn a lot about what it means to belong on the way.

Journey to Bethlehem

Come Sunday

Come Sunday is a heady religious movie, but if you want to be challenged by something that’s important and biblical, then this movie is for you. It’s actually based on an episode from the radio show This American Life from 2005.

The premise is fairly straightforward and there are some high-profile actors in it, like Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jason Segel and Martin Sheen. Basically, a minister gets ostracized from his whole congregation after he starts preaching that there’s no hell. 

Jesus Revolution

Part hippie movie, part rock n roll movie, part religious awakening. Jesus Revolution is set during the Free Love era of the late ’60s and early ’70s. It’s a coming-of-age story about a boy searching for meaning in all the wrong places. Fortunately, he runs into a street preacher named Lonnie who looks suspiciously like Jesus. From there, they meet Pastor Chuck Smith, played by Kelsey Grammer, and they transform his once dying church into something much, much bigger.

Green Eggs and Ham: The Second Serving

Here’s something to keep the kids occupied before the Easter egg hunt (or after) – Green Eggs and Ham: The Second Serving. This fun, animated take on the classic Dr. Seuss story involves a mystery, a secret and a whole new beginning. Guy and Sam, the opposites, hit the road to track down Sam’s mother. If you’re thinking, “hey, how is that the plot,” just remember there wasn’t much of a plot in this one to begin with. Fun for the whole family!

Soul Surfer

This 2011 gem is based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton after she famously lost an arm during a brutal shark attack when she was surfing. It’s based on a book called Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Hamilton herself. After the bite, Hamilton lost 60 percent of her blood and her doctor called her recovery “a miracle.” It’s about perseverance and faith, and facing your fears by trusting in something greater than yourself.

A Week Away

Think of this movie as a romantic Christian musical. It’s about a boy named Will who can’t seem to stay out of trouble. He does something egregious and gets sent to Christian summer camp, something he is not thrilled about. However, once he’s there he meets and falls in love with a fellow camper named Avery. Their love helps him grow his faith and he finally feels like he belongs to something great for the first time in his life. It’s the perfect mix of joyful and romantic.

Monty Python’s Life of Brian

If you love comedy and you’re willing to go a little outside the bounds of family-friendly, then Monty Python’s Life of Brian is right up your alley. It’s a beautifully irreverent satire of the story of Christ that skewers belief (relatively) respectfully. Brian has the unfortunate luck of being born on the same night as Jesus, just one barn over. It’s a classic but be warned; it’s not really for kids so viewer discretion is advised.

The marvelous MonsterVerse is returning with a new feature three years after the box-office success of Godzilla vs. Kong. Fans should anticipate some big revelations in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, but is this also a surprise gender reveal party for the mighty Godzilla?

Marking the 38th film in the Godzilla franchise, the 13th in the King Kong franchise, and the fifth in Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire will dig deeper into Hollow Earth’s secrets. The world’s most powerful kaiju Godzilla will unite with the King of the Beasts Kong in the upcoming film. However, the vibrant new look of our favorite monster Godzilla is raising some eyebrows.

The Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire trailer and promotional images are brilliantly raising the heat for the upcoming adventure. If you’re obsessed enough with this mysterious world of Titans, you must remember how Godzilla entered hibernation after the explosive showdown in the last film. The monster is now rising from its deep sleep to help Kong defeat the tyrannical leader of Hollow Earth. But, in a new avatar.

Godzilla’s pink atomic aura has people believing it to be a girl

The traditional belief that relates blue with boys and pink with girls has fans genuinely confused about Godzilla’s gender following the trailer reveal. The change in Godzilla’s appearance has taken fans by surprise and may indicate a possible evolutionary step after its hibernation. In The New Empire trailer, the generally blue aura radiating from Godzilla has been replaced with a vivid pink hue as the monster rises from Icecaps.

While the pink Godzilla is doing positive advertising for the franchise, even stimulating merchandise sales, people are nonetheless puzzled about why it has changed in look. If you pay attention to your physics professor, you must know that radioactivity is invisible and colorless. Godzilla’s aura is instead colored by energy emitted beyond the ultraviolet spectrum by its nuclear stores. But does the change have anything to do with its gender?

Is Godzilla a girl?

In the original Japanese films, gender-neutral pronouns like “it” are used to refer to Godzilla and other monsters. This means that the characters were originally conceptualized as ambiguous or non-binary creatures. The 1998 American version of Godzilla, directed by Roland Emmerich also hinted that the beast reproduces asexually, affirming his ambiguous identity.

Despite all, Godzilla is identified as a male creature in the English-dubbed versions of the feature films. On the contrary, the legendary actor who portrayed Godzilla in the original films, Haruo Nakajima stated that he had no idea about Godzilla’s gender.

But to answer the question, Godzilla’s transformation from blue to pink aura in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire does not seem to be linked to its gender. The beast must have evolved as a part of its natural process and gained the glowing pink scales depicting its heightened energy.

One of the more interesting and visually exciting movies of recent memory is the horror film Late Night With The Devil, starring longtime character actor David Dastmalchian in the lead role and having an ending that has sent minds reeling.

Dastmalchian has appeared in films like The Dark Knight, Bird Box, The Suicide Squad, TV show Gotham, plus he was also in Oppenheimer — all the proof you need to confirm that the Stephen King-approved film has the best talent leading the charge. He’s a phenomenal actor and it’s great to see him in a leading role in such a great film. The movie’s getting incredible reviews and buzz, but the ending is pretty out there and leaves a lot of unanswered questions.

That’s where we come in! We’ll do our best to explain what happened. But spoilers lie ahead and if you are yet to watch the horror flick, stop reading now.

What is the premise of Late Night With The Devil?

Late Night With The Devil is a “found footage” horror film written and directed by Australian brothers Colin and Cameron Cairnes. Found footage is a type of movie technique where all of the movie is presented as past recordings that were later “found” and presented to the audience. Other notable films that use this technique are The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity, and Cloverfield.

It centers around a 1970s late-night talk show host named Jack Delroy (Dastmalchian), a direct competitor of Johnny Carson. It’s presented as a documentary exploring what happened on Halloween night on the show. For background, Delroy’s wife recently died of cancer and Night Owls with Jack Delroy was on hiatus for a while. When it came back, it couldn’t quite get back to the level of success from before, so Delroy cooked up a plan to have an occult-themed show on Oct. 31.

The plan involved bringing on possessed teen Lilly (Ingrid Torelli) and her parapsychologist/author Dr. June Ross-Mitchell. Other guests on the show that night include Carmichael the Conjurer (Ian Bliss), a magician who’s now a skeptic, and a psychic named Christou (Fayssal Bazzi). There’s also Delroy’s sidekick Gus (Rhys Auteri). A few things to remember: Delroy is rumored to be a part of a secret society that meets in the woods and performs weird rituals, and that supposedly has something to do with his wife Madeleine’s death from lung cancer, even though she never smoked in her life.

The plan is to have Lilly summon the devil on live TV, which he thinks will surely be ratings gold, and catapult him into the number one spot like he always wanted. There’s also the pressure of cancellation if he doesn’t turn the boat around, which adds to the stakes of it all. The thing is it does, but it’s the cost that makes it hard to bear. This is pretty much the point of the film: Be careful what you wish for because you might get it, but you will probably not like what you had to sacrifice. It’s sort of like a Monkey’s Paw situation.

Christou senses a spirit named Millie, who we find out is what Delroy used to call his wife. Then he senses a darker spirit and pukes black stuff all over the stage. He’s taken away and dies on the way to the hospital, which Delroy keeps from everyone. The crew and Gus start to get freaked out and beg Delroy to call it off, and everyone seems bothered by the vibes. Delroy stays the course and with Lilly padlocked to a chair, asks Dr. June to go ahead with the plan.

Lilly, by the way, is the sole survivor of a demon-worshipping cult. The demon in question is named Abraxas, and he’s the subject of Dr. June’s book Conversations with the Devil. June summons Abraxas and things get scary. Lilly’s voice keeps changing, the chair levitates, and other weird stuff happens. Afterward, Carmichael tries to prove that all this is fake by hypnotizing the audience and making Gus think he’s full of worms, which causes him to claw out his own stomach. They then watch the tape back and see that everyone was fooled, including Gus.

Then, they watch Lilly’s footage again and suddenly you see the spirit of Madeline right behind Delroy, and things get crazy after that. Lilly is possessed again but this time she’s not padlocked. Her head splits in two and fire shoots out. Gus’ neck snaps, June’s neck gets sliced open and Carmichael is set on fire and dies. The audience flees and Delroy is suddenly transported into a series of memories. The last two memories are the most important: He drinks from a cup with the cultists and then he’s standing by his dying wife as she lays in bed.

Her dialogue is important to understand what’s happening: “They told you you could have it all, didn’t they?” she says. “Be number one. Well, you finally made it, darling. But you had to pay a price. Exit Millie, stage left.” Then she asks him to stab her with a ceremonial knife to put her out of her misery. He complies and stabs her again and again, then the camera moves back and suddenly it’s the studio, and he’s stabbed Lilly to death. He stands there dumbfounded, realizing that he’s not only murdered someone but that there are dead bodies all around him. The sounds of sirens slowly get louder and the movie ends.

What does the ending of Late Night With The Devil mean?

Before we dive in, let’s hear from Dastmalchian, who gave his interpretation of the ending to The Wrap.

“I believe that if [emergency responders] didn’t get there in time, which they may have, he was going to end his own life. But if they saved him, then he is currently heavily medicated, staring out the window of somewhere upstate, being taken care of by professionals, who will be trying to unravel this mystery for the rest of his life.”

He also doesn’t think that Delroy intentionally killed his wife in his quest for ratings, as he believes he’s just “a man who is dealing with overwhelming unprocessed trauma, grief, work, addiction, alcoholism, and his mind is on the fray. And he is not doing the work and not getting the help to heal what is ultimately really broken inside of him.”

He thinks Delroy opened a “doorway to something … much bigger” and “more dangerous and much darker” than anything he could’ve “ever imagined.” Dastmalchian also tells a story about his two friends in a band called Twin Temple, who are considered a “Satanic doo-wop” group. He asked them if it was possible for them to cast a spell and ask for a mansion. The duo said sure, they could do it, but you’d “have to be very careful” because you don’t know what has to happen for/to you to get the mansion.

“What insurance windfall did you get because all of a sudden, a car crashed into you? And now you are unable to drink out or eat anything other than with a straw for the rest of your life. But you got that mansion.”

The theme of “sacrifice” comes up again and again in the movie. When watching stock footage, we see Delroy signing a five-year TV deal and a reporter yelling out to ask what Delroy had to “sacrifice” to get there. Then the narrator, voiced by Michael Ironside (from Top Gun!), mentions the secret society and how “Speculation swirls around its taste for arcane ceremony and its power to make and break careers.”

Also, when Lilly is possessed the first time, the demon says “He’s here, isn’t he” and then makes a statement about how it has met Delroy before. Delroy says no and the demon calls him a fool. “We met amongst the tall trees,” the demon says. If you put everything together the wife scene becomes more clear. The implication is that Delroy made a deal with the demon to become number one, but it’s a monkey paw wish and his wife had to die for him to get there. Be careful what you wish for indeed.

Late Night With The Devil is in theaters now. It will appear on the horror streaming service Shudder on April 19, 2024.

What follows is a cynical, marginally cathartic, passionately dispassionate, and regrettably scathing takedown of alleged film Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and the parameters that allowed it to get made, brought to you by about a half-hour-long, somewhat existential rumination, an empty-handed grasp for positives, and a series of far more deep breaths than I care to admit.

Let’s face it, there is no one on this planet who will walk into this movie expecting anything more than by-the-numbers franchise fare; this is a movie for people who have either made Ghostbusters a part of their personality, are looking to waste (not spend, not kill; waste) about two hours, or — and this is the demographic I predict will make up the majority of this film’s box office — groups of friends and families that are so hopelessly entrenched in the plastic, consumerist hell that we’re all navigating, that they’ll gravitate towards whatever neuron-neutering piece of content is offered up to them in a tragically desperate attempt to have a good time. And make no mistake, many will believe they did have a good time because they have to believe that at this point.

That is precisely the ceiling that Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire set for itself, and the only thing more infuriating about it being okay with its goalposts is the sheer anti-inspiration that fueled its inability to even touch that ceiling.

Now, the word “Ghostbusters” tells you all you need to know about the spine of the plot; the Afterlife gang is all back together, and they need to bust some ghosts before the world ends. And to be honest, I’m not even sure what else there is to say about the plot; textually, Frozen Empire is such an inconsequential nothing-burger that I struggle to even call it a story. It’s not even that it’s a bad plot, because that would require some indication that it’s trying to have a plot in the first place; it’s not, and that’s much, much worse.

Instead, Frozen Empire puts on a blindfold and proceeds to try and stitch together a series of incoherent, quarter-baked ideas with several heaping tablespoons of nostalgia courtesy of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Slimer, and even footage from the original Ghostbusters movies; therein lies Exhibit A of the creative no-man’s-land that is the state of this franchise.

Exhibit B would have to be the fact that Frozen Empire seems to have made a life mission out of insulting the audience whenever possible. There is no quicker way to lose a viewer’s respect than to have Paul Rudd say “Hey! That was pretty funny!” after Phoebe tells a cringey joke, or to have Kumail Nanjiani say “That was awesome!” after telekinetically redirecting the course of a proton pack beam (don’t ask). But Frozen Empire also plays the long game of losing one’s respect by approaching every plot beat with such a shallow, childish pseudo-confidence, that hardly any line of dialogue has any hope of being more than an additional, sanitized, milquetoast nail in the coffin of a film that would probably get an absolute kick out of me having begun this paragraph with “Exhibit B would have to to be…” Get it? Because I made the “B” sound twice in quick succession? Get it? Do you get it?

Furthermore, despite a supremely stacked cast of tried-and-true practitioners of comedic timing, there are maybe five lines in the entire film that are worthy of even a light chuckle. Even then, Frozen Empire is so impossibly committed to drowning itself in its relentless abhorrence for creativity, that even smiling at those lines feels like grasping a sharp rock in the ocean; it’s a completely meaningless interaction, but at least that meaninglessness can be interacted with, even if it wounds you in the long run.

Speaking of said practitioners, someone please get these poor, poor actors better projects after this one. My presumption is that Rudd and company were under no illusion that they were working with some of the worst material out there, and what else can you do at that point other than blindly phone it in and hope that the result at least makes sense in the context of the movie?

The problem there, however, is that the film can’t really claim to have a context of its own, because it exists solely for people who will mindlessly (and that’s key here) flock to anything with “Ghostbusters” in the title, and when a movie exists for any entity before it exists for itself, it’s already committed one of the worst possible sins of the medium by forfeiting its potential identity and, by extension, its ambitions.

And in saying that, I’m quite honestly not even sure if I’m critiquing Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire or if I’m critiquing the specific Hollywood machine that churned out this soulless glut, because they might as well be one in the same. By coating itself in sugary nostalgia, Frozen Empire allows fans the illusion of being seen; “There’s that character I like! I recognize that ghost! I feel like I’m part of something!” And the fact that our current social landscape has left us so grossly detached from one another and ourselves, that someone out there will gladly rely on such shoddily-crafted hyperproducts like Frozen Empire to access even a fraction of an endorphin, is indicative of an entirely evil cycle that the entertainment industry continues to be complicit in with movies like this.

Again, no one expected much from Frozen Empire, and it really didn’t need to do much. It would have also been completely okay if it wanted to try something different from its predecessors; in fact, that’s pretty much the entire point of serialized storytelling in film in the first place. But with Frozen Empire, not only did it barely attempt to reach an effectively rock-bottom ceiling, it couldn’t even be bothered to try the same thing as its predecessors; if doing nothing is a lack of action, then whatever Frozen Empire did is somehow the opposite of action, which is less than doing nothing, and I don’t even know if a word for that exists.

In closing, there’s no real way to talk about Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire without getting caught in a dreary circle of why this dreadful aspect led to that dreadful aspect, and how it all loops back to that first dreadful aspect, until you’re just vaguely reiterating how bad it is. And the thing is, that makes perfect sense, because the film is at once a cyclical product of non-inspiration, and simultaneously the fuel and the excrement of Hollywood’s role in this unsightly consumption cycle that weighs on us day after day. And that distinction, my friends, is the single biggest standout of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire; that should, on some level, make you angry.

X-Men ’97 is everything we could’ve hoped from Marvel‘s first attempt at tackling the mutant team and more. No joke, I just wanted to make that clear from the off. It’s authentic to both the original ’90s animation and the spirit of the beloved brand in general.

It’s even authentic to the spirit of some things about the X-Men comics universe that we never thought would be made canon by the MCU. Another thing we never thought would be made canon by the MCU? Chris Evans’ return as Captain America. Well, that one might actually still be the case…

X-Men ’97 dares to canonize the single weirdest romance in mutant history

X-Men ’97 doesn’t shrimp on the jaw-dropping twists in its two-part premiere — even if one of them, that Magneto now leads the X-Men after Professor X’s death, was spoiled in the trailer. Here’s one that Marvel definitely kept under its hat, though — the series sure seems to be suggesting that Rogue and Magneto had a past affair, one that may soon be rekindled. This bizarre May-December romance is actually a thing in the comics — which, for the uninitiated, are full of crazy soap opera developments like this — even if those familiar with the films have never once shipped the characters played by Anna Paquin and Ian McKellen.

Classic Captain America may be returning, but Chris Evans isn’t

Rejoice, Marvel gamers, because this week brought us a first-look reveal trailer for Marvel 1943: Rise of HYDRA. Returning to the kind of wartime Captain America vibe of The First Avenger, the game sees Steve Rogers team up with Black Panther — specifically, Azzuri, T’Challa’s grandfather. Honestly, going by the storyline and the character designs, the game could practically be considered MCU canon. So many were getting their hopes up that Chris Evans could reprise his role as the Sentinel of Liberty. Unfortunately, this is not the case — as any of Evans’ recent comments on his reluctance to return to Marvel could’ve told us. Hey, at least there’s always Secret Wars!

Is Aaron Taylor-Johnson going from Quicksilver to Kraven to 007?

Killing Quicksilver off after a single movie back in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron seemed like a dumb move at the time, and a big snub for Kick-Ass star Aaron Taylor-Johnson, but in the long run maybe it’s worked out the best for him. On top of returning to the Marvel multiverse for Kraven the Hunter, Taylor-Johnson might also be free enough to secure himself the most coveted of all roles for a British actor — James Bond himself. This is what widespread rumors are saying, anyhoo, but don’t take the casting as fact just yet as it’s yet to be reliably confirmed. Although ATJ looking to jump ship from the Sonyverse ASAP, after the mauling of Madame Web, would be a very smart career move. Let’s just hope Evan Peters doesn’t steal his role again like last time.

To say that George Lucas has foresight is an understatement. The Star Wars creator, who had planned nine total films in the galactic movie franchise, decided early on to see whether Mark Hamill would be available three decades later for one of the films.

In the early 1980’s, Hamill was a guest on numerous talk shows promoting the Star Wars films and a 1983 clip presently on YouTube from one of those on-air interviews — though exactly which talk show can’t quite be determined — is of Hamill explaining a question that Lucas asked him presumably while making Return of the Jedi.

Aware that Lucas had wanted to make the next trilogy a prequel to be filmed mostly in the 1990’s, Hamill also knew that the sequel to Return of the Jedi would be the first of the final trilogy, and would film in the early 21st century, if things went as Lucas planned. So, Lucas talking about those future films wasn’t too surprising, but then he asked Hamill if he would be in one of those films as a sort of Obi-Wan Kenobi type of character who passes his Jedi wisdom to the next generation.

Hamill’s initial response was to ask, “When would that be?” to which Lucas replied, “Around 2011.”

To put that into perspective, it’s like someone asking that question in 2024 and saying they’ll start filming in 2054. Understandably, Hamill couldn’t exactly commit to the role and began answering, “As much I’d like to have a job lined up at the turn of the century,” before trying to figure out how old he’d be and then settled on simply telling George, “Well, I don’t know.”

It was a less entertaining conversation then the time George called him pretending to be someone who was trying to buy the script of The Empire Strikes Back from him, but it was something of a prophetic one.

Despite Lucas selling his beloved space opera franchise to Disney, Hamill did, in fact, return to play Luke Skywalker in the sequel trilogy some three decades after Lucas asked him. The Force Awakens was released in 2015, thus pre-production obviously began a couple years earlier. 2011 wasn’t too far off. Hamill even reprised the Skywalker character as a Jedi teacher, like Lucas had said he would be.

Hamill talking briefly about the film 30 years in advance is not exactly a spoiler like Billy Dee Williams’ Today Show interview was, but it does make me wonder if I should look forward to seeing Daisy Ridley revive the Rey Skywalker character in the The Force Reawakens in the 2050’s.

Paul Rudd, we love you, but it might be a stretch to say we loved your last two movies. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was so bad it cursed the entirety of 2023 for the previously unstoppable Marvel Studios, and now Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has left critics equally cold.

Even so, Paul, you could’ve tried a little harder while attending the Spanish premiere for Frozen Empire in Madrid this week. Rudd can pull off any look, of course, but it has to be said it seemed like he’d dressed in a hurry for this event, or else he had been dragged through the Quantum Realm backwards in order to get there. I must admit, I do like the burgundy suit, but the mosaic-print shirt, especially with the plain white tee poking out underneath, just isn’t as sharp and stylish as some of his other looks on this Ghostbusters premiere world tour. Honestly, it’s giving Hawaiian shirt vibes.

Let’s not throw Rudd under the bus all on his own, though, as all the boys let the team down when it came to the Spanish premiere. Director Gil Kenan played it casual in a dark shirt-jacket while Finn Wolfhard donned a sleek black shirt that seemed to be a little poorly fitted. Only star McKenna Grace brought her A-game, with the Phoebe Spengler actress (and Rudd’s fellow MCU veteran, as Grace played the young Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel) going for an elegant white ensemble.

If Rudd and the guys looked a bit like they couldn’t be bothered to attend this Ghostbusters premiere, that seems to be how a lot of critics felt too. If you can believe it, Frozen Empire has opened to a lower critics score on Rotten Tomatoes than even Quantumania, the most mocked MCU movie of them all. Reviews have routinely pounded the sequel to 2021’s popular Afterlife for having an unfocused storyline that’s lacking a sense of fun and missing much of the charm of the original ’80s movie. It’s sitting at just 45% on the review-aggregate site at present, while Ant-Man 3 is just a smidge higher at 46%.

It’s worth stressing, though, that the audience score is currently at a much more robust 87% , which suggests this is one of those movies that’s made for cinema-goers rather than critics. Unfortunately, it remains to be seen how many will actually be haunting multiplexes to watch it, as box office predictions suggest it’ll come away with a $39 million opening weekend — which is less than the COVID-impacted Afterlife, which opened to $44 million. Maybe next time Rudd should opt to wear something a bit warmer as the reception to Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has turned out to be much chillier than expected.

From its shocking twist at the end to its unforgettable performance from star Sydney Sweeney, Immaculate dives head-first into the obstacles presented to Sister Cecilia (Sweeney) at the hands of the near-perfect convent that she blindly devotes her faith to. However, things inevitably take a turn for the sinister worst, with Sister Cecilia soon uncovering a jaw-dropping “operation” chock-full of horrid secrets led by Father Sal Tedeschi. From there, Sister Cecilia will seemingly stop at nothing to prevent the convent from getting away with its traumatizing antics.

So as Immaculate continues to enact heaps of praise and acclaim — including a favorable 78 percent on Rotten Tomatoes — let’s dive in and explore how exactly the spine-tingling horror project concluded.

The ending of Immaculate, explained

Towards the beginning of the movie, Sister Cecilia discovers that she is pregnant, which is a shock given that she’s a virgin. Upon her realization, strange occurrences begin to happen to the young woman of faith — including vomiting up a tooth and witnessing other women in the convent get either their tongue cut out or jump to their death. Eventually, Sister Cecilia discovers a secretive laboratory in the basement of the convent, where Father Tedeschi reveals that he has obsessively been collecting DNA to create a “new” Jesus.

From there, the audience learns that Sister Cecilia likely got pregnant against her will due to the experimenting and specimens found in the lab. Realizing the truth, Sister Cecilia is worried that she will be executed and discarded once her baby is born — especially if the baby truly turns out to be another Jesus. The entire ordeal spooks Sister Cecilia, resulting in her burning down the lab, killing Father Tedeschi, and presumably “killing” the newborn “baby.”

 As she goes to crush the baby with a stone, the screen cuts to black, leaving an open interpretation of the movie’s actual ending. Before the screen cuts, however, the baby’s breathing is undoubtedly strange, hinting that perhaps Sister Cecilia gave birth to something other than a human.

While some film buffs have insisted that the horror film is nothing but that, others have interpreted the movie as a message of a woman’s autonomy and her own right to choose to have a baby or not. Either way, it’s a horror movie that you don’t want to miss.

When it comes to the colossal landscape of Hollywood, it’s certainly not uncommon for projects to be stuffed down the drain and forgotten about. And while one of the most recent throwaways would be DC’s Batgirl, the horror genre boasts a similar unreleased project — and that would be the Salem’s Lot remake.

After being announced in 2020, the Stephen King adaptation has since received a plethora of different release dates — all of which have been scrapped, and eventually led to the horror film being removed from the official Warner Bros. schedule. As a result, the horror community began to consistently worry about the future of the project and whether or not the Gary Dauberman vehicle would ever be released.

In the aftermath of the movie’s constant release date changes, the question still begs as to whether or not the horror genre has a chance of watching the horror extravaganza.

So, is the Salem’s Lot remake finally releasing? 

After years of taking up considerable space on the shelf and losing a broad amount of hype, yes, the Salem’s Lot remake is finally set to be released — and much to the sheer delight of horror fanatics around the world. As per Deadline, the much-anticipated remake is scheduled to be released on Max at some point later this year. Before the announcement, the horror film was originally scheduled to be released in theaters, but it’s obvious a fair amount of delays has changed the entire process.

And while this belatedly being released feels like a win for the genre, it not receiving a theatrical release is a disappointment for both fans and the studio, especially when you consider how successful both It remakes were. 

Even with the streaming release, however, it’s hard to deny just how excited the horror community truly is. This is especially true for Stephen King himself, who tweeted back in February about how he wasn’t completely sure as to why Warner Bros. was “holding it back” from being released to the public, insisting that the remake is “quite good.”

Regardless of the project receiving a streaming or theatrical release, it’s safe to say that we’re ready to watch the vampires in Maine crawl out of the woodwork.