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Michael Fassbender details the most challenging scene for him to film in his new movie. The X-Men actor, best known for playing Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto, in 20th Century Fox's X-Men saga, has a diverse career outside of superhero movies. He portrayed Bobby Sands in the historical drama Hunger, and has starred in Ridley Scott's Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. In the comedy space, Fassbender left a memorable performance as a coach of the American Samoa soccer team in Next Goal Wins.

In recent years, Fassbender has been deep in the thriller/spy genre. Following his journey portraying an assassin in David Fincher's 2023 film The Killer, the actor starred in the 2024 Paramount+/Showtime spy series The Agency, where he plays thecovert CIA agent Martian, who struggles to cut ties with an old flame after his mission has come to an end. Fassbender's new 2025 film further sees him in...

Michael Fassbender has enjoyed an extraordinary career, bridging decades of storytelling. Unfortunately, his productivity generally declined in the 2020s. After the critically panned X-Men: Dark Phoenix(2019), the actor stepped away from Hollywood for several years. He instead took time to focus on his career as a professional racer. Consequently, he did not star in a single movie between 2020 and 2022. This was a natural decision during the pandemic, as Hollywood faced hardship during that period. Still, there was no evidence that Fassbender would have the chance to return due to insurance issues.

Fassbender did not stay away forever, thankfully. The actor returned to the screen in 2023 for The Killer and Next Goal Wins and also starred in Kneecap in 2024. These movies have been coming slowly compared to the rest of Fassbender's career. He was previously capable of starring in three films in one calendar year. Now, he appears in only one or two each year,...

With the long-delayed movie finally about to release, Jonathan Majorsis reflecting on his recent controversies and his Hollywood comeback ahead of Magazine Dreams' debut. Following his Emmy-nominated turn in Lovecraft Country, Majors was enjoying a very quick rise to stardom with the likes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Kang the Conqueror, who was set to be the next Thanos. Majors' career came to a standstill when he was arrested for a domestic assault report by his now-ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, being fired from the MCU and accused of further abuses and convicted of one count of reckless assault in the third degree and harassment.

Now, with Magazine Dreams officially picked up by Briarcliff Entertainment, Majors has sat down with The Hollywood Reporterfor his first major Hollywood comeback interview. The Emmy nominee began by recalling the period of time immediately following his not-guilty plea and trial, which he described as "heartbreak like...

After a self-imposed hiatus from acting, Michael Fassbender is back onscreen with a vengeance in 2025. Sure, his comeback technically started in 2023 with David Fincher‘s “The Killer” and Taika Waititi‘s “Next Goal Wins,” but Fassbender is all over the place this year. There’s Season 1 of Showtime‘s “The Agency,” which just wrapped airing in January.

Continue reading Michael Fassbender Talks Botched ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Audition & Passing On The Magneto Character Torch at The Playlist.

Exclusive: FX has given a pilot order to Seven Sisters, a drama starring Elizabeth Olsen. It comes from executive producers Will Arbery, who wrote the pilot; Sean Durkin, who will direct it; and Garrett Basch.

Seven Sisters reunites Olsen and Durkin a decade and a half after the award-winning 2011 movie Martha Marcy May Marlene, written and directed by Durkin in his feature directorial debut, which starred Olsen in her film debut.

In Seven Sisters, from FX Productions, a large, tightknit family begins to unravel when a sister (Olsen) starts communicating with a voice no one else can hear — forcing each of them to confront long-buried secrets.

If the pilot goes forward, it would mark Basch’s fifth series for FX, where his company Dive has a longstanding first-look deal,...

Michael Fassbender is back. After a recent four-year hiatus (2020-2023) to pursue sports car racing at Le Mans, he’s returned to acting with a vengeance.

In 2023, he played a perfectionist assassin in David Fincher’s “The Killer” (Netflix); an alcoholic soccer coach in Taika Waititi’s sports comedy “Next Goal Wins” (Searchlight); and took on his first TV series since his early years, as a London CIA agent in love with Jodie Turner-Smith’s Sudanese professor in “The Agency” (Paramount+/Showtime).

And, this week, his latest movie opens in theaters, Steven Soderbergh’s “Black Bag” (Focus), a rarity in today’s world: an original smart spy thriller for adults.

Fassbender is specializing in spies of late. In this witty British whodunit artfully written by Hollywood veteran David Koepp, the German-Irish Fassbender is George Woodhouse, a star spy at Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre, happily married to another star spy,...

Moana may have taken on the ocean virtually alone in “Moana” — at least, until she dragged Maui along — but that isn’t the case in Disney’s latest sequel.

In “Moana 2,” our wayfinding hero sets out on another voyage. This time, she’s called upon by the ancestors to locate an island hidden by a god, specifically with the intent to cut off other island peoples from each other. The mission is decidedly more dangerous than in the first film, and that means she needs a crew.

Here’s who’s on that crew, and where you might recognize everyone’s voices from in our complete “Moana 2” cast and character guide now that the film is streaming on Disney+.

Disney Moana (Auli’i Cravalho)

Moana remains the center of the story in the sequel, as she sets out to quite literally save humankind. She’s once again voiced by Auli’i Cravalho,...

Taika Waititi mixed jokes and sincerity in his acceptance speech for the Norman Lear Achievement Award on Saturday at the Producers Guild Awards for his work in television. He thanked his partners at FX and on the shows Reservation Dogs and What We Do in the Shadows.

“Thank you so much for believing in Indigenous stories and believing they could be more than just brown people standing on a mountain playing a flute talking to ancestors,” he said.

Waititi also thanked the film companies Searchlight, Disney and Marvel, who released his films Jojo Rabbit, Next Goal Wins and the Thor sequels, and Bird Runningwater, who programmed his first short film at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, leading to his opportunities in Hollywood.

In a moment of either humility or irreverence, Waititi admitted he does not know what he’s doing. But, he is in good company.

“None of us do,” Waititi said.

Here are four more great shows to keep the spy-times rolling.

That’s a curtain call on the first season of Paramount+ with Showtime’s “The Agency,” a slick new spy thriller starring Michael Fassbender. After two months of suspenseful twists, the show aired its intense season finale on Friday, Jan. 24. Packed with espionage and emotional stakes, “The Agency” marked Fassbender’s return to TV in a big way, following his work in films like “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Slow West,” and most recently, “Next Goal Wins.”

In “The Agency,” Fassbender plays Martian, a seasoned CIA operative forced out of the shadows and back into the high-stakes world of London Station. With his past catching up in the form of old flames, unresolved missions, and dangerous new threats, Martian is caught in a web of intrigue. Alongside a stellar cast that includes Jeffrey Wright, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Richard Gere,...

A decade ago, Legendary Pictures secured the rights to Godzilla and other characters owned and created by the Japanese company Toho so they could launch a cinematic universe they call the MonsterVerse – and they also secured the rights to the King Kong character so he could be part of their MonsterVerse as well. Things got started with Godzilla in 2014, and since then the universe has expanded with Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong, the animated series Skull Island, the live-action series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. A third Godzilla / Kong mash-up is now in the works – and Deadline has learned that the iconic monsters are being joined in the cast by Kaitlyn Dever this time around.

Dever’s credits include Good Grief, No One Will Save You, Next Goal Wins, Rosaline, Dear Evan Hanson, Last Man Standing, Booksmart, Justified,...

Rita Ora is co-hosting Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2025 in Times Square and fans will likely be wondering if she’ll be kissing anyone at midnight.

The 34-year-old singer and actress is best known for hit songs like “How We Do (Party),” “Black Widow,” and “I Will Never Let You Down.” She has been a judge on several talent shows, including The Masked Singer, The X Factor UK, and multiple international versions of The Voice.

Rita is also an actress who has been seen in the Fifty Shades movies and the Disney Channel film Descendants: The Rise of Red.

Rita does indeed have a special someone in her life and he’s someone that is well known to movie fans and Marvel devotees.

Keep reading to find out more…

Rita Ora is married to Oscar-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi!

Rita is married to filmmaker and actor Taika Waititi!

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Moana 2.

Many of the new characters in Moana 2 add fun and exciting elements to the 2016 original film. Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson lead the ensemble cast of Moana 2, which also features voice performances by Awhimai Fraser, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Tudyk, and Jermaine Clement. After releasing in theaters on November 27, 2024, Moana 2 earned a five-day Thanksgiving gross of $221 million domestically, which surpassed the record set by The Super Mario Bros. Movie. for the best five-day weekend of all time.

Throughout Moana 2, Moana journeys to the far seas of Oceania after receiving an unexpected call from her ancestors. She leaves her home island of Motunui and sets out to find other people on the ocean with the hope of uniting them once again. It's revealed that Nalo, a wicked and powerful storm god, had sunk a crucial connecting island called Motufetu deep...

Taika Waititi will soon be adding another trophy to the case.

The prolific writer, director, and producer will receive the prestigious Norman Lear Award from the Producers Guild of America. The prize, which honors a producer’s body of work and contributions to the TV industry, has previously gone to such creators as Mindy Kaling, Greg Berlanti, Marta Kauffman, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Ryan Murphy, Shonda Rhimes, Chuck Lorre, J.J. Abrams, Lorne Michaels, Dick Wolf, Jerry Bruckheimer, Gail Berman, Aaron Spelling, David E. Kelley, and Norman Lear himself.

Waititi made a big splash in TV with the supernatural comedy series What We Do in the Shadows, which was based on his independent mockumentary of the same name. That program, which just ended its six-season run on Dec. 16, has earned him three Primetime Emmy nominations for Best Comedy Series. Waititi also co-created Reservation Dogs, which received ample critical acclaim and earned its first...

Pixar’s original animated series Win or Lose will no longer include a transgender storyline in a later episode, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The series follows a co-ed middle school softball team named the Pickles in the week leading up to their championship game. Each of the eight episodes center on the off-the-field life of a character and their point of view, whether it be a player, a parent, a coach or an umpire.

A spokesperson for Disney confirmed that the story arc was removed and provided the following statement to THR: “When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline.”

The character remains in the show, but a few lines of dialogue that referenced gender identity are being removed. A source close to Win or Lose said...

Glistening from her latest step-and-repeat at the 2024 Fashion Awards inside London's prestigious Royal Albert Hall, Rita Ora may have made headlines for a completely different reason. According to UK tabloid The Sun, Ora was enjoying casual conversation when something other than fashion talk was overheard.

“A friend of mine was rubbing shoulders with the singer at the British Fashion Awards when they overheard Rita chatting about her new role,” the article reads. “They told me: ‘Rita was dressed like a baddie from a Marvel film, and when someone commented on it, she let slip she has a part in a new Marvel film. She confirmed she had landed the role of someone evil and that she was super excited about getting stuck into it.’”

The potential reveal has definitely caught some fans off-guard, as no Marvel Cinematic Universe outing has yet to confirm Ora as part of its cast. But...

What We Do In The Shadows, the half-hour comedy mockumentary created by Jemaine Clement, is ending with its sixth season. The show is based on the film of the same name by Clement and Taika Waititi which follows a trio of vampires as they fumble into shenanigans and half-heartedly attempt to take over the United States.

Waititi, who co-wrote, co-directed, and co-starred in the original movie, sat down with Entertainment Weekly to speak about the end of the beloved show. Acknowledging he is proud of the success it has become, Waititi, who serves as an executive producer for the TV series, feels that the show has had its time, as he's now putting his focus into other projects.

Related What We Do in the Shadows Star Reveals BTS Reaction to Surprising True Blood Cameo

What We Do in the Shadows star and fan-favorite Hollywood icon Doug Jones opens up about...

Taika Waititi really seems to be on a streak of losing shows and films. The filmmaker adapted the acclaimed Terry Gilliam film Time Bandits as a show for Apple TV+ but the series was canceled after its very first season. The adventure comedy series featured Lisa Kudrow, Kal-El Tuck, Charlyne Yi, and Waititi himself.

The series was co-created with Jemaine Clement and Iain Morris. While the show achieved critical acclaim, it did not seem to get the required viewership for a historic fiction sci-fi adventure series as big as that and hence was reportedly canceled. However, interest still remains within a small circle of fans.

Time Bandits Will Not Return For A Season 2 A still from Time Bandits | Credits: Apple TV+

Taika Waititi’s hot streak of getting his shows canceled this year is going strong. The filmmaker and actor’s latest series to get canceled after the beloved pirate comedy Our Flag Means Death,...

Michael Fassbender's new spy thriller series has been officially renewed for another season after its two-episode premiere brought in impressive numbers for Paramount+. While the series has a 66% score on Rotten Tomatoes, its audience score is much higher at 88%.

Per Variety, The Agency was renewed for a second season at Paramount+ with Showtime after an impressive debut on the platform. The series reportedly brought in 5.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched new series in Showtime's history. With Dexter: Original Sin set to premiere on the streaming platform next week, Paramount+ with Showtime appears to be ending 2024 on a strong note. The Agency is based off the French series, The Bureau, which ran for five seasons.

Related The Agency Season 1, Episode 3 Review: The Apathetic Spy Thriller With Very Few Thrills

The Agency Season 1, Episode 3, "Hawk From a Handsaw," features an enthralling Michael Fassbender but viewers have to work for any dramatic reward.

For Golden Globe Award-winner Richard Gere to take on a role in the new Paramount+ with Showtime series The Agency, he had a few conditions. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor wanted his character to be “grounded.”

In The Agency, a political-spy-thriller, Gere co-stars with Michael Fassbender (X-Men First Class) and Jeffrey Wright (The Batman) as Bosko. “It’s important for me that he be someone who’s grounded in knowing what it’s like to be, essentially, a fictional character out there and have multiple names, multiple passports, multiple friends in different universes and be able to traverse these different universes without destroying yourself,” Gere said.

In the series, the characters played by Fassbender and Wright, Agent Martian and CIA Director of Operations Henry, respectively, report to Gere’s character, Bosko. Bosko is the London station chief and in the show, he works to help Martian...

In May 2020, Lucasfilm announced that Taika Waititi was developing his own entry in the Star Wars franchise. The Thor: Ragnarok director promised a new vision for the space saga, and that he was working on several big ideas to bring to the table. However, since then, there has been a lot of uncertainty about the status of his movie. In a recent interview, Waititi failed to clarify the position of his Star Wars movie, and instead made its likelihood of ever being seen even less clear than it was before.

Any project that vanishes into limbo for four years is usually not ever going to make it out of development hell, and speaking to The Playlist, Waititi failed to give a clear update on whether the film is still actually in development or not. Asked about the project, he said:

What was ever alive? What is death? You know, death is just a new opportunity.

What We Do in the Shadows was a strong project but didn’t quite break into the mainstream. However, with Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit, Taika Waititi skyrocketed to fame, quickly becoming one of the most popular and in-demand directors in Hollywood—a meteoric rise that was hard to ignore.

Since then, though, his career has faced a downturn. Thor: Love and Thunder was met with disappointment, while Next Goal Wins was enjoyable but not groundbreaking. Though Our Flag Means Death found success, Waititi’s star power isn’t where it once was.

As a result, three of his major projects—a live-action adaptation of the anime classic Akira, his take on the Star Wars franchise, and a Flash Gordon remake—have all been placed on hold and appear to be stuck in developmental limbo. Recently, the director himself spoke out about the future of these projects.

All three of these projects were incredibly ambitious.

What We Do in the Shadows was a solid but not a mainstream hit. On the other hand, with Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit, Taika Waititi reached stardom in a quick fashion, and he was suddenly one of the most popular and sought-after directors in the world, which was an incredible rise in popularity for him.

But, since then, his career has been on a downward spiral. Thor: Love and Thunder was a failure, while Next Goal Wins proved to be a fun film, but not much more. Our Flag Means Death was a solid success, but Waititi is nowhere near his former fame.

In light of that, the future of three of his major projects – a live-action adaptation of the anime classic Akira, a new take on the Star Wars franchise, and the Flash Gordon remake – have all been put on hold and are currently in developmental hell, we’d say.

Let's be honest, it's been a crazy time in America these past few weeks. The 2024 election cycle brought out some of the worst in people, and I think we're all just a bit exhausted from it all. Hopefully, the holidays offer a bit of a reprieve from the endless cycle of doom and gloom.

And with that, Disney has debuted a heartwarming holiday short that was created in collaboration with Academy Award winner Taika Waititi. When it comes to holiday advertisements, there's no shortage of classics that tug on the heartstrings — especially as I get older and the wheels of time start spinning faster.

The latest from Disney, titled A Disney Holiday Short: The Boy and The Octopus, serves as a reminder of the "precious everyday moments of childhood and friendship."

The holidays are a magical time of year. For children, it's filled with wonder and excitement. As we get...

Disney has teamed up with Academy Award-winner Taika Waititi to bring some holiday cheer to viewers around the world. The Boy & The Octopus tells the story of a young boy who encounters an octopus while swimming at the beach, only to befriend the mollusk and share in a celebration of the holiday season. While the 4-minute short starts at the beach, the boy and the octopus also find themselves on charming wintry streets and the boys cozy bedroomas well as a sushi shop for a very Waititi-esque beat.

Waititi has worked with Disney and its various companies on an impressive string of projects including The Mandalorian, Next Goal Wins, and Thor: Ragnarok. It was even announced in 2020 that Waititi would direct a Star Wars movie, though news has been sparse on that front. Even before he began collaborating with the company, Waititi was known for creating stories full of equal parts heat and quirky humor,...

Disney is inspiring joy and wonder this holiday season with the release of A Disney Holiday Short: The Boy & The Octopus in collaboration with Academy Award winner Taika Waititi.

“For generations, Disney has been an ever-present part of the holiday season all over the world, and this short builds on the enduring connection that so many families have with Disney during this special time of year,” said Asad Ayaz, Chief Brand Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Taika Waititi on this timeless story of childhood friendship against the backdrop of this magical season.”

A Disney Holiday Short: The Boy & The Octopus follows the journey of a child who discovers a curious octopus attached to his head during a seaside vacation.

After returning home, the boy forms a true friendship with the octopus by introducing his new companion to his life on land – harnessing the power...

Disney has unveiled a new holiday short, The Boy and The Octopus, directed by Oscar-winner Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, The Hunt For the Wilderpeople).

The 4-minute film, which dropped on YouTube Tuesday, follows the tale of a young boy who encounters a curious octopus while snorkeling on a seaside vacation. The persistent mollusk attaches itself to the boy’s head and becomes his constant companion.

Back home, the duo enjoys an array of products featuring Disney-owned IP, including a Buzz Lightyear action figure, a Star Wars Jedi lightsaber, and a Mickey Mouse beanie.

While watching the Disney holiday film The Santa Clause (1994), they hatch a plan to sneak the octopus onto Santa’s sleigh so he can travel the world. (How exactly a sea creature will survive in the North Pole is not explained – perhaps Disney will follow that up in a sequel). All this is set to a soundtrack...

Michael Fassbender has been considered one of the best actors of his generation ever since his breakout in the early 2010s, and has managed to work alongside such acclaimed directors as Ridley Scott, Derek Cianfrance, Steven McQueen, David Cronenberg, Steven Soderbergh, and Quentin Tarantino among others. Although there was concern that Fassbenders career may have been in decline due to the more negative reception to the later installments in the Alien and X-Men franchises that he starred in, 2023 brought him back to the forefront of popular culture with the Netflix thriller The Killer and the light-hearted sports comedy Next Goal Wins. However, Fassbender has reached an even greater height this year with the award-winning biopic Kneecap, in which he plays a supporting role. While the film has been getting great reviews since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, Kneecap draws in elements from Fassbenders underrated films Hunger and Frank.

Rlje Films dropped the first teaser trailer for Ash at New York Comic-Con, a trippy sci-fi horror movie starring Eiza González (3 Body Problem) and Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) from director Flying Lotus and screenwriter Jonni Remmler.

The official synopsis for Ash: “On the mysterious planet of Ash, Riya (González) awakens to find her crew slaughtered. When a man named Brion (Paul) arrives to rescue her, an ordeal of psychological and physical terror ensues while Riya and Brion must decide if they can trust one another to survive.” The film also stars Iko Uwais (The Raid), Beulah Koale (Next Goal Wins), and Kate Elliott (Wentworth). In addition to directing Ash, Flying Lotus also composed the score.

Related Ash: Eiza González, Aaron Paul sci-fi thriller acquired by Prime Video

González has previously teased that you should expect the unexpected with Flying Lotus. “The way his brain works is quite special,...

What We Do in the Shadows' showrunner has revealed if Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi will be returning to the show. The duo co-wrote, co-directed, and co-starred in the original 2014 mockumentary as vampire roommates Vladislav the Poker and Viago von Dorna Schmarten Scheden Heimburg (n von Blitzenberg), later reprising those roles in multiple episodes across seasons 1, 2, and 3 of the FX show based on the movie, which Clement also created. The upcoming What We Do in the Shadows season 6 is set to be the final season of the series.

Screen Rant recently had the opportunity to sit down with the cast and crew of What We Do in the Shadows season 6 ahead of the premiere. When asked if Clement and Waititi might reprise their roles on the show another time, showrunner Paul Simms revealed that "those guys were very busy" working on their TV remake of Terry Gilliam's 1981 movie Time Bandits,...

What We Do in the Shadows' showrunner has revealed if Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi will be returning to the show. The duo co-wrote, co-directed, and co-starred in the original 2014 mockumentary as vampire roommates Vladislav the Poker and Viago von Dorna Schmarten Scheden Heimburg (n von Blitzenberg), later reprising those roles in multiple episodes across seasons 1, 2, and 3 of the FX show based on the movie, which Clement also created. The upcoming What We Do in the Shadows season 6 is set to be the final season of the series.

Screen Rant recently had the opportunity to sit down with the cast and crew of What We Do in the Shadows season 6 ahead of the premiere. When asked if Clement and Waititi might reprise their roles on the show another time, showrunner Paul Simms revealed that "those guys were very busy" working on their TV remake of Terry Gilliam's 1981 movie Time Bandits,...

Michael Fassbender has done a lot for his roles. Be it wearing a metal helmet and pretending that he could move things with his hand (in the X-Men films), or playing a British commando and former film critic who goes undercover as a German officer (Inglourious Basterds) – he has proven his excellence in it all, irrespective of however challenging the role may have been.

Michael Fassbender. | Credits: Gage Skidmore/Cca-by-sa-2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

But perhaps his most challenging role must have been that of Thomas Rongen in the 2023 comedy-sport Next Goal Wins. This is because he had to ditch his vacation plans of racing sports cars to work on the movie. But the real credit for it, perhaps, goes to filmmaker Taika Waititi, considering how he was the one to tell Fassbender about the role and convince him for it in the first place!

Taika Waititi Didn’t Have a...

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been such a coveted hub of entertainment that it’s either the place where everyone is or everyone wants to be. The popularity of the franchise comes with its own perks, as you get access to unlimited resources, and people from every country that has an accessible film theater become familiar with your work. But it has its downsides because the franchise works like a conveyor belt and every project has a stupid deadline that stifles creativity. And since a lot of directors are in there, sometimes for very long periods of time, it’s interesting to see how the process of making a Marvel project has affected their vision and whether that change is palpable in their post-mcu career. Jon Favreau made the amazing Chef and then went right into the conveyor belt with Disney remakes and Star Wars’ Mandalorian IP. James Gunn made the fantastic The Suicide Squad.

The cancelation of Apple TV+'s Time Bandits continues an unfortunate streak for Taika Waititi. He is one of the show's co-creators, executive producers, directors, writers, and played the role of the Supreme Being. Based on the 1981 Terry Gilliam movie of the same name, Time Bandits' cast and characters also include 11-year-old Kevin (Kal-El Tuck), whose love for history makes him a valuable member of the time-traveling bandits led by the bumbling Penelope (Lisa Kudrow).

Prior to being canceled, Time Bandits season 1 ended on a major cliffhanger and with several unresolved storylines that set up a second season. Time Bandits' cancelation unfortunately means that this cliffhanger and the other storylines will remain unaddressed, and this is not the first time that this has happened to one of Waititi's shows. Many of Waititi's more recent projects have struggled commercially and critically despite his previous successes, which included Hunt for the Wilderpeople,...

GLAAD released the 12th installment of its Studio Responsibility Index, a study that tracks the “quantity, quality and diversity” of LGBTQ characters in films released in a calendar year by 10 Hollywood distributors. The report found that most of the companies received low grades and overall representation ticked down just slightly.

To compile the data, GLAAD investigated 256 films released in 2023 by A24, Amazon, Apple TV+, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony Pictures Entertainment, the Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Discovery (including subsidiary distribution labels and streaming services). The organization found 70 films out of 256 contained an LGBTQ character (or 27.3 percent), a decrease from last year’s record high of 100 out of 350 films (or 28.5 percent). The 70 films featured a total of 170 LGBTQ characters, a decrease of 122 from last year, and of those 170, 78 represented characters of color, an increase of 6 percent.

The report called it “a welcome uptick” and cited such films as Rustin,...

GLAAD, the LGBTQ media advocacy organization, has released its 12th annual Studio Responsibility Index tracking films released during 2023. Despite “a huge increase in LGBTQ characters who were front and center in their own narratives,” the study found the number of films with LGBTQ characters dropped in 2023.

The survey looked at 256 films from 10 major distributors and their subsidiaries and streaming services. GLAAD says the index can serve as a guide for studios to identify priorities and opportunities to increase and improve fair, accurate and inclusive LGBTQ representation and storytelling.

Key findings of the study included:

70 of the films counted or 27.3% contained an LGBTQ character, a decrease from 28.5% in 2022 Those 70 films included 170 LGBTQ characters, of which 46% were characters of color, representing an increase of 6% from the 2022 study. Of the 170 characters surveyed, only two were transgender, from the films “Next Goal Wins” and “¡Que Viva Mexico!,” down from 13 the previous year. GLAAD noted the “¡Que Viva Mexico!

Exclusive: Tre Hale (Platonic), Baron Vaughn (Grace and Frankie), Vivian Bang (White Rabbit) and Rhys Darby (Our Flag Means Death) have wrapped in Oregon on Song of the Bigfoot, an indie dramedy written and directed by Brent Bishop, in his feature debut, in which they play lead roles.

Others in the cast include Brenda Strong (Desperate Housewives) and newcomer Emily McEnroe (Ryan Murphy’s Monsters).

The film is described as an uplifting tale about three lovably quirky Bigfoot seekers who become desperately lost in the wilderness and are thrust into a life-and-death ordeal. They soon realize they’ve also been lost in life, and must not only save themselves, but commit to a life worth saving. Clinging to the wisdom of their Bigfoot Society’s eccentric, long-lost founder (Darby), and the guidance of its current matriarch (Strong), the trio wrestle with past traumas, personal demons, and lost...

To a generation of Brits, Iain Morris may forever be known as half of the duo that created “The Inbetweeners,” the wildly rude sitcom about a group of mostly unpopular teenage boys that ran from 2008-2010 and was followed by two hugely successful films.

But the multi-talented creative has been prolifically busy since then, reuniting some of the “The Inbetweeners” lead cast for BBC comedy series “White Gold,” creating another BBC comedy “First Team,” working on FX’s “What We Do in the Shadows,” helping write Taika Waititi’s soccer comedy “Next Goal Wins” and recently being tapped to direct Netflix rom-com feature “My Oxford Year.”

For the last few years, he’s also been hard at work on “Time Bandits,” Apple TV+’s small-screen reimagining of Terry Gilliam’s cult 1981 fantasy comedy about a young boy taken on an adventure through time with a band of thieves (mostly played...

In 1981, as the Monty Python sketch comedy troupe approached the end of its most fertile period, Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin co-wrote the feature film Time Bandits, which Gilliam also directed. Though Monty Python’s Flying Circus and some segments of their various movies would be entertaining to kids and adults alike, Time Bandits was pitched at a younger audience and, according to an essay by Bruce Eder at Criterion.com, became “the most critically well-received children’s film in nearly two decades.”

For some Gen Xers who saw it as children, Time Bandits was a formative event: a fantasy story that didn’t hold back on physical or emotional violence, and (spoilers ahead for a 40+-year-old movie) had no compunction about giving the young protagonist’s terrible parents an unambiguously punitive ending.

Now Time Bandits is getting a revival in streaming TV series form. I can’t speak to how 2024 kids will receive it,...

Back in 1981, director Terry Gilliam and his Monty Python cohort Michael Palin brought the world the cult classic fantasy adventure film Time Bandits – and now, Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi has teamed with his frequent collaborators Jemaine Clement and Iain Morris to create an Apple TV+ series version of Time Bandits. The first two episodes of the ten-episode first season will premiere on Wednesday, July 24th… and while doing the press rounds for the show, Clement revealed that season 2 is already being written!

Produced for Apple TV+ by Paramount Television Studios, Anonymous Content’s AC Studios, and MRC, Time Bandits is an unpredictable journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves and their newest recruit: an 11-year-old history buff named Kevin. Together, they set out on a thrilling quest to save the boy’s parents — and the world. The eccentric crew of...

Taika Waititi's critical decline is evident in his latest film's low Rotten Tomatoes score, signaling a shift in his fortunes as a filmmaker. Waititi's films like Jojo Rabbit and Thor: Love and Thunder have contributed to his critical decline. Taika Waititi's next film, an adaptation of Klara and the Sun, offers an opportunity for him to break his slump by showcasing his ability to create a sincere drama rather than relying heavily on comedy.

Taiki Waititis latest failure underlines how dramatically things have gone wrong for a Hollywood figure who was critically adored not so long ago. The actor-writer-directors early output speaks of a filmmaker with a distinct vision and a remarkably developed voice. While Waititis first film, Eagle vs. Shark, saw mixed reviews, 2010-2016 saw the director deliver an impressive run of acclaimed New Zealand indie comedies, consisting of Boy, What We Do in the Shadows, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

¡La historia nunca fue tan divertida! © Apple TV+

Apple TV+ ha publicado el tráiler de la serie de comedia y aventuras “Los Héroes del Tiempo” (“Time Bandits”), adaptación televisiva de la película clásica del mismo título, creada para la televisión por Jemaine Clement (“Lo que Hacemos en las Sombras”), Iain Morris (“Lo que Hacemos en las Sombras”) y Taika Waititi.

“Los Héroes del Tiempo” es un viaje a través del tiempo y el espacio con un dispar grupo de ladrones y su nuevo recluta: un niño de 11 años aficionado a la historia llamado Kevin. Juntos, se embarcan en una emocionante búsqueda para salvar a los padres del niño y al mundo entero. Guiados por Lisa Kudrow, el excéntrico grupo de bandidos se embarca en épicas aventuras mientras las fuerzas del mal amenazan sus conquistas… y la vida tal y como la conocemos. Viajando a través del tiempo y el espacio,...

Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s long-in-the-works TV adaptation of “Time Bandits” is finally ready to go, and on Tuesday Apple TV+ released a timey-wimey trailer for the family fantasy comedy.

The series follows a lonely, history-loving kid named Kevin (Kal-El Tuck) who discovers a “time egress” in his wardrobe and ends up joining a crew of thieves led by Penelope (Lisa Kudrow) who travel through time stealing priceless artifacts and having comedic misadventures.

“Time Bandits” hails from frequent collaborators Waititi, Clement (best known together for their work on “What We Do in the Shadows”) and Iain Morris (who wrote for Clement’s “Flight of the Conchords” and co-wrote the screenplay for Waititi’s “Next Goal Wins”). Oscar-winner Waititi directs some episodes, while Clement and Morris serve as showrunners. The series is based on Terry Gilliam’s 1981 film of the same name. It’s been in the works at Apple...

Collider is thrilled to exclusively reveal the teaser trailer and key art for the upcoming action-packed thriller Gunner, which is set to be available on digital and in select theaters on August 16 and stars Academy Award Winner Morgan Freeman and Luke Hemsworth, known for his roles in Next Goal Wins and HBOs Westworld. Gunner follows the story of war veteran Colonel Lee Gunner, who embarks on a camping trip with his two sons and their uncle Jon, hoping to reconnect after spending years on the battlefield. The peaceful retreat quickly turns perilous when Jon accidentally triggers a tripwire, setting off an explosion that alerts a violent biker gang involved in a large-scale drug operation.

Back in 1981, director Terry Gilliam and his Monty Python cohort Michael Palin brought the world the cult classic fantasy adventure film Time Bandits – and now, Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi has teamed with his frequent collaborators Jemaine Clement and Iain Morris to create an Apple TV+ series version of Time Bandits. The first two episodes of the ten-episode first season will premiere on Wednesday, July 24th… and with that date right around the corner, a trailer for the show has arrived online. You can check it out in the embed above.

The two episode premiere will be followed by two new episodes every Wednesday through August 21st.

Produced for Apple TV+ by Paramount Television Studios, Anonymous Content’s AC Studios, and MRC, Time Bandits is an unpredictable journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves and their newest recruit: an 11-year-old history buff named Kevin.

Michael Fassbender stars in new TV series The Agency, a remake of a French show. The Agency follows a CIA agent storyline similar to the hit series The Bureau, with Fassbender's return to TV highly anticipated. Fassbender's role in the upcoming series after success in The Killer film by David Fincher adds to the excitement for The Agency.

Michael Fassbender is set to star in a new TV series that remakes a critically acclaimed French series is now in the works, and the show is incredibly exciting after the actor's return to form with an 85% Rotten Tomatoes success. Michael Fassbender has always been great, but a 2023 film highlighted just how fantastic the actor is, with him collaborating with David Fincher to make a hilarious action/crime film. Michael Fassbender will now be continuing his career with this upcoming TV show, and his previous hit shows just how good this series could be.

New spy thriller TV series, The Agency, starring Michael Fassbender and produced by George Clooney, is in development. Fassbender excels in thriller roles, making him ideal for lead role in The Agency. The Agency team, including Clooney and Fassbender, consists of seasoned professionals, raising expectations.

A new spy thriller TV series starring Michael Fassbender and produced by George Clooney is now in development. Both Fassbender and Clooney are A-list actors, with the former best known for roles in Shame and X-Men: First Class, and Clooeny's notable roles include parts in ER, Gravity, and Up in the Air. Recently, Fassbender's work has included roles in Next Goal Wins and The Killer, while Clooney has dedicated his talents to If and Ticket to Paradise.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, a new thriller series involving Clooney and Fassbender has now been announced. The series will be called The Agency, and it is set...

Michael Fassbender can recently be seen in the dark, moody, but also comedic David Fincher film The Killer on Netflix, as well as the very comedic, light-hearted sports film Next Goal Wins from Taika Waititi that is available on Hulu. He had also recently wrapped Black Bag, which was directed by Steven Soderbergh. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fassbender will be making the move to television as the star and executive producer of the espionage thriller The Agency, which will reside on Paramount+. The Agency was formerly titled The Department and is based on the French series Le Bureau des Legendes. The show has now started production.

The plot, according to THR, reads, “Fassbender will play a CIA agent who’s ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. When the love he left behind reappears, romance reignites. His career, his real identity and his mission are pitted against his heart,...

Paramount+’s spy thriller The Agency has found its lead agent.

Michael Fassbender will star in the espionage drama (formerly titled The Department), which is based on the French series Le Bureau des Legendes and has started production. The two-time Oscar nominee will also serve as an executive producer of the show, which will stream on the platform’s Paramount+ With Showtime tier.

The series from Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios earned a straight-to-series order at Showtime in February 2023, before the premium cable outlet was effectively folded into Paramount+. George Clooney and Grant Heslov are executive producing the show; Jez and John-Henry Butterworth are writing all 10 episodes, and Joe Wright will direct the first two installments.

Fassbender will play a CIA agent who’s ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. When the love he left behind reappears, romance reignites. His career, his real...

Amblin are adapting Percival Everett’s James to the big screen and are hunting for a director. Taika Waititi seems to be on that list.

Taika Waititi is a busy man. Not only has he completes filming on his latest film Klara And The Sun, which will star Amy Adams and Jenna Ortega and developing his Star Wars film, he’s now also been eyed up to helm Amblin’s adaptation of James.

James is the latest novel by Percial Everett, who also wrote Erasure, on which this year’s Oscar-winning film American Fiction was based. James flips the narrative of Huckleberry Finn and is told from the perspective of Jim, an escaped slave, who is looking for freedom in Illinois with Finn.

Steven Spielberg will executive produce the screen adaptation through Amblin Partners. Everett will write the screenplay and will also executive produce the film. Universal will likely distribute...

Universal Pictures has acquired feature film rights to “James,” the latest book from Percival Everett, whose novel “Erasure” was adapted as “American Fiction.” Steven Spielberg will executive produce the movie through his company, Amblin Partners, with Taika Waititi in early talks to direct the project. Everett will write the screenplay and will serve as executive producer.

Published in March by Doubleday to critical raves, “James” reframes the classic story of Huckleberry Finn from the point of view of Jim, an enslaved man who floats down the Mississippi River with teenaged Finn, a good friend of Tom Sawyer.

The book’s description reads, “While many narrative set pieces of ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ remain in place…Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.” “James” made the New York Times’ and Amazon’s list of best books of 2024 (so far). It was also a New York Times’ bestseller.