Nicole Kidman is certainly keeping busy these days, with multiple projects headed to the big and small screens. The first of those is Scarpetta, the long-awaited book-to-screen adaptation of Patricia Cornwell’s novel series, which premieres March 11 on the 2026 TV schedule. Critics have seen all eight episodes, which will be available to stream with a Prime Video subscription, and they’ve got mixed opinions.

Nicole Kidman, who positively slayed by pairing a blazer with sheer skirt at the series’ premiere, stars as the titular forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta. She’s joined by Jamie Lee Curtis (who executive produces along with Kidman), Ariana DeBose, Bobby Cannavale and more impressive names. Aramide Tinubu of Variety warns that Scarpetta is a gruesome watch, but a sensational one, writing:

Nick Schager of the Daily Beast calls the series “your next obsessive binge-watch,” and says showrunner Liz Sarnoff, Nicole Kidman and the stellar supporting cast have assembled all of the necessary pieces for a long-running franchise. Schager says:

Daniel Fienberg of THR is struck by the “audacious willingness” of the showrunner to take such liberties from the source material, thus risking backlash from Patricia Cornwell devotees who have waited so long for this adaptation. The critic wonders if such choices might turn fans away from additional seasons, writing:

Matt Roush of TV Insider rates Scarpetta just 2 stars out of 5, saying the “queasy,” “grisly” procedural aspects too often take a backseat to the “overwrought domestic angst” of Kay’s home life. The critic writes:

Saloni Gajjar of AV Club gives it a D, saying Scarpetta marks a low point on Nicole Kidman’s journey of increasingly substandard dramas. The series is a “hot mess,” Gajjar writes, and feels more like “one of those fake shows used as punchlines in 30 Rock and Insecure.” Gajjar continues:

Critics don’t collectively agree on this latest thriller series from Nicole Kidman, but some really dug it, so if you’re one of the fans who’s been waiting to see Patricia Cornwell’s series come to life on your television screen, your time has come. Scarpetta premieres Wednesday, March 11 on Amazon’s Prime Video.

After listening to and watching multiple interviews with Ethan Hawke about his take on famed lyricist Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon, I finally watched the Academy Award-nominated movie when it became available with a Netflix subscription. The fast-paced biographical drama taking place on a single evening was everything it was made out to be, thanks in part to Hawke’s dynamic performance (seriously, this is so great). However, there’s another Oscar nomination it deserved. Well, two for that matter.

The movie, which follows a reflective Hart as he comes to terms with a former colleague releasing what would become one of the most consequential musicals of the 20th century, is full of dynamic and enchanting performances, including those by Andrew Scott and Bobby Cannavale. While I don’t know who I’d kick out this year’s stacked Best Supporting Actor field, there’s a case to be made for their inclusion.

I Don’t Think Ethan Hawke Has Ever Been Better

Before I get into the work of Andrew Scott and Bobby Cannavale, and while we should be celebrating their on-screen work, I just have to get something off my chest. I have been a massive fan of Ethan Hawke’s body of work for decades, and he’s in some of my favorite movies of all time, but I don’t think he’s ever been better than he is in Blue Moon.

His take on the tormented artist, who, at times, is both hopelessly optimistic about his future (both in terms of professional output and romantic journeys), is nothing short of amazing. The way he bounces between emotions, conversations, and songs throughout this charming picture, reuniting him with director Richard Linklater, is something that should be marveled at and studied for years to come.

Though I think Timothée Chalamet or Leonardo DiCaprio are going to take home the Oscar next month, I would be pleasantly surprised if Hawke’s name is called when the envelope is opened.

The Best Supporting Actor Category Is Stacked, But Two Blue Moon Performances Deserve Recognition

One of my favorite races to follow each year is the Best Supporting Actor category, as it typically features some of the most dynamic, or at least, most interesting performances. That’s no different this year, as the field is bustling at the seams with outstanding turns by the likes of Sean Peen, Benicio del Toro, Jacob Elordi, Stellan Skarsgård, and the much-deserving Delory Lindo. While I don’t know which of these to cut, Blue Moon has two performances that were deserving of a spot on that list.

First, there’s Bobby Cannavale’s take on Eddie, Lorenz Hart’s friend and master bartender at Sardi’s, where most of the movie takes place. Throughout the movie, Eddie enhances just about every conversation with Lorenz and adds an electricity to it that I couldn’t get over. His back-and-forth with the “sober” lyricist as they discuss art, love, Casablanca’s best lines, and the devastation of World War II is impactful and further adds to Hawke’s acting.

There’s also Andrew Scott’s take on Richard Rodgers, Lorenz's former creative partner, whose career is about to reach new heights following the premiere of Oklahoma! with Oscar Hammerstein II. He’s not in the movie a whole lot, but whenever he is, Scott’s character adds so much to the story. His performance, while understated compared to the others, is both powerful and authentic, especially when it comes to two old friends going in different directions.

Again, I don’t want to take anything away from Ethan Hawke or anyone nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but these two performances are some of the best I’ve seen in years.

Stream Blue Moon on Netflix.

HBO doesn't have a monopoly on prestige television, but they are the king of it. The network loves to work with the same people who have proved they have what it takes to make great shows. That includes many of the same great actors who appear on more than one show. Some of these actors have appeared in three or four (or more) shows over the years, but for this list, we're sticking with at least two, usually the ones they are best known for. Actors like Wendell Pierce, Cynthia Nixon, and many more.

Wendell Pierce - The Wire And Treme

Wendell Pierce first broke out as the best-dressed detective in the Baltimore Homicide Unit on The Wire. Pierce's character, Bunk Moreland, appears in every episode of the show. A couple of years after The Wire ended in 2008, the show's creator returned to HBO with Treme, and it was a natural fit to include Pierce, who is a New Orleans native, in the cast.

Carrie Coon - The Gilded Age And The White Lotus

2025 was a huge year for Carrie Coon on HBO. Not only did she return for Season 3 of The Gilded Age as the determined high society lady, Bertha Russell, but she also killed it on the third season of the anthology series The White Lotus. She stole the show with her monologue in the final episode of that show, while continuing to dominate New York society in the 1880s in The Gilded Age.

Steve Buscemi - The Wire And Boardwalk Empire

Steve Buscemi's first appearance on HBO came when he joined the cast of The Sopranos as Tony Blundetto, Tony Soprano's cousin, in Season 5 of the legendary peak TV-era show. He wasn't on the show long, but a couple of years later, he played a much bigger role on Boardwalk Empire. He played the fictional mob boss Nucky Thompson in the period piece created by Sopranos writer Terrance Winter.

Evan Rachel Wood - True Blood And Westworld

Evan Rachel Wood started her career as a talented child actor and made her first appearance on HBO as a recurring character in True Blood. She made an even bigger splash on the network as one of the main characters in Westworld. Wood also appeared in the miniseries Mildred Pierce on HBO.

Alexander Skarsgård - True Blood And Big Little Lies

Alexander Skarsgård is a true HBO regular. His first show for the network, the limited series Generation Kill, aired in 2008 and he returned to the network that same year as a series regular in the vampire hit True Blood. While still starring on that show, he made a one-off appearance in the series finale of Eastbound and Down. He was a main cast member on Big Little Lies, playing a very dark character (and earning an Emmy in the process), before he took on a notable guest-starring role in Succession, earning two more Emmy nominations.

Sydney Sweeney - Euphoria And The White Lotus

Sydney Sweeney burst onto the scene alongside her castmates in the teen drama Euphoria on HBO in 2019 and in 2022, she also appeared in Season 1 of The White Lotus. She earned not one, but two Emmy nominations that year, one for each show.

Edie Falco - Oz And The Sopranos

The HBO show Oz was an early entry in the "peak TV era" from the network, running for six seasons in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The cast of Oz was stacked and included Edie Falco as Officer Diane Whittlesey. That isn't the show she is most famous for on the network, of course. As Falco's time was coming to a close, she landed the role of a lifetime as Carmela Soprano in The Sopranos, and her amazing performances earned her three Emmy awards.

Aidan Gillen - Game Of Thrones And The Wire

Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish in Game of Thrones is one of the great TV villains of all time, and the character was played brilliantly by Aidan Gillen. It wasn't Gillen's first major role on HBO, as that came a few years earlier when he played the ambitious politician Tommy Carcetti on the final three seasons of The Wire.

Cynthia Nixon - And Just Like That And The Gilded Age

itsCynthia Nixon has been a staple on HBO for decades now, starring as Miranda Hobbes in And Just Like That... and it's predecessor. She's also one of the stars of the incredible period drama The Gilded Age as the spinster-turned-wealthy widow Ada Forte, née Brook.

Michiel Huisman - Game Of Thrones And Treme

Treme, which ran for four seasons on HBO, had a whole host of actors who were HBO regulars. Michiel Huisman, who played the musician only known as "Sonny" on the New Orleans-based show, was also starring in a little show called Game of Thrones at the same time on the network, playing Daario Naharis.

Michelle Monaghan - True Detective And The White Lotus

It must be incredibly rewarding for any actor to have the opportunity to star in two anthology shows on HBO. Michelle Monaghan knows exactly how it feels. She first starred in Season 1 of True Detective and, more recently, was part of the stellar cast of Season 3 of The White Lotus.

Michael K. Williams - The Wire And Boardwalk Empire

The late Michael K. Williams left behind an incredible legacy at HBO. He was, of course, one of the most incredible TV characters of all time as Omar Little on The Wire, and he followed that up with a great turn as a gangster in 1920s New Jersey in Boardwalk Empire. Those weren't his only appearances on the network. He popped up in a one-off scene on The Sopranos in 2001, then later in the miniseries The Night Of. His final television credit before his tragic death was on the HBO show Lovecraft Country.

Alexandra Daddario - The White Lotus And True Detective

Before earning an Emmy nomination for her great turn as newlywed Rachel Patton in Season 1 of The White Lotus, Alexandra Daddario had a recurring role on another HBO anthology series, True Detective, during its first season. She even had a cameo early in her career in The Sopranos.

Murray Bartlett - The White Lotus And The Last Of Us

It's easy to see why The White Lotus was such a monster hit when it aired its first season, with Murray Bartlett stealing the show as the hotel manager who gets caught in a serious downward spiral as the show goes on. He's hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. Later, he was cast in "Long, Long Time," one of the most beloved episodes of The Last of Us, as Frank, the deceased lover of Bill, played by Nick Offerman. While it was only one episode, it was so good that we had to include it here. Bartlett was also a regular cast member on the HBO show Looking.

Danny McBride - Eastbound And Down And The Righteous Gemstones

What is there to be said about Danny McBride's various sitcoms on HBO? After making his name in supporting roles in movies like Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder, he arrived on HBO in the now-legendary Eastbound and Down. His next hit for the network was Vice Principals alongside Walton Goggins, and then as Jesse Gemstone on The Righteous Gemstones.

Clarke Peters - The Wire And Treme

It's hard to believe that The Wire is one of those shows that never won an Emmy. That goes double for the excellent cast, including the great Clarke Peters, who played Lester Freamon in all five seasons of the show. Like some of his co-stars on the show, he also appeared in Treme on HBO.

Jeanne Tripplehorn - The Gilded Age And Big Love

Jeanne Tripplehorn is a veteran actor whose career stretches back to 1992's Basic Instinct. She was a big part of Big Love on HBO as Bill's only legal wife in the show about polygamy in Utah. Tripplehorn also starred in a recurring role on The Gilded Age as a disgraced high society outcast who happens to be one of the kindest characters on the show. She was also nominated for an Emmy for her role as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in Grey Gardens on HBO.

Jeffrey Wright - Westworld And Boardwalk Empire

Jeffrey Wright is one of the best actors of his generation, and he's had an opportunity to show off just how great he is in multiple HBO shows. First, he won an Emmy for his role in the miniseries Angels in America. Later, he had a recurring role on Boardwalk Empire, before his fantastic turn on Westworld, for which he was nominated for three more Emmys, but sadly didn't win one. In 2025, he reprised his voice role in The Last of Us video game in the HBO adaptation.

Jamie-Lynn Sigler - The Sopranos And Entourage

Jamie-Lynn Sigler occupies an interesting spot here. Of course, she's best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on The Sopranos. Her next role on HBO came in a role that was a fictionalized version of herself dating Turtle in Entourage.

Walton Goggins - Vice Principals And The White Lotus

Walton Goggins has been one of the hardest-working actors in Hollywood for many years, and in 2025, he really upped his profile with his fantastic performance in Season 3 of The White Lotus. It was his third major show on HBO after Vice Principals and The Righteous Gemstones.

Lena Headey - Game Of Thrones And The White House Plumbers

She played one of the greatest villains of all time on Game of Thrones, and Lena Headey returned to HBO in 2023 in the underrated miniseries The White House Plumbers, where she played Dorothy Hunt, wife of one of the Watergate burglars, E. Howard Hunt.

Pedro Pascal - Game Of Thrones And The Last Of Us

Like a lot of actors, Pedro Pascal put in a ton of work early in his career with one-off roles in every show you can imagine. Then, in 2014, he was cast as Oberyn Martell on Game of Thrones, and his career blew up. More recently, he's been breaking hearts on The Last of Us on HBO.

Indira Varma - Game Of Thrones And Rome

The Game of Thrones cast was absolutely stacked, including the great Indira Varma, who played Ellaria Sand in 13 episodes of the show. That wasn't her first time in an HBO show, however. In 2005, she starred as Niobe in two seasons of Rome, the incredibly underrated (and expensive to produce) historical drama created by John Milius.

Jim True-Frost - The Wire And Treme

Jim True-Frost's character in The Wire has one of the most interesting character arcs on a show full of great arcs. His performance as Roland Pryzbylewski was, like so many others on the show, nothing short of excellent. Like others on The Wire, True-Frost also starred in Treme. He even had a cameo in Boardwalk Empire as legendary lawman Eliot Ness.

Kim Dickens - Deadwood And Treme

Kim Dickens has a stellar television resume, and two jewels on that CV are both HBO shows. First, she was one of the main characters, Joanie, in Deadwood. Later, she starred on Treme.

John Hawkes - Deadwood And Eastbound And Down

The original cast of Deadwood was a bunch of heavyweights, including John Hawkes, who played Sol throughout the run of the show. A few years later, the versatile actor returned to HBO in a completely different kind of role as the brother of Kenny Powers in Eastbound & Down. Most recently, he put in a fantastic performance in Season 4 of the anthology series True Detective.

Rose Leslie - Game Of Thrones And The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler's Wife is one of the more under-the-radar shows in HBO history. Rose Leslie led the cast of the show that was canceled after one season, despite a passionate fanbase. Of course, Leslie first became a star on HBO as Ygritte on Game of Thrones.

Bobby Cannavale - Boardwalk Empire And Vinyl

Bobby Cannavale really made his name on HBO as the volatile gangster Gyp Rosetti in Boardwalk Empire, though his first gig on the network was in a small role on Six Feet Under. After Boardwalk Empire, he teamed up with the creators of Vinyl, starring in the lone season of the short-lived show.

Edi Patterson - The Righteous Gemstones And Vice Principals

The Righteous Gemstones and Vice Principals are two shows that were perfect for Edi Patterson. She's wonderful at playing quirky characters, fitting in great with the cast of both of those shows.

Domenick Lombardozzi - The Wire And Boardwalk Empire

Herc in The Wire is an obnoxious character that is hard to love, but Domenick Lombardozzi's performance charms everyone who watches the show. He repeated the feat later on Boardwalk Empire.

Regina King - Watchmen And The Leftovers

If anyone on this list needs no introduction, it's the great Regina King. She is a force of nature in everything she does, including two excellent HBO shows, The Leftovers and the one-and-done Season of Watchmen.

Michael Imperioli - The Sopranos And The White Lotus

Some people might remember Michael Imperioli as Spider in Goodfellas, but most will first know him as Christopher Moltisanti, Tony's frustrating nephew in The Sopranos. He returned to HBO in Season 2 of The White Lotus and once again reminded fans of the network how great he can be.

I love a good sports drama, and while there are surely some great options coming up on the 2025 movie calendar, one in particular from last year caught my eye recently when I was perusing the offerings of my Prime Video subscription. Unstoppable is the story of Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg and overcame a number of obstacles — physical, financial and otherwise — to win an NCAA Division I wrestling championship. This movie left me so inspired by what Robles was able to accomplish, not just as an athlete but a man with the cards stacked against him.

The thing is, I didn’t hear much about Unstoppable before it hit streaming, and what I did know about the movie was in reference to how Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck would navigate the movie’s premiere amid their divorce. JLo stars as Anthony Robles’ mom Judy, while Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity produced the film. I’m here to say this movie is more important than what happened when Lopez and Damon ran into each other at a film festival. Robles’ story deserves to be told, and while that’s the biggest reason I recommend this movie, it’s not the only one.

I Knew Anthony Robles Was Going To Be Impressive, But I Was Absolutely Blown Away By What He Was Capable Of

Going into Unstoppable, it was no secret that we were about to see some incredible physical accomplishments from Anthony Robles — played in the movie by Emmy Award winner Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us). However, that was far from the only thing standing in Anthony’s path. A large family, an abusive stepfather and the looming threat of eviction meant that the wrestler had to fight to even get to college — and it didn’t help that no viable programs were willing to take a chance on him for an athletic scholarship.

The process of Anthony walking onto the Arizona State wrestling team was the best part of the movie for me. The drive that he had — played by Jerome without an ounce of self-pity — was unbelievable, and several times I found myself thinking, “No way they’ll make him run bleachers. No way they’ll make him do a relay race while carrying a weight. No way they’ll make him climb a mountain on crutches.”

Not only did he do all those things (see the photo above), it was never a question whether he was going to. His coaches didn’t give him an out, and Anthony didn’t ask for one. His undeniable skill and relentless hard work earned him the respect of his teammates — who, according to the movie, fought for his place on the team when budget cuts threatened the wrestling program — as well as his coach Shawn Charles (Don Cheadle).

Unstoppable Features An Amazing Cast, Including Jennifer Lopez and Don Cheadle

Another reason I was surprised I hadn’t heard more about Unstoppable was because of its cast. Jharrel Jerome, known for his roles in Moonlight, Mr. Mercedes and the aforementioned When They See Us, gives us a hero to root for. Despite having a two-legged actor playing Anthony (a green legging was used during filming, with Jerome’s right leg being edited out in post-production, and Robles actually acted as Jerome’s stunt and body double), I never once questioned the actor’s portrayal of an athlete with one leg.

Then there’s Jennifer Lopez, who showed Judy Robles’ own unstoppable spirit in championing her son. I’d hate to have been any of the people in the crowd making jokes about the wrestler's leg in front of her or any of the opponents who had the gall to argue Anthony had an unfair advantage because it was easier for him to make weight.

It wasn't just her unwavering love and support, though. We also saw Judy escape her abusive marriage, find a way to keep the roof over her children’s heads and ultimately pursue her own education. It’s not hard to see where Anthony Robles got his can-do attitude from.

Other highlights are, of course, Don Cheadle as the Arizona State wrestling coach, Bobby Cannavale as Judy’s husband and Michael Peña as Anthony’s high school wrestling coach Bobby Williams. Cheadle is so inspirational and charismatic, I’d probably follow him into war. Speaking of charisma, Cannavale oozed it out of every pore... until his face would go dark at the flip of a switch, signaling trouble for — at the very least — Judy.

Unstoppable Provides Everything You Want In A Sports Drama

Unstoppable doesn’t break the mold when it comes to biographical sports dramas, but it doesn’t really need to. There’s a reason we love a great inspirational movie. We love to see the underdog come out on top (though I hesitate to even call the athlete an underdog, because he never once made me question whether he was talented enough or deserving enough to get everything he worked so hard for).

Jerome really drives Anthony’s motivation home in a moving speech to Bobby Williams, where he lays out exactly why winning the NCAA wrestling championship is so important to him. He has no delusions of a post-college wrestling career. He says he knows the first thing people notice about him is the thing that is missing. Going into his senior season, he’s worked so hard for his one chance to change people’s perspective of him, and even if you know (or can guess) how his story ends, I guarantee you’ll be better for having watched it play out.

Critics and viewers agree that Unstoppable is a movie not to miss, with a Certified Fresh 77% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer and 87% on the audience’s Popcornmeter. It’s a fairly by-the-book sports drama with a great cast, but the main reason I think this is one of Amazon Prime Video’s best movies is because this real sports star deserves to be known and to be known for his character, drive and talent.

As the characters joke a couple of times in the movie, you might even find yourself forgetting Anthony Robles only has one leg, and I have to imagine that’s exactly what he wants. Unstoppable is available to stream now on Amazon Prime Video.

Two years after X and its prequel Pearl introduced us to Maxine Minx, Mia Goth is back to wrap up the trilogy of her budding adult film star in MaXXXine. The upcoming horror movie from writer/director Ti West is a direct sequel to X, sticking Maxine in 1980s Los Angeles following the massacre in Texas. MaXXXine hits theaters July 5, and those who have caught an early screening are taking to social media with their first reactions. It seems they all think the film provides a fitting end to the trilogy.

With the first two offerings in the series considered among the best of A24 horror, expectations for the threequel are pretty high. Adding to the excitement is the cast that will surround Mia Goth, as big names like Giancarlo Esposito, Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth Debicki, Bobby Cannavale and more join the franchise. The trailer for MaXXXine looks downright sleazy, and that’s a word that comes up several times in moviegoers’ initial thoughts. Junior Felix of That Hashtag Show writes:

The Hollywood Handle agrees MaXXXine is a fitting end to Max Minx’s story — even if a fourth installment could happen — providing more of what we’ve come to expect from Mia Goth and A24 in general. The site tweets:

Courtney Howard likes the bite of satire infused into this third installment, and it sounds like re-familiarizing yourself with the first two movies wouldn’t be a bad idea in order to pick up on the fun references. The critic says:

Genre-wise it sounds like MaXXXine takes a step in the direction of thriller, rather than straight horror. Russ Milheim of The Direct likes the new aesthetic, saying Ti West’s latest project strikes a refreshing tone. In the critic’s words:

Simon Thompson agrees the threequel brings something new to the franchise and even leans into the Satanic panic of that era. The critic writes:

As for how the 1980s slasher stacks up against its predecessors, some people are listing it as their least favorite of the three; however, none of them think that should deter moviegoers. Says Jamie Jirak of ComicBook.com:

Film critic Jeff Nelson praises Mia Goth’s performance and agrees with others that it’s a great end to the trilogy. Nelson tweets:

Others are also praising the lead actress — no question that she’s a star — as well as those around her including Elizabeth Debick and Kevin Bacon (who one critic described as “delicious.”) Anthony Gagliardi of The Movie Podcast wraps up why fans of this series should be excited, as he says:

With X and Pearl being celebrated as two of the best horror movies of this decade, it’s no surprise that there’s so much hype surrounding the latest project from Ti West. Mark your calendar if you want to catch this when it hits theaters on Friday, July 5, and not only can you check out all of the upcoming A24 movies, but be sure to take a glimpse at everything that’s hitting the big screen soon with our 2024 movie release calendar.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched at least the first two episodes of Peacock’s Bupkis, so be warned!

For anyone who may have expected Pete Davidson’s Bupkis, his first post-SNL TV series to showcase the popular comedian in a highly respectable light, the very first cold open for Bupkis decimated those expectations in short order. (Or not so short order, if all the convos about Davidson’s BDE are on point.) Peacock’s newest original comedy pretty much did the same thing with any assumptions that it wouldn’t feature a close-up of a penis, whether real or prosthetic. It’s a series that isn’t afraid to go anywhere for the sake of comedy and authenticity, and delivering on that dual-minded approach was part of what guided the creative process for showrunner Judah Miller.

CinemaBlend spoke with Miller ahead of Bupkis’ big streaming debut for the growing crowd rocking Peacock subscriptions, and I had to ask about the choice to kick off Davidson’s fictionalized world with such a bonkers opening sequence. (For those still reading without watching, it involves Pete enjoying himself to VR porn and unwittingly finishing on his non-flustered mom, as played by Edie Falco.) For Miller, part of the challenge in setting up such an unforgettable opening was knowing they would need to continue on that same pace throughout the season. In his words: 

I do love taking the idea of “You think you know Pete Davidson?” and immediately countering that with him blowing a load onto his mom’s shirt, which she was perfectly fine to continue wearing throughout the day as not to waste more laundry. If nothing else, it makes it clear that Bupkis offers a heightened world beyond Davidson’s actual reality, which is helped along by the sheer amount of famous cast members like Joe Pesci surrounding Davidson. That said, quite a bit of his personal experiences and family history are infused into the show, largely for emotional purposes. (Not to mention acting opposite his real-life girlfriend Chase Sui Wonders once more.) 

But even with a bar set as high as “splooging on one’s own mother,” Judah Miller said sticking with the idea of being relentless with its stories helped create a season whose wildest moments somehow do live up to and possibly exceed the opening sequence. (Everyone’s mileage will vary.) As the showrunner put it:

To say nothing of the madcap chaos that takes place in the later episodes, Bupkis delivered another peak NSFW scene in its second episode, “Do As I Say, Not As I Do,” when Bobby Cannavale’s Uncle Tommy showed Young Pete the proper way to approach peeing at a urinal, by way of unsheathing. While I’ll make no personal presumptions about the authenticity of the male genitalia shown on the screen, I did ask Judah Miller about where the line is drawn these days when it comes to showing a penis in a streaming comedy like this. According to the showrunner, that line has gone the way of the dodo, as he explained:

HBO is usually the spot where TV viewers can readily find male nudity on display, whether it involves Succession’s dick pics or dong-out monologues from Euphoria’s Eric Dane. I’m not entirely sure where those and other instances fall on the “tasteness” scale, but I feel like Bupkis’ bathroom scene somehow felt as non-salacious as such a moment can be. Although story context is 1000% necessary, since "older drunk guy taking his penis out in front of his underage nephew" could obviously also be the start of a true crime docuseries.

All eight episodes of the new comedy are available to stream now, with more fun coming to the 2023 TV premiere schedule when Bupkis is done. 

Even before he left the Saturday Night Live cast in 2022, Pete Davidson had already become one of the sketch comedy series’ biggest stars — not just because of his other acting projects, but also his personal life, including his dating history, especially. The actor and comedian’s personal life actually serves as the basis for Bupkis — a new Peacock original TV show that he created with Judah Miller and David Sirus. In addition to Davidson, there are many other celebrities playing themselves in guest roles in the Bupkis cast, but let’s begin our breakdown of the star-studded ensemble with its three series regulars. 

Pete Davidson (Pete Davidson)

Leading the Bupkis cast as Pete Davidson is...Pete Davidson, who acquired stardom on SNL before starring in movies and TV shows of an eclectic sort — such as his comic book movie debut in 2021’s The Suicide Squad, his voice acting parts in The Angry Birds Movie 2 and Marmaduke as the titular Great Dane, and his recurring role on The Rookie. 

The last time he played a fictionalized version of himself was in 2020’s The King of Staten Island (which he also co-wrote with director Judd Apatow), his last Peacock original project was the sci-fi rom-com Meet Cute, and one of his biggest upcoming titles is Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, in which he voices a robot named Mirage.

Edie Falco (Amy Davidson)

Starring as Pete’s mother, Amy, is Edie Falco, who is best known for her Emmy-winning performances in HBO’s The Sopranos cast as Carmela and in the title role of Showtime’s darkly comic medical drama, Nurse Jackie. The actor is also known for writer and director James Mangold’s acclaimed 1997 crime thriller, Cop Land, her role in the Oz cast as Officer Diane Whittlesey, playing Hilary Clinton on the third season of FX’s American Crime Story, and her role in the Avatar: The Way of Water cast, most recently.

Joe Pesci (Joe Larocca)

Surprisingly interrupting his retirement for the first time since he starred in Martin Scorsese’s 2019 true crime drama, The Irishman (which earned him an Academy Award nomination), is Joe Pesci, starring as Pete’s grandfather, Joe — also his first TV role since the short-lived NBC series, Half Nelson, in 1985, according to Variety. 

Before The Irishman, the 80-year-old actor starred in three Scorsese movies: Raging Bull, Casino, and Goodfellas — the last of which did earn him an Oscar. Some of Pesci’s other most iconic roles include Leo Getz in the Lethal Weapon movies, Harry from Home Alone (which turned out to be a truly painful experience for him), and the title role of, arguably, the funniest courtroom movie ever, My Cousin Vinny.

La La Anthony

Among the vast rotation of guest stars in the Bupkis cast, we have La La Anthony, who rose to fame as an MTV VJ before starring in movies like Think Like a Man and its sequel, and TV shows like the hit Starz original TV show, Power.

Colson "Machine Gun Kelly" Baker

Davidson’s real-life friend, Colson Baker (a.k.a. Machine Gun Kelly), also stars, marking their fifth on-screen collaboration following the rapper’s music video for “Loco,” Netflix’s Mötley Crüe biopic, The Dirt, Hulu’s coming-of-age dramedy, Big Time Adolescence, and the 2022 stoner comedy, Good Mourning, which Baker also co-wrote and co-directed. 

Steve Buscemi

Also starring in Bupkis is Emmy winner Steve Buscemi — star of Quentin Tarantino movies like Reservoir Dogs, Coen Brothers classics like Fargo and The Big Lebowski, and several Adam Sandler movies, too — who last acted opposite Davidson in The King of Staten Island.

Bobby Cannavale

Also on the guest list is Buscemi’s Boardwalk Empire co-star and Falco’s Nurse Jackie co-star, two-time Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale, whose impressive, lengthy resume also includes Marvel’s Ant-Man movies, Netflix’s The Watcher cast, and John Turturro’s The Big Lebowski spin-off, The Jesus Rolls, which also starred Davidson.

Charlamagne Tha God

While better known for hosting iHeartRadio’s The Breakfast Club and Comedy Central’s Tha God’s Honest Truth, as well as talking about his friend Pete Davidson’s penis on air, Lenard “Charlamagne Tha God” McKelvey has also delved into acting a few times (mostly as himself), such as on Empire, Dave, and Queens.

Charlie Day

Appearing as Pete’s therapist (according to the Bupkis trailer) is Charlie Day, whose career has taken some interesting turns since breaking out in FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia cast, such as starring in Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim movies and playing Luigi in the Super Mario Bros. Movie voice cast more recently.

Philip Ettinger

Some of Phillip Ettinger’s most notable credits prior to Bupkis including the shocking 2012 psychological thriller, Compliance, Brawl in Cell Block 99, and First Reformed from 2017, and two other Peacock original TV shows: Angelyne and Friend of the Family.

Ray Romano

Also appearing is Joe Pesci’s The Irishman co-star and Bobby Cannavale’s Vinyl co-star, Ray Romano — an acclaimed stand-up comedian known best for his Emmy-winning sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond, his role as Manny in the Ice Age movies, and the Oscar-nominated dramedy, The Big Sick.

Brad Garrett

Best known for playing Romano’s brother on Everybody Loves Raymond is three-time Emmy winner Brad Garrett, who has leant his distinct baritone voice to popular animated movies like the Pixar classic, Ratatouille, and recently played Eeyore in Disney’s live-action Winnie the Pooh reboot, Christopher Robin.

Al Gore

Former United States Vice President Al Gore — whose 2006 documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, won two Oscars — previously collaborated with Pete Davidson on a Climate Reality training presentation in 2019.

Paul Walter Hauser

While best known for dramas like I, Tonya, Cruella, or BlacKkKlansman, Paul Walter Hauser has shown his comedic side before in numerous titles, such as Reno 911! and Apple TV+’s inventive whodunnit, The Afterparty.

Sunita Mani

Audiences should recognize Sunita Mani from Netflix’s GLOW cast, her many notable supporting roles in movies like Apple TV+’s holiday musical, Spirited, her brief appearance in the Best Picture Oscar Winner Everything Everywhere All At Once, and her lead role in the sci-fi rom-com thriller, Save Yourselves!

John Mulaney

Another real-life buddy of Davidson’s with a role in Bupkis is former SNL writer John Mulaney — known for lending his voice to shows like Netflix’s Big Mouth and movies like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and performing great stand-up specials like his most recent one, Baby J, in which he actually tells a funny anecdote about Davidson.

Simon Rex

Simon Rex was best known for starring in spoof movies like a couple of the Scary Movie installments and the Amanda Bynes-led sitcom, What I Like About You, before his acclaimed leading role in the A24-produced 2021 comedy, Red Rocket.

Oona Roche

Playing Pete’s sister (based on her line about the embarrassment her “brother” causes her) is Oona Roche, who previously appeared in a recurring role on Apple TV+’s The Morning Show and recently starred opposite Jude Law and Carrie Coon in the tense 2020 family drama, The Nest.

Cliff “Method Man” Smith

Another hip-hop artist appearing on Bupkis is Pete Davidson’s Trainwreck co-star and Wu-Tang Clan member, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, whose previous, most notable acting credits include HBO’s The Wire cast, the Key & Peele-led action-comedy, Keanu, and Starz’s Power Book II: Ghost.

Jon Stewart

Davidson paid tribute to former The Daily Show host, Jon Stewart — also known for acting in movies like The Faculty and, more recently, returning to political satire for Apple TV+’s The Problem with Jon Stewart — when he received the Mark Twain Prize in 2022, and I assume his Bupkis appearance is a way of thanking him.

Kenan Thompson

In addition to Davidson’s return to SNL as the Season 48 finale host, Bupkis will serve as a reunion for him and Kenan Thompson, who is also known for movies like the latter two Mighty Ducks installments and Good Burger, which was inspired by a sketch from his All That tenure and is getting a sequel on Paramount+.

Marissa Jaret Winokur

Bupkis co-creator Judah Miller’s wife, Tony Award winner Marissa Jaret Wionkur, has starred in movies like the Drew Barrymore-led rom-com, Never Been Kissed, and appeared on TV shows like FX’s What We Do in the Shadows, to name a few.

Chase Sui Wonders

Since working together in the 2022 horror movie, Bodies Bodies Bodies, rumors have swirled about Davidson’s relationship with Chase Sui Wonders, who is now collaborating with him again on Bupkis.

If you have a Peacock subscription, go ahead and stream Bupkis on Peacock now to see Davidson and the rest of this large, star-studded ensemble on this exciting new comedy.

Even as Evan Peters was still terrifying bazillions of Netflix viewers with his Jeffrey Dahmer portrayal in Monster, its creator Ryan Murphy unleashed even more terror in the form of The Watcher. Though the latter’s true-to-life ending peeved certain audience members, more than enough droves of people binged through it that Netflix went ahead and confirmed Season 2 within the same announcement revealing that Monster is now a full-blown anthology series with two more seasons set for the future. But while it’s clear that Dahmer will be succeeded by stories devoted to other horrifying subjects, it’s not so clear how Murphy & Co. will be tackling what transpired during The Watcher’s first season.

As such, let’s look at the two clear ways a follow-up season could work for The Watcher, and what the best course of action might be however things go.

Season 2 As A Direct Follow-Up To Season 1

First would be the more traditional and seemingly obvious route, where The Watcher Season 2 would directly play off of the storylines and events that were set up in the first season’s seven episodes. Which would be a huge relief to many viewers out there who felt frustrated by the many loose ends that were left unexplained, no doubt. But that would also possibly be in direct contrast to the writers’ purposefully setting up so many different clue-filled elements to go unanswered, since the New Jersey case that the show is based on is still unresolved. 

Not that there weren’t plenty of fictionalized details introduced, but those also speak to the idea that there may be too many moving parts going within the neighborhood surrounding 657 Boulevard for a second season to do them all justice. At this point, do we really want to see how far Dean Brannock goes over the edge when it comes to the new owners? Do we really need to see Mia Farrow and Margo Martindale’s characters directly conspiring to terrorize other residents across an entire season in order to feel closure? It wouldn’t be out of the question for an additional episode to pop up with some explanations, but I find it somewhat difficult to picture another seven episodes devoted to these characters. 

But would I watch it if that’s what Season 2 ended up being? You bet your never-closing-your-curtains ass I would. I’m 100% into Martindale and Richard Kind’s charismatic antagonism in any capacity, along with the rest of the stellar cast.

Season 2 As An Anthologized Entry About Different Case

On the flip side of the equation, The Watcher Season 2 could take after Monster, American Horror Story, American Crime Story, and other Ryan Murphy shows by becoming an anthology horror-thriller. This would allow for the creative team to latch onto a completely different storyline based potentially on a real-world case (or something completely made up) that also focuses on one or more characters being secretly watched by one or more other characters. I can’t imagine there’s a lack of creepy stories that can be used as launch pads for it, although I can’t argue against the viral nature of The Cut’s original article being a prime reason why Netflix quickly made moves to spin it into a TV show. 

From a freshness perspective, focusing Season 2 on another standalone case would obviously be a solid move, and would allow a new ensemble of A-listers to step in and haunt viewers’ dreams for a few nights. And while that would also allow the creative team to set up a whole new string of unexplained suspects and clues, it’s likely that the writers will take note of the feedback from Season 1 to play into what people enjoyed, and stray from what they didn’t. Hopefully, anyway. Poaching more real-world cases obviously presents more opportunities to negatively impact the lives of those who were involved, but things don’t necessarily have to go in such ways, which can also be helped by hindsight. 

There’s technically a third option where the guilty party from Season 1 is obsessed with another house, or another family, so that Season 2 would be focusing on newer elements while also still tying back to everything that was already introduced. Which might theoretically be a bigger headache to have even more people involved, but hey, being a threatening voyeur isn’t supposed to be easy.

The Watcher Season 1 is available to stream with a Netflix subscription. While waiting for more info, check out other shows on the same wavelength, and head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what’ll hit the small screen in the near future.

Ryan Murphy’s horror-adjacent non-killer thriller The Watcher has held a lot of mental real estate within the brains of those with Netflix subscriptions, and for good reason. The Top 10 mainstay is based on a disturbing real-life incident in which a family became obsessed over sporadic and threatening messages from someone all too familiar with their lives, and particularly with their new home. And with a cast of talents such as Bobby Cannavale, Naomi Watts, Jennifer Coolidge, Margo Martindale and beyond, who wouldn’t be completely enamored with the tense tale?

Though viewers have fully gone public with negative opinions about The Watcher’s true-to-life ambiguous ending, the lack of a resolution still can’t fully take away how disturbing all of the moving parts were throughout the seven-episode series. And it’ll either comfort or infuriate audiences to realize that the bulk of The Watcher’s wildest and most unexplainable moments were scripted specifically for harrowing entertainment purposes. So let’s run down all of the biggest details that weren’t actually based on reality, starting with this freebie of a fact that the Broaddus family never even moved into the house after buying it. 

The Watcher Only Ever Sent Letters, And Not That Many

Anyone coming away from The Watcher might think that the real family that the Brannocks were based on were constantly being harassed with letters, phone calls and occasional ferret-cides. But in reality, according to The Cut journalist Reeves Wiedeman, they only received four separate letters from someone calling themselves The Watcher. One ahead of finalizing the home purchase, the next two across the next six weeks, and then a fourth letter (which is theorized as possibly being from a different source) arrived years later in the midst of a zoning board debate tied to the Broaddus family's desperate attempts to sell the house. 

What's more, The Watcher also didn't have as far of a reach when it comes to communicating with others. To date, only two other letters are suspected as potentially being sent by the stalker. One went to the Woods family, the former owners of 657 Boulevard, just prior to the home sale; and one was allegedly sent to a neighbor down the street after the story initially went viral. In both cases, the parties assumed the letter to be non-threatening and akin to a prank, and threw them away.

The Weirdo Neighbors Weren't So Weird, And Didn't Lead Historical Society

Mia Farrow and Terry Kinney's Pearl and Jasper Winslow were based on the 90-something Peggy Langford and her schizophrenic son Michael. The latter was indeed a pertinent suspect in the real-life case, and did have a reputation for absentmindedly wandering through people's yards and fetching newspapers. But there weren't instances where Michael or anyone else was ever inside 657 Boulevard, though he for years remained a suspect where the Broadduses were concerned. (That also means 

As well, Peggy did not head up the Westfield Historical Preservation Society or anything like it. While the group does indeed exist, the only time they were involved in the real-world New Jersey case is when they voiced displeasure over the Broaddus family's attempts to tear down the home. And as far as anyone knows, there weren't any other secret cabals in town either.

No Neighbors Were Presumed Murder Victims, Though The Lawn Chairs Were Legit

Richard Kind and Margo Martindale were the perfect pair to bring Mitch and Mo to life with a sense of genial menace, but that doesn’t mean their suspicion-magnet Watcher characters were entirely based on reality. When it comes to the reported facts, the couple living behind 657 Boulevard were said to have posted a pair of lawn chairs questionably close to their neighbors’ lot, but that’s where the similarities both begin and end. 

There doesn’t appear to be any legitimacy, however, to the idea that they were actively haughty and confrontational, and considering no one actually moved into the house during this ordeal, the real-life Mitch and Mo, as it were, weren’t constantly yammering about people playing instruments. As well, the area reportedly hasn’t been privy to any murder investigations for decades, so don’t put much faith in the couple’s son randomly kidnapping and murdering a homeless couple that shared physical characteristics with his parents. 

The "Ode To A House" Project Was All Made Up

One theory that hadn’t been approached during the initial news cycle surrounding the Broaddus family’s ordeal involved the screenwriter, novelist and high school teacher Robert Kaplow, a Westfield native arguably best known for Me and Orson Welles. He supposedly hadn’t ever assigned any students with writing letters to houses in the area, but rather told stories about having done so himself for a particular abode. But it wasn’t 657 Boulevard, according to Kaplow himself; rather, he claims to have written to a Victorian house on the north side, and later befriended the family who lived there. 

The writer is apparently all too aware of public scrutiny, which has presumably risen in intensity since the show was released. More suspicion went his way due to the fact that his brother Richard is the lawyer who represented the Woods family at a point when the Broadduses attempted to sue them for not disclosing their Watcher-penned letter. But this is allegedly all circumstantial.

No Security Dude, And No Creepy Daughter Relationship 

Though there are reported mentions of the Broaddus family installing security cameras at 657 Boulevard, as well as a police officer who observed the property at points, Henry Hunter Hall’s teen entrepreneur Dakota and his security upstart were completely made up for the show. Thus, the creative team intentionally shoehorned in arguably The Watcher’s skeeziest plotline, concerning Dakota’s legal-in-Jersey relationship with 16-year-old Ellie Brannock, and Dean’s mental reckoning with it all. To that end, the Broaddus’ three children were all under ten years old when this all began.

One element of Dakota’s story that was vaguely based on reality ties to a couple who were parked in front of 657 Boulevard at some point. When officers questioned them, the female stated her boyfriend played video games using the screen name “The Watcher,” but that’s about all the context there is, as the police were never able to formally question the boyfriend about it.

Sketchy AF Realtor Karen Didn't Exist

Jennifer Coolidge is nailing it on all cylinders by way of heightened, high-profile dramas, as also witnessed on HBO’s The White Lotus. And it’s a testament to her talents that the Brannocks’ detective-schtupping realtor Karen Calhoun appears to be based on little more beyond personified paranoia. The reports on the Broaddus family don’t really delve into any personal qualities tied to who they worked with, only mentioned the well-established Coldwell Banker real estate giant as their realtor during their initial attempts to sell the home. While there have been theories about a greedy agent, nothing major has been revealed that has strongly supported that idea. 

John Graff's Story Is Half-Legit, Half-Ludicrous

The Tony-winning theatre vet Joe Mantello brings all the creepster vibes as John Graff, whose killer backstory is rather closely based on one of New Jersey’s most notorious murder cases. During a single day in 1971, Westfield resident John List murdered his wife, mother, and three children, leaving the bodies in the house along with a note explaining his actions, and then fleeing the area. It was a month before the bodies were found, and it was another 18 years before List was identified and apprehended through the case being reported on a first-season episode of America’s Most Wanted. He’d since changed his name, remarried, and joined a Lutheran church, among other details that match up with the show, such as allegedly all known photographs of him having been destroyed. 

However, The Watcher took things a bit too far by even having him be around to begin with. After being captured in 1989, the real John List was put on trial and was convicted in 1990 on five counts of first degree murder. He remained in prison, despite appeals, until his death at 82 in 2008 of pneumonia complications. Plus, he famously lived within a mansion on Hillside Ave. dubbed Breeze Knoll (which burned down without explanation a few years after the murders), and doesn’t seem to have had any direct ties to 657 Boulevard, and absolutely never lived within its walls. 

657 Boulevard Didn't Have Underground Tunnels Or A Dumbwaiter

Two of the most interesting elements laid out there about The Watcher’s central domicile are its functioning dumbwaiter (which doesn’t ever get a great payoff) and the tunnels stretching beneath the property that connected to at least one other home in the neighborhood (which felt weirdly timed after everything that played out in Only Murders in the Building). But when one considers that none of the in-home terror that the Brannocks suffer is based on reality, it’s perhaps easier to accept that the real Westfield house doesn’t actually have either a dumbwaiter or any tunnel systems. It was also noted by Reeves Wiedeman that the family did have professionals look into the claims that something was within the home’s walls, but nothing of note was ever discovered.

The Family's Real-Life P.I. Was No Theodora Birch

As portrayed by Noma Dumezweni, soon to be seen in Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid, the Brannocks’ private investigator Theodora Birch is perhaps The Watcher’s most empathy-worthy character, as she literally dedicated her final stage in life to trying to bring some semblance of justice and/or sanity to Dean and Nora during their time of terror. To the point where she fallaciously tried to take the blame for it all on her deathbed, if only to offer Dean mental peace. But she was just as much a whim of the writers as anything else, with the Broaddus family’s actual P.I., a retired NYPD cop named Frank Shea, falling into far more stereotypical and less flamboyant expectations. 

So in the end, it probably only made sense for The Watcher to end on a question mark, since so many of the clues that were laid out for audiences weren’t wholly based on the actual case. But it’s still fun to think about who within the show itself was guilty. My vote is “everyone, even the kids and people who had nothing to do with it.” That’s the safest bet, anyway.

All seven episodes of The Watcher are available to stream on Netflix now, and you can also find lots of other shows in the same vein out there. Head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows will be popping up soon.

Spoilers below for Netflix’s new thriller The Watcher, so be warned if you haven’t yet watched!

Anybody who’s endeavored to enjoy the full runtime of any Ryan Murphy project is well aware the talented filmmaker and horror aficionado can make some truly unfathomable decisions from time to time, as every season of American Horror Story and its anthologized spinoff have proven. His newest episodic exercise in tension, Netflix’s The Watcher, largely bucked that trend, with a tight seven-episode season full of weird moments and a top-notch cast list. But the psychological home invasion thriller managed to stoke a whole lot of ire amongst its viewership thanks to Murphy’s decision to conclude the “based on true events” series in the same way things wrapped up for the real-life case. In that it wasn’t ever actually wrapped up.

The finale, titled “Haunting,” offered up a bevy of Ryan Murphy-esque twists and turns for Bobby Cannavale and Naomi Watts’ Dean and Nora Brannock as they attempted to rid themselves of the home at 657 Boulevard. Or at least one of them had such intentions, as it’s revealed Dean followed his obsession and inserted himself into the house’s mysterious lore for the newest owner, with a suspicious Nora keenly aware of his trip further down the spiral. And in the end, following Theodora’s falsified death bed confession and the full meeting of the Historical Preservation Society, The Watcher left viewers with the message that the 2014 New Jersey mystery the series was based on remains unsolved.

As it goes, Twitter users put on zero airs when sharing their frank AF opinions about The Watcher’s ending. This viewer wasn’t alone with the notion that was shared to others thinking about checking the show out, saying: 

Looking for something slightly more hyperbolic and questioning? There are 100% reactions on social media that follow suit, such as this one:

Opinions like these did spark some opposing arguments from others, in particular that the Netflix series' unresolved conclusion adhered to the real life events. But those ideas often got quickly squashed with the counter-counter-argument that Ryan Murphy and his creative team introduced a lot of unexplained elements that weren't directly taken from real life. In some cases, it's more clear that viewers took far more issue with the abundance of loose threads and red herrings than a lack of justice being brought to the suburban town.

The words "waste" and "wasted" come up quite a few times in people's reactions to the seven-episode season, as it went in the post below:

While the viewer below did use the phrase "waste of time," they acknowledged the fact that the show managed to pull off some terrifying moments ahead of its infuriation-causing denouement. 

Others shared similar views, decrying the fact that their good-natured expectations throughout most of the season were upended by the total lack of closure. 

Just to get a totally opposing view recognized in here, let's wrap things up on our own mysterious closer, with a glowing rating that doesn't stand up to the rules of math. 

Personally, I'm okay without The Watcher's true identity being revealed, since part of the show's purpose is to endlessly wallow in the unsteadiness of small-town paranoia. For the most part, it stacked up against some of the best true crime shows out there. That said, I do take issue with Dean's Stockholm Syndrome-ish flip in the end, which to me wasn't fully earned, unless he's meant to be seen as a wholly unreliable lead character whose mental troubles were worsening behind the curtain. Either way it goes, I'm still going to close the hell out of my curtains for the foreseeable future.

The Watcher is available to stream in full with a Netflix subscription, where you can also catch a bunch of other excellent streaming TV shows. And head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what other new and returning series will be popping up soon.

Imagine purchasing your dream home, only to discovery through a series of disturbing letters that it is also an object of fascination for a mysterious onlooker observing the house with possessive and envious eyes. Not only is that the plot of the new Netflix original TV show, The Watcher, but the horrifying true experience of an American family in 2014.

From Ryan Murphy of American Horror Story fame and Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story creator Ian Brennan, this seven-episode limited series dramatizes the shocking and bizarre events that happened to the Broadusses after they moved into an idyllic New Jersey house that turned out to be the site of their worst nightmares. Bringing the story to life on screen is the star-studded, supremely talented The Watcher cast, including Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale. Learn about some of their greatest hits and that of their co-stars in our breakdown of the ensemble.

Naomi Watts

The Watcher is only the latest of many creepy titles in English actor Naomi Watts’ repertoire, many of which (excluding her David Lynch movies, like Mulholland Dr.) are remakes — including 2001’s The Ring, 2007’s Funny Games, 2005’s King Kong, and, most recently, Amazon’s English-language version of Goodnight Mommy in 2022. 

The two-time Academy Award nominee (for 2004’s 21 Grams and The Impossible in 2012) is known for plenty of comparatively lighthearted titles, too, such as the many biopics in her filmography (including 2003’s Ned Kelly or 2013’s Diana, in which she played the late princess) or the hilarious Best Picture Oscar winner, Birdman, from 2014.

Bobby Cannavale

Two-time Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale (for playing Vince on Will & Grace and Gyp Rosetti on Boardwalk Empire) previously worked with his onscreen wife from The Watcher, Naomi Watts, a few times (namely in Movie 43 and, more recently, 2021’s This is the Night), yet is not known for as many particularly creepy titles. 

He is part of the MCU, though, after appearing in two Ant-Man movies and, even then, was still cast in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman — one of a few other Netflix originals he is also known for. Highlights of his versatile filmography also include 2013’s Blue Jasmine, star and director Jon Favreau’s Chef from the following year, and leading HBO’s short-lived music history drama, Vinyl.

Jennifer Coolidge

Playing a local realtor, we have Jennifer Coolidge, who recently won an Emmy for her performance in HBO’s The White Lotus cast after nearly 30 years of memorable small screen appearances that include her starring roles on 2 Broke Girls and The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and a guest spot on Seinfeld that marked her TV debut. 

However, she is even better known for big screen titles like David Guest’s improvisational mockumentaries (such as Best in Show), being in the American Pie cast as Stifler’s Mom, the Legally Blonde movies as Paulette Parcelle, and A Cinderella Story as Hilary Duff’s evil stepmother.

Mia Farrow

A The Watcher cast member who is certainly no stranger to creepy titles is Rosemary’s Baby star Mia Farrow, who would go on to star in other thrillers like The Haunting of Julia before playing Daisy Buchanan in 1974’s The Great Gatsby, Jacqueline De Bellefort in 1978’s Death on the Nile, and a Kryptonian named Alura in the 1983 Supergirl movie, to name a few. She is also known for several Woody Allen movies (including The Purple Rose of Cairo and Hannah and Her Sisters), the 2006 remake of The Omen, and Michel Gondry’s Be Kind Rewind. 

Margo Martindale

Three-time Emmy winner Margo Martindale (one for her recurring role in the Justified cast and two for The Americans) made her feature film debut in 1990’s Days of Thunder, starred in The Rocketeer the following year, and continued to earn roles in acclaimed films like 1995’s Dead Man Walking, 2002’s The Hours, and 2018’s Instant Family to name a small, but notable, few. Her other best-known small screen credits include a recurring spot on Bojack Horseman as herself, FX’s historical miniseries Mrs. America, and Showtime’s Your Honor cast, more recently.

Terry Kinney

Terry Kinney previously worked with Margo Martindale in The Firm in 1993 — the same year he starred in Abel Ferrara’s Body Snatchers and the year after he appeared in Michael Mann’s The Last of the Mohicans. This only describes a small portion of his notable filmography, which also includes acclaimed TV series like Thirtysomething in the late 1980s, HBO’s harrowing prison-set drama, Oz (which also featured Bobby Cannavale in a small role), Showtime’s Billions, and another fact-based Netflix original miniseries called Inventing Anna.

Joe Mantello

The Watcher marks Joe Mantello’s fifth collaboration with The Watcher co-creator Ryan Murphy following the 2014, Emmy-winning HBO movie, The Normal Heart (which Murphy directed), Netflix movie The Boys in the Band (which Mantello directed and Murphy produced), another Netflix miniseries called Hollywood (which Murphy co-created and Mantello starred in), and a role on American Horror Story Season 11 this year. The Broadway star made his screen debut in the 1989 movie, Cookie, and made his theatrically-released directorial debut with 1997’s Love! Valour! Compassion!

Richard Kind

Another Broadway-based actor in The Watcher cast is Richard Kind, whose best-known roles are, mainly, of the comedic variety — such as Paul Lassiter in the Spin City cast, the various characters he has voiced in Pixar movies like Inside Out, Marty Glouberman in Netflix’s Big Mouth cast, and recurring spots on hit sitcoms like Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Goldbergs. His more dramatic work includes Oscar darlings like Argo, 2019’s Bombshell (in which he played Rudy Giuliani), and the 2021 Netflix original tick, tick… BOOM!

Noma Dumezweni

British actress Noma Dumezweni made her feature-length film debut in director Stephen Frears’ 2002 crime thriller, Dirty Pretty Things, and her most notable cinematic credits from later include 2018’s Mary Poppins Returns, the 2019 fantasy The Kid Who Would Be King, and Netflix’s biographical drama, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, from the same year. Audiences may also recognize her from the small screen as Capt. Magambo on Doctor Who, the 2018 miniseries Black Earth Rising, an episode of Hulu’s Normal People, HBO’s The Undoing cast, HBO Max’s Made for Love cast, and FX’s Pose — her last collaboration with Ryan Murphy. 

Christopher McDonald

Emmy nominee Christopher McDonald (for his recurring role on HBO Max’s Hacks), is best known for playing unscrupulous jerks in classic ‘90s comedies like the John Hughes-penned Dutch, Happy Gilmore (also one of Adam Sandler’s best movies), Dirty Work (a cult favorite starring Norm Macdonald), and the animated sci-fi classic The Iron Giant in 1999. He also has a few credits in common with his fellow The Watcher cast members (such as Boardwalk Empire), previously worked with Ryan Murphy on Impeachment: American Crime Story, and is about to join the MCU as part of the Secret Invasion cast in an undisclosed role.

Michael Nouri

Fellow American Crime Story vet (of the second season from 2018) Michael Nouri has starred in some great ‘80s movies of both the iconic (dance drama Flashdance) and underrated variety (sci-fi thriller The Hidden) and also worked with Steven Spielberg for 2004’s The Terminal and appeared in the beloved rom-com, The Proposal, in 2009. He also has a Marvel movie under his belt (1990’s straight-to-video Captain America) but, as a TV star, he is known for soap operas like The Young and the Restless and All My Children, and recurring roles on dramas like Damages, NCIS, and Yellowstone.

Isabel Gravitt

Before joining Netflix’s The Watcher cast, Isabel Gravitt had experience portraying people involved in a suburban nightmare by starring in the 2018 horror flick, Cucuy: The Boogeyman, and the Hulu original miniseries, Little Fires Everywhere. Before then, she had a recurring role on the hit ABC sitcom, American Housewife, and played a younger version of actress Ksenia Solo’s central character in the 2017 drama, In Search of Fellini.

Henry Hunter Hall

Henry Hunter Hall debuted in 1997’s Gridlock’d — directed by his father, Vondie Curtis-Hall, who later cast him in his 2006 crime thriller, Waist Deep, and later acted alongside him the 2013 holiday movie, Black Nativity, and 2019’s Oscar-nominated biographical drama, Harriet, which his mother, Kasi Lemmons, directed. After making a brief, uncredited appearance in the quasi-true-crime-documentary American Animals in 2017, he appeared in two episodes of Netflix’s Emmy-winning, fact-based miniseries, When They See Us, in 2019 and, in 2020, joined the cast of the Amazon Prime original period action drama, Hunters.

Luke David Blumm

After making his acting debut on an episode of The Walking Dead in 2019 and following that with an episode of HBO’s Watchmen the same year, Luke David Blumm had a recurring role on Season 3 of The Sinner in 2020 and, that same year, starred in one of the best Pete Davidson movies, The King of Staten Island. He played the focus of the 2021 horror flick, Son, before later appearing in the Amazon Prime original rom-com, I Want You Back, and 2022’s adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing as a younger version of Taylor John Smith’s character, Tate.

A cast like this should make it easy to decide if you will watch The Watcher. Stream the intense miniseries on Netflix now.

At long last, the much talked about 2022 Netflix movie Blonde has finally arrived, giving everyone the opportunity to watch Ana de Armas take on one of the biggest roles of her career. The NC-17 biographical drama, which focuses on the late Marilyn Monroe, includes great actors and actresses from top to bottom, with big-time names like Adrien Brody and Bobby Cannavale portraying fictionalized and dramatized versions of Norma Jean’s most famous lovers during the Hollywood starlet’s short life.

If you have watched the movie, or are planning on giving it a spin at some point in the near future, you are probably wondering who appears on the Blonde cast. Well, look no further because we are about to break down the stars, who they play, and why they look so familiar. That being said, let’s dive straight in…

Ana de Armas (Norma Jeane/Marilyn Monroe)

Following in the footsteps of Michelle Williams and other actresses who have portrayed Marilyn Monroe on the silver screen, Ana de Armas leads the Blonde cast as the Hollywood icon as she transforms herself from Norma Jeane Mortenson to her larger-than-life persona.

Though perhaps her highest profile movie yet, de Armas is no stranger when it comes to massive movies, in terms of budget, recognition, and ensembles casts. In the past decade alone, de Armas has become one of the biggest names in Hollywood, balancing science fiction spectacles like Blade Runner 2049 and one of the most influential whodunits with Knives Out. And since those movies came out in 2017 and 2019 respectively, de Armas has landed unforgettable roles in No Time to Die and The Gray Man, both of which had absolutely massive budgets.

Adrien Brody (The Playwright)

Adrien Brody shows up in Blonde as “The Playwright,” a fictionalized version of Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Arthur Miller, who was married to Marilyn Monroe from 1956 until a year before her 1962 death. 

Perhaps best known for his Oscar-winning performance in 2002’s The Pianist, Brody has been in a little bit of everything since making his professional acting debut more than 30 years ago. Over the years, Brody has popped up in everything from family-friendly sports movies like Angels in the Outfield to historical fantasy dramas like Midnight in Paris. Brody has also appeared in four of Wes Anderson’s best movies since first working with the director on The Darjeeling Limited in 2007 (the director-actor combo will work together again in the upcoming Asteroid City). His small-screen credits include Peaky Blinders, Chapelwaite, Succession, and Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.

Bobby Cannavale (The Ex-Athlete)

Showing up as “The Ex-Athlete,” which serves as a fictionalized version of Marilyn Monroe’s second husband and New York Yankees Joe DiMaggio, is Bobby Cannavale.

The two-time Primetime Emmy Award winner (Will & Grace and Boardwalk Empire), Cannavale has built up an incredibly versatile resume for himself the 20-plus years, with memorable performances on shows like Third Watch, Nurse Jackie, Vinyl, Master of None, Mr. Robot, Homecoming, and countless others. His film career is just as prolific with roles in Chef, Blue Jasmine, Ant-Man (and Ant-Man and the Wasp), Motherless Brooklyn, This is the Night, and Sing 2, to just name a few. And let’s not forget his stage career, which includes run on Glengarry Glen Ross, White Rabbit Red Rabbit, The Hairy Ape, and Medea.

Julianne Nicholson (Gladys)

Julianne Nicholson appears in Blonde as Marilyn Monroe’s emotionally unstable mother Gladys, whose relationship with her famous daughter has been explored previously in My Week with Marilyn.

Like Bobby Cannavale, Nicholson had a prominent role on the HBO crime drama Boardwalk Empire. Throughout her career, Nicholson has also appeared on shows like Masters of Sex, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Ally McBeal, and Mare of Easttown, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award of her own in 2021. During that same stretch of time, Nicholson found success on the silver screen, having given commanding performances in everything from Kinsey to August: Osage County and Black Mass to I, Tonya. She is next set to appear in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, which CinemaBlend called “an instant midnight classic” following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2022.

Xavier Samuel (Cass Chaplin)

Taking on the role of Cass Chaplin on the Blonde cast is Xavier Samuel, who brings with him years of experience in his take on the son of the silent movie icon, Charlie Chaplin.

Fans of the Twilight movies may recognize Samuel from his portrayal of Riley Biers in 2009’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, a role he followed with performances in Adore, Fury, Mr. Church, and The Death and Life of Otto Bloom. In recent years, Samuel has appeared on shows like Seven Types of Ambiguity and Tell Me Your Secrets as well as Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, in which he played guitarist Scotty Moore.

Evan Williams (Eddy G. Robinson Jr.)

Taking on the role of Eddy G. Robinson Jr. on the Blonde cast is Evan Williams.

Prior to bringing the son of Hollywood Icon Edward G. Robinson to life in the new Netflix movie, Williams found success on the small screen, specifically on the Canadian teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation. Since then, Williams has gone on to appear on shows like Murdoch Mysteries, Baxter, Awkward, Versailles, Fuller House, and Westworld. His film credits include Ride, Farhope Tower, and Lloyd the Conqueror to name only a few.

Lily Fisher (Young Norma Jeane)

And then there is Lily Fisher, who appears on the Blonde cast as a younger version of Norma Jeane.

The youngest member of the main portion of the cast, Fisher has appeared on shows like General Hospital, Life & Beth, Station 19, and Grey’s Anatomy throughout her five-year career.

This is just a portion of the Blonde cast, as the list of actors involved with the biographical drama also includes names like Caspar Phillipson, David Warshofsky, Toby Huss, Sara Paxton, Rebecca Wisocky, and Dan Butler. But remember, if you want to see the stars from the 2022 movie, you will first need a Netflix subscription.

Stream Blonde on Netflix.

After five years of waiting, Sing 2 has finally arrived in theaters and it's bigger than ever. Featuring a variety of famous voices and singers, you might be wondering where you’ve seen or heard some of these actors before, and believe it or not, there’s a high chance they have popped up on your television or movie screens once or twice. 

From well-known names like Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, to singing superstars like Tori Kelly and Halsey, here is why you might be thinking, “I’ve definitely heard that voice before somewhere” when listening to the Sing 2 cast.

Matthew McConaughey (Buster Moon)

First off, we have Matthew McConaughey who plays Buster in Sing 2, the koala who owns the Moon theater who has so much faith in all our performers. This actor has been in the business for some time. 

For example, you might have seen him in his long string of hilarious romantic comedies, such as How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Ghosts of Girlfriend’s Past, and more. Or, you might have seen him pop up in dramatic movies where he’s really shown his acting skills, like The Wolf of Wall Street, alongside the wonderful Leonardo DiCaprio, Mud, Dallas Buyers Club (for which he won a Best Actor Oscar), and more. 

To be honest, he’s done so much that it’s hard to put everything down in one section, but just know that he has certainly popped up on screen before. And, this will certainly not be the last that you see of him. 

Reese Witherspoon (Rosita)

That lovely little pig that we all adore is Rosita, played by Reese Witherspoon in Sing 2. Witherspoon has been active in the film industry for quite some time, starting off her career in the '90s, with big hits like Election and Cruel Intentions, before becoming a megastar in movies like Legally Blonde (which is getting a second sequel soon), Sweet Home Alabama, Walk the Line, and more. 

Witherspoon has also appeared in a few TV shows as well, winning awards for her performances. She stars in the Apple TV+ show, The Morning Show, starred in the Hulu miniseries, Little Fires Everywhere, and was a part of the HBO drama series, Big Little Lies. I could think of no one better to voice Rosita than her. 

Scarlett Johansson (Ash)

Next up, we have Ash in Sing 2, the porcupine with a big voice, as voiced by Scarlett Johansson. For many years, Johansson has worked in the film industry, and millions of fans know her as the face of Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (until recently), but she’s been in many other films. 

Starting off her career young, she’s appeared in films such as Lost in Translation, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Prestige, the sci-fi horror movie Under the Skin, as well as Jojo Rabbit and Marriage Story, both of which netted her 2020 Oscar nominations. 

Taron Egerton (Johnny)

Next up, we have Johnny, a gorilla who’s a bit shy but has the voice of a god in Sing 2, voiced by Taron Egerton. 

With a career that started in 2013, Egerton has appeared in many movies and TV shows. In terms of film, he leads the Kingsman series, as well as dramatic/comedic films such as Eddie the Eagle, Billionaire Boys Club, and Rocketman. 

He’s guest starred on a couple of shows, but most recently had the voice role of Rian in the Netflix series, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, among other projects. With a voice like that, I want to hear him sing so much more. 

Tori Kelly (Meena)

Moving on, we have Meena in Sing 2, the shy elephant who has a heart of gold, and she is voiced by the wonderful Tori Kelly. While she hasn't made any serious film appearances as an actress, Tori Kelly is a fantastic singer with a long career and several albums. 

She’s also appeared on a variety of competition shows, including The Masked Singer, American Idol, The Voice and more. She also had a guest role on the children’s show, Sesame Street. 

Nick Kroll (Gunter)

Gunter is that spunky pig that we all know and love in Sing 2, and he is voiced by the wonderful Nick Kroll. The last couple of years, Kroll has been in a roll with his hit animated series, Big Mouth, but that doesn't mean that he doesn’t have a ton of other awesome projects. 

In terms of movies, he’s appeared in several, but some of his most notable are Get Him to the Greek, Sausage Party, The Secret Life of Pets 2, The House, The Addams Family, and How It Ends. 

With television, he co-created and starred in The Kroll Show, had a main role in The Life & Times of Tim, has a main voice role on his own show, Big Mouth, and has appeared in several other television shows as a guest. 

Bobby Cannavale (Jimmy Crystal)

Jimmy Crystal is one scary wolf in Sing 2, and he is voiced by Bobby Cannavale. This actor has appeared in a variety of television and film projects. In movies, he’s appeared in the MCU in Ant-Man (and its sequel), The Station Agent, The Other Guys, Tom and Jerry, Thunderforce, The Irishman and more. 

On television, he had starring roles on Third Watch and Hulu's Nine Perfect Strangers, and a variety of recurring appearances on many popular shows, such as the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, Master of None, Mr. Robot, Vinyl, Will & Grace, and many, many others. He also had a role in the Amazon original series, Homecoming. 

Halsey (Porsha Crystal)

Playing Porsha, who is Jimmy’s daughter, in Sing 2 is the singer, Halsey. While she hasn’t had many film or television roles, Halsey is a singer with several popular singles and albums, and if you haven’t listened to her music, you definitely should. She had a minor role in A Star is Born, as well as a minor voice role in Teen Titan’s Go! To the Movies, but other than that, this is her first major part.

She’s also performed on Saturday Night Live, late night talk shows, and competition series, like The Voice, to show off her vocal skills.

Pharrell Williams (Alfonso)

Another elephant in Sing 2, Alfonso, is voiced by yet another singer, Pharrell Williams. Again, he hasn’t done much in terms of actually being in movies and TV as an actor, but in terms of being a singer, he is one of the best out there. 

He was a composer for the music for the Despicable Me series, the narrator for the most recent adaptation of The Grinch, and had a cameo appearance in the Disney+ original film, Black is King, but Sing 2 will be his first major role in movies. He was also a coach on The Voice for a couple of seasons. 

Nick Offerman (Norman)

Playing Rosita’s husband, Norman, in Sing 2 is Nick Offerman, mostly known for his hilarious role as Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation. However, Offerman has done far more than just comedy on TV, as he’s appeared in many films and TV shows. 

In movies, he played Richard McDondald in The Founder, had a minor role in both 21 and 22 Jump Street, a role in We’re the Millers as Don Fitzgerald, played Victor Gaines in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and voiced Mike Loughran in Hotel Transylvania 2, among many other roles. 

Offerman has also had a lot of TV work, including playing Chance Briggs in Children’s Hospital, portraying Karl Weathers in Fargo, and hosting Making It alongside Amy Poehler. He also has a lot of shows coming up - including playing Bill in HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation, so be sure to keep an eye out for him. 

Letitia Wright (Nooshy)

Nooshy is an awesome street dancer and is voiced by Letitia Wright in Sing 2. Most people probably know about Wright from her big role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing Shuri in Black Panther, as well as Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. She is also set to reprise the role for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. 

Other than that, Wright has appeared in many films and TV shows in her short career so far. She portrayed Yara Love in Guava Island, and Reb in Ready Player One, and many other film roles. On TV, she played a big part in an episode of Black Mirror, and has guest starred on a variety of shows, including Doctor Who, Chasing Shadows, and Coming Up. She also had recurring roles in Cucumber and Banana. 

Eric Andre (Darius)

Darius is the yak in Sing 2, and he is voiced by Eric Andre. A comedic actor who has appeared in so much, Andre is certainly a name you have seen before. He’s appeared in films like The Internship, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, voiced Azizi in The Lion King Disney live-action remake, played Chris Carey in Bad Trip, voiced Mark Bowman in The Mitchells vs. the Machines cast, and more. 

He created Adult Swim's The Eric Andre Show, which is still going on now, and also had a main role in Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23, a recurring role in 2 Broke Girls, portrayed Mike in Man Seeking Woman, and voices Luci in Disenchantment, among many other guest appearances on TV. Andre also has his own hilarious Netflix comedy special that you should watch right now. 

Chelsea Peretti (Suki)

Playing Johnny’s assistant in Sing 2 is Chelsea Peretti, a hilarious comedian with plenty of acting experience. Her biggest role thus far was playing Gina Linetti in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but she’s appeared in many other TV shows like The Smoking Gun Presents: World’s Dumbest, which she hosted, China, IL, Big Mouth, American Dad, and Harvey Girls Forever. 

She’s also appeared in a few movies, her most notable being Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Game Night, and The Photograph. 

Bono (Clay Calloway)

Last but not least, we have Bono, who voices Clay Calloway in Sing 2. Bono, like many of the other singers on this list, hasn’t done much in the acting department, but his singing career is one for the record books, as he's frontman for the rock band, U2. 

Bono's had cameo appearances in the TV show Entourage, along many others, and has appeared in several documentaries, including Muscle Shoals. Even so, it’s incredibly exciting to see him offering his voice to a big-time movie like Sing 2.

Jeez, with a cast this fantastic, Sing 2 should be amazing. And, now, you might have an idea of where you’ve seen or heard the cast before - and finally have a face to put with that amazingly talented singing voice. 

Spoilers below for the first three episodes of Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers, so be warned!

In releasing Nine Perfect Strangers’ initial trio of installments, Hulu gave viewers enough line to bait us, hook us, and then pull our jaws down with that hook, as Nicole Kidman’s Masha was revealed to be drugging Tranquillum House’s current visitors. That includes Bobby Cannavale’s Tony “Smiley” Hogburn, the former football player harboring both emotionally and physically deep-seated pains, with addictions and traumas that have soured his geniality. But after a few days of Masha’s smoothies and a few run-ins with Melissa McCarthy’s shame-stricken author Frances, Tony is already seemingly finding some light in the darkness.

Ahead of Nine Perfect Strangers’ premiere, I had the pleasure of speaking with Smiley himself, Bobby Cannavale, as seen in the video above. When I asked what drew him into playing a character with such a dark and moody headspace, he said it was partially because he wasn’t quite sure how to play that kind of self-defeating character, which led to him finding ways to turn that darkness back in on itself with humor. In his words:

Tony is bordering on being a stereotypical Grinch-Scrooge when Nine Perfect Strangers begins, before it’s fully understood that being a super-douche isn’t the character’s most natural state. That said, it’s still easier for him to be harsh than it is for him to ask for help, which is exactly why he ended up at Tranquillum House being drugged by Masha; though I still have to admit that Bobby Cannavale has naturally likeable qualities that already made it hard to dislike Tony early on. Regardless, viewers get to watch amusing moments that play off of both Tony’s pill-hungry desperation and his dopamine-fueled playfulness. (And there’s definitely more fun to come, but that’s for a later time.)

While the star-studded Nine Perfect Strangers hasn’t made Tony and Frances BFFs or anything, it’s clear the creative team is bending their parallel paths to something more connected. Which is perfect for Bobby Cannavale and Melissa McCarthy, who have played enemies in Spy and Thunder Force and a couple in Superintelligence. Here, Cannavale gets to take on a much more nuanced and authentic connection with McCarthy as both characters start to peel back their defensive layers. When I asked the actor about working with McCarthy again in this capacity, he said:

With the now-added context that seemingly all of the guests we’ve met in Nine Perfect Strangers have been imbibing on some form of intoxicant (against their will, no less, but that’s also something for another time), it’ll definitely be interesting to see how Tony’s body aches and mental woes will be affected by trading one drug for another. As well as how his not-quite-friendship-yet with Frances will expand or contract, assuming everyone doesn’t just pack up and leave in Episode 4. But that wouldn’t make for a very interesting next five episodes, would it?

New episodes of Nine Perfect Strangers stream on Hulu every Wednesday at 3:01 a.m. While waiting for the next episode, be sure to keep up with all the upcoming premieres with our 2021 Fall TV schedule.

Nine Perfect Strangers, making its Hulu debut on August 18, is the story of nine people who arrive at the mystical Tranquillum House hoping for a transformative experience. The adaptation of Liane Moriarty's bestselling novel features an ensemble of A-list actors within its gorgeous Australian setting, where mysteries abound among both the guests and the staff running the retreat, all under the supervision of the ethereal Masha, played by Nicole Kidman.

The series reunites Nicole Kidman with Liane Moriarty, who wrote both Nine Perfect Strangers and Big Little Lies, and with David E. Kelley, who created the adaptations for the aforementioned novels. With the success of HBO’s Big Little Lies — as well as The Undoing, which was also created by Kelley and starred Kidman — there’s much anticipation for this latest project. So what are critics saying, now that they’ve had a glimpse inside Tranquillum House? Let’s take a look, starting with our own mini-review.

CinemaBlend’s Nick Venable praised the cast, notably Bobby Cannavale and Regina Hall, and the masterful way all of the actors blend the suspense with the comedy. He also recognized the series for adapting Liane Moriarty's book into a more screen-friendly format.

On the flip side, TV Line noted that while the series boasts an impressive cast, led by Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy, the characters’ stories and personalities struggle to come together.

The Hollywood Reporter also thought the Hulu series lacked any deep dive into its multiple characters in the episodes screened for critics, and questioned which aspect of the show viewers are supposed to be invested in.

Variety pointed out that Nicole Kidman’s somewhat limited screentime — which allows viewers to get to know the nine strangers at the retreat and the baggage they’ve come in with — prohibits her from taking a firm grasp on the series.

While other reviews were troubled by the different tones each character brought, Collider found delight in the ensemble's mix of genres, calling the Hulu series “one of the most intriguing shows of the year.”

Most critics seem to agree on one thing, at least. While Nine Perfect Strangers debatably misses the mark in places with its narrative and tone, the talent of the collective cast makes this series worth checking out for anyone on the fence.

The first three episodes of Nine Perfect Strangers will be released August 18 on Hulu, with new episodes dropping each Wednesday. While we wait, be sure to check out our 2021 Fall TV schedule to see what else is coming soon.

The upcoming Hulu thriller Nine Perfect Strangers, set for a staggered release in August, is the story of nine people who are seeking relief via a health and wellness retreat at the beautiful and isolated Tranquillum House. It's a fair assumption the series, adapted from the book of the same name by Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty, will provide its characters with quite a different experience than the brochure promised. The cast, led by The Undoing's Nicole Kidman and Thunder Force's Melissa McCarthy, is a who's who of awards show invitees, and I can't wait to see how this ensemble comes together to act out what is sure to be pure, delicious madness.

Created by David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies, The Undoing), Nine Perfect Strangers promises to be a dark and twisty journey, with frequent Kelley collaborator Nicole Kidman leading the way as Masha, the head of Tranquillum House. The nine strangers who have signed up for the pricey ten-day retreat are all seeking transformation, and the eight-episode miniseries should give viewers plenty of quality time to take that trip with the eclectic bunch. Here's a look at who will portray the retreat-goers, as well as the Tranquillum House staff, and remember to check back for more updates as we get closer to the August 18 premiere.

Nicole Kidman (Masha Dmitrichenko)

No stranger to Liane Moriarty's work, Nicole Kidman will play the role of Tranquillum House leader Masha Dmitrichenko, which comes with a nice paycheck for Kidman, who is reportedly pulling in $1 million per episode. Aside from her award-winning role as Celeste on Big Little Lies — for which Moriarty might be working on Season 3 source material — Kidman starred in David E. Kelley's disturbing miniseries The Undoing. She's also known from her work as Satine in Moulin Rouge!, Virginia Woolf in The Hours, and multiple other roles, and has another high-profile upcoming project coming in Aaron Sorkin's Lucille Ball biopic Being the Ricardos.

Melissa McCarthy (Frances Welty)

Nine Perfect Strangers features Melissa McCarthy's return to television for her first series regular role since Mike and Molly, though Nobodies and SNL kept her busy in recent years. Her character, romance writer Frances Welty, goes to Tranquillum House "in need of some fixing," according to the series' trailer. A master of both comedy and drama, McCarthy is known for her hilarious roles in Thunder Force opposite Jason Bateman and as Megan in Bridesmaids, among others. And who could forget Sookie from Gilmore Girls?

Michael Shannon (Napoleon Marconi)

Michael Shannon is set to bring his signature intensity as the Marconi family patriarch Napoleon, who is attending the Tranquillum House retreat with his wife and daughter after a family tragedy. Shannon's ability to bring humor to a dramatic performance should fit this role perfectly. Shannon is known for portraying as Zod in Man of Steel, as well as Walt Thrombey in Knives Out and Richard Strickland in The Shape of Water, and was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Revolutionary Road. On the TV side of things, he's best known for playing Nelson Van Alden in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire and Shannon will also appear in Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt and most of the rest of Hollywood, set for release in 2022.

Asher Keddie (Heather Marconi)

Asher Keddie is set to play Napoleon Marconi's wife, Heather. The highly decorated Australian actress is known particularly for her role as Nina Proudman on the Australian drama Offspring, but American audiences might still recognize her. Keddie had a small role as Dr. Carol Frost in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, starring Hugh Jackman.

Grace Van Patten (Zoe Marconi)

Grace Van Patten rounds out the Marconi family as the couple's young adult daughter Zoe. Van Patten is known for her roles in the Netflix movies Tramps and The Meyerowitz Stories as Adam Sandler's daughter. As a child she made guest appearances in episodes of The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire.

Luke Evans (Lars Lee)

Divorce lawyer Lars Lee will be played in Nine Perfect Strangers by Luke Evans, who won audiences over as Gaston in the 2017 live action remake of Beauty and the Beast (and will do the same again in the upcoming TV spinoff.) He'll take on another Disney role soon as The Coachman in the upcoming live-action Pinocchio movie. Others may recognize Evans as Owen Shaw from the Fast and Furious franchise and apparent bad-guy Scott in The Girl on the Train, while his most prominent TV work of late came in TNT's crime drama The Alienist.

Samara Weaving (Jessica Chandler)

Australian actress Samara Weaving has made a name for herself as one of the great modern scream queens for her roles in movies like Ready or Not, The Babysitter and Mayhem. Which makes me wonder just how horrifying the retreat will turn out to be for Weaving's seemingly lucky lottery winner Jessica Chandler in Nine Perfect Strangers. But Weaving is no one-trick-pony, as she showed off her comedy chops as Ted's daughter Thea in Bill & Ted Face the Music, as well as in SMILF and Guns Akimbo.

Melvin Gregg (Ben Chandler)

While the characters may have won the lottery, it doesn't appear as if Melvin Gregg's Ben Chandler and wife Jessica are living their dream, or anyone else's, as they make their way to Nine Perfect Strangers' Tranquillum House. Gregg is known for his roles as DeMarcus Tillman in Netflix's mockumentary series American Vandal and Erick Scott in High Flying Bird. He also played Marcus Parrish in The Way Back with Ben Affleck.

Regina Hall (Carmel Schneider)

Another entertainer known for her hilarious comedy skills, Regina Hall will presumably dial up the drama to play Carmel Schneider, a single mother struggling with the demise of her relationship. Hall is known for her roles as Jordan Sanders in Little and Brenda in the Scary Movie franchise. She played Lisa in the critically acclaimed film Support the Girls and is a standout opposite Don Cheadle as Dawn on the Showtime comedy Black Monday.

Bobby Cannavale (Tony Hogburn)

Tony Hogburn, a former athlete attending the Tranquillum House retreat, will be played by Bobby Cannavale, who appeared in Thunder Force with Melissa McCarthy. Cannavale has been in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as a smorgasbord of HBO series including Sex and the City, two episodes of Oz, Boardwalk Empire (for which he won an Emmy) and Vinyl. You might also recognize him as one of Will and Grace's best guest stars as Vince D'Angelo, or from a zillion other roles. Cannavale has quite a few projects in the works, including Sing 2.

Manny Jacinto (Yao)

Best known as the Jacksonville Jaguars-loving Jason Mendoza from The Good Place, Manny Jacinto seems to be going in a wildly different direction as Tranquillum House staff member Yao. In fact, I bet there’s a good chance Yao has never yelled, “BORTLES!” even one time in his whole life, though he would certain bet the quarter back some refreshments and/or a hot towel. Jacinto is also set to play a pilot named Fritz in the highly anticipated sequel Top Gun: Maverick later this year.

Tiffany Boone (Delilah)

Tiffany Boone rounds out the ensemble, playing fellow Tranquillum House staff member Delilah. No stranger to Hulu, Boone previously channeled her inner Kerry Washington as young Mia on Little Fires Everywhere and is also known for her roles as Roxy Jones on Hunters and Jerrika Little on The Chi.

Nine Perfect Strangers will bring loads of talent and personalities together on screen, and coupled with the storytelling of author Liane Moriarty and creator David E. Kelly, this Hulu miniseries should be considered a can't-miss event when it premieres August 18. Until then, be sure to check out our 2021 summer TV schedule, as well as what else is coming soon to Hulu.

It seems like with each passing year, there’s more actors who have an opportunity to play their part in a superhero movie. Whether it’s in the ever-expanding MCU, or a one off hit, there’s plenty of super stories (and talented actors to star in them) to go around. Melissa McCarthy’s new Thunder Force is a perfect example, giving some major actors a chance to work in the growing genre. The upcoming Netflix comedy has a stacked cast of superhero first-timers, but the funniest person on set may surprise you.

During an interview with some of Thunder Force’s stars, CinemaBlend’s Jeff McCobb asked who the funniest person on set was. Surprisingly, the cast rallied around Pom Klementieff, who comedy veteran Bobby Cannavale was delighted to work with on set. In his own words:

According to Cannavale, who plays Thunder Force villain The King, Pom Klementieff’s comedy was not only surprising but also impressive. He went on to compliment the Old Boy star’s deadpan. Comedian (and upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder star) Melissa McCarthy also commended the actresses comedic chops:

That’s pretty high praise from someone with the comedic talents of Melissa McCarthy. The Thunder Force star complemented Klementieff’s performance as Laser, one of The King’s super-powered villains. Co-star Octavia Spencer went on to also mention Klementieff’s surprisingly impressive deadpan capabilities:

While breaking character and on-set laughs are just part of working with someone as hilarious as Melissa McCarthy, Spencer noted that it was Klementieff’s portrayal of Laser that really surprised her on set. The villainous role is a major departure from Klementieff’s work as Mantis in the MCU, according to the actress:

Despite the destructive nature of Laser, it sounds like there was still plenty of room for levity. Thunder Force follows former-best-friends-turned-superhero-duo Lydia Berman (Melissa McCarthy) and Emily Stanton (Octavia Spencer) as they fight The King (Bobby Cannavale) and Laser (Pom Klementieff) to protect the city of Chicago. Based on the trailer, it looks like a hilarious take on the mega-block buster superhero flicks of the last decade.

Fortunately, fans don’t have to wait to check out Pom Klementieff’s comedic capabilities, as Thunder Force is now streaming on Netflix. The light-hearted superhero flick is a welcome sight, seeing as how a number of major superhero releases have been delayed over the past year. Hopefully Thunder Force can scratch the itch for some fans and squeeze in a few laughs to boot.

There are few shows that had as stellar of a central cast as Oz, the gritty HBO series that featured scores of established stars and up-and-coming talent during its six-season run starting in July 1997. And while fans of the show will find it hard to forget the likes of J.K. Simmons’ Vernon Schillinger, Dean Winters’ Ryan O’Reily, or even Ernie Hudson’s portrayal of Oswald State Penitentiary warden Leo Glynn, there are other members of the cast that many forgot even appeared within the confines of Emerald City.

Below, we will break down some of the forgotten members of the Oz cast and discuss what they did before stepping foot onto one of the most offensive TV shows of all time and what they’ve been up to since. There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s get started…

Luke Perry (Reverend Jeremiah Cloutier)

Luke Perry has long been associated with a different staple of ‘90s TV, Beverly Hills, 90210, but the actor had a small role in the later years of Oz. Reverend Jeremiah Cloutier, a religious zealot sent to prison for embezzlement, was not the most beloved of inmates and ended being buried alive in walls of the prison not once, but twice, before everything was said and done.

Following his stint on Oz, Luke Perry would continue to have a successful career in film and on television with roles in movies like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Riverdale. Perry tragically passed away in March 2019 after suffering two massive strokes before being taken off life support.

Seth Gilliam (Clayton Hughes)

Seth Gilliam, who currently plays the hard-to-kill Father Gabriel on The Walking Dead, was just one of the many Oz actors who would end up in The Wire cast following his short run as corrections officer-turned-inmate Clayton Hughes early in his career. The son of a slain Oswald Penitentiary guard, Hughes would end up being one of the more unhinged characters on the show, who attempted to assassinate Governor James Devlin and Warden Leo Glynn before meeting his fate.

Kathryn Erbe (Shirley Bellinger)

Kathryn Erbe will forever be known for her portrayal of Detective Alexandra Eames on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, but before she tracked down cold-blooded murderers, she played one herself on Oz. Featured sporadically throughout the prison drama’s run, Erbe played Shirley Bellinger, who was sentenced to death after driving her car, with her daughter inside, into a body of water. The show’s only female inmate, Bellinger was just as conniving as the rest of the bunch.

In addition to appearing on multiple titles in the Law & Order franchise, Kathryn Erbe has also had roles on shows like Blue Bloods, Elementary, and The Sinner, as well as movies like D2: The Mighty Ducks, Stir of Echoes, and Mistress America.

Eric Roberts (Richard L'Italien)

Eric Roberts had already been nominated for an Academy Award (Runaway Train) by the time he appeared in an extremely brief role in Oz Season 1 as Richard L’Italien, a death row inmate who showed no remorse for his crimes, or fear of his execution, until his final hour had come. With at least 500 television, film, and other credits to his name, Roberts is definitely one of the biggest stars to show up on Oz, especially one that appeared in only one episode partway through the first season in 1997.

Michael Hyatt (Sadiya Khan)

Michael Hyatt, who would go on to appear on The Wire and, more recently, in The Little Things cast, had a one-off appearance on Oz. She portrayed Sadiya Khan, the wife of Hamid Khan, who showed up at Oswald Penitentiary after her husband sustained a severe brain injury in a boxing match. Hyatt would go on to become a prolific actress following her brief Oz appearance, including runs on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Ray Donovan, and Snowfall, which started its fourth season in February 2021.

Melina Kanakaredes (A.D.A Marilyn Crenshaw)

One year before she became a star on the medical drama Providence, Melina Kanakaredes had a small yet explosive role in a 1998 episode of Oz, playing assistant district attorney Marilyn Crenshaw, a character later revealed to be formerly engaged to Kareem Saïd (Chicago Fire’s Eamonn Walker). Already a known entity with performances on New York News, NYPD Blue, and Guiding Light, Kanakaredes would go on to have a lead role in CSI: NY from 2004 to 2010.

Bobby Cannavale (Alonzo Torquemada)

Bobby Cannavale, who recently showed up as a member of the Tom & Jerry cast, and who will soon appear in a number of upcoming movies, including Thunder Force, appeared in the final year of Oz. The one-day Ant-Man star played Alonzo Torquemada, a nightclub owner sent to Oswald for throwing a jar of acid on a victim’s face. In the years following his stint on Oz, Cannavale has appeared in two subsequent crime dramas on the premium channel, Boardwalk Empire and Vinyl.

Mark Margolis (Antonio Nappa)

Mark Margolis is no stranger when it comes to the crime genre, having appeared in everything from Scarface to Breaking Bad and its spinoff Better Call Saul. Margolis even appeared on Oz, portraying mobster Antonio Nappa, who ends up in Emerald City after killing a man at a strip club. Just one of the many victims of Simon Adebisi, Nappa’s stay at Oswald is brief yet, nonetheless, tough.

David Zayas (Enrique Morales)

David Zayas is probably best known for his portrayal of Angel Batista on Dexter, but prior to the playing Dexter Morgan’s colleague and best friend, the veteran actor appeared on Oz (alongside future co-star Lauren Vélez), as Enrique Morales. Though one of the bigger names on this list, Zayas’ performances is often overshadowed by his Dexter role and even his devious portrayal of Sal Maroni on eight episodes of Gotham.

Edie Falco (Officer Diane Whittlesey)

Edie Falco will forever be remembered for her long-running Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Award-winning performances on The Sopranos and Nurse Jackie, but before she was known as Carmela Soprano or Jackie Peyton, she made a name for herself as Officer Diane Whittlesey on the first three seasons of Oz. A staple of the first half of the show’s run, Falco’s character added a level of sincerity and honesty to a show that leaned so heavily towards raw and shocking images of violence.

These are just a few of the names who you forgot showed on Oz at some point in the show’s six-season run. And while some of these actors were major stars before or became so after their respective stints in Emerald City, it’s easy to see how they could slip between the cracks, considering all of the talent which anchored the Oz cast for all those years.

Bobby Cannavale is one those actors that you don’t really remember being in your favorite movie or TV show, but upon further inspection, you realize he’s been all over the place since making his big-screen debut 25 years ago. Over the years, Cannavale has shown up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as multiple HBO series including Sex and the City, Oz, Boardwalk Empire, and Vinyl. Hell, he’s even completed the Law & Order hat trick. And with more projects like Sing 2, Blonde, and others coming out in the next couple of years, Cannavale will be just as busy for the foreseeable future.

With his most recent film project, Tom & Jerry already in theaters and on HBO Max, Bobby Cannavale is going to be someone we see and hear a lot about as the year continues. Below is a breakdown of each of his upcoming film and television roles, even if it still remains to be seen if he’ll return for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Thunder Force - April 9, 2021 (Completed)

Coming out at some point in 2021 is the Netflix action-comedy Thunder Force, which follows Emily Stanton (Octavia Spencer) and estranged best friend Lydia (Melissa McCarthy) after they develop super powers in an effort to protect their city from ongoing attacks from various super-villains, creating the first superhero team in the process. The two lead roles are all that we know about at this point, but Bobby Cannavale, Jason Bateman, Pom Klementieff, Tyrel Jackson Williams, and director Ben Falcone are also set to appear in some capacity.

First announced back in March 2019, director Ben Falcone officials started principal photography in September of that year. The film has since been completed and is set to be released on Netflix Friday, April 9, 2021.

Sing 2 - December 22, 2021 (In Production)

In December 2016, Illumination Entertainment broke out from its Despicable Me and Minions properties to create one of the most refreshing and charming animated musicals in some time with the star-studded Sing. Most of those stars, including Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, and Tori Kelly are all returning in their roles from the first movie when Sing 2 lands in theaters at the end of the year. This time around, the gang is setting off to the Crystal Tower Theater to debut a new show, but first they have to find a way to impress the theater’s ruthless owner, Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Cannavale).

Originally scheduled to be released on December 25, 2020, Sing 2 was pushed back to a July 2021 release by Universal pictures in April 2019. The release was pushed back even further in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is currently set for a December 22, 2021 release.

Blonde - 2021 (Post-Production)

There have been countless films based on the life and career of Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe, but Andrew Dominik’s upcoming Netflix movie Blonde doesn’t sound like it will be anything like any of its predecessors. Based on Joyce Carol Oats 2000 novel of the same name, Blonde will feature Ana De Armas as the Hollywood starlet in a completely fictional story with various characters based on real people only with different names. For example, Bobby Cannavale will play a character known as The Ex-Athlete (a play on Joe DiMaggio) while Adrien Brody portrays The Playwright (Arthur Miller). Such is the case for the rest of the cast which includes Julianne Nicholson, Caspar Phillipson, Scoot McNairy and multiple others.

Blonde, which was previously adapted into a made-for-TV movie in 2001, has been in development for well over a decade now, with Naomi Watts attached to star at one point and Jessica Chastain signed on at another. Production finally started and wrapped in the second part of 2019 and the film is currently awaiting release through Netflix.

This Is The Night - TBD (Post-Production)

This is the Night, formerly known as Once Upon a Time in Staten Island before being retitled in 2020, will see The Purge creator James DeMonaco direct Bobby Cannavale, Naomi Watts, Frank Grillo, and more in a period drama centering on a teenage boy named Anthony (Cody Fairless-Lee) and his dramatic journey in the heart of his small town. Per The Hollywood Reporter, This is the Night is set in the summer of 1982 around the time of the release of Rocky III, during which Anthony embarks on "a quest in his Rocky Balboa-obsessed town that swirls in his family members." His parents are played by Watts and Grillo.

Production on This is the Night got underway in May 2018 in Staten Island, and according to SI Live, was to be wrapped up after around 26 days of shooting. There hasn’t been much in terms of updates since then. The film is produced by Jason Blum and his Blumhouse Productions and is set to be released by Universal Pictures.

Jolt - TBD (Post-Production)

Jolt follows Lindy (Kate Beckinsale), a woman suffering from rage issues that are so severe, she wears a shock-vest to send jolts of electricity through her body to calm her down. The movie will center on Lindy after her one shot at a normal life with a man named Justin (Jai Courtney) is scrubbed away when he is brutally murdered. But as she goes on a one-woman rampage in pursuit of the killer, Lindy becomes the prime suspect in the eyes of two detectives played by Bobby Cannavale and Laverne Cox.

Per Deadline, production on Jolt got underway in the summer of 2019 in London but there is no word as to when the action-comedy will be released in theaters (or on a streaming service like so many movies these days). With that cast and story, however, don’t expect to go too much longer before we have more information on its status.

Lapham Rising - TBD (Post-Production)

Lapham Rising, Charlie Kessler’s long-in-the-works film adaptation of the Roger Rosenblatt novel of the same name, will come out at some point in the future, but no one really seems to know when. If the movie is anything like the novel, it will follow Harry March (Frank Langella), a retired writer spending the twilight of his life in a quiet stretch of the Hamptons, as he deals with a new multi-millionaire neighbor and the construction of a massive estate across the road from his idyllic retreat. Instead of letting things be, Harry instead sees the mansion as a personal attack on all the things he holds true and starts a small war of sorts. Oh, and there is a talking dog named Hector, who just so happens to a born-again Christian capitalist.

In addition to Frank Langella, Bobby Cannavale, Ashley Benson, Stockard Channing, and Catherine Parker are all set to star, though their individual roles have not be announced (please let Cannavale voice the talking dog). According to Deadline, Production began on Lapham Rising in May 2019 in Minnesota, but no release date or other details have been revealed nearly two years later.

Seriously Red - TBD (In Production)

The musical comedy Seriously Red centers on a wild and crazy red-headed woman by the name of Red (Krew Boylan) who also wrote the script) after she misinterprets the dress code at a company-sponsored party and soon finds herself living in a world of tribute artists and impersonators. All of this, according to Deadline, is set to the music of Dolly Parton, which will serve as the backdrop to Red’s descent into the country music madness as she navigates life. Bobby Cannavale and his real-life partner Rose Byrne (who is also producing the picture) are set to star alongside Daniel Webber.

Production on Seriously Red got underway in Australia in November 2020, but there is currently no word on when the musical (which features a Kenny Rogers impersonator) will land in theaters. Expect more on this rowdy comedy in the months to come.

Nine Perfect Strangers (TV Series) - TBD (Post-Production)

Nine Perfect Strangers, the upcoming Hulu limited series based on Liane Moriarty’s novel of the same name, will see Melissa McCarthy, Luke Evans, Bobby Cannavale, Samara Weaving, Regina Hall, Michael Shannon and more play a group of people who all meet at a pricey 10-day “Mind and Body Total Transformation Retreat” run by a mysterious woman named Masha (Nicole Kidman). Things aren’t always as they seem and the group has no idea what’s coming their way, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The limited series, which was created by Edge of Tomorrow scribe John-Henry Butterworth and Big Little Lies creator David E. Kelley, entered production in August 2020, according to IF.com.au and reportedly wrapped in December 2020, per an Instagram post by Nicole Kidman. The Academy Award-winning actress also stated Nine Perfect Strangers would be released at some point in 2021, though a specific date has yet to be announced.

By the looks of it, Bobby Cannavale is going to continue to be a busy as ever these next couple of years. Now we just need to find a way to get him back into the fold with 2022’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania.

The first three movies — Wonder Woman 1984, The Little Things, and Judas and the Black Messiah— released through Warner Bros. new release model fell more into the superhero and crime thriller dramas, respectively, but the fourth entry in a long list of titles being released in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously is a little more family-friendly but features a cast just as impressive as its predecessors. Seriously, the Tom and Jerry (or Tom and Jerry: The Movie) cast is one of the most impressive of the bunch, and in terms of animated features in recent years.

With everyone from Chloë Grace Moretz taking on the role of a young hotel employee doing her best to avoid disaster and find a solution for the titular cat and mouse, to Michael Peña doing his best impression of an evil mastermind, the live-action cast is something else. Combine that with Frank Welker (along with archival footage of Tom and Jerry original creators), Bobby Cannavale, Lil Rel Howery, and more filling out the voice cast, Tom and Jerry will leave you saying “I’ve seen/heard that face/voice before.”

To save you time (and sanity), we’ve put together this breakdown of the Tom and Jerry cast and where you’ve seen (or heard) them before.

Chloë Grace Moretz (Kayla)

Leading the live-action cast in Tom and Jerry is Chloë Grace Moretz, who portrays Kayla, the recently hired Royal Gate Hotel employee and wedding planner at the center of the story. Since landing a breakout role in the 2005 horror remake The Amityville Horror, Moretz has become and remained one of the most prolific and celebrated faces in young Hollywood. Over the years, Moretz has done everything from play the foul-mouthed and lethal Mindy McCready, aka Hit-Girl, in Kick-Ass and its sequel, Kick-Ass 2, bring the truth as Rachel Hansen in 500 Days of Summer, and even returned to the horror genre with Let Me In and Suspiria.

Michael Peña (Terrance)

There to thwart Chloë Grace Moretz’s Kayla in Tom and Jerry is Michael Peña’s Terrance, the meddling deputy hotel manager whose villainous scheme can bring all sorts of troubles for everyone at the Royal Gate Hotel. In recent years, Peña has become best known for his scene-stealing performance as Luis in Ant-Man and again (with truth serum) in its followup Ant-Man and the Wasp. The accomplished actor’s career doesn’t start and end with the MCU (to which he will return in 2022), however, as Peña has given outstanding performances in dramas like Crash and End of Watch as well as television series like Eastbound and Down and Narcos: Mexico.

Colin Jost (Ben)

Ben, one half of the couple engaged to get married at the Royal Gate Hotel, is played by none other than Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost. The “Weekend Update” host and one of the head writers of the popular sketch comedy show makes a rare film appearance in Tom and Jerry, having only acted in two other movies over the years. When Jost isn’t busy with SNL or being married to Scarlett Johansson, he spent some of his time appearing on WWE television, most notably at WrestleMania 35, where he participated in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Rob Delaney (Mr. DuBros)

Rob Delaney, joined by his impressive mustache, portrays Mr. DuBros, the owner and manager of the Royal Gate Hotel in Tom and Jerry, the latest in a long line of comedies for the comedian-turned-actor. In recent years, Delaney has been seen in Deadpool 2, Hobbs & Shaw (with all those cameos), and Bombshell, but he is probably best known for playing one of the co-leads in the Amazon original comedy series Catastrophe which he created and wrote alongside co-star and on-screen wife Sharon Horgan (and the late Carrie Fisher). Delaney is next set to appear in the Disney+ Home Alone reboot.

Ken Jeong (Jackie)

Jackie, the chef and baker at the center of the wedding preparations in Tom and Jerry is played by Ken Jeong, whose decades-spanning career has led to unforgettable performances in The Hangover, Community, and Crazy Rich Asians to name only a few. In addition to working as a standup comedian and actor, Jeong is also a licensed physician, which became the basis of his 2015 ABC comedy series Dr. Ken. More recently, Jeong has entered the game show genre, appearing as a judge or host on multiple shows including The Masked Singer (and its spinoff The Masked Singer) as well as I Can See Your Voice.

Pallavi Sharda (Preeta)

Bollywood actress Pallavi Sharda, who portrays the other half of the married couple to be, Preeta, doesn’t have nearly as many credits as her co-stars, but her body of work is impressive, nonetheless. Appearing in Bollywood titles like My Name is Khan, Dus Tola, and Love Breakups Zindagi, Sharda has also shown up in movies like Lion, Beecham House, and Retrograde in the past five years.

Frank Welker (Tom Cat; Jerry Mouse)

Providing the vocal effects for both Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse in Tom and Jerry this time around is primarily the prolific Frank Welker with archival recordings from William Hanna, Mel Blanc, and June Foray being used throughout the latest version of the classic cartoon. We rarely see Frank Welker’s face in any of his performances, but his voice has been featured in everything from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and essentially every animated version of the franchise since 1969, providing the voice of Fred Jones, in addition to all sorts of other minor characters. Welker, a longtime voice-actor for Hanna-Barbera, has gone on to voice characters like Jabberjaw, Crime Globe in The Super Globetrotters, and pretty much any given cartoon. He also provided vocal effects for Tommy Boy (the deer), Mars Attacks! (the martians), and Scoob! (Scooby-Doo).

Nicky Jam (Butch Cat)

Voicing the unsavory and unfriendly alley cat Butch is Nicky Jam, the American singer and songwriter known for his contributions to the Latin trap and reggaeton musical genres. When he’s not releasing hit singles like “X,” “Travesuras,” and “El Amante,” the award-winning artist has been trying out his hand in big-budget action flicks like xXx: Return of Xander Cage alongside the returning Vin Diesel and Bad Boys for Life, in which he portrayed Lorenzo “Zway-Lo” Rodriguez.

Longtime Kevin Hart collaborators Joey Wells, Harry Ratchford, and Na’im Lynn provide the voices of the various members of Butch’s gang of stray cats.

Bobby Cannavale (Spike)

A Tom and Jerry movie wouldn’t be the same without Spike, the oversized American Bulldog featured heavily as one of Tom’s fiercest foes throughout the property’s history. Providing the voice for Spike this time around is Bobby Cannavale, yet another actor to have appeared in both Tom and Jerry and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (he plays Jim Paxton in Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp). Cannavale has also appeared in The Irishman, Mr. Robot, and Homecoming. Cannavale also falls in the middle of the Venn diagram of actors who have appeared on Sex and the City, Law & Order, and Oz.

Lil Rel Howery (Tom’s Shoulder Devil)

Ah, the classic trope of a character having a “devil” and “angel” on his shoulders is alive and well in Tom and Jerry, and none other than Lil Rel Howery is voicing Tom’s more sinister side this time around. The Chicago native has appeared on various TV comedies and stand-up comedy specials over the years, but he’s best known for his role as TSA officer Rod Williams in Get Out and if not that then Charlie in Bird Box. Howery was recently featured in the cast of Judas and the Black Messiah.

Tone Bell (Tom’s Shoulder Angel)

Since we’ve already knocked out Tom’s Shoulder Devil, I guess we have to talk about the kinder and more logical figment of the cat’s imagination. Portraying Tom’s Shoulder Angel in Tom and Jerry is Tone stand-up comedian and actor Tone Bell. Bell’s television appearances include a main role on the Netflix comedy series Disjointed and the BET drama American Soul in which he plays Richard Pryor. His film credits include The United States vs. Billie Holiday, Sylvie’s Love, and Little to name a few.

These are just the main members of the Tom and Jerry live-action and voice cast. With random animated (and live-action) characters popping up throughout the movie, including some classic Hanna-Barbera legends appearing from time to time, the cast of the latest animated film featuring the iconic cat and mouse duo is absolutely stacked. You can check out the live-action/computer-generated hybrid come to life in theaters or on HBO Max until the end of March 2021. And if you want to know what else is coming to theaters (and streaming services) this year, check out CinemaBlend's 2021 movie release schedule for all the latest updates.

With Avengers: Endgame acting as the end of an era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the future is the only place everyone has their sights set on. Part of that is looking forward to new origin stories like Eternals, and another is anticipating the twists that will come in new sequels like Ant-Man 3. In the case of Bobby Cannavale, that particular project packs an interesting cliffhanger. Because in a recent interview the actor admitted he’s not so sure he’s actually in the third movie.

Promoting his role in the new Melissa McCarthy fronted comedy Superintelligence, some good natured fun and games came up with the folks at Fandom, involving whether Ms. McCarthy herself would end up in the MCU one way or another. And along the way from those remarks came the big question of whether Cannavale, a two time Marvel vet in the Ant-Man series, would be along for the ride one more time. While he’s not so sure about his place in Ant-Man 3, Bobby Cannavale is hopeful, as seen his answer below:

Playing the second husband of Scott Lang’s ex-wife Maggie, Cannavale’s character of Jim Paxton was featured in both 2015’s Ant-Man and 2018’s Ant-Man and The Wasp as a comic foil/friend to Paul Rudd’s main character. While Bobby Cannavale hasn’t had a chance to suit up and take part in the action, his moments with Rudd have been memorable, and the performers are pretty spectacular together. So this isn’t exactly a concern that only the former Boardwalk Empire star would share.

Time isn’t too much of an issue at this point either, as Marvel and Disney will obviously have to deal with the backlog of films needing to be released, starting with Black Widow’s May 2021 release. But with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Spider-Man 3 all kicking into gear, thoughts will obviously turn towards getting Ant-Man 3 off the ground in its due course. Which means that Paul Rudd’s phone is probably ringing as you read this sentence, and right now he’s probably chatting with Bobby Cannavale about the cool new stuff his suit will do in Ant-Man 3.

He'll probably move onto how awesome it is that Lovecraft Country’s Jonathan Majors has been cast as a major villain, who may or may not be Kang the Conqueror. But just before he mentions that the film is slated for a 2022 release date, Bobby Cannavale will have his chance to mention how much he wants to do Ant-Man 3. Stan Lee's spirit willing, that conversation will end with Paul Rudd smiling and saying, “Sure buddy, welcome back!” But for now, Cannavale fans will have to get their fix with the HBO Max original Superintelligence, which is set to debut on Thanksgiving.

Out of all of the iconic characters The Big Lebowski introduced us to over 20 years ago, it’s taken about that long to give one a sequel/spinoff. True to his word, writer/director John Turturro has delivered his Jesus Quintana movie to the world, and as you’ll see in this trailer, The Jesus Rolls, and not a moment too soon.

As we see in our new glimpse into The Jesus Rolls, Jesus Quintana (Turturro) has landed himself in prison again between when we last saw him and the present day. We catch up with him upon his release, with the threat that if he’s caught again, he’ll become a lifer.

So naturally, this is the perfect time for Jesus to catch up with an old buddy (Bobby Cannavale,) steal a car, and get into a bunch of misadventures with a star studded cast along for the ride. And boy, does The Jesus Rolls have an impressive roster for this particular team.

With Christopher Walken, Jon Hamm, Audrey Tatou, and Susan Sarandon all on board for whatever misadventures may occur, John Turturro’s vision for the continuing gospel of The Jesus certainly feel like they’re leading up to some rather impressive results. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, SNL alum Pete Davidson is thrown into the mix as well.

Officially approved by The Coen Brothers, as they flat out admitted they’d never make any sort of follow-up to The Big Lebowski, Turturro’s The Jesus Rolls is actually a hybrid. Not only does it continue the story of a character from the Lebowski-verse, but it’s also a loose remake of the 1974 French film Les Valseuses, also known as Going Places.

That only gives us a further look into just what The Jesus Rolls is looking to accomplish, as researching that particular film seems to suggest that this movie is built around the concept that John Turturro and Bobby Cannavale going on a crime spree, while romancing Audrey Tatou and Susan Sarandon in the process.

So if Jon Hamm playing a charming heel once again wasn’t enough to entice you to watch The Jesus Rolls, you have a little more incentive to get with the program. As the movie was already released in certain international markets last year, the promise of an “early 2020” release had hung in the air for some time.

Now, with our first full look at this long talked about project in our hands, John Turturro’s oath has been fulfilled, and The Jesus shall roll again. Which means we’ll be making another pass at our screenplay involving John Goodman's iconic Walter Sobchak and his time on the international dog show circuit, inspired by the fact that dreams do in deed come true.

The Jesus Rolls starts bowling to the sweet sounds of The Gypsy Kings once again, on February 28th. Though don't let that stop you from searching our 2020 release schedule for your next strike at the box office! The Jesus commands it.

2017 has been a pretty great year for fans of NBC's Will and Grace. The show has managed to bring all four leads back together for a revival, more than 11 years after the original run of the series came to an end. Not all of the original actors aside from the core four are returning to reprise their roles, but we now know of one amazing guest star who will be back. Bobby Cannavale is on board play Vince D'Angelo once more.

Bobby Cannavale made his Will and Grace debut in a Season 6 episode, and he would go on to appear in a grand total of 15 episodes. Cannavale was a huge hit on the series, even winning an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy in 2005. As Vince D'Angelo, Cannavale played Will's ex-boyfriend. Toward the end of the series, it seemed unlikely that Vince and Will would get a happily-ever-after, but the series finale flashforward proved otherwise. After the big time skip, we learned the Will and Vince had gotten back together, married, and had a son.

A big question now is what role Vince will have in the revival. The new batch of episodes will completely ignore the flashforward of the finale. Executive producer David Kohan explained the reasoning behind erasing the original ending, saying that giving Will and Grace kids would turn the revival into either a show about their kids or about two people who are bad parents who neglect their kids. So, neither Will nor Grace has kids. We have to wonder if Will and Vince ever got back together in the new timeline. EW confirms that Bobby Cannavale will be back, but few details seem to be available.

Vince won't be the only character whose role in the finale flashfoward will be erased. Harry Connick Jr., who was Grace's love interest and the father of her child, will also appear in the revival series. At this point, we can only speculate about how all of these characters' lives turned out now that the flashforward with the kids is no longer on the table. Will and Grace will still be best pals, and Jack and Karen will still get into their classic shenanigans. As for the rest... well, we can only wait and see.

Fortunately, NBC seems to have a lot of faith in Will and Grace. The network renewed the revival for a second season before the first even debuted. Who knows? Maybe we'll get Bobby Cannavale as a recurring character. That said, Cannavale may be pretty busy. He landed a role on USA's acclaimed drama Mr. Robot, and he recently signed on for The Irishman. All things considered, Cannavale has done pretty well for himself in the wake of Vinyl's cancellation on HBO.

The Will and Grace revival will premiere on Thursday, September 28 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. For your other viewing options, take a look at our fall TV premiere guide.

It's been a while since Martin Scorsese directed a movie centered around organized crime, but the acclaimed director is jumping back into that world next by helming The Irishman, which will revolve around the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. We've known for a while that frequent Scorsese collaborator Robert de Niro and Al Pacino would headline the movie, but now the news has dropped that not only is Joe Pesci finally confirmed to appear in The Irishman, but the production is also eyeing Harvey Keitel and Bobby Cannavale for recruitment, too.

Joe Pesci had long been rumored to appear in The Irishman (Robert de Niro said back in 2015 that Pesci was on board), but the actor had said numerous times that he would not appear. It's only thanks to a deal made this week that we can count on him reuniting with Martin Scorsese and Robert de Niro after more than two decades, last working with the two in Casino. Pesci will play Russell Bufalino, a Pennsylvanian mafia boss who is suspected to have played a role in Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance. As for Harvey Keitel and Bobby Cannavale, Deadline reports that they are currently in talks to join The Irishman, but no deals have been finalized yet.

Those familiar with Martin Scorsese's work know that Joe Pesci has done very well playing intimidating criminals. Though Pesci first worked with Scorsese and Robert de Niro on Raging Bull, a boxing drama, it was Pesci's turn as Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas that drew universal acclaim. Pesci's last major role was reprising Leo Getz in 1998's Lethal Weapon 4 (though he cameoed in 2006's The Good Shepherd), so seeing him back for The Irishman is most welcome. As for Harvey Keitel and Bobby Cannavale, both have their own experiences playing criminals; Keitel through movies like Bugsy and Pulp Fiction, while Cannavale played Gyp Rosetti in Boardwalk Empire Season 3.

Based off the book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt, The Irishman will reportedly see Al Pacino playing Jimmy Hoffa, the Teamsters president who disappeared in 1975, and Robert de Niro playing Frank Sheeran, who claimed on his deathbed to have murdered Hoffa. Initially The Irishman was supposed to be released by Paramount, but after the studio backed out, Netflix grabbed the distribution rights, giving the streaming service an exclusive Scorsese movie. Scorsese has also said that he hopes to use CGI to de-age de Niro in The Irishman, similar to what's been seen in several Marvel movies and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

The Irishman will begin shooting in the New York area next month and is expected to continue until December, but a release date hasn't been announced yet. While we wait for more news on its progress, check out what else is being released on Netflix for the remainder of the year in our handy guide.

USA had a hit of a summer series over the past couple of years thanks to Mr. Robot. The first season debuted in June 2015 and the second hit the airwaves in July 2016, and many fans expected the third season to premiere sometime this summer as well. Unfortunately, that won't be the case. Mr. Robot will leave fans waiting for an extra couple of months. Luckily, there's some good news in the form of a new member of the cast. Bobby Cannavale will be on board when Season 3 kicks off.

The third season of Mr. Robot is slated to hit the airwaves this October. Production will begin in April. TVLine reports that executive producer Sam Esmail will direct the entire season, which will run for 10 episodes. This will be the second time that Esmail has helmed an entire season; he already directed all 12 episodes of Season 2. Given that Esmail hass established that he knows how he wants the series to end in a few years, I'd say that Season 3 is in good hands. Hopefully he can do as solid a job with all 10 episodes of Season 3 as he did with all 12 episodes of Season 2. He will have a brand new actor to direct.

Bobby Cannavale has signed on to join Mr. Robot as a regular in the upcoming third season. He'll play a character named Irving, who is a used car salesman with a low tolerance for shenanigans and speechifying. Details are currently pretty scarce, but Cannavale's casting definitely counts as good news. He has a wide variety of experience in large and small screen work, with projects ranging from Boardwalk Empire to Nurse Jackie to Ant-Man. His most recent TV project prior to signing on for Mr. Robot Season 3 was as the leading man on HBO's short-lived series Vinyl, which got the axe after one season.

Irving sounds like a character we haven't exactly seen Cannavale play before, so it should be fun to see what he does with the part and how he fits in with the existing cast. Considering that he's already been signed as a regular, we should see plenty of him when the show finally returns this fall. We'll also likely see a lot more of an existing character in Season 3, as BD Wong has been promoted from recurring to regular.

The news of the delay for Mr. Robot Season 3 is definitely unfortunate for those of us who were counting on the series coming back to the airwaves this summer, but at least we know that we'll have Bobby Cannavale on board when the show does return. Check out our midseason TV premiere schedule to see what you can watch to pass the time while we wait for more Mr. Robot.

If you were a fan of HBO's new drama, Vinyl, we've got some bad news for you. The music industry show has been cancelled and will not return for a second season.

News of the cancellation came down today courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter. The statement released to the outlet by HBO noted that the network had a hard time coming to the decision to stop production on Vinyl and that the powers that be appreciated the hard work of the creative team behind the project. The move is a bit of a surprise, considering that the series had actually already been renewed after the premiere in February. With original showrunner Terence Winter stepping down from the drama in early April, though, and being replaced with series executive producer Scott Z. Burns, things began to look less sure for the drama.

The network has also been experiencing something of a shakeup, with a new HBO programming head taking over earlier this year. HBO has also had a string of false starts or just plain failures with shows in the recent past. Westworld was delayed twice and was originally eyed for a fall 2015 release, but is now on tap for October of this year. Two series from David Fincher that were picked up had to be let go before production began, while a Lewis & Clark mini-series was also scrapped. Shows The Brink and Luck were also cancelled after just one season.

Also, Vinyl wasn't exactly a breakout hit for HBO. The long-in-the-works show, which was also executive produced by Martin Scorsese and Rollings Stones frontman Mick Jagger, only netted 760,000 viewers for live plus same day viewers for the two hour premiere. The show was also really expensive; the first season, which only had 10 episodes, is rumored to have cost $100 million to produce.

Vinyl focused on 1970s record executive Richie Finestra (Bobby Cannavale), who's trying to save his struggling record label by selling it to a German company, with an impending distribution rights deal with Led Zeppelin as part of the deal. When an encounter with the lead singer goes south, though, it looks like that deal might be in jeopardy, which would tank the company. Vinyl also starred Olivia Wilde, Ray Romano and Lena Olin.

Sources to The Hollywood Reporter believe that the cancellation is likely part of a move to free up programming for the new head to put his stamp on HBO without any struggling shows to worry about. When executives begin work at new networks it's not uncommon for them to champion certain shows in the hopes of being credited as the person who brought a big hit to the fore of programming, so that thinking makes a lot of sense.

So, if Vinyl was your drama of choice on HBO, you'll have to do without new episodes from now on.

Last year in Ant-Man, the Boardwalk Empire and Vinyl star Bobby Cannavale played Paxton, the San Francisco Police Department Officer who was engaged to Scott Lang’s ex-wife Maggie. As far as supporting characters go, Paxton fulfilled his role as the guy trying to prevent Scott from committing any more crimes without knowing the full story of his superhero life. On camera the character was well-intentioned (if misguided), but behind the scenes Cannavale was doing his best to annoy director Peyton Reed as much as possible.

Cannavale recounted to EW how, while shooting Ant-Man, he would frequently ask Peyton Reed obnoxious and way too specific questions about his “motivation for everything.” Here’s one of the examples the actor provided:

The scene Bobby Cannvale is referring to is when Hank Pym restored the tank that he’d been keeping as a keychain to full size, allowing him and his daughter Hope to easily escape Cross Technologies right before it exploded. So yeah, as any intelligent person knows, he wouldn’t actually be hurt by any the debris from a building since it, you know, doesn’t exist! Sorry, explaining the joke ruined it, right? As Cannavale later said in the interview, he was just “taking the piss out of the whole thing,” much to the chagrin of everyone else on set.

Peyton Reed also provided his own example of Bobby Cannavale’s unnecessary questions. One of the scenes had the actor asking about whether the camera not having a proper line of sight to a van because a street sign was in the way. As Reed pointed out, the street sign wasn’t the thing meant to be filmed, so not having that line didn’t matter. Yeah, Cannavale has really mastered the art of being unnecessarily inquisitive, but it’s all in good fun.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is only a couple years away, but so far the only characters confirmed to return are Scott, Hope and Hank. However, with Cassie an important part of his life, it’s likely that Paxton and Maggie will return for the sequel. If that happens, then Peyton Reed, who is returning to the director’s chair, can look forward to Bobby Cannavale asking more obnoxious questions.

With or without Officer Paxton, Ant-Man and the Wasp will crawl into theaters on July 6, 2018.

HBO gets a lot of top-notch directors, actors, writers, producers and showrunners interested in creating TV for the subscription cable channel, but today the company made an announcement that exceeds all kinds of expectations. HBO has picked up a rock ‘n’ roll based drama set in New York in the 1970s and is moving forward with the untitled project to series. Go ahead and prepare for plenty of drugs, sex, and music and then some more drugs, sex and music.

You should also brace yourself for the totally incredible list of names that are already attached to the untitled rock and roll project. Let’s go ahead and start with the behind-the-scenes people, as those names are impressive. Martin Scorsese will be teaming up with Terence Winter to executive produce the series; the two formerly worked together on Boardwalk Empire. Like that HBO drama, Scorsese will also be directing the pilot. Winter will also act as showrunner and will write the pilot for the series. But that’s not all! Mick Jagger—as in founder of The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger--is signed on to executive produce, because if anyone knows rock ‘n’ roll, it’s that dude. Reportedly, Jagger’s the creative mind behind the initial idea, as well.

Honestly, we’ve been hearing about the potential of the still-untitled rock ‘n’ roll project for years now. But about a year ago, Bobby Cannavale signed on to play lead Richie Finestra, a man who heads up a record label and who totally crushes in the business. However, Finestra will find himself facing a “life-altering decision” which will cause a bit of a personal crisis. It’s nice to see the actor get the lead in a series as high-profile as this one. In fact, the man's had a pretty good relationship with HBO in the past, crushing one of the most incredible gangster roles Boardwalk Empire offered. Now that Scorsese, Cannavale and especially Winter are free to pursue new projects again, it's kind of like getting the band back together, pun intended.

Also cast are Olivia Wilde as Finestra’s wife Devon, Ray Romano as Finestra’s business partner Zak Yankovich, Juno Temple as a young record employee looking to get ahead, and Andrew Dice Clay as a cocaine user and owner of a set of radio stations. The rest of the cast has also been fleshed out and like Boardwalk Empire looks to be a large ensemble cast, including James Jagger, Ato Essandoh, Max Cassella, Jack Quaid, Birgitte Sorenson, P.J. Byrne, J.C. MacKenzie, Bo Dietl, Armen Garo, Robert Funaro and Joe Caniano. To throw a few more names at you, Rick Yorn, Victoria Pearman, Emma Tillinger Koskoff and George Mastras will also executive produce.

Despite the fact that the new series still doesn’t have a title, it’s nice to see the drama finally get off the ground. This isn’t the only new series HBO has announced in recent weeks. The network also recently signed on for Westworld, a brand new series based on the movie of the same name. There’s definitely some good stuff coming, and we’ll keep you posted as we move closer to premiere dates.

You have to say this about Marvel and Ant-Man: they've really kept the fans on their toes. Even with the Edgar Wright kerfuffle earlier this year, there was the sense by San Diego Comic-Con that the furor surrounding Ant-Man had died down, and we were beginning to get a clear sense of the film. As we learned earlier today, the movie has now entered production, but with that latest announcement comes the reveal that the cast has gotten a bit beefier with all sorts of new additions.

The names added to Marvel's Ant-Man includes a who's who of character actor all-stars. Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Wood Harris, Abby Ryder Forston, Gregg Turkington and rapper T.I. are the latest to climb aboard the film, all joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the process. We also have one repeat member of the group - a surprising addition to the cast: John Slattery is aboard the film, presumably to reprise his role of Howard Stark from Iron Man 2. This matches with the intel we've received about this film's ties to the larger picture that the movie will surely include. Don't be too surprised to see Slattery sharing a drink or two with a young Hank Pym.

As for the rest of the names, they certainly are colorful, and we wonder what sort of roles they'll fill in both Ant-Man and in the larger cinematic universe. The newcomers are joining the already-announced cast that includes Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, Michael Douglas as an aged Dr. Hank Pym, Evangeline Lilly as Hank's daughter Hope van Dyne, Corey Stoll as the villainous Yellowjacket, and Michael Pena and David Dastmalchian in as-yet-undisclosed roles.

It's interesting that the production has reached out to actors who are just at home doing comedy as they are doing drama. Cannavale and Greer seem like they'll play sizable roles, and you wonder just exactly who they'll be. Is it possible Greer is the late Janet Van Dyne, aka The Wasp, who has passed away at the start of this film? Or maybe she will be Scott Lang's wife. Who will Wood Harris play in the ongoing saga? Could T.I. be suiting up for S.H.I.E.L.D.? Given the nature of the Marvel movies, where everyone is someone "significant", you could see any one of these actors attached to a role as a character who makes an impression that will go beyond just a single solo Marvel movie.

You also start to wonder if any of these guys are playing characters originated from the Wright-Joe Cornish script, and if any of them are actors that Wright would have cast if he were still directing Ant-Man. This is a good ensemble, but it really has an air of "who's available right now" to it as opposed to a cohesive ensemble. Director Peyton Reed is probably running a tight ship by now, but with massive casting announcements like this, it's hard to disabuse yourself of thinking about what could have been.

After reprising his role as Happy Hogan in Iron Man 3, Jon Favreau, who directed Iron Man 1& 2 for better and for worse, is pulling quadruple duty on his next feature, Chef. Favreau not only wrote and is directing the film, but also serves as its producer and star. The independently produced comedy that secured financing at Cannes is now in production in Los Angeles. And Favreau gave fans a look behind the scenes while announcing some exciting new cast members with the tweet below:

That's Emmy-winning character actor Bobby Cannavale, who had critics raving with his sidesplitting performances in a pair of Thomas McCarthy's indie dramedies Win Win and The Station Agent, and recently did a stint on Boardwalk Empire as the murderous Gyp Rosetti. While Favreau's caption says he's new to the cast, Cannavale was said to be attached along with Sofia Vergara and John Leguizamo back in May, when Robert Downey Jr. made headlines by signing on for a re-team with his Iron Man director. However, the appearance of screen legend Dustin Hoffman is a surprise! Though sadly this brief looping vid gives us no idea who he might play.

What we do know so far is that Favreau will front the film as the titular Los Angeles chef, an arrogant aspiring restaurateur who quits his job to open his own food cart in hopes of reclaiming his artistic promise. Judging from Cannavale's costume, he'll also be playing a chef, but sadly Favreau has so far kept quiet on what roles the rest of his cast will play. Still, it's intriguing to see Favreau back off of big budget action movies and returning to small indie comedy.

Memorably, Favreau first made his mark as the writer and co-star of the swing music-fueled comedy Swingers in 1996. The movie launched his co-star Vince Vaughn to comedy stardom, and led to Favreau making his directorial debut with Made in 2001. Bigger opportunities followed, and before long he had a string of hits with Elf and the first two installments of the Iron Man franchise. But with Iron Man 2 earning some critical scorn, and his follow-up Cowboys & Aliens flopping badly, Favreau's prospects took a turn. So, a return to his roots as a witty writer-director seems a smart move. Hopefully, it will also prove a return to form.

Another curious element of this casting announcement is the use of Vine. The video share app that allows users to create and upload looping videos of six seconds or less has gained popularity fast. And it's been a welcomed tool for certain celebs to boost their online profile. Perhaps none have done so as effectively as Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams, whose faux shocked response to the "Red Wedding" episode went viral and spurred a demand for more, more, more. She has kindly obliged with a growing string of silly, self-mocking vids. But will we see more filmmakers sharing updates on their project via Vine? It seems inevitable. Twitter has become a place for artists to communicate directly to their fans, and filmmakers like Darren Aronofsky, Sylvester Stallone, and Bryan Singer have been using it to share tantalizing teasers to great effect. The edition of short and easy to produce vids that could more easily go viral seems a no-brainer way to raise a movie's profile.

Chef is expected to hit theaters in 2014.

It’s been a couple of years since any news was heard about the then-titled History of Music, a rock ‘n’ roll drama for HBO, created by Martin Scorsese, Terence Winter and Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. And when it comes to a series about music, hearing things is what you want to do.

Start the drum roll, because the non-untitled project appears to be back in business and could soon be going into production on a pilot, according to The Hollywood Reporter, with Bobby Cannavale set to play the lead role of a coked-up record executive. Cannavale has been a pay cable go-to guy the last couple of years, with an Emmy-nominated stint on Showtime’s Nurse Jackie, and a well-received role on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, created of course by Scorsese and Winter, proving that they’re convinced Cannavale has what it takes to front what will be a high-profile series. The idea was pitched by Jagger, who originally took the project to both Disney and Paramount. Winter will be writing the script, and Scorsese himself will direct. Given the director’s long history with musical projects – such as the Stones doc Shine a Light - this thing will almost undoubtedly be a success.

Cannavale will play Richie Finestra, whose name makes me want to slap him. He’s the head of A&R at American Century Music in New York City circa 1977, when punk, disco and hip-hop all come together to create a wall of different sounds and conflicts. I’m guessing the cocaine is to take the edge off.

Cannavale is currently on Broadway in The Big Knife, so I’m guessing we’ll be hearing the slow trickle of casting news until everyone’s ready to begin filming, and also hoping that actual musicians get involved.

Screenwriter Dan Fogelman’s directorial debut, Imagine, has been in the works for three years now, first as a Warner Bros. vehicle in 2010 with Steve Carell attached. That went nowhere, and it turned into an indie film. Julianne Moore and Jeremy Renner were going to star in it at one point, but money issues came up again, and they dropped out. Fogelman, who wrote Cars, Tangled and Crazy Stupid Love, got Al Pacino involved late last year, and it has taken until now for Imagine to get anyone else involved. Note the thrilled tone.

Al Pacino is in final negotiations for the project, and now Annette Bening and Bobby Cannavale are both set to join him for Imagine, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Bening will next be seen in Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini’s comedy Girl Most Likely, continuing a string of indie films she’s recently starred in. Cannavale, meanwhile, has cable TV in his pocket with roles on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and Showtime’s Nurse Jackie. He last appeared in Taylor Hackford’s Parker and will next show up in the biopic Lovelace.

As someone who hasn’t read the script or knows anyone who read it, I’m having severe reservations about this one. Pacino will play a hard-living, aging rocker who discovers a letter that John Lennon wrote a to him when he was younger.. The letter sets his life on a different path. Bening will play a love interest and Cannavale will play Pacino’s estranged son, who doesn’t have much in common with his father.

A July production is planned for Imagine.

Even if you don't know Bobby Cannavale by name, you've undoubtedly seen him steal a scene. The character actor and Broadway veteran, with a loud voice and a brash attitude, has done stints on TV shows like Nurse Jackie, Will & Grace and Six Feet Under, and popped up in supporting roles in the likes of Win Win, The Other Guys and even Snakes on a Plane. He's the kind of New York theater actor who might get stopped on the street on Broadway, which in a way makes him perfect to join the cast of the new film from another even bigger New York legend, Woody Allen.

According to Deadline, Cannavale is joining the cast of Allen's next film, which already includes Cate Blanchett, Bradley Cooper and Alec Baldwin. And that's really pretty much all we know-- previous reports have said that Allen will shoot the new film in San Francisco and New York, but true to form he's not revealing much about it, and probably won't until the cast gets more rounded out. He's currently coming off the biggest financial success of his career, Midnight in Paris, and is preparing this summer to release To Rome With Love, which opens June 22. It's got another typical Allen star-studded cast-- Alec Baldwin, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Penelope Cruz, Alison Pill, Greta Gerwig, and even Allen himself are all part of the cast.

As for Cannavale, you can also expect to see him in the upcoming Linda Lovelace biopic Lovelace, starring Amanda Seyfried, as well as the upcoming season of Boardwalk Empire, which I personally can't wait to see.

With a large upheaval of power ending the second season of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, it looks like the heavy-hitting cast could use a brand new name. Instead of a young dude threatening Nucky Thompson’s (Steve Buscemi) empire this time around, producers have chosen an actor who knows how to play a character who has been around the block.

Third Watch and Win Win's Bobby Cannavale is set to join Boardwalk Empire in Season 3. According to Deadline, Cannavale will be a series regular on the critically successful show. He will not be just any series regular, however. Cannavale is set to play an unyielding gangster who pops up in order to take a stand against Nucky. As is the case with many of Cannavale’s characters, his Boardwalk Empire persona will exude charm - and I’m guessing since he is a bad guy, the charm will run a little devilish.

What better place for Cannavale to showcase his talents than an Emmy-winning, Golden Globe winning, SAG Award winning show about some gangster activity with period piece aesthetics to boot? I can think of nothing better, and in fact, I’m even more excited about Cannavale’s appearance on Boardwalk Empire than his upcoming guest appearance on Modern Family. Although, I will note guest stints on Modern Family have been pretty top-notch.

It will be a tough gig to replace Michael Pitt, but I think it was a good call to look to an actor who has done well stepping in to an already-successful program in the past. In fact, Cannavale's guest work on a later season of Will and Grace earned him a primetime Emmy. Let’s hope his role on Boardwalk Empire goes in a similar direction.

The cast of the upcoming film Lovelace already shows promise, with Amanda Seyfried and Peter Sarsgaard set to star. And now, a week from when the movie is set to begin filming in Los Angeles, a few more have boarded the project, among which is Hank Azaria.

Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, Lovelace will have Seyfried playing Linda Lovelace, star of a number of adult films, among them was the well known 1972 adult film Deep Throat. Sarsgaard is set to play her husband Chuck Trayner. Earlier this month, we shared the news that Juno Temple and Wes Bentley were also set to join the cast. The latest bit of news adds four more to the list. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Hank Azaria (The Simpsons, Night at the Museum), Chris Noth (Sex and the City), Bobby Cannavale (Win Win) and Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) have joined the cast.

Azaria is set to play Deep Throat director Jerry Damiano. Meanwhile, Cannavale and Noth are playing the movie’s financiers Butchie Peraino and Anthony Romano. Finally, Patrick is playing Lovelace’s father John. These are some pretty great cast additions. It’ll be especially interesting to see how Azaria portrays a porn director. Will the role lean more toward funny, or should we expect something more along the lines of what we saw from Burt Reynolds when he played Jack Horner in Boogie Nights? Either way, the Azaria addition is great news, as is word that Noth, Cannavale and Patrick have boarded the project.

The film is scheduled to begin shooting a week from today (next Tuesday).

When I was in junior high and high school, two of the movies on regular rotation amongst my friends and I were The Kentucky Fried Movie and Amazon Women on the Moon. Both were from a genre that you don’t really see much anymore: a comedy movie comprised of a bunch of shorter segments, almost like a feature-length SNL episode. It’s a tradition that next year’s Movie 43 will be following in, bringing in a ridiculous line-up of talent for comedy segments directed by folks like Bob Odenkirk, Brett Ratner, James Gunn, Elizabeth Banks, and the Farrelly Bros. In an interview with Coming Soon, actress Leslie Bibb spilled some details on the Farrellys’ segment, which spoofs some of the most iconic characters in pop culture history: DC Comics’ superheroes.

The segment has the DC heroes attending a speed-dating event. Bibb plays Wonder Woman, alongside Superman (Bobby Cannavale), Batman (Jason Sudeikis), Supergirl (Kristen Bell), and the Penguin (John Hodgman). (The absence of the Flash at this supposed speed-dating get-together has not gone unnoticed.) Bibb explained that the Farrelly versions of the classic characters are a bit more, er, flawed than comic readers might be used to.

If the cast for that sketch sounds impressive, here’s a rundown of some of the other folks involved with Movie 43: Emma Stone, Chloe Moretz, Gerard Butler, Hugh Jackman, Anna Faris, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, Uma Thurman, Richard Gere, and Liev Schreiber. It’ll all come down to whether the individual segments are actually funny, but that’s one hell of a line-up. Movie 43 is set to hit theaters on April 13th, 2012. On a related note, if somebody will actually make a Supergirl movie starring Kristen Bell, I will be their friend.