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Back in 2021, filmmaker Mike Flanagan let it be known on social media that he was interested in making a “standalone horror/thriller/tragedy” movie that would center on the Clayface character. A while after that, he confirmed that he had met with veteran DC movie producer Jon Berg to pitch a “horror-leaning” take on Clayface, as well as ideas for the DC properties Scarecrow, Justice League Dark, and Constantine. The meeting “kind of went nowhere.” But then, in March of 2023, Deadline broke the news that Flanagan had scheduled another Clayface pitch meeting, this time with DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran. And at the end of last year,...

I love a good killer scarecrow flick. There aren’t too many of them, but the few we do have are almost all certified bangers. Dark Night of the Scarecrow is a certified made-for-television classic, and call it nostalgia, but I have a lot of love for Brett Simmons’ Husk. This year, we’ve even been treated to Jeremy Rudd’s Die’ced: Reloaded, a sequel to his 2023 hit Die’ced. In our interview with the filmmaker, we wrote, “With Die’ced: Reloaded out now on VOD, Rudd is ready to see how audiences respond to his retooled, blood-soaked vision. If his track record of turning first-time filmmaking into a distribution deal is any indication, Benny’s bloodbath is only just getting started.”

So, definitely check out Die’ced: Reloaded. If that whets your appetite for even more scarecrow carnage, I’ve got some great news. A nasty, gooey horror movie has just quietly landed on Netflix,...

Cillian Murphy is everywhere these days. Hollywood can’t seem to get enough of him. He first caught the world’s attention as the sharp Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders. He turned brooding silences and piercing stares into something that made him an international obsession. Just when it seemed like that might be his defining role, along came Oppenheimer. An Oscar win later for his role in the movie, Murphy isn’t just admired; he’s being talked about as one of the very best of his generation.

So it makes sense that his name keeps swirling around the most famous tux in cinema history. James Bond has always demanded someone magnetic,...

Universal Studios Hollywood has completed its 2025 Halloween Horror Nights lineup with the announcement of additional scares inspired by Poltergeist, The Purge and Blumhouse.

The Poltergeist-themed haunted house promises to “transport guests into nightmarish scenes with terrifying characters from the movie,” including elements from the creepy home from the original film which, fans will remember, was built atop an old cemetery, contained a paranormal tv and housed a portal to another ghostly dimension.

Located on the historic Universal backlot, Terror Tram: Enter the Blumhouse will transform the iconic Studio Tour tram for Halloween. Mid-ride, guests will set off on foot to encounter some of the most iconic villains from Blumhouse’s popular horror franchises, including The Grabber from The Black Phone, the possessed from The Exorcist: Believer, the killers from The Purge franchise and M3GAN herself. Guests will encounter a special photo op when disembarking the tram. Those who purchase the R.

Why Christopher Nolan Stopped Robin Project In Batman Trilogy ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

The Dark Knight changed the entire discourse of the superhero movies in the 2000’s. It was largely due to the man behind the lens, Christopher Nolan, whose direction did not just boost the fading image of the Batman, but paved the way for more darker and grounded comic book movies that followed.

Even when the studios were behind cinematic universes and crossover dreams, Nolan kept his focus tight where the Silent Guardian of Gotham was not part of a larger web. Nolan’s masterpiece had no cameos, or shared timelines and worst of all, endless sequels. It was simple- the franchise started and ended on his terms.

Christian Bale on the set of ‘The Dark Knight’ in Hong Kong, 2008 pic.twitter.com/xZ8rTGIJTH

— Nolan Archive (@NolanAnalyst) July 8, 2025

Christopher Nolan Blocked a Planned Robin TV Series

Warner Bros....

Back in 2021, filmmaker Mike Flanagan let it be known on social media that he was interested in making a “standalone horror/thriller/tragedy” movie that would center on the Clayface character. A while after that, he confirmed that he had met with veteran DC movie producer Jon Berg to pitch a “horror-leaning” take on Clayface, as well as ideas for the DC properties Scarecrow, Justice League Dark, and Constantine. The meeting “kind of went nowhere.” But then, in March of 2023, Deadline broke the news that Flanagan had scheduled another Clayface pitch meeting, this time with DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran. And at the end of last year, it was announced that Flanagan is officially writing a Clayface movie that will be part of the DC Universe film franchise that’s being overseen by Gunn and Safran. A few months ago, Speak No Evil director James Watkins was hired to take the helm,...

Universal Destinations and Experiences has rounded out its Halloween Horror Nights 2025 lineup with two pop‑culture heavyweights, confirming haunted houses based on Five Nights at Freddy’s and WWE’s Wyatt Sicks for both its Orlando and Hollywood parks starting 29 August and 4 September respectively. The announcement, made 29 July, extends a season that runs through 2 November and now features ten mazes in Florida and nine in California.

Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria will be recreated in painstaking detail, inviting guests to patrol dim corridors where animatronic predators Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy roam free, echoing the 2023 film that became Blumhouse’s highest‑grossing release at $297 million worldwide. Visitors follow security guard Mike’s flashlight trail, a design Universal says will “blur the line between game mechanics and immersive theatre”.

Across the park, “WWE Presents: The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks” drags Bray Wyatt’s lantern‑lit mythology into physical space, led by Uncle Howdy,...

Back in 2021, filmmaker Mike Flanagan let it be known on social media that he was interested in making a “standalone horror/thriller/tragedy” movie that would center on the Clayface character. A while after that, he confirmed that he had met with veteran DC movie producer Jon Berg to pitch a “horror-leaning” take on Clayface, as well as ideas for the DC properties Scarecrow, Justice League Dark, and Constantine. The meeting “kind of went nowhere.” But then, in March of 2023, Deadline broke the news that Flanagan had scheduled another Clayface pitch meeting, this time with DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran. And at the end of last year, it was announced that Flanagan is officially writing a Clayface movie that will be part of the DC Universe film franchise that’s being overseen by Gunn and Safran. A few months ago, Speak No Evil director James Watkins was hired to take the helm,...

For the seventh year in a row, music legend Slash is joining forces with Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood for a “terrifying slate” of experiences. For starters, you can expect an original soundtrack composition for the haunted house, Scarecrow: Music by Slash.

The attraction “puts retribution at the forefront in which Mother Nature seeks vengeance on the homesteaders for their sins of the past that will be carried out by scarecrows, mute witnesses who have become the guardians of destruction for anyone who crosses their path.”

Halloween Horror Nights previews, “Slash’s original score for the experience, which he composes similarly to a motion picture by engaging with each scene, will deliver an unnerving sense of fear as guests navigate the ominous corridors of the haunted house.”

Halloween Horror Nights will also celebrate the vinyl-only album release of Slash: Music of Universal Studios Hollywood – Halloween Horror Nights, Volume 2.

Available in the park,...

Back in 2021, filmmaker Mike Flanagan let it be known on social media that he was interested in making a “standalone horror/thriller/tragedy” movie that would center on the Clayface character. A while after that, he confirmed that he had met with veteran DC movie producer Jon Berg to pitch a “horror-leaning” take on Clayface, as well as ideas for the DC properties Scarecrow, Justice League Dark, and Constantine. The meeting “kind of went nowhere.” But then, in March of 2023, Deadline broke the news that Flanagan had scheduled another Clayface pitch meeting, this time with DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran. And at the end of last year, it was announced that Flanagan is officially writing a Clayface movie that will be part of the DC Universe film franchise that’s being overseen by Gunn and Safran. A few months ago, Speak No Evil director James Watkins was hired to take the helm…...

Supernatural might have built its longstanding legacy on demon-hunting brothers, cult-level fan obsession, and epic biblical arcs, but every now and then, the show threw in a gem to remind us that the writers never forgot their cast’s humble beginnings. One such gem is a callback to Jared Padalecki’s Gilmore Girls days neatly tucked into Season 1.

If you’re a fan of early 2000s teen drama lore, you’ll know just why this callback was a razor-sharp dig at one of Padalecki’s co-stars on the teen dramedy. With a Supernatural reunion underway, let’s revisit a throwaway line that’s actually one of the show’s most low-key yet clever inside jokes to date- one you’d only be able to catch if you’re well-versed in both universes.

Supernatural Took a Sly Jab at Gilmore Girls Rivalry

In Season 1’s Episode 16, titled “Shadow”, when Sam (Jared...

If you are only thinking The Godfather, Scarface, and maybe Scent of a Woman when you hear Al Pacino’s name, you are missing half the story and, honestly, some of the most fascinating corners of his filmography. Pacino is not just the loud, brash, larger-than-life guy yelling “Hoo-ah!” or going toe-to-toe with De Niro in a shootout. He is also the master of quiet tension, of broken men, of slow burns and raw emotional messes.

Over the years, buried between the iconic blockbusters and courtroom monologues, are smaller films where Pacino took risks. Films that did not make a billion dollars or flood awards season, but nevertheless show just how much range and weird, wonderful nerve the man actually has.

These are the roles where he whispered instead of roared, where he got vulnerable, or just plain weird, and they deserve way more love than they’ve gotten. If...

Back in 2021, filmmaker Mike Flanagan let it be known on social media that he was interested in making a “standalone horror/thriller/tragedy” movie that would center on the Clayface character. A while after that, he confirmed that he had met with veteran DC movie producer Jon Berg to pitch a “horror-leaning” take on Clayface, as well as ideas for the DC properties Scarecrow, Justice League Dark, and Constantine. The meeting “kind of went nowhere.” But then, in March of 2023, Deadline broke the news that Flanagan had scheduled another Clayface pitch meeting, this time with DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran. And at the end of last year, it was announced that Flanagan is officially writing a Clayface movie that will be part of the DC Universe film franchise that’s being overseen by Gunn and Safran. A few months ago, Speak No Evil director James Watkins was hired to take the helm…...

Back in 2021, filmmaker Mike Flanagan let it be known on social media that he was interested in making a “standalone horror/thriller/tragedy” movie that would center on the Clayface character. A while after that, he confirmed that he had met with veteran DC movie producer Jon Berg to pitch a “horror-leaning” take on Clayface, as well as ideas for the DC properties Scarecrow, Justice League Dark, and Constantine. The meeting “kind of went nowhere.” But then, in March of 2023, Deadline broke the news that Flanagan had scheduled another Clayface pitch meeting, this time with DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran. And at the end of last year, it was announced that Flanagan is officially writing a Clayface movie that will be part of the DC Universe film franchise that’s being overseen by Gunn and Safran. A few months ago, Speak No Evil director James Watkins was hired to take the helm…...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Alan Rudolph’s Dramas of Desire

One of America’s great, oft-unheralded filmmakers, Alan Rudolph deserves far more recognition than he’s accumulated thus far. We recently published two extensive interviews with the director and now the Criterion Channel has a mini-retrospective, featuring Remember My Name (1978), Trouble In Mind (1985), Afterglow (1997), and Breakfast of Champions (1999).

Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel

Celebrating Gene Hackman

As we attempt to move on from a Gene Hackman-less world, the Criterion Channel has gathered some of his finest work to remember him by. Their series features The French Connection (1971), Scarecrow (1973), The Conversation (1974), Night Moves (1975), Eureka (1983), No Way Out (1987), and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001).

Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel

Club Zero (Jessica Hausner)

Across her five previous features,...

Batman: The Animated Series made its debut back in 1992, and the fourth and fifth episodes of the show were a two-parter called Feat of Clay, which showed “the transformation of a disfigured actor into the villain known as Clayface.” Back in 2021, filmmaker Mike Flanagan let it be known on social media that he was interested in making a “standalone horror/thriller/tragedy” movie that would center on the Clayface character. A while after that, he confirmed that he had met with veteran DC movie producer Jon Berg to pitch a “horror-leaning” take on Clayface, as well as ideas for the DC properties Scarecrow, Justice League Dark, and Constantine. The meeting “kind of went nowhere.” But then, in March of 2023, Deadline broke the news that Flanagan had scheduled another Clayface pitch meeting, this time with DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran. And at the end of last year, it...

Throughout her 43-year career, Renée Victor appeared in many TV shows and movies and voiced many iconic characters. On 30 May 2025, the American actress passed away, with the cause of death ruled as lymphoma. The actress’s influence also extended to the gaming industry, as she collaborated with Bethesda Game Studios to voice characters in two of the franchise’s most successful Elder Scrolls video games.

Victor first worked with Bethesda to provide the voice of female Argonians in the studio’s 2011 video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Many believe that this was Victor’s last video game role. However, she worked with Bethesda once again to voice the female Khajiit in 2025’s The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered.

Actress Renée Victor passed away at the age of 86

Actress Renée Victor’s representative has confirmed that the actress passed away at the age of 86 at her home in Sherman Oaks on May 30th,...

Renée Victor, an American actress best known for her role as Abuelita in the Disney animated film “Coco” and her performance as Lupita on the Showtime drama “Weeds,” has died.

The news of Victor’s death was confirmed by her representative.

A San Antonio, Texas native, Victor left the Lone Star State for Los Angeles in the ’60s to start her budding career in entertainment. She started in the music business as a singer for popular acts and was a salsa and tango teacher on the side. Victor helped bring prominent Latin musicians like Perez Prado and Xavier Cugat to American music fans.

From 1963 to 1973, Victor brought her own spin to the Latin music scene and toured with her husband under the title “Ray & Renée.”

One of her first major TV appearances was as the host of the Ktla program “Pacesetters,” which followed the Chicano Movement of the ’70s. Soon after,...

Renée Victor, the actress best known for her voice role as Abuelita in the beloved animated film Coco and arc as Lupita on Showtime’s Weeds, died surrounded by her family at her Sherman Oaks, Calif. home last night, her agency told Deadline.

Her cause of death was lymphoma. She was 86.

“Renee is perhaps best known as the voice of ‘Abuelita’ in Disney’s 2017 blockbuster Coco,” a statement from her daughters Raquel Victor and Margo Victor read in part. “Renee was loved by so many & had fans all over the world. Her memory will be cherished by all who knew her.”

Born in San Antonio, Texas on July 25, 1938, she was the eldest of three sisters. She moved to Los Angeles in the ’60s, where she launched her career in entertainment as a singer for prominent bandleaders who spearheaded the popularity of Latin music in the U.S., including Xavier Cugat and Perez Prado.

We’re big fans of director John Carpenter’s 1986 action extravaganza Big Trouble in Little China here on JoBlo. We’ve sung its praises with a Revisited video, named it the greatest cult film of all time, and dug into the film’s three best scenes… so we’re very sad to hear that actor Peter Kwong, who played the super-powered martial artist Rain in the Carpenter film, has passed away at the age of 73. According to Variety‘s report, Kwong died in his sleep Tuesday night.

Kwong is best remembered for playing Rain, but that was just one of almost 90 screen acting credits he racked up over the course of a career that stretched back nearly fifty years. Hailing from Sacramento, California, Kwong got his acting career started with an appearance on a 1976 episode of the TV series Visions. Among his many other credits are roles in the films Straight Time,...

Scarecrow blends horror with emotionally charged family drama, creating a haunting yet heartfelt story against Filipino mourning rituals. The film slowly unravels its eerie mystery through nightmarish visions, ancestral secrets, and a cursed painting that brings doom to its owners. The film opens with Pablo’s death and how the family deals with this loss. During this time, Pablo’s legal family arrives home after leaving Pablo for decades. This time, they have come to sell Pablo’s property and secure their future. Before getting what they want, they must face the horrors within the house and confront their emotional wounds. Scarecrow is not just a ghost story but a layered tale about grief, inheritance, fractured families, and unresolved trauma.

This article contains spoilers.

Scarecrow Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:

The film opens with Pablo dying and his daughter Monet (who has epilepsy and is prone to having fits constantly) having fits.

The Filipino horror film Scarecrow blends grief and horror along with elements of gore. At the center of the narrative are Monet, her mother, Rosa, and her stepmother, Adele. Monet shared a deep bond with her father and cared for him during his remaining time. Even though she knew his days were numbered, she struggled to make peace with her reality. He meant the world to her, and after his demise, she struggled to hold herself together. Her partner, Jack, supported her during the trying times, and her son, Keith, was the reason she felt hopeful about the future. Monet owned an antique store, and when Jack left a painting outside her store, she didn’t think much of it. Rosa didn’t approve of her bringing the painting into their house, but Monet didn’t pay heed to her opinion. Immediately after, strange things started to happen, and it...

Back in 2021, filmmaker Mike Flanagan let it be known on social media that he was interested in making a “standalone horror/thriller/tragedy” movie that would center on the DC Comics character Clayface, who is usually presented as a villain in the pages of Batman comic books. A while after that, he confirmed that he had met with veteran DC movie producer Jon Berg to pitch a “horror-leaning” take on Clayface, as well as ideas for the DC properties Scarecrow, Justice League Dark, and Constantine. The meeting “kind of went nowhere.” But then, in March of 2023, Deadline broke the news that Flanagan had scheduled another Clayface pitch meeting, this time with DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran. And at the end of last year, it was announced that Flanagan is officially writing a Clayface movie that will be part of the DC Universe film franchise that’s being overseen by Gunn and Safran.

Friendships can develop over the smallest of commonalities. Jerry Seinfeld, the legendary comedian, acutely observed that in most cases, kids form friendships simply because they live near each other. In Jerry Schatzberg’s “Scarecrow” (1973), when Francis asks Max, “Why did you pick me as your friend and business partner?” Max earnestly responds, “Cause you gave me your last match. You made me laugh.” When these bonds form, they form for life.

“Scarecrow” won the Cannes Palme d’Or in 1973 but got lost in the crowd of movies now remembered from that era. While it’s arguable whether it’s an important film, the fact remains that two of the greatest actors of all time give performances that remain singular in their filmography. Probably one of the strongest lead pairings of the 1970s in terms of acting prowess, Al Pacino and Gene Hackman chose this particular project to be their next...

Self-Portrait.“Maybe I should have a fall at the end of every film now!”I’m calling to check in with Jerry Schatzberg, who is fresh out of the hospital. Two days earlier, at the opening night of a Museum of Modern Art retrospective of his film career, he had shown his feature debut, Puzzle of a Downfall Child (1970), released when he was 43 years old. As he climbed the short flight of stairs to the stage for a Q&a, Schatzberg, now 97, lost his balance and tumbled backward. The whole room screamed. Ushers, museum staff, and his assistants came instantly to his side. He did not move. After five silent minutes, everyone was asked to leave. When he was carted out of the MoMA on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance, the crowd that had lingered outside the theater cheered. He waved softly back. Over the phone, Jerry assures me he’s doing fine,...

The Batman: Arkham series might as well be the best gaming series ever made. The entire franchise is a literal masterpiece with its story, visuals, and gameplay, and the games truly make you feel like the Dark Knight himself.

While many would agree that Arkham City was the hardest game in the series, one Rocksteady dev has clearly deemed Batman: Arkham Knight to be the hardest of them all, and there is good reason for that.

Being Batman and saving Gotham is what every Batman fan wants | Image Credits: Warner Bros.

Let’s delve deeper into this and find out more about why Arkham Knight was the hardest and why people hate it.

Batman: Arkham Knight was the hardest game in the entire franchise

Batman: Arkham Knight was Rocksteady’s fourth installment in the franchise that was released back in June of 2015, and the sequel became an instant hit when it came out.

For years, Awesome Art has been about two things only – awesome art and the artists that create it. With that in mind, we thought why not take the first week of the month to showcase these awesome artists even more? Welcome to “Awesome Artist We’ve Found Around The Net.” In this column, we are focusing on one artist and the awesome art that they create, whether they be amateur, up and coming, or well established. The goal is to uncover these artists so even more people become familiar with them. We ask these artists a few questions to see their origins, influences, and more. If you are an awesome artist or know someone that should be featured, feel free to contact me at any time at theodorebond@joblo.com.This month we are very pleased to bring you the awesome art of…

Dave Dick

Dave Dick is a Philadelphia-based...

The next movie in the killer scarecrow subgenre will be Deescalated Pictures’ indie horror film Field of Screams, and Gravitas Ventures has released the official trailer this week.

Field of Screams will be unleashed on VOD outlets beginning May 6, 2025.

Meet the film’s killer scarecrow by watching the official trailer below.

In Field of Screams, “Having recently inherited his late grandfather’s farmhouse, Allen, his boyfriend Justin, and their friends Luke, Lisa, Britt, and Shane clean out the old man’s house and get it ready for sale. While packing and cleaning, the tensions begin to rise as Allen tries to deal with his grief and his boyfriend tries to play nice with the rest of the group.

“Meanwhile, a living scarecrow named Billy creeps in the shadows, killing anyone who speaks ill of his dead creator or plans to sell the farmland he calls home. Using the organs harvested from his victims,...

If you asked many actors to name a favorite movie from their own body of work, they’d probably dodge the question, saying their films are like children. You just can’t choose. Well, the bold ones made the choice and Gene Hackman was one of them. And if you, as a film lover, were asked to guess what his pick was, you’d name one of his hits.

Was it The French Connection, the neo-noir action thriller that earned him his first Oscar? Bonnie & Clyde would be a great guess too, since it marked the first time that Hackman ever got noticed by the good people at the Academy Awards (nomination for Best Supporting Actor). What about Unforgiven? That, too, was brilliant, and so were Superman and The Conversation.

Interestingly, none of these films were remembered fondly by the Hollywood legend. During a conversation with The Independent, the...

Welcome everyone to Bam Smack Pow's Creator Spotlight series, where we delve into the lives and creative works of some of the best and brightest creators in comics, looking at some of their most popular works.

For the first installment, let's look at one creator whose stories and artwork took my breath away from the first comic of his that I picked up (and he remains one of my favorite creatives currently working in comics today). That is none other than Sean Gordon Murphy.

Get to know Sean Gordon Murphy

Sean Gordon Murphy was born in Nashua, New Hampshire in 1980. At an early age he become enraptured with the world of comics and began drawing. While his love of comics and art made him secluded from the rest of his peers, that didn't stop him from continuing to pursue his passion, which led to Murphy going to Salem, New Hampshire...

Chicago – Oscar winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arawaka were found dead in their New Mexico home on February 26th. Arawaka died of a rare lung infection, the 95-year-old Hackman succumbed to natural causes. Photographer Joe Arce captured this Exclusive Portrait of Hackman in 2000.

The mystery and circumstances surrounding the couple’s death stayed in the headlines for weeks. They both had been deceased for several days before being discovered, and at first is was speculated that carbon monoxide poisoning might have been the culprit. But as the investigation continued, it was determined that Ms. Arawaka had died first on or around February 11th of a rare lung infection, and Hackman … suffering from Alzheimer’s disease … died one week later.

Actor Gene Hackman in 2000

Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

Gene Hackman was born in San Bernardino, California, but the family settled in Danville,...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. To keep up with our latest features, sign up for the Weekly Edit newsletter and follow us @mubinotebook on Twitter and Instagram.News The Blob.While moviegoing trended downward elsewhere (though box office receipts increased), France, Great Britain, Brazil, and Turkey saw an uptick in cinema attendance last year. French theater owners and analysts point to several nationally specific contributing factors: government art subsidies, distribution laws that mandate long theatrical windows, the inability for urban apartments to accommodate big home-theater setups, and the public's strong cultural connection to the cinema.As more small-town movie theaters close because of low ticket and concession sales, local residents have begun forming nonprofit organizations to save them. In 2023, Nicki Wilson of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, successfully organized a fundraiser to save the Triplex Cinema, the town’s only moviehouse. By means of donations, grants, and volunteer labor,...

The "Bat-embargo." If you're a fan of the classic DC Animated Universe (Dcau), the words probably feel like a chill in the night. If you're not, then let me explain.

See, DC Comics can be fickle about which of its characters can appear on television, and where. During the 2000s, this mostly impacted Batman and his supporting cast. Kevin Conroy's Batman was a regular on "Justice League Unlimited," which aired alongside the unconnected cartoon "The Batman," and Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" marked the return of the Dark Knight after his 1990s silver screen fall.

Reportedly, then-dc Comics President Paul Levitz was worried that kids would be confused about all of these Batmen. How would they be able to tell multiple versions of the same characters apart when they were all appearing at the same time? Hence, the Bat-embargo came into effect around 2004 (when "The Batman" debuted and "Justice League...

Words cannot express the monumental loss of Gene Hackman, arguably the finest actor of any Hollywood generation. As investigators sift through the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of Hackman, his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, and one of their dogs, pointing fans toward one of Hackman's final TV appearances may help ease the pain.

In 2008, well into retirement, Hackman briefly appeared on The Food Network's culinary road show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Humble, humorous, down-to-earth, and as natural in front of non-famous locals as he was in front of a movie camera, Hackman's delightful cameo sheds insight into his small-town New Mexico life post-Hollywood.

Gene Hackman Was a One-of-a-Kind Performer

For younger crowds who may be unaware of Gene Hackman's unparalleled acting greatness, the two-time Oscar winner amassed 101 credits from 1961 to 2004. After breaking out in Bonnie and Clyde in 1967, Hackman showcased tremendous range and natural onscreen charisma across all genres.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday his department is still waiting for final autopsy and toxicology reports on the deaths of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa, but has a fair idea of when the Oscar winner actually died.

An initial interrogation was conducted of Mr. Hackman pacemaker,” the Sheriff said at a short press conference today. “This revealed that his last event was recorded on February 17, 2025, I was advised that a more thorough investigation will be completed.”

Noting that getting final autopsy and toxicology reports “could take months,” Mendoza added that initial results seem to rule out carbon monoxide poisoning as a cause of the deaths of the 95-year-old Hackman, the 63-year-old Arakawa and one of their dogs. Amidst some conflicting information over the past 48 hours, the Sheriff said “there were no apparent signs of foul play” in the Hackmans’ deaths.

Married since 1991 and notoriously private, Hackman and...

There’s an indelible scene in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 masterwork, The Conversation, in which Gene Hackman’s reclusive surveillance expert, Harry Caul, visits his mistress Amy, played with aching vulnerability by Teri Garr. It’s the night of his birthday, and he arrives so late she’s almost given up on him.

She asks how old he is and then proceeds in a teasing, half-jokey way to pepper him with questions — where he lives, if he lives alone, what he does — that reveal how little she knows of this man she clearly loves and has been seeing for an unspecified length of time.

We feel Amy’s hunger to know him, just as we feel Harry’s wincing discomfort and paranoia as she gently pries information from him. “I don’t feel like answering any more questions,” he mutters, moving toward the apartment door and opening his wallet to...

On the Mount Rushmore of great American actors — specifically those who emerged in the late 1960s and brought a transformative, bone-deep intensity to their craft over the industry-redefining decade that followed — four faces loom large: Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman.

The eldest of that contingent, Hackman is less familiar to younger audiences than the others, having withdrawn from acting more than 20 years ago, to write and paint in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Over a four-decade screen career, the stage-trained star gravitated to complex movies for grown-up audiences (the only significant exception being his iconic turn as Lex Luthor in the “Superman” franchise), and might have been entirely forgotten by Gen Z if not for his performance as the gruff patriarch in Wes Anderson’s cult favorite “The Royal Tenenbaums.”

Hackman’s unexpected and unusual death (he was discovered alongside his wife and dog) offers a chance...

Gene Hackman's tragic death at 95 on February 26, 2025 has shocked the world, while also reminding many movie aficionados that he was one of the best actors in his generation. In fact, an argument could be made that Hackman was the best actor ever, and his two Academy Award wins for "The French Connection" (1971) and "Unforgiven" (1991) -- among with his three other nominations for "Bonnie and Clyde" (1968), "I Never Sang For My Father" (1970), and "Mississippi Burning" (1988) -- certainly back up that kind of talk. But what did Hackman himself think of his work, and what did he consider his favorite role? The answer might not be what you think.

In a 1988 interview with Film Comment, Hackman was asked what his favorite movie from his own work is. Based on the strength of his own performance, the actor's choice was curious: Jerry Schatzberg's "Scarecrow" (1973), a road movie where Hackman and Al Pacino play Max and Lion,...

Gene Hackman’s daughters, Elizabeth and Leslie Hackman, and his granddaughter Annie said they are “devastated” after the two-time Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their Santa Fe home on Wednesday. He was 95 and she was 64.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy,” the family told TheWrap in a Thursday statement. “He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”

As TheWrap previously reported, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office insists Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths are not suspicious despite multiple media reports regarding search warrants suggesting the contrary. The department states no foul play is suspected in the case, though the investigation in ongoing.

Gene Hackman’s death has raised enough suspicion among the Santa Fe police that they have obtained a search warrant for the Oscar winner’s home after the nonagenarian, his wife Betsy Arakawa and one of their dogs were found dead last night.

“At this time; the manner and cause of death pertaining to Eugene ‘Gene’ Allen Hackman and Betsy Arakawa passing is unknown,” said Santa Fe Sheriff’s department Det. Roy Arndt late Wednesday night in an affidavit submitted to a state judge just hours after the bodies were discovered in the couple’s longtime New Mexico home.

“Affiant believes that the circumstances surrounding the death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation because the reporting party found the front door of the residence unsecured and opened, deputies observed a healthy dog running loose on the property, another...

After Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were found dead in their Santa Fe home on Wednesday, his celebrity peers began honoring the two-time Oscar-winning actor’s life with touching tributes early Thursday morning.

Viola Davis wrote, “Loved you in everything! ‘The Conversation,’ ‘The French Connection,’ ‘The Poseidon Adventure,’ ‘Unforgiven’ — tough yet vulnerable. You were one of the greats. God bless those who loved you. Rest well, sir.”

Francis Ford Coppola wrote, “The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity. I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution.”

Edgar Wright wrote, “The greatest…”

Josh Brolin wrote, “I am crushed by the sudden deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa (and their dog). Crushed. He was always one of my favorites. Not many who beat to...

Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home on Wednesday, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed. A cause of death for the Oscar-winning actor, 95, and his wife, 64, was not revealed but Mendoza said no foul play was suspected.

An investigation into their deaths is ongoing. According to Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Denise Womack-Avila, the couple was found dead at around 1:45 p.m. local time on Wednesday after a neighbor called in a welfare check, per Albuquerque’s KOB4.

Hackman and Arakawa, a classical pianist, married in 1991. Their dog was also found deceased.

An acting giant, Hackman was born in San Bernadino, California, and enlisted in the military at age 16, lying about his age to get in. He served over four years as a field operator in the Marines before pursuing acting in 1956 at the San Bernadino...

Unfortunately, we have to get the day started with some sad news today, as it has been reported that we’ve lost one of the great legends of cinema, Gene Hackman, at the age of 95. Hackman, his retired pianist wife, 63-year-old Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were all found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Wednesday afternoon. Yahoo reports that New Mexico police have said that the causes of death are under investigation, “but they do not believe foul play is a factor at this time.” Of course, there’s a lot of speculation going around that the cause of death may be carbon monoxide poisoning, but nothing has been confirmed as of right now.

Born on January 30, 1930 in San Bernadino, California, Eugene Allen Hackman did a lot of moving around in his younger years, but had already decided that he wanted to be an actor...

Gene Hackman, who was found dead at 95 alongside his wife at their Santa Fe, N.M. home on Feb. 26, was considered one of the greatest actors of his generation.

He won two Oscars over a career spanning over four decades, for playing Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in William Friedkin’s 1971 action thriller “The French Connection” and for his role as antagonistic sheriff in Clint Eastwood’s 1992 Western “Unforgiven.” He was also Oscar-nominated for his performances in “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967), “I Never Sang for My Father” (1970) and “Mississippi Burning” (1988).

Hackman was also known for playing Lex Luthor in 1978’s “Superman” and the 1980 sequel “Superman II,” with other notable credits including “Scarecrow” (1973), “The Conversation” (1974), “Loose Cannons “(1990), “The Firm” (1993), “Enemy of the State” (1998) and “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001).

Take a look at Hackman’s career in photos below.

Two time Oscar-winner Gene Hackman was found dead alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa at their home in Santa Fe, local police confirmed this morning.

The police have said they don’t believe “foul play was a factor in their deaths” but an investigation is ongoing.

Hackman turned 95 this year. The Hollywood legend was one of American cinema’s most trusted onscreen artists. He won Oscars for The French Connection (1971) and Unforgiven (1992) and was Oscar-nominated for roles in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), I Never Sang for My Father (1970), and Mississippi Burning (1988).

Hackman was also celebrated for his portrayal of Lex Luthor in Superman (1978) and its sequel Superman II, with other credits including The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Scarecrow (1972), The Conversation (1974), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Under Fire (1983), Power (1986), Loose Cannons (1990), The Firm (1993), The Quick and the Dead (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Enemy of the State (1998), Behind Enemy Lines (2001), and Runaway Jury (2003).

He had not been in the...

Gene Hackman, the versatile leading man renowned for his smoldering performance as hard-nosed New York City narc Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in The French Connection, has died. He was 95.

The much-admired two-time Oscar winner and his second wife, Betsy Hackman, 64, were found dead Wednesday at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They had lived in a gated community northeast of the city since the 1980s.

In a statement to the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said, “We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday afternoon at their residence on Sunset Trail.” One of their three dogs also died.

A search warrant ruled that the deaths were “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation.”

His daughters, Elizabeth and Leslie, and granddaughter Annie noted in a statement that Hackman was “loved and admired by millions around...

Two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have been found dead at their home in Santa Fe, Nm.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed just after midnight Thursday local time that the couple had died, along with one of their dogs.

A statement from the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office read: “On February 26, 2025 at approximately 1:45 p.m., Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park where Gene Hackman, 95 and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, and a dog were found deceased.

“Foul play is not suspected as a factor in those deaths at this time however exact cause of death has not been determined. This is an active and ongoing investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.”

Related: 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries

Deputies were responding to a welfare check at the home after a neighbor called authorities,...

Colin Farrell isn’t ruling out a second season of Max’s hit Batman spinoff series, “The Penguin.” The Irish actor, who plays Oswald “Oz” Cobb, recently won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series.

Speaking to reporters after his win, Farrell shared that he’s open to reprising his role—if the right idea comes along. “I go off [of] and agree with what [executive producers] Matt Reeves and Dylan Clark and Lauren LeFranc have said, which is, if they came up with an idea for a second season that was really strong, and we all felt compelled to continue to explore the character of Oz in that way, then for sure,” he said in the virtual press room at the SAG Awards.

Farrell made it clear that any continuation of the series would need to fit within the larger Batman universe established by Reeves.

Last week in Episode 7 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, RuPaul Charles and the judges sent early frontrunner Crystal Envy home after a disappointing turn as Nicole Richie in the make-you-or-break-you “Snatch Game.” Onya Nurve won that challenge, her second this season, for playing a version of Eddie Murphy that also showed glimpses of her own individual sense of humor as well.

This week, the 10 remaining competitors were back in front of the judges to prove they were center stage-worthy queens in a Rusical mashup of Wicked, The Wizard of Oz, and The Wiz. Michelle Visage, choreographer Jamal Sims, and performer Adam Lambert served as the judges alongside Ru.

The contestants still in the running to be named “America’s Next Drag Superstar” at the start of the episode were: Acacia Forgot, Arrietty, Jewels Sparkles, Kori King, Lana Ja’Rae, Lexi Love, Lydia B Kollins, Onya Nurve, Sam Star, and Suzie Toot.

Here...

Peter Jason, a prolific character best known for his role as Deadwood‘s dim-witted card dealer Con Stapleton and numerous performances in the films of John Carpenter and Walter Hill, died Thursday. He was 80.

A cause of death was not immediately available.

His death was announced Thursday evening by, among other colleagues, Halloween director Carpenter, who called him “one of the great character actors in cinema.” Wrote Carpenter on X, “He was a dear friend and I’ll miss him terribly.”

Other friends and colleagues also shared the news. Actor Billy Zane wrote on X, “My dear, dear friend, the brightest light, most generous soul and gregarious of men, the supremely talented and kind Peter Jason has left the set,” and Matthew Asner, son of the late actor Ed Asner, wrote on Facebook, “I am heartbroken. My dear friend and my father’s best friend, Peter Jason, passed away today.