Danny Glover is a living legend, having starred in a wide-range of movies and TV shows over the course of his career, which spans nearly five decades. Of course, many know the actor best for his role as Roger Murtaugh in the iconic Lethal Weapon franchise or for his turn as “Mister” Albert Johnson in the much-loved Color Purple. Glover has still been active at 79, though he’s now unfortunately revealing that he’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Nevertheless, the beloved star is also getting real about what he remains grateful for.

On Wednesday, Glover and his family revealed the news of his medical condition, and they shared a number of candid thoughts during an interview with People. As noted within the piece, the actor’s daughter, Mandisa, began to notice changes in his behavior back in 2022, shortly after he accepted his honorary Academy Award. The formal Alzheimer’s diagnosis followed in 2023. Glover’s mental state is reportedly in decline, though he did provide clarity on what he can remember at this point:

Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease that gradually impairs cognitive function, and it’s the most common form of dementia. Over time, it can affect a person’s speech, behavior, personal motivation and more. It’s truly sad that Glover – who turns 80 in July – is now dealing with the disease but, at the same time, he’s cognizant of the fact that there are “millions of people suffering from it” as well. His daughter mentions that part of his reasoning for speaking out is to be of service to others by shedding light on the condition.

Per the piece, Glover still has the same look of wonderment as well as his bright smile. He’s also seeking to hold onto his blessings, summing them up as follows:

Of course, Danny Glover also has an extensive body of work that he can be proud of. Aside from the two aforementioned films, he has a bevy of other notable film credits like Witness, Predator 2, The Royal Tenenbaums, Dreamgirls, Saw and The Last Black Man in San Francisco. Lethal Weapon seems to hold a particularly special place in Glover’s heart, though, especially given his position as a Black man co-leading a major franchise. Even up through a few years ago, it was still assumed that Glover would return for Lethal Weapon 5.

The fact that Glover and his family are also remaining aware of the many others who are dealing with forms of dementia also speaks to the empathy they have. Glover also isn’t the only actor dealing with a specific form of the disease, as fellow action icon Bruce Willis has been battling frontotemporal dementia for several years now. As a result, the Die Hard star was forced to retire from acting effective immediately.

Mortality is something we all have to deal with at some point but, of course, individuals can choose how they want to acknowledge it. Even though Danny Glover’s specific situation is unfortunate, it’s heartwarming that he not only has the support of his family and friends but also a drive to continue to be active as long as he possibly can. As he says during his interview, he doesn’t feel “like it's the end of [his] life,” because “there’s work to do.”

I have a hard time picking out a more joyous time of year than one in which at least three different versions of Jeopardy! are part of the yearly TV schedule. This week marks the game show’s triple eclipse, where the flagship show and both of its spinoffs are airing daily (with ESPN Jeopardy! on the horizon). Sadly, Celebrity Jeopardy!’s fourth season and its cast of returning all-stars are going away soon, but with a new season already locked in for ABC’s fall lineup.

When I talked to Ken Jennings about this latest celeb-filled season, I had to ask if he had any Hollywood GOATs that he’d want to see holding a buzzer in the future, and I kinda need both of his answers to show up now, because they’re great choices. As the host put it:

Now that it's been said, let's amplify that out to the rest of the universe: "Hey, Donald Glover and Amy Poehler! Agree to be on Celebrity Jeopardy! in Season 5 or 6 or something! Please make Ken's wishes come true!"

That's probably enough. Although if neither the Community vet nor the Parks and Recreation vet are set to compete in the new season this fall, I will assume everyone else out there wasn't giving it their all. Or maybe this psychic helmet I bought from that guy's refurbished school bus isn't actually a psychic helmet at all.

In any case, I also think that both Glover and Poehler would do well on Celebrity Jeopardy! The latter likes to poke fun at herself on her podcast Good Hang, but most comedians are self-deprecating in that way. And to that end, the first three celebrity champions have all been comedic performers —Ike Barinholtz, Lisa Ann Walter and W. Kamau Bell. Ipso facto, both of them should just agree to be on there already. It's been like two paragraphs and nothing yet?

Ken Jennings spoke to the idea that because celebrities aren't usually put in positions where there's a chance for failure, simply agreeing to be a Jeopardy! contestant takes a certain amount of courage.

If the categories and clues on Celebrity Jeopardy! were on the same level of difficulty as the mothership, I could understand being hesitant to get on board, even with charity involved. But the spinoff definitely works on a bell curve in that respect, making it slightly easier to build up bigger paydays across the three rounds of play. Maybe it would help if Donald Glover could play in character as Childish Gambino. Whatever the case, have they agreed yet? Still no, huh? Sigh.

The final week of Celebrity Jeopardy!, wrapping on May 15, airs nightly on ABC at 8:00 p.m. ET, with episodes streaming the next day via Hulu subscription and Disney+ subscription. Pop Culture Jeopardy! Is also available to stream daily for a glorious four-week stretch via Netflix subscription.

Even though The Super Mario Galaxy Movie didn’t hit the same for critics and general moviegoers, it’s impossible for anyone to deny that Universal and Illumination cooked up another box office bonanza, even if it will probably fall short of the first film’s billion-dollar earnings. Amidst all the financial talk, though, the REAL $64,000 question was asked: how many eyes does Yoshi actually have? (Also, is The $64,000 Question relevant to anyone who watched this movie?)

The stars of the 2026 movie release — Chris Pratt, Charlie Day and Donald Glover — were guests on my personal favorite video game podcast, Get Played, where co-host Heather Anne Campbell (of Rick and Morty fame) engaged in the hard ocular-based journalism by asking the trio about Yoshi’s eye count. And it’s a pure delight to see the three actors and three pod hosts (also including Doughboys' Nick "Tiger" Wiger and Strip Law voice actor Matt Apodaca) giggling over the inanity of what constitutes a demarcation between eye-whites.

Check out the video clip shared on Get Played’s TikTok below, and form your own conclusions in the meantime:

For those unable to watch the video, no need to fret about never knowing which body part Donald Glover thinks Yoshi's eye glob looks like. Here's what he had to say when asked the almighty question:

He's not wrong, though I don't really want to dwell on what Yoshi's eyeballs might resemble if one views his eye sockets as a butt. Glover also addressed the weirdness of Yoshi's eyeballs being able to cross that middle barrier; the crack, if you'd like. (One can assume he's put a ton of thought into this, considering how he campaigned for the role.) As he put it:

Mario voice actor Chris Pratt, who has quite a bit of onscreen experience with other kinds of CGI dinosaurs, had a different eye-pinion from Yoshi's voice actor. According to the Jurassic World franchise star:

It's certainly a more logical take on the question, and it's probably the answer that I'd agree with most if I were betting money on it. Creatures with one eye would very likely get snuffed out of the food chain by those with pairs of peepers. But that's a situation where the single eyeball would probably be smaller in size, and not the double-sized sockets that Yoshi has.

Elsewhere in the conversation, Heather Anne Campbell addressed the turtle shell on Yoshi's back, asking if the cast thinks of it as a "saddle," or if they believe it's "part of his body." It's a brilliant question for a character design that's been around so long his weird look is just natural at this point.

In any case, it sparks a two-sentence combo that is absolutely hilarious when removed from the context of this conversation.

Charlie Day argues that we technically have no idea if dinosaurs had shells or not, pointing to the discovery that many dinosaurs were feathered, even if the majority of pop culture projects featuring dinosaurs hasn't reflected that reality in the slightest.

Will any other upcoming video game adaptations spark similar debates between fans and stars? Definitely not the Sonic movies, since Paramount's films made sure to split up the titular hedgehog's semi-connected eyes for the jump to CGI.

Now that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is officially out in the world on the 2026 movie schedule, audiences are digging into everything from its stacked voice cast to its surprisingly deep bench of Nintendo characters. But one of the more entertaining behind-the-scenes stories has nothing to do with Easter eggs or hidden references. It’s how Donald Glover and Glen Powell ended up in the movie in the first place. Because neither of them exactly followed the traditional Hollywood playbook.

Speaking with Forbes, producer Chris Meledandri emphasized that Nintendo, led by Shigeru Miyamoto, worked closely with Illumination on every aspect of the film to preserve what makes these characters work in the first place. That collaborative environment seems to have created the perfect opening for actors who already loved the material. Enter Glover and Powell.

Glen Powell Called His Shot With Star Fox

After the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Meledandri said actors started reaching out directly, hoping to get involved in whatever came next. One of those actors was the Top Gun: Maverick breakout who wasn’t too subtle about what role he wanted in particular: Fox McCloud.

Glenn Powell became a real possibility during the first movie, when the Twisters star expressed his love for Fox McCloud. The Mario Galaxy producers explained:

When Meledandri followed up with the actor, he made it clear the project had to remain secret, especially given how closely guarded the Star Fox reveal was. He continued:

And that meeting paid off as Star Fox made his big screen debut in Super Mario Galaxy, with the Powell attitude intact. But what about Donald Glover? How did he make it in the film?

Donald Glover Asked For The Role

If Powell’s path into the film feels like a strange bit of timing, Glover’s approach was much more direct. Speaking with ScreenRant, the Atlanta star openly admitted that he went out and got the role of everyone's favorite little dinosaur himself. The rapper and performer explained:

There’s something refreshingly simple about that. No elaborate pitch, no long campaign. Just a clear ask and a willingness to meet the character where it already exists. Glover essentially nominated himself for the role and spoke it into becoming reality.

Why This Approach Actually Fits The Movie

What makes both of these casting stories work is how closely they align with how the movie itself was made. As Meledandri explained, this wasn’t a typical licensing situation in which a studio adapts a property from a distance. Nintendo was involved at every level, working directly with Illumination to ensure the film reflected the “core DNA” of the games.

That same mindset seems to carry over into casting. Powell and Glover weren’t just recognizable names being slotted into a franchise; they were true Nintendo fans who understood the characters and actively wanted to be part of that world.

Now that the new video game adaptation is out and is a massive success, having the biggest box office weekend of the year thus far, those choices are easier to appreciate in hindsight. What could have sounded like shameless self-promotion at the time ended up fitting the project's tone almost perfectly.

And if nothing else, it’s a reminder that sometimes the best way into a billion-dollar franchise is to just ask. Well, at least if you're Donald Glover and Glen Powell.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is playing in theaters now, so be sure to check your local listings for showtimes. Fans can also catch up with the first movie as it's streaming with a Peacock Subscription.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is about to power up the 2026 movie schedule, and its cast of voice actors are in full promo mode. During a recent stop at Nintendo’s Museum for a special event, the group showed up ready to sell the film, but they also ended up doing something a little unexpected. The guys leaned into method dressing. And yes, “Let’s-a-go,” because I’m absolutely here for it.

Universal Pictures even shared a video on its official Instagram from the visit, which you can check out below, featuring the full cast having a blast with the setup. Everyone looks great, and I do have to give a quick nod to Anya Taylor-Joy and her subtle Princess Peach-coded pink top. But the real headline here is that the guys are finally getting in on the method-dressing fun, and honestly, it works way better than it has any right to.

Getting to see some of Hollywood’s guys step into the method dressing space, even in a more relaxed, playful way, feels like a nice change of pace. At the Nintendo Museum stop, Jack Black, who voices Bowser, showed up in a loud flame-print shirt that is about as on-brand as it gets for a fire-breathing villain.

Charlie Day kept things equally on-theme with a perfectly Luigi-coded green-and-striped shirt. Then there’s Chris Pratt, who went a bit more subtle, layering a jacket over a shirt covered in classic Mario characters.

Now, who had the best fit of this crew? Keegan-Michael Key. He was rocking mushroom socks for Toad. No notes. Perfect execution. Plus, we’ve got Donald Glover stepping in as Yoshi, keeping it simple with a cool, clean green look that still gets the point across. It’s low-key, but it works.

Now, let’s be honest, method dressing has mostly been the domain of actresses lately. Think Zendaya channeling Prince for The Drama, or Margot Robbie fully committing to Barbiecore a few years ago and more recently pivoting into Wuthering Heights mode. Even Halle Bailey leaned into Ariel-inspired looks during The Little Mermaid run. It’s become part of the fun, a way to blur the line between actor and character without it feeling like full-on cosplay.

If we’re expanding the Method Dressing Hall of Fame, Lindsay Lohan deserved a spot too. When she was promoting Freakier Friday, she didn’t just dress on theme but leaned fully into nostalgia. From Barbiecore moments to subtle nods to The Parent Trap, she clearly had fun with it, but that lavender dress paired with a guitar-shaped purse at the UK premiere was the standout. It was a direct callback to the original Freaky Friday, hitting that sweet spot where the reference felt obvious but still stylish rather than costume-y.

For years, method dressing has been dominated by women turning press tours into full-on fashion moments. But if this Super Mario Galaxy Movie stop is anything to go by, the guys might finally be catching up, or at least starting to.

The timing couldn’t be better, either. 2026 is a stacked year for gaming moviegoers with upcoming video game adaptations, and this sequel is right at the center of that lineup. Nintendo’s favorite plumber is heading back to the big screen when The Super Mario Galaxy Movie hits theaters on April 1.

The past few years have been very eventful for the hip hop community, and not always in the best of ways. Among the major developments that have dominated headlines are the arrest, trial and incarceration of Sean “Diddy” Combs and the rap beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Many have since shared their takes on those matters, with a number of people having skewered Drake and Diddy in particular. Now, Donald Glover has jokes of his own, as he roasted his fellow rappers with some wild pieces of merchandise.

Donald Glover – who goes by the rapper moniker Childish Gambino – served as one of the featured acts at Camp Flog Gnaw this past Saturday, November 22. The event, which took place in Los Angeles, was held by another rapper, Tyler the Creator. In regard to Diddy and co., the obvious way for Glover to have shaded them would’ve been using his lyrics, but that wasn’t the case. The multihyphenate instead chastised the stars by selling “cancel cards” at his GILGA Stand during the event. Check out Complex’s post on X to see the items:

As can be seen above, each card depicts a different situation involving a person or entity that’s been canceled. Most notably, a drawing of Combs appears in one card and behind him appears to be various bottles of baby oil (which reportedly played into his Freak Off parties). As for Drake, he appears on a card that sees him trimming up a dog but, reading between the lines, this seems to be a nod to the grooming allegations that have been facing the Canadian rapper.

Few people can troll on the level that Donald Glover does, and this kind of diss is almost too quirky to be real. Quite frankly, this feels reminiscent of something that would’ve happened on Donald Glover’s hit musical dramedy show, Atlanta, which aired its series finale in 2022. (All four seasons of that series are also available to stream with a Hulu subscription.) I haven’t even mentioned the other wild cards, which reference the now-imprisoned R. Kelly as well as Target, which some African Americans have been boycotting due to the dissolution of its DEI programs.

The situation involving Diddy remains a major point of discussion, though. It was in September 2024 that the Sean John founder was arrested as part of a federal investigation and after the feds searched his homes (and found a lot of baby oil and more on the premises). From May to July 2025, Diddy stood trial and received a mixed verdict that saw him convicted of transportation to engage in prostitution. In October, the embattled music mogul was sentenced to four years in prison, which he’s serving at FCI Fort Dix.

As for Drake, his beef with Kendrick Lamar dominated headlines in 2024, and the conflict became incredibly personal, with both artists releasing their share of diss tracks. Ultimately, Lamar was deemed the victor, with the nail in the coffin arguably being his viral song, “Not Like Us,” with which he accused Drake of being a “pedophile” and called him out in other regards. Lamar’s victory was seemingly cemented when he was selected for the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show, during which he performed that Grammy-winning track.

Donald Glover’s recent diss with the cancel cards suggests he still has his finger firmly pressed against the pulse of pop culture. The Community alum – who also revealed during the event that he ended The New World Tour in 2024 due to suffering a stroke and having a hole in his heart – rarely ever misses the opportunity to take a shot. Now, I’m just left wondering if Drake will feel compelled to respond in any way.

One of the greatest honors a public figure can achieve is to either host Saturday Night Live or appear as a musical guest but how many people can say that they accomplished both in one night? Quite a few, actually. See for yourself by taking a look at some great SNL hosts who also put on memorable musical performances at Studio 8H in the same episode (or episodes).

Timothée Chalamet

After receiving a 2025 Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, Timothée Chalamet paid tribute to the folk singer in an amusing way. The actor appeared on SNL's 50th season for his third time as host but his first time as a musical guest, performing covers of Dylan's “Outlaw Blues," “Three Angels,” and "Tomorrow Is a Long Time.”

Lady Gaga

In 2013, years before proving she was a phenomenal actor with a Golden Globe-winning performance on American Horror Story and an Oscar-nominated performance in A Star is Born, Lady Gaga pulled double duty at Studio 8H. In addition to her earnest performances of "Do What U Want" and "Gypsy," the pop star (née Stefani Germanotta) appeared in some of the best SNL sketches featuring a famous musician, which were made classic by her willingness to poke fun at herself.

Mick Jagger

After previously hosting and performing alongside his bandmates in The Rolling Stones in 1972, Mick Jagger would return to SNL to headline the 37th season finale on his own. For his performances of classic tracks like "The Last Time" and "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)," the legendary frontman was accompanied by Arcade Fire, Foo Fighters, and Jeff Beck.

Donald Glover

Donald Glover (a.k.a. Childish Gambino) opened his Season 43 SNL episode by singing about his ability to do "anything" in jest but was still able to back up that claim quite sufficiently with his hilarious acting and memorable musical performances. In fact, the episode famously marked the debut of the Atlanta star's hit single, "This is America."

Stevie Wonder

The most memorable highlight from Stevie Wonder's Season 8 SNL episode is when he appeared in a sketch alongside Eddie Murphy (who had portrayed the musician a few times before) as an aspiring Stevie Wonder impersonator seeking his help to perfect his impression. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter also performed "Overjoyed" that night "Go Home."

Ariana Grande

For her second appearance on SNL in Season 41, Ariana Grande pulled double duty in more than one way. In addition to performing "Dangerous Woman" and "Be Alright" between sketches, one bit saw her demonstrate her impeccable ability for musical impersonations as a Tidal intern who must help when the music streaming platform loses power.

Elton John

Elton John first appeared on SNL as a musical guest on an episode hosted by fellow musician Johnny Cash in 1982 before returning 29 years later to both host and perform songs with Leon Russell from their album, The Union. In addition to the Grammy-winning headliner, it was a pretty star-studded night at Studio 8H, with cameos by Carmelo Anthony, Will Forte, Tom Hanks and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Miley Cyrus

Twice, Miley Cyrus got to be the best of both worlds on SNL. In Season 39, she poked fun at her VMAs performance with Robin Thicke and sang "Wrecking Ball" and "We Can't Stop" and, two years later, was joined by The Flaming Lips" to perform "Karen Don't Be Sad" after an introduction by special guest Hillary Clinton.

Justin Timberlake

Qualified to join SNL's Five-Timers Club both for his hosting and musical performances is Justin Timberlake, who debuted on the show with N*SYNC before pulling double duty for the first of multiple times on October 11, 2003. The pop star and actor has contributed to some of the show's most iconic musical sketches, including three awesome SNL Digital Shorts alongside Andy Samberg as a crass R&B duo.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has appeared at Studio 8H multiple times, acquiring a number of musical guest gigs and a few jaw-dropping SNL cameos under her belt, since becoming one of the most famous people in the world. In Season 35, she showed up for the second time as a musical guest (singing "You Belong With Me" and "Untouchable") and the first time as a host, appearing in a funny fake trailer for a Twilight rip-off called Firelight, among other sketches.

Paul Simon

No one has appeared on SNL as both the host and musical guest more times than Paul Simon, who also became the first to pull double duty on the show's second episode ever before coming back to do it three more times. The singer-songwriter was also the first person to join the Five-Timers Club by musical performances alone.

Chance The Rapper

In addition to being one of the most innovative hip-hop artists of his time, Chance the Rapper proved that he can act and has some impeccable comedic timing the multiple times he has hosted SNL. The second time, in Season 45, he also served as the musical guest and was joined by Megan Thee Stallion for a performance of "Handsome."

Kris Kristofferson

In July 1976, months before leading A Star is Born with Barbra Streisand, singer and actor Kris Kristofferson both sang and acted as an SNL headliner. He was joined by his then-wife Rita Coolidge for "Eddie the Eunuch" and later performed "I've Got a Life of My Own" on his own.

Debbie Harry

The frontwoman for Blondie performed solo on the Valentine's Day episode of SNL's sixth season, which she also hosted. Between sketches, Debbie Harry sang "Love TKO" and "Come Back Jonee" before introducing additional musical guest Funky 4 + 1's "That's The Joint," which became the first rap song performed on television that night.

Garth Brooks

Garth Brooks first served as both host and musical guest on SNL in the show's 23rd season, during which he appeared in sketch where he falls for Chris Kattan's Mango. The country music singer returned to pull double duty a year later but performed his musical numbers as his rock star alter ego, Chris Gaines.

Dolly Parton

For her sole SNL appearance, Dolly Parton hosted and sang in Season 14. The country music legend appeared in multiple comedic bits poking fun at her chest size and performed a couple of tracks from her 1989 album, White Limozeen.

Willie Nelson

February 21, 1987, marked Willie Nelson's second SNL appearance as a musical guest and sole hosting appearance. The influential "outlaw country" legend, who had done some acting before and has acted plenty of times since, was a great fit for the gig and even performed a song with then-cast member Victoria Jackson.

Drake

Before he became one of the most successful rap artists of his time, Drake (née Aubrey Graham) was an actor, best known for his starring role on the Canadian coming-of-age drama, Degrassi: The Next Generation. He reminded audiences that his acting talents have not waned when, after performing as a musical guest in 2011, he returned to SNL to serve double duty in 2014 and again two years later.

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish became the first person born in the 21st Century to host SNL when she appeared in the Season 47 Christmas episode, which was met with much acclaim despite her not being able to stop laughing in a few sketches. The Grammy and Oscar winner's parents introduced her and her brother Finneas' performance of "Happier Than Ever" before they later returned to perform "Male Fantasy."

Halsey

Before lending her voice to Sing 2 and appearing in the A24 horror movie MaXXXine, Halsey was considered a non-actor who nailed her SNL hosting gig from Season 44. The self-professed fan of the show was a hilarious standout in sketches and also wowed audiences with her musical performances, such as when she painted a full portrait while singing "Eastside."

Ray Charles

Before making a cameo in, arguably, the best movie based on an SNL character, 1980's The Blues Brothers, Ray Charles headlined the fifth episode of the show's third season. The influential musical genius was surprisingly good and sketches and unsurprisingly shined with his performances of "I Can See Clearly Now," "What I'd Say," "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning," and "I Can't Stop Loving You."

Olivia Newton-John

Having gained international fame from playing Sandy in Grease, there was no question that Olivia Newton-John would be a great fit on SNL as both a host and musical guest. The Australian singer and actor actually appeared in a parody of the 1978 musical movie classic when she took the stage for the Season 7 finale, during which she also performed songs from her hit album, Physical.

Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa's hosting duties in SNL's third season were largely seen as a disaster, due to his tendency to go off-script, which is said to be why he never appeared on the show again. However, his performances of "Dancin' Fool," "The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing," and "Rollo" with the Mothers of Invention should still be recognized as highlights of that night.

Quincy Jones

In SNL's 15th season, influential music producer Quincy Jones made his sole appearance on the show as a host and musical guest. However, notably, he was not the only musical guest to appear that night, seen performing "Back On The Block," "The Verb To Be," and "Wee B. Dooinit" with the likes of Take 6, Tevin Campbell, Andrae Crouch, Sandra Crouch, Kool Moe Dee, Big Daddy Kane, Melle Mel, Quincy D III, Siedah Garrett, and Al Jarreau.

Sting

Sting is qualified for the Five-Timers Club with his number of SNL appearances as the musical guest – one of which, in Season 16, also saw him headline as the host. The one-time Police frontman would later return to host the show again in 1997 but with musical guest Veruca Salt.

Harry Styles

In November 2019, Harry Styles made his debut as an SNL host on a night that also saw his induction into the Five-Timers Club as a musical guest. The English singer and actor had previously appeared three times with the boy band One Direction and once as a solo artist in 2017.

Gary Busey

Following his Oscar-nominated performance as the late, eponymous rock 'n roll pioneer in 1978's The Buddy Holly Story, Gary Busey made his sole appearance on SNL as a host. The actor also performed the song "Stay All Night" as one of three musical guests for that episode, the other two being Gregory Hines and Eubie Blake.

Bruno Mars

As he mentioned in his opening monologue, Bruno Mars had no prior acting experience (unless you count his cinematic debut as "Little Elvis" in Honeymoon in Vegas) before appearing as a host in Season 38 of SNL. Nevertheless, he proved to be a fantastic comedic actor in an episode that was also graced with a cameo by Tom Hanks, who showed up to introduce the pop star's performance of "Locked Out of Heaven."

Desi Arnaz

Desi Arnaz used to perform music and comedy on an almost regular basis when starring in the classic TV sitcom, I Love Lucy, as Ricky Ricardo. Therefore, appearing on SNL as both the host and musical guest (alongside his son, Desi Arnaz Jr.) should have been a breeze for the Cuban-born performer.

Lizzo

Lizzo's second appearance on SNL as a musical guest (for which she performed "About Damn Time" and "Special") was also her first time hosting the series. In her Season 47 episode, she proved to be a natural – especially in one sketch as a flutist who cannot play a note with twerking in unison – but also got a few cases of the giggles, endearingly so.

Art Garfunkel

Following his appearances with his one-time singing partner, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel went solo on March 11, 1978, as the host and musical guest. In addition to his performances of "All I Know," "Scarborough Fair," and "Crying in My Sleep," he was joined by Stephen Bishop for "Wonderful World."

Lily Tomlin

For her first hosting gig, on the sixth episode of SNL's first season, comedy icon Lily Tomlin also filled in as the musical guest, performing "St. James Infirmary" with Howard Shore & the All Nurse Band. In what would now be considered a controversial SNL moment if it was not largely forgotten, Tomlin would return to pull double duty in Season 8 but, for her musical performances, donned blackface to play a male R&B singer character named Pervis Hawkins.

Since LeVar Burton is now on the 2024 TV schedule as host of the new game show Trivial Pursuit, here’s a little TV fun fact on our radars. Did you know the Star Trek: The Next Generation actor was a key part of Donald Glover’s final appearance on Community? Back in 2014, Burton cameoed when Troy Barnes said goodbye to Greendale to go off on a year-long sailing trip on the “Childish Tycoon.” As we get ready for the Community movie on the way, Burton was asked about being part of Glover’s return to the cast.

Yes, a Community movie is in the works after fans have been calling for the “six seasons… and a movie” tagline to become a reality for years. We know that the creator of Community, Dan Harmon, has written the film alongside Andrew Guest and much of the cast will return, including Donald Glover. Here’s what LeVar Burton said of another cameo a decade after his last one:

While LeVar Burton spoke to TVLine about the idea of another cameo in the Community movie, he left it up to the creator to make that decision. With that in mind, it sounds like the actor and new game show host hasn’t been approached about returning.

In the Season 5 episode “Geothermal Escapism,” the Community cast say goodbye to Donald Glover’s Troy by watching him leave on the “Childish Tycoon” with LeVar Burton by his side. While he keeps his cool when he boards the ship, in Troy’s final scene in the show, he pulls out a list of Star Trek questions for the actor to answer. In the following Season 5 episode, "Analysis of Cork-Based Networking" it’s then revealed that his boat was captured by pirates in the Gulf of Mexico. Burton said this when asked about whether that report was accurate:

When it comes to the Community ending, Troy’s storyline was definitely left with a fun cliffhanger. Wouldn’t it be fun if the upcoming movie followed it and had Troy and LeVar fighting pirates, or something of that sort? The Star Trek actor certainly thinks an “update” is in order for the cliffhanger, and now we’re just curious how Troy will return to the fold.

From what we’ve heard already, the Community movie will involve a college reunion, but will also have Abed being a big director who is ready to execute “his magnum opus.” So there has to be some Community-branded chaos in the storyline, right?

Some of the Community cast have already reunited this season on The Masked Singer when Yvette Nicole Brown went on the show for host and Community co-star, Ken Jeong. When she spoke to CinemaBlend about the reveal earlier this month, she talked about where Shirley might be now. Additionally, Joel McHale has made a few appearances this season on the reality show as well.

While we wait for more updates on the Community movie (which does not have a release date currently), you can stream the series in its entirety with a Peacock subscription.

For many people, Donald Glover will always loom largest as a TV star, thanks to fan-favorite performances in shows like Community, Atlanta and most recently Mr. & Mrs. Smith, whose title was mentioned quite often during the 76th Emmy Awards nominations. For others, however, Glover is most celebrated for his contributions to the world of rap and hip-hop as Childish Gambino. Unfortunately for the latter group, the artist is gearing up for a final album and tour before retiring that persona, which he addressed as Sean Evans’ latest Hot Ones guest.

The Emmy-winning entertainer already gave his fanbase a revised and finished version of the previously released album 3.15.20 (this time under the name Atavista), and will be unleashing his final album Bando Stone & The New World later this year, with a short film and a world tour attached. It’s a huge build-up for an even bigger farewell, and when asked about why he’s choosing now to hang up his headphones, Glover referenced both Superman and The Office early in his Hot Ones ep, saying:

I think many who adore Childish Gambino albums would agree that the rap persona is distinct from “Donald Glover the regular funny dude” and “Donald Glover the actor.” (And probably “Donald Glover the plumber,” too, but that’s a persona we haven’t seen yet.) So it makes sense why he and his creative collaborators would think about other large-scale pop culture swan songs as a comparative foundation for Gambino’s last act.

Even though it’s been more than 30 years since DC’s massive crossover event The Death of Superman went down, and its impact hasn’t really ever faded in the decades since, with various animated adaptations and myriad reprintings. So for that to be one of Donald Glover’s comparison points is perhaps indicative that both the album and world tour will make the rapper face a Doomsday-sized threat, possibly with a full-on “death” scene. After four seasons of Atlanta, I fully believe he could pull off anything.

But the reasoning behind retiring Childish Gambino isn’t just tied to wanting to set up a big and meaningful exit. In bringing up The Office, Glover makes it clear he gets that not everything that was cool 10+ years ago remains that way. Just as the world of television has changed immensely since The Office was an NBC hit, so has the ever-evolving world of rap music. And even if Gambino won’t ever be as obliviously toxic and awful as Steve Carell’s MIchael Scott, he gets that patterns and tastes change with the times.

Of course, for all that some things change, the more other things stay the same. And Donald Glover fans are hoping he returns to the role of Troy Barnes for Peacock's Community movie, even though creator Dan Harmon wants everyone to leave him alone about it in the meantime. It's unclear whether his upcoming music plans will legitimately get in the way of him making a cameo or more.

And in the middle of that tour will be the 76th Emmy Awards, where Glover is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama for Mr. & Mrs. Smith, which is also nominated for Outstanding Drama. Co-star Maya Erskine is nominated as well, along with multiple guest stars and a variety of crew members. Unfortunately, the already renewed Season 2 will follow new characters, so both John and Childish Gambino will share space in the vault of Glover's former characters.

It's been nearly two years since Peacock gave the green light to Community: The Movie, based on the beloved NBC/Yahoo! Screen sitcom that ran from 2009 to 2015, but development on the project has been slow. As for why this is the case, many fans have been quick to put the blame on Donald Glover, who is presently one of the most exciting talents in the entire entertainment industry – but according to Community creator Dan Harmon, that's an erroneous assumption, and he wants people to stop pointing the finger.

Harmon provided the latest update about the development of Community: The Movie during a recent interview with Variety, and he made a specific point of addressing rumors about delays being tied to Donald Glover's schedule and availability. Harmon wants to shut all of that talk down, telling the trade,

It takes a whole lot of people to make a movie, and there are a lot of moving parts that have to line up in the studio system in order for a project to move forward. Obviously the availability of one of the film's stars is going to have an impact, but it ultimately is just one cog in the larger machine. 

As for what Dan Harmon is doing with the extra development time, he's using it to try and make Community: The Movie even better than it currently has the potential to be. Harmon has co-written a script with Andrew Guest (who was a writer on Community during the show's first two seasons), and he's using the extended pre-production period to polish things up and produce a final draft:

He makes a point: if there has never been an official release date for Community: The Movie, let alone one that has been pushed back, is it really fair to say that the project has been "delayed"?

In addition to Donald Glover, Joel McHale, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Yvette Nicole-Brown, Jim Rash and Ken Jeong are all set to reprise their original roles from Community. While little is known about the plot of the film, Glover has let it slip to The Hollywood Reporter that a Greendale Community College reunion is involved that will see Abed Nadir (Pudi) directing a movie he sees as his magnum opus (not exactly hard to see how things can get wonderfully meta with that story.

Community: The Movie doesn't presently have a release date, but it will be available to stream with a Peacock subscription whenever it does finally get made. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all of the latest updates about the project. 

This past February, Mr. and Mrs. Smith became available to Prime Video subscribers and managed to make a serious impression. Co-created and written by Donald Glover, the romantic spy dramedy earned rave reviews. So it wasn’t surprising when it was reported that the show had been renewed for another set of episodes. Though, at the time, it alleged that Season 2 would swap out lead actors Glover and Maya Erskine. Now, one of the show’s EPs has addressed that assertion and, to be completely honest, I have mixed feelings.

What Did The Producer Say About The Status Of The Show’s Two Stars?

Amid the confirmation of Season 2, it was quite interesting to hear that the two leads of Season 1 reportedly wouldn’t return. Their performances were, after all, collectively the driving force behind those first eight episodes. It would now seem that showrunner Francesca Sloane was taken aback by those reports as well. The EP discussed the matter while appearing on Entertainment Weekly’s The Awardist podcast. When discussing the matter, she recalled touching base with Donald Glover about it while adding some more thoughts: 

What should be noted here is that she didn’t deny the notion that Donald Glover and Maya Erskine’s “John” and “Jane Smith'' wouldn't be the central characters for the next go-around. However, at the very least, Francesca Sloane’s sentiments seem to indicate that there’s a chance the two characters – who were left in a dangerous situation by the season’s end – could return in some capacity. While making her point, Sloane went on to provide an update on where development on Season 2 currently stands:

It’d be understandable if the producers do decide to bring the two actors back, considering how great they were in their roles. Both exuded levels of charm and relatability, and their chemistry was off the charts. I’d argue that Donald Glover didn’t need advice from Brad Pitt, (who portrayed the male lead in the 2005 feature film of the same name). Despite that, I’m still mixed on the two leads taking center stage again.

Why Do I Have Mixed Feelings On The Idea Of Mr. And Mrs. Smith Keeping Its Two Leads?

I personally found the two stars of Season 1 to be incredibly enjoyable, and there’s a fair chance that they’ll be up for more than a few major awards for their work. Still, after reading that initial report on Season 2, I was excited by the notion of there being two new faces in the fold. My thinking was that this show was possibly going to go down the anthology series route by having a different Mr. and Mrs. Smith (which are code names within the fictional universe) take the lead every season. 

Said approach could be invaluable for the show, allowing each season to have a level of freshness and vary up elements season by season. And, considering the impeccable casting the producers did this time around, I’d imagine they could find incredible actors for future seasons. There’s also a world-building aspect of all this, as the presence of various characters could lead to the establishment of an interconnected timeline. 

Of course, I could just be getting ahead of myself, and maybe something like the above is being planned. But it may be some time before fans receive a definitive answer, based on Francesca Sloane’s Season 2 update. Whatever happens though, I will be watching the new episodes, as Sloane, Donald Glover and co. knocked it out of the park. So I’ll certainly give them the benefit of the doubt either way.

You can stream Mr. and Mrs. Smith Season 1 now, as it sits alongside some of the other best original shows on Prime Video. Also, take a look at the 2024 TV schedule if you’re in need of something else to watch.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith, one of the many shows that’s been made available for Prime Video subscribers in 2024, earned significant acclaim from critics and general audiences. As a result, many (myself included) have been eagerly waiting for news on a potential second season. Well, the streaming gods have smiled upon us, as the Donald Glover-produced action dramedy has officially received the greenlight for Season 2. Interestingly, though, a major change is being implemented for this set of new episodes. And I’m honestly excited about what it might mean for the future of the show.

How Will Mr. And Mrs. Smith Season 2 Be Different From The First Season?

Amid its upfronts, Prime Video announced the renewal news via a press release that was shared with the press. The head of Amazon MGM Studios, Jennifer Salke, spoke highly of the first season, which became a top TV offering in 130 countries per the release. Salke expressed her excitement, saying: 

Those “new adventures,” however, are apparently going to involve a different set of leads. As mentioned by Variety, co-leads Donald Glover and Maya Erskine are not expected to reprise their roles as the eponymous couple. Glover is reportedly still credited as an EP, though it’s unclear as to whether he’ll still be in the writers’ room alongside the likes of returning showrunner Francesca Sloane. 

It goes without saying that this is a major behind-the-scenes development, and one that raises a lot of questions. To be completely honest, I had a feeling that if the show were to return, the leads may not end up returning to the fold. Some may be disappointed that this “John” and “Jane” won’t be back, but I actually dig where this could all be heading.

What Could This Change Mean For Mr. And Mrs. Smith Moving Forward?

On the whole, I thought Donald Glover and Maya Erskine (who stepped in after Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s departure) were excellent during Season 1. They’re both talented actors in their own right, and their chemistry was electric. I’d also argue that Glover didn’t need any of the advice he tried to get out of Mr. & Mrs. Smith OG Brad Pitt. Nevertheless, I like the idea of the two stars passing the baton to another pair of actors, and that second set of performers could end up doing the same at some point. 

What I’m hoping is that this turns into a true anthology series, with each season focusing on a new “John” and “Jane,” who possess unique personal dynamics compared to other leads. So, for example, if a new couple comes in, they don’t have to start an actual romance like Season 1’s leads did and instead opt to truly keep it truly professional. On top of that, a varied roster of talent could keep the show fresh, and I can’t even imagine what major stars the producers could bring in.

Another notion that excites me is the prospect of this becoming a growing universe, as each season can still reference events and/or people from past entries. Season 2, for instance, can still reference the Season 1 cliffhanger involving Donald Glover and Maya Erskine’s characters. Overall, what I’m picturing is a show that’s similar to Fargo and its neatly structured continuity. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll surely miss seeing Glover and Erskine in the upcoming episodes, but the notion of more stories set in this universe and additional worldbuilding just have me too excited.

You can stream all eight episodes of Mr. and Mrs. Smith’s first season alongside more of the best original Prime Video shows. Other viable viewing options can also be found on the 2024 TV schedule.

As the Star Wars galaxy continues to expand through new Star Wars Disney+ series and, eventually upcoming Star Wars movies, we have seen different ways that the franchise has brought back iconic characters from the original trilogy. In the case of Luke Skywalker, we’ve seen CGI used to recreate him, but for Lando Calrissian, a younger version of him saw a new actor, Donald Glover, don the iconic cape. And while original actor Billy Dee Williams thinks Glover is great, he doesn’t want anybody to forget who the real Lando is.

Speaking with Radio Times Billy Dee Williams was asked about Donald Glover, who took on the role of Lando for Solo: A Star Wars Story, and is expected to reprise the role down the road for a future Lando movie. Williams calls Glover “talented” and is happy to see the character continuing, but he stops short of calling Glover Lando Calrissian because according to him, there is only one. Williams said…

Certainly nobody is arguing that Billy Dee Williams is responsible for creating Lando Calrissian. Donald Glover is only following in his footsteps and his performance as Lando, while it’s certainly not a Billy Dee Williams impression, is inspired by that version of the character in his on-screen persona.

Willy Billy Dee Williams says he’s more than willing to play Lando again (for the right price) there’s no expectation that he will play the part following his appearance in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Donald Glover, however, is expected to play Lando again. Originally there were plans for a Lando-focused series on Disney+ but last year those plans reportedly changed, and the series became a Lando movie. 

Having said that, since the announcement that the show was becoming a movie, we haven’t heard anything, so Lando's movie details are few and far between. The current focus for Star Wars on the big screen appears to be the recently announced Mandalorian & Grogu movie, and the new project that will see the return of Daisy Ridley as Rey. We also learned this week that the Patty Jenkins Rogue Squadron movie, once thought dead, isn’t quite dead yet. 

Hopefully, we’ll get to see more of Lando Calrissian, one way or the other. If it isn’t the man who created the role, it will be the one who was inspired to take it into the future. 

Vince Staples, who’s well known for his impact in the music industry, is now widening his footprint in the TV sphere with a brand new show. This month will see the release of The Vince Staples Show, which will be available to Netflix subscribers. The first trailer effectively showcased the vibe for the series and, like me, many felt and hoped that it would take cues from Donald Glover’s Atlanta. Staples is well aware of the comparisons between the two programs and discussed his feelings about them with CinemaBlend. He also shed some light on his personal relationship with Glover. 

As is the case with so many of us, Vince Staples is someone who appreciates fine art. So it should come as no surprise that he’s seen the work that Donald Glover and his collaborators accomplished with their music-centric dramedy on FX. I was fortunate enough to speak with Staples during the press day for his new series. What I was delighted to hear is that not only is he acquainted with Glover, but he also received encouragement from him while working on his production over at Netflix: 

What we have here is a clear example of artists supporting artists, and you love to see it. Those kinds of bonds are especially vital when it comes to creatives that are members of communities that are still looking to tell their stories in nuanced ways. That’s something of a challenge given shifts in the entertainment industry as of late. But as the Abbott Elementary alum mentioned, African American voices are gradually being heard and, as a result, there have been some great shows led by Black talent.

The Emmy-winning Atlanta – which FX’s Dave has also been compared to –  is an example of such excellence. It was arguably one of the first mainstream series to utilize afro-surrealism. It also seamlessly injected social commentary into its storytelling, including some sharp observations of Black musicians. I honestly still miss the Donald Glover-led series, and The Vince Staples Show seems to be the perfect remedy for that. Staples later conveyed to me that he’s very proud of what he and his collaborators have been able to accomplish. And he also seems to be flattered by the fact that their work has been compared to Glover’s: 

Though the two series seemingly have their similarities, it should definitely be acknowledged that they’re not exactly the same. The trailer alone gives the impression that Vince Staples’ show has an aesthetic that’s somewhat different from that of Atlanta, which ended after four seasons in 2022. Even its comedic sensibilities are somewhat different from its predecessor’s. While I’m excited about the shared elements between the two dramedies, I’m also excited about the ways in which they deviate. After all, Staples has his own distinct style, and that should shine through in his work. Still, I’m glad that Staples doesn’t mind the comparisons and appears ready to pick up the TV torch from Donald Glover and others that have come before him.

The Vince Staples Show is now streaming on Netflix. Also, be aware that you can check out the 2024 TV schedule for information on other series that will be premiering in the near future.

One of the qualities of Donald Glover’s personality that’s made him relatable as he’s been in the public eye is his honesty and willingness to get candid about his work and more. His tendency to (respectfully) not mince words was on display several years ago when he praised the final two seasons of his show, Atlanta, calling them as good as The Sopranos. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that Glover didn’t lie when asked whether he was “insulted” when fans started comparing his show and fellow FX production Dave. The multihyphenate did indeed take some offense and, while explaining the reason why, he made a good point. 

You may be wondering why I made it a point to say that the artist formerly known as Childish Gambino didn’t lie. Well, that’s because he was actually hooked up to a lie detector when he made the comments. He and his Mr. and Mrs. Smith co-star, Maya Erskine, participated in a segment for Vanity Fair, which was shared to YouTube. Erskine asked her on-screen partner if the comparison between his show and Lil Dicky’s bothered him. Though the “This is America” performer said that he wasn’t exactly enthused, his reason for that is fair: 

On the surface, it would seem that both Atlanta and Dave are quite similar. Both have real-life rappers playing the lead roles and both focus heavily on the music industry. They also include surreal situations that sometimes involve famous guest stars. However, Donald Glover is right on the money, in this fan’s eyes. While Lil Dicky’s series focuses more on fame and the price of it, Glover’s dramedy more so uses the music business as a conduit to shed light on different aspects of Black life and culture. These productions do certainly have their similarities, but I agree with Glover that they’re not truly the same.

This actually isn’t the first time that Donald Glover has spoken out about the comparisons. In 2021, he posted (and then deleted) some shots aimed at Dave. On X, which was still Twitter at the time, Glover questioned how some could say that the dark comedy – which premiered on FXX in 2020 – was “on par” with his own series, which debuted on FX in 2016. He mused that the public “forgot what we did.” 

As it stands, both shows have completed their runs, as Atlanta wrapped after four seasons in 2022. It was also reported just days ago by TVLine and more that Dave would end after three seasons due to Lil Dicky  – whose actual name is David Burd – deciding to devote time to other endeavors. However, the “Save Dat Money” performer as well as FX are reportedly open to collaborating more in the future should the opportunity arise. 

Fans will likely continue to compare and contrast the two series as time goes on, but there doesn’t currently seem to be any true beef between the lead creatives themselves. While taking his lie detector test, he said that he likes David Burd and thinks he’s a “really nice guy.” Yet Donald Glover also admitted that he believes he’s more talented than Burd, saying that he holds that viewpoint simply because of his own “conceited” nature. Again, you have to admire the man’s honesty.

Both Atlanta and Dave are available in their entirety for Hulu subscribers to stream. Anyone looking for newer titles can check out the 2024 TV schedule.

The brand new, revamped and rebooted DC Universe (DCU) has opened up endless possibilities. A new Superman has already been cast and is ready to take flight in the first movie in the new universe, which is replacing the old DC Extended Universe (DCEU). 

Producer James Gunn has shown he has a clear vision to wipe away most of the past and move forward with new actors and new stories, so for the purposes of this daydreaming, we're going to leave out the great actors who have appeared in DC-related films in the past, including the most recent movies starring the likes of Jason Momoa, Gal Gadot, and Ben Affleck, though we're not against them returning, too. 

Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling is one of the biggest stars in the world, and also one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood. He's the kind of actor you could cast in almost any role and you just know he'd hit it out of the park. He could play a hero or a villain and audiences would be transfixed no matter what. We probably want him as one of the most famous heroes though, someone befitting his star status. 

Daisy Ridley

We know she can carry a franchise, and we know she's a tough woman, so Daisy Ridley just has to find her way into the DCU. Of course, she'd have to be a hero, but who knows, maybe a change of pace from the Star Wars movies could be cool and she could play a villain. Either way, she has to have powers greater than The Force. 

Tom Cruise

It's time. It's hard to believe Tom Cruise has never been in a superhero movie. One of, in not the, biggest action stars of the last few decades still has that "hole" on his resume and it's time it got filled. Of course, we'd all love to see Cruise as a hero, but it would be awesome for him to be in any role, even a cameo like his turn in Tropic Thunder. Just get him in there, James Gunn! 

Jennifer Lawrence

Sure, Jennifer Lawrence appeared in the X-Men franchise, but that was years ago, and the comic book movie scene is a whole lot different today. Lawrence is a perfect fit for any number of roles, and even though she's great as Mystique, what about a hero as big as Wonder Woman or Black Canary? Surely she'd be fantastic. 

John Krasinski

John Krasinski delighted fans with his cameo as Dr. Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. MCU fans have been dying to see him as Mister Fantastic in the Fantastic 4 in the future, but so far, there's only been cold water thrown on the idea. That opens up the DCU for the former The Office star and he needs to step in. 

Zendaya

There isn't a bigger star on the scene right now than Zendaya. Sure, she's played MJ in the MCU and Spider-Man movies, but let's give her some real superpowers and let her run wild in the DCU. 

Jacob Elordi

Sure, Jacob Elordi says he's not interested in playing a superhero, having turned down an opportunity to read for Superman in the new DCU, but that doesn't mean we can't dream, right? There are so many heroes in the universe he could play. Elordi has been a hit in recent years with his role on HBO's Euphoria and movies like Saltburn and Pricilla, so he doesn't really need to be in the DCU, but we need him to be. 

Timothée Chalamet

Timothée Chalamet has a knack for picking great roles for himself. At this point, he can pick and choose anything he wants, given how often his movies are hits. Chalamet could probably just tell James Gunn what role he wanted and they'd find a way for it to happen. So let's do it! 

Meryl Streep

Let's be real, there is nothing Meryl Streep can't do. The greatest actor of her generation, bar none, and yet, she's never appeared in a superhero movie. She's flirted with the idea, according to some reports, and she even did the Wakanda salute at the 2024 Golden Globes, but alas, we still haven't seen her in one. The new DCU must have a spot for her, right?

Patina Miller

Patina Miller has won a Tony and she's starred in two hit shows (Madam Secretary and Power Book III: Raising Kanan), but she hasn't broken big on the big screen, aside from an important but too-brief role in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, and it's time that changed. She looks like a superhero and can act her socks off, so let's make it happen, let's make her a star in the DCU. 

Adam Driver

As Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequels, Adam Driver showed he could play a first-rate villain. Now it's time to see him play a hero. Any hero, pick one, it doesn't matter, he'd kill it. Batman? For sure. Superman? Well, that role is taken, but yes. Aquaman? Oh yes. Martian Manhunter? Check. Wonder Woman? Sure, why not, he's got the hair for it. Let's go! 

Mark Wahlberg

Mark Wahlberg may be aging gracefully and while he says he's ready to play grandpa roles, we think he'll never be too old for a spot in the DCU. Somehow he's never been in either the MCU or any of the DC-related properties, so the time is right. 

Cailee Spaeny

She may not jump off the page as a possible superhero, but don't forget that Cailee Spaeny starred in Pacific Rim Uprising and clearly has the chops to be in a big action flick. She's an up-and-coming superstar and jumping into the DCU now would be perfect timing. 

Alan Ritchson

Reacher's Alan Ritchson is over six feet tall and built like a monster truck, is there anyone in Hollywood more perfect to play an intimidating villain in a comic book movie? Sure, he could play a superhero, too, but being a villain would be an awesome departure from his character on Reacher and it would be a ton a fun. And again, just look at the guy! 

Sterling K. Brown

Sterling K. Brown had an all-too-brief role as T'Chala's traitorous brother N'Jobu in Black Panther and it's high time he gets a chance to sink his teeth into a bigger superhero role. How about John Stewart/Green Lantern in the DCU? Brown has even campaigned for the role, so really, it's a perfect opportunity to get him into the DC Universe, it needs to happen, so we're putting it out there into the universe again. 

Peter Dinklage

Peter Dinklage has dabbled in superhero movies in the past, playing the villain, Bolivar Trask, in X-Men: Days of Future Past, as Eitri in Avengers: Infinity War, and as the Toxic Avenger, but it leaves us all wanting more. Let's be honest here, anything Dinklage does is awesome, so getting him into the DCU somehow would be amazing. He's also pretty good at carrying a wildly popular franchise, as he proved with Game of Thrones.

Taraji P. Henson

Taraji P. Henson has done it all, except star in a comic book movie. Henson is one of the best actors of her generation and yet, she's got this hole in her resume that, let's be honest, we all want to see filled. The DCU would be a perfect place for her to land, in just about any role, superhero, villain, regular human... anything, just get her in there! 

Charlize Theron

Audiences were teased with a Charlize Theron character in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and the actress stars in the Old Guard franchise, but she's not appeared in any DC-related projects yet and she sure deserves to. We'd love to see her in any number of roles, as she can play just about anything. 

Jason Statham

He's one of the biggest action stars in the world, and yet Jason Statham hasn't appeared in the MCU or anything DC-related. This is something that must be remedied! How about Cliff Steele/Robotman, whose origin story comes out of a race car crash, which would dovetail perfectly with Statham's past work as star of The Transporter movies and in the Fast franchise?

Jodie Comer

Jodie Comer has been taking the world by storm over the last few years and that means it's time to find her way into the DCU. Comer could be great in the MCU, but the possibilities in the DCU are endless and for someone like her, on the rise in Hollywood, the sky's the limit. 

Don Cheadle

Don Cheadle is pretty entrenched in the MCU, where he's played James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine 10 times in various movies and TV shows. Still, Cheadle is awesome, and there has to be a way to get him into the DCU, too. He'd need to play a completely different kind of character, like a villain, but we're for it. 

Jenna Ortega

Wednesday star Jenna Ortega is clearly ready for the big time. She'd be great as Aquagirl, or, even better, the villain Lourdes Lucero/Encantadora. There are a lot of options, let's hope she fits into one, because it would be great. 

Zoe Saldaña

Zoe Saldaña is another star that most fans immediately associate with The Guardians of the Galaxy and the MCU, but with the Guardians franchise possibly winding down, and the franchise's director, James Gunn, now in charge over at DC, this could be a good time to switch it up for Saldaña, as there are a lot of different heroes she would be great for. 

Josh Gad

Hear us out. Josh Gad may not be the first person you think of when you think of an action movie or a comic book movie, but some of the best casting decisions are sometimes the ones you least expect. Think Michael Keaton as Batman or even Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man. Gad, with his blend of humor and "everyman" qualities, can be pretty chameleon-like and that could make him perfect for the DCU. 

Gwendoline Christie

How has this happened? How have we gotten dozens of superhero movies in the last couple of decades and Gwendoline Christie hasn't been in any of them? Sure, she's got the physique to play any hero out there, but it's her wit and comedic timing combined with that that makes the Game of Thrones star a no-brainer. This seems too easy.

Naomie Harris

Naomie Harris jumped into the comic book world by playing Shriek in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. She was predictably great, so why not have her cast as a character with a multi-film arc? She should be. With the James Bond Universe in flux with the departure of Daniel Craig, this would be a great time for Harris to find a new franchise to get attached to. 

Daniel Kaluuya

Black Panther star Daniel Kaluuya (who also starred as a real-life Black Panther in Judas and the Black Messiah) is an actor who could fit into the DCU in just about any role. He could be a charming hero, or an evil villain, or even a government bureaucrat. Kaluuya's acting toolbox has a lot of options, the DCU will do well to take advantage of that somehow. 

Natalie Dormer

Natalie Dormer is a veteran of a lot of big-time franchises. Game of Thrones, Hunger Games, and even the MCU. Unfortunately, she was in fewer Game of Thrones episodes than you would think, and her appearances in the other two were also fairly brief. The DCU has a great opportunity to feature her in a much larger role. 

Donald Glover

This is another absolute no-brainer. Donald Glover is one of the most talented and charming actors in the business, there are an endless amount of roles he could fill in the DCU, so someone out there needs to find a spot for him. 

Diego Luna

With Andor (and his other projects) Diego Luna showed the world how great he can be in a franchise. His performance was gripping, and bringing that same energy to the DCU would be fantastic. 

Jack Quaid

Let's take a sec to lament that despite starring in one of the wildest superhero franchises of all time, The Boys, Jack Quaid hasn't really had an opportunity to be a proper superhero (V-24 notwithstanding). So let's give him a proper chance here! Put him in the DCU! 

Hayden Panettiere

Save the cheerleader, save the world. It was a mantra for Heroes and it's time to see Hayden Panettiere play another superhero. She was so great in Heroes, there's no way she wouldn't be great in the DCU

The DC Universe is James Gunn's oyster, these are some of the pearls out there just waiting to be plopped onto his beach. 

The Mr. and Mrs. Smith reboot is upon us! The project has been in the works for a while with several different creative minds coming in and out of being attached to the series, including Phoebe Waller Bridge, who was initially slated to star. However, work on the show has finally completed and just released for Amazon Prime subscribers to enjoy. Donald Glover and Maya Erskine had big shoes to fill by taking over roles originated by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but are doing so in a fun creative way that works for the new iteration. But Glover still tried to get advice from Pitt on approaching the role, and the Oscar winner responded in the most “Brad Pitt” way possible.

Erskine and Glover recently sat down on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to chat about their new project and how they approached the infamous cinematic material and made Mr. and Mrs. Smith their own. While their take on the spy thriller is certainly different from the campy erotic 2005 film that shares a name, Glover still sought out his counterpart for advice on taking on the role. Pitt may have not exactly been the best source for advice, but the Se7en actor was still supportive nonetheless. The Community alum explained:

2005’s Mr. and Mrs. Smith was an uncomfortable time for Pitt, so digging up advice may have felt awkward for the Inglorious Bastards actor. Rumors regarding an affair with co-star Angelina Jolie on the film swirled and eventually led to Pitt’s divorce from Jennifer Aniston. Pitt continued a relationship with Jolie in the aftermath, and were together for a number of years and share children together. A tumultuous "Brangelina" divorce followed, and the two are still battling out some issues in court. 

In addition, the new Mr. and Mrs. Smith differs greatly from the original, which is another reason Pitt may’ve wanted to side-step giving his own two cents. In the film, the two central characters are married, yet are unaware that their spouse is a spy. They find out about their shared profession when a mission pits them against each other. Glover explained to Jimmy Fallon that in their version, the couple is aware that their counterpart is a spy and the conflict comes from the two exploring their personal relationship with their profession. This is such a vast departure from the original premise, so I’m not sure advice from Pitt would be relevant, anyways. You can see both actors talk deeper about the project in the Tonight Show interview clip below:

I don’t blame Glover for not pushing any further for advice from the movie star. That “Brad Pitt” charm is something special and impenetrable. Getting his blessing is enough, and Pitt does have a point with the “You’ll do great” sentiment. Glover is an Emmy winner who has tons of experience with a number of risky creative pursuits. Reviews for the Mr. and Mrs. Smith series have been positive, with many saying the show is an improvement to the original, so I think Pitt may have been right. 

Mr. and Mrs. Smith is one of the best original shows on Amazon Prime streaming, so make sure to check it out. In addition, you can revisit Brad Pitt in the original Mr. and Mrs. Smith film now with a Hulu subscription. For more information on exciting projects heading to the small screen this year, make sure to consult our 2024 TV premiere schedule. 

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie exuded smoldering espionage sexiness in the 2005 movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith, earning its place as one of the best action movies of the 2000s. Now Donald Glover has taken over as the titular spy John Smith, who is paired up with Maya Erskine’s Jane Smith in a pretend marriage scenario for a new series that can be streamed with an Amazon Prime subscription. Critics have seen the reboot ahead of its February 2 release, so how does it compare to the action romantic comedy of nearly 20 years ago? 

From what we know about the Mr. & Mrs. Smith Prime Video series, it puts a bit of a twist on the movie’s plot. Rather than having spouses John and Jane discover that they’re working for rival spy organizations, the show will see the spies as strangers who are forced into a marriage for the sake of a mission. So how does it stand up to the movie? Charles Pulliam-Moore of The Verge likes how the series reworks the original premise and becomes a layered drama about relationships. The critic says: 

Kristen Baldwin of EW praises the performances of and chemistry between Donald Glover and Maya Erskine — who replaced Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the leading role, after the latter left the project due to creative differences with Glover. Baldwin gives the series a grade of A-, saying Season 2 is all but guaranteed for a reboot as good as this one. She continues: 

Alison Herman of Variety agrees with the above review, calling this Mr. & Mrs. Smith a “new and improved” version of the 2005 blockbuster. The actors make a case for why this story was better-suited for a series than it was a movie, because it takes the time to explore the marriage between John and Jane, the critic says, writing: 

Nicole Drum of ComicBook.com rates it a 4 out of 5, saying the deviation from the film’s premise makes the series “fresh and relatable,” elevating the spy drama to an action-packed adventure that’s also a portrait of the challenges relationships face. Drum continues: 

Saloni Gajjar of AV Club gives the series a B+, agreeing with the other critics that the relationship is what makes Mr. & Mrs. Smith such a success — which might seem like that shouldn’t be the case for a show about espionage — but Donald Glover and Maya Erskine expertly pull it off. In the critic’s words: 

Not only does the Prime Video series seem to live up to the excitement that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie provided 19 years ago, but the above critics seem to think the series is even better. The examination of the spies’ marriage certainly seems to give the subject matter some weight, and other critics agreed, with Mr. & Mrs. Smith holding a Rotten Tomatoes score of 88% Fresh from the 32 reactions so far.

If you want to check out the reimagined premise, all eight episodes will be available to stream on Friday, February 2, on Amazon Prime Video, and be sure to check out our 2024 TV schedule to see what other premieres are coming soon. 

Not so long ago, in movie theaters far and wide, Solo: A Star Wars Story was seen as a box office disappointment. Despite having the charm of Donald Glover as Lando Calrisian and the cocky heroics of Alden Ehrenreich’s Han Solo, the movie just didn’t perform as people had hoped. Years later, the Ron Howard directed picture has been getting the love it deserves, and the long in development Lando series is now being turned into a movie. While this is great news, I have so many Solo questions I have to ask as a result.

Let’s start with the most recent news that inspired such queries, as reported via Variety. Apparently the continued development of what was initially announced as a Disney+ series has now been confirmed by Lucasfilm as pivoting towards a feature film. At the moment, negotiations are in a predictable hold, as per the conditions of the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA twin strike actions.

At the same time it’s not that big of a surprise, as it was revealed that the Glover brothers took over Lando writing duties. So when that decision was made, it was probably with the shift into a Star Wars feature film experience in mind. Now that we know Donald and Stephen Glover will be reworking this midquel adventure into a cinematic experience, there are a couple questions I have to ask. 

Will Donald Glover Return To Star In Lando? 

Admittedly it’s been a couple of years since Donald Glover last stepped into the iconic role originated by Billy Dee Williams in The Empire Strikes Back. In sources cited by the report breaking this news, Glover himself sounds excited by the possibility, but unsure due to the time that has passed since Solo: A Star Wars Story’s release. So this question is pretty important, especially as it leads to another big concern.

When Will Lando Take Place On The Star Wars Timeline?

Obviously Lando is a Star Wars spinoff with the focus being on the future intergalactic war hero and his time as a smooth criminal. That seems to pose this film as a pseudo-sequel to Solo, rather than an all out return to that storyline altogether. Which begs the question, when exactly is Lando going to take place on the timeline of upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows? The answer could determine whether or not Donald Glover does return on screen, or hands the torch off to someone else, which could happen with too much of a time jump in either direction. 

What Other Solo Characters Could We See in Lando?

Something that’s just as important to think about is whether or not other friends and acquaintances of Lando’s will be around for this next ride. Solo: A Star Wars Story’s ending did leave some pretty big threads unresolved, and it even blatantly set up the next ride for Lando Calrisian and Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) in the process. As Han clearly has a future connected to Lando, and other stories have followed Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) and her time with the Crimson Dawn, could we see or even hear reference to these previous key players? 

Could Lando Lead To The Resurrection Of Solo 2?

Naturally, this line of questioning was always going to end with one whopper of a question: could fans hopes for Solo 2 be realized if Lando is successful? I’d be a fool if I didn’t ask if Donald and Stephen Glover’s work could be a stepping stone to such delights, as it’s been a hot topic of discussion time and again. Depending on the proximity and connections this story has to Solo: A Star Wars Story, there could be a chance that the potential sequel could be resurrected in some shape.

It's naturally still very early to be thinking about what Lando could do for the Star Wars universe. But that's not going to stop me, or anyone else for that matter, when it comes to asking questions. And if you want to dig for some other pressing matters you'd like to see addressed, check out Solo: A Star Wars Story, which is currently streaming through access to a Disney+ subscription.

In the third season of the smash hit Cartoon Network series, Adventure Time, an episode set an alternate reality aired which introduced gender-swapped versions of main protagonists, Finn and Jake, named Fionna and Cake (who is also a cat, unlike her alternate canine counterpart). Before the imaginative animated series ended in 2018, the duo would appear in more episodes and increase in popularity, which is about to reach its peak in their own new spin-off series.

From showrunner Adam Muto (who co-created the 2020 miniseries, Adventure Time: Distant Lands, with original mastermind, Pendleton Ward), this new, 10-episode show will explore its titular heroes, the land of Ooo, and some other familiar characters from a whole new perspective. Before you check out the series yourself with your Max subscription, allow us to further explain what is new, who is playing who, and what else you may know the actors from in our breakdown of the Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake voice cast below.

Madeleine Martin (Fionna)

Reprising her recurring, cross-dimensional Adventure Time role as the thrill-seeking Fionna the Human is Madeleine Martin, who had previously lent her voice to the title role of Disney Channel’s Jojo’s Circus from 2003 to 2011 and to multiple characters in the second installment of the Ice Age movies — namely 2006’s Ice Age: The Meltdown. 

The actor, whose big break was a recurring spot on a non-animated Disney Channel show, Out of the Box, is, indeed, better known for her live-action credits, such as Showtime’s Californication as Becca Moody, the 2012 dramedy movie, The Discoverers, Netflix’s original horror TV show, Hemlock Grove. A guest spot on a beloved horror TV show available on Hulu, What We Do in the Shadows, is one of her more recent major credits, in addition to three episodes on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as a character coincidentally named Madeline.

Roz Ryan (Cake)

Also reprising her recurring, cross-dimensional role as Fionna’s magical, feline friend, Cake, is Roz Ryan, who — according to an interview with getTV — began her career as a Detroit nightclub singer for 13 years before hitting Broadway in Ain’t Misbehavin’ and, later, making her screen acting debut on the sitcom, Amen, in the starring role of Amelia Hetebrink. 

Her feature film debut (also her voice acting debut) was 1997’s underrated Disney flick, Hercules, as Thalia, the Muse of Comedy, whom she reprised on the spin-off series, which led to roles on other animated series like Bubbie on The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack and Cyborg’s “Grandma Voice” on Teen Titans Go! In live-action, she is known for appearances in movies like I Think I Love My Wife and The Invention of Lying, and more recent TV shows like Disney Channel’s K.C. Undercover and Raven’s Home.

Tom Kenny (Simon Petrikov)

Simon Petrikov (formerly known as The Ice King, who created the in-universe fan-fiction Fionna and Cake originated from) is just one of the many, many iconic characters voiced by Tom Kenny — such as Heffer on Rocko’s Modern Life, Dog on CatDog, Eduardo on Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, and the title character of SpongeBob Squarepants, most famously. 

Some may also recognize his face as a featured cast member from one of Bob Odenkirk’s best shows, Mr. Show with Bob and David (and its short-lived Netflix revival, W/Bob and David); a brief cameo in Disney’s underrated superhero comedy, Sky High, from 2005; and as SpongeBob’s Number One fan, Patchy the Pirate. Some of his most notable roles as of late come from the likes of Fox’s animated dog series, Housebroken and Netflix’s Academy Award-winning stop-motion animated masterpiece, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, from 2022.

Donald Glover (Marshall Lee)

Set to reprise Marshall Lee — the male counterpart to Marceline, the Vampire Queen, on Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake — is Donald Glover (according to Collider), who has also lent his voice to characters like Miles Morales on Ultimate Spider-Man (before playing his uncle in the MCU) and Disney’s 2019 The Lion King cast as Simba. 

His voice has also earned him five Grammy Awards, performing hit R&B and hip-hop tracks under the stage name, Childish Gambino, which he made his major label debut as shortly after joining the Community cast as Troy Barnes. Some of the Emmy-winning creator and star of Atlanta’s other best-known acting credits include Ridley Scott’s 2015 Oscar-nominated sci-fi hit, The Martian, and joining the Star Wars universe as a young Lando Calrissian in Solo.

Andrew Rannells (Unknown)

Joining the world as a character left undisclosed prior to Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake’s premiere, we have Andrew Rannells, whose multi-hyphenated skills were disclosed to the world in 2011 with his Tony-nominated, original performance as Elder Prince in The Book of Mormon. 

However, for years, his main gig was voicing multiple characters on popular shows like Pokémon (after making his theatre debut in a stage version in 2001, according to CBR) and Yu-Gi-Oh!, before his Broadway stature earned him bigger roles such as Matthew McDell in the Big Mouth cast and in the upcoming movie, Trolls Band Together. Some of Rannells’ best-known live-action screen credits include playing HBO’s Girls cast as Elijah Krantz, Showtime’s period dramedy, Black Sunday, and a small, but memorably funny part in Paul Feig’s A Simple Favor in 2018.

Kayleigh McKee (Unknown)

Also lending her voice to an undisclosed role is Kayleigh McKee, who also has many, many Japanese anime TV shows on her resume which, actually, is almost exclusively made up of notable titles from the medium. 

After making her debut in the 40-minute feature, Digimon Adventure: Our War Game!, in 2000, she went on to star in the likes of The New Prince of Tennis, One Piece (which has a live-action series coming to Netflix) in the recurring role of Kiku, Record of Ragnarok, and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, to name just a few. Any gamers may also recognize the transgender performer’s voice from her video game credits, such as Hearthstone — in which she voices its first non-binary character, Varden Dawngrasp, according to Pink News.

Sean Rohani (Unknown)

Also appearing in the Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake cast is Sean Rohani, who has a lot in common with McKee in terms of similar types of voice acting credits — such as hit video games like League of Legends or even stuff like 2023’s Creed: Rise of Glory - Championship Edition, as Ivan Drago, among others. 

He also participated in the English dub for Record of Ragnarok, but also has stateside productions such as Netflix’s Marmaduke movie starring Pete Davidson and Disney+’s Chip ’n Dale Rescue Rangers under his belt. Rohani has also lent his voice to huge live-action titles, such as The Boys and 2023 movies like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

If you are one of the many who wanted more Adventure Time, you can get it now when you stream Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake on Max, and you just might see a few more familiar faces!

While Star Wars fans are looking forward to the  Ahsoka TV show hitting Disney+ later this month, there are a lot of upcoming Star Wars movies and TV planned for the months and years ahead. Some of them, like The Acolyte, will introduce us to brand new characters, while other projects will see the return of previously established characters. And now it looks like one of the OG Star Wars heroes may be on his way back as Billy Dee Williams, the original Lando Calrissian, is teasing something Star Wars related. So his Lando may be one of character we'll see again.

Billy Dee Williams is exceedingly vague in his announcement tweet, saying simply that “something” is coming. He’s involved in some sort of project that he calls a “dream come true,” which certainly makes it sound like a big deal. And while the actor doesn’t give us many indications of what he’s talking about, he does end the post by saying “May the Force be with you” seemingly confirming that whatever this is, it’s Star Wars related. Read his full post below.

The most obvious connection to draw here is that Billy Dee Williams has closed a deal to return to the galaxy far, far away as Lando Calrissian in some capacity. He previously reprised the role from the original trilogy in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Considering that we recently learned that the previously announced Lando series for Disney+,which had seemingly died was back on (with Donald Glover set to not only star but write) it’s hard not to believe there’s a connection.

Just because we expect Donald Glover’s younger version of Lando to be the main focus of any Disney+ series doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for Billy Dee Williams. It would be easy enough to use the older Lando as a framing device, setting up the episodes of the show as flashbacks. Or perhaps we could get a story set in two different time periods that seems Lando dealing with a related adventure as a young and older man. 

Of course, just because of the timing, it doesn’t mean Billy Dee Williams will be back in the new series. Disney has yet to confirm the news regarding the new Lando series at all, and it seems pretty early to be signing on the cast for the project, especially considering there’s a WGA strike happening right now, and so nobody is going to actually be writing any episodes for the time being. 

Perhaps the actor will be bringing Lando to life in some other Star Wars project. Or it could be unrelated to Lando Calrissian directly. Maybe Billy Dee Williams is going to narrate a Star Wars documentary. The actual possibilities are nearly endless. Based on Williams’ post, it sounds like we’ll be hearing about what’s going on before too long. 

With the long-awaited premiere of Star Wars' Ahsoka TV show for Disney+ subscribers less than a month away in the 2023 TV schedule, good news has broken about another project planned for the galaxy far, far away. Despite first being announced several years ago and a recent discouraging update, the Lando TV show with Donald Glover reprising the role from Solo is moving forward, and Glover won't just be involved in front of the camera. 

Even though Glover hasn't portrayed the Star Wars legend since Solo premiered back in 2018, the Lando Calrissian TV series was confirmed in late 2020, with speculation that he'd reprise his role. According to Above The Line, the actor is now officially on board the show as a writer alongside his brother, Stephen Glover, with io9 confirming that the Community alum will star as well as co-write.

While it's not surprising that Donald Glover will portray Lando again after the initial reports that the series would center on a younger version of the character than ever portrayed by Billy Dee Williams, the news is particularly welcome in the wake of a recent update seemed to suggest that the show wasn't moving forward. 

The Haunted Mansion director Justin Simien was previously attached to Lando as executive producer and writer, and he recently revealed that he'd been told that the project was put on pause due to scheduling and hadn't gotten any updates on development in multiple years. That seemed like a sign that fans of the galaxy far, far away should pin their hopes on the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV series that were already confirmed. 

Instead, the Lando project is indeed moving forward, but simply with Donald Glover on board to star and co-write. In fact, Justin Simien reportedly has not been working on Lando since summer 2022 so that he could focus on directing Haunted Mansion, resulting in Lucasfilm reaching out to the Glover siblings to sign on as co-writers. Donald and Stephen Glover have collaborated before, with Stephen co-writing and executive producing Atlanta as well as co-writing Guava Island with his brother. 

The news comes just months after Donald Glover confirmed that he was still interested in playing Lando again. The development may be somewhat complicated by the current WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA strike, which has brought many productions to a halt and means that other projects presumably won't be moving forward until the strikes are resolved. 

At the time of writing, neither of the Glover brothers has publicly commented on joining the Lando show as writers, and the strikes mean that such comment may not come for some time. For now, though, there's easy access to plenty of Star Wars action. All of the live-action films – including Solo: A Star Wars Story – are available streaming with a Disney+ subscription, as well as the live-action and animated Star Wars TV shows. 

Six seasons and a movie: it was the slogan originally exclaimed by Community character Abed Nadir in reference to how long he hoped NBC’s The Cape would last, and it was later adopted by the show’s fanbase. Community managed to accomplish the six seasons part thanks to a shift to the now-defunct Yahoo Screen for its final season, and in September 2022, it was announced that a Community movie is finally moving forward. Among the actors returning for this exclusive flick for Peacock subscribers are Gillian Jacobs and Donald Glover, and with the latter having left Community early into Season 5, the former opened up to CinemaBlend about finally getting to reteam with him.

Although Glover’s name wasn’t included in the cast lineup from the original Community movie announcement, series creator Dan Harmon, who’s co-writing the film’s script with Andrew Guest, said last October that he expected Glover to be back based on “word of mouth.” Then in June, Joel McHale, who plays Jeff Winger, confirmed Glover would indeed be back for this next Community chapter, so when I had the opportunity to chat with Jacobs prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, I asked her if she was looking forward to re-exploring the dynamic between Britta Perry and Troy Barnes. She shared her thoughts thusly:

After being a series regular for Community’s first four seasons, Donald Glover only stuck around for the first five episodes of Season 5, with “Geothermal Escapism” seeing Troy embarking to sail around the world with LeVar Burton for a year so that he could receive the Hawthorne Wipes shares, which were valued at around $14.3 million, Chevy Chase’s Pierce Hawthrone left him after he died. That was the last time viewers saw Troy, although a news report in "Analysis of Cork-Based Networking" shared that pirates had abducted Burton and a “non-celebrity” in the Gulf of Mexico. Fortunately, we now know that Troy’s ok, although how he’ll reunite with his Greendale friends remains to be seen.

There was also a period during Community when Britta and Troy were dating, and while things didn’t work out for them on the romantic front, they still cared for each other deeply by the time Troy left. Following his departure from Community, Glover’s profile rose significantly thanks to starring in movies like Spider-Man: Homecoming, Solo: A Star Wars Story and The Lion King, and launching TV shows like Atlanta, Swarm and the upcoming Mr and Mrs. Smith, not to mention continuing his musical career as rapper Childish Gambino. As Jacobs shared with CinemaBlend, she learned a lot about comedy from working with Glover on Community, so just with everyone else confirmed for the movie, she’s looking forward to spending more time with him whenever this project does begin rolling cameras.

During my conversation with Gillian Jacobs, which included discussing her guest appearance in The Bear Season 2’s intense sixth episode, I also asked her what what she was looking forward to most about revisiting this major chapter of her career, especially with not having played Britta now for nearly a decade. She responded:

Gillian Jacobs, Donald Glover and Joel McHale will be joined in the Community movie by Danny Audi, Alison Brie, Jim Rash and Ken Jeong, and it’s possible other familiar faces will return too. According to McHale, the plan is for filming to begin in mid-2024, meaning it will be a long time until we learn what it is that brings these characters back together at Greendale Community College. Fans will simply have to suffice for now with being able to stream Community with either a Netflix subscription or Hulu subscription.

As soon as more concrete details about the Community movie trickle in, CinemaBlend will pass them along. Until then, use our 2023 TV schedule to keep track of what shows are currently airing or will arrive in the coming months.

More than two and a half years ago, Disney+made the possible mistake of going broadly public with its intentions to deliver a Lando TV series, with Donald Glover believed to be reprising the role he brought to prequelized life in Solo: A Star Wars Story. It’s been a long and quiet road from then to now, with EP and story writer Justin Simien recently drawing attention to the lack of forward progress in that section of the galaxy. But despite all the frustration and disappointment that Simien’s update may have caused, I’m probably more hopeful now than any point in the past two years that Lando could actually come together. 

Justin Simien’s Lando Update

For those who aren’t yet aware, Simien spoke with TheDirect about his upcoming big-screen effort, Disney’s The Haunted Mansion, and was asked about where things were at with Lando. He made it sound like fans would have a better shot of trapping the Hatbox Ghost than of seeing the playboy pilot heading up his own streaming show. According to the Dear White People director, that announcement was the beginning and the end of his most current knowledge, as he claimed he has “not received an update since that update.” He continued, saying:

While it's not clear exactly how much of Lando was crafted by Justin Simien and other members of his creative team, but it sounds like at least an outline was crafted, if not something of a working pilot script. And so for all intents and purposes, it seems like Disney's brass doesn't have very much standing in the way of Lando's development process starting up again, except for the availability of its presumed star Donald Glover. And though he's also had to play very coy about jumping back into Lando Calrissian mode in the Star Wars universe, he did address it very briefly back in April 2023, saying that Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy would maul him if he shared more. And for what it's worth, Kennedy herself hinted in 2022 that Glover was the one that "holds all the cards" when it comes to this project. 

So when might he be able to stack those cards up into the shape of a house in Cloud City? Possibly very soon, assuming he doesn't sign on to join upcoming sequels in the Fast & Furious and Avatar franchises.

Donald Glover May Soon Actually Have The Time To Make Lando

Back when Disney+ announced Lando alongside a slew of other projects, Donald Glover still hadn't yet been able to get Atlanta Season 3's production off the ground, due to COVID delays and restrictions. The third and fourth seasons of the acclaimed FX comedy were filmed back to back throughout much of 2021, and it was confirmed those would round out the series' full run, with both airing to further praise in 2022. So barring any Paper Boi spinoffs in running, Glover definitely won't have any Atlanta-based commitments on the horizon.

In the midst of all that, Glover has also been heavily invested (alongside Francesca Sloane) in the creation of Amazon Studios' upcoming Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a reboot of the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie feature of the same name. The Mystery Team vet was initially partnered with Phoebe Waller-Bridge for the series, but she exited the project seven months later over creative differences, and that role was later filled by PEN15's Maya Erskine. After a fairly long span of waiting for more updates from that project, a sizzle reel for upcoming Prime Video films and shows delivered our very first looks, albeit in very brief form. So it stands to reason that Mr. and Mrs. Smith will make its streaming debut before 2023 has concluded.

If that's the case, then Donald Glover could conceivably at long last have the time on his schedule to devote to a Lando project, whether it be an episodic series, a one-off special, or a feature. And assuming he genuinely does want to jump back into the role again, one can then assume that Kathleen Kennedy and others at Disney and Lucasfilm would leap at the chance to put things in motion. (Obviously the WGA writers strike and the SAG-AFTRA strike raise some pertinent hurdles, but hopefully those deals will get made sooner rather than later.)

Technically, the only thing that Glover would have on the way would be returning to the role of Troy for the Community movie, and Joel McHale seems convinced the actor will return. But that likely won't be too arduous a commitment, unless Disney+ suddenly becomes the latest service to resurrect the fan-fave comedy, and gets in the way of its own Lando project. While waiting to see where things are going, check out all the upcoming Star Wars projects that we know about. 

When the Community movie was officially announced last September, fans were quick to notice that a couple names were missing from the list of actors who were confirmed to be a part of the feature. The press release included Joel McHale, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Jim Rash and Ken Jeong as part of the cast, but there was no mention of either Donald Glover or Yvette Nicole Brown. Fortunately, fans were satiated by optimism from show creator Dan Harmon a couple weeks after the announcement, and now Jeff Winger himself has confirmed that Glover will definitely be back for the film as Troy Barnes.

Joel McHale recently discussed the status of the Community movie as a guest on the podcast Let's Talk Off Camera With Kelly Ripa, and he acknowledged that the project having Donald Glover involved is a big deal. Glover didn't star in the full run of the show (Troy Barnes sailing off into the sunset with LeVar Burton early in Season 5), but audiences will see his story continue in the long-promised film... either with the rest of the Greendale Community College study group or without them. Making reference to Glover's acclaimed FX series that he made after leaving the NBC sitcom, McHale said,

As a die-hard Community fan, obviously getting to see the movie get made is a priority, but, for what it's worth, I certainly wouldn't say no to more of Atlanta beyond the Season 4 finale as a backup plan.

For those who don't recall the details, Troy Barnes left Greendale Community College following the death of Chevy Chase's Pierce Hawthorne. In Pierce's will, Troy was offered the chance to claim a massive inheritance, but the single condition was that he had to complete a sailing voyage around the world. Dan Harmon suggested at San Diego Comic-Con in 2014 that a movie could feature the Community characters rescuing Troy from pirates, but that idea is probably off the table at this point.

In addition to being asked about Donald Glover being in the movie, Joel McHale also addressed whether or not Chevy Chase would be a part of the project – unleashing a tidal wave of sarcasm in the process, referencing behind-the-scenes Community controversy:

Chevy Chase's run on Community officially ended after Season 4 (the season that was made following Dan Harmon being fired by NBC), though there was a proverbial hatchet-burying featured in the Season 5 premiere (the season when Harmon came back to the show). Chase did a cameo as Pierce, appearing as a hologram set up as an installation on the Greendale Community College campus. A couple episodes later, in the David Fincher-esque "Basic Intergluteal Numismatics," it was revealed that Pierce had died.

The Community movie, fulfilling the Six Seasons And A Movie "prophecy" from Season 2's "Paradigms of Human Memory," is being developed as an original feature for Peacock – though you presently need either a Netflix subscription or a Hulu subscription if you want to watch all six seasons of the original series. Stay tuned for more updates about the project, which is presently on pause due to the on-going WGA strike.

Major spoilers for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse lie ahead, so read at your own risk.

Expectations were sky high for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ahead of its debut, and many seem to agree that it did not disappoint. Though some may be disappointed with the cliffhanger ending, both fans and critics have praised the latest Spidey flick. Much of the acclaim has been aimed at its emotional story, gorgeous animation and strong performances. But of course, there are also countless Easter eggs that have delighted hardcore fans. One particularly wild one was connected to the scene-stealing Spider-Punk, who was brilliantly voiced by Daniel Kaluuya. Now, the Oscar winner is addressing his character’s connection to that sweet reference. 

To provide some context, after Miles Morales arrives at the Spider-Society’s headquarters in Across the Spider-Verse, he’s alerted to the fact that a number of variants have been popping up in the wrong universes. He eventually learns, while touring the base, that a number of these individuals are being held in house. And in a shocking turn of events, he crosses paths with a live-action version of his uncle, Aaron Davis/The Prowler, who’s played by Donald Glover. Fans may remember that Glover famously played a version of Davis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe-set Spider-Man: Homecoming. (Eagle-eyed fans might also recall that Glover himself was referenced in Into the Spider-Verse.)

It’s further explained that Hobie Brown a.k.a. Spider-Punk was the one to capture that variation of Davis, (and I’d really love to see how that played out). Daniel Kaluuya opened up about the cool development during a wide-ranging interview with The Hollywood Reporter. And funny enough, before watching the movie, he had no idea that his spider-themed rockstar had accomplished the major feat: 

At this point, it’s possible that fans may want to see more of Donald Glover’s Aaron Davis. It’s hard to say whether or not that’ll actually happen for a few reasons, with the first being that the multihyphenate is a busy man. Of course, his path moving forward may also depend on what Marvel Studios might have planned for Miles Morales moving forward. While this Davis doesn’t seem to be the same one that appeared in Homecoming, the latter could eventually evolve into a version of the Prowler that appears in a future MCU movie. Of course, this is all just speculation, for now. 

In the meantime, Donald Glover is working on another Spidey spinoff – a movie based on the comics villain known as the Hypno-Hustler. The highly sought-after actor will reportedly play the titular role and produce the film. Fans can also look forward to next year’s trilogy capper Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (which we know a few things about). So even if a project featuring Glover’s Prowler doesn’t come to pass, franchise devotees should know that they’ll see and hear more from the actor himself and Daniel Kaluuya’s Spider-Punk at some points down the road.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now playing in theaters and is one of the prime titles on the schedule of 2023 new movie releases.

Amid the continued debate over Nepo Babies, many learned that Malia Obama had joined the writers’ room of the Donald Glover-produced series, Swarm. This news seemed to be met with skepticism from some in regard to Obama’s merits as a writer. Despite any pushback though, her contributions as a first-time writer have been championed by Glover and other producers. After the viral Amazon Prime series’ conclusion, the Atlanta creator spoke about working with the former First Daughter on another project they're reuniting for.

The Hollywood multihyphenate was so impressed by the Harvard graduate’s work on Swarm that he decided to take her under his wing as she pursues a film and TV career. The two creatives are currently working on a short film that will mark Malia Obama's directorial debut. It'll also be one of the first offerings from Donald Glover’s production hub, Gilga. As her mentor, Glover was honest with the emerging writer/filmmaker about the pressure she’ll face in Hollywood given her parents’ notoriety. The actor-producer said to GQ:

The 30 Rock alum clearly just wanted to prepare the 24-year-old for any kind of blowback she might receive in Hollywood. The industry can be rough, so it's a good thing Malia Obama has someone like Donald Glover in her corner to school her about show business. Having worked in Hollywood for two decades, Glover has witnessed the highs and lows of the business. Making a good first impression can make or break someone’s career, though Glover seems to have plenty of faith in Obama. He even called her “somebody who’s gonna have really good things coming soon.”

It's no secret that the Nepo Baby debate has gained a lot of traction in recent months. The discussion revolves around the benefits that one if they're born to individuals who are already major players within a given facet of society. When it comes to the entertainment industry, the responses have varied, with famous figures like Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Hanks partially defending those who have said advantages. Meanwhile, others like Cindy Crawford's daughter, Kaia Gerber, and Allison Williams have gotten honest about the leg-up that they've had.

But Malia Obama seems to have made the most of her opportunity and left an indelible on the cast and crew of Swarm (as well as viewers) in the process. After the Prime Video horror dramedy premiered, showrunner Janine Nabers, who addressed those Beyoncé comparisons, chatted with EW and spoke highly of Obama’s contributions in the writers’ room. Nabers was impressed by the first-time TV writer’s out-of-the-box pitches for the surrealist show. And ultimately, Obama co-wrote the show’s much-talked-about fifth episode, “Girl Bye," alongside Nabers herself.

In terms of the subject matter the rising director's short film will tackle and the genre it'll fall into, those details remain to be seen. But if the horror satire is any indication of things to come, audiences might be in for some outlandish, yet grounded, storytelling.

In the meantime, Donald Glover has his hands in multiple upcoming projects. He's starring in and producing upcoming Amazon Prime comedy Mr. & Mrs. Smith and could join a possible Lando Calrissian project. His film career is also booming, as he's set a potential Spider-Man universe movie centered on the Marvel villain Hypno-Hustler and is seemingly returning as Troy Barnes for the upcoming Community movie, which will be streamable with a Peacock subscription. And of course, if you want to see what all of the fuss over Swarm is about, stream the entire season using a Prime Video subscription.

There are beloved franchises, and then there’s Star Wars. Generations were brought up on the galaxy far, far away, resulting in a massive fanbase. While the property continues to expand, there have been a few missteps along the way; this includes Solo: A Star Wars Story which ended up being the franchise’s first box office disappointment. The movie’s cast included Donald Glover, who still wants to play Lando Calrissian again in a future project. But should it be a movie or TV show?

While there haven’t been any Star Wars movies in theaters since the release of J.J. Abrams’ The Rise of Skywalker, George Lucas’ colorful franchise has continued to grow thanks to live-action shows on Disney+ like The Mandalorian. Some fans are still holding out hope that Solo 2 might happen, but there’s been no indication of Lucasfilm moving forward with that scrapped franchise. Donald Glover recently spoke to GQ and revealed that he’s actually been in contact with the studio about a possible return, saying:

That’s certainly exciting. While Han Solo actor Alden Ehrenreich faced a ton of backlash for stepping into Harrison Ford’s signature role, the reception for Glover’s take on Lando was far kinder. And as such, some fans have been hoping to see this younger version of the Rebel hero return. Although should he get another movie or transition to television?

Since Disney acquired Lucasfilm, a number of TV and movie projects were announced, many of which still haven’t come to fruition. That includes a Donald Glover Lando show, which is seemingly stuck in development hell. And while some Star Wars fans are still holding out hope for a Solo sequel for the big screen, I think I’d prefer to see The Childish Gambino play Calrissian for the second time on TV.

Don’t get me wrong; I’d love to see Solo 2 happen, especially for the chance to see more of Maul in live-action and see how Emilia Clarke’s Qi’ra ended up collaborating with the former Sith. But I think that a series starring Donald Glover would be the optimal way to further flesh out his version of Lando. Because if shows like The Mandalorian and Andor are any indication, it would give us way more time with the character and the opportunity for a deeper look into his psyche.

Glover oozed sex appeal and charisma in Solo: A Star Wars Story, while also seemingly confirming that Lando Calriassian was a queer character. But he was ultimately a supporting player in the story, and didn’t get to participate in the final confrontation with Woody Harrelson’s Tobias Beckett. So giving him his very own series on Disney+ would allow for him to once again play that Star Wars icon, and given way more screen time than even Billy Dee Williams got throughout his tenure as the same character. And given Glover’s acclaimed series Atlanta and Community he’s got plenty of experience on TV. 

It’s currently unclear when the Star Wars franchise will return to the big screen, although there are a number of movies announced including a mysterious project from Taika Waititi. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Amazon Prime’s new show, Swarm, opens with a message that says it’s “not a work of fiction” and “any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is intentional” before Dominique Fishback’s Dre scrambles for $ 1,500-floor tickets for the concert of a pop star called Ni’Jah, who’s aesthetic screams Beyoncé before we see the young woman’s obsession for the singer go to horrific and violent depths. With Bey influences as clear as day on the show, its co-creator revealed that she wrote the “Crazy In Love” singer a letter.

Janine Nabers created Swarm alongside Atlanta’s Donald Glover. While speaking to Vulture about the series, she shared that she didn’t have fear to create a show with so many Beyoncé references because it was approached “with a lot of respect.” And when it comes to Queen Bey’s awareness of Swarm, here’s what she said: 

The producer shared that while she has yet to meet the Grammy winner herself, almost everyone in the writer’s room has, including Donald Glover, who is reportedly “actual friends” with her. The Swarm creator also said this:  

While explaining her motivations for making the series, Janine Nabers also said that her team wanted to portray a “conflicting Black woman who’s fighting for another Black woman.” Nabers described Dre as being this misunderstood “fly on the wall,” who only really has her love for Ni’Jah and her sister. 

When it comes to her inspirations for Swarm, the creator made note of herself being a Black woman who grew up in Houston, cutting school to see her favorite performers, and wanted to tell this original story. This drama series is a rarity in that it's a serial killer story from a Black woman’s perspective and “an origin story of a villain”. The series has some solid commentary about the pitfalls of stan culture, the dangers of the idolization of people like Beyoncé and the relatable addiction many of us have to social media. 

The Swarm cast is led by Dominique Fishback and includes Chloe Bailey, who was actually discovered by Beyoncé and signed by her label alongside her sister (and soon-to-be live-action Ariel) Halle Bailey for their duo act, Chloe x Halle. There are a lot of underlying connections to the singer herself here. Also among the guest stars on the series are Billie Eilish (in her first acting role ever) and Rory Culkin, who has a full-frontal scene inspired by a story Donald Glover told Janine Nabers. 

There's to telling if Queen Bey herself might formally respond to the well-reviewed series at any point. But at the very least, it sounds like she's well aware of what the producers were going for.

All seven episodes of Swarm are available to stream on Amazon Prime now. 

From confusion and surprise to thirst and awe, people were shocked when they saw that scene in Prime Video’s Swarm. You know, the scene where a nude Rory Culkin offers strawberries to Dre after they hooked up? Yeah, that one. It went viral, and now, Janine Nabers, the co-creator of the Amazon Prime series, has revealed that this awkward viral moment was actually inspired by a story Donald Glover, the show's other co-creator, told her about an awkward hook-up of his own, that involved cherries. 

The scene in question comes right after Dre, the show’s main character, loses her virginity after meeting and hooking up with a random dude (played by Rory Culkin) at a club. When she wakes up, Culkin’s character is naked and washing a bowl of strawberries. He walks over to Dominique Fishback’s character with the glass bowl of berries, and he offers her one while holding the see-through bowl against his flaccid penis.  Turns out this incredibly awkward scene was inspired by a story Donald Glover told Janine Nabers, and she told Insider how this true story helped inspire this now viral scene in Swarm.

They say art imitates life, and I guess this time, life inspired the art, because after hearing the story from the Community alum, Nabers said she had to put it into their new show. She said that Glover was down, and explained:

She ran with it, but she changed the fruit from cherries to strawberries, and it paid off, because now tons of people are talking about and watching this new and unique psychological horror thriller. Rory Culkin only has this small role in the Swarm cast, but because of Donald Glover’s own awkward hook-up, his naked strawberry moment will likely never be forgotten by anyone who watches Swarm. 

Along with this viral strawberry hook-up, Swarm is also making headlines for being Billie Eilish’s acting debut. The entire show is quite eerie and creepy, but also darkly funny – see the hookup scene – and Eilish and the cast are already giving viewers chills. The series has garnered quite a bit of attention because of the “Bad Guy” singer and Donald Glover being attached to the project, and now that it’s out, its shocking scenes are also grabbing the internet’s attention. 

To see what all the talk is about, strawberries, penis and all, you can watch this 2023 TV schedule entry with an Amazon Prime subscription. 

Some SPOILERS are ahead for Swarm. Catch all seven episodes of the new series, now streaming with an Amazon Prime subscription. 

After a slew of cryptic social media posts from Billie Eilish as of late featuring the poster for Swarm, the “bad guy” singer revealed that she’s among the actors in the Amazon Prime show co-created by Donald Glover after we said goodbye to Atlanta late last year. Now that this Billie Eilish fan has checked it out, I’m happy to report the singer’s exciting role in the new horror series. 

Swarm is kind of the perfect first acting role for Billie Eilish, outside her experience being in front of the camera for her numerous music videos and hosting SNL over a year ago. She gets to express herself outside of her vulnerable music in a seriously creepy role that has me hoping she’ll add “actor” to her long list of talents for years to come. Let me break it down. 

When Does Billie Eilish Appear In Swarm? 

Billie Eilish appears throughout the fourth episode of Swarm, titled “Running Scared,” and thankfully it’s not a blink-and-you-miss cameo. Whilst I’ll admit I clicked play on the series after Eilish revealed she has a surprise acting role, the show in of itself leading up to Eilish’s appearance is incredibly stylish, thought-provoking, and entertaining. Swarm is an easy binge!

Swarm follows Dominique Fishback as a young woman named Dre, who is absolutely obsessed with a singer named Ni’Jah and has a stan account devoted to her. Ni’Jah seems to be a lot like Beyoncé, given that she has passionate fans who refer to her as a “goddess” and tickets to her show can cost thousands of dollars. Dre’s love for Ni’Jah leads to some unexpected violence from her, and when we meet Eilish’s character, she’s on her way to the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee to catch her next performance.

What Is Billie Eilish’s Role In Swarm?

During Dre’s travels, she stumbles across a women’s empowerment group who takes her in. Billie Eilish plays the lead woman who Dre interacts with in the episode as she catches a free stay with the group who end up having a cult-like vibe to them. Eilish’s character of Eva is the kind of person who says Dre has a “great aura” and takes Dre through an eerie meditation exercise in a scene that Eilish previously teased on her Instagram. During the exercise, Eva is able to draw out the secrets Dre is hiding in a peculiar and almost magical way. 

In the guest appearance, Billie Eilish also plays a queer woman who shares kisses with two women, including Dre, who she feels drawn to throughout. Swarm really allows Eilish to bring out her sensual charms as a character very different from her own personality and will certainly have her fans from the LGBTQ+ community theorizing further about her sexuality after she previously proclaimed “I love girls'' whilst promoting her steamy 2021 music video “Lost Cause.”  Eilish is in a relationship with The Neighbourhood frontman Jesse Rutherford. 

Eilish’s acting debut as Eva in Swarm has the singer showing off an excellent performance in a pivotal role that has me excited for what she'll do next in this arena. And while her role baited me into the series, it exposed me to an excellent new show tackling the dangers of fandom, which feels absolutely perfect for the singer who has plenty of experience dealing with a large fandom in her own life.  

21-year-old Billie Eilish has reached mind-blowing heights when it comes to her music career, ever since her debut hit single “Ocean Eyes” came along seven years ago. Ahead of the pop star getting back to her global tour, Eilish has been on social media posting hints all week pointing to the Amazon Prime series Swarm, and now we know why: she’s involved in a big way! As it turns out, she is among the actors in the horror series co-created by fellow influential musician Donald Glover. 

Eilish surprised fans on Thursday by taking to Instagram to reveal a scene of herself acting alongside Dominique Fishback's lead character Dre in Swarm, hitting streaming this weekend for everybody with Amazon Prime subscriptions. Check out Billie Eilish in character: 

Eilish is clearly not playing herself here in this creepy clip where she appears to be grilling Dominique Fishback’s character about some dark activities she was involved in. Swarm centers on Dre, who is majorly obsessed with a fictional Beyoncé-like singer named Ni’Jah, and goes to some mightlily extreme lengths to be in the musician's presence. 

Eilish will guest star as “Eva,” who seems weirdly excited by Dre’s confession that she hurt someone. The Grammy winner also brought back the blonde for the role after opening up about why she ditched the hair color for black.  

Swarm was co-created by Atlanta writer Janine Nabers and Donald Glover, following TV fans saying goodbye to Atlanta relatively recently. Glover’s brother and frequent collaborator Stephen Glover is also involved, as well as former First Daughter Malia Obama, who served as a staff writer on the show. That’s a lot of incredible talent! 

Eilish also attended a Swarm event where she posed alongside her collaborators: 

Billie Eilish rocked a tie for the Swarm event, posing for pictures with star Dominique Fishback and series creators Nabers and Glover. The last image in the social media post showed Eilish and boyfriend Jesse Rutherford attending the event together as well.  

Swarm will mark Billie Eilish’s acting debut aside from the singer starring in a ton of her own music videos, as well as hosting Saturday Night Live in late 2021, where she was part of one of the best sketches from Season 47. When she took on the hosting gig, Eilish shared with Howard Stern that the experience had her crying “every single day of the week” and had a “full-body reaction” to the live affair. 

When Eilish was previously asked about her interest in acting by The Hollywood Reporter, the singer said she would entertain the idea if she fell “in love with something,” because it’s “not my calling” along with sharing that she’s “always loved acting.” Both of Eilish’s parents are actors, and with Swarm it looks like the Apple TV documentary subject didn't fall far from the tree.

You can check out Billie Eilish in Swarm when all seven episodes drop on Prime Video on Friday, March 17. There's more to be excited about with these upcoming horror movies, too.

Update: The story below was adjusted to clarify Donald Glover was joking about Lena Dunham, and includes her official statement.

Despite being among the more celebrated and acclaimed creative minds in the world of entertainment, Donald Glover seemingly spends as much time avoiding the spotlight as performing in it. Ahead of the release of his next genre-morphing drama, Prime Video’s Swarm, the Atlanta creator stepped out of the metaphorical shadows and took the stage at this year’s WGA Awards to pay tribute to a fellow TV comedy mastermind, and just couldn’t stop himself from bringing up former Community co-star Chevy Chase’s use of racial slurs in the process.

Glover and Chase’s professional history together is as noteworthy as comedy-related feuds get, and it’s clear that the former hasn’t let offensive bygones be bygones in the years since they worked together. The part-time rapper presented the Writers Guild Awards’ honorary Herb Sargent Award for Comedy Excellence to Atlanta EP and What We Do in the Shadows showrunner Paul Simms, and used the award’s namesake as a way to target Chase anew. (Sargent was the SNL writer credited for crafting “Weekend Update” for the Fletch star.) In Glover’s words:

No stranger to the SNL stage himself — we’d love to see Glover back hosting as often as possible — the actor was making an only vaguely veiled reference to reports of Chevy Chase using racial slurs on the set of Community. Said behavior was widely reported on in 2012, with the elder actor apologizing for using said language directly in front of Glover and co-star Yvette Nicole Brown while complaining about his character Pierce. But according to Glover and Community creator Dan Harmon, the Christmas Vacation vet used racially charged language to get a rise out of his younger colleague and throw him off while filming scenes.

Community dealt with a slew of behind-the-scenes issues during its six-season stretch, from cancellations to showrunner changes to cast swaps, but Chevy Chase’s feuds with Donald Glover and Dan Harmon arguably remain the most memorable, in the worst of ways. And the Mystery Team star wasn’t keen on dropping just ONE Chase roast, as he followed that up while talking about working with Paul Simms during his guest stint on HBO’s Girls, saying: 

Following the event, representatives for Lena Dunham released the statement below making it clear that Glover's comments did not reflect reality, and that the Girls creator did not say anything of the sort to her temporary co-star. 

A representative for Donald Glover also confirmed with the L.A. Times that the actor was 100% joking in bringing up Dunham's name in that scenario, and it never actually happened.

Generally speaking, it was also a bit odd for the Childish Gambino maestro to pivot away from honoring Paul Simms in full just to go after the SNL vet. And on the WGA stage, no less, as opposed to an event more known for off-the-cuff moments. I'd imagine if Glover was being presented with a similar honor, he'd be ticked off if the person setting it up referenced some personal ire. But then again, Simms may have given Glover the go ahead to bury Chase however he saw fit. However it went, known Chevy Chase shit-talker Pete Davidson likely chuckled if he heard about it. 

Check the video out below of Donald Glover's full presentation for Paul Simms. 

Community fans are currently in the still-feels-weird spot of anticipating the upcoming reunion movie for Netflix, which is 100% happening, though it's unclear whether or not Donald Glover, as co-created by Glover and Janine Nabershis own Spider-verse spinoff film tied to the Hypno-Hustler (which still seems like an April Fool's Day joke gone awry). I'd be any amount of money that he won't be sharing the screen with Chevy Chase in either of the above.

Fans should definitely be watching Paul Simms & Co.'s FX comedy What We Do in the Shadows with a Hulu subscription, and then get ready to binge Prime Video's new fame-focused dramedy Swarm, as co-created by Glover and Janine Nabors, when it debuts on Friday, March 17.

Years after influencing the creation of Miles Morales by wearing Spider-Man pajamas in the Community episode “Anthropology 101” following campaigns to get him cast in The Amazing Spider-Man, Donald Glover appeared in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming as Aaron Davis, uncle to Miles and a criminal that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker ran into. Half a decade later, Glover has been tapped to produce and star in a movie about one of Spidey’s more obscure villains, The Hypno-Hustler.

This is the latest entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe to be announced, with the released movies in this franchise so far being Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Morbius. Myles Murphy, son of Eddie Murphy, is writing the officially-untitled project, and according to THR, Glover “sparked to the musical aspect of the character” and him having “less Marvel canon baggage,” allowing the Solo: A Star Wars Story vet to put his own spin on Hypno-Hustler. Between that and Murphy’s take, that was enough for Sony to give a Hypno-Hustler feature the greenlight, though it remains to be seen just what kind of musical setting we’ll find the cinematic version of the character in.

Debuting in 1978’s Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #24, Antoine Desloin, a.k.a. the Hypo-Hustler, is very much a product of his time, with his gimmick revolving around disco music. Hypo-Hustler led a band called the Mercy Killers, and they would use their special instruments to hypnotize audiences and rob them. Although Hypno-Hustler still periodically shows up in the Spider-Man comics, he’s by no means high up in the Web-Slinger’s rogues gallery hierarchy like Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus. Hypno-Hustler has previously appeared in an episode of The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and the video game Spider-Man: Web of Shadows.

This Hypno-Hustler movie will be Donald Glover’s third Spider-Man-related project, as along with Spider-Man: Homecoming, he briefly voiced Miles Morales on the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series before being succeeded by Ogie Banks. Glover’s scene from the aforementioned Community episode was also briefly shown in 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Presumably Glover playing Hypno-Hustler further reduces the already-low chances that his Aaron David will become Prowler in the MCU.

Ironically, with the way Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has shaped out, it’s doubtful that Donald Glover’s Hypno-Hustler will ever cross paths with Spidey, but it’ll be interesting to see how this features shapes up and boosts the minor supervillain’s profile. Glover is also set to lead the Mr and Mrs. Smith series, which will co-star actors like Maya Erskine, Parker Posey, Michaela Coel, John Turtorro, Paul Dano and Wagner Moura, and be accessible to Amazon Prime Video subscribers.

Other upcoming movies in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe include Kraven the Hunter, El Muerto, Madame Web and Venom 3. CinemaBlend will continue providing updates on all these projects, and you’re also welcome to look through our lineup of 2023 movie releases.

A few times per season, Saturday Night Live picks someone to be both the host and musical guest of a given episode, and let me tell you, whenever they do this I always know we’re in for a wild ride. Some of my all-time favorite hosts of the NBC sketch show have been those who take on double duty. I think musicians thrive on SNL because they are able to use their stage presence and experience performing live to their advantage and charm the audience during both the sketches and the musical portions of the show. 

While there are many musicians that haven’t done double duty yet, there are many who have, and who should 100% do it again. So, here’s a list of ten musicians we’d love to see return as both hosts and musical guests on Saturday Night Live. 

Justin Timberlake 

I feel like at this point, it’s just commonly understood that Justin Timberlake is one of the best SNL hosts of all time. The popstar and former NSYNC member has proven this simply by the number of times he’s been asked back to Saturday Night Live (I mean he is a member of the exclusive five-timers club). 

He’s been also in some of the most classic sketches of the last 20 years, in my opinion. Two of his best sketches have been staples in the SNL primetime Christmas special for years now. One is "Bring it on Down to Wrappinville," where Timberlake gets into the holiday spirit with his pal Jimmy Fallon while rapping dressed as gift wrap. His other classic holiday sketch comes by way of an SNL Digital Short with Andy Samberg, hilariously titled “Dick in a Box.” This song was one of the first times I saw Samberg’s musical talents, and Timberlake’s silky vocals just added to the quality production and absurd lyrics of the now classic holiday song.

So, even though the “Sexy Back” singer has helmed SNL many, many times, another go around would be more than welcome. 

Donald Glover/Childish Gambino 

Donald Glover is quite possibly the perfect person to be both the host and musical guest. Not only is Glover a legendary comedic actor because of his work on Community and his own show, Atlanta, he’s also an accomplished musician who goes by the name Childish Gambino. It’s honestly kind of hard for me to believe that Glover has only hosted SNL once, but that one time was iconic.

Throughout Glover’s whole episode he showed that he would be a perfectly capable full-time cast member (fun fact, he actually did audition but didn’t make the cut) on SNL. If you haven’t seen any of Glover’s iconic sketches, do yourself a favor and either watch the Jurassic World “Courtroom” sketch or the “Barbie Instagram” sketch and you’ll immediately be hoping that the Community star comes back to SNL ASAP. 

Ariana Grande 

While most people connect Ariana Grande to SNL because of her ex, Pete Davidson, let us not forget the comedic genius she brought to the show. Over the years the “thank u, next” singer has brought her pipes to the SNL stage, but in 2019 she got to show off her acting skills and absolutely wow the crowd with her impressions. 

On both SNL and The Tonight Show, Grande has impersonated pop queens like Cher, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Her singing impressions have become so well known, Celine Dion herself even reacted to the Sweetener singer’s impression of her. And she doesn’t just do singing impressions, she also impersonates actors like Jennifer Lawrence, and she has played hilarious original characters as well.

With Grande playing a massive role in Wicked, she’ll hopefully be back to host and sing a few songs, too, on the classic comedy show sometime soon. 

Billie Eilish 

Now let’s talk about someone who recently hosted SNL. I remember being shocked when I learned the young pop sensation Billie Eilish would be doing double duty as part of SNL’s 47th Season. For an artist who, up until that moment, was known for her deep and dark music I was curious to see how she’d do on the show, and she absolutely killed it. 

I always find it incredibly endearing when people on SNL break. Eilish was trying so hard to not crack up throughout her episode, especially when she was sharing the screen with Kate McKinnon, like in the “Hotel Ad” sketch. 

Eilish is also an incredibly talented musician (I mean she’s won so many Grammys, and an Oscar) so it’s always a treat whenever she comes on to perform her music. Hopefully, she’ll come back soon, because she’s on the list of hosts who aren’t actors who absolutely nailed the gig. 

Jack Harlow 

Talk about coming out of left field. Jack Harlow wasn’t even on my radar as someone who would thrive hosting SNL, but he did and I really hope he comes back soon. I remember watching his first ad, and his hilarious Halloween joke made me realize he was born to host and bring the music to Studio 8H.

One of his best sketches was “AA Meeting” where the rapper played a man in AA who decided to pitch his animated movie about luggage to the group instead of talking about his addiction. It’s a hilarious sketch that showed off Harlow’s ability to commit to a bit, which is something he did fearlessly throughout the episode. 

So, on top of Harlow’s impeccable ability to create amazing live renditions of his songs, his comedic timing makes him perfect to do double duty again. 

Lizzo 

Lizzo’s charisma and sense of humor bring me so much joy, and to see her bring that to the SNL stage in Season 47 of SNL was an absolute delight. Watching her episode you could just tell she was having the time of her life, and it was an added bonus that we not only got her as host, but we also got to see her perform a few of her best songs live.

One of my favorite things about musicians doing double duty is when the cast and writers use the host’s musical abilities to their advantage. For example, it’s not every day you get a host who can masterfully play the flute. Naturally, they used Lizzo’s skills as a flutist and dancer to create one of my favorite sketches where she tries to join an “Orchestra” but can’t play her instrument unless she’s twerking. 

Even though Lizzo admitted she was nervous to host, I thought she was a natural and 100% original, which is why I really hope she returns to the SNL stage soon. 

Chance The Rapper 

“Let’s do that hockey,” is one of my favorite lines to come out of SNL in recent years. Chance the Rapper was playing a basketball announcer who was forced to cover a hockey game, and he had absolutely no idea what was going on. His comedic timing was impeccable, and I’d love to see the rapper reprise his role as the clueless sports announcer sometime soon. 

On top of the aforementioned sketch, Chance the Rapper also starred in other hilarious sketches like “Judge Barry” where he played a judge who only takes ten seconds to make a verdict, and “Spooky Song,” where the musician played a ghost who is forced to rap about the embarrassing way he died. 

Here’s hoping that the next time Chance the Rapper releases more music, he comes back to do double duty on SNL. 

Harry Styles 

Harry Styles has been the musical guest on SNL a whopping five times, both with One Direction and solo, but he’s only hosted once. In many of these cases, even though he wasn’t hosting, he would always pop up in a sketch or two and absolutely kill, for example, like in Paul Rudd’s Once Direction sketch that's so iconic. Then in 2019, when Fine Line came out he hosted and provided the tunes for the night, he did such a good job. 

The “As It Was” singer has one of my all-time favorite monologues, where he brings his charisma from his tour to the SNL stage to mess with the crowd, play some music, and make everybody swoon. 

Hopefully, with Harry’s House still being a relatively new album and his flourishing acting career, Styles will be back to host SNL and rock the audience's socks off for a sixth time. 

Taylor Swift 

While Swift made an appearance in Season 47 to play the 10-minute version of “All Too Well,” she hasn’t hosted since 2009, so I think it’s safe to say she’s on a short list of hosts we’d love to see on SNL again soon. What further proved the need for her to come back was when she was featured in a Please Don’t Destroy sketch last year where she and Pete Davidson roast the “Three Sad Virgins.” 

Over the years Swift has appeared in many different movies, and she has created fun music videos that show off her sense of humor for many of her singles. Since it’s been over ten years since the last time she hosted, she has a whole arsenal of new music and stories to pull from for sketches and I just know they’d be amazing. 

Bruno Mars 

It’s been a minute since we’ve seen Bruno Mars on SNL. The Silk Sonic member appeared as a musical guest and host back in 2013. And he absolutely killed it, between his musical monologue, digital shorts like “Sad Mouse,” and the cameo-filled sketch, “The Maryville Brothers: Haunted Castle."

He’s also one of my all-time favorite musicians to watch live. Seeing him and his band dance on stage is so fun, and he always gives a performance that makes you want to stand up and clap at the end. His on-stage charisma definitely rubbed off on his performances throughout the sketches, and I’d love to see him helm the show, while also performing a couple of bops again. 

Hopefully, we’ll get a few more double-duty hosts during Season 48, and who knows, maybe one of these ten will come back to the show. If you are interested in watching any of these ten artists on SNL, or you want to keep up with the classic sketch show’s latest season and the SNL cast 2023 allstars, you can stream Saturday Night Live with a Peacock subscription. 

When it came to the final season of FX’s Atlanta, Donald Glover promised something that would rival The Sopranos’, and it didn’t disappoint. Season 4 delivered some of the acclaimed dramedy’s sharpest installments yet, including that dream-like series finale. One of those last episodes really broke from the show’s traditional format by presenting a faux documentary focused on the making of Disney’s A Goofy Movie. It’s a wild piece of storytelling, to say the least, but is also pretty ingenious. The show caught the attention of quite a few people, including the movie’s real-life director, Kevin Lima, who’s now shared his response to it.

Directed by Donald Glover, “The Goof Who Sat By the Door” presents a documentary of the same name aired by the fictional B.A.N. (Black American Network). The doc tells the fictional account of Thomas Washington, a Black animator from Atlanta who unexpectedly gets named the CEO of the Walt Disney Company in the ‘90s. Washington then aims to produce “the Blackest movie of all time” à la A Goofy Movie though, as he continues to do so, he gradually loses his sanity. The episode cleverly plays on the long-running Internet debate regarding the ways in which the 1995 film speaks to African-American culture and also mirrors Sam Greenlee’s 1969 novel, The Spook Who Sat by the Door.

I was personally floored by what writers Francesca Sloane and Karen Joseph Adcock accomplished with this. Of course, I was also somewhat surprised that the show actually tackled the topic. Kevin Lima was apparently shocked to hear about it as well, and it sounds like that feeling only increased when he actually watched the episode: 

While it didn’t make much noise at the box office or receive strong reviews when it was released, A Goofy Movie remains popular over 25 years later. Many laud it for its characters, humor and incredibly catchy tunes. And at the same time, various people have opined about its significance to Black people. Many argue that the Goof film channels the culture and in many ways, provides metaphors for the African-American experience. During his interview with /Film, Kevin Lima acknowledged that the movie is “so entrenched in our culture and in Black culture in that way” and for him, Atlanta’s decision to discuss it “is so confirming that it touches people.” Lima, who wasn’t contacted by the show about the episode, talked more about the love his animated classic has received: 

It’s somewhat hard to believe that Disney was fine with one of its subsidiaries poking fun at its corporate structure and creative process. But I suppose it’s as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Kudos to Donald Glover and his crew for pulling off such a smart episode just before signing off, and good on Kevin Lima for showing support. 

All four seasons of Atlanta are available to stream using a Hulu subscription and, if you’re still reflecting on its storied run, read up on the things I’ll miss most about the FX show. Those who want to give A Goofy Movie a watch can also access that with a Disney+ subscription.

This week marks the end of an era in TV history. Atlanta, Donald Glover’s acclaimed dramedy, closed out its run after four seasons on FX. Glover hyped up the final two seasons of the show as being on par with The Sopranos, and they did not disappoint in the slightest. That makes it all the more difficult for so many to say goodbye to the character of Earnest Marks and his friends and family. In short, there’s a lot to love about the show and, now that it’s gone, there are several things that I’m going to miss the most. 

On the surface, the Emmy-winning slow-burn comedy focuses on a young man who oversees the burgeoning music career of his rapper cousin. But it’s much more than that. It’s also a thoughtful examination of the music industry and everyday life told from an African American perspective. Within that, the show cultivated several key elements that really help to set it apart from its small-screen peers. So at the risk of wasting any additional time, let me talk about the things I’ll remember more than anything in the years to come:

Atlanta’s Anthology-Style Storytelling Made The Program Unique

Like other scripted TV series, Atlanta does have overarching plot threads, such as Alfred’s journey within the music industry and Earn and Van’s relationship. What makes the show so unique, though, is that it doesn’t rely on story arcs. Most episodes take one or some of the characters and place them in unique situations. Others don’t involve them at all and instead, opt to focus on various individuals that also exist within this universe. (Season 3, in particular, had a number of great episodes like that.) 

This method of storytelling truly makes the program unique, and it does a lot for fans. Going into each weekly tale viewers have been able to expect something totally different from what they’ve already experienced. It’s basically as though the show is made up of short stories that contain the same characters as opposed to a string of installments that make up a singular arc. It’s not often you can say that every episode of a TV series can stand on its own, but that’s true here. This creative spontaneity is one of the things I’ve enjoyed and will remember fondly.

The Characters Of Atlanta Will Collectively Leave A Void

I have absolutely no problem saying that this show has delivered some of the most complex characters to ever grace a TV screen. The principal cast, made up of Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, Zazie Beetz and Lakeith Stanfield, is nothing short of impeccable. Each is so well cast and, at this point, they’re in sync with their characters in a way that few actors are. As a result of their work and that of the razor sharp writing staff, each character’s voice is distinct, and everyone gets their time in the sun. 

What’s always impressed me is just how layered the four individuals are. While each has a “base personality,” there’s more to each one than meets the eye. For instance, while Earn is a highly intelligent and sensible young man, who typically plays the straight man to the others’ antics, he can also be neurotic and (as fans saw in Season 4) a bit spiteful. And don’t even get me started on Brian Tyree Henry’s Alfred a.k.a. Paper Boi. On the outside, he’s an imposing rapper who enjoys a good time but, on the inside, he’s a contemplative individual who also appreciates the simple things in life. In short, I’m truly going to miss these intriguing characters and their interactions with one another.

Atlanta’s Use Of Afro-Surrealism Has Been A Novelty Within The TV Landscape

One of the things that makes Atlanta such trailblazing entertainment is the way in which it employs afro-surrealism. Surrealism is an avant-garde movement that began in the 20th century and saw artists using wild images and other unconventional techniques as forms of expression. (A number of contemporary shows have featured surreal elements including The Sopranos and Twin Peaks.) Afro-surrealism is essentially the same thing, yet the main difference is that its ultimate goal is to convey aspects of the Black experience. Donald Glover’s show has done that in tremendous fashion.

There are so many surreal moments that one could mention from the series’ run. Whether it be Marcus Miles’ invisible car, the race-bent Justin Bieber or the infamous Teddy Perkins, the series has delivered big time. These moments may have been a bit too odd for some, but they were incredibly refreshing for me. It’s honestly not often that we get to see African-American characters placed in such extraordinary circumstances, let alone on a mainstream TV show. Though I’m sad that we won’t see any more of it from Atlanta, I’m hopeful that it’ll inspire other creatives to follow suit down the line.

The Way Atlanta Used Guest Stars Was Nothing Short Of Entertaining

You can't discuss the show’s greatness without talking about the wave of excellent guest stars that appeared over the four seasons. The list may not be super lengthy, but Earn and co. crossed paths with some familiar and surprising stars. The Migos, comedian Katt Williams and Soulja Boy are among those to pop up. But what was really interesting about sweet appearances like those is how they were employed.

Atlanta dropped notable actors into the narrative in some wild ways. For example, some may still remember that in Season 2, Earn challenged Michael Vick to a foot race. There’s also Season 3’s “New Jazz,” which featured Liam Neeson addressing his 2019 race controversy. (I still can’t believe that one.) And do I even need to mention Van pulling the okey-doke on Alexander Skarsgård during the latter season’s finale? In short, very few shows have handled guests like this, and none of them have disappointed. I only wish the producers had reached out to Chris Evans for that one Season 4 episode. 

Atlanta Will Be Remembered For Its Social Commentary

I mean, we can’t discuss Atlanta without talking about the astute societal observations it’s made over the past four seasons. Quite frankly, there are just too many ways to count just how it has shed light on topics in thoughtful and creative ways. One of the most notable episodes to do this was Season 1’s “B.A.N.,” which won Donald Glover an Emmy for his direction. Police brutality, generational wealth, familial dysfunction and mental health are only a few of the things that have been addressed. The show has even tackled the relationship between African Americans and the TV and film industries. (Season 4 made solid points about the shelf lives of Black musicians.)

It’s true that there are plenty of shows today that look to convey social and/or political commentary. Though the FX dramedy has done so in a way that always feels natural and never heavy-handed. This comes down to Donald Glover and his team trusting the audience to be able to pick up on what they’re laying down. One can’t help but appreciate a series that doesn’t talk down to its viewers but is always willing to be honest with them.

To say that Atlanta has left an indelible mark on the television landscape would be an understatement. There’s just nothing else like it, and there will likely be nothing else like it once it’s over. Though I’m sad it’s ending, I’m certainly glad to have had it and, whenever I consider all that it’s given us, I’ll look back on it fondly. 

You can check out every episode of Atlanta by streaming them with a Hulu subscription. And if you're now in need of something else to watch, check out the 2022 TV schedule for some viable viewing options.

Six seasons and a movie! The prophecy has been fulfilled! Well, it's going to be, anyway. 

Community was beloved by many when it premiered on NBC way back in 2009, igniting careers for some of its cast and crew such as Donald Glover, Alison Brie, Danny Pudi and so many others, but since its ending in 2015, fans have been wondering if a side-comment made about The Cape from Season 2 of the show would come true for Community. 

The comedy ended up getting those six seasons, but it’s been long rumored and hoped that a movie might someday happen. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the cast got back together for a virtual table reading of one of the episodes, reigniting those rumors of a possible movie. The Community movie has officially been announced. But when exactly is this film going to come out? Who is going to return to Greendale Community College? This is what we know. 

What Is The Community Movie Release Date?

At the time of updating this in May 2024, there is no set release date for the Community film, but we do have plenty of other updates that give us hope that it’ll at least come out soon. Maybe not as a part of the 2024 movie schedule, but maybe as a part of the one in 2025.  

Also, according to a Deadline report from September 2022, the Community movie is actually going to be premiering on the streaming service, Peacock, NBC’s exclusive streaming platform for some of their shows.

Community has been streaming on Netflix for years at this point, with all six seasons there, and is arguably one of the best shows to binge on Netflix, in my opinion. But, as the Deadline article said, Peacock won the rights to the film in a “competitive situation.” 

It’s not that big of a shocker that the movie would land at Peacock, considering that the series originally aired on NBC, and ever since its cancellation it’s only grown in popularity through streaming platforms like Netflix. 

Several Cast Members From Community Are Set To Return

Confirmed in the Deadline article from September 2022, we know now that several of the original stars of the Community cast are set to return for the sequel film:

Joel McHale as Jeff Winger

Joel McHale is confirmed to return as Jeff Winger in the Community movie. The actor even tweeted out his excitement for the film on Twitter, simply sending “.” while tagging his former cast members’ Twitter handles before the film was officially announced.  

McHale has appeared in films like The Happytime Murders, Becky, Happily, and more since Community ended, and also hosts a show called Crime Scene Kitchen, which was renewed for Season 3. He currently stars in Animal Control. 

Gillian Jacobs as Britta Perry

Gillian Jacobs will return as Britta Perry for the movie. The actress has appeared in movies like Magic Camp, Life of the Party and more, and has held roles in major TV shows such as Invincible and The Bear. 

Alison Brie as Annie Edison

Alison Brie will return as Annie Edison. Her best movies and shows include Mad Men, GLOW, BoJack Horseman, The Post, Promising Young Women and many more. 

Danny Pudi as Abed Nadir

Danny Pudi will return as Abed Nadir for the film. He held a voice role in the reboot of Ducktales, and played a main part on Mythic Quest. He also appeared as part of the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender cast. 

Jim Rash as Craig Pelton

Jim Rash is confirmed to come back as Dean Craig Pelton. He has since appeared in TV shows like Girlboss, black-ish, Harley Quinn, Solar Opposites and more. 

Ken Jeong as Ben Chang

Ken Jeong will be back as Ben Chang for the Community movie. Jeong has hosted a variety of TV shows since then, and even had his own television series called Dr. Ken. 

Donald Glover as Troy Barnes

For a time, it seemed that Donald Glover returning as Troy Barnes would be near impossible, since Glover has had a very busy schedule with new films and his own TV shows like Atlanta and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. However, we can confirm that he will be back as Troy. 

Glover himself confirmed the news in an interview with GQ back 2023, and fans have been eager to see him return to the role after his departure. 

Dan Harmon was quick to say that Glover’s return would probably happen in an interview with Variety in October 2022, so it’s not that surprising that the actor/creator said he would be returning.  

Yvette Nicole Brown as Shirley Bennett

Also confirmed is Yvette Nicole Brown, who will come back as Shirley Bennett for the film. Jeong confirmed the news in an interview with The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon back in January 2024, so it looks like the gang will be all back together. Brown has appeared in various TV shows, such as Big Shot, Mom, Soul Man and more. She even earned a PrimeTime Emmy nomination for her role in A Black Lady Sketch Show.

Is anyone else as excited as I am to see this?

Chevy Chase Will Not Be Back

As expected, it’s been confirmed Chevy Chase will not be back as Pierce Hawthorne. That’s not surprising, as even the Deadline article from 2022 reported that Chase had problems with Harmon behind-the-scenes. 

Then, in an interview with the New York Post in April 2024, McHale himself confirmed that Chase was most likely “not interested” in returning and that even if he was, he’s “not allowed to:”

The Community Film Will Feature A College Reunion

Thankfully, we have some idea of what the Community film will be about. In an interview that Glover did with The Hollywood Reporter in February 2024 before Mr. and Mrs. Smith, he revealed a few details about the movie, including that it’ll involve a college reunion, and that Dan Harmon told him directly what it would be about:

Other than that, there isn’t that much out there confirmed – but I for one am down for a college reunion and Abed being a huge film director. 

Dan Harmon And Andrew Guest Wrote The Film

As confirmed by the Deadline article in 2022, Dan Harmon, the creator of Community, wrote the film alongside Andrew Guest, who has written on shows such as 30 Rock, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and of course, Community, where he wrote six episodes. 

While the screenwriters are set, Harmon is not set to direct the film, and this has not changed as of May 2024. However, he does have people in mind, according to the statement that was in the Variety article: 

I’m sure that as more news begins to come out about the film, we’ll get an update on who is set to direct. But wow, could you imagine the Russo Brothers returning to comedy after directing the likes of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame? I would adore them in the Community world again, but only time will tell. 

Filming Should Begin In 2024

This is probably the news that everyone has been looking forward to for a while. In March 2024, Deadline confirmed that the Community movie is looking to film in the same year, and that Peacock is “working around” Glover’s schedule. McHale says that he has read the script and that it is complete, and that the plan is to film later in the year.

He added that he would be “shocked” if they didn’t begin filming soon. A 2024 filming date makes me excited – and hopefully, that means we might get it next year. 

With this news in mind, I can’t wait to see where this Community movie goes and how our characters are going to return to Greendale after being away from it for so long. Are we going to get Troy and Abed in the morning again? Another Spanish rap? All these questions I need answers to.  

Years before he created and led the FX series Atlanta, and was cast as Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Donald Glover was arguably best known for play Troy Barnes in Community. Glover was one of the main cast members during the show’s first four seasons on NBC, but then departed after appearing in Season 5’s first five episodes. Now following the recent announcement that a Community movie is in the works for Peacock subscribers, Community creator Dan Harmon has discussed the possibility of whether Glover will take part in this cinematic reunion.

For years, Community fans championed the “six seasons and a movie” mantra coined by Abed Nadir when he started watching The Cape (spoiler alert, that show only lasted one season). The cult comedy hit the six seasons mark thanks to a final outing on the now-defunct Yahoo! Screen, and now the movie is finally happening close to a decade after Community concluded. While Donald Glover was not listed among the actors who will return, Dan Harmon told Variety that The Martian star, among other Community alums, could still show up. In his words:

Dan Harmon’s correct in saying that it’s hard to imagine a Community movie happening without Donald Glover, and the same goes for Yvette Nicole Brown, who starred as Shirley Bennett for the entirety of Community’s first five seasons, and then made a guest appearance in Season 6. As far as Glover specifically goes, Harmon is confident that he’ll appear in the movie, but the only reason he wasn’t listed in the casting lineup is because his deal to reprise Troy Barnes hasn’t been 100% set in stone. If that’s the case, then all we have to do now is wait for him to be officially announced in the near future so this matter can be put to rest.

When we last saw Troy in the episode “Geothermal Escapism,” he was about to sail around the world with LeVar Burton so that he could receive the shares of Hawthorne Wipes left to him by the late Pierce Hawthorne, played by Chevy Chase. Then in the episode “Analysis of Cork-Based Networking,” a news report revealed that Burton and a “non-celebrity” had been abducted by pirates in the Gulf of Mexico. Rescuing Troy would certainly make a compelling reason for the Greendale gang to get back together, but if he was able to escape captivity on its own, then it still would be nice for him to make his way to the reunion. The same goes for Shirley.

So far Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Ken Jeong and Jim Rash are all confirmed to be appearing in the Community movie, and Dan Harmon is writing the script with Andrew Guest. Other potential characters who could pop their head into the movie include Paget Brewster’s Frankie Dart and Keith David’s Elroy Patashnik, both of whom were part of the study group in Season 6. Without any plot details to work with yet, it’s hard to predict what we can expect from the Community movie, although there are certain elements that will hopefully be prioritized. Make sure to read our breakdown of how Community ended to learn where we left off with the main characters in 2015.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more news about the Community movie, and don’t forget to visit our 2022 TV schedule to see what’s currently on the airwaves (including Donald Glover starring in the final season of Atlanta) and what programming is left to premiere this year.

 Abbott Elementary emerged as one of the biggest surprises of the 2021-2022 TV season. The show – which is produced by, written by, and stars Quinta Brunson – managed to strike a chord with audiences and earn itself a second season as a result. It also landed historic Emmy wins for Brunson and co-star Sheryl Lee Ralph, who gave an incredible speech. Of course, with new episodes on the way, there are a few things folks might be pondering, like what kind of guest stars might pop in. And if you ask me, there are a number of high-profile comedians, such as Anthony Anderson, who’d be perfect for guest spots. 

The school-centric workplace comedy, which has been compared to The Office, has already announced a few guest actors for Season 2. It was recently confirmed that Leslie Odom Jr., Lauren Weedman, and Keyla Monterroso Mejia are set to appear, though one can’t help but wonder who else could show up in the second season (and beyond, should the show continue). There are plenty are stars who would be a great fit for the sitcom, but it would be particularly fun to see a number of notable comedians lend their talents to the proceedings. So, let’s discuss the comedy vets who'd fit into the series:

Anthony Anderson

When it comes to comedy, Anthony Anderson has certainly been around the block, so to speak. He’s starred in notable comedies like Me, Myself & Irene and Barbershop as well as dramas like Hustle & Flow and The Departed. But, in recent years, he’s led the cast of ABC’s Black-ish, which capped off its eight-season run earlier this year. Anderson’s trying new things right now, after having returned for a season on the Law & Order revival. Surely he could pop onto Abbott for an episode. I’d personally love to see him play a high-ranking school exec who comes into conflict with the gang. 

Wanda Sykes 

It almost feels like there’s nothing Wanda Sykes hasn’t done at this point. The Emmy winner has a plethora of comedy films under her belt like Evan Almighty and Bad Moms. She’s also been a major fixture within the TV realm, having headlined her own sitcom, Wanda at Large, and having appeared on the likes of The New Adventures of Old Christine and The Good Fight. She also notably hosted the Oscars this year. At the moment, she’s also one of the stars of the Netflix family sitcom The Upshaws. She could certainly bring her comedic expertise to Abbott Elementary in any kind of role. 

Henry Winkler 

Honestly, what can you even say about Henry Winkler? The man has an illustrious career that spans nearly five decades and is marked with notable film and TV credits like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Night Shift, The Waterboy and Parks and Recreation. And then, of course, there’s Happy Days, on which he played the iconic Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli. These days, Winkler stars on the HBO black comedy Barry, for which he won an Emmy in 2018. In short, Abbott would be lucky to have the seasoned actor. And, with his natural enthusiasm, I’d peg him to play the school’s over-the-top performing arts teacher. 

David Alan Grier 

There are plenty of potential ways that Abbott Elementary could utilize someone like David Alan Grier. Many comedy aficionados are probably aware that he rose to prominence in the ‘90s as a cast member on Fox’s In Living Color. From there, he’s starred and appeared on notable shows like Martin, My Wife and Kids, Happy Endings, and The Carmichael Show. Grier, who’s also a veteran of the stage, definitely knows how to get a laugh and could do that very thing on the ABC sitcom in almost any role. It’d be great to see him play the brother of Sheryl Lee Ralph’s Barbara Howard or even an old friend of William Stanford Davis’ lovable janitor, Mr. Johnson. 

Randall Park 

It’s really hard not to like Randall Park. The comedy vet has been at it for years now and has become a fan favorite in both TV and film. Trainwreck, Always Be My Maybe, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Aquaman are only a few of the movie credits under his belt. On the TV side, he was the lead of ABC's comedy, Fresh off the Boat, appeared on HBO’s Veep and returned to Marvel and joined the cast of Disney+’s WandaVision. And yes, he famously played Steve/Asian Jim on The Office. I’d love to see him on Quinta Brunson’s series – and in a role as humorous as the one he played on NBC’s mockumentary. 

Patton Oswalt 

If you’re looking for a funnyman with great comedic chops, look no further than Patton Oswalt. The veteran stand-up comedian has been a comedy staple for some time and has greatly endeared himself to audiences. There’s a good chance you’ve seen him on shows like The King of Queens, Parks and Recreation, Community, Two and a Half Men, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Oswalt has a sharp sense of humor and a sweet core that would make him perfect for Abbott Elementary. If he’s not cast as a substitute teacher at the school, then I don’t know what we’re even doing. 

Donald Glover 

So, this one may be a long shot, but Donald Glover would be a fantastic guest star. He’s been one of the hardest-working people in show business for the past decade, having made a name for himself through NBC’s Community before starring in high-profile films like The Martian, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and The Lion King. The Emmy winner is also the creator of the acclaimed FX dramedy, Atlanta, which is ending after four seasons this year. A fan of Abbott, Glover would be perfect as a potential new boyfriend of Janine Teagues, or even a sibling of hers. 

Whoopi Goldberg 

Speaking of Janine’s family, you can’t tell me that Whoopi Goldberg wouldn’t be a strong pick to play her seemingly negligent mother. Most are pretty familiar with the EGOT’s work, which ranges from movies like Ghost, Sister Act, and The Color Purple to TV shows like Whoopi, Everybody Hates Chris, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Of course, she’s also been a co-host on The View for the past 15 years. The stand-up comic’s sharp wit would be a great addition to the show – and quite a match for the dry humor of Lisa Ann Walter’s Melissa Schemmenti. 

Carol Burnett 

There’s only one Carol Burnett, and she’d be an amazing Abbott Elementary guest star. The comedy icon’s career is legendary and was launched into the stratosphere with the debut of her self-titled variety show in the late ‘60s. The six-time Emmy winner has also become quite famous for her guest appearances in numerous shows like Mad About You, Hawaii Five-0, and Better Call Saul, which earned her massive love from fans. Right now, some are even campaigning for her to host Saturday Night Live. The 89-year-old actress is showing no signs of slowing down, and Abbott would be a firm addition to her already-illustrious resume. 

Abbott Elementary has the potential to tell some great stories should it remain on TV for years to come, and one would hope that Quinta Brunson and her collaborators utilize these stars and more at some point. But, more immediately, check out new episodes of the comedy when they air on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET as part of the 2022 TV schedule. You can also stream episodes next day with a Hulu subscription. 

Those in need of a good laugh can usually find exactly what they are looking for with a Netflix subscription. One of the reasons why the platform is one of the best streaming services to subscribe to is its nearly countless number of stand-up comedy specials that have sparked the on-stage revival of various beloved legends or helped skyrocket the careers of comedy’s most promising voices. 

As you might imagine, however, there are almost too many stand-up comedy specials to choose from, so what are the funniest available to stream now? Let us see if we can help you narrow down your choices for your next night of laughs with our picks for the funniest stand-up comedy specials available on Netflix.

John Mulaney: Baby J (2023)

In his first special since his stint in rehab, John Mulaney details his struggles with that life-changing occasion, shares other revealing personal anecdotes, and tells some of his best jokes ever, making Baby J some of the comic’s finest work yet.

Stream John Mulaney: Baby J on Netflix

Ali Wong: Baby Cobra (2016)

While several months pregnant with her first child, Ali Wong – future Emmy-winning star of one of the best A24 TV shows, Beef – performs what is widely considered to be some of her best and most insightful work in Baby Cobra.

Stream Ali Wong: Baby Cobra on Netflix

Deon Cole: Cole Hearted (2019)

Black-ish star and former Conan writer Deon Cole’s debut Netflix special, Cole Hearted, sees him riff on the true meaning behind the name “Arby’s,” explaining when and why to give thanks to Jesus, and demonstrate why comedy is the last raw form of expression.

Stream Deon Cole: Cole Hearted on Netflix

Little Big Boy may boast the most mature material we have seen yet from Nick Kroll, but don’t be surprised when the Big Mouth co-creator throws in a fart joke.

Stream Nick Kroll: Little Big Boy on Netflix

Jimmy Carr: Natural Born Killer (2024)

Not to be confused with a certain Oliver Stone film, Jimmy Carr: Natural Born Killer sees the British comedian continue to deliver his signature, shamelessly crass, but undeniably clever, one-liners, which cover everything from veganism, anti-vaxxers, and how to practice proper consent.

Stream Jimmy Carr: Natural Born Killer on Netflix

Steve Martin And Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget For The Rest Of Your Life (2018)

Steve Martin and Martin Short are at their best when they are together and the Only Murders in the Building cast members deliver something truly unforgettable in An Evening You Will Forget For the Rest of Your Life, which consists of witty banter, uproarious sketches, and a few moments of great music.

Stream Steve Martin And Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget For the Rest of Your Life on Netflix

Chris Rock: Selective Outrage (2023)

Netflix’s very first live special, Selective Outrage, saw Chris Rock reveal his thoughts on Will Smith slapping him at the Oscars, among other topics, in front of a Baltimore audience.

Stream Chris Rock: Selective Outrage on Netflix

Taylor Tomlinson: Look At You (2022)

While still in her 20s, Taylor Tomlinson proved herself to be one of the sharpest and boldest comedians working today with her brilliant debut special, Quarter-Life Crisis, in 2020. However, the gold standard of her career might be her second Netflix original, Look at You, for how she cleverly turns her own struggles with family, friends, and romance after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, into one hour of laugh-a-minute delight.

Stream Taylor Tomlinson: Look at You on Netflix

Mike Birbiglia: Thank God For Jokes (2017)

The state of comedy as we know it is a hotly debated topic these days and Mike Birbiglia believes it really all comes down to one thing: it has been ruined by people who are bad at telling them or try to hide behind their own mistakes by vocally claiming they are “just joking.” Well, the recurring Orange is the New Black cast member and three-time interim Jimmy Kimmel Live host is on a mission to preserve the art with his first Netflix special (out of four currently available on the platform), Thank God for Jokes.

Stream Mike Birbigila: Thank God for Jokes on Netflix

Demetri Martin: Live (At The Time) (2015)

I have always thought of Demetri Martin as the Bob Dylan of comedy – mostly because he often wears a harmonica around his neck while playing guitar during musical interludes, but also for his inventive, obscure approach to the art, involving illustrated sight gags or edits to his special that add a wonderfully meta commentary. The former Daily Show correspondent presents what may be the funniest display of his irreverent style with his first Netflix special, Live (At the Time) – a title that is totally on-brand for the comic.  

Stream Demetri Martin: Live (At the Time) on Netflix

Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh (2018)

A stand-up icon who always loves to incorporate music into his act is Adam Sandler, the SNL cast member-turned-cinematic comedy superstar-turned-acclaimed dramatic thespian (i.e. his acclaimed performance in Uncut Gems). Before taking that award-winning role, the “Sandman” reignited his stand-up presence with this Netflix special, in which he raps about our over-reliance on technology, pays tribute to the late Chris Farley, and gives us more material that is truly 100% Fresh.

Stream Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh on Netflix

Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours To Kill (2020)

Netflix is the ultimate hub for content related to Jerry Seinfeld, as it’s the one place you can stream Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, his groundbreaking self-titled series from the ‘90s (and one of the all-time best sitcoms), and other titles, including this original special. The comedy icon certainly kills in 23 Hours to Kill by bringing his signature observational style to topics like how similar the words “sucks” and “great” truly are, how different talking and texting are, and more.

Stream Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill on Netflix

Patton Oswalt: Annihilation (2017)

Former The King of Queens cast member and Ratatouille star Patton Oswalt has always had a bold and boisterous on-stage presence, whether he is poking fun at politics or at himself. However, the actor and comedian (who also lends his voice to Netflix’s The Sandman cast) has never been more candid about either topic than in his second special for the platform, Annihilation – half of which is devoted to honoring his late wife, true crime author Michelle McNamara.

Stream Patton Oswalt: Annihilation on Netflix

Norm Macdonald: Hitler’s Dog, Gossip & Trickery (2017)

In 2021, we lost beloved comedian and former SNL star Norm Macdonald to a private, nine-year battle with cancer. Remember the joy he brought to the world of comedy with his first Netflix original special, Hitler’s Dog, Gossip & Trickery – one of his finest career efforts for brilliant takes on mundane topics like the abbreviation for “identification” and his analysis of Germany’s volatile place in history.

Stream Norm Macdonald: Hitler’s Dog, Gossip & Trickery on Netflix

Bo Burnham: Inside (2021)

After taking a hiatus from stand-up, Bo Burham was planning on returning to the stage right as Covid-19 put most public appearances on hold, as he reveals in this bizarre and bitingly funny project he wrote, performed, and shot entirely on his own and in one single room during the pandemic. While this special barely counts as “stand-up” and sometimes veers far from comedy when the Promising Young Woman star makes devastating confessions about his own mental health, no matter what you prefer to call it, Inside is one of the best Netflix movies of 2021 and nothing short of a masterpiece.

Stream Bo Burnham: Inside on Netflix

Iliza Shlesinger: Elder Millennial (2018)

In her third Netflix original stand-up special and one of the best credits of her career, Iliza Shlesinger explains just what it means to be an Elder Millennial and how it informs her opinions of society. She reenacts the typical night of a single thirty-something, explains “landlines,” and shares the not-so-surprising story of how she met her fiancé on a dating app.

Stream Iliza Shlesinger: Elder Millennial on Netflix

Trevor Noah: Afraid Of The Dark (2017)

As a former host of The Daily Show, it is clear Trevor Noah has an eye for politics, but he lightens his commentary on the state of America (a little) to cover a wide range of topics with his signature energy. He talks about his South African upbringing, apologizes to the women in his audience on behalf of male “creeps,” and reveals why he is, as the title of his comedy special teases, afraid of the dark. 

Stream Trevor Noah: Afraid of the Dark on Netflix

Tom Segura: Disgraceful (2018)

While he does not, particularly, exhibit signs of being what the title of this Netflix stand-up special suggests, “disgraceful” would certainly be a proper way of defining the many topics Tom Segura explores – such as a visit to an adult entertainment store, finding humor in mental disabilities, and the satisfaction of letting an elevator door close on a stranger. The 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast host’s brand of observational humor is refreshing in how it trades brutal honesty for off-beat absurdity that often veers on the edge of uncomfortable relatability. 

Stream Tom Segura: Disgraceful on Netflix

Marc Maron: Too Real (2017)

He has found success from starring in the Netflix series GLOW, a brief appearance in the box office smash Joker, and, especially, interviewing Hollywood’s finest as host of the highly rated podcast, WTF. However, Marc Maron got his start as a comic and you can see him at his best in his 2017 Netflix stand-up comedy special, Too Real.

Stream Marc Maron: Too Real on Netflix

Neal Brennan: 3 Mics (2017)

In 2017, Neal Brennan – the secret weapon to Dave Chappelle’s career, from co-creating Chappelle’s Show to co-writing Half Baked – came out of hiding in his remarkably unique Netflix comedy special, 3 Mics, which refers to the three different microphones set up on the stage. Each one is reserved for a different purpose: clever one-liners, traditional stand-up bits, and deeply personal stories, which is where Brennan truly shines in this astounding achievement mixing comedy with tragedy to rewarding effect.

Stream Neal Brennan: 3 Mics on Netflix

John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous At Radio City (2018)

As one of the most exciting names in comedy today, it makes sense that John Mulaney would eventually find himself performing at a prestigious venue like New York’s Radio City Music Hall, but that does not stop him from commenting on the very absurdity of that concept in his Emmy-winning Netflix stand-up comedy special, Kid Gorgeous. The former SNL writer’s classically-trained stand-up style, complemented by his formal wardrobe and choice to carry a wire-attached mic, adds a refreshing, old-fashioned energy to the topics he dares to dissect with his razor-sharp wit in a special that demands repeat viewings. 

Stream John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City on Netflix

Dave Chappelle: The Age Of Spin (2017)

Regardless of how you may feel about his more recent Netflix specials, you have to admit that Dave Chappelle’s intelligent observation, fearless expression, and effortless delivery is unlike anyone or anything seen in the world of comedy – now or before his time – and no better proof of that is in the first of his Netflix stand-up comedy specials, The Age of Spin. Filmed live at the Hollywood Palladium, this Grammy-winning special saw the A Star is Born actor’s triumphant return to the mainstream following his controversial decision to leave his groundbreaking Comedy Central series, which is easily the lightest of topics he touches on before riffing on everything from racism to sexuality and recalling his multiple encounters with O.J. Simpson.

Stream Dave Chappelle: The Age of Spin on Netflix

No one’s brand of comedy is the same, so hopefully we have covered everything that fans of stand-up specials might be interested in streaming on Netflix in the list above.

There are some movie characters so iconic and so strongly tied to the actor who plays them that to recast them with anyone else would be sacrilege. Although many examples of this kind of role exist in the Star Wars universe, that has not prevented such an event to happen to its most beloved characters many times.

However, luckily, many of the Star Wars characters who have been recast have been blessed with people of tremendous talent to carry the weight -- and sometimes to even greater heights than ever before. See for yourself with our favorite examples of live-action characters from a galaxy far, far away who are credited to more than one actor, starting with one who is making a huge comeback with his own series.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness, Ewan McGregor)

We first met Obi-Wan Kenobi years after the fall of the Jedi Order in the original Star Wars: A New Hope from 1977, in which he was played brilliantly by Academy Award winner Alec Guinness. Playing his younger self from padawan to master would be Ewan McGregor, whom fans would cite as one of the best reasons to watch the Prequel Trilogy and later welcome his return on the Disney+ original series Obi-Wan Kenobi with open arms.

Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher, Vivian Lyra Blair)

One of Ewan McGregor’s most impressive co-stars on Obi-Wan Kenobi is Bird Box’s “Girl” actor Vivien Lyra Blair, who gives a surprisingly entertaining and heartfelt performance as 10-year-old Leia Organa, who has been kidnapped by the Empire in order to lure the titular Jedi out of hiding. Star Wars fans are very familiar with the character, originally portrayed by the late Carrie Fisher, who portrayed Leia starting from the beginning of the Star Wars saga, up until her final performance in 2017’s The Last Jedi.

Owen Lars (Phil Brown, Joel Edgerton)

Another Star Wars prequel trilogy veteran reprising his role alongside Ewan McGregor on Obi-Wan Kenobi is Australian actor and filmmaker Joel Edgerton as Luke Skywalker’s uncle, Owen Lars. The Tatooine moisture farmer would meet a devastating end at the hands of the Empire in the 1977 original film, in which he was portrayed - opposite Mark Hamill - by Phil Brown. Brown also starred in franchises like the Superman movies and one of the Pink Panther sequels, but would always be best known as Uncle Owen.

Beru Lars (Shelagh Fraser, Bonnie Piesse)

Playing Owen Lars’ wife, Beru, was English actress Shelagh Fraser, who gives one of the most heartfelt performances in Star Wars: A New Hope despite her modest amount of screen time. Of course, Bonnie Piesse had even less screen time and less to say as a teenage Beru, but is still a memorable presence in the prequels due to the importance of her role, which is why she has also makes a return on Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Mon Mothma (Caroline Blakiston, Genevieve O’Reilly)

Another actress with a modest amount of screen time in the Prequel Trilogy (namely 2005’s Revenge of the Sith) is Genevieve O’Reilly as the future leader of the Rebel Alliance, Mon Mothma, whom she would reprise in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Originating the role was Caroline Blakiston, whose screen time was also quite brief in 1983’s Return of the Jedi, but still memorable and iconic enough inspire such an enduring legacy.

Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch, Daniel Logan, Temuera Morrison)

A character whose legendary status vastly outweighs his screen time is the mysterious bounty hunter Boba Fett, who was first physically played by the late Jeremy Bulloch in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and voiced by Jason Wingreen in the former movie. We met Boba as a young boy in 2002’s Attack of the Clones, as played by New Zealand-born actor Daniel Logan, and his father, Jango, played by fellow New Zealander Temuera Morrison, who would go on to assume the fan-favorite role himself on The Mandalorian and on his own Disney+ miniseries, The Book of Boba Fett. Morrison's Boba has also been heard in Empire instead of Wingreen's since the 2004 edits to the Original Trilogy.

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader (James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Sebastian Shaw, Jake Lloyd, Hayden Christensen, Spencer Wilding)

A Star Wars veteran making, arguably, the most exciting return on the Obi-Wan Kenobi cast is Hayden Christensen as the Sith Lord formerly known as Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader - a role he also shares on the series with James Earl Jones, who has voiced the iconic villain since the beginning. David Prowse would usually wear the suit, save when Sebastian Shaw played a reformed, unhelmeted Anakin at the end of Return of the Jedi and when Spencer Wilding donned the costume in Rogue One. Jake Lloyd played a very young, uncorrupted Anakin in 1999’s The Phantom Menace before Christensen took over the role to play him as a Padawan and, later, a Jedi Knight in the final two prequels.

Emperor Palpatine (Clive Revill, Marjorie Eaton, Ian McDiarmid)

Younger Star Wars fans likely just know Ian McDiarmid as Emperor Palpatine, but those who experienced the original trilogy in its prime remember how different Darth Vader’s boss first looked and sounded in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back when his holographic image was physically portrayed by Marjorie Eaton and voiced by Clive Revill. The role was recast for 1983’s Return of the Jedi with McDiarmid, who went on to reprise him in the prequel trilogy and 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker and was added into the 2004 re-release of Empire.

Han Solo (Harrison Ford, Alden Ehrenreich)

To Star Wars fans of any generation, Han Solo is and always will be Harrison Ford, who was still working as a carpenter when his American Graffiti director George Lucas cast him as the captain of the Millennium Falcon in the first Star Wars. However, the Academy Award nominee himself was said to be very impressed by Alden Ehrenreich’s performance in the title role of 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, which traces the outlaw’s origins from serving the Imperial Army to winning his famed ship in a poker game from another familiar face.

Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams, Donald Glover)

One would assume that no one else could ever play Lando Calrissian - the mayor of the Cloud City and old friend of Han Solo (despite pronouncing his name wrong) - with as much charm and charisma as Emmy nominee Billy Dee Williams. However, Emmy and Grammy winner Donald Glover proved that was not the case by absolutely nailing his portrayal of the smuggler-turned-resistance leader while he still owned the Millennium Falcon in Solo. 

Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew, Joonas Suotamo)

Another actor who would portray a legendary original Star Wars character was Joonas Suotamo, whose tenure as Han Solo’s Wookiee friend and co-pilot, Chewbacca, began when he shared the role with its originator, the 7’3” Peter Mayhew, in 2015’s The Force Awakens. The Finnish basketball player took over the role completely for 2017’s The Last Jedi and reprised him in Solo and The Rise of Skywalker, but the first name fans still associate Chewie with is Mayhew, who sadly passed away at the age of 74 in 2019.

On second thought, there could come a day when Joonas Suotamo is celebrated for his portrayal of Chewbacca just as strongly as Peter Mayhew, just like how Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness are equally praised for their respective performances as Obi-Wan Kenobi. In a franchise as endurable as Star Wars, a dizzying rotation of different people in the same part eventually becomes a necessity, so each actor should be held to the same fair standard. Therefore, in my book, there is not just one Lando, or one Boba Fett, or even one Han Solo (and I say that as a huge Harrison Ford fan), but a wonderful assortment of different depictions to revisit time and time again. 

When it comes to some of the biggest films of the last decade, one that always pops up in my mind is The Martian. The Academy Award nominated movie told the story of a lone astronaut who had to find a way to survive on Mars after mistakenly being left for dead by his team, and told a tale of perseverance and strength. 

But with a film that was so well-received and with many stars headlining it, one might be wondering where the cast of the feature adaptation of Andy Weir's popular novel might be today. Well look no further, as this is what The Martian cast has been up to, and what they have going on in the next couple of years. 

Matt Damon (Mark Watney)

First up on this list is Matt Damon, the star of The Martian, who plays Mark Watney. From his Academy Award-nominated role, Damon has gone on to star in several movies that you might recognize. He had a funny cameo role in Thor: Ragnorok, a role he's expected to reprise in the upcoming 2022 movie release, Thor: Love and Thunder. 

Besides that, he’s also had starring roles in films such as The Great Wall, Stillwater, and Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel. And he reprised his famous role as the titular character in Jason Bourne. Besides his upcoming appearance in Love and Thunder, Damon is also going to be appearing in the new Christopher Nolan film, Oppenheimer. 

Jessica Chastain (Commander Melissa Lewis)

Next up, we have another big-time star, Jessica Chastain. Since her role as Commander Melissa Lewis in The Martian, Chastain has appeared in a number of movies and been a part of television as well. 

In terms of films, she was in The Zookeeper’s Wife, It: Chapter Two, a part of The 355 cast, won an Academy Award for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and more. She was also in the miniseries, Scenes From a Marriage, and in the TV series, George and Tammy. 

Coming up, she is going to be in several films, including The Good Nurse, Memory, The Division and Mother’s Instinct, so keep an eye out for this talented actress. 

Kristen Wiig (Annie Montrose)

Kristen Wiig portrayed Annie Montrose in The Martian. Known for her hilarious yet moving comedic roles Kristen Wiig has done plenty of movies since the film. She was in the 2016 version of Ghostbusters, closed off the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy, was one of the villains in Wonder Woman 1984, was in the comedic hit, Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar and more. 

She’s also appeared in TV shows as well, including a recurring voice role in the adult animated series, Big Mouth, voiced Jenny Hart in Bless the Harts, and was in MacGruber. Coming up, she’s going to continue her role in the Despicable Me franchise in the upcoming Despicable Me 4, and she'll also be appearing in Mrs. American Pie on Apple TV+.

Jeff Daniels (Theodore “Teddy” Sanders)

Now we have Jeff Daniels, who played Teddy Sanders in The Martian. Daniels has been in many TV shows since his appearance on The Martian. He did have a big role in the film Allegiant, but TV is where he really shined in recent years. 

Daniels had a part in the miniseries, Godless, The Looming Tower miniseries, and recently starred in the Showtime series American Rust. Coming up, he’s going to be appearing in a new Netflix limited series called A Man In Full. 

Michael Pena (Major Rick Martinez)

Michael Pena played Major Rick Martinez in The Martian, and has been quite active in his career. He had a voice role in The Lego Ninjago Movie, had a fun part in Ant-Man as well as its sequel, was in the latest rebooted version of A Wrinkle in Time, had a big role in Dora and the Lost City of Gold, and most recently was a part of the Moonfall cast.

He also had a huge role as Kiki Camarena in the TV series, Narcos: Mexico. Next up, he will be in the upcoming film, Secret Headquarters, as well as reprise his role as Luis in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. 

Sean Bean (Mitch Henderson)

Sean Bean played Mitch Henderson in The Martian. Bean has been very active in television, and has appeared in many shows. He appeared in Legends, Wasted, Broken, The Frankenstein Chronicles, The Oath, Medici, Curfew, World on Fire, Time, and most recently, Snowpiercer, all in main or recurring roles. Talk about a big-time actor.

He’s also appeared in films like The Young Messiah or Dark River, but television is where Bean really shined. Coming up soon, he’s going to be in another new BBC series called Marriage, as well as a new movie role in Knights of the Zodiac.

Kate Mara (Beth Johanssen)

Kate Mara played Beth Johansson in The Martian, and has grown her career even more since then. In terms of movies, she’s appeared in such hits like Captive, Morgan, The Senator, Ghostwriter and more, but television is also where she’s been able to show her talents. 

She had a voice role in Moonbeam City, played Zoe Barnes in the House of Cards cast, portrayed Patty Bowes in the Ryan Murphy drama, Pose, and starred in the miniseries, A Teacher. Soon, she’s going to be in a new TV miniseries for FX called Class of ‘09. 

Sebastian Stan (Dr. Chris Beck)

Sebastian Stan has only continued to grow in popularity since his role as Dr. Chris Beck in The Martian, appearing in many TV shows and movies. One of his biggest roles is playing Bucky Barnes, otherwise known as The Winter Soldier, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a role that he reprised for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier cast. 

Other than the MCU, Stan has been active in both movies and television. Some of his biggest roles were I, Tonya, where he received critical praise for his performance, Destroyer, The Devil All The Time, Monday, The 355, the Hulu original movie, Fresh and more. He’s also dived back into TV for a bit to play Tommy Lee as part of the Pam & Tommy cast on Hulu. Coming up, he's set to appear in the film Sharper. And in 2020 he was listed among the stars of the film The Brutalist, though we haven't seen updates on that project since. 

Aksel Hennie (Dr. Alex Vogel)

Next up, we have Aksel Hennie, who played Dr. Alex Vogul in The Martian. He’s appeared in films such as The Congo Murders, The Cloverfield Paradox, The Doorman, The Middle Man and more. He’s also had roles in TV shows such as White Wall and Nobel. 

In the next couple of years, he will be in a new film called Immortal. According to Deadline, the film began production in September 2021. 

Mackenzie Davis (Mindy Park)

Mackenzie Davis played Mindy Park in The Martian, and she’s appeared in films such as Blade Runner 2049, Freaks of Nature, Tully, Terminator: Dark Fate, the 2020 Christmas film, Happiest Season and more. She’s also had roles in TV shows like Halt and Catch Fire, as well as the miniseries Station Eleven. She even played Yorkie in the famous Black Mirror episode, “San Junipero."

In 2020, Variety included her among the cast of an upcoming film called Alpha Gang. 

Benedict Wong (Bruce Ng)

Benedict Wong's star has continued to rise over the last several years since The Martian released and he played Bruce Ng. His biggest role thus far has been playing Wong in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most recently as part of the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness cast, but Wong has done plenty of other TV shows and movies too. 

Some of his highlights include a big role in the film Nine Days, a role in the Raya and the Last Dragon cast, a starring role in the TV series, Deadly Class, a voice role in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, and more alongside his many appearances in Marvel. Coming up, he’s going to be in the new Disney+ Marvel show, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and in a Netflix TV series called The Three-Body Problem.

Donald Glover (Rich Purnell)

Donald Glover played Rich Purnell in The Martian. Besides his accomplished music career as Childish Gambino, Donald Glover has appeared in many movies, including Solo: A Star Wars Story, Guava Island, The Lion King, and more. 

He’s also been the creator and star of his own FX series, Atlanta, which as of writing this, just wrapped up its third season. Soon, he’s going to be starring in a TV series called Mr. & Mrs. Smith based on the movie of the same name. 

Chen Shu (Zhu Tao)

Chen Shu portrayed Zhu Tao in The Martian, and since then has appeared in a variety of TV shows and movies. These include, but aren’t limited, to the movie Fell in Love Like a Star, the miniseries A Love for Separation, the TV series, Peace Hotel, the TV series Behind the Scenes, the film Cloud Mountain and more.

Eddy Ko (Guo Ming)

Eddy Ko played Guo Ming in The Martian, and has appeared in a couple of films, including Beyond Redemption, The God of Wealth, and The Thousand Faces of Dunjia. 

Chiwetel Ejiofor (Vincent Kapoor)

Last but not least, we have Chiwetel Ejiofor, who has also continued to make a name for himself since his role as Vincent Kapoor in The Martian. Since the film, he appeared in Triple 9, Mary Magdalene, The Lion King, The Old Guard, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and portrayed Baron Mordo in both Doctor Strange and its sequel. 

He also had a role in the TV series, The Man Who Fell to Earth. Among his upcoming projects are The Pod Generation, The Old Guard 2, and Rob Peace (the latter which he's expected to direct, per a report from Variety in 2020.) 

With so many stars, it’s hard to sometimes keep track of all the amazing stuff that they’re doing, but it's clear everyone's been busy with interesting movies and TV shows since the sci-fi film released in 2015. 

It’s been nearly four years since Atlanta finished up its second season on FX and, if you’re like me, you’ve been clamoring for more of the Donald Glover-created show ever since. Thankfully, Earn, Paper Boi and co. are finally returning to the small-screen this week in the premiere of the long-gestating Season 3. (And good news, it’ll have 10 episodes!) Glover has been seriously hyping what’s to come and at one point, even likened the quality of this season and the upcoming fourth to that of The Sopranos. And just recently, the multihyphenate delightfully doubled down on his series being as good as David Chase’s mob drama.

Let’s back up for a second, though, and provide some context. It was in November 2020 that Donald Glover took to Twitter to share an update on the status of Atlanta Seasons 3 and 4. In his message, which mostly served as a voting PSA, he declared that the two seasons of the series would be “some of the best television ever made.” And he made it a point to also say that “sopranos only ones who can touch us.” It was a bold statement and one that definitely caught TV fans’ attention. 

The Season 3 premiere made its debut at SXSW in Austin, Texas this past weekend, where Variety caught up with the writer, producer, actor and director. While discussing a number of topics related to the show, he also reflected on his since-deleted hype tweet. The star admitted that he talks a big game on the interwebs, but bluntly (and humorously) isn’t backing down from his claim:

In the past, the Community alum hasn’t minced words when it comes to the quality of his dramedy. Last fall, he took to Twitter again and took a few shots at fans of Dave (a fellow FX show), who claimed Lil Dicky’s comedy was “on par” with his own.

Donald Glover certainly has plenty of confidence, that’s for sure. But if we’re being honest, can you really blame him, considering how the show has performed thus far? Atlanta has received critical acclaim since its debut in 2016, with many praising it for its layered characters, humor, social commentary and its surreal moments. It has also earned numerous accolades, with Glover personally nabbing two Emmys for his work on the first season. On the whole, many would argue he’s created something that it’s unlike anything else on TV at the moment.

He and the writers have certainly set the stage for what should be an interesting third season. One thing fans should remember is that Season 2 ended with Paper Boi, Earn and Darius embarking on a European tour. And based on the official trailer, they’re going to have some “interesting” experiences as they take in all the continent has to offer.

The prospect of new episodes is slightly bittersweet knowing that the show is set to end with Season 4 this fall. Still, Donald Glover and the rest of the cast and crew are sure to deliver something special and send the series out on a high note. We’ll see if Earnest Marks' final adventures can indeed match the Emmy-winning exploits of Tony Soprano, though.

Atlanta Season 3’s two-episode premiere debuts on Thursday, March 24, at 10 p.m. ET on FX and can later be streamed using a Hulu subscription. You’ll also find the show on CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule, along with this year’s other high-profile premieres.

With Atlanta Season 3 coming around the corner, fans are amped to see the return of Earn, Paper Boi, and the gang. But in a bittersweet moment, it was announced that the FX comedy would be ending with Season 4, which has already been filmed. With many viewers questioning the decision, Donald Glover chose to explain why the series will end with the fourth season.

News of the series ending with Season 4 came as a shock to many viewers, especially after waiting for four years for the third season. Of course, the long wait had more to do with the cast’s booming careers than anything else. But it appeared Season 4 was the result of the comedy’s meteoric success. Donald Glover spilled to Deadline what the original endgame for Atlanta was.

So, Seasons 3 and 4 were never part of the original plan. But the successful show needed more than two seasons to wrap up all the characters’ storylines. Leaving Earn and Paper Boi going on a European tour in the Season 2 finale would’ve felt incomplete. Fans wanted to see what tour life is for the gang. So, hopefully viewers will get all their questions answered in Atlanta Season 3. As Glover mentioned, the fourth season will end adequately.

But Donald Glover wasn’t the only one proud of the final season. Eternals' Brian Tyree Henry also revealed multiple scenarios about Paper Boi’s future that were playing out in his head after filming the final episode. Henry equated the fourth season to graduating from school.

Equating Season 4 to senior year is a great thing about the series' conclusion. It sounds like the perfect number to end on for the beloved show. Some shows tend to overstay their welcome. At least, Glover knew to end it while the stories were still fresh after working hard to get both seasons done. So, those now-deleted tweets fired at fellow FX comedy Dave made sense after viewers compared the two series.

In the time since Atlanta premiered, the cast has been booking job after job. Donald Glover has been in blockbusters like Solo: A Star Wars Story and The Lion King remake. It was announced in 2021 he was developing a television series based on the Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie film Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Phoebe Waller-Bridge before she left the project.

While Glover was silent most of 2021, his castmates were on television and in movie theaters. Brian Tyree Henry had a banner year with the successes of Godzilla vs. Kong and Eternals. Lakeith Stansfield received his first Oscar nomination for Judas and the Black Messiah before popping up in Netflix’s The Harder They Fall with co-star Zazie Beetz.  

So, filming Atlanta’s third and fourth season was a commitment for Donald Glover and his co-stars. Viewers won’t have to wait for Season 3 much longer with the premiere set for Mar. 24. With Season 4 premiering in the Fall, it will one of many returning TV shows ending in 2022. Hopefully, the final season will be worth the wait. If you want a refresher on the first two seasons of Atlanta, you can find them streaming with a Hulu subscription!

While 30 Rock was on television, it became a huge hit for NBC and ended up strengthening the careers of its 30 Rock cast, which included famous names like Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, and more. Several 30 Rock actors have only continued to succeed in their post-30 Rock lives, as there were also a lot of guest appearances. 

Many of the actors who popped up on 30 Rock back then have gone on to star in huge shows, big hit movies, and more. Since it’s been so long, and everyone has had such influential careers, their appearances on 30 Rock might have flown under the radar. Here are eleven 30 Rock actors who appeared on the popular sitcom that you may have forgotten about. 

Tituss Burgess (D’Fwan)

While many of us probably know Tituss Burgess from his breakout role as Tituss Andromedon on the Netflix original series, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, he appeared in 30 Rock as D’Fwan. A member of Tracy Jordan’s wife’s entourage, D’Fwan was a hairdresser and friend of Angie, who had plenty of sass who appeared on the show for four episodes, during Seasons 5 and 6. 

Honestly, I could see why Tituss was cast in this role, as I feel like his character from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and 30 Rock are pretty similar in many ways. 

Amy Schumer (Stylist)

I feel like at this point everyone knows who Amy Schumer is, from her hilarious comedy specials on Netflix to movies like Trainwreck. But, before she blew up as a stand-up comedian and actress, Schumer had some guest roles in TV. One of which was on 30 Rock. 

While her moment was a “blink and you miss it” sort of deal, it’s still easy to point her out if you look hard enough. In the episode, “Mamma Mia!,” during Season 3 of 30 Rock, Amy Schumer plays a stylist who is working on Liz. Her only line is “Ugh, I’m gonna get some tape.” Again, super short, but it’s so funny to see her way before she was really famous. 

Cristin Milioti (Abby)

Cristin Milioti has had quite the career in both movies and television. From her role as "the mother" with the How I Met Your Mother cast to her parts in big movies like the Leonardo DiCaprio-led, The Wolf of Wall Street or Palm Springs, she has truly become a star. However, she had a minor guest role on 30 Rock back in 2011 during the sixth season of the show.  

In the episode “TGS Hates Women,” Milioti played Abby, an insufferable woman who was supposed to be something good for TGS when they were accused of misogyny, but that ends up backfiring royally for Liz. Her character was so much, and it was a great way to show her comedic timing before her breakout role on How I Met Your Mother. 

Adrienne C. Moore (Various)

The Orange is the New Black cast was full of stars from beginning to end, and one of those who grew on me over time was Adrienne C. Moore’s character, Black Cindy, a hilarious inmate. However, before she ended up becoming one of the most popular characters on OITNB, Adrienne C. Moore guest-starred in not one, but two episodes of 30 Rock.

In Episode 2 of Season 7, titled "Governor Dunston," Moore played the manager of a supply store who catches Liz and Chris attempting to jazz up their sex life a little bit. Her second guest role, however, was more memorable, this time having a name, Shanice, and working as a marriage bureau employee in Episode 7 of Season 7, titled "Mazel Tov, Dummies!," who says that she’ll never get married and catcalls Chris. Definitely a fun moment. 

Peter Dinklage (Stewart)

While Peter Dinklage did have a pretty successful career prior to this appearance, it wasn’t until he became a part of the Game of Thrones cast that he truly became famous, portraying Tyrion Lannister for all eight seasons of the show. But, before he was the smartest lion ever, he guest starred on 30 Rock for an episode in Season 3, titled “Senor Macho Solo.”

Dinklage portrayed Stewart, a man with dwarfism who is intelligent and looks to be exactly what every woman would want. The only issue is that Liz mistook him for a child when they first met - and everything else sort of starts to fall apart from there. This is personally one of my favorite guest spots because it’s always so funny to look back and see him before the Game of Thrones hype. 

Anna Chlumsky (Liz Lemler)

Anna Chlumsky was in Hollywood for a time as a child actress, but had taken a break so that she could finish school. Afterwards, she made her big return to TV, with her biggest role so far being that of Amy Brookheimer in the popular HBO original series, Veep. Before that even show premiered, she had made a minor guest role on 30 Rock in Season 1, on the episode, "The Fighting Irish."

While her appearance is brief, it is memorable. Anna Chlumsky played Liz Lemler (a play on Liz’s name, Liz Lemon), who was Floyd’s girlfriend. However, Liz (Fey) made quick work of her and fired her from TGS when she was told to get rid of 10% of her staff. Talk about making sure you’re the only Liz around. Even so, it’s always fun to watch the show and remember she was on here before Veep came out. 

Aubrey Plaza (NBC Page/Tour Group Leader)

I know. It’s hard to imagine a world where Aubrey Plaza wasn’t famous, after her huge role as part of the Parks and Recreation cast, or with her amazing movies, like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Child’s Play, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and so many more. 

But, for a couple of seconds in Season 1, Aubrey Plaza popped up as a NBC Page (a real-life position) that was leading a tour group, in the episode, "Tracy Does Conan." It’s crazy to think that only a few years after his appearance she got the part on Parks and Recreation. 

Donald Glover (Various)

Donald Glover has truly become a mastermind of the entertainment world. Not only is his a big musical act, making music through his alter ego, Childish Gambino, but he’s had so many hits that it’s hard to keep track. This includes being a part of the Community cast, creating his own FX comedy, Atlanta, appearing as young Lando in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and so much more. 

Before all of those success, Glover worked on 30 Rock. While it’s known that he was a writer on the show, Glover actually appeared on screen four times, in Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 6. While many of his roles were small, uncredited or improvised, it’s so much fun to see him pop up from time to time, knowing about the success he had not that long after.  

Ben Sinclair (Brooklyn Idiot)

There’s something about Ben Sinclair’s appearance on 30 Rock that sits so perfectly with me. If you don’t know, Sinclair created High Maintenance, an anthology series that tells the story of a cannabis courier, otherwise known as “The Guy,” who delivers his products to people in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. The show started off as a Vimeo series and then went on to become a television series on HBO. 

Why do I say this appearance is perfect in 30 Rock? Because of his character’s name - Sinclair’s character was literally called Brooklyn Idiot for the one episode he was on in Season 5, called, "100: Part 1." I mean, come on, could there not be a better pairing of character name / actor? It’s hilarious to think he went on to create a show about a Brooklynite years after his appearance. You gotta love it. 

Chloe Grace Moretz (Kaylie Hooper)

Kick-Ass had come out a year prior to Chloe Grace Moretz's first time on 30 Rock, but her career has only gotten bigger since, with appearances in movies like Dark Shadows, The Addams Family, Tom & Jerry and more. For three episodes, from Season 5 to Season 7, she played Kaylie Hooper, who was the granddaughter of Hank Hooper, the newest boss of NBC. 

Y'all, I could re-watch her interactions with Alec Baldwin’s character, Jack Donaghy, all day. While her character was only on three episodes, her appearances were so memorable, and I wish she was on the show more. I would have loved to see her rivalry with Jack play out, but it’s great to see how far Moretz has come in the film industry since then.

Matt Lauria (Winthrop)

Last but not least, we have Matt Lauria, who played Winthrop in the second episode, "Jack Gets In The Game," of Season 2 of 30 Rock. While his appearance was brief, the main reason I put this here is that this was actually Matt Lauria’s television debut, before he would go on to star in the highly successful sports series, Friday Night Lights, as Luke Cafferty two years later. 

Lauria has also appeared in a variety of other shows as main or recurring characters, such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Parenthood, the Apple TV+ series, Dickinson, the drama Kingdom, and currently has a main role in CSI: Vegas. It’s insane to think that this incredible career in television all started out with this one minor appearance, that you might have forgotten about, on 30 Rock. 

With several seasons under its belt, there are plenty of other celebrities or actors who have appeared on 30 Rock, but these are truly the ones who have become huge stars. I need to see if they’ll be popping up in any other TV shows or movies soon.  

In my opinion, no one has quite blown up as much in the past few years as Donald Glover. While the actor is also super talented with music, releasing several albums under the name “Childish Gambino,” Donald Glover is an amazing TV and movie actor, and his roles deserve all the praise in the world, with parts in everything from NBC series to major films.

From playing the hardworking Earn on Atlanta to young Lando in Solo, Glover has given some wildly awesome performances. Here’s where you can watch the best Donald Glover movies and TV shows that are streaming right now.  

Community (2009-2014)

This NBC comedy created by Dan Harmon follows the story of Jeff Winger, a former lawyer who loses his practice when the board finds out he faked his law degree. In order to become a lawyer again, he attends Greendale Community College, where he meets an interesting and diverse collection of people in a study group. 

Hands down, if you’ve heard of Donald Glover, it was most likely from this show. Donald Glover blew up as Troy, a former high school sports star who’s just trying to find his way in life now. He was funny, heartwarming, and had the best friendship with Abed. It was a shame when he left the show to pursue other projects, but no one can deny that for the time Troy was a main character, Community was at its peak. 

Stream Community on Netflix. 

Atlanta (2016-Present)

Moving onto this popular FX series, Atlanta follows Earn and his daily life in Atlanta, trying to redeem himself in the eyes of his ex-girlfriend, Van, with whom he shares a daughter, while also working with his cousin, Alfred, who's a rapper.

Atlanta has certainly proven successful for Donald Glover. As a creator, director, writer, and actor on the show, the FX comedy is his baby and it is fantastic. Atlanta offers some seriously hilarious moments that will have you holding your side from laughing so much, but has deeper meanings to many episodes as well, with fantastic performances from cast members Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield, Zazie Beetz and more. Now all we need is Atlanta Season 3. 

Stream Atlanta on Hulu. 

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Telling the origin story of one of the greatest Star Wars characters ever, Solo: A Star Wars Story follows Han Solo in his early years, showing how he met iconic characters like Chewie and Lando, his past romances prior to Leah, his adventures, and everything else in between. 

Donald Glover played a young version of Lando in Solo, and you know what? I don’t care what anyone says - I absolutely loved this movie. As someone who grew up watching Star Wars with my family, I really enjoyed what Solo brought to the table in terms of story. I personally think that not only did Donald Glover do a fantastic job in his role, but the rest of the Solo cast was fantastic as well. If I could see Glover do Lando again, I would most certainly pay for it. 

Stream Solo: A Star Wars Story on Disney+. 
Rent Solo: A Star Wars Story on Amazon.

The Lazarus Effect (2015)

Next up, we have a fun supernatural horror film. The Lazarus Effect is about a group of researchers led by a man named Frank and his fiancée, who have achieved the unimaginable - the ability to bring back the dead. But, through this, they bring horrors onto themselves and the world that they never thought possible.

Look, I’ll be honest - The Lazarus Effect isn’t my favorite horror movie. I think there are plenty of others we could call the best horror movies. However, I do think it’s entertaining, with plenty of scares that it will please anyone who wants to watch a fright fest. Donald Glover in his role as Niko is great, alongside the rest of the cast, and for anyone who loves an interesting idea such as bringing someone back from the dead, I think this is a great movie to try out. 

Stream The Lazarus Effect on Pluto TV. 
Rent The Lazarus Effect on Apple TV+.

The Martian (2015) 

In this Academy Award-nominated feature film, The Martian tells the story of an astronaut who gets stranded on Mars after his team assumes him to be dead, and now he must rely on his intelligence and ingenuity to find ways to not only survive, but signal to Earth that he is alive and in need of a rescue. 

I won’t lie, there are so many stars in The Martian that Donald Glover might be missed. People like Matt Damon, Sebastian Stan, Kate Mara, and Benedict Wong all have big roles in this and tell a story that is truly amazing to watch. Donald Glover as Rich Purnell is great - and who could forget that iconic waking up/falling scene? Gets me every time. 

Rent The Martian on Amazon.

The To Do List (2013)

Next up, we have the romantic comedy, The To Do List. This movie, starring Aubrey Plaza, follows a recent high school graduate who feels she needs to try and have more sexual experiences before she heads to college, creating problems and hilarious moments. 

Like the drama The Martian, this comedy is packed with stars besides Donald Glover, such as Bill Hader, Rachel Bilson, Andy Samberg, and several others. However, with such a large ensemble cast filled with so much talent, The To Do List is a fun time, with plenty of instances where you’ll chuckle, laugh, or snort. Plaza, especially, brings her comedic prowess, creating an entertaining, hilarious romantic comedy. 

Stream The To-Do List on Showtime. 
Rent The To-Do List on Amazon.

Magic Mike XXL (2015)

Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me? Magic Mike XXL is the follow up to the 2012 movie, Magic Mike, following Channing Tatum’s Mike again, as a now-retired male stripper, who decides to help his friends put on one last show, embarking on a road trip to Miami Beach to perform at an exotic-dance convention. 

I can confirm that this is my favorite Donald Glover performance - and not because he’s shirtless...Not at all. 

Jokes aside, I actually do really like seeing Glover perform in Magic Mike XXL. I feel like with so many of his other roles, he’s either very comedic or very serious. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it’s enjoyable to see him sort of just laid back in this fun movie as Andre. Plus, you get to hear his awesome voice - how can you not feel relaxed listening to his singing chops?

Stream Magic Mike XXL on HBO Max. 
Rent Magic Mike XXL on Amazon.

The Lion King (2019)

Next up, we have the live-action remake of The Lion King. This story follows Simba, a young lion cub who runs away from Pride Rock when he believes he is the reason his father is killed. However, when his evil Uncle Scar takes over, he must fulfill his duty, and return home to save his people. 

Donald Glover actually voices older Simba in the remake, paired next to the queen herself, Beyoncé, who voices Nala. And, honestly, their two voices singing together is something I could listen to over and over again. While I will always have a special place in my heart for the original The Lion King, as I’m sure many others do, I do enjoy this one. 

The Lion King cast is star-studded, the Pumbaa and Timon moments are hilarious, and the cinematography is beautiful. If only they could make the animals a little more expressive. Then this would have been even better. 

Stream The Lion King on Disney+. 
Rent The Lion King on Amazon.

30 Rock (2006-2012)

Prior to his big role on Community, Donald Glover guest starred in a couple of episodes of 30 Rock. This popular NBC sitcom (which he also wrote for) tells the story of the boss at an SNL-like sketch show, who has to manage her relationships with the show’s star and its executive producer. 

While Glover only guest starred on a few episodes, it’s still enjoyable to see him before his was a big-shot in Hollywood. If you haven’t watched 30 Rock, you really should. The 30 Rock cast is stacked with talented individuals, the story is enjoyable, and there are plenty of moments that will make you laugh incredibly hard. 

Stream 30 Rock on Peacock. 

Saturday Night Live (2018)

The popular sketch show that’s been ongoing for more than forty years, Saturday Night Live is iconic for many reasons, offering a slew of comedic performances from their cast members as they parody pop culture, politics, and more. 

Donald Glover hosted an episode - and performed as Childish Gambino. This, to me, is one of the best SNL episodes in recent years. Glover was part of some hilarious sketches - my personal favorite being the Barbie Instagram sketch - and his performances were super entertaining as well. If you haven’t seen his episode, be sure to check it out now. 

Stream Donald Glover’s SNL episode on NBC.

Bonus Item: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding, and Spider-Man: Homecoming was a part of that expansion. Here, Peter Parker returns home after Captain America: Civil War, and we get to see what it’s like to have Tony Stark watching his every move, and trying to be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man while also dealing with regular teenage issues - such as trying to ask out the right girl to a dance. 

Look, Donald Glover only appears in one scene, but come on. It was memorable and speaks so much for the possibility of the MCU. He played Aaron Davis. You know who that is? The Prowler, a.k.a. Miles Morales' uncle. He even said in the movie that he had a nephew. Does that mean we might get an actual live-action Miles Morales from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse? The possibilities are endless. I wish we could see more of him. 

And, to be honest, if you’re a fan of superhero movies, be sure to watch this one. Tom Holland as Peter Parker is great, as is the rest of the cast. Don't just watch it for Glover - watch it because it's so much fun. 

Rent Spider-Man: Homecoming on Amazon. 

Donald Glover is truly a multi-faceted performer who has done so much, and honestly, I can’t wait to see what he does next. If Atlanta Season 3 could get here quicker, that would be great. Until then, I must remain patient.  

It has been 3 1/2 years since Atlanta's bonkers Season 2 wrapped up, and fans have been not-always-patiently waiting for the beloved FX comedy to return. Now that Season 3 is just around the corner, star and creator Donald Glover unveiled a new trailer for the long-awaited new episodes.  For a while now, some Atlanta fans have been comparing the series to another genre-mashing FX comedy Dave, co-created by rapper Lil Dicky (real name Dave Burd). After noticing this discourse over time, the Atlanta star appeared rather displeased, and decided to vent his frustrations about the comparisons on social media.

The Atlanta star took to Twitter with a trio of now-deleted posts to let viewers know he has kept an eye on the continuous comparisons between the Emmy-winning Atlanta and Dave. While it's hard to 100% confirm the tone behind the posts, to say Donald Glover sounded disappointed would be an understatement. He seemed particularly hurt by Black Twitter's position on how the two shows stack up. After years of discourse, the multi-hyphenate entertainer decided to chime in. Check out the tweets below to see what Glover had to say:

Donald Glover is clearly eager for viewers to stop comparing the two shows. From Glover's perspective, Atlanta and Dave presumably have little in common outside of sharing the same parent network and having the rap music industry as a narrative focus. In the time that has passed since Glover's Earn and Bryan Tyree Henry's Paper Boi were gracing our screens on a weekly basis, two seasons of Dave were released to mostly praise, with Atlanta sometimes getting namechecked in reviews. So it's not totally audiences' fault for their memories skewing to the most recent release, since that's just how people react when something new drops on TV or the Internet. 

Despite being tired of the comparisons, Donald Glover dropped an intriguing and non-Dave-esque Season 3 teaser. You check out the Paper Boi-centric promo below:

As a creative, Donald Glover has poured a ton of his creative energy into crafting Atlanta Seasons 3 and 4, which filmed back to back. The arrival of the third season has been delayed for numerous reasons, including Glover’s busy schedule and the COVID-related Hollywood shutdown. So seeing the online comparisons seemed to hit a sore spot for him. He didn't disparage Dave outright, to be sure, but still wanted followers to know he sees and hears all on the Twitter streets. As the former Community star pointed out, he noticed and took notes. Maybe those comparisons even pushed Glover to create a bigger and better third season.

Of course, Twitter had to compare Atlanta to Dave. Besides sharing the same network, both comedies revolve around a young man trying to make it in the music scene. Atlanta is more about Donald Glover’s Earn and his cousin Paper Boi navigating the Atlanta rap scene and the subculture itself, often in surreal and unpredictable ways. Dave is focused on rapper Lil Dicky playing a fictionalized version of himself, where he basically self-sabotages every golden ticket opportunity that lands on his lap. But considering Glover’s series has a few years on FX's other acclaimed comedy, the actor wanted viewers to be very informed about who was there first.   

Hopefully, fans will enjoy Atlanta Season 3 once it premieres, with the knowledge that we can also look forward to Season 4 not taking another three years to arrive. Knowing how creative Donald Glover is, viewers are in for some remarkable stories and off-kilter lines. Season 3 of the FX comedy is set to premiere in early 2022.

Last February, Amazon announced a television reboot of the 2005 movie Mr. And Mrs. Smith. The Internet immediately went berserk, especially when Donald Glover (Atlanta, Solo: A Star Wars Story) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Killing Eve) were reported to be taking over the roles originally played by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Unfortunately for fans who wanted to see what would have been a legendary pairing, one of the leads just left the project.

Deadline has confirmed that Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who received three Primetime Emmy Awards for Fleabag, has officially left the production of Mr. And Mrs. Smith. While Donald Glover originally brought the project to Phoebe Waller-Bridge after meeting on the set of Solo: A Star Wars Story, the duo seemed to develop differing ideas regarding the show’s creative direction. Luckily, there’s no bad blood, with The Hollywood Reporter confirming that the split was ‘amicable.’ While Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s role will have to be recast, the show is still on track to premiere in 2022.

This is far from the end for Phoebe Waller-Bridge, however: she will continue to generate content for Amazon Prime after signing an exclusive production deal. She also co-wrote the script for the next James Bond movie No Time to Die, which will make her the second woman to ever write a Bond film. No Time to Die will also mark the fifth appearance of Daniel Craig as the titular superspy. In addition to writing, Phoebe Waller-Bridge will also get the chance to flex her acting chops in the upcoming fifth Indiana Jones film alongside Harrison Ford, Mads Mikkelson, and Antonio Banderas.

While it’s sad to see Phoebe Waller-Bridge go, Amazon’s Mr. And Mrs. Smith still has the odds in its favor. Donald Glover is still on board as co-creator, executive producer, and leading man after signing a general production deal with Amazon. In addition, writer and producer Francesa Sloane (Atlanta, Fargo) will act as showrunner and executive producer. There’s no word yet on who will replace Phoebe Waller-Bridge, but the search is underway.

The original Mr. And Mrs. Smith, directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow), told the story of Jane and John Smith, a seemingly boring couple with a dangerous secret: they’re assassins working for rival organizations. To make matters worse, they’ve been hired to kill each other. While the action comedy received mixed reviews from critics, it was a commercial success and proved to be exceedingly popular with audiences.

While there’s no exact premiere date for Mr. And Mrs. Smith, it’s projected to be released exclusively on Amazon Prime sometime in 2022. In the meantime, you can rent the original on Amazon Prime or Apple+.

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As Star Wars continues to expand, so does its presence on Disney+. The streamer is primed to become the home of the storied franchise’s TV content for years to come, which is an exciting prospect. And, like Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm is using this opportunity to highlight fan-favorite characters by giving them their own projects. This includes the shady and smooth Lando Calrissian, who’s getting his own self-titled show. Yes, the Lando TV show should be a sweet addition to the lore, but, at this point, we still have plenty of questions about it.

Lando was originally announced late last year during the Lucasfilm portion of Disney’s Investor Day livestream. So far, all we know is that the project has been set as an event series, with Dear White People creator Justin Simien crafting the story. There are a number of possible directions the series can go, and this spurs a number of key questions. Now, let’s take a look at those queries we have about Lando’s solo TV show:

What Is Lando’s Disney+ Premiere Date?

As previously mentioned, the Star Wars franchise has a number of new Disney+ shows arriving within the next few years, and many don’t have official release dates as of yet. So, it’s hard to pinpoint when Lando might see the light of day. One thing that appears likely, though, is that it won’t be showing up on the streaming platform this year. A 2022 release date also seems unlikely, given that the show hasn’t even started shooting yet. With so little information on the show at this time, one can assume Lando is still in the early stages of development. But, who knows, maybe we’ll at least get a rough release date at Disney+ Day this November.

When Will Lando Officially Start Filming?

There are upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows in various stages of production at the moment. On the TV side of things, Andor is shooting in the UK as of August 2021, while Obi-Wan Kenobi has been shooting in Los Angeles. Additionally, The Mandalorian is set to begin production on Season 3 relatively soon. Seeing as Lando hasn’t even announced cast members yet, there’s a chance that there’s still a ways to go before the cameras start rolling. If we’re thinking optimistically, the show could begin production sometime in 2022, which (factoring in the amount of time needed on a project of this scale) would put it on track to release in 2023.

How Many Episodes Will The Series Have?

It’s only natural for us to wonder how many installments we can expect in Lando Calrissian’s upcoming show. As an event series, it’s likely that Lando won’t have a large number of episodes. Fellow event series Obi-Wan Kenobi is set to have six episodes, so that seems like a logical number for Lando. However, it’s also possible that it could run a little longer, like The Mandalorian. In its first two seasons, that show has aired eight-episode seasons and is likely to continue that trend. But regardless of which way Lando skews, it’s fair to expect the episode total to be nice and tight.

How Does Lando Fit Into The Star Wars Timeline?

The Star Wars timeline is vast, yet the folks at Lucasfilm have mostly managed to keep things organized. So far, the TV shows have been placed in very specific pockets of time. The Mandalorian takes place five years after Return of the Jedi, and Obi-Wan Kenobi picks up 10 years after Revenge of the Sith and a decade ahead of A New Hope. Because Lando Calrissian has such a rich history in the franchise, the producers have options when it comes to the show’s place in the timeline. It could focus on a younger Lando or (and this is probably unlikely) an older version of the character. And, this brings us to our next question.

Who Will Play Lando Calrissian On The Disney+ Show?

At this point, Lando has been played by two actors in live-action Star Wars projects. The great Billy Dee Williams originated the role back in The Empire Strikes Back and most recently reprised it in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. But, ahead of his return, Donald Glover played a younger version of the scoundrel in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. While either actor would be a perfect lead, it’s more likely that Glover would be the prime candidate. Even before the series was officially announced, rumors emerged last year, and they alleged that the Atlanta star would reprise his role in a Disney+ show. Glover certainly feels like a shoo-in but, then again, we’ve been surprised before.

Will Other Major Star Wars Characters Make Appearances?

It’s definitely not uncommon for familiar Star Wars characters to show up in new projects. The Mandalorian Season 2 alone is sheer evidence of that, as it featured the likes of Boba Fett, Bo-Katan Kryze and Ahsoka Tano. Even Obi-Wan Kenobi will see Hayden Christensen return as Darth Vader. Lando’s timeframe would dictate which veteran characters would return. Should the series go with Donald Glover’s younger iteration of the character, it could feature characters seen in Solo. Alden Ehrenreich’s Han Solo and Chewbaca would be prime candidates, or even Emilia Clarke’s Qi’ra.

Will Lando Have Multiple Directors Like The Mandalorian?

Justin Simien may be scripting Lando, but he’s also an accomplished director, as evidenced by his work on Dear White People. So, he may also be helming episodes as well and, if Lucasfilm is approaching Lando like it is Obi-Wan Kenobi, he could be the only director. However, there’s also the possibility that the studio opts to bring in several directors, as it has with The Mandalorian. It would, honestly, be great to see a variety of filmmakers join the project. And, with Calrissian being an African-American character, it would really be nice to see some directors of color sign on, if Lucasfilm is indeed looking to hire multiple creatives.

Despite the fact that very little is known about Lando at this point, the mere idea of the character getting his own show is enough to get one excited. We’ll be waiting (im)patiently to hear more on this Star Wars show.