It’s showtime! On Max. Or, it will be soon. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to director Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Beetlejuice (watch it HERE) and a project that was originally expected to receive a straight-to-streaming release, reached theatres back in September (you can read our review at THIS LINK), and it managed to rack up over $450 million at the global box office. PVOD and physical media releases followed, and now Deadline has confirmed that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will be streaming on the Max service as of December 6th. It will then debut on HBO linear on Saturday, December 7 at 6:10 p.m. ET.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was in development hell for decades before it finally got made. In 1990, Jonathan Gems was hired to write a sequel that was going to be titled Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. Burton considered having Daniel Waters rewrite that script, Pamela Norris did rewrite it, and Warner Bros. offered Kevin Smith the chance to do another rewrite. He turned it down. Seth Grahame-Smith was hired to write and produce a new version of a sequel in 2011. Mike Vukadinovich was brought on to rewrite his script in 2017.
Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, co-creators and co-showrunners of Wednesday, wrote the screenplay for Beetlejuice 2 that was actually filmed. Brad Pitt’s Plan B is producing the sequel, which filmed in London before moving to Vermont and Massachusetts.
Here’s the official synopsis: Beetlejuice is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.
Michael Keaton is back as Beetlejuice and is joined in the cast by Winona Ryder, reprising the role of Lydia Deetz (now the host of a TV series called Ghost House with Lydia Deetz); Catherine O’Hara, back as Lydia’s stepmother Delia; Jenna Ortega as Lydia’s daughter Astrid, Justin Theroux as Lydia’s boyfriend Rory, Monica Bellucci as Beetlejuice’s ex-wife, and Willem Dafoe as a law enforcement officer in the afterlife. Arthur Conti is also in there, as a character named Jeremy Frazier.
Will you be streaming Beetlejuice Beetlejuice on Max? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
God, seriously, calm down. It’s OK. Listen to me: it’s ooooooh-kayyyyyy. Shhhhhhh. After the recent absolute horror of learning that Breath of the Wild does not exist on the official timeline of Zelda games, we can all rest easy in the knowledge that Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has been given its place in the holy records.
God, seriously, calm down. It’s OK. Listen to me: it’s ooooooh-kayyyyyy. Shhhhhhh. After the recent absolute horror of learning that Breath of the Wild does not exist on the official timeline of Zelda games, we can all rest easy in the knowledge that Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has been given its place in the holy records.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, a Disney+ series that is said to have drawn inspiration from ‘80s coming-of-age favorites, particularly those produced by Steven Spielberg and his Amblin company, had been aiming for a premiere date of December 3rd – but now, Disney+ has announced that they’re going to be sending the Skeleton Crew out into the world a day early! The first two episodes of the show have been re-scheduled to premiere on Monday, December 2nd, at 6:00 p.m. PST, exclusively on Disney+. Subsequent episodes will continue to stream on Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. PST for the remainder of the season. The streamer also unveiled a new poster for the series, and you can check that out at the bottom of this article.
Here’s the official synopsis for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew: When four kids make a mysterious discovery on their seemingly safe home planet, they get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy. Finding their way home, meeting unlikely allies and enemies will be a greater adventure than they ever imagined.
The series stars Jude Law as Jod Na Nawood, a human Jedi who helps the kids (Wim, KB, Neel, and Fern) navigate a complicated world during destructive times. Joining Law for the adventure are Ravi Cabot-Conyers (Wim), Kyriana Kratter (KB), Robert Timothy Smith (Neel), and Ryan Kiera Armstrong (Fern). Tunde Adebimpe, Kerry Condon, Nick Frost, Marti Matulis, Jaleel White, Fred Tatasciore, Mike Estes, and Dale Soules are also in the cast.
Created by Jon Watts, the director of the Tom Holland Spider-Man trilogy, and Watts’ frequent collaborator Christopher Ford, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is being executive produced by Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy, and Colin Wilson. Watts and Ford also serve as executive producers, and are the showrunners. The series is produced by Susan McNamara and John Bartnicki.
Watts directed the first and last episodes of the season, with other episodes being directed by David Lowery, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Jake Schreier, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Lee Isaac Chung.
Are you looking forward to Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and are you glad to hear that the premiere date is one day earlier than previously announced? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
With Rusthaving its premiere just last week and its eventual release coming soon enough, many will see the movie for its tragic link to the accidental death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. And while many of us won’t be able to separate the film from Hutchins, one person who won’t even try is star Alec Baldwin, who says he has no plans to see Rust just yet.
Speaking with Variety, Alec Baldwin got candid about Rust and the tragedy of Hutchins’ 2021 death, caused by a discharged round from a prop gun that Baldwin himself had fired. As for his intentions on seeing the final cut – after having seen a rough cut – he said, “Right now, no. Only because this is obviously the most difficult thing I’ve ever dealt with in my life. Beyond the victims themselves, the thing that most pains me is what it did to my wife…We are trying to get the wind in our sails, to get away from this stuff. Because the film doesn’t stand by itself. It’s always going to be overshadowed by this.”
Rust being overshadowed by Hutchins’ death is inevitable, especially as the film likely would have flown much farther under the radar without that happening. Even still – and whether he decides to watch the released version of Rust – Alec Baldwin does want the film out there, cautious to note that it has nothing to do with financial reasons. “I hope the film is released, that it comes out. That it makes its money back for its investors. You never want these people who believed in your project to be left high and dry. And I hope the movie is sold, and that he [Matt Hutchins, Halyna’s husband] gets his money. We all made a deal with him and we all want to follow through. But this idea that people — who shall remain nameless — say, ‘You are profiting from this!’ That is absolutely wrong.”
Any promotion Alec Baldwin does for Rust will see him being hit with question after question about Hutchins’ death. It’s a tough situation for anyone to be in, but it’s nearly impossible to sidestep without sounding callous, especially if you’re as blunt as Baldwin tends to be.
Will you be seeing Rust when it’s eventually released?
Plot: When a plague of unprecedented virulence sweeps the globe, the human race is all but wiped out. In the aftermath, as the great machine of civilization slowly and inexorably breaks down, only a few shattered survivors remain to struggle against the slide into extinction. The series is based on George R. Stewart’s classic sci-fi novel of the same name.
Review: Most post-apocalyptic stories tend to skew towards horrific and dystopian narratives. From The Walking Dead to Mad Max, the future usually looks pretty grim after the fall of civilization. Zombies, plagues, aliens, or even nuclear war have served to pave the way for cautionary tales brimming with violence through a microcosm of society seen through the survivors. Post-COVID, these stories have continued to thrive even as we have experienced a real pandemic. Still, it has also afforded refreshed opportunities to tell hopeful and aspirational tales of the world to come. With climate change and political strife rampant in the news, Earth Abides offers a unique view of what a rebuilt world could look like after the end. Even though it still has conflict, this series takes a different approach to envisioning the future.
Based on the novel of the same name, Earth Abides is distinct compared to similar tales, including The Stand, The Last of Us,Station Eleven, and countless other films and television series about pathogens that take out most of mankind. While it does open with a look at how the world falls, Earth Abides spans decades in showing how humanity comes back together to repopulate the world. In the opening episode of the six-episode series, Alexander Ludwig plays Isherwood “Ish” Williams, a graduate student studying in a remote cabin. Bitten by a rattlesnake, Ish barely survives the venom before awakening a week later to find an unknown virus ravaging the world. As Ish explores the desolate landscape of urban and suburban San Francisco to Las Vegas, he loses hope in the face of the emptiness around him. As time passes, Ish comes across Emma (Jessica Frances Drake). The pair then discover more survivors and begin to form a new community.
As I watched Earth Abides, I waited with each character’s introduction to see if the ensemble members would align in factions with an apparent villain rising to oppose Ish. Alexander Ludwig, who has had prominent roles in The Hunger Games and Bad Boys film franchises, cuts a physically imposing presence as Ish but does not play him in that way. Ish wants to rebuild society using books, science, and the achievements of the past. Still, as the series progresses,, he is confronted with the idea that the evils of society and civilization may have contributed to its downfall. There are conflicts that arise amongst the members of the small community that Ish and Emma are a part of as the various people contend with medicine versus faith, law versus order, and every other potential topic of discussion. Each cast member represents a different voice of what society is made up of including Charlie (Aaron Tveit), a stranger who comes across the small tribe halfway through the series.
I kept expecting there to be a more substantial rift between the survivors as they try to reforge society. Still, Earth Abides is more philosophical in its approach to viewing the rebuilding of civilization. One of the biggest themes that pervades the series is the idea that humanity is a disease on the planet and cleansing our species is in the best interest of nature. Humanity persevering through such a viral blight is not played as a topic for war or brutal battles like I kept waiting, but more of an opportunity for the characters to weigh the importance of not repeating the same mistakes that doomed our ancestors. That approach sometimes drags the pacing of Earth Abides, making the six-episode series feel twice as long. The lack of any supernatural or genre conventions does help the characters feel more grounded, but it also dilutes any momentum being built. Instead, Earth Abides feels like it is always on the cusp of doing something exciting and then opting not to.
One of the most interesting things about Earth Abides is the novel on which it is based. Originally published in 1949, author George R. Stewart was decades ahead of other science-fiction writers. Closer to the novels of William Faulkner and Ayn Rand, Earth Abides chronicles multiple decades in Ish’s life, from the end of society to his elder years as a father and grandfather. The series closely follows the source material, expanding some elements and condensing others. Showrunner Todd Komarnicki is faithful to the themes and prescient message of Stewart’s original book but connects it to modern culture and societal norms. Directors Bronwen Hughes, Stephen S. Campanelli, and Rachel Leiterman do solid work in realizing the elements of cities and technology ravaged by a lack of use, giving the series a tangible quality. Still, Komarnicki and his writing team struggle to elevate some of the more mundane challenges the community of survivors faces into tension worth watching.
Earth Abides boasts solid production values and a cast of relative newcomers anchored by solid performances from Alexander Ludwig and Jessica Frances Drake, with an impressive supporting role from Aaron Tveit. As much as the messages and themes of the series are important and timely, there is not enough momentum in this series to muster enough interest for a full season commitment, even if the series only lasts for six chapters. I liked many elements in the series, but it struggled to keep my interest as many of the conflicts feel underwhelming compared to what we have seen in similar films and shows. This may be an example of source material that was ahead of its time getting adapted well past being outshined by more exciting projects. Earth Abides has an important message that is worth hearing, but this series squanders its potential.
Twenty years after the release of Dumb and Dumber, the Farrelly brothers reunited with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels for Dumb and Dumber To. Although the sequel received negative reviews, it did gross $169.8 million. It’s now the 30th anniversary of Dumb and Dumber, and the Farrelly brothers told Variety that they’re down to do another sequel if they can get the gang back together.
“I still take notes whenever I hear something that I think would be a good ‘Dumb and Dumber’ joke,” Peter said. “I keep a list because I could easily see us doing another ‘Dumb and Dumber’ someday.”
Bobby added, “We did it on the 20th anniversary, and right now we’re at the 30th anniversary. So in 10 years… Those guys are so much fun to work with. If we’re all still kicking around, I’d love to do that.” In a post-credit scene, Dumb and Dumber To teased that Dumb and Dumber For would be coming to theaters in 2034. Just imagine that.
The Farrelly brothers have reunited for Dear Santa, a Christmas comedy about a young boy who sends a letter to Santa Claus but misspells the name and addresses his annual note to Satan instead. The letter catches the attention of Satan (Jack Black), who comes to Earth to bring a little demonic cheer to the holiday season. Bobby Farrelly directed the film, with Peter Farrelly and Ricky Blitt penning the script.
Bobby Farrelly said Jack Black was always the first choice to play Satan/Santa. “Jack is just that guy that with his arching eyebrows and his faces and all that, there’s a little bit of mischievous to him at all times, but he’s eminently likable, and that’s just Jack,” Bobby explained. “We never wanted to make it a horror movie or something like that. We wanted it to be comical. So it was a delicate ball of playing this iconic character but doing it in a way that the audience can have some fun with it. And Jack was the perfect guy.” Dear Santa is now streaming on Paramount+.
Would you like to see another Dumb and Dumber sequel?
Should audiences be allowed to sing along to musicals in theaters? Moana 2 star Dwayne Johnson certainly thinks so. While speaking to the BBC during the red-carpet premiere of the Disney sequel, Johson encouraged audiences to sing along if they wanted to. “You’ve paid your hard-earned money for a ticket, and you’ve gone into a musical, and you’re into it. Sing,” he said. “Especially if you love music, that’s the fun part.“
With the recent release of Wicked, there’s been a debate on social media about whether people should sing along to musicals in theatres. AMC made it clear that they won’t allow singing during their screenings. “To our guests seeing Wicked, we ask that you allow everyone to enjoy the cinema experience,” read an AMC sign. “Please refrain from singing during the show.” Screenings even include a Wicked-themed ad which says, “At AMC Theaters, silence is golden. No talking. No texting. No singing. No wailing. No flirting. And absolutely no name-calling. Enjoy the magic of movies.” While there are many who agree that audiences should refrain from singing, others believe they should be able to sing along after paying for their ticket. I should note that a special sing-along version of Wicked will premiere on December 25th.
While I can understand the desire to sing along to a favourite musical in theaters, the audience is paying to listen to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, not someone else’s off-key rendition as they shove popcorn in their mouths. “We understand it if you [sing],” Grande said in an interview. “We respect the feelings… but if someone throws popcorn at you, their phone or something, maybe stop.“
Unlike Wicked (which has been a huge success on Broadway for twenty years), audiences aren’t yet familiar with the songs of Moana 2, so I can’t imagine there will be many singing along… yet. The official synopsis reads: “Moana and Maui three years later for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.” Johnson reprises his role of Maui alongside Auliʻi Cravalho as Moana. The sequel will hit theaters on November 27th.
Do you think audiences should be allowed to sing along in theaters?
Christopher Nolan has been assembling quite the all-star cast for his latest mystery movie, and Charlize Theron is the latest member to sign on. Come on, Nolan. You’re just getting greedy.
The film is already set to star Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, and Zendaya. Production is expected to kick off in early 2025, with Universal already slating the film for an IMAX release on July 17, 2026. In addition to directing and writing the film, Nolan will also produce with Emma Thomas under their Syncopy banner. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but there have been plenty of rumours swirling around, ranging from a period vampire thriller to a helicopter action thriller, but insiders say “nothing has come close to nailing Nolan’s real idea.“
Nolan’s new movie will almost certainly be a big production, as the director has previously stated that he has no intention of returning to small-scale movies, not while studios will still give him whatever he wants. “I’m drawn to working at a large scale because I know how fragile the opportunity to marshal those resources is,” Nolan said. “I know that there are so many filmmakers out there in the world who would give their eye teeth to have the resources I put together, and I feel I have the responsibility to use them in the most productive and interesting way.“
Theron has several upcoming projects on her slate, including The Old Guard 2. The sequel has experienced a few bumps on the road. Production was temporarily shut down due to the set catching fire, and post-production was shut down for several weeks due to a regime change at Netflix. Last we heard, everything was back on track, and the movie would be released “soon.”
She’s also set to star in Apex, a genre movie that has been described as “Free Solo meets Silence of the Lambs.” Theron will play “a rock climber and adrenaline junkie who finds out that nature isn’t the only dangerous element out to get her when she sets out on an expedition in the wild.” Taron Egerton recently joined the cast as a psychopath who will be stalking Theron’s character.
With the exception of the Venom trilogy, Sony Pictures hasn’t had the best of luck with their Marvel movies. Will Kraven the Hunter be able to turn the tide? I honestly don’t know, but the film is reportedly set to break a record for Sony’s Marvel franchise nonetheless. According to the BBFC, Kraven the Hunter will have a runtime of 127 minutes.
This runtime would make Kraven the Hunter the longest film of the franchise, beating out Madame Web, which ran 116 minutes. Per the official synopsis, Kraven the Hunter is “the action-packed, R-rated, standalone story of how one of Marvel’s most iconic villains came to be. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Kraven, a man whose complex relationship with his ruthless gangster father, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe), starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.” In addition to Taylor-Johnson and Crowe, Kraven the Hunter stars Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, and Christopher Abbott.
Now that the Venom franchise has wrapped up with Venom: The Last Dance, Sony really needs one of their Marvel movies to become a success. Kraven the Hunter director J.C. Chandor was recently asked if he was worried if the bad reputation of the franchise would impact his film. “I don’t want to get too into the nitty gritty of it, but here’s what I would say: for me as a filmmaker, my number one goal, especially, quite frankly, over the last couple of years where you guys are deep in this world … some of the fans out there, a lot of the fans, were upset with certain decisions and certain outcomes [of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe],” Chandor said. “Then with other films, they’ve gone on to be tremendous successes. So there’s been there’s been a mixed success rate. People have got to give us a chance and come out and support this film, and literally try to wash away some of the other stuff that’s happened. Give our film a chance.“
Kraven the Hunter will be released on December 13th.
