Though its king is no longer with us, Wakanda lives on. Word has come that Black Panther director Ryan Coogler is developing a dramatic series set in Marvel’s fictional African country for Disney+. Deadline reports that the show is part of a newly signed five-year exclusive deal between Coogler’s Proximity Media and Disney. While the deal will find Proximity developing content beyond the Disney+ streaming service, the Wakanda project is up first. It also may not be the only Marvel Cinematic Universe series the production company will have a hand in, as Coogler said in a statement that “we will be working closely with [Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and their partners at Marvel Studios] on select MCU shows for Disney+. We’re already in the mix on some projects that we can’t ...
Disney+ is bringing the fantastical for February. The great Marvel mystery that is WandaVision will continue each Friday, delivering more sitcom subversions as the two titular heroes attempt to escape their own televised hell. Then again, who would want to leave the comforts of a ’70s living room. Speaking of classic television, the Mouse House is dusting off five seasons of The Muppet Show, as previously reported. Just make sure you bring champagne, roses, and a box of Godiva for Ms. Piggy, who tends to be particular about that stuff. Editors’ Picks Elsewhere, families can enjoy seeing Alyson Hannigan and Ben Schwartz pop up in the new superhero comedy Flora & Ulysses or revisit Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt in not one but two Cheaper by the Dozen films. Those are always a fun re...
Anticipating movies these days is a fool’s errand. Unless it’s guaranteed to be hitting a streaming platform, the release date of any film should have an asterisk appended to it. That’s not cynical, but the nature of covering this industry amidst the pandemic. So, you could imagine how fun this list was to put together. (Spoiler: It wasn’t.) Dragging over last year’s offerings to this one seems like an easy task, but the shift opens the door for so many questions, all of which boil down to: “What are the odds?” For many features — you know, like Ghostbusters: Afterlife, or No Time to Die, or Halloween Kills, or any film without a streaming opt-in — the release date is as certain as we are about anything right now in life. “We’ll see” is the name of the game. Having said that, a few studios...
Disney+ just aired the season finale of The Mandalorian’s second season, and what a finale it was. A big old dust-em-up with all manner of returning characters, some big, surprising (and not-so-surprising) cameos from old friends, and the bittersweet resolution of Din’s (Pedro Pascal) budding fatherdom with “the little green guy.” For all its revelations, though, Chapter 16, “The Rescue,” directed by Peyton Reed, highlights the light and dark sides of the show’s sophomore season: it’s got a clear sense of the sandbox it’s playing in, but can’t keep itself from using the same toys over and over again. Read on to learn more. As always, it goes without saying that there are some major, major spoilers ahead. You must be cautious. What’s the Plan for Getting Grogu Back? <img aria-d...
Sadly, the Lizzie McGuire reboot is no longer happening. On Wednesday, Hilary Duff shared a post to her Instagram in which she briefly explained that the Disney+ revival of her iconic series has been scrapped entirely. “I know the efforts and conversations have been everywhere trying to make a reboot work but, sadly and despite everyone’s best efforts, it isn’t going to happen,” Duff wrote in the post. Although she didn’t give a specific reason as to what ultimately killed the production, which was first announced in August 2019, Duff reiterated that she had hoped to take the Lizzie McGuire character — who was supposed to be 30 — in a more adult-friendly direction from the 13-year-old she played in the show’s original run from 2001-2004. Back in February, Duff publicly stated that she want...
Our Annual Report continues as we reveal the Top 25 Films of 2020. Stay tuned for more awards, lists, and articles in the days and weeks to come about the best music, film, and TV of the year. If you’ve missed any part of our Annual Report, you can check out all the coverage here. Going to the movies ain’t like it used to be, right? What an understatement. With theaters shuttered up and movie chains filing for bankruptcy, one might argue it’s been a pretty crap year for cinema. Financially speaking, they’re not wrong. But, art is a funny thing. It has a way of enduring even the most arduous obstacles — you know, that whole Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park, “life finds a way” bit — and this year was a testament to that truth. Art had no issue finding a proper stage. That stage, as fate...
After the absolute barrage of announcements that came out of Disney’s Investor Day yesterday, including the confirmation that 10(!) new Star Wars properties are coming out in the next few years (two Mandalorian spinoffs among them), it feels almost quaint to check back in with what The Mandalorian is up to this week. And yet, Chapter 15, “The Believer”, written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa, reminds us why Disney has so much confidence in Star Wars as a brand and a franchise. The penultimate episode of the season can often be a lighter, more disposable affair, setting up chess pieces for a climactic showdown in the finale. Sure, this week does that in spades, but also manages to weave that among a few clever cinematic homages, an incredible return appearance from Bill Burr, ...
If The Mandalorian Season 2 were a feature film, this week’s episode, “The Tragedy”, would set us firmly in the mid-point — that moment where all is lost, doom befalls our heroes, and the audience wonders how they’re going to get out of this particular pickle. It’s one of the shorter episodes in the season at 33 minutes, but a lot goes down in that jam-packed half hour: Boba Fett! Baby Yoda The Child Grogu gets Jedi-napped! Of course, all these developments are packed tightly into an action-heavy chapter courtesy of director Robert Rodriguez, filled with nail-biting developments, shocking twists, and more than a few Easter eggs (as per usual). So let’s strap on our jetpacks and dive in. Again, it goes without saying that there are some major, major spoilers ahead. You must b...
Disney+ is bringing some much-needed Soul to Christmas. Yes, on December 25th, the Mouse House is rolling out its would-be Pixar blockbuster on their streaming service. Unlike this past September’s release of Mulan, however, Soul will be completely free to subscribers. Consider it a gift from Mickey. Of course, that’s not the only present to unwrap this month. There’s also Jillian Bell’s new comedy Godmothered, the exhaustively titled High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special, and the remaining episodes of The Mandalorian Season 2. Editors’ Picks Elsewhere, nostalgics can enjoy watching Tom Hanks play Josh Baskin in Big, head to the clouds with Kurt Russell in Sky High, and pretend like they’re watching Max Keeble’s Big Move for the first time. Into the Woods is somewhere...
The gift of the Thanksgiving gods smiles upon us this day, as we awaken from our turkey-and-stuffing-induced comas, slide over to Disney+, and find another episode of The Mandalorian awaiting us, “The Jedi”. Finally, after half a season of standalone adventures, we finally make some progress in Din Djarin’s (Pedro Pascal) mission to bring Baby Yoda back to his people, the Jedi. Along the way, we meet yet another old friend from the animated shows, an even older friend from ’80s genre classics, and learn perhaps a bit too much about Mando’s adorable young charge. Let’s go over everything we learned, and a few things non-animated show watchers might not know about this week’s special guest. Of course, it goes without saying that there are some major, major spoilers ahead. You must be ca...