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Warning: Contains Spoilers for Fantastic Four: First Steps #1!

As The Fantastic Four head to the MCU in their upcoming blockbuster film, The Thing is begrudgingly bringing along his iconic catchphrase, and a prequel comic is revealing just how the line came to be in the cinematic universe. The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ latest trailerteases Ben Grimm’s frustration with his catchphrase, but he apparently has himself to blame.

Fantastic Four: First Steps #1, written by Matt Fraction with art by Mark Buckingham, gives readers a glimpse at the MCU team’s new origin before their official cinematic debut later this month.

As The Fantastic Four assemble to fight Giganto, The Thing uses his famous catchphrase, “It’s Clobberin’ Time!”, for the very first time in this universe. However, it’s a line he’ll seemingly come to regret.

Marvel’s New Prequel Comic Shows Readers The MCU’s Very First...

Every remake or reboot gives creators a golden chance to fix the mistakes of the past. And HBO’s Harry Potter reboot seems to be doing just that! While fans are busy debating Paapa Essiedu’s controversial casting as Severus Snape, no one’s noticing the genius move the show quietly made—the Dursleys!

In the original films, the Dursleys looked way older than the spiteful, young couple described in the books. But HBO’s version finally gets it right with Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby as Petunia and Vernon. By casting younger actors, the show promises a fresh, more accurate take on Harry’s cruel Muggle relatives. Let’s see how this small change can fix things.

HBO’s Harry Potter reboot is visually aligning the Dursleys with the book’s timeline

In the original Harry Potter films, the Dursleys came across as cranky older figures who seemed stuck in their ways.

The upcoming Harry Potter TV show is getting closer. After the announcement of a series of cast members for the upcoming HBO Max show, the series has just received feedback from author J.K. Rowling.

Although Rowling's views on the transgender community have caused her backlash in the last few years, the author will be involved in the new version of Harry Potter. After reacting to the casting of the new Golden Trio, the author had praise for the show as a whole. On June 22, the author wrote on X that she had read the first two episodes and shared her opinion on them.

I read the first two episodes of the forthcoming HBO Harry Potter series and they are So, So, So Good!— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 21, 2025

"I read the first two episodes of the forthcoming HBO Harry Potter series and they are So, So, So Good!" Rowling said in her post,...

Nearly 15 years after the conclusion of the "Harry Potter" film franchise, and almost 20 years since the release of J.K. Rowling's final novel, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," Warner Bros. is teaming up with HBO to produce an all-new TV series based on the beloved books. We've already met many members of the cast, and while details remain scarce, it's safe to assume the show will stick more closely to the source material, perhaps even expanding on moments the films had to omit.

Yes, the movies are genuine classics -- well, most of them, anyway -- and the various directors and writers did their best to adapt Rowling's massive texts into feature-length films suitable for general audiences. But that meant many important characters and plot threads were either glossed over or cut entirely.

With 8–10 hours at their disposal per season, the "Harry Potter" TV series showrunners should have more...

After the jaw-droppingly perfect Harry Potter film franchise transported us to the magical land of Hogwarts, none of us thought we needed a rebooted series surrounding J.K. Rowling’s novels. But then HBO took up the responsibility to bring the Wizarding World back to life, and now we cannot help but talk about it.

Today, let’s dive into the bold choices and brand new faces hired by HBO, for this upcoming reboot. From the Golden Trio to the quirky Hogwarts staff, this new lineup is turning heads faster than a Quidditch snitch. So, whether you’re a Gryffindor loyalist or secretly rooting for the Slytherins, let’s meet the 18 new generations of cast hired for the iconic roles.

The brand new Golden Trio Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin, and Alastair Stout for the Harry Potter reboot | image: Instagram/@hbo

We all grew up watching Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint...

HBO's Harry Potterreboot series is set to enter production this summer at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Hertfordshire, UK, and ahead of filming starting up, work is underway on building some important spots for the young witches and wizards to navigate. New photos from the set of the much-buzzed-about adaptation have made their way online, showing the construction of iconic locations such as Platform 9 ¾ and what looks to be Diagon Alley (the place for all your bits and bobs for doing your wizardry).

The images, which arrive courtesy of UnBoxPHD on X/Twitter (seen below), offer a first glimpse of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, or simply Platform 9 ¾, where Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger famously boarded the Hogwarts Express to travel to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The building work reveals a tall structure with a pointed roof, high above the railway track and platform where passengers will congregate.

Los Dursley, Molly Weasley y otros personajes ya tienen nuevos actores. © Warner Bros

HBO ha anunciado nuevos fichajes para su serie original de Harry Potter, que promete ser una adaptación fiel de los libros de J.K. Rowling. Entre los actores recientemente confirmados están Lox Pratt como Draco Malfoy, Johnny Flynn (Emma) como su padre Lucius Malfoy, Katherine Parkinson (Radio encubierta) como Molly Weasley, la madre de Ron, Leo Earley como Seamus Finnigan, el estudiante de Gryffindor conocido por sus experimentos fallidos con magia, Alessia Leoni como Parvati Patil, alumna de Gryffindor y compañera de Hermione, Sienna Moosah como Lavender Brown, también alumna de Gryffindor, Bel Powley (Turn Me On) como Petunia Dursley, la tía de Harry, Daniel Rigby (Flowers) como Vernon Dursley, el tío de Harry, y Bertie Carvel (The Crown) como Cornelius Fudge, el ministro de magia.

En consonancia con el compromiso de la serie de que sus personajes...

Accio Harry Potter news! As pre-production ramps up on HBO's ambitious, decade-spanning Harry Potter series ahead of a planned summer shoot, casting announcements on the show have been coming faster than a speeding Knight Bus. And now, following last month's reveal of the newcomers who'll be playing Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the reboot, last night brought with it a whopping nine new additions to the role call — including Johnny Flynn (Emma) as Lucius Malfoy, Katherine Parkinson (The Boat That Rocked) as Molly Weasley, and Bel Powley (The King Of Staten Island) as Petunia Dursley.

Per Warner Bros.' official press release, Flynn, Parkinson, and Powley will be joined by Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley, Bertie Carvel as Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, and — bolstering the screen newcomer ranks (and Hogwarts' register) — Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, and Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown.

Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Pottermovie series, reacts to HBO's recent casting news for the upcoming TV adaptation. Earlier today, it was announced that Johnny Flynn has been cast to play Lucius while Lox Pratt will play Draco in HBO's Harry Potter show. Meanwhile, Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby have been cast as Petunia and Vernon Dursley, and Katherine Parkinson will play Ron's mother, Molly Weasley.

In light of the news, Isaacs has shared a positive video on Instagram about Flynn's casting. He praised the actor's work as "brilliant," expressed that he is "thrilled" to pass the torch to Flynn, a "monstrously talented renaissance man" he has had the pleasure of working with on the 2021 war movie Operation Mincemeat. Isaacs concluded the video with a short message to the actor. Check out his reaction below:

I just heard that the great Johnny Flynn with be...

The Harry Potter reboot is finally handing out its Hogwarts letters, and the Dursleys just cut. While fans are still split on whether this fresh take is even necessary, one casting choice is turning heads for all the right reasons. The new Petunia Dursley isn’t just another cold aunt with a stiff upper lip, she’s got a serious TV track record that promises a whole new flavor of spite.

With the Dursleys officially back on Privet Drive and a powerhouse actress stepping into Petunia’s heels, it’s safe to say the wizarding world’s most bitter Muggle just got a major upgrade.

Harry Potter reboot finds its Dursleys, and they mean business Bel Powley in a still from The Morning Show | Credits: Apple TV

The Harry Potter TV reboot just found its favorite miserable muggles. Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby are officially stepping into the shoes (and...

The Harry Potter TV series continues to conjure excitement as HBO’s new cast takes shape — and one iconic member of the original films has just passed the wand in the most charming way possible. Earlier today, Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed a fresh batch of cast members for the upcoming adaptation, including Johnny Flynn as the elegantly villainous Lucius Malfoy.

That news lit up social media faster than a Lumos spell, and among those reacting was none other than Jason Isaacs, who originated the role of Lucius in the film series. Rather than clutch his snake-headed cane in protest, Isaacs gave Flynn his blessing — even if he confessed to being irritated by just how good Flynn is. Posting to X, Isaacs retweeted the casting announcement and wrote:

“A fantastic actor, a lovely man and, irritatingly, a rather brilliant musician too. Couldn’t have handed the snake-topped baton on to anyone better.

Things are moving quickly on the new Harry Potter series in the works at HBO Max, and one of the show’s biggest stars has finally addressed a part of the series drenched in controversy. Nick Frost was cast to play Hagrid in the upcoming Harry Potter show, a role which previously belonged to Robbie Coltrane and briefly Martin Bayfield. The creator of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, has been a vocal supporter of anti-trans propaganda and movements, even donating upwards of 70,000 euros to For Women Scotland, a group which is in the midst of a legal battle with the UK’s Supreme Court over whether biologically born males can legally become female.

Frost announced the Hagrid casting on his official Instagram in April, and he ultimately decided to disable comments after facing backlash from trans-rights supporters for collaborating with Rowling, who is an EP on the new series. Frost is a supporter of trans rights,...

A handful of major roles for HBO's "Harry Potter" TV show have been cast, and when it comes to the adult actors, they all have one big thing in common: They're significantly younger than the actors who originated their roles in the "Harry Potter" film series.

According to a press release directly from Warner Bros. and HBO, nine actors have been added to the cast, which includes the main trio and a bunch of professors at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Albus Dumbledore included). Katherine Parkinson, known for small screen projects like "Humans" and "The It Crowd," will portray Molly Weasley, the matriarch of the Weasley family played by Julie Walters in the films and mother of Ron (Alastair Stout is set to star as Ron). Nobody has picked up the mantle of the late Helen McCrory as Narcissa Malfoy as of this writing, but her son Draco, originally played by Tom Felton,...

Bel Powley is the latest amongst a line of actors added to the cast of the highly anticipated ‘Harry Potter’ series.

Powley and Daniel Rigby will star as the elder Dursleys in the upcoming small-screen adaptation of the J.K. Rowling book series. Yet to be cast is their son, Dudley. Petunia was the sister of Harry’s mother, Lily. The Dursleys grudgingly take Harry in after his parents’ death, forcing him to live in a cupboard under the stairs and essentially treating him like a servant rather than their nephew. The pair were originally played by Fiona Shaw and Richard Griffiths in the film franchise.

Also added to the show’s cast are Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy and Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, and Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge.

The Harry Potter HBO series has taken another step forwards with a slew of cast additions.

Lox Pratt is slated to play Draco Malfoy, with Johnny Flynn as his father Lucius Malfoy. In more family castings, Bel Powley is set as Petunia Dursley and Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley, Harry’s aunt and uncle. Additionally, Katherine Parkinson will play Ron’s mom, Molly Weasley.

Cast as Hogwarts students are Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, and Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown.

They are among nine new cast members unveiled by HBO today alongside Bertie Carvel who, as Deadline revealed exclusively yesterday, will be playing minister of magic Cornelius Fudge.

The nine, which are believed to be recurring, join previously announced big hitters, adult leads John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.

This...

The “Harry Potter” HBO TV series adaptation is rounding out its cast with seven new additions.

The following actors have been added to the show’s cast: Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy and Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, and Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge. Variety exclusively reported that Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby will play Petunia and Vernon Dursley.

As previously announced, Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry, Arabella Stanton is Hermione, and Alastair Stout is Ron. Other cast members include: John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell, and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch.

The show is expected to begin production in the U.K. over the summer.

HBO is describing the show...

Another spell has been cast, and the ever-growing cast of HBO's Harry Potter series just got a little more magical with the following casting announcements. This morning, it was announced that Johnny Flynnwill join the series as Lucius Malfoy, alongside Lox Pratt, who will play his son, Draco Malfoy. Seven more actors were confirmed today: Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley; Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby as Harry's aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley; Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge; and Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, and Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown.

While details about their version of the characters are still being kept under wraps, we can expect that it'll be a faithful but fresh take on the characters. One of the benefits of the books being adapted for television is that fans can expect the series to dive deeper into the nuances of each role,...

The most disliked adoptive parents in young adult fiction have just been cast, as HBO's Harry Potter reboot series has found its Dursleys. The cast list for the new reboot series is growing larger with each passing month. Fans already know who will play the core faculty at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and, most recently, the iconic trio, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, were also cast. Before Harry was enrolled at Hogwarts, he had to be rescued from his wicked relatives, and we finally know who will bring the despised Dursley family to life in the show.

Variety reports that HBO has cast Vernon and Petunia Dursley, the uncle and aunt of Harry Potter, who take him in after his parents are killed by Voldemort. Joining the already impressive cast of the show are Bel Powley as Petunia and Daniel Rigby as Vernon. Powley is best...

HBO has officially cast Master of the Air and Black Mirror stars to play Petunia and Vernon Dursley in the upcoming Harry Potter TV show. Petunia, previously played by Fiona Shaw, is Harry's maternal aunt and the older sister of Lily Potter. She and her husband, Vernon, played by the late Richard Griffiths in the Harry Potter movies, reluctantly took Harry in as a baby and kept his status as a wizard a dark secret. These characters should have especially prominent roles in the first season of the Harry Potter remake, making their casting all the more critical.

According to Variety, Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby have been officially cast to play Petunia and Vernon Dursley in HBO's Harry Potter. Powley is credited in TV shows like Masters of the Air (2024) and The Morning Show (2021), in addition to her film credits in The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015), White Boy Rick...

Harry Potter's uncle and aunt have been cast. HBO's upcoming series adaptation of J.K. Rowling's fan-favorite book series has found its elder Dursleys, and their casting should excite longtime fans of the franchise.

Per Variety, Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby have been added to the ensemble cast of Harry Potter as Petunia and Vernon Dursley, the maternal aunt and uncle of Harry, respectively. An actor for their son, Dudley, has not yet been cast. At ages 33 and 42, Powley and Rigby are far closer in age to the Dursleys in Rowling's novels than their respective movie actor counterparts, Fiona Shaw and Richard Griffiths, who were 43 and 54 at the time the first movie was released. HBO has repeatedly described the upcoming show as a "faithful adaptation" of the source material, and this casting proves that the new Harry Potter will be paying more attention to how young or old certain characters were in the novels.

The “Harry Potter” TV series at HBO has found its Petunia and Vernon Dursley.

Variety has learned exclusively that Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby will star as the elder Dursleys in the upcoming small screen adaptation of the J.K. Rowling book series. Yet to be cast is their son, Dudley.

Fans of the books will recall that Petunia was the sister of Harry’s mother, Lily. The Dursleys grudgingly take Harry in after his parents’ death, forcing him to live in a cupboard under the stairs and essentially treating him like a servant rather than their nephew. Petunia and Vernon were played by Fiona Shaw and Richard Griffiths in the “Harry Potter” film franchise.

As previously announced, Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry, Arabella Stanton is Hermione, and Alastair Stout is Ron. Other cast members include: John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape,...

HBO’s Harry Potter series has cast its Golden Trio and Snape, along with a slew of other characters. However, it seems that Tom Felton is also returning to reprise his iconic role- but this time, it’s on the stage instead of the silver screen.

Draco Malfoy will be played by Tom Felton in the Broadway run of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, where the actor will be portraying an older version of the role that he played in the Warner Bros. films from 2001 to 2011.

Tom Felton finds it ‘surreal’ to play Draco Malfoy once again Tom Felton in The Flash || Credit: The CW

As reported by the BBC, Felton revealed how it felt stepping back into the role of Draco Malfoy, albeit in a very different medium. The story of The Cursed Child takes place right when the epilogue of Harry Potter began, on Platform 9 3/4. The epilogue...

HBO Max has finally announced when The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie will be available for streaming on their catalog. Audiences will be able to enjoy the animated project in the comfort of their homes on June 27. The film placed Porky Pig and Daffy Duck (both characters voiced by Eric Bauza) in the middle of a dangerous adventure, after the protagonists have spent decades entertaining multiple generations through their appearances in the Looney Tunesfranchise. The latest effort from Warner Bros. animation was recently seen on the big screen, but the title's box office performance left much to be desired.

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie follows Porky and Daffy as they are forced to find money in order to repair their house after a devastating alien attack. The characters have been friends since they were children, with a farmer kindly taking on...

We're getting our first look at the new "Harry Potter" series already, thanks to a shot of what appears to be the set for 4 Privet Drive.

During his summers away from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the titular Harry Potter — who was played by Daniel Radcliffe in the original film franchise and, as of this writing, will be played by a young unknown in the TV show — is forced to spend time with his non-magical Muggle relatives, the Dursleys. Not only are the Dursleys really mean to Harry, but Privet Drive, in the fictional town of Little Whinging, just seems like an unpleasant place to spend time. Based on social media posts, it looks like the Privet Drive set — meaning, the "entire" street — is being built right now.

There are some specific reasons why this is notable. First of all, we know some of the cast of HBO's forthcoming "Harry Potter" series,...

While Harry Potter may have defeated Voldemort, aced his O.W.L.s, and saved the Wizarding World as the Chosen One, there’s one thing he just couldn’t conquer: Ginny Weasley’s lips. Yup, you heard that right! Bonnie Wright, who played Ginny and literally married Harry in the movies, once called Daniel Radcliffe a terrible kisser.

Now, to make it even spicier, Cho Chang actress Katie Leung and Hermione Granger star Emma Watson had nothing but praise for Daniel Radcliffe’s smooching skills. So, it seems that according to Bonnie Wright’s standards, poor Harry was too busy dodging Death Eaters to brush up on his kissing charms.

Daniel Radcliffe couldn’t match up to Bonnie Wright’s kissing expectations

Harry might have married Ginny and had three kids, but Daniel Radcliffe struggled mightly in living up to his onscreen wife, Bonnie Wright’s expectations. After all,...

Choosing the right Vanguard in Marvel Rivals can make the difference between victory and watching your team get steamrolled.

These frontline heroes absorb damage while creating opportunities for their more fragile teammates, but not all tanks are created equal in this superhero showdown.

Vibranium isn’t really indestructible in this game. | Image Credit: NetEase Games

With each Vanguard offering unique playstyles and strategic advantages, let’s break down which heroes truly deserve their spot in the spotlight.

Best tank heroes in Marvel Rivals

Before diving into our rankings, remember that any Vanguard can shine with sufficient mastery. You’ll find players dominating with every tank on this list in Marvel Rivals‘ One Above All leaderboards. That said, some simply bring more to the table in terms of versatility, survivability, and team utility:

9. Captain America Image Credit: NetEase Games

Cap embodies the “I can do this all day” philosophy, thriving in coordinated dive compositions.

Muggles might not be the main focus of the Harry Potterseries, but the characters often affect the plot, change the ways of the Wizarding World, and become targets for dark wizards. While Muggles don't have magic, they often find other impressive ways to protect their friends or to fight wizards. In fact, they are so ingenious that wizards and witches are terribly afraid of them, even hiding their society.

There are evil people in both the Wizarding World and the Muggle World, but there are also heroes on both sides. It's up to each Muggle, or No-Maj as they call them in the United States, to choose how they will use their particular power. Harry suffered at the hands of the Dursley family, but other Muggles have been the heroes of their stories.

Robert McGonagall Raised the Likes of Minerva McGonagall Reverend Robert McGonagall Was a Presbyterian Minister Who Married...

It's been a rough time being a Looney Tunes fan lately. Warner Brothers just took the classic cartoons off Max and, up until this week, the famous studio wasn't going to release their completed live-action/animated hybrid adventure Coyote vs. Acme. In an unprecdented move, that film is currently in talks to be saved by Ketchup Entertainment. This is the same company that recently released The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie. Now, to celebrate this recent Looney Tunes development, you can pre-order The Day the Earth Blew Up on Blu-ray.

The Blu-ray edition of The Day the Earth Blew Up is currently up for pre-order on Amazon for $26.98 Usd. There's no official cover art for the release yet, simply a placeholder image featuring the film's main poster. This has Daffy Duck and Porky Pig being abducted by a spaceship. However, the physical media version has a release date of Tuesday,...

When people talk about iconic duos in cinema, they tend to bring pairings like Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and Al Pacino and Robert De Niro to the table. However, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig are the ones I think about when asked to name an iconic duet. I’ve been asking the cinematic gods above for a new film starring two of my favorite Looney Tunes for years. This year, we’ve got The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, an animated send-up to the science-fiction films of yesteryear starring Daffy, Porky, and Petunia. What could be better than that for an old Looney Tunes head like me? Interviewing Eric Bauza and Candi Milo (Petunia Pig), the voice actors behind characters that helped pour the foundation of an entertainment art form I love more than any other genre.

During my chat with Eric and Candi,...

March 17 is...you guessed it, St. Patrick's Day. The day when Americans celebrate their Irish heritage. Yeah, it might be an important day elsewhere in the world, but Ireland does not celebrate in the same way.

That is fine because the great island has given us a lot of acting talent for a total population of just around seven million. The great actors per capita for the Irish are likely better than nearly any other populace. That means the culture is ripe to produce excellence.

Of course, not every wonderful actor from the Irish island (we are including Northern Ireland here as part of the complete island) has a film featured on Netflix. Several do, however. In fact, the actors below have more than one film streaming on Netflix, so there is a lot to watch on St. Patrick's Day.

Four Irish actors to watch on Netflix on St. Patrick's...

The Looney Tunes have been entertaining us for nearly a century, yet in all that time, they’ve never had their own fully animated theatrical movie. Sure, they’ve appeared in hybrid movies like Space Jam and compilation films that cram old shorts together in new packaging, but a brand new, full-on cartoon movie has never been done — until now.

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, which is set to be released today, tells the story of an alien invasion thwarted by Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (along with some help from Petunia Pig). Inspired by the classic Looney Tunes shorts of Bob Clampett, The Day the Earth Blew Up is a hilarious, gag-filled adventure that keeps the characters fresh, fun, and most of all, funny for its entire 91 minutes.

The film’s director, Pete Browngardt — best known for creating Cartoon Network’s Uncle Grandpa — first...

This weekend sees a big “first” for two media superstars that have been in the pop culture “zeitgeist” for ninety years! Well, that’s one of them because his “partner” is actually a couple of years shy of that (still impressive). So, how can they still be working in a new flick, let alone pulling off some amazing stuntwork that would make Tom Cruise envious? Okay, ya’ got me. They are cartoon characters, so they never really age (any wrinkles can be easily erased). They aren’t from the “mouse house”, rather they’re from one of the main Disney rivals in the short subjects market, though many would say that their home base really had no rivals for consistently hilarious cartoons from the 1930s to the early 60s. And they’ve never been the stars of a full-length feature, though they have had “supporting roles” in a few. So,...

Persistence sure does pay off. Porky Pig and Daffy Duck have been gracing screens since 1935 and 1937, respectively, but it took until now for them to star in their own full-length film, the first completely animated Looney Tunes feature to ever hit the big screen (how is that possible?). The results were worth the wait: The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is a consistent pleasure that should delight youngsters as well as nostalgic adults. It’s a shame that the folks at Warner Bros. didn’t honor their past but instead declined to release the film. Fortunately, indie distributor Ketchup Entertainment has come to the rescue. That studio has a more fun name anyway.

Don’t look for appearances by Tweety, Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd or any of the other better-known Looney Tunes characters in this effort, which gives Porky and Daffy center stage. Except that Porky does deserve a love interest,...

Daffy Duck and Porky Pig attempt to thwart an insidious alien invader in a funny but exceedingly wacky original theatrical adventure. The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Moviegives the beloved childhood icons a 2D, hand-drawn cinematic canvas for total chaos and buffoonery. The screwball plot mostly delights as zany twists run amok until a wild ending that honestly overreaches. The bag of nuts tastes yummy until it doesn't. The filmmakers deserve a golf clap for creativity and stoking fandom's nostalgia, but should have reigned in the hijinks for the bonkers finale.

The Day the Earth Blew Up opens with Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, both voiced by the Emmy-winning and supremely talented Eric Bauza, as youngsters in a precarious predicament. Farmer Jim (Fred Tatasciore) saves the troublesome tykes and becomes an adopted father trying to corral their ridiculous shenanigans. Daffy grows to be intense and uncontrollable while...

We’ve had Looney Tunes for nearly a century. Leon Schlesinger produced their first short Sinkin’ in the Bathtub alongside animators Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising in 1930. Almost 100 years later, the only Looney Tunes feature films (outside of theatrically released compilations) have been two Space Jams, 2003’s Looney Tunes: Back in Action, the tragically unreleased Coyote vs. Acme, and now the latest offering: The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie.

Directed by Peter Browngardt, this is a charming affair. Modeled after sci-fi B-movies of the 1950s and starring Looney Tunes legends Porky Pig and Daffy Duck (both voiced by Eric Bauza), The Day the Earth Blew Up starts with a UFO landing. The spacecraft takes off on the roof of Porky and Daffy’s broken-down house (bequeathed to them by surrogate father Farmer Jim) just before crashing. It goes on to infect a local scientist (Fred Tatasciore...

It's important to remember the ongoing controversial statements by the creator of the Harry Potter franchise. Cbr supports the hard work of industry professionals on properties fans know and love and the wider world of Harry Potter that fans have adopted as their own. You can find Cbr's continuing coverage on J.K. Rowling here.

TheHarry Potter book series has many funny characters. But when talking about funny characters and moments in the saga, many remember the Weasley twins and their pranks. Yet there was one other character who was quite hilarious, a bit sassy, and who used sarcasm on a daily basis: Harry himself. However, the Harry Potter movies don't do Harry's humor justice.

Harry Potter had a much stronger personality in the book series. He would talk back to Dudley or his Uncle Vernon, and even to some Hogwarts teachers or to his biggest bully, Draco Malfoy. However, the...

Quick LinksPetunia Also Wanted to Go to HogwartsDumbledore Himself Wrote to Petunia to Reject Her ApplicationDumbledore Wrote to Petunia at Least Two More Times After ThatPetunia’s Interest in the Wizarding World Could’ve Influenced Her Decision To Help HarryDumbledore Also Sent Petunia a Howler Once

It's important to remember the ongoing controversial statements by the creator of the Harry Potter franchise. Cbr supports the hard work of industry professionals on properties fans know and love and the wider world of Harry Potter that fans have adopted as their own. You can find Cbr's continuing coverage on J.K. Rowling here.

Harry Potter is one of the most famous and beloved fantasy sagas. The books and movies introduced audiences everywhere to a lot of different characters that became extremely popular, divisive, or despised. Many of these characters had intricate backstories and long histories that connected them with other characters, making the...

HBO's Harry Potter TV series gears up to start shooting later this year. A huge cast reveal has to be somewhere on the horizon and, in the meantime, casting rumours for the cable network's take on author J.K. Rowling's beloved series of novels keep coming in thick and fast. 

The 8-movie franchise grossed over $7.7 billion at the worldwide box office and there's plenty of interest in seeing a new approach to the books that expands on characters and moments there simply wasn't time for in a two-hour movie. 

As we first reported on SFFGazette.com, scooper @MyTimeToShineH brings word today that, "Janet McTeer has been offered the role of Professor McGonagall in the upcoming Harry Potter series."

Deadline has also confirmed that McTeer is in talks and that Paapa Essiedu is pretty much a lock for Professor Severus Snape. 

McTeer has racked up multiple Oscar and Emmy nominations and...

Pete Browngardt’s delightful The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, a love letter to Warner Bros.’s iconic Looney Tunes franchise, knows the history of its source of inspiration so well that it has the confidence to work without the safety net of Bugs Bunny. Here we get a rare modern-day spotlight for Porky Pig and Daffy Duck (both voiced by Eric Bauza) that leans into their earliest character traits: Porky as the hapless but fundamentally decent, even good-natured, average joe, and Daffy as an uncontrollable chaos god no longer bound by fate to be humiliated by his nemesis. This Daffy can do bad all by himself.

As far back as 1943’s “Porky’s Pig Feat,” Porky and Daffy have shared a chemistry premised on the tension between the former’s dignity and the latter’s penchant for anarchy. That dynamic is brought to bear here...

The 1990s were honestly a pretty idyllic time to be a kid. Social media didn't exist yet, so we were still relatively cut off from the horrors of the world (outside of what we learned from our parents or maybe a clip on the nightly news), leaving kids to just be kids. It was also the time when kids were first getting to really see themselves represented in the media -- not just on parent-approved things like "The Mickey Mouse Club" but also the subversive, silly side of things on Nickelodeon. Nickelodeon was truly tailored for its young audience, with shows like the perfectly scary "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" and the silly and gross sketch series "All That" taking what kids wanted seriously. And one of the very best shows on Nickelodeon was "The Adventures of Pete & Pete."

"The Adventures of Pete & Pete" followed brothers Big Pete (Michael C.

There is, and will always be, a rivalry between the book and movie fans of the Harry Potter franchise. The situation isn't as combative as it sounds, though, because both versions of the story have noticeable merits accepted by both sides. The novels are naturally a lot more detailed and emotionally dense, whereas the films take a shortened but action-oriented approach.

Translating books to movies generally requires directors/writers to prune the storyline, cutting out segments that would diminish the cinematic effect. This includes extraneous descriptions, inconsequential characters, or even major events. These changes sometimes hurt the movie more than they help, but that isn't always the case. There are scenes in the Harry Potter books that fans are glad didn't make it into the movies because they are scary, sad, or portray a lesser version of the beloved characters.

Updated on February 26, 2025, by Andrea Sandoval: Generally speaking, people...

It’s almost hard to believe, but nearly 30 years ago, the fantasy genre changed with the release of the first installment of J.K. Rowling’s globally successful Harry Potter novel series in 1997. With people all around the world falling in love with Harry’s magical story and longing to find out more about Hogwarts, Warner Bros. turned the novel series into one of the best fantasy movie series, which enchants fans to this day.

Even after all these years, there are two things that will probably never change: the love for the story and the discovery of unexpected connections. While there are numerous connections and hidden Easter eggs in the Harry Potter movies and books, there is a significant theory circulating online regarding the Christmas gifts which the Dursleys sent to Harry. Let’s take a look at them and explore their meaning.

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Harry Potter’s Wizarding World is a beautiful realm filled with immense potential, magical creatures, and fascinating spells. But it can also be very dangerous, and no character knows that better than the Chosen One himself. Raised in the Muggle world, Harry Potter is immediately drawn in by the unique charm of Diagon Alley, Hogwarts, and all the magic they represent.

However, it doesn’t take Harry long to realize that his magical ancestry comes at a price, one he has been paying for since before he was old enough to walk. Worse still, as the nemesis of Lord Voldemort, he keeps being drawn into dangerous situations that should have been handled by adults. While many people wish to be a part of the Wizarding World, Harry had several terrible experiences as a Hogwarts student and before.

Updated on February 18, 2025, by Andrea Sandoval: Since Lord Voldemort killed his parents...

In the 1990s, Nickelodeon was home to some of the most inventive and boundary-pushing children's programming in television history. Shows like Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Rocko's Modern Life, Clarissa Explains It All, and Hey Arnold! didn't shy away from exploring complex emotions, surreal humor, or even darker themes, treating young audiences with a level of respect. But among the network’s standout programming, The Adventures of Pete & Pete remains one of the most bizarre, creative, and unexpectedly poignant series of the decade. With its dreamlike atmosphere, quirky small-town setting, and offbeat characters, the show was basically Twin Peaks for kids — offering an accessible surreal, magical realism-laced viewing experience that still holds up today.

Both Twin Peaks and Pete & Pete exist within towns that operate on their own strange internal logic, full of eccentric characters who often feel like they’ve wandered in from another dimension. While...

It's important to remember the ongoing controversial statements by the creator of the Harry Potter franchise. Cbr supports the hard work of industry professionals on properties fans know and love, and the wider world of Harry Potter that fans have adopted as their own. You can find Cbr's continuing coverage of Rowling here.

Despite the immense popularity of Harry Potteras a franchise, its sprawling universe is not the most perfect. In fact, due to its sheer size and vastness, the series has several plot holes and inexplicable inconsistencies, which tends to annoy fans. Some of these plot holes can be explained with a little digging or be accepted as a slip-up, but there are some truly gaping ones when it comes to Muggles.

The non-magical society of Muggles was kept at a distance by the Wizarding World, but they all lived in the same spaces. How Muggles interacted with the magical world,...

It's important to remember the ongoing controversial statements by the creator of the Harry Potter franchise. Cbr supports the hard work of industry professionals on properties fans know and love and the wider world of Harry Potter that fans have adopted as their own. You can find Cbr's continuing coverage of Rowling here.

One of the most morally complex and controversial characters in the Harry Potter series is Severus Snape, the Hogwarts potion master. Professor Snape spent much of his adult life working as a double agent between Lord Voldemort and Albus Dumbledore. While Snape's unwavering dedication to Dumbledore was admirable, his actions were motivated by his love for Lily Potter, the mother of the titular hero.

The friendship between Snape and Lily Potter, known as Lily Evans in her youth, has caused much discourse within the Harry Potter fandom. While some believe that Snape's love for Lily redeemed his bad actions,...

Feature films have not been kind to the Looney Tunes. There was a time when the wacky adventures of Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny and their animated pals were the best and funniest shorts on the silver screen, an era that lasted decades. But most of their longer movies were repackaged classic skits, thinly strung together by new bookend material based on whatever movie or TV show was hot at the time, like “Fantasy Island” or “Ghostbusters.” Then of course there were the “Space Jam” films, two of the most creatively bankrupt and shamelessly tacky brand exploitations in the history of [checks notes] everything.

Until now the only great “Looney Tunes” feature was the one that completely flopped, Joe Dante’s inspired and hilarious “Back in Action,” which smartly skewered the callow capitalism that made the “Space Jam” movies a cinematic crime. The new film, “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie,...

Quick Links Harry Didn’t Know Dumbledore Had A Sister, Making Harry Frustrated At How Little He Knew Him Cho's Grief For Cedric Leaves Readers Feeling Sorry For Her Harry Sits On His Own After Finding The Mirror Of Erised Harry Finds Lily's Letter, Providing An Emotional Experience Petunia Reflects On Lily's Death, And How It Affected Her Winky's Depression Is One Of The Most Upsetting Scenes Harry, Ron, And Hermione Meet Neville’s Parents In St. Mungo’s, Showing Neville's Tragic Past Harry Mourns Cedric's Death, And Struggles With Survivor's Guilt Harry Mourns Sirius’s Death, Feeling Lost Without Him Dumbledore’s Funeral Is A Fitting Send-Off For One Of Harry Potter's Biggest Heroes

It's important to remember the ongoing controversial statements by the creator of the Harry Potter franchise. Cbr supports the hard work of industry professionals on properties fans know and love and the wider world of...

The Harry Potter film series had a cast filled with talented British and Irish actors. Among them was Fiona Shaw, who played Petunia Dursley, but the actress almost passed on the role.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, Shaw reflected on the role of Harry Potter's aunt in the popular fantasy franchise. The actress didn't have a big role in the film series, but her brief scenes had an enormous impact on the story. Considering how small her role was, Shaw initially wanted to decline the role and do a period romance instead.

Related Tom Felton Treats Harry Potter Fans to Magical Selfie With His Co-Stars as the Reboot Casting Continues

His followers will hear about this.

At the time she was invited to meet for the role of Petunia Dursley, she also had an opportunity to star in a period romance by Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci, Triumph of Love. She initially...

Harry Potter star Fiona Shaw has reflected on accepting her role as Petunia Dursley in the movies, after nearly giving up the job for another filming prospect. Shaw first portrayed Petunia in 2001's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the mean-spirited stepmother to the films' protagonist, and part of the Muggle family he spends his summers with. Despite having a comparatively small part to play across the five films she shows up in, Shaw's performance is still a memorable one across the whole cast of Harry Potter.

Speaking with Vanity Fair, Shaw revealed she almost turned down her role as Petunia in Harry Potter because she'd been approached at the same time for Triumph of Love, a romantic comedy set in the 18th century. While originally only going for the rom-com, produced by Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci, she eventually decided to work both roles into her schedule. This wound up being to her benefit,...