Elle Fanning’s career has been non-stop across the past year between joining the Predator franchise, earning her first Oscar nomination for Sentimental Value and leading her own Apple TV series on the 2026 TV schedule. And, of course, she's also playing Effie Trinket in the upcoming Hunger Games movie, Sunrise on the Reaping. Considering all that work she's put in, I'm loving her latest social media post, which sees her stripping down and letting loose on vacation.

Fanning and her boyfriend, Gus Wenner, recently took some time to unplug next to ocean views, and it looks like they had the best time. Check out Elle Fanning’s vacay photos below:

What a perfect reset! Via the photos, fans can see Elle Fanning going topless swimming in a remote pool, taking a scenic helicopter ride with her beau along the coast, riding around in a yacht and going cliff diving. She can also be seen dressing up for a date night out. It’s too bad Fanning's not revealing where they were at, because the need to immediately add these locations to my own personal vacation wishlist is real.

Elle Fanning and Gus Wenner have reportedly been together for almost three years now. Wenner is currently the CEO of Rolling Stone – a position that was passed down to him by his father, Jann Wenner, who co-founded the iconic magazine. The couple seem to be in complete bliss together on their recent holiday. Her pool dip especially looks ethereally fun and freeing.

Earlier this year, Elle Fanning got honest about her lack of shyness when doing nude scenes in Margo’s Got Money Troubles since she had previously stripped down for Hulu show The Great. The TV series sees Fanning playing a community college student who has an unplanned pregnancy with one of her professors and decides to make her own OnlyFans account to provide for her son once he’s born.

The nudity in Margo’s Got Money Troubles was tastefully done in a way that didn't sexualize Fanning's character. Also, the series earned rave reviews for having a “lived-in authenticity” and being a “profoundly moving" story about motherhood, family and owning one's sexuality. On that note, Margo’s already gotten a Season 2 renewal from Apple.

Otherwise, as of late, the 28-year-old actress also reportedly finished filming The Nightingale with her sister, Dakota Fanning, after filming the movie between March and June. The movie is based on the best-selling novel by Kristin Hannah – adding to the many book-to-screen adaptations Elle's been part of. It’s about two sisters living in France during World War II during German occupation.

The Nightingale already has a release date set for February 2027. Before that, you’ll be able to see Elle Fanning’s take on Effie Trinket in Sunrise on the Reaping, which opens in theaters this November 20. It’s a good thing Fanning took some time with her man to enjoy some quiet time, because her schedule is surely about to pick up soon!

When I heard about Margo’s Got Money Troubles, the latest book adaptation from Apple TV to turn up on the 2026 TV schedule, I was excited, intrigued, and a little afraid to press play. I had heard it was about a young woman who turns to OnlyFans to pay the bills after getting pregnant, and I wasn’t sure if the subject matter would leave me watching yet another oversexualized show that's more showy than a genuine portrayal of a woman’s relationship with her body and sexuality. Thank goodness I went for it, because I think this show is my favorite so far of the year, and one reason for it is actually the nudity.

What’s Going On With The Nudity In Margo’s Got Money Troubles

Now, everyone has their own preferences when it comes to nudity in movies and TV shows, but for me, typically, I just kind of feel awkward and embarrassed about it if I’m being quite honest. Most of the time, nude scenes are random and kind of invasive to me. There’s also been so many movies and shows about young women the same age as the protagonist in Margo’s Got Money Troubles, where the female nudity/sex scenes just feel kind of gross, like I’m watching it through the eyes of a man who’s turned on by it. To each their own, of course, but women’s bodies don’t simply exist to turn people on… they also exist because they do.

But then there’s Margo’s Got Money Troubles. I can’t quite place how the TV show achieved this, but whenever Elle Fanning’s naked body is on the screen (yes, that’s not a body double minus some prosthetics for the breastfeeding scenes), I don’t feel that way. When there’s nudity in the new TV show, we’re not seeing it through the lens of a camera that wants to sexualize her; it’s portraying her as the realistic human she’s depicting.

Sexy But Not Minimizing, Margo Just Feels Human

This particularly surprised me, even in scenes where she’s sexualizing herself to make her OnlyFans account. She looks great and sexy, of course, but I’m not thinking about that or exploitative, like those kinds of scenes often do; it simply fits in the show.

I find this aspect of Margo’s Got Money Troubles pretty groundbreaking, to be honest, for that reason. When I was reading the reviews on the series, one comment stuck with me, too. TV Guide asked, “How many stories that are theoretically meant to examine female sexuality actually end up as exploitative trauma porn?” And I’m gonna tell you right now, I’ve got nothing off the top of my head.

I think perhaps because we’re seeing the story play out from Margo’s point of view, whose body is either exposed when she’s trying to feed her baby or when she’s taking photos for her OnlyFans account. Most shows would have used the fact that Margo is putting herself in a sexualized position to turn her nude scenes into racy scenes meant to turn the viewer on.

And don’t get me wrong, I think there’s a time and place for that in the entertainment space for sure. But, it’s a very welcome change of pace to follow the story of a multifaceted woman who is discovering her own sexuality in an authentic way that found a way to make it as if we're watching her experiences through her own eyes.

Actors have become increasingly candid about nudity on screen. Jennifer Lawrence was open about her decision to do a hilarious naked scene in No Hard Feelings, and Emma Stone was candid when talking about the nudity in Poor Things. Now, Elle Fanning is getting real about whether she used a body double for her new Apple TV show, Margo’s Got Money Troubles (a book-to-screen adaptation of Rufi Thorpe's 2024 novel of the same name). Fanning also shared her take on how nudity is presented on camera in general.

Does Elle Fanning Perform Nude Scenes Herself In Margo's Got Money Problems?

In the new show, Fanning’s character, Margo starts facing financial hardship when she becomes a new mom. She turns to making a page on OnlyFans, where she posts sexy content online that people pay to see. Fanning ultimately did not use a body double for the show, and she spoke about that choice with People. As the Oscar nominee explained, she knew that it would likely require nudity on her part even before she signed on. As for why that didn't bother her, she said:

A period comedy from Hulu, The Great sees Fanning perform a lot of sex scenes that require nudity. So, because Fanning did that show, filming Margo’s Got Money Troubles was seemingly a piece of cake and, to that point, the leading lady Fanning said she wasn’t exactly “modest” about that in general. So kudos to her for performing those scenes herself and owning them!

Elle Fanning Discusses The Creative Team's Approach To Nudity (And How Some Prosthetics Were Involved)

Even though nudity was something Elle Fanning was comfortable with generally for Margo's, she also explained that it was still a topic she often talked about with series creator David E. Kelley. Fanning said she was ultimately "really proud of how the nudity is depicted on the show" and explained why it held such a deep meaning for this particular story:

It's easy to get the feeling that is a multidimensional character piece, with a lot of artistic merit and big ideas at the center. When a character has this much depth, it can be a treat for an actor, and it gives them a lot to play with. Sure, there is nudity, but the nude content is a part of a larger conversation and is integral to the character in this case. Having an actress that is not only comfortable and experienced with on screen nudity, but also has the acting chops to play such a multifaceted character, is why Fanning is perfect for the role.

While Fanning committed to the physicality of her role, she did have a bit of assistance with those nude scenes. She also explained how and why prosthetics needed to be utilized at times:

While many actors still decide not to do nudity, the ones that do, including Elle Fanning, seem to be approaching these moments with intention, using them to deepen character rather than simply provoke a reaction.

In Margo’s, that mindset seems to pay off and is used to deepen an already complex character with visual motifs as well as depicting what she decides to do for a living in an honest way. On that note, the reviews for Margo’s Got Money Troubles are excellent, and I personally can’t wait to see Fanning’s performance evolve as her character does.

Check out Elle Fanning in Margo’s Got Money Troubles, which is currently streaming with an Apple TV subscription. And, for more information on other exciting titles heading to the small screen very soon, make sure to consult the 2026 TV schedule.

Jack Black recently hosted SNL on the 2026 TV Schedule, joining the coveted 5-Timers Club. The School of Rock actor’s SNL gig was pretty on brand with his odd-ball humor, featuring Black in a number of different wild characters such as a cowboy, a spartan, and a karate instructor. Fellow 5-timer Melissa McCarthy also made a cameo in an Airbnb sketch, completely stealing the show. It was prime time Jack Black TV, so of course the internet had all the memes about Elle Fanning’s celebrity crush, and she had the best response.

It’s public knowledge now that Fanning has a huge crush on Black, ever since she admitted the Jumanji actor is her hall pass while hooked up to Vanity Fair’s lie detector test. So of course, EW asked how the Sentimental Value actress was recovering after seeing her “perfect man” host the iconic sketch comedy show, and Fanning revealed the internet was wondering the same thing:

I’m sure Fanning’s Jack Black group chat (yes that’s real, and her sister is in it too) was blowing up that Saturday night. I think it’s hilarious that the actress' affection and admiration for Jack Black is common knowledge, and I have to say, People really pulled through with the meme in question. I think I sent it to at least 3 people when it came across my feed:

For those wondering, Jack Black is very aware of The Great actress’ love for him. According to Fanning, her boyfriend yelled across the room at the Golden Globes to let the Minecraft Movie star know he was Fanning’s hall pass. After that awkward moment, Black reacted to the lie detector test, where she called him “sex on legs,” by saying Fanning must have “goblin dysmorphia.”

I do wish Entertainment Weekly had asked the Margo’s Got Money Troubles actress her thoughts on Martin Herlihy’s “Simon’s Life” sketch, which turned into a random ad for men’s lingerie, featuring Black scantily clad in a pink lace ensemble. Like everyone else, my first thought was “Oh Elle Fanning is gonna die when she sees this.”

Like Jack Black himself, I don’t really understand Fanning’s intense attraction towards the Kung Fu Panda alum, but I can respect her polite boldness. She even apologized to Black’s wife for her forwardness, however I don’t think she plans to reign it in. It’s honestly a little obsessive, but at least the Sunrise On The Reaping actress is aware of it:

Whether Black likes it or not, him and Fanning are now linked within pop culture. Thankfully, the Goosebumps actor is a good sport when it comes to Fanning’s persisted outwards affection towards him. While he seemingly is a little embarrassed and overwhelmed by the attention, I think he knows it’s all in good spirits. The two Hollywood stars have met, and have even taken a selfie together, although it was before she fan-girled a little too close to the sun.

However, I foresee a future where they reunite, and I bet it will be the most adorable thing. Both actors are hot in Hollywood right now, with Black’s Super Mario Galaxy Movie currently in theaters, and Fanning’s Margo’s Got Money Troubles available to stream with an Apple TV+ subscription, so I’d love to see them interact in a professional context. Someone make this happen!

Nicole Kidman and David E. Kelley have proven that they can bring the drama through streaming series like Big Little Lies and The Undoing, and now they’ve teamed up again for Margo’s Got Money Troubles. The book-to-screen adaptation stars Elle Fanning as the titular Margo, and with the series hitting the 2026 TV schedule on April 15, critics have shared their reviews for the Apple TV series.

Margo is the daughter of a Hooters waitress (Michelle Pfeiffer) and former professional wrestler (Nick Offerman) who turns to OnlyFans for money after an unexpected pregnancy. Richard Roeper of RogerEbert says Elle Fanning carries the series with grace and humor, and the ensemble helps to create a “wickedly funny, sex-forward” series that’s one of the most engaging so far this year. He gives Margo’s Got Money Troubles 3.5 out of 4 stars, writing:

Taylor Gates of Collider is similarly impressed by the upcoming A24 series, rating it a 9 out of 10. As someone who claims to be a “the book is better” kind of person, this critic says the screen adaptation is just as good. Some small tweaks to the source material work to its advantage, and it still manages to capture the book’s spunky spirit. Gates writes:

Allison Picurro of TV Guide calls Margo’s Got Money Troubles a “technicolor charmer” that sets itself apart in the oversaturated world of streaming limited series by being “totally, completely, honestly itself.” Picurro rates the series 8.5 out of 10 and says:

Branyan Towe of Loud and Clear joins the other critics in giving the upcoming Apple TV series a near-perfect review — 4.5 stars out of 5. David E. Kelley finds the perfect balance of comedy and drama, Towe writes, and Elle Fanning will “stir your soul.” This one will definitely “surprise audiences,” the critic says:

Angie Han of THR says Margo’s family at first seems like the aggressively quirky but not-quite-real characters we’ve seen time and again on our screens. However, look closer and you’ll find a really interesting story about relationships that are very much grounded in the real world. Han’s review of Margo’s Got Money Troubles calls it “warn, welcoming and well-acted,” as she continues:

Suffice it to say the critics are overwhelmingly pleased with the latest collab between David E. Kelley and Nicole Kidman, but if the above reviews aren’t enough to convince you, the series has earned a Certified Fresh 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. The first three episodes of Margo’s Got Money Troubles can be streamed now, as of April 15, with an Apple TV subscription. Episodes will drop weekly starting Wednesday, April 22.

This week’s list of streaming highlights includes a bit of everything. Whether you subscribe to your favorite platforms for the best streaming movies, the best original series, or to get access to a library of Hollywood films and catch up on the ones you missed in theaters, this week has whatever you want.

Balls Up - April 15 (Prime Video)

Mark Wahlberg has made some insane comedies in his career, but Balls Up certainly has the most insane premise of them all. Wahlberg and Paul Walter Hauser star as marketing executives who find themselves at the World Cup as part of a condom sponsorship deal. However, the two get a bit more involved in the game than planned, leading to a country full of irate soccer fans out for blood.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles - April 15 (Apple TV)

Without question, the most star-studded addition to the streaming calendar this week is the new series Margo’s Got Money Troubles, available with an Apple TV subscription. The movie stars Elle Fanning as the daughter of a Hooters waitress (Michelle Pfeiffer) and a professional wrestler (Nick Offerman) who finds herself a single mother trying to make ends meet. It looks to be a movie that is both heartwarming and hilarious. Nicole Kidman also appears and is producing the new series from David E. Kelley.

Beef, Season 2 - April 16 (Netflix)

The first season of Beef was a runaway hit on Netflix. Now the second season has the unenviable task of matching that success. The show will tell an entirely new story with an entirely new cast of characters. Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan lead the new story as a couple who get into a massive public fight, leading to a chain reaction of wild events.

Roommates - April 17 (Netflix)

Adam Sandler has had incredible success on Netflix, and now your Netflix subscription gives you access to even more members of the Sandler family. Roommates stars Sadie Sandler, daughter of the Happy Gilmore actor, has a woman who goes away to college to find that she might have the roommate from hell... or she may have just made a new best friend.

Dust Bunny - April 17 (HBO Max)

There’s a decent chance that you missed Dust Bunny when it was in theaters, but this fantastical film reunites writer/director Bryan Fuller with his Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen as a hitman hired to kill the monster under a girl’s bed, who she believes ate her family. It’s Fuller's feature film debut in a movie full of his trademark twisted whimsy. It’s the best reason this week to have an HBO Max subscription.

American Gladiators - April 17 (Prime Video)

A staple of syndicated TV in the early 1990s, American Gladiators combined the style and flash of professional wrestling with real athletic competition and a bit of reality TV. The show was already rebooted once with Hulk Hogan as the host, and now the show launches again with a Prime Video subscription, with another WWE star, Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, hosting the show.

WrestleMania 42 - April 18 & 19 (ESPN App)

WWE programming has gone through a lot of changes over the last couple of years, so if you want to watch WrestleMania 42, you’ll need either the ESPN app or a Disney+ subscription with ESPN access.

April has been a great month for streaming content, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon, so after you’ve watched all this, come back next Monday for a new list of what’s not to miss.

The Hunger Games movies are a popular franchise, serving as a book-to-screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins' novels. While Panem was away from theaters for a few years, that changed with the prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which arrived in theaters in 2023. Another prequel movie is heading to theaters with Sunrise on the Reaping, which will follow Haymitch Abernathy in the 50th Hunger Games. Lots of actors are playing younger versions of beloved characters, including Oscar nominee Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket. And Elizabeth Banks recently reacted to handing off the baton to the Sentimental Value actress.

What we know about Sunrise on the Reaping is limited, although fans of the novel are gearing up for the emotional gut punch of its ending. The cast of Sunrise on the Reaping is stacked, including Elle Fanning. During a recent interview with Variety, Banks opened up about seeing her as Effie in the first footage, offering:

What a class act. Rather than feeling a sense of ownership over Effie or FOMO that someone else is playing her on the big screen, Elizabeth Banks seems to be all-in on Elle Fanning playing her signature role. I mean, you've got to admit that she looks great in the Sunrise on the Reaping teaser.

This isn't the first time the Pitch Perfect star praised Elle Fanning's casting, in fact, Banks revealed she texted the producers with her approval when the news broke. Fanning's casting is also a fan dream come true, especially after her recent Oscar nomination.

When the Hunger Games prequel arrives in theaters, we'll be seeing a younger Effie who is still very young into her career. That means that she hasn't been moved enough to join the Resistance, as shown in the later movies. She's also expected to face off against Glenn Close's Drusilla Sickle, who is District 12's chaperone at the time of the 50th Games. As a reminder, you can see the teaser below:

Of course, Effie isn't the only familiar character we'll be seeing in the forthcoming Hunger Games prequel. In addition to Josh Zada's Haymitch Abernathy, we'll meet younger versions of Plutarch Heavensbee, President Snow, Caesar Flickerman, Wiress, Beetee, and Mags. The movie will offer some much-needed backstory, including how the latter Victors ended up as the way we met them in the original series.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will hit theaters on November 20th as part of the 2026 movie release list. And with the movie getting closer to its release, smart money says we'll be treated to more footage soon.

The time is finally upon us. The 98th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, are this Sunday, and here at CinemaBlend, we’ve made our picks on who we think will take home the top eight categories of the night. Three of the categories (Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress) have clear-cut favorites amongst our staff. The remaining five (both screenplay awards, both supporting actor awards, and the award for Best Actor) are, quite honestly, very tricky to guess, because our opinions vary quite a bit.

The ceremony will be live on March 15th at 7pm ET on ABC, and available to stream live with a Hulu subscription. There are sure to be some surprises, but we’ve done our best to predict what we think will happen (though not necessarily our personal choices). We’ll start with the Best Screenplay Awards and work our way towards our pick for Best Picture, hitting all the acting awards and Best Director along the way. Each of our picks will be in bold among the list of nominees.

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Will Tracy for Bugonia
• Guillermo del Toro for Frankenstein
• Maggie O'Farrell and Chloe Zhao for Hamnet
• Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another – Our Predicted Winner
• Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar for Train Dreams

In our staff poll, the Best Adapted Screenplay choice is perhaps the most divisive. All five nominees were favored by at least one writer, and it was quite close between Hamnet, Frankenstein, and One Battle After Another. This highlights just how tricky this task can be, because it’s easy to make a case for any of the five. Ultimately, in a very tight poll, Paul Thomas Anderson came out on top for One Battle After Another.

Best Original Screenplay

• Robert Kaplow for Blue Moon
• Jafar Panahi and Nader Saivar for It Was Just An Accident
• Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein for Marty Supreme
• Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt for Sentimental Value
• Ryan Coogler for Sinners – Our Predicted Winner

Sinners set the record this year for the most Oscar nominations for a film ever, with 16, including this nomination for writer Ryan Coogler. The momentum for Sinners has only been growing as this very long awards season has gone on (thanks, Olympics). While the staff pick wasn’t as close as it was for Adapted, there was quite a bit of support for Marty Supreme and Sentimental Value, but in the end, Sinners came out on top. This isn’t quite a slam dunk, but it’s the most definitive of the five awards that weren’t easy picks for us.

Best Supporting Actor

• Benicio del Toro for One Battle After Another
• Jacob Elordi for Frankenstein
• Sean Penn for One Battle After Another
• Delroy Lindo for Sinners – Our Predicted Winner
• Stellan Skarsgård for Sentimental Value

This race has been truly all over the place. Del Toro started the season strong with a string of critics' awards, Elordi won at the Critics' Choice, Skarsgård won the Golden Globe, and Penn has come on strong late with wins at BAFTA and the Actor Awards (formerly The SAG Awards). Four of the five nominees were picked by at least two writers each, and though Lindo hasn’t really been in the conversation until very late, on the strength of Sinners and his amazing performance, he is a real contender now. In fact, he is now the frontrunner, in our opinion.

Best Supporting Actress

• Elle Fanning for Sentimental Value
• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for Sentimental Value
• Amy Madigan for Weapons
• Wunmi Mosaku for Sinners
• Teyana Taylor for One Battle After Another – Our Predicted Winner

Like Best Supporting Actor, the race for Best Supporting Actress has been a wild ride, but it seems to have come down to three: Madigan, Mosaku, and Taylor. Each of the three has taken home awards this season, and while our choice ultimately had quite a bit of support, it’s impossible to rule out one of the other two women winning. Two months ago, it seemed like Taylor was going to sweep the season, but Madigan and Mosaku clearly have a lot of momentum as we get to the end here. We still think Taylor is the favorite for One Battle After Another, but just barely. Madigan and Mosaku are considered the favorites by quite a few folks around here.

Best Actor

• Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme – Our Predicted Winner
• Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another
• Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon
• Michael B. Jordan for Sinners
• Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent

Now this is a fascinating race, and CinemaBlend’s poll reflects that. We asked the staff to name both who they would vote for and who they think will win. While the majority of staff have predicted Chalamet to win, a huge majority picked Michael B. Jordan as who they would have voted for, personally. It’s safe to say the race is between these two, and, in full disclosure, much of our polling took place before Jordan won at the Actor Awards. There seems to be a late surge happening in favor of the Sinners star. It would not surprise anyone if he takes home the Oscar, but we predict that Chalamet will win in what could be a historic victory.

Best Actress

• Jessie Buckley for Hamnet – Our Predicted Winner
• Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
• Kate Hudson for Song Sung Blue
• Renate Reinsve for Sentimental Value
• Emma Stone for Bugonia

Here’s where we’re getting to the Oscars that everyone on staff is most confident about in our predictions. In fact, in the Best Actress race, there haven’t been any surprises at all leading up to the Oscars. Jessie Buckley has completely swept the awards leading up to this Sunday, and there is no reason at all to think that will change at the Academy Awards. Buckley’s performance in Hamnet is incredible, and it’s hard to imagine anyone sneaking in and winning this over her. Stone and Byrne did receive some support from the CinemaBlend staff, but an overwhelming majority picked Buckley to win Best Actress.

Best Director

• Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another – Our Predicted Winner
• Ryan Coogler for Sinners
• Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme
• Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value
• Chloe Zhao for Hamnet

Like Best Actor, the race for Best Director comes down to two men, Ryan Coogler and Paul Thomas Anderson. All season long, the general consensus is that this is PTA’s time and he’s going to walk away with the win. Our prediction is no different, as a huge majority of our staff believe that this is Anderson’s award to lose. Could he, though? Well, interestingly, yeah, he could. As with Michael B. Jordan, when we ask the staff for their favorite, most picked Coogler as their personal choice, even if almost everyone still predicted PTA to win.

Best Picture

• Bugonia
• F1: The Movie
• Frankenstein
• Hamnet
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle After Another – Our Predicted Winner
• Sentimental Value
• Sinners
• Train Dreams
• The Secret Agent

It has gotten trickier and trickier to predict Best Picture over the years. Sure, there are times like two years ago when everyone pretty much knew that Oppenheimer was going to take home the biggest prize of the night. But then there are ones like last year when Anora came on very strong at the end of awards season, but was a little bit of a dark horse on Oscar night. This year could be either.

The strong consensus of the CinemaBlend staff is that One Battle After Another will win Best Picture, but as in a couple of categories, a majority of the staff picked Sinners as their personal favorite. This isn’t surprising, after all, Sinners was our choice for the best movie of 2025. The late momentum for Sinners has turned this award into a real nail-biter, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Ryan Coogler on stage accepting the award at the end of the night. However, as a group, we have to stick with our prediction, given that all but three staff members picked One Battle to win (interestingly, the other votes all went to Hamnet).

You can go to our list of the 98th Academy Awards nominees to see who could win in every category, including all the technical ones, and everything else. Other than KPop Demon Hunters winning Best Animated Feature and “Golden” from that movie winning Best Song (sorry again, Diane Warren) being pretty much foregone conclusions, there are close races in every single category.

Keep an eye out for our live blog as well, as we will be reacting along with everyone else when the winners are announced.

Sabrina Carpenter has had quite the busy last couple of years, ever since releasing her viral single, “Espresso.” She most recently was nominated for several Grammys for her album, Man’s Best Friend, and wrapped her Short n’ Sweet Tour last year. The tour supported her 2024 album of the same name and brought out plenty of fans and famous faces. Carpenter even had a bit during her concert where she would “arrest” someone in the audience, and it soon became a recurring theme for her to do that with celebrities. Now Elle Fanning is spilling the tea about it.

The Predator: Badlands star was arrested with her older sister, Dakota, at one of her Carpenter’s final shows on the tour for being “too hot.” Fanning revealed to Who What Wear that they were told in advance that it was going to happen. So they made sure to dress the part since they were going to be on screen, as the arrest is shown to the entire arena. Speaking about the thought that went into this appearance, The Great actress said:

After they were arrested, they were given fuzzy pink handcuffs, a nod to Carpenter’s song “Juno,” and it went viral online.

As someone who was not lucky enough to catch a show on the Short n’ Sweet Tour, I definitely got major FOMO every time a celebrity was arrested, but it made things all the more entertaining. Being a fan of Carpenter since her Girl Meets World days, it was also fun seeing just who made it to a show, especially if they were pretty big A-listers, like Anne Hathaway, Nicole Kidman, and Drew Barrymore, among others. It makes sense that they would all know about the arrest beforehand too.

Some other fun arrests include Stranger Things stars Millie Bobbie Brown and Joe Keery, SZA, Maya Rudolph, Gigi Hadid, Domingo from SNL, and even Miss Piggy, despite their feud, which was shown in full force in The Muppet Show (which is available with a Disney+ subscription). It’s hard to tell if she will keep the bit up whenever she goes back out on tour. However, since it was during the Short n’ Sweet era, it’s likely it will not make a comeback, like the “Nonsense” outros that stopped following the emails i can’t send tour.

Even though some people probably wish that the arrests stuck with fans, which is what Carpenter did for a lot of her shows, it was entertaining every once in a while to be surprised with a celebrity appearance. I don’t know how she’ll be able to one-up it with her next tour, but I’m definitely excited for the possibilities.

The Short n’ Sweet Tour may have completed months ago, but I already miss it and the energy that each show brought, especially when a celebrity was arrested. There’s no telling what Carpenter will have up her sleeve for her next tour, but I’m excited to find out when it’s eventually that time.

Elle Fanning has had quite the career, so it’s almost hard to believe that this season she received her very first Academy Award nomination. She was a surprise contender for her performance in Sentimental Value, which received a number of Oscar nominations. Of course, many big Hollywood names rushed to congratulate Fanning on the incredible achievement, including stars like Julianne Moore, Brie Larson and Tessa Thompson. But truthfully, one of the most meaningful comments came from her sister Dakota, whose sweet response made my heart swell.

In a recent Instagram post, Elle documented herself FaceTime-ing Sentimental Value director Joachim Trier, crying happy tears and reacting to the 2026 Oscar nominations. She was emotionally overwhelmed and the filmmaker was beaming with pride that the young starlet got her Best Supporting Actress nomination. She captioned her post, in part:

Elle wasn’t the only one in Sentimental Value who got a nomination. Renate Reinsve got a Best Actress nod for her lead performance, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas also got nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and Stellan Skarsgård, who has been hilarious this awards season, got a Best Supporting Actor nod after taking home the Golden Globe for his performance. There's a lot of love for the 2025 Norwegian drama to go around, but it seems like the most love is coming from Elle's sister, Dakota, who is no stranger to awards nominations herself. She commented:

This response is beyond sweet and shows that these two are really close.

Dakota Fanning, in a lot of ways, was a big role model for her sister. She paved the way in Hollywood, taking on child acting roles and sustaining a steady career into adulthood. She even received her first Emmy nomination last year for her performance in the limited series Ripley.

Her sister Elle followed suit and has been absolutely astonishing in projects like The Great, Neon Demon, and A Complete Unknown. Clearly, after all these years, they’ve remained incredibly close, acting as touchstones for each other as they both navigate Hollywood. You can see Dakota’s comment and others on Elle’s post below:

Elle Fanning’s first Oscar nomination feels like more than just a long-overdue industry milestone; it's a full-circle moment for the Fannings. These are two sisters have grown up together in an often unforgiving industry and emerged as each other’s biggest fans. Whether or not Elle takes home the Academy Award, she’s clearly got a lot of love on her side, which is in itself a huge win. It’s all so wholesome and yet another reason to root for Sentimental Value on Oscar night.

You can see Elle Fanning in Sentimental Value, which is in select theaters now. Critics are absolutely loving the Joachim Trier masterpiece, so make sure to see it on the big screen while you can. Also, fans of Dakota Fanning can see her in the hit miniseries All Her Fault, which is currently streaming with a Peacock subscription.

As an awards watcher, I was really shocked to see that Sentimental Value was completely blanked at the Actor Awards, formerly known as the SAG Awards. This morning, the movie hit big at the Academy Awards with six nominations (see all the 2026 Oscar nominees here), including Best Picture and Best Director for Joachim Trier. Also, despite no nods from the Screen Actors’ Guild, it landed four acting nominations.

Sentimental Value Has Been Getting Lots Of Love

Renate Reinsve (Best Actress), Stellan Skarsgård (Best Supporting Actor), Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Elle Fanning (Best Supporting Actress for both) all received Oscar nominations this morning for Sentimental Value. This isn’t really a surprise to many. All four have been widely discussed as potential nominees. Until the nominations for the Actor Awards were announced a few weeks ago, the movie was getting a ton of love.

One reason that Sentimental Value’s snub by SAG was so shocking is that the movie got six nominations at the Critics’ Choice Awards and eight at the Golden Globes. Of the 12, only Skarsgård has taken home a trophy, for Best Supporting Actor at the Globes. Reinsve, Fanning, and Lilleaas all received nominations at both awards. Yet, they were completely shut out by SAG. Shut out!

Does SAG Hate Foreign Films?

It’s worth noting that this is part of a trend. Not only were the four actors from Sentimental Value denied noms at the Actor Awards, but Wagner Moura, who won Best Actor at the Globes for The Secret Agent, also missed out on a nomination. He was nominated for an Oscar this morning. Both movies are foreign films. In fact, there were no performances from foreign films nominated by SAG.

I don’t think the guild hates foreign films, though they have a history of not nominating performances from them. I think this is partly because it’s really hard to judge how great a performance is when it’s not in your native language. Especially in subtle performances, such as those in both Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent. It’s thrilling to see that these roles are being rewarded by the Academy.

Now we have two months to argue over which performances were the best before the 98th Academy Awards. You can tune in for the show with a Hulu subscription, where I know I’ll be watching on the edge of my seat to see who the winners are.

One does not need to pay any special attention to pop culture, or even things like the 2026 movies and new TV premieres to develop something that many people do: a celebrity crush. Of course, celebs are people, too, so many of them have their own celebrity crushes, and such is the case with Elle Fanning, who revealed a while back that The Holiday star Jack Black is actually her “hall pass” of choice. Now, the Predator: Badlands star has responded after seeing how Black funnily reacted to her kind words.

What Elle Fanning Said After Watching Jack Black Respond To Her Calling Him Her “Hall Pass”

Occasionally, famous people will reveal their crushes on other famous people, and fans have been loving that Sentimental Value star Elle Fanning has been unabashed in her love for Minecraft lead Jack Black lately. While the actor was clearly “flattered” by her comments, he did add that he was also “embarrassed” by them, even going so far as to hilariously coin the term “goblin dysmorphia” to describe her affection.

Well, when speaking with Access Hollywood recently, Fanning was given the opportunity to respond to her crush’s words. Take a look:

Though it might seem extreme for the frequent adventure-movie star (who’s currently working on Jumanji 4) to go so far as taking out a restraining order against the lovely Ms. Fanning, I can kinda understand her fears that her comments about Black might have gone too far. After all, she did call him “the hottest man I’ve ever seen in my life” and “sex on legs.”

Meanwhile, her boyfriend actually yelled out to Black at some point during the 2024 Golden Globes, and revealed that the School of Rock star holds hall pass status for her. I can’t help but wonder if that was before or after Fanning found herself standing by Black for the evening’s festivities and joyfully asked for a selfie, which was caught by cameras and made the rounds after her comments about him went viral.

A “hall pass,” of course, is someone whom a person with a crush is allowed to, uh…get horizontal with, despite already having a steady romantic partner, as approved by said partner, which is clearly the situation here. This idea came about because, for those of us who crush on celebs from time to time, we are generally incredibly unlikely to meet the object of our affection, much less have the opportunity to do adult things with them.

As we see, this isn’t the case when it comes to Fanning and Black, so maybe her gleefully adding “Sorry to your wife!” as an addendum to her admiration was a good call. At any rate, he really is “the best,” and at least we’ve all known that for a very long time.

The trailer for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping made me emotional, as I was in my feels seeing a young Haymitch selected as tribute for the Quarter Quell ahead of his heartbreaking journey. Aside from that, though, I was also struck by the first look at Glenn Close as the Capitol chaperone who picked Haymitch. The Academy Award nominee looked so unrecognizable that I was shocked, and even her co-star, Elle Fanning, was apparently in disbelief over her transformation.

Back when I saw the first Hunger Games movie, I had no idea Elizabeth Banks played Effie Trinkett, given she was under those big wigs and wearing theatrical makeup. With Glenn Close’s character, Drusilla Sickle, serving as the Effie of Haymitch’s generation, it makes sense that she'd look so extreme. Still, I wasn't expecting it to be THAT jarring! Elle Fanning, who was fans’ top choice to play young Effie, spoke to Variety about Close's transformation for their upcoming book adaptation, and I totally relate:

Honestly, when I first watched the trailer, I couldn’t pinpoint Glenn Close. So you can imagine my shock when I later found out it was the Fatal Attraction star. The character of Drusilla Sickle was described in the book as having visible signs of plastic surgery, so I'd say the makeup team did a great job of capturing that for Close's portrayal. With the ginger bob wig, fake teeth and prosthetics she has going on, the American actress absolutely disappears into her role.

Elle Fanning and I weren't the only ones shocked by her co-star's transformation. After the Sunrise on the Reaping trailer landed, fans reacted to Close's look with similar disbelief. I particularly love how someone even compared Close’s Drusilla Sickle look to Weapons’ Aunt Gladys! That comparison is spot-on, given both characters rock ginger bangs and have malicious personalities.

Leave it to the Golden Globe winner to continue to provide shock and awe with the physical transformations as has been the case in some of Glenn Close's best movies. For instance, the actress was very unrecognizable in Hook, for which she played a pirate on the antagonist’s ship. The same rang true for her turn as the titular character in Albert Nobbs, who was a transgender male butler in 19th-century Dublin.

Close’s Oscar-nominated role as “Mamaw” in Hillbilly Elegy saw her sport a wig and aging spots while playing JD Vance’s grandmother. And, of course, fans can’t forget that when Close played a live-action Disney villain, Cruella de Vil, she wore a black-and-white wig and donned claw-like nails.

With her new role as Drusilla Sickle, Glenn Close continues to prove just why she's one of the queens of role transformations. Of course, now, I'm just ready to see more of her in the role, and the same goes for Elle Fanning's turn as Effie.

Be sure to see both Close and Fanning in their respective roles when The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping in theaters on November 20th amid the 2026 movie schedule.

Jonathan Bailey was officially named 2025’s sexiest man alive amidst his Jurassic World and Wicked fame. However, recently, Elle Fanning made a great case for why Jack Black is her ultimate Hollywood crush, and it’s been getting a lot of attention. Now, a video of Fanning asking for a selfie from Black over a year ago is going around, and fans are living for it.

If you’re not caught up on the lore, Elle Fanning and her sister Dakota Fanning appeared on Vanity Fair’s lie detector test series back in September. There, Elle fangirled while hooked up to the machine about how much she loves Black. Now, check out her sweet moment with the Anaconda actor at the 2024 Golden Globes:

This video definitely has a whole new context to it, knowing what Elle Fanning thinks about the actor. Here’s what she’s said about the Hollywood star:

Obviously, since this video has been running around, the internet has been talking about how happy they are that Fanning had this moment with Black because they know how much of a fan she is. She’s certainly not the only one who thinks he's swoon-worthy, either, with fans often pointing out how charming he is in The Holiday with Kate Winslet. Check out some comments from Instagram:

• “Find someone who looks at you like Elle looks at Jack! 😍😍😍” - @simon.bacon.90
• “just know that her boyfriend was SWEATING😭” - @magghanns
• “This made my day 😍❤️🙌” - @jannettefriedrich
• “I’m so excited for her 🤩🤩” - @gioh.rodriguez
• “This lore will always be my favorite” - @taymichspoe

Funny enough, Jack Black has been promoting Anaconda with Paul Rudd this week, and they were shown the video of Elle Fanning’s reaction to the School of Rock star. Black was having trouble processing the compliment and said Fanning has “that goblin dysmorphia". Rudd, who was sitting next to him as they watched the video, said, “I get it… as does the world” in Fanning’s defense.

I love it when Hollywood actors have moments like this, where the internet brings them together in a very random way, and now I’m wondering if there will be another excuse for these two to be in the same room again. Elle Fanning has been receiving praise for two movies among the 2025 movie releases, thanks to Predator: Badlands and Sentimental Value, and will certainly be making appearances on the award show circuit. How great would it be if they were paired together to announce an award or something like that? Black had one of the biggest movies of the year, with Minecraft after all.

You can support Elle Fanning’s big crush in the new comedy Anaconda, which opens on Christmas Day.

Jack Black has built an entire career on chaotic confidence, but even he wasn’t prepared for the way Predator: Badlands star Elle Fanning has openly described her attraction to him. Over the past year, the Super 8 veteran has made no secret of her longtime crush on the actor and comedian, calling him everything from “sex on legs” to “the hottest man I’ve ever seen.” While promoting his 2025 movie release Anaconda the School of Rock star finally addressed it in a video that quickly started making the rounds online. And his reaction was exactly what you’d expect, as the funny man coined the phrase: “goblin dysmorphia.”

The video was shared by an Elle Fanning fan account on X, which posted a clip of Black responding to her comments while sitting alongside his co-star, Paul Rudd, from the upcoming Anaconda remake. In response to the A Complete Unknown actress's display of affection, the Jumanji franchise alum replied:

Black goes on to thank Fanning for the compliment, admitting he has to close his eyes to process it all. 2021 People's Sexiest Man Alive Paul Rudd, for his part, jumps in to reassure him that Fanning’s admiration isn’t exactly coming out of nowhere. With a grin, Rudd adds:

The exchange continues a surprisingly wholesome running joke. The Maleficent: Mistress of Evil actress previously revealed that her boyfriend, Gus Wenner, jokingly told Black, “You’re her hall pass,” when they ran into each other at the Golden Globes. The Tenacious D frontman even clarified in the video that there was “no beef” and that everyone is very much cool. But how are fans reacting to the adorable exchange?

Fans Respond To Jack Black's Response

As soon as the clip hit X, fans had plenty to say about the Mario Bros. voice star’s reaction, Fanning’s honesty, and the unexpected charm of the whole moment. Some of the best reactions included:

• 🇵🇸 @scarletvvitch_: “Personality, charisma, character all play a part in someone’s attractiveness/appeal imo, you could be ‘gorgeous’ but have a terrible personality which in turn makes you ugly, or be not ‘conventionally attractive’ but have such a sexy personality that makes you attractive.”
• @QUEENP0P: “Jack black reminds there’s still good in Hollywood.”
• @hannahnadcoh: “Not the golblin dysmorphia 😭”
• @QuietAtTheStart: “Does he not realize how many people are extremely attracted to him?? Like, for real, how does he not know? Lol you’d think by now he would be feeling himself.”
• @MMingy50045: “I mean, Jack Black is a cool fucking guy, man. I’ll give him that.”
• @Breadrunner1: “Did no one realise the sex on legs comment was also said by jack black in Shallow Hal?”
• @TaimuurKhan: “His whole comment is so ironic considering he was in Shallow Hal. 🙏”

What makes the moment stick isn’t just the joke, but how sincere it all feels. The Great actress isn’t being ironic, and Jack Black isn’t pretending to understand something he clearly doesn’t. The result is a rare celebrity interaction that feels playful without being manufactured or creepy.

With Anaconda set to hit theaters on Dec. 25 and Elle Fanning coming off a busy year of standout performances, it’s the kind of low-stakes, high-charm exchange fans don’t see often enough. And if nothing else, “goblin dysmorphia,” which just so happens to have been my nickname in high school, is almost certainly here to stay.

When it comes to 2025 movie releases, Predator: Badlands was one pleasant surprise. The movie, which came out early this month, is one of the best installments we’ve seen from the Predator franchise (just check out what critics and our Badlands review had to say). A lot of that had to do with Elle Fanning’s great dual performance as the synthetics Thia and Tessa. If you’re on a hype train for the actress like I am, you need to seek out another new film of hers from this year.

Elle Fanning Deserves All The Love For Her Predator: Badlands Performance

Before we get to her next movie, let’s take a moment and give the girl her flowers for a very successful sci-fi turn in Predator: Badlands. The 27-year-old has been acting since she was a kid alongside her sister Dakota Fanning, but this is the first time she was in a high-profile science fiction movie, and she crushed it. Not to mention, she was actually strapped to the back of her co-star for much of the shoot.

When she recently talked to The Hollywood Reporter, it was pointed out how there’s been awards buzz around her performance in Predator: Badlands, but it probably won’t be “taken as seriously” because it's a genre film. Here’s how she responded:

Awards aside, Predator: Badlands achieved the rare balance of being crowdpleasing, critically acclaimed and commercially successful. It’s the highest-grossing movie in the Predator franchise and has reportedly made back its $100 budget with its $161 million worldwide haul (so far).

She’s Also In The Best Movie I’ve Seen All Year (But, You Probably Haven’t Heard Of It)

Elle Fanning had a great poppy success, but she’s also one of the stars of a much smaller film called Sentimental Value, which has been on the film festival circuit this year to widespread acclaim. I had the chance to watch it early over a month ago, and I don’t think a few days go by before I think about it again. The more I sit with it, the more I’ve realized it’s the best movie I’ve seen this year.

The movie itself is a drama about a fractured Norwegian family. Stellan Skarsgard plays a beloved director and estranged father to his two adult daughters (played by Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas). Following the death of their mother, Skarsgard approaches Reinsve’s Nora with a script he has written for her, with the intention of her playing the leading role in his first movie in years. She rejects his offer, and the role goes to an American actress (played by Fanning), but it’s just not the same.

It’s one of those movies where you just have to trust me and seek it out as soon as it hits theaters in your area. (It currently has a limited release, with plans to slowly go wider). It has some really touching messages about legacy in the family and the complicated connections between a father and daughter. Director Joachim Trier helms the film in a tender way that is so unlike your typical drama. (If you’ve seen Academy Award nominee The Worst Person In The World, you might have an idea).

And if you like following Oscar movies as I do, it’s currently a shoo-in for Best Picture, along with other major categories like Best Director. Elle Fanning is even expected to be in the race for Best Supporting Actress. Sentimental Value is another great performance from Fanning, and she’s just going to keep wowing us next year when she plays Effie Trinket in the next Hunger Games movie!

Every action movie presents particular demands for its stars, but Predator: Badlands was a unique production: neither of the main characters are human – Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi is featured in head-to-toe costume as a Yautja named Dek and Elle Fanning plays Thia, a Weyland-Yutani synth that has been severed in half – and on top of everything else, there are a significant number of scenes feature the two of them strapped together. One would think that it would make for a terrifically uncomfortable experience, but the reality is that the actors got used to it to the point that they opted to stay entwined even when the camera stopped rolling.

Filming on movie sets requires a lot of starting and stopping, as various adjustments need to be made between takes, different camera angles require different lighting, and more. But when I spoke with Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi and Elle Fanning earlier this month during the Predator: Badlands press day, they explained why they didn’t always opt to get out of their back-to-back positioning whenever the crew needed to work around them. Fanning explained that in addition to not being worth the time it would take to get done, efforts were made to make them as comfortable as possible:

In Predator: Badlands, Dek and Thia meet while on Genna, a treacherous world where the former is trying to prove himself in a rite of passage. He is on the hunt for the planet’s most dangerous prey, and while it is against his culture to accept any assistance, the fact that Thia is synthetic creates a special loophole for him. With the damaged android’s knowledge of local fauna and flora as an asset, Dek attaches the legless synth to him like a backpack, using vines as straps.

Because Elle Fanning actually has legs, creating the desired look with Thia on Dek’s back wasn’t easy, but Dan Trachtenberg and his crew went the extra mile to create the effect on set. The actress continued,

While Elle Fanning had the challenge of working without her lower limbs, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi wore a full-body Yautja suit every day on set, and it’s not hard to imagine the difficulty that comes with that work. Predator: Badlands was shot during late winter in New Zealand last year, but the actor still got a good sweat going because of the costume. Fortunately, his memories of the challenges are balanced by memories of collaboration:

Riding on a wave of positive buzz from critics, Predator: Badlands arrived in theaters earlier this month and is now playing everywhere.

SPOILERS are ahead for Predator: Badlands, now playing in theaters.

One of the big surprises among 2025 movies for me is Predator: Badlands. While I was already a fan of the previous Predator movies that its writer/director Dan Trachtenberg made prior (Prey and Killer of Killers), there was no promise he would go three for three. While I love all the praise for Badlands for how it handles its Yautja storyline, I want to talk about its Alien connection.

Predator: Badlands Is Rightfully Getting A Lot Of Love For Being A Franchise Favorite

Before I do, let’s talk about why fans are loving Badlands so much. As I wrote about in our Predator: Badlands review, it’s the first movie of the franchise that’s devoid of a single human character, and yet feels like the most human due to how they are handled. (Other critics really liked it too for taking the franchise in new directions).

It’s been almost 40 years since the original Predator movie came out, and I think fans appreciated not only seeing a movie from the perspective of a Yautja hero, but also Dek in particular. He’s the runt of his clan, and it’s really refreshing to see a new type of story from the franchise that perhaps makes the fictional species more relatable and rootable (for this movie, anyways).

It’s on the way to becoming the biggest Predator movie ever, following its great box office performance so far, but there’s another aspect of it that I don’t think is being pointed out enough.

But, I Need To Talk About How Much I Appreciate How Its Alien Connection Is Handled

One of the most iconic Predator movies to this day is absolutely 2004’s Alien vs. Predator, but Badlands definitely isn’t a rehash of that. I’m happy it isn’t, but, as an Alien fan myself (more so than Predator), I found myself especially pulled in by seeing a Yautja have an unlikely friendship with a synthetic.

In the movie, Elle Fanning plays two synthetic characters, “sisters” named Thia and Tessa, who are employed by the Weyland-Yutani corporation for what the company is known to do – try to bag and tag alien species for its own benefit. While at first it seemed like Thia was a way-too-helpful synthetic to Dek, it’s revealed later that Thia was using her emotional programming to supposedly manipulate him, before her actual feelings took over.

But then the movie goes a step deeper. Thia isn’t only tapped into her emotions because of her objectives; she also feels a lot in general, and while that is looked upon as weak by Tessa, it ultimately helps her form a true friendship with Dek, and they become partners in being outcasts together. I love when the Alien franchise explores how technology and humanity can intersect, and the story between Thia and Dek is such a good extension of that conversation.

The addition of Thia and Tessa to the Alien franchise (even though it’s by extension of a Predator movie) is such a clever use of synthetics that continues to grow the lore that it has had since the beginning. An evil twin sister synthetic plotline is amazing! There’s been a lot of synthetics in Alien, but Fanning’s performance as Thia/Tessa, and the storyline written for her, is already up there among my favorites. And, that scene where the top half of her and the bottom half of her fight? So good!

When a franchise has been around for nearly 40 years, you’d expect that the story would evolve in some way. That may be an understatement with the upcoming horror flick Predator: Badlands, which hits the 2025 movie calendar on Friday, November 7. Part road trip comedy, part coming-of-age story, Dan Trachtenberg focuses on the Predator, or Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), who sets out to prove himself after being outcast from his clan and forms an unlikely alliance with Elle Fanning’s synth Thia.

Critics have seen the film, and first reactions to Predator: Badlands were positive, if a bit apprehensive. Those who saw an early screening conveyed just how different this offering is from the Predator movies that came before. Now that critics are able to expand on those initial thoughts, does “different” translate to “good”? Peter Debruge of Variety thinks so, saying that other than Prey, this is the strongest film in the series since the 1987 original (and is plenty gory despite its PG-13 rating). The critic continues:

Germain Lussier of Gizmodo calls the film an “emotionally charged adventure,” with twists, turns and several winks at the Predator and Alien franchises. While the plot seems pretty basic — outcast sets off on a journey to prove himself — Dan Trachtenberg’s story goes much deeper than that. Lussier says:

David Fear of Rolling Stone promises “thrills, chills and spills” in this pulp-filled upcoming action flick that plays out like a buddy road comedy. Fear writes:

Richard Lawson of THR writes that while there are still dismemberments and gruesome bits of violence, there is a sweetness to Predator: Badlands, and the shift to seeing things from the Predator’s perspective works due to Dan Trachtenberg’s thoughtful construction. Lawson continues:

Damon Wise of Deadline praises the chemistry between Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, but says Predator: Badlands carries no real sense of danger. He also calls it a “buddy movie,” but doesn't seem as excited about the result, writing:

It seems a bit extreme to call an installment of the Predator series a “comedic road comedy” or “buddy movie,” but for most critics, that seems to be an OK change. I’m sure it helps that there’s still reportedly plenty of action and “bloody” dismemberments. If this movie feels like one you need to see on the big screen, you can do so starting Friday, November 7.

The Predator franchise has brought us a number of worthy sci-fi action flicks dating back to 1987, but when Predator: Badlands hits the 2025 movie calendar next week, it will be unlike any that came before it, with director Dan Trachtenberg (Prey, Predator: Killer of Killers) choosing to focus on the Predator itself. The movie has screened, so what do audiences think of this twist?

Predator: Badlands stars Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek, a young Predator who has been outcast from his clan. He finds an unlikely ally in Elle Fanning’s Thia, and the two set out on a quest. Eammon Parks Jacobs of Dexerto had a “blast” with the upcoming action movie, which he says has buddy comedy/road trip vibes. The critic posted:

The Brothers Geek Out podcast also had fun with the action and recommends catching this on in the theater. In their words:

Predator: Badlands is the first Predator movie to be rated PG-13, and that element confuses Naomi Roper of The Geek Goddesses, as she questions what audience Dan Trachtenberg is trying to attract. In her words:

Others who saw the movie are also commenting on the “big swings” taken by the director, and like the critic above, Neil Vagg of Get Your Comic On writes that he enjoyed the movie despite it not being as much of a horror flick as others on the 2025 horror movie calendar or the other films in the franchise. He posts:

Phil Roberts of Future of the Force agrees fans of the franchise may have some trouble with how different this offering is, but he still finds it an “epic spectacle.” More from Roberts:

And in another X post about the director’s bold choices, Paul Klein of Film Hounds says the movie will likely be divisive, but he finds it refreshing to see the franchise try something fresh and not recycle an old formula. Klein says:

Movie critic Josh Barton has strong feelings about what he witnessed at the theater, calling Predator: Badlands the “weakest” in the series but still a “badass” experience. Barton writes:

Movie lover Dave O'Flanagan acknowledges the changes made by the director, but says audience members who go in with an open mind should have a great time, as he posted:

It seems like many of those who have seen early screenings of Predator: Badlands are concerned about how die-hard fans may take Dan Trachtenberg’s vision, but also they have plenty of positive things to say about it. We don’t have long to wait before we can find out for ourselves. The sci-fi action flick hits theaters next Friday, November 7.

When it comes to crossovers between movie franchises, I think it’s fair to be a bit cynical about how the proverbial sausage gets made. Hollywood obviously loves its well-known intellectual properties, and having two blend together frequently feels like a very orchestrated move executed principally for box office-centric reasons. That being said, one could be excused for thinking that the influence of Alien on the upcoming Predator: Badlands was a starting point from which the new 2025 blockbuster grew, but that’s not actually the case, as the big screen reunion of the sci-fi legends came together surprisingly organically behind the scenes.

Last summer, I took a trip with a small group of other journalists to Auckland, New Zealand to visit the set of Predator: Badlands when the film was still in production, and one of the big reveals during interviews was that the story would feature key elements from Alien: namely, Elle Fanning is playing multiple android characters built by the sinister Weyland-Yutani Corporation. It’s obviously not the first time that these two franchises have collided (see: the easter egg at the end of Predator 2 and the Alien vs. Predator movies), but it’s notable that director Dan Trachtenberg didn’t actually set out to execute a new collision with the film. Instead, it came about simply because he didn’t want to have to include any humans in the blockbuster.

Unlike any of the previous Predator films, Predator: Badlands is special in that it features a Yautja protagonist – specifically an outcast runt named Dek, played by newcomer Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi. In developing the story with writer Patrick Aison, Trachtenberg told us that there was an effort to stay away from human characters because it would have both made the story too familiar and undercut the uniqueness of the approach that he wanted to execute. Said the filmmaker,

This makes all the sense in the world. Audiences tend to gravitate toward the characters to which we most relate, and in a story about a monstrous alien and a human, we’re definitely going to find the latter to be the more appealing. When a film is trying to execute a new kind of adventure that challenges what movie-goers are used to, such an inclusion can end up being a crutch, and that’s not something that Dan Trachtenberg was interested in.

With a desire to tell a two-hander story, Predator: Badlands needed a workaround, and the filmmakers found one. Instead of a human, it was decided that it would be cool to see Dek teamed up with a robot… and it was only after that idea was raised that Weyland-Yutani synthetics entered the conversation and were recognized as a perfect and super cool solution. Trachtenberg continued,

As to not interfere with the rest of the existing canon, Predator: Badlands is set in a future beyond anything we’ve previously seen in either the Predator or Alien franchises, and it centers on Dek, who gets lost on an extremely dangerous planet and has to show his mettle to survive (and prove his value to his species despite his diminutive size). He ends up finding Thia (Elle Fanning), a legless android also stranded on the strange world, and they team up in an effort to stay alive and get rescued.

Following the animated anthology adventure Predator: Killer Of Killers from this past summer, Predator: Badlands gives fans the most intimate look yet at the warrior culture of the Yautja and promises an adventure unlike anything we’ve seen in any of the canon’s previous stories. Should you need a refresher course, all of the previous Predator movies (including Predator, Predator 2, Predators, The Predator, Prey and Killer of Killers) are available to stream with a Hulu subscription, but Predator: Badlands will exclusively be playing in theaters starting November 7.

One of the biggest 2025 movie releases I’m most stoked for is the upcoming Predator: Badlands. As we have already learned, the next installment in the Predator franchise is making a significant change, as it will feature a Predator as the lead, teamed up with a synthetic played by Elle Fanning. Fans may be pleasantly surprised to hear that Fanning actually looked to Alien: Romulus to help her prepare for the role (or roles)? With that, I'm not really excited to see what she brings to her performance.

Elle Fanning spoke about her work on Badlands during an interview with Empire Magazine, shedding light on her dual roles in Dan Trachtenberg’s next Predator installment. The Super 8 star is set to play both Thia and Tessa, two different Weyland-Yutani models. She admitted it was a daunting challenge but, surprisingly, it was a recent performance from within the shared universe that helped her get into the synthetic mindset. She explained:

David Jonsson’s performance as Andy in Romulus has already earned major praise. His synth starts out as a stuttering, protective big brother before undergoing a terrifying software upgrade that shifts him into something much darker and more calculating. For Fanning, watching that transformation in real time wasn’t just impressive, it was formative. She continued:

It’s easy to forget that this is Fanning’s first real foray into full-blown sci-fi action movie territory. And jumping into a franchise crossover, where the Alien and Predator timelines are finally colliding again in a meaningful way, adds even more weight to her performance. Not to mention the fact that she’s following in the footsteps of some very big synth boots. She added:

Elle Fanning’s got a point, because Alien is packed with iconic synth performances. From Ash in Alien to Bishop in Aliens, and my personal favorite, David in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, the franchise has a long legacy of unforgettable androids and the actors who bring them to life.

Still, the Great actress seems to be more than up to the challenge. And, thankfully, she didn’t often have to pull a full Tatiana Maslany and play both roles in the same day. However, the mental gymnastics of balancing two distinct versions of artificial intelligence? That’s some serious acting heavy lifting.

With Prey director Dan Trachtenberg at the helm and Badlands promising gritty action and even grittier lore, anticipation is already high. On top of that, Elle Fanning is playing not one but two synths, drawing inspiration from Alien: Romulus’ standout performance. All signs point to Badlands being another top-tier entry in the ever-expanding Alienverse, and I am so excited!

You can catch Prey, Alien: Romulus and the new Alien: Earth series, as they're all streaming with a Hulu subscription. As for Predator: Badlands, it's scheduled to hit theaters on November 7, 2025.

I'm psyched for Predator: Badlands' release amid the 2025 movie calendar, especially with all the mounting questions about the movie that have emerged as we learn more. Amidst the chatter of the significance of Alien references and critiques about the new look of the Predator species, we should be talking more about Elle Fanning's Thia. Just recently, the actress discussed the "dolls" that were used for her character on set and provided more insight.

Fanning took some time to speak with SFX on CinemaBlend about her role as Thia, a Weyland-Yutani synth on the remote planet on which the film takes place. She also plays many of the other synths, which resemble her and, as such, the production needed a lot of dummies made for Predator: Badlands. Fanning shared her reaction to seeing her face everywhere she looked, and it sounds like she had a blast:

I feel like I would do the exact same thing, so points to Elle Fanning for making the most of the situation and snapping lots of pictures. We'll get to see plenty of her in the movie as Thia (and maybe even a dinosaur fight). Needless to say, I'm stoked for Predator: Badlands!

What's interesting is that Thia spends a good chunk of Badlands with her body cut off at the waist. Of course, Elle Fanning's body is still very much intact so, for obvious reasons, director Dan Trachtenberg and co. had to do a bit of Hollywood magic to make her legs disappear for scenes. Fanning explained how that was achieved:

As she mentioned, Kek actor Dimitrius Koloamatangi had to carry Elle Fanning throughout those sequences. I'd imagine that may have been challenging at times given he also had to act in those scenes. Good on both of them for managing to make it work, and kudos to them and the post-production team for making it look so seamless in the footage that's been revealed thus far.

Predator: Badlands takes the franchise in another unique direction, on the heels of the success of the movie Prey. The film greatly centers on Kek, a young Predator on his first hunt who's looking to prove he's more than just the runt of the batch. It's a bold new direction for Dan Trachtenberg, who could've just produced Prey 2, but decided against it.

Ultimately, I'm a fan of this direction, especially with the ties to the Alien franchise as Alien: Earth plays out on FX. Assuming this movie is a hit in theaters, I would love to see a resurgence of both franchises and what would happen should they do another collaboration where we have Predators and Xenomorphs dueling it out yet again. Any attempt has to be better than the first attempt, right?

Of course, I'm also curious as to how Thia's story will play out. We'll have to see and, at the same time, I'm also hoping Elle Fanning will post some of those doll pictures she snapped while on set. Predator: Badlands hits theaters on November 7th. In the meantime, why not prepare yourself by streaming Prey with a Hulu subscription now.

One of the most intriguing franchise entries among the upcoming 2025 movies has to be Predator: Badlands. It will feature the Predator as the main character for the first time as he teams up with an android (played by Elle Fanning) in search of the “ultimate adversary.” In the trailers for Badlands, there’s a lot of hints at who Predators have come up against, but one that really caught my eye was the massive T-Rex head. So, when I spoke to director Dan Trachetenberg, I asked him about said dino skull.

If you haven’t been following the Predator: Badlands marketing, you might not have seen this image of a Predator trophy wall, which features all sorts of skulls from different species, including another Alien nod (aside from Elle Fanning’s Thea being from the franchise’s own Weyland-Yutani Corporation). When I brought up how I specifically want to see the dinosaur fight that brought back the biggest skull on the wall, here’s what Trachetenberg had to say:

Well that quote has me thinking! Of course, the writer/director is absolutely teasing here, and he offered no follow-up to what he’s talking about is quite “the trophy,” but it does signal that there will be some exciting kills in the movie that will perhaps rival my hopes for a Jurassic crossover of sorts.

During the interview, which took place at San Diego Comic-Con with a backdrop of the trophy room behind us (which was also used as an activation for fans to go through throughout the weekend), Fanning shared that she “can’t say” what her favorite trophy is in the movie. In other words, there’s a lot in the movie we don’t yet know about and the filmmakers and cast are hiding from us.

I don’t know about you, but it had me walking away from the interview racking my brain about what they are hiding. After Dan Trachetenberg’s last Predator movie, Killer of Killers, we were left with a lot of burning questions, such as how the filmmaker was connecting the animated movie with movies like Prey and the original Predator. Now, I’m wondering if things like the Alien easter eggs will mean something bigger is brewing between those two franchises, or if what he’s talking about will be completely out of left field from what I could even imagine.

When Predator: Badlands’ first teaser came out, there was a lot of negativity coming from fans about the upcoming release, but so far, I’m only getting more sold on the movie as I see more about it. I appreciate Trachetenberg for always trying something fresh with the franchise, starting with Prey, and I expect Badlands to be another solid entry. The movie comes out on November 7, so there’s plenty of time to theorize further until then.

Between the 2025 movie calendar and the 2025 TV schedule, we have both Predator and Alien installments to look forward to in the near future. Plus, since they are both being made under Disney banners, fans have been wondering if the two franchises could merge once again. When I spoke to Predator: Badlands writer/director at SDCC last week, he shared thoughts on the possibility.

While at San Diego Comic-Con, fans could look one way and see a massive poster for the new Alien series coming to FX/Hulu this month, and look another and see marketing for Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator: Badlands movie. So when I had the chance to talk to the filmmaker, I asked him if the environment brings about any thoughts regarding the next Alien and Predator crossover. Here’s what he had to say:

By “this,” he is talking about Badlands, which already includes some nods to the Alien universe. For example, Elle Fanning’s character Thea is an android from the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, which started in the Alien movies. Trachtenberg has previously said that when he was coming up with the idea for his third Predator movie, he decided he wanted to make one without human characters, and figured there was already “a company that makes robots” from the Alien movies.

As a fan of both franchises, I really appreciate how he handled this question. The writer/director sounds like he’s into the idea, and he is already finding ways to connect the dots, but wants to make sure that if he is part of the two coming together, it doesn’t feel like two action figures being smashed together for no reason. As Fanning added, perhaps a “build” to the next Alien vs. Predator is the best way to go.

While there are definitely theories out there that Predator: Badlands could become a full-blown Alien/Predator movie, Trachtenberg simply called it a “toe dip” into them sharing universes. As you might have also noticed in the trailers, there’s the skull of a Xenomorph on a trophy wall, along with things like a dinosaur head and so forth. When I asked him about those easter eggs, here’s what he had to say:

I think we’re going to have to wait for the movie’s release on November 7 to fully understand the implications of Badlands on the Alien universe, but it’s definitely worth noting that Alien: Romulus director Fede Álvarez has shared interest in connecting them, once suggesting that he and Trachtenberg could collaborate as directors. I know I’ll be paying close attention while watching both Alien: Earth and Predator: Badlands in the coming months.

Ever since The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping was announced, it’s become one of our most-anticipated upcoming book adaptations, and getting all the casting news over the past few months has only added to the hype. I mean, Elle Fanning being chosen to play Effie Trinket is literally a fan’s dream come true! As we anticipate the movie’s release next year, Fanning has shared how the OG Effie, Elizabeth Banks, reached out to congratulate her on taking on the role.

Elle Fanning was at San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend to promote her next movie, Predator: Badlands. When she was asked about her next role in Hunger Games, she revealed how Banks welcomed her to the part. In her words:

Now, that’s just too good! In Fanning’s interview with Entertainment Tonight, she said that Banks sent her flowers after she was cast in the role in May along with the most on-brand note. As she also shared:

Previously, Elizabeth Banks reacted to the news by saying that she thinks Fanning is “perfect” for the role in Sunrise on the Reaping. The new Hunger Games installment takes place 24 years before the original story where we first meet Effie and she pulls Katniss and Peeta’s names at the Reaping ceremony. When we see Effie in the prequel focused on Haymitch’s Hunger Games, we’ll meet her through her sister Proserpina, who is part of the Hunger Games prep team.

Effie Trinket is one of many returning Hunger Games characters that will be depicted in Sunrise on the Reaping. Other notable casting decisions in this category have included Ralph Fiennes being tapped to play President Snow, Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman, Jesse Plemons playing Plutarch Heavensbee, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee Latier and Maya Hawke as Wiress.

It’ll be exciting to see Effie Trinket in this era of the Hunger Games during the events of the 50th Games when she meets Haymitch Abernathy for the first time. There are so many scenes from the book for Sunrise on the Reaping we can’t wait to see come to life, including Effie’s key moments -- however, we won't spoil those here.

The movie is being directed by Francis Lawrence, who previously helmed the last four movies of the franchise. It reportedly started filming in July, but Elle Fanning has yet to join the set. We’re looking forward to seeing her version of Effie Trinket come to life when the movie hits theaters on November 20, 2026.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know Sunrise on the Reaping is quickly becoming one of the most exciting upcoming book adaptations thanks to all the casting reveals across the past month. The movie isn’t coming out until 2026, but as we anticipate Haymitch’s Hunger Games during the Second Quarter Quell, I figured it might be helpful for the fans to see all the major connections to the original Hunger Games movies to look forward to, since this movie takes place just twenty-four years before Katniss’s games.

Let’s get into it, but some (definitely not all) SPOILERS are ahead. So, if you want to go into the book or movie completely blind, bookmark this for later.

Haymitch’s Girl Has A Couple Of Connections To The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes

Haymitch is the central character of this prequel as the movie follows him at the age of 16, when he is reaped for the Second Quarter Quell from District 12. Early in the Sunrise on the Reaping book, we learn a young Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada has been cast, and looks a lot like Woody Harrelson) has a girlfriend named Lenore Dove, who will be played by Whitney Peak.

Lenore Dove hasn’t been seen in other Hunger Games movies, but she’s got a few connections to some familiar characters. Her cousin is Burdock Everdeen, who is Katniss’s dad and is speculated to be a second cousin to Lucy Gray Baird from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the female District 12 victor Snow mentored, played by Rachel Zegler. Covey member Tam Amber was also in Ballad and is Lenore’s adoptive uncle as well.

President Snow’s Appearances Will Build Upon His Prequel Storyline, Too

After Ballad told the story of Coriolanus Snow at eighteen, Sunrise will feature him once again, this time at the age of 58 and played by Harry Potter’s Voldemort actor, Ralph Fiennes. He will be the President at this point, and Haymitch brushes shoulders with him on quite a few occasions after he becomes a tribute.

When they meet in the book, Snow’s past with District 12 and the Covey is hinted at in a way that allows the audience to connect the teen and older versions of the character. There are many more details regarding Snow and Snow’s relationship that are delved into, but we’ll leave it here to avoid the big spoilers of the story.

We’ll Get To See Effie Trinket’s Early Involvement In The Hunger Games

When we first meet Haymitch in the original Hunger Games movies, he is accompanied by Effie Trinket, who is District 12’s escort and advisor from the Capitol. Elle Fanning has been perfectly cast as a younger version after the book features her origins in the game.

Effie’s sister, Proserpina, is part of the District 12 prep team during Haymitch’s games, and she helps out after the original stylist didn’t show up when she needed her. I can’t wait to see Effie and Haymitch interact for the first time after Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks played the characters so well.

Hunger Games’ Host Caesar Flickerman Will Be In The Middle Of His Career

Following Stanley Tucci’s iconic performances as Hunger Games host, Caesar Flickerman, Kieran Culkin has been cast as a younger Caesar. From previous books, we know that Caesar has been the host for around forty years when Katniss met with him, so Sunrise will see him about midway through his career at a time when he has to interview twice the number of tributes. More than anything, Caesar is usually used for comedic effect, so we’re curious how Culkin will approach the role.

We’ll Get To See Plutarch Heavensbee’s Early Days As A Rebel

Philip Seymour Hoffman famously played the role of Plutarch Heavensbee starting in Catching Fire, when he became the Head Gamemaker of the 75th Hunger Games and secretly was a commander of District 13’s rebels in the Second Rebellion. As we learn in Sunrise, Plutarch was a cameraman for the Capitol during Haymitch’s games, and yes, secretly a rebel. Jesse Plemons is set to play Plutarch this time around, who interacts a lot with Haymitch throughout the storyline.

Beetee Latier Has A Particularly Tragic Storyline In Sunrise On The Reaping

You may remember Jeffrey Wright in Catching Fire as Beetee Latier during the 75th Hunger Games when he is reaped again. The character is coming back for Sunrise with Kelvin Harrison Jr. taking on the role, and oof, this is a rough one. After Beetee, who hails from District 3, is the winner of the 34th Hunger Games, he also serves as the mentor to Wiress, who ends up being the victor of the 49th Hunger Games.

But, in the Second Quarter Quell, his involvement is because his son Ampert is reaped, and he’s assigned to mentor him as punishment for an attempt he made to sabotage the Capitol’s communication systems. Imagine having to watch your own son die in the Hunger Games? I’m not ready.

Wiress (And Mags) Are Haymitch’s Mentors Ahead Of The Games

Speaking of Wiress, she is set to be played by Stranger Things’ Maya Hawke after Amanda Plummer played her in Catching Fire. Wiress is fresh off of winning the 49th Hunger Games when she is chosen to mentor the District 12 tributes, including Haymitch, of course. Their other mentor is Mags (set to be played by Lili Taylor in Sunrise after Lynn Cohen), the victor of the 11th Hunger Games, who is later reaped during Catching Fire’s 75th Hunger Games.

Katniss Everdeen And Peeta Mellark Could Make A Cameo At The End

Along with both of Katniss Everdeen’s parents being mentioned as residents of District 12 in the book during Haymitch’s games, in the epilogue of Sunrise, the Haymitch we know from the original movies is visited by Katniss and Peeta after the events of Mockingjay to give him goose eggs. I have to wonder if Woody Harrelson, Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will briefly reunite to complete Haymitch’s story at the end of Sunrise.

Now you’re pretty much ready for all the returning characters from the Hunger Games when Sunrise on the Reaping comes out. It’s coming to theaters on November 20, 2026.

The Hunger Games movies were wildly popular, and is of the best book to screen adaptations of all time. Panem returned to theaters with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and fans are hyped for the forthcoming movie version of Sunrise on the Sunset. The cast is coming together, and it was recently revealed that Elle Fanning will play the role of Effie Trinket in the prequel. And now OG Effie Elizabeth Banks has reacted to that casting.

What we know about the Sunrise on the Reaping movie is limited, but director Francis Lawrence is bringing together a truly stacked cast. Fans were thrilled when Fanning was cast as Effie, but what does Banks think about it? While speaking with People at the premiere of her new TV show, the Pitch Perfect star shared her reaction. In her words:

It looks like the odds are in Elle Fanning's favor, as her predecessor totally approves of her casting. Those of us who read Sunrise on the Reaping were thrilled when the beloved character popped back up, and the Maleficent alum seems like a great choice to bring Effie back to life on the big screen.

As previously mentioned, casting for the Hunger Games prequel have been pretty fire. That includes Jesse Plemons playing Plutarch, and (more recently) Oscar-winning actor Kieran Culkin landing the role of Caesar Flickerman. In the same interview, Banks shared her excitement about Sunrise on the Reaping.

While Sunrise on the Reaping is a story from Haymitch's POV, it also offered origins for a number of other beloved Hunger Games characters. That includes Effie, Beetee, Wiress, and Mags. But we'll have to keep spoilers away from Elizabeth Banks, as the director/writer admitted she hasn't actually read the new book. As she shared:

While Sunrise on the Reaping is a quick read, we can't blame Banks for not flying through Suzanne Collins' latest addition to the Hunger Games franchise. She's in the midst of promoting her new TV series The Better Sister (which will be available with an Amazon Prime subscription), in addition to whatever other projects she has going on. We'll just have to wait and see her reaction to Effie's role in the prequel.

Despite fan excitement, we're going to have to wait to see the next Hunger Games. Because rather than being on the 2025 movie release list, Sunrise on the Reaping is currently expected to hit theaters on November 20th, 2026.

Fan casting can be a very dangerous game, as going against the court of public opinion can be an uphill battle for any project. Seeing as we’re talking about more casting from The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, that sort of prospect feels a bit more daunting for this upcoming book-to-movie adaptation. Maybe not today, though, as the role of young Effie Trinket has officially been given to a top choice, and I’m sure fans are going to love this.

As you may have already guessed, the casting announcement for director Francis Lawrence’s next Hunger Games film has made it official. Dear readers, as you’ll see in the video below, our new Effie is none other than Elle Fanning:

Succeeding Elizabeth Banks in the role she originated through the original Hunger Games trilogy, Fanning is someone that the fanbase has been calling for some time. Her time on one of the best Hulu original series - The Great - proves it, as she carries in a practically Effie way throughout that show’s run.

If you don’t trust my very professional assessment, don’t worry. Someone put together a TikTok fan edit of Banks and Fanning that really shows the resemblance, and I’m sure it’ll skyrocket in popularity as a result of this joyous casting. Plus, this fancasting has been going viral for weeks now, with people even making their own fake casting announcements for Effie and posting them on TikTok.

That’s saying something, as the recent run of announcements also includes Sunrise on the Reaping’s Ralph Fiennes casting as the new President Snow. And just as that move has been celebrated, the inclusion of others such as Jesse Plemons' young Plutarch Heavensbee, Kelvin Harrison Jr.'s Beetee, and Maya Hawke's Wiress have also been met with some pretty solid enthusiasm.

Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like they really need to rewatch Catching Fire about now? I'm sure fans are echoing those sentiments, as well as starting to flood the internet with their own messages of happiness for Elle Fanning. What better way to start that very tide of excitement than Ms. Fanning sharing a pretty awesome Instagram reaction, which doubles as an official seal of approval from Elizabeth Banks:

Much like Rachel Zegler’s reaction to the Fiennes news, it’s fun to see previous stars of the Hunger Games movies cheering on the new kids on the block. Plus, since we already know that the readers of Suzanne Collins’ YA dystopian franchise are already in the bag, Elle Fanning will undoubtedly carry those good tidings into a magnificent performance.

Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see those results. As things currently stand, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will take its place in the spotlight on November 20, 2026.

Since Bohemian Rhapsody became a worldwide phenomenon that grossed just $90 million shy of $1 billion at the global box office, music biopics have been all the rage in Hollywood. Since the success of the Queen movie, we’ve seen 2019’s Elton John musical Rocketman, 2022’s Elvis Presley and Whitney Houston movies, and last year’s Bob Marley and Amy Winehouse movies. And over this past Christmas holiday, a biopic about Bob Dylan called A Complete Unknown was released in theaters before becoming a Best Picture nominee at the 2025 Oscars.

I’ve seen just about all the music biopics to come out in recent years, genuinely because I’m a huge fan of music, and am always curious to learn about how these icons are depicted in their own movies. But, I really wasn’t expecting to give a movie about Bob Dylan just shy of five stars in my A Complete Unknown review. Now, I want to talk about the specific reasons why I think future music biopics should be looking at James Mangold’s movie when telling the story of more musicians.

I'm Tired Of Getting Boring History Lessons From Music Biopics

There are two huge upcoming music biopics on the way this year: the Michael Jackson movie Michael and The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White set to play Bruce Springsteen in Deliver Me From Nowhere. And yes, I’m going to see them, but now that A Complete Unknown floored me, I hope other movies of the genre pay attention to what worked about it. Number one on my list is how the movie chose a story within Bob Dylan’s life to tell that would be interesting even if his name wasn’t so famous, instead of the script feeling like I’m reading a Wikipedia article or research paper.

Look, if I wanted to watch a documentary about the subject, that’s what I would do. But, when I go to see a music biopic, I want to feel like I’m in the room with a musician I’m never going to be able to see live. I want to understand more about what makes them tick and the inspiration behind their famous songs and iconic moments in their career.

I liked that A Complete Unknown didn’t try to tell his massive career in two hours and make sure it hit all his big hits in one trip to the movies. The filmmakers didn’t overwhelm me with every era because they wanted to or could, they were clearly focused on telling a great story about Dylan’s start and how he decided to shake up the folk genre in 1965.

I'm Happy That A Complete Unknown Focused On Dylan's Talent Over Controversy And Other Usual Biopic Beats

After seeing many music biopics, it feels like the journey of being a big-name in that industry typically hits the same beats – which feels absolutely reductive to how special each one of these artists are! Why is every one of these movies about how they are talented as a young person and get plucked by an agent, only to be used for their talent to the point of burnout, or them forming some kind of substance addiction before they face some kind of experience that leads them to one of their big hit song comebacks, which makes things ok again. That is before (half the time) they unexpectedly die.

I’m actually rather upset at Hollywood for treating these iconic names in music as subjects to sell movies rather than taking the time to work with their estates and find a compelling reason to highlight them first. In the case of A Complete Unknown, it was based on the book Dylan Goes Electric!, which I’m sure helped provide deeper insight and context into Dylan at this time in his life. I loved how I felt like I was watching an interesting music drama and character piece that just happened to star Bob Dylan rather than the kind of movie I can see coming a mile ahead.

For The First Time I Understood The Bob Dylan (And Joan Baez) Hype Thanks To A Complete Unknown

That's not to say A Complete Unknown doesn’t make some typical biopic mistakes, and others of the genre haven’t done some new things before. But I think what I liked the most about A Complete Unknown is how it genuinely made me feel like a fan of both Dylan and Joan Baez after experiencing the movie. Prior to watching it, I honestly didn’t get the hype on Dylan, but Timothée Chalamet has genuinely not done me wrong when it comes to his choices. I had heard about his commitment to learning to play the guitar and sing like Dylan, and remember really loving Walk The Line when I saw it (also helmed by Mangold), despite not really knowing much about Johnny Cash.

A Complete Unknown did an excellent job at having moments where it felt like I was just watching Bob Dylan be and perform in front of me. In no other context would I have taken the time to really listen to his music and understand what kind of artist he was when he entered the folk scene. I could imagine myself being a young person in the ‘60s and how Bob Dylan would have appealed to me. Oh, and I got to discover who Joan Baez was for the first time thanks to Monica Barbaro’s performance as the musician.

I found myself less interested in whether Dylan and Baez would be longtime lovers, and was absolutely on the edge of my seat over the next immersive performance as solo musicians or as a duo. Once the movie enters its finale where Dylan decides to play rock music at the Newport Folk Festival much to the dismay of audiences, I could understand why the artist is such an icon, with room now on my own time to learn about other aspects of his career and discography.

Here’s hoping more music biopics take more time and care into bringing their subjects to life, because I thought A Complete Unknown nailed it.

As the upcoming awards shows continue to drum on, so do the viral moments from these evenings. The latest comes from The Screen Actors Guild Awards -- which aired on Netflix's 2025 schedule -- and it was all about Law & Order. When Keke Palmer took the stage, she proudly stated that if anyone in the audience had played a role in the Law and Order universe they should take a drink. And let me tell you, watching many celebrities, including Timothèe Chalamet and Elle Fanning, oblige and accept the cue was surprising.

While it’s no secret that plenty of A-Listers appeared on Law and Order before making it big, the number of stars who popped up in the long-running series is actually wild. And, it's worth mentioning that Palmer, who made the joke, is an L&O alum too (her episode is from SVU, Season 7, Episode 10, to be exact). So, watching the Akeelah and the Bee alum, alongside presenting partner, Colman Domingo, set up the cheers humorously in the video below, solidified just how essential a stepping stone the Dick Wolf-created world has come to be.

As the Nope actress watched the crowd respond, and jokingly called out a few names, including Zoe Saldaña and the whole cast of The Bear, my mind was being blown.

What made it even better was after the room had a good laugh, the Sing Sing actor also pulled out a flask, confirming he too is on that long list of L&O alum. Then, they ended the category intro by saying cheers to all of the guest stars across Hollywood.

It’s a cute moment that is lighthearted but rightfully shouts out the importance of guest stars for franchises like Law & Order. Booking a cameo for the NBC show certainly feels like an important milestone while building an acting career in Hollywood. Watching a room full of successful actors confirm that idea by participating in Palmer’s game is astounding and humbling. What makes it even better is realizing that we’re currently watching a new crop of aspiring talent on the Law & Order shows that are airing on the 2025 TV schedule.

Now, if you were wondering where some of the noted A-Listers land within the L&O fam, look no further:

• In 2009, Timothée Chalamet played Eric Foley in Season 19, Episode 10 of Law & Order.
• Colman Domingo was in one episode of Law & Order: Trial by Jury in 2006 (Season 1, Episode 13), two episodes of Law & Order in 2004 (Season 14, Episode 17) and 2008 (Season 19, Episode 6) and two episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent in 2006 (Season 5, Episode 20) and 2010 (Season 9, Episode 7).
• Zoe Saldaña was in one episode of Law & Order in 1999 (Season 9, Episode 24) and one episode of Law & Order: SVU in 2004 (Season 5, Episode 21).
• In 2006, Elle Fanning played Eden in Season 8, Episode 8 of Law & Order: SVU
• Jeremy Allen White was in two episodes of Law & Order in 2007 (Season 17, Episode 15) and 2008 (Season 18, Episode 5) and one episode of Law & Order: SVU in 2010 (Season 11, Episode 21).

As it has always done, the beloved and ever-growing franchise continues to help turn out the next wave of Hollywood giants.

Now, with seven series within the world, spanning almost 35 years, it’s no wonder so many of those familiar faces wryly responded to Palmer's joke. Even though it was written for them, hats off to the Alice alum (and the Euphoria actor) for shining a light on the quiet importance of Law & Order in Hollywood.

Bits like Keke Palmer asking a room full of stars to drink if they ever landed a Law & Order gig, and people like Chalamet and Fanning responding, are excellent. It’s the kind of sweet but goofy content I’d like to see more of at award events going forward.

To watch the fun homage to Law & Order and guest stars in full, you can stream the SAG Awards with a Netflix subscription. To watch the new episodes of Law & Order's various shows and see new guest stars who could end up as famous and successful as the folks who held up a glass to Palmer's joke, you can stream all the series with a Peacock subscription.

It takes more than Dakota and Elle Fanning standing side by side in a stunning Vanity Fair cover to know the two are sisters. When Dakota Fanning first made her mark on the entertainment industry as a child star, you better believe her younger sister still did kid-sister things to her famous sibling. In fact, The Great actress revealed the “maniacal” thing she did to her older sister before they both experienced fame. I gotta say, it is kind of evil.

Dakota Fanning first established herself as a child actress with her cameo on ER. Then came big roles in Uptown Girls, Man on Fire, War of the Worlds and more. While Elle Fanning’s time for fame as an actress didn’t come until a little later, this is all the more reason to find ways to poke fun at her famous older sister. In a TikTok video with AP Entertainment to promote A Complete Unknown, the 26-year-old actress spoke about what it was like to have a famous sibling:

That’s an incredibly “maniacal” thing to do, especially when your older sister is trying to get some quality time with her little sis’ in Citywalk compared to being mobbed by fans! But, it’s definitely a typical kid-sister thing to do to mess with your older siblings. It’s all in good fun, after all.

The first movie Elle Fanning did actually was with older sister Dakota acting alongside each other in I Am Sam. She played the younger version of her sister’s character Lucy. She continued to play more side roles in films like Daddy Day Care and Because of Winn-Dixie until one J.J. Abrams film established her career away from her older sibling’s fame:

When Elle Fanning joined the cast of Super 8, it truly was the perfect role to make a name for herself away from her sister. She portrayed the complex emotions of Alice Dainard, who’s the object of affection in school, but struggles with a hard home life.

From then on, Elle Fanning made great accomplishments in her adult acting career like receiving Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her lead role in one of the best Hulu original shows, The Great. The Beguiled actress also portrayed Michelle Carter in the cast of the miniseries The Girl From Plainville. With her 2024 movie release of A Complete Unknown receiving Golden Globe nominations this year, Elle Fanning clearly has an identity of her own and I can’t imagine anyone mistaking her for Dakota again.

Elle Fanning may have been a bit evil turning a mob of fans on her older sister during their Citywalk time. But now that the two former child stars are still acting today, Dakota Fanning can turn the crowd of fans on her younger sister! I can already imagine the tables turning now in the sibling rivalry games.

When it comes to 2024 movies going viral, Wicked might have earned the gold trophy for having the largest and most famous internet footprint while Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo promoted the film around the world. Along with the two leads of the Wicked movie cast going viral for learning an interviewer was a Broadway veteran, their fingers have been all over the internet as of late because of the “holding space” meme. And, A Complete Unknown’s Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning just recreated it while doing press themselves.

Now, obviously, Grande and the internet are freaking out about all this.

A Complete Unknown’s Leads Recreated Viral Wicked Meme

Tracy E. Gilchrist is the interviewer who famously told Grande and Erivo that people were “holding space” for the lyrics of “Defying Gravity”. The interview clip went wildly viral for the phrase Gilchrist used and the two Wicked leads holding each others' fingers during the interview.

So, when she started her interview with Chalamet and Fanning with her now viral phrase, the two actors couldn’t help but reference it. Check it:

Imagine Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning being starstruck by you. The two actors from the Bob Dylan biopic couldn’t help but parody the hilarious Wicked press tour moment that has been all over the internet recently, and their reactions are amazing.

Ariana Grande And The ‘Chronically Online’ Hilariously React

But then there’s the reactions from the internet. THE Ariana Grande saw the clip of Chalamet and Fanning recreating the “holding space” moment and shared it to her own Instagram and called Gilchrist a “queen.” Take a look:

This is too funny. There was a time when big names would perhaps miss viral moments like this, but Grande didn’t miss it. How could she?

The meme has become so good Mark Ruffalo even trolled it, and Gilchrist herself has even nabbed ads with the makeup brand MAC and Amazon as a result of the meme. She’s really become an internet sensation, ala TikTok’s Jools LeBron earned earlier this year with the word “demure.”

Here’s another funny response to Gilchrist’s latest interview:

It’s so specific and layered, that only the “chronically online” get it. Check out these comments from the Instagram post of the interview moment that shows the internet is nowhere close to over this whole encounter:

• “This is my Time's Person of the Year” - @cartoonsandshochu
• “I love when celebrities are chronically online like the rest of us” - @katyhobbles
• “what a time to be alive 👉🏼🤏🏼” - @sophiemullikin
• “Pop culture at it’s FINEST *chefs kiss*” - @ryantymensky
• “What a ridiculous timeline we live in. Carry on! 😂😂” - @djjohnmichael

It’s too good!

We have to wonder how Tracy E. Gilchrist, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will interact once the Wicked: For Good release date arrives in 2025! And then hopefully they get fun follow-ups to it from celebs like Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning.

The Predator franchise has found new life thanks to director Dan Trachtenberg. Following his work on the absolutely excellent Prey, Trachtenberg has directed not one, but two Predator movies, and the next one promises to be as fresh as the last one as it will do something that no Predator movie has done before, focus on the Predator.

While the Predator movies are often seen as science fiction movies first, by virtue of the fact that the title character is a space alien, they are essentially slasher movies, with each film following human characters as they are chased by a near-unstoppable killing machine. Speaking with Empire, Dan Trachtenberg confirms that the new film Predator: Badlands (recently added to the 2025 movie schedule) will be different because the Predator will actually be the main character. He explained…

Trachtenberg says the idea came from a desire to find a fresh way to push the boundaries of the Predator franchise in the same way that Prey had done before. In this case, that apparently means a movie that will actually have fans rooting for the Predator.

How exactly that will work is anybody’s guess at this point. What we know about Predator: Badlands is fairly limited. The movie will be set on an alien world and will be set in the future, a first for the franchise. Elle Fanning is set to star in the film, and so we all thought she would be the film’s main character, but now it’s unclear who the star really is, if The Predator will be hunting her, or if perhaps they’ll end up working together.

I don’t really know what’s going on with Predator: Badlands, but I am absolutely interested in seeing how it all turns out. When I wrote our Prey review I had nothing bad to say about the film. I honestly think it’s the best movie in the Predator franchise, and Dan Trachtenberg has my confidence. The last time he tried something really new it was a home run.

Connecting emotionally with a Predator would seem like a tall order. The characters have previously only been monsters focused on hunting. They’ve never really shown emotions of their own beyond rage. Making a Predator character that evokes an emotional reaction from the audience without being a drastically different sort of character, would seem incredibly difficult if not impossible, but that’s what makes it so exciting.

And if this does work it’s only going to get more excited for the future of this franchise. Especially since Dan Trachtenberg has another Predator movie coming, one that he apparently filmed alongside Badlands in secret. While I would love to see a sequel to Prey, if there is yet another way to push the boundaries of Predator, I'm here for it.

The next addition to the Hunger Games franchise is on the way, and we're about eight months away from heading back into the dystopian world of Panem with The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping. It is certainly one of the most anticipated book-to-screen adaptations on the 2026 movie schedule.

If you're new here or don't keep close watch over The Hunger Games franchise, we've got you covered. The successful franchise has expanded its lore into the world far beyond the original story trilogy of books. First, the four successful films were adapted from The Hunger Games trilogy; there was an earlier prequel released in 2023 titled The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

That film was successful, so it was only a matter of time before another story within the world of The Hunger Games would be told. That movie is soon approaching, so here's everything we know about another prequel, Sunrise On The Reaping, set between the original series and Songbirds and Snakes, including the release date, the cast (including some very exciting news about Jennifer Lawrence), and more.

What Is The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping Release Date?

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will be released in theaters on November 20, 2026. Getting a release so close to the holidays hopefully means good things about the movie, and that everyone involved believes it'll be a hit. Recently, the writer of Sunrise On The Reaping, Billy Ray, sat down with CinemaBlend and was asked bluntly if this would be the final movie in the franchise. His response was... maybe? Here's what he told us:

Ray not only wrote this latest installment of the series, but the first movie as well, so he has his pulse on the franchise. It all comes down to author Suzanne Collins, according to Ray:

Right now, Collins hasn't announced another book after Sunrise, so I guess we'll just have to see what the future holds after November.

The First Trailer Has Been Released

The first trailer for Sunrise on the Reaping dropped in April 2026, and we've gotten our first good look at a lot of the characters. Check out the teaser trailer released late last year:

It's hard not to get excited after seeing this. Let's go!

The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping Is A Prequel

The movie is based on the 2025 novel, Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins, who, of course, wrote the original trilogy. The book follows the 50th annual Hunger Games, 24 years before the Hunger Games in the first book and movie, where Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) began her revolution against The Capitol, and in honor of it, twice as many tributes are picked to play.

We know a little about the 50th edition of the games because we know the winner was Haymitch Abernathy. Haymitch, of course, was played by Woody Harrelson in the original series. In that series, he is a pretty broken man, but he gets himself together to help Katniss and Peeta. He is one of only two winners to ever come from District 12 before Katniss and Peeta both won the 74th edition in the first Hunger Games.

So, the movie is set 24 years before the events of the original Hunger Games trilogy and begins on the morning of the Second Quarter Quell, when we find out there will be twice the usual number of tributes for these games. Four from each district, instead of the usual two.

The first four Hunger Games movies followed the story of Katniss Everdeen, a tribute to the 74th Hunger Games, who broke the system and ended up starting a revolution against the Capitol. The prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, followed the origin story of the main villain of The Hunger Games series, Coriolanus Snow.

Now, we're going to get Haymitch's story, which is a great way to continue this franchise. Haymitch has always been a character that people loved in the first trilogy, so it would make sense that this would be the next story to tell.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping Cast

The cast of Sunrise on the Reaping is, in a word, fantastic. It's a mix of up-and-comers and established veteran stars. Many of the characters we know from the original movies will be in this one, albeit younger versions of themselves, including President Snow (Donald Sutherland in the original series; Tom Blythe in Songbirds & Snakes), Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks originally), Plutarch Heavensbee, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman first, and Caesar Flickerman, who was played by Stanley Tucci in the originals. Here's everyone we know so far:

Joseph Zada As Haymitch Abernathy

The hero of the movie, Haymitch Abernathy, is being played by Joseph Zada. Zada has worked in television, but this promises to be a big breakout for the young actor. Haymitch, of course, was played by Woody Harrelson in the original films, and Zada certainly looks the part of the hero before his PTSD dragged him down in later life, as we saw with Harrelson's version of the character.

Mckenna Grace As Maysilee Donner

Maysilee Donner, played by McKenna Grace, is Haymitch's fellow District 12 tribute and his ally in the games. Grace may just be 19 years old, but she's already got a long resume that goes back more than a decade with appearances in movies like I, Tonya, Gifted, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and its sequel, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, as well as 2025's Five Nights at Freddy's 2.

Ralph Fiennes As President Coriolanus Snow

One of the most important characters in the franchise is President Coriolanus Snow, and to reflect that, once again, they cast a heavyweight in the role, none other than the great Ralph Fiennes. I can't wait to find out where he takes the menacing villain. Snow, of course, was originally played by Donald Sutherland, who passed away in 2024.

Jesse Plemons As Plutarch Heavensbee

I think it's safe to say that most will agree that Jesse Plemons is the perfect actor to cast for a young Plutarch Heavensbee, following in the footsteps of Philip Seymour Hoffman. Not only does he have the acting chops on the same level as Hoffman, but he bears quite a resemblance to the late actor who played the character originally.

Glenn Close as Drusilla Sickle

Oh boy, does this one look fun! Legend Glenn Close is playing Drusilla Sickle, the Capitol chaperone, like Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks, originally) was in the first movies. I have no idea how over the top this performance will be, but I can't wait to find out. Her appearance in the trailer is magical, and working with her must have been a treat for all the actors on set.

Elle Fanning As Effie Trinket

Speaking of Effie Trinket, she will be played by Elle Fanning in the Sunrise on the Reaping. After how amazing Banks was in the originals, these are big shoes to fill, but we're confident the 2026 Oscar nominee is up to the task.

Kieran Culkin As Caesar Flickerman

Caesar Flickerman, played by Stanley Tucci originally, will be played by Kieran Culkin, which seems like it could be perfect. Culkin usually plays characters with a little edge to them, and Caesar, at least Tucci's version, was pretty smooth. I'm really curious to see how this works out, but Caesar, the host with the most, with a little more edge, could be a lot of fun!

Maya Hawke As Wiress

Wiress, who won the 49th Hunger Games (one year earlier than when this movie is set), will be played by Maya Hawke. In the previous movies, she was played by Amanda Plummer.

There are quite a few big-name actors who we know will appear in some new and returning characters, as well:

• Billy Porter as Magno Stift
• Iris Apatow as Proserpina Trinket
• Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee Latier
• Lili Taylor as Mags Flanagan
• Ben Wang as Wyatt Callow
• Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird
• Jefferson White as Mr. McCoy
• Edvin Ryding as Vitus

We also know from a report in December 2025 in The Hollywood Reporter that Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will be reprising their roles as Katniss and Peeta. How that will work, as those characters have yet to be born in the era in which Sunrise is set, I have no idea, but I'm very cool with the idea!

It also opens up the idea of other possible cameos from the original films. The first that comes to mind is Julianne Moore as Alma Coin. I don't want to see the movie totally fall into fan service like that, but a few cameos would be great.

Francis Lawrence Is The Director

Director Francis Lawrence is once again going to be at the helm of this film. This will be the fourth time he will be in the director's chair for a Hunger Games movie.

Lawrence is responsible for not only the prequel film, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, but also the second film, Catching Fire, and both parts of Mockingjay in the original Hunger Games movies. The only one that he did not direct was the first film, which came from director Gary Ross.

Lawrence has also worked on other films outside of The Hunger Games movies, including the Will Smith-led I Am Legend and the romantic drama Water for Elephants, as well as Constantine. His most recent film, The Long Walk, was one of CinemaBlend's favorite movies of 2025.

The film wrapped principal photography in November 2025, so it's off to the editing room for the production team, and into the waiting room for fans of the series. Hopefully, we'll see a new full trailer soon, and when we do, we'll be sure to update this story!

Margo’s Got Money Troubles, one of the upcoming book-to-screen adaptations, is on the way and could possibly find a spot on the list of best Apple TV+ original series. But when will that happen and what is this upcoming A24 show all about?

If this is the first you’re hearing about Margo’s Got Money Troubles, no need to fret, as we have a full breakdown of everything that has been announced about the show so far, including the multiple ways Elle Fannings is involved, who else is attached to star, and several other details.

What Is The Margo’s Got Money Troubles Premiere Date?

It’s hard to say when those with an Apple TV+ subscription will be able to watch the show, as the streaming service has yet to announce a Margo’s Got Money Troubles premiere date. But since we’re so late into the year, it’s all but guaranteed that it won’t find a place on the 2024 TV schedule. However, it is much more likely that we will be seeing the show debut at some point on the 2025 TV schedule, which is already starting to fill up. We’ll have to wait and see.

What Is Margo's Got Money Troubles About?

When Margo’s Got Money Troubles lands on Apple TV+, it will follow a young college student who tries to make sense of her life after a brief affair with her college professor finds her living as a single mom. The 20-year-old, forced to come up with a way to support herself and her child, decides to create an OnlyFans account for extra income.

However, with the help of her dad and his vast knowledge of the wrestling business after years in the ring, Margot Millet creates a dynamic character and presence that quickly translates to fans of her own and more cash than she knows what to do with.

The Margo’s Got Money Troubles Cast

The Margo’s Got Money Troubles cast will certainly grow tremendously between now and the time of production, but it’s already off to a great start. Here’s everyone that’s been announced for the upcoming Apple TV+ series so far.

Elle Fanning as Margo Millet

According to Deadline, Elle Fanning will lead the Margo’s Got Money Troubles cast as Margo Millet, the daughter of a Hooters waitress and former professional wrestler who becomes a major hit on OnlyFans. A successful former child star who appeared in everything from Studio Ghibli classics like My Neighbor Totoro and more recent shows like Great, Fanning has dozens of credits to her name. And that list will soon grow larger when Fanning takes on one of the leading roles in James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown, the Timothee Chalamet-led Bob Dylan biopic.

Michelle Pfeiffer as Shyanne

Michelle Pfeiffer will be taking on the role of Shyanne, Margo Millet’s mother, in Margo’s Got Money Troubles. In September 2024, Deadline reported that the Golden Globe-winning actress would be playing the former Hooter’s waitress and Bloomingdale’s retail worker. Pfeiffer’s most recent small-screen appearance was on The First Lady, where she took on the role of Betty Ford.

Nick Offerman as Jinx

Nick Offerman, who won an Emmy for his brief yet poignant performance on The Last Us, will be joining the Margo’s Got Money Troubles cast as Jinx, Margo’s father and a former wrestler, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The long-time star of Parks and Recreation has more than what it takes to play a former professional wrestler who helps his daughter get an unorthodox business prospect off the ground.

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman, who is also producing the series alongside Elle and Dakota Fanning, is set to appear in the series, but her character’s identity has yet to be announced. Regardless of her role, the two-time Emmy Award winner is fully capable of handling both drama and comedy, which may come in handy when approaching an adaptation like this.

The Show Is Based On Rufi Thorpe’s 2024 Novel Of The Same Name

The show is based on Rufi Thorpe’s 2024 novel, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, and was announced by The Hollywood Reporter more than six months before readers actually got a chance to grab the book from store shelves. Published by HarperCollins imprint William Morrow, the much-talked-about novel received heaps of praise from publications like the New York Times upon its initial publication.

When Can We Expect A Margo’s Got Money Troubles Trailer?

Considering we don’t have a premiere date, a fully announced cast, or any word on when production will get started, it’s hard to say when we’ll see a Margo’s Got Money Troubles trailer. But if Apple TV+ ends up releasing the show in 2025, it should only be a matter of months before we get our first glimpse at the highly anticipated series.

David E. Kelley Will Serve As The Margot’s Got Money Troubles Showrunner

Back in February 2024 when Deadline was sharing all kinds of details about Margo’s Got Money Troubles, the outlet announced that David E. Kelley, who had been attached to the project for several months at that point, would be writing, producing, and serving as showrunner. The Emmy Award-winning TV writer and producer has created or produced shows like Ally McBeal, the critically acclaimed Presumed Innocent, and Big Little Lies over the years, the latter of which featured Nicole Kidman in a major capacity.

How Many Episodes Will There Be?

According to Variety, Margo’s Got Money Troubles will play out over the course of eight episodes, which isn’t too long and not too short. We’re not sure how long each of those episodes will be or how Apple TV+ will release them, but we should know more about both of these questions in the coming months.

Elle Fanning Narrates The Margo's Got Money Troubles Audiobook

If you want to check out Margo’s Got Money Troubles before the show lands on Apple TV+, you can either pick up the novel at most retailers or seek out the audiobook version, which is read by Elle Fanning. In June 2024, People shared a five-minute excerpt from the first chapter of the audiobook, and it gives you a taste of what to expect from the rest of the story if you choose to carry on.

Expect to hear much more about Margo’s Got Money Troubles in the coming weeks and months, as information should become more available in no time at all.

I have a confession to make – I didn't like Aurora for some time in the Maleficent movie, but now, after watching it years later, I get her. In fact, I love her. 

I'll say that Disney princesses were my jam as a kid. While I was engrossed in the worlds of the best fantasy movies and the Harry Potter franchise, the other part of me also loved all the Disney Renaissance movies and the princesses that came with them. Even well into my teenage years, I was into the newer princesses, like Elsa and Anna, Rapunzel, and the perfect role model, Tiana.

However, one princess I never talked about was Aurora, which always bothered my mother as she grew up watching Sleeping Beauty. I never got her or understood her character, and that was even more so when I saw the 2014 live-action reboot of the story, Maleficent, where we focused on the live-action Disney villain instead of the princess. 

But I decided to rewatch it now, in my twenties, and I have to say, I have a newfound appreciation for Aurora – and Maleficent as a whole – but today, we'll talk about the princess. 

First Of All, Elle Fanning Really Is The Perfect Aurora

I have been the absolute biggest supporter of Elle Fanning for God knows how many years. I've always loved to watch the Fanning sisters in general – because they're incredibly talented – but Elle captured my heart in so many ways that I think she's one of the best actors of my generation. 

Let's not address The Great because she's fantastic in that show and deserves all the awards, even if it was canceled after Season 3 (it's also one of Hulu's best shows). Fanning takes everything that she does and becomes that character. She is just fantastic, from her earlier roles in Super 8 to All The Bright Places to The Girl from Plainville. 

But I never really understood how well she portrayed Aurora and made the character even better in specific ways. 

In the original animated film, Aurora never really stood out to me because she was just a beautiful girl in the woods who loved singing, fell in love with a stranger, and was given true love's kiss to wake up from the spell. It's a typical Disney princess storyline from the mid-1900s, so I'm not surprised. 

But Elle Fanning can take that same grace and sophistication that the original Aurora had and add in so much more, giving her more sweetness, kindness, and this certain beauty that only she had. She's lovely in many ways, but her version of Aurora certainly takes the cake. 

The Fact That Aurora Was Never Scared Of Maleficent Shows How Kind She Truly Is 

Something hits me every time I see a baby not being scared of something, making me wonder what's going on in their mind. 

Fun fact – the child used as young Aurora is Angelina Jolie's daughter because every other child cried while looking at Maleficent, but her daughter did not – which I find so sweet. 

Either way, young Aurora, when she first sees Maleficent, is not afraid as a child. In fact, she smiles. The baby smiles at this creature that everyone else has looked at with disgust, but Aurora? No, she sees the kindness behind Maleficent's struggles. She sees past that because she's young and has nothing but kindness in her heart – and we even see that later when she first speaks to Maleficent. 

Heck, she thinks of Maleficent as her fairy godmother, which is actually the kindest thing I could have ever imagined. 

Aurora Never Stopped Loving Maleficent – She Was Frustrated And Heartbroken 

Of course, when Aurora discovers that Maleficent cursed her as a baby, she's upset and runs to the people she thinks are her parents, but she soon knows that nothing compares to what she had in the forest – the maternal love that Maleficent gave her from afar was more than anyone else in that castle. 

Stefan didn't even bother to welcome her home. He, instead, locks her away in a room, determined to kill Maleficent. Because of this, Aurora is inevitably lured down to the spindle thanks to the power of Maleficent's curse, but before then, you can see that Aurora still cares for her. She doesn't want her to be killed. She was heartbroken after learning about the curse, but that never meant she wanted death. 

Her ability to move on from that proves she's one of the best Disney princesses out there in live-action form. 

And Changing The Ending From It Being True Love's Kiss To Just Pure Love In General Makes Her Story So Much Better

Disney has moved away from 'true love' a lot in the last few years, so much so that they even made a point of making true love's kiss more of a sister's embrace and love in Frozen. Even Tangled (better than Frozen) did true love's kiss differently with the use of magical hair rather than magic lips. 

But the fact that the curse changed itself to instead have it be love in general – makes me love Aurora even more because she genuinely felt love for Maleficent despite everything, and Maleficent felt that in return, looking at Aurora as if she was her daughter. 

Aurora even asked Maleficent's permission to live with the Moors, her blessing. She already looks at Aurora as her mother without even realizing it, which makes this scene that much more beautiful. 

Even After Discovering Maleficent's Curse, Aurora Still Sticks By Her In The End 

Despite everything, after being lied to, Aurora still sticks by Maleficent, which is something that I adore more than anything. 

When the curse is broken, she runs with Maleficent and doesn't stay there. When Stefan tries to kill Maleficent, she releases Maleficent's wings to help her so that the two of them and Diaval can be free. That's when you truly realize just how much she loves Maleficent. 

She doesn't care about what happened in the past. All she wants is to be free, find love, and save the person who truly cared for her – Maleficent. Aurora, of course, becomes a ruler in the end, but she ensures that her true mother, Maleficent, is safe and that there is harmony where there wasn't before. 

It's the perfect ending to this story, and it truly made me love Aurora. 

While there have been some not-so-great and great things about live-action remakes from Disney, Aurora's portrayal was one of the best, and Elle Fanning knocked it out of the park by making this one-time Aurora hater a fan. I'd gladly recommend this to any kid – heck, I'd even watch it again. 

Hilary Duff, like so many of us, is enjoying the holiday season and soaking in all the fun that comes with it. While it looks like she’ll be celebrating with her family, it turns out she and her brood have another big occasion to commemorate. The Lizzie McGuire icon revealed that she’s pregnant with her fourth child! That’s big news to say the least, and she and her clan seem more than excited about their new arrival. They’re not the only ones who are pumped either. After the veteran actress confirmed the news, Elle Fanning, Lucy Hale and more joined in on the celebrations. 

The 36-year-old star took to Instagram to share the news that she’s expecting again. In her post, she included a family photo as well as a screenshot of a card that featured an official announcement. As for her caption, the former child actor simply added, “surprise surprise!” You can take a look at the cute post for yourself down below: 

It was in 2012 that Hilary Duff gave birth to her first child, a boy named Luca (11), who she shares with ex-husband Mike Comrie. Duff and her current husband, Matthew Koma, have two daughters – Banks (4) and Mae (2). The confirmation of this latest baby is truly sweet and so on brand for the star, who frequently shares sweet, family-oriented content. What’s also great to see are the reactions from fellow celebrities. Elle Fanning took the comments to drop the following response: 

Lucy Hale, a fellow social media maven, dropped some thoughts of her own. Like Elle Fanning she shared a heart emoji along with a message:

A response that really warmed this ‘00s kid’s heart, however, was the one that came from Alyson Stoner, Hilary Duff’s co-star from Cheaper by the Dozen (which can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription). The cheeky star shared a quip that was so well-timed that even Duff had to concede that it was “well played”: 

I’m not sure the Raise Your Voice star and her hubby are going to be so ambitious. For now, one just gets the impression that they’re over the moon about welcoming their third child together. It probably also means a lot to them to know that they’ve received well wishes from so many people. See a few more responses from the celebs that offered congratulations, including Mandy Moore, who announced her own pregnancy in 2022: 

• Love this. What a cute card!! ❤️ - Mandy Moore
• 😊❤️❤️❤️❤️😊 - Dakota Johnson
• Yessss. - Ashley Benson
• Aww congrats!! - Nikki Garcia
• Ahh congrats !!!❤️ - Jenna Dewan
• I love this. - Amanda Kloots

In some ways, it’s still hard to believe that the former teen idol and star of How I Met Your Father (which was canceled months ago) is already a mother of three. I know it sounds weird but, having watched her teenage self on TV years ago, it still takes some getting used to. Despite that though, like her famous friends, I'm incredibly happy Hilary Duff and her family and wish them all the best moving forward! 

Those who want to see the actress’ latest show, How I Met Your Father, can still stream both seasons using a Hulu subscription. Also, keep your eyes on the 2024 TV schedule, in case she winds up with a production on that slate.

The phrase “former child star” is most often associated with someone who was famous when they were much younger, but is not quite as well-known — or, perhaps, does not even act anymore — as a grown-up. Yet, for every starlet who has risen and fallen, there are just as many who have beaten the odds and have gone onto bigger and better things as adults, like these beloved celebrities.

Macaulay Culkin

The first person you might think of when you think of “former child stars” could be Macaulay Culkin, who was on top of the world when he led the original Home Alone cast as Kevin McCallister. While his notoriety would slow in subsequent years, it is always a treat to see him show up in ensembles like the American Horror Story Season 10 cast or Kid Cudi’s Entergalactic cast.

Lukas Haas

Lukas Haas was one of the most acclaimed young actors of his time with leading roles in 1985’s Witness, opposite Harrison Ford, and the underrated ghost story, Lady in White, from 1988. He has since made a living taking smaller roles in otherwise big movies like Inception and Babylon, plus he's shown up on TV shows like The Righteous Gemstones and War of the Worlds.

Jurnee Smollett

With an Emmy nomination for HBO’s Lovecraft Country, a scene-stealing role in DC’s Birds of Prey, and a stellar turn in Amazon Prime’s The Burial, Jurnee Smollett has established herself as one of the strongest talents of her time. However, that was already clear with her recurring role in Full House and her astonishing performance in 1997’s acclaimed Black horror movie, Eve’s Bayou, when she was still a child.

Jason Bateman

From his debut role on Little House on the Prairie to his years on the sitcom Valerie (which would become The Hogan Family), Jason Bateman showed great versatility as a performer in his younger years. He has upheld that reputation ever since, as seen by his Emmy-nominated work leading the Arrested Development cast and, later, the Ozark cast. His ability to shift from starring in funny movies like Horrible Bosses to dramas like Air is remarkable.

Dakota Fanning

Racking up more than 20 credits before she turned 10, Dakota Fanning was everywhere in the early 2000s — catching the attention of filmmakers like Steven Spielberg for War of the Worlds and holding her own against actors like Robert DeNiro in Hide and Seek. Save her age, nothing much has changed for the actor, who appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood cast and reunited with her Man on Fire co-star, Denzel Washington, in 2023’s The Equalizer 3.

Ryan Gosling

A 13-year-old Ryan Gosling entered show business as a Mouseketeer, paving the way for him to star in back-to-back scary anthology TV shows for kids (Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps), lead Young Hercules, and more. Leading 2004’s The Notebook cast paved the way for him to be an action hero in Drive and Blade Runner 2049. On top of all that, he also earned Oscar nominations for Half Nelson and La La Land, and made us laugh as part of the The Nice Guys ensemble and the Barbie cast as Ken.

Brie Larson

After some faux ads on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show marked her debut at 9, Brie Larson went on to star in a family sitcom with the late Bob Saget (Raising Dad), was in a YA novel adaptation (Hoot), and she even had a singing career in her teens. Now, she is a comic book movie star (for appearing in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and playing the MCU’s Captain Marvel), and she has an Oscar for Room from 2015.

Kenan Thompson

On All That — Nickelodeon’s answer to Saturday Night Live — one of the young cast’s most prominent breakouts was Kenan Thompson, who went on to co-lead his own kid-friendly sitcom with Kel Mitchell, aptly named Kenan & Kel. The Emmy winner went on to break the record for longest-running SNL actor and lead his own adult sitcom, Kenan.

David Krumholtz

After making his debut playing a child actor in 1993’s Life with Mikey, David Krumholtz became a prominent child actor with roles in Addams Family Values as Wednesday’s love interest and Tim Allen’s head elf, Bernard, in The Santa Clause. The crime procedural, Numb3rs, earned him greater recognition, leading to a career that includes lending his voice to Sausage Party, appearing in the Oppenheimer cast, and reprising Bernard on Disney+’s series, The Santa Clauses.

Neil Patrick Harris

Playing a kid genius on Doogie Howser M.D. made Neil Patrick Harris a household name, which he acknowledged when he later played himself in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. Of course, the five-time Emmy winner is better known today as Barney Stinson from the How I Met Your Mother cast, Count Olaf on Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, and so much more.

Josh Brolin

At 17, first-time actor Josh Brolin immediately made his mark on pop culture as part of the Goonies cast in the role of Brand Walsh. However, he really got heads turning at 39 when he starred in one of the best movies of the 2000s, No Country for Old Men. The son of Hollywood veteran James Brolin has an Oscar nomination for Milk and multiple comic book movie roles under his belt (Jonah Hex, MCU’s Thanos, and Cable in Deadpool 2), among other great achievements. 

Haley Joel Osment

After debuting in Forrest Gump and starring on The Jeff Foxworthy Show, Haley Joel Osment’s Oscar-nominated performance in, arguably, the best M. Night Shyamalan movie, 1999’s The Sixth Sense, made him a sensation. He went on to earn leading parts in Pay It Forward and Steven Spielberg’s A.I.: Artificial Intelligence. More recently, Osment has been known to pop up in the most unexpected places — Kevin Smith’s Tusk, a guest role on The Boys, Netflix's animated fantasy series Dogs in Space, to name a few — but always with grand results.

Ethan Hawke

After debuting in Joe Dante’s Explorers at 15, Ethan Hawke only grew in prominence in his later teens and throughout his 20s by starring in Dead Poets Society, Reality Bites, etc. He went on to earn Academy Award nominations for Training Day and Boyhood. He completed Richard Linklater’s Before Trilogy with 2013’s Before Midnight, became a Scream King with great horror movies like Sinister, and he's done a fair amount of work behind the scenes, too.

Abigail Breslin

Just four years after M. Night Shyamalan gave 6-year-old Abigail Breslin her big break with Signs, her role in the Little Miss Sunshine cast made her one of the youngest Oscar nominees of all time. As she matured, so would her roles — such as a teenage murder suspect in Stillwater or a vigilante in the Accused cast for Fox.

Mayim Bialik

Mayim Bialik stole the show from the Big Bang Theory cast as Amy Farrah Fowler and later led Fox’s Call Me Kat in the title role. However, the Jeopardy! host’s status as sitcom royalty dates back to the ‘90s as the star of Blossom.

Brenda Song

Perhaps Brenda Song’s most iconic character is London Tipton from the Suite Life franchise — which is just one of the roles that made her a prominent Disney Channel star. Beyond the children’s cable giant, she was in one of the best David Fincher movies, The Social Network, led Netflix’s Secret Obsession, and had a main role in Hulu’s Dollface.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Despite being removed for disruptive behavior when making his show business debut on Romper Room at 3 years old (as he revealed to David Letterman), Leonardo DiCaprio went on to lead a winning child actor’s career that included a season on Growing Pains and an Academy Award nomination for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? Things would only get better as he grew up, earning even more Oscar nominations — and one win for The Revenant — and becoming as important to Martin Scorsese’s filmography as his This Boy’s Life co-star, Robert DeNiro, whom he reunited with in 2023’s Killers of the Flower Moon.

Tyler James Williams

Tyler James Williams started out appearing on Sesame Street before landing the title role of Chris Rock’s autobiographical sitcom, Everybody Hates Chris. Following an acclaimed indie comedy (Dear White People) and a recurring role on the Walking Dead cast, the actor became sitcom royalty again when he joined the Abbott Elementary cast, which earned him multiple Emmy nods.

Kurt Russell

Former Disney star Kurt Russell made his feature debut in 1963’s It Happened at the World’s Fair alongside Elvis Presley, and he went on to play him in a made-for-TV biopic and Forrest Gump. Several great movie roles later, Russell is one of the top action heroes of all time, and now he's working with his family by joining the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters cast alongside his son, Wyatt, who is playing his younger self.

Jodie Foster

After getting her start on TV at a very young age (the first gig being The Doris Day Show), Jodie Foster got a head start on the more mature roles she would become known for when she appeared in Taxi Driver at 14. The two-time Academy Award winner (for The Accused and Best Picture Oscar winner The Silence of the Lambs) would continue to work from both in front of and behind the camera.

Johnny Galecki

In 1989, 14-year-old Johnny Galecki appeared as Rusty in the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation cast, and he also starred in another holiday classic, Prancer. I would not be surprised if many did not realize that Leonard from The Big Bang Theory was the same actor, but they were likely more hip to that fact by the time he reprised his role from Roseanne, David Healy, on The Conners.

Miranda Cosgrove

Even with Jack Black in the lead, Miranda Cosgrove stole the show in 2003’s School of Rock, and she went on to do the same thing as the evil Megan in the Nickelodeon sitcom, Drake & Josh. One of her most notable credits as an adult was a Paramount+ exclusive revival of iCarly — another Nickelodeon show she led as a teen.

Keke Palmer

Her bombastic debut role in Barbershop 2: Back in Business made it clear that then-9-year-old Keke Palmer was a powerhouse talent. The Emmy winner would continue to demonstrate her skill as the lead of Akeelah and the Bee and much later in life as part of Jordan Peele’s Nope cast.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar

While Zach Morris from the Saved by the Bell cast is still the role he is best known for — he even reprised it in a Peacock exclusive revival — Mark-Paul Gosselaar managed to prove his versatility in later years. He had a successful stint as a detective on NYPD Blue, played a rebellious lawyer on Franklin & Bash, and an abusive captor in NBC’s Found.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Before starring on the great ‘90s TV show, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Joseph Gordon-Levitt made multiple TV appearances and starred in classic movies like Angels in the Outfield and A River Runs Through It. These days, he is best known for his many collaborations with Rian Johnson, his Golden Globe-nominated turns in (500) Days of Summer and 50/50, and running the creative collaboration platform HitRecord.

Sean Astin

Before playing the title role of Rudy and starring in the Lord of the Rings movies as Sam, Sean Astin was best known as Mikey in The Goonies. In addition to his accomplished voice acting career, one of his most celebrated roles as of late is Bob Newby from the Season 2 cast of Stranger Things — a show very much inspired by The Goonies.

Kirsten Dunst

After making her film debut in star-studded The Bonfire of the Vanities, Kirsten Dunst really made an impression at 12 playing a 70-year-old bloodsucker in Interview with the Vampire. Starring in the Spider-Man movies as Mary Jane Watson swung her right into the A-list and, in 2022, she received an Academy Award nomination for The Power of the Dog.

Kieran Culkin

With his roles in the Home Alone movies and in Steve Martin movies (both parts of Father of the Bride), it seemed like Kieran Culkin was on his way to the same level of stardom as his brother, Macaulay. However, it was not until later in life when he was thrice Emmy-nominated for starring in HBO’s Succession cast that he became the star he was destined to be.

Selena Gomez

Before leading Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place made Selena Gomez a star, she got her start on Barney in the early 2000s. She now has two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her performance on Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building cast and a Daytime Emmy nod for her Max original cooking show, Selena + Chef.

Elle Fanning

Before breaking out in the Super 8 cast, Elle Fanning’s claim to fame for a while was starring as a younger version of sister, Dakota, in I Am Sam and Taken. Now, she has an Emmy nomination for leading Hulu’s The Great, which is just one of the many Victorian-era roles she has played in more recent years.

Christina Ricci

For years, Christina Ricci’s performance in Barry Sonnenfeld’s Addams Family movies was the definitive iteration of young Wednesday Addams. The Yellowjackets cast member got to revisit those days with her supporting role on Netflix’s Wednesday cast, opposite Jenna Ortega in the lead this time.

Danica McKellar

Some of the most memorably endearing moments from the original Wonder Years involved Danica McKellar’s Winnie Cooper and her puppy love relationship with Fred Savage as Kevin Arnold. Romance is a big part of the actor’s career these days, primarily appearing in popular Hallmark movies like Christmas She Wrote and Swing into Romance.

Knowing the kind of career they would one day lead, I am sure these celebrities wear their “former child star” identities as a badge of honor.

Now that the strikes are over, fans are able to look forward to their shows returning at some point. Unfortunately, a lot of series became casualties of the strikes. During that time, Hulu canceled satirical historical series The Great in August after three seasons, despite its solid following and Emmy nominations. There was no formal explanation for the cancellation, so it’s actually unknown if it was because of the labor disputes or if other factors were to blame. Well, regardless of the reason, following the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike, lead actress Elle Fanning is finally reacting to the heartbreaking news. 

The actress portrayed the titular Catherine the Great -- a fictionalized version of the Russian empress. Finally able to talk about the series again, the actress took to Instagram to share a lengthy message about her time on the show and her thoughts on the cancellation. She praised her castmates and the crew members while sharing how she thinks Catherine is doing after the series. On that front, she believes the character is “left ‘shaking it all night long’ finally stepping into the leader we always knew she would become.” The message also featured a series of photos from the set, and you can check out the sweet snapshots and the caption below:

It’s rarely easy when a show gets canceled (for those involved or the fans), especially when it’s so sudden. Season 3 of The Great premiered in May, so Hulu subscribers had already been waiting a few months for news. The waiting is definitely nerve-wracking, and chances are most of us know what it's like to sit around anxiously while awaiting the fate of a series. With Elle Fanning’s post, the cancellation is now truly starting to sink in. The Maleficent alum's social media address is definitely bittersweet, but one can definitely appreciate her outlook.

It's likely more cast members of The Great will soon take to social media to share their own messages and, photos and videos, if they haven’t already. Many actors have been promoting their work since the SAG strike ended. There's a cruel irony in being able to promote something again only for it to be scrapped, though.

As for Tony McNamara's historical dramedy, series finale ended with baffling and impressive kill. In a surprising twist, as Catherine tried to stop Nicholas Hoult’s Peter from invading Sweden, the emperor of Russia fell through ice and died. That development came after the two engaged in a deep conversation. If a fourth season had been ordered, it would've been intriguing to see how the story would've progressed in the aftermath. The couple had a rocky relationship, but Catherine having to move forward without Peter could've been entertaining.

Even though the satirical production is no more, it's still amongst some of the best original shows to stream on Hulu, as people can still watch it. There are also plenty of shows and movies similar to The Great, if fans are looking for productions with similar vibes. And in any case, I'm excited to see what Elle Fanning does next.

Ladies and lords of the court, it is with great sadness that I write: The Great has been canceled. The beloved off-beat dramedy, which starred Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult, told a very fictionalized version of the story of Catherine the Great and Peter in a raunchy, hilarious and totally unique way. While it’s truly disappointing that Tony McNamara's creative and clever show will not get a fourth season, based on Season 3's ending, we actually shouldn't be too disappointed about this one.

Season 3 of The Great premiered on the 2023 TV schedule in May, and Deadline reported its cancellation on August 30. The publication noted there was no explanation for the decision. Despite the fact that the series garnered seven Emmy nominations, including a pair for Fanning and Hoult, a win in 2020 for Outstanding Period Costumes, and it was regarded as a critical hit for Hulu, it still didn't get picked up. So, let's pour one out for this fabulous series. 

It’s honestly so sad that such a fantastic show is ending by way of cancellation rather than on its own terms. However, I can’t deny that Season 3 was kind of the perfect ending, and for that, we shouldn't be too sad about this news.

Why I’m Not Mad About The Great Ending

Spoilers for Season 3 of The Great are ahead. If you haven’t watched the fantastic series yet, you can stream it in its entirety with a Hulu subscription. 

There’s no denying that The Great getting canceled sucks. However, it’s in a funky situation where I actually think the finale of Season 3 also acts as a perfect series finale for the show. 

To recap: Catherine went through the wringer in Season 3. After she and Peter finally found themselves in a good place, HE DIED! Peter died, in the middle of the season, and it was tragic. The empress then spent the latter half of the season grieving, however, eventually, in the finale, she came into her power. 

Pugachev, Peter’s evil doppelganger, died, Catherine spread the story of Peter’s death in a way that is convenient for her, they buried the Archbishop alive, and the series ended with the empress dancing alone in her chambers. It’s a full circle moment, and after a traumatic yet hilarious three seasons, Fanning's character finally got everything she’s been working toward. She also finally found herself. 

The final words of the show are:

Catherine proved that she was the ruler she wanted to be after everyone told her she couldn’t. And she did that, not destiny. To me, that line is literally the perfect one to go out on. 

Ultimately, The season closed out with Catherine cutting her hair and dancing alone to AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long.” This moment was liberating for her and the audience, and it was a wonderful, wild, weird and totally on-brand way to put an excellent cap on a fantastic series. 

Overall, this joyous and fulfilling conclusion felt like the perfect place to end The Great. While I wish it had come to a conclusion on its own terms and not through a cancellation, this show had a fabulous run, and I’m so grateful for the three perfect seasons we got. So, while I’m going to pour one out for The Great, let us all remember that we ended on a high note, and we weren’t left hanging. And for that, we shouldn’t be all that mad about this one.   

Elle Fanning has always been a fashion icon in her own right, but when she attends the Cannes Film Festival, you know she’s really going to bring her outfit A-game to the prestigious event. While the actress was seen in a gorgeous elegant gown during one premiere, the next day she rocked quite the metallic shiny dress that featured a chest-baring necklace as a top, and she looked stunning. 

The Great star’s dress was designed by Paco Rabanne, and it featured an intricate maxi skirt made of what looks like metallic feathers. Then on the top half of the dress, two metal flowers covered Fanning’s breasts and were connected up into a necklace by a metal bar. In its own unique way, this gown reminded me of the time Sydney Sweeney rocked a butt necklace on a red carpet or the time Rachel Zegler wore an under-boob baring dress during Paris Fashion Week. Both looks were edgy and unconventional, but also elegant in their own ways, and the same can be said about Elle Fanning’s look, which she posted on Instagram:

The reason for this fabulously unconventional dress is that she was attending a party celebrating the designer of the outfit, and the dress code was “skin-bearing looks comprised of unconventional materials,” according to W Magazine. Well, let’s just say this actress understood the assignment and would get extra credit. 

When Fanning described the vibe of her look in the caption, she did it perfectly with a bunch of disco ball emojis, and the sentence:

I agree, this dress was made to “partyyyy” with all the extra y’s. 

To finish off the look, Fanning rocked silver heels and carried a silver Y2K purse. Her hair was straightened with a middle part, and she had a subtle smokey eye for her makeup look. Overall, the dress was the star of this show, and her entire ensemble helped emphasize that point. 

Along with the stunning photos, Fanning also posted a few videos of the dress, because in motion it both literally and figuratively shines even brighter. Seeing the metal reflect in the sun as the feathers swish around is quite a sight, and the actress seemed to be absolutely thriving in the dress. Not only was the Emmy-nominee loving the look, some of her famous friends were also showing their adoration for it as they commented:

•  Deceeeeeeased -Lucy Boynton 
•  WOW -Maude Apatow 
•  No words!! You’re inspiring a whole new vocabulary!! ❤️🔥 -Cara Buono 
•  ❤️ -Chelsea Handler 
•  🤩-Murray Bartlett 

I’d have to agree with all these comments, Elle Fanning was giving knight in shining armor, but make it high fashion, and I’m so here for it!

On top of this stunning look from Cannes, Fanning’s series The Great recently premiered its third season and both on and off the screen the actress has been rocking looks that are fit for an empress. While you won’t be seeing any metallic ensembles like her festival dress in Season 3 of The Great, which recently dropped on the 2023 TV schedule, Elle Fanning is still dressed to the nines in stunning outfits. She also gives an Emmy-worthy performance in the latest season, which can be streamed with a Hulu subscription once you're done marveling at this iconic, metallic necklace-turned-top dress.

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD! 

The biggest spoiler of The Great’s third season is addressed in this story. If you aren’t caught up, you can watch the period comedy with a Hulu subscription. 

Can you believe they did that? I can’t. I can’t even begin to fathom that they killed off one of the two leads in the middle of The Great’s third season. Just right in the middle of the Hulu show’s season on the 2023 TV schedule, they decided it was time for Nicholas Hoult’s character Peter to die, and it was brutally underplayed, profoundly moving and overall impressive. 

In Episode 6, “Ice,” Peter is on his way to invade Sweden with King Hugo and Velementov. Catherine and Grigor follow him to try and stop said invasion. The two end up finding each other near a frozen lake, and discuss why the emperor of Russia feels the need to take over the Scandinavian country, and why the empress wants him to head back to Russia. It’s a heartfelt, painful and romantic scene, that ends in a disagreement. However, as Peter is crossing the ice he turns around and says “Actually, I…” as if he’s going to come back. Then, the ice cracks…AND HE DIES! 

He falls through the ice and dies, just like that.

Before that moment, Catherine and Peter had a profound conversation about legacy, parenting and toxic masculinity. The funky couple kind of comes to a peaceful disagreement that they both need to do what they need to do. In a rare moment of maturity, the emperor is surprisingly empathetic while also being steadfast, standing up for himself. However, this newfound maturity doesn't last long after he and his horse fall into the frozen lake.

Nicholas Hoult opened up about the buildup to his character’s death, and why he thought it was perfect, telling EW:

He went on to say that he “was upset by it,” and honestly so was I. But, like Hoult, I also recognize how “fantastic” it was, because the scene is so poorly timed, it was actually well timed. Plus, as the actor put it “transformed everything from the show then on.” To have him die in the literal moment he seemed to truly change his mind for the best is not only tragic, but a brilliant creative decision, showing once again why this show is so great, pardon the pun. 

What Hoult commented on is the exact reason why I was both baffled and impressed by Peter’s death. This entire show there’s been a lot of talk about and attempts at killing the emporer or Russia, so when he dies because of a freak accident you can’t help but feel flustered and a bit betrayed. However, that’s the genius of it, it’s so unexpected, and comes at the most inconvenient time that it makes it more real, heartwrenching and impactful on the rest of the season. 

While I missed the loveable and terrifying Peter, his death was the crux of all the conflict that comes in the final act of Season 3. Elle Fanning, who plays his wife and Empress Catherine, gives a beautifully broken and insane performance as a woman grieving her husband's death. Throughout the series, we’ve seen these two go from hating each other to loving one another in their own very weird way, so as you’d expect when one dies, the other grieves them in an equally loving but simultaneously bonkers manner, and Fanning portrays it perfectly. Not only did The Great shock us by killing off one of the main characters in the middle of the season, it also helped the show tell a story it hadn’t yet, and as always, it continued to shock audiences. 

While both Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult have marvelous movies to watch, there is something really special about The Great. Peter is single-handedly one of Hoult’s craziest roles, and he gave a brilliant performance as him, all the way up to his final moments. To see the emperor finally come to his senses, in a way, and be a good person, or as good as you can be in this twisted show, and then to have it ripped away unexpectedly was baffling and infuriating. However, it was also genius, and I’m sincerely impressed by how they killed off Peter, and how his death impacted the rest of The Great’s latest season.  

Every once in a while, celebrity siblings - such as Ben and Casey Affleck or Dakota and Elle Fanning - end up sharing the screen together. Well, apparently it happens a little more often than just every once in a while, given the amount of examples we compiled below.

Jake And Maggie Gyllenhaal (A Dangerous Woman, Homegrown, Donnie Darko)

Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal and his twice-nominated older sister, Maggie, are in three movies together: 1993’s A Dangerous Woman, 1998’s Homegrown (both were directed by their father, Stephen), and the eventual sci-fi cult classic, Donnie Darko, in 2001.

Jeff And Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys)

Oscar winner Jeff Bridges and his older brother, Beau, also played siblings in The Fabulous Baker Boys - a 1989 comedy in which the titular musicians become rivals after teaming up with a beautiful aspiring singer (Michelle Pfieffer).

Kate And Rooney Mara (Urban Legends: Bloody Mary)

Kate Mara of the House of Cards cast led the 2005 straight-to-video slasher, Urban Legends: Bloody Mary, in which her younger sister, Nightmare Alley’s Rooney Mara, made her acting debut.

Sean And Chris Penn (At Close Range)

Future two-time Oscar-winner Sean Penn and his late younger brother, Chris (best known from the Reservoir Dogs cast) played siblings in the 1986 crime thriller, At Close Range, starring Christopher Walken as their criminal father.

Andrew, Owen, And Luke Wilson (Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums) 

Owen Wilson and his younger sibling, Luke have also acted alongside their eldest brother, Andrew, in 1996’s Bottle Rocket and The Royal Tenenbaums from 2001 - both of which Owen also co-wrote with director Wes Anderson.

Chris And Luke Hemsworth (Thor: Ragnarok)

Chris Hemsworth has yet to star in anything with his little bro, Liam, but the Australian Marvel movie star’s older bother, Westworld star Luke, did show up in Thor: Ragnarok as a dramatized version of the God of Thunder, whom he is set to reprise (along with Matt Damon as “Actor Loki”) in Thor: Love and Thunder.

Dylan And Cole Sprouse (Various)

Twin brothers Dylan and Cole Sprouse (the latter of which went on to join the Riverdale cast) have shared the same role in several TV shows (most notably Grace Under Fire) and movies (such as Big Daddy with Adam Sandler) and have played siblings just as often, most famously as the title characters of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, its spin-off The Suite Life on Deck, and 2011’s The Suite Life Movie.

Tia, Tamera, And Tahj Mowry  (Sister, Sister, Smart Guy, Seventeen Again)

Twin sisters Tia and Tamera Mowry have shared the screen with their little brother, Tahj, several times - most notably as guest stars on each other’s respective sitcoms, Sister, Sister and Smart Guy, and in the 2000 Showtime original movie, Seventeen Again.

James And Dave Franco (The Disaster Artist)

After years finding success in the business in separate projects, James Franco and his younger brother, Dave, played Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero of the infamous cult favorite, The Room, in the 2017 biopic, The Disaster Artist.

Hilary And Haylie Duff (Various)

Haylie Duff would appear on three episodes of her younger sister, Hilary’s, Disney Channel show, Lizzie McGuire, and provided the singing voice of Isabella Parigi in the theatrical spin-off before they both played a singing group on an episode of American Dreams, sisters in the 2006 rags-to-riches story Material Girls, and both leant their voices to the infamous animated movie Foodfight!, which was released in 2012.

Aly And AJ Michalka (Various)

Singer-songwriter duo Aly and AJ Michalka first shared the screen in the 2006 Disney Channel original movie Cow Belles as sisters, again in the MTV original Super Sweet 16: The Movie the next year as rivals, followed by three episodes of Aly’s CW series Hellcats in 2011 as half-sisters. Most recently, they appeared in the 2015 drama, Weepah Way For Now, as what appear to be fictionalized versions of themselves.

Dakota And Elle Fanning (I Am Sam, Taken)

Elle Fanning has portrayed a younger version of her older sister, Dakota, on two separate occasions: first in the 2001 drama I Am Sam and secondly in the Steven Spielberg-produced, Syfy original miniseries, Taken, in 2002.

Spencer And Abigail Breslin (Various)

Academy Award nominee Abigail and her older brother, Spencer, played siblings in both Raising Helen and The Princess Diaries 2: A Royal Engagement in 2004, played elves in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause in 2006, and later played cousins in the 2014 crime drama, Perfect Sisters.

Jason And Justine Bateman (Arrested Development)

Justine Bateman played her real-life brother, Jason's, sibling in the 1986 TV movie Can You Feel Me Dancing? and a sex worker whom Jason’s Michael Bluth mistakes for his long-lost sibling on Arrested Development.

John, Joan, Ann, And Bill Cusack (Grosse Pointe Blank)

While beloved star John Cusack and his Academy-nominated sister, Joan, have appeared in more films together than most celebrity siblings can claim (including Say Anything… and High Fidelity), the only screen credit that they also share with both their sister, Ann, and brother, Bill, is 1997’s Grosse Pointe Blank, which John also co-wrote and produced.

Bill And Brian Doyle Murray (Various) 

Bill Murray and his older brother, Brian, are both Saturday Night Live veterans (although at different times) and have several classic movies in common - including Caddyshack, Scrooged, Ghostbusters II, Groundhog Day, and The Razor's Edge.

Ben And Casey Affleck (Good Will Hunting, Chasing Amy)

Years before casting him in his amazing directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck shared the screen with his younger brother and fellow Oscar winner, Casey, in Good Will Hunting (which Ben co-wrote with Matt Damon) and Kevin Smith’s Chasing Amy in 1997.

Macaulay And Kieran Culkin (Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York)

Kieran Culkin (now more famous than ever since starring on HBO’s Succession) made his acting debut alongside his older brother (child megastar Macaulay Culkin) in 1990’s Home Alone cast as his cousin, Fuller - a role he would also reprise in the 1992 sequel.

Rory And Kieran Culkin (Igby Goes Down)

In addition to playing Macaulay’s younger self in Richie Rich, the youngest Culkin brother, Rory, also played a younger version of Kieran as the title role in 2002's Igby Goes Down.

The Wayans Siblings (Various) 

Where do we start with the Wayans Siblings? Well, for instance, several of them (such as Damon and Kim Wayans) were a part of the In Living Color cast with star and creator Keenen Ivory Wayans, who later directed his younger brothers, Marlon and Shawn, in movies like White Chicks, the first two Scary Movie installments, and Little Man.

Zooey And Emily Deschanel (Bones)

In Season 5 of Bones, star Emily Deschanel’s sister (Zooey of the Elf cast fame and later the lead of the New Girl cast) guest starred as Temperance Brennan’s second cousin, Margaret Whitesell.

Fred And Ben Savage (Little Monsters, The Wonder Years, Boy Meets World)

After playing siblings in the family-friendly horror film, Little Monsters, in 1989, Ben Savage made a guest appearance on his older brother, Fred’s, hit dramedy, The Wonder Years, in 1990 and later returned the favor by inviting him to the Boy Meets World cast for an episode in 1998.

Charlie Sheen And Emilio Estevez (Various)

After making several movies together - including Young Guns, Men At Work, and Rated X (the latter two of which Emilio Estevez directed), Charlie Sheen (née Carlos Estevez) reunited with his brother on an episode of his hit sitcom, Two and a Half Men, in 2008.

Vanessa and Laura Marano (Saving Zoë)

Both of these talented ladies had guest appearances on Dexter at different times in the series’ run, but Vanessa Marano and her younger sister, Laura, did appear together in the 2019 mystery, Saving Zoë, as siblings torn apart by one’s unsolved murder.

Nat And Alex Wolff (The Naked Brothers Band, Mr. Troop Mom, Stella’s Last Weekend)

Hereditary’s Alex Wolff and his older brother, Peacock’s Joe vs. Carole cast member Nat Wolff, both debuted as fictionalized versions of themselves in Nickelodeon’s faux rockumentary, The Naked Brothers Band, its series continuation, and the 2009 TV movie Mr. Troop Mom before reuniting in 2018’s Stella’s Last Weekend, which was written and directed by their mother, Polly Draper.

Vera And Taissa Farmiga (Higher Ground, At Middleton, The Nun)

Scream Queens Vera and Taissa Farmiga, who are often mistaken for mother and daughter, played mother and daughter in 2013’s At Middleton after Taissa previously played her older sister’s younger self in Vera’s 2011 directorial debut, Higher Ground. However, interestingly, their characters in the 2018 Conjuring spin-off, The Nun, have no apparent familial ties.

Maude And Iris Apatow (Knocked Up, This Is 40, Funny People)

Euphoria’s Maude Apatow and her younger sister, Iris, have played siblings in 2007’s Knocked Up, its “sort-of sequel” This is 40 from 2012, and 2009’s Funny People - all three of which also starred their real mother, Leslie Mann, as their mother, and were written and directed by their father, Judd Apatow.

Dan And Sarah Levy (Schitt’s Creek)

While Annie Murphy plays co-creator Dan Levy’s on-screen sister in the Schitt’s Creek cast, Café Tropical owner, Twyla Sands, is played by his real-life sister, Sarah.

Mary-Kate, Ashley, And Elizabeth Olsen (How The West Was Fun)

After Full House made the Olsen Twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley, household names and  before the Marvel movies made their younger sister, Elizabeth, an A-lister, all three of them appeared together in the ABC original TV movie How the West Was Fun in 1994.

Bill And Alexander Skarsgård (White Water Fury)

Years before his terrifying performance as Pennywise in It, Bill Skarsgård made his acting debut alongside his older brother, True Blood cast member Alexander, in the 2000 Swedish thriller, White Water Fury.

Blake And Robyn Lively (Simon Says)

Robyn Lively, star of 1989’s Teen Witch, shared the screen with her then up-and-coming half-sister, former Gossip Girl cast member Blake Lively, in a 2006 slasher flick called Simon Says, which also stars fellow ‘80s icon Crispin Glover.

Brian And Domhnall Gleeson (Mother!, Frank Of Ireland)

Despite plenty of years of experience between the them, it was not until 2017 when Star Wars star Domnhall Gleeson and his younger brother, Brian, shared the screen in Mother! before reuniting as co-creators and co-stars of the Amazon Prime original comedy Frank of Ireland - also starring their father, Brendan Gleeson.

Eddie And Charlie Murphy (Harlem Nights, Norbit)

Comedy icon Eddie Murphy worked behind the scenes a lot with his older brother, Charlie, who passed away in 2017, but the two would also share a few acting credits, - namely Eddie’s 1989 directorial debut Harlem Nights (also Charlie’s first movie), and in 2006’s Norbit, in which Charlie voiced a dog named Floyd.

Phylicia Rashad And Debbie Allen (The Cosby Show, Grey’s Anatomy, The Old Settler)

Phylicia Rashad and her younger sister, Emmy-winning dance legend Debbie Allen, have made guest appearances on each other’s shows - The Cosby Show, on which Rashad played Claire Huxtable, and Grey’s Anatomy, on which Allen plays Dr. Catherine Fox (née Avery) - and both starred in a 2001 TV movie called The Old Settler, which Allen also directed.

Ron And Clint Howard (Various) 

You can find Clint Howard in just about every movie directed by his brother, Ron Howard - including his feature-length directorial debut from 1977, Grand Theft Auto, which was also the brothers’ third time acting alongside each other after the 1963 film The Courtship of Eddie’s Father and a handful of episodes of The Andy Griffith Show.

Angelina Jolie And James Haven (Gia, Hell’s Kitchen, Original Sin)

Audiences probably remember Angelina Jolie’s brother, James Haven, better for other reasons than all the times he shared the screen with his younger sister - namely Gia and Hell’s Kitchen from 1998, and 2001’s Original Sin.

Jared And Shannon Leto (Various)

In addition to being bandmates with his young brother, Oscar winner Jared Leto, in 30 Seconds to Mars, Shannon Leto also shared the screen with him on a couple of episodes of My So-Called Life (on which Jared played the iconic Jordan Catalano) and through brief appearances in the movies Prefontaine from 1997, 1998’s Highway, and Sol Goode in 2003.

Chris And Scott Evans (Before We Go, Playing It Cool)

Former Captain America actor Chris Evans has a brother named Scott who has also appeared in two romantic-comedies from 2014 with his older sibling, called Before We Go (which Chris also directed) and Playing It Cool.

Sarah And Laura Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Program, Bob’s Burgers, Masters Of Sex)

Comedian and actress Sarah Silverman and her sister, Laura, played heavily fictionalized versions of themselves as series regulars on The Sarah Silverman Program, made guest appearances on Showtime’s Masters of Sex together, and have recurred on Bob’s Burgers as Jimmy Pesto’s twin sons, Andy and Ollie.

Kevin, Nick, And Joe Jonas (Camp Rock Movies, Jonas)

Back when they were the biggest thing to come out of Disney Channel, Kevin, Nick, and Joe Jonas played three brothers in a band not named the Jonas Brothers in the Camp Rock movies, and later played themselves to more comedic effect in their own sitcom, aptly titled Jonas.

Looks like talent really does run in the family.

There has rarely been a true crime miniseries quite like The Girl from Plainville. Then again, there has rarely been a case quite like the one that inspired it. In 2017, Michelle Carter was convicted of the involuntary manslaughter of her 18-year-old boyfriend, Conrad Roy III, based on a series of text messages sent by her, encouraging him to take his own life.

The Hulu original, eight-part miniseries developed by Mindhunter producer Liz Hannah and Dr. Death creator Patrick Macmanus provides an in-depth, dramatized look at the events leading up to the trial that shocked the nation and set a new precedent for how provoking suicide is prosecuted and how words are scrutinized. The following is a breakdown of who is portraying who in the main The Girl from Plainville cast, starting with the titular lead.

Elle Fanning (Michelle Carter)

Playing Michelle Carter, whose historic manslaughter conviction inspired The Girl from Plainville, is Elle Fanning - who, at three years old, made her acting debut as a younger version of her sister, Dakota Fanning, in I Am Sam in 2001 before doing the same thing in the SyFy original miniseries Taken the following year. After smaller roles in the likes of Daddy Day Care and the Oscar-winning Babel, she landed her first lead role in 2008’s Phoebe in Wonderland, but the world began to see her as a leading lady after she joined the Super 8 cast in 2011.

She went on to play Aurora in two Maleficent movies and, between them, would lead an "agitating" horror film (2016’s The Neon Demon), play a Parisian dancer in the animated 2016 film, Leap!, and portray a rock star in Teen Spirit from 2018. Fanning previously portrayed historical figures in the 2017 Frankenstein author biopic, Mary Shelley, and as the lead of Hulu's The Great cast for two seasons so far.

Colton Ryan (Conrad “Coco” Roy III)

The untimely death of Michelle Carter’s then-boyfriend, Conrad Roy III (also known by peers as “Coco”), is the central focus of The Girl from Plainville, in which he is portrayed by Colton Ryan. Coincidentally, the Dear Evan Hansen cast member played a similar role in the cinematic adaptation of the Tony-winning musical drama just a year earlier.

Ryan made his acting debut in a 2017 episode Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, followed by a recurring spot on Homeland and a guest role on The Americans the next year, before making his feature film debut in the 2019 coming-of-age dramedy, Adam. Also in 2019, he starred in a mockumentary about social media influencers called The Social Ones before appearing in Amazon Prime’s Uncle Frank cast in 2020 and, that same year, joined the cast of the Apple TV+ series, Little Voice.

Chloë Sevigny (Lynn Roy)

As Conrad Roy III’s mother, Lynn, we have Chloë Sevigny, who has starred in her fair share of true crime stories before starring on The Girl from Plainville. She received an Oscar nomination for 1999’s Boys Don’t Cry, appeared alongside Macaulay Culkin in Party Monster in 2003, starred in David Fincher’s Zodiac in 2007, played the title role in a Lizzie Borden biopic (one of the best non-horror movies on Shudder) in 2018, and starred in another fact-based miniseries for Hulu called The Act.

Sevigny has also starred in several classic works of crime fiction, such as her debut in the controversial 1995 film Kids, her memorable role in American Psycho, the acclaimed Netflix series Bloodline, or the intense romantic tragedy Queen & Slim from 2019. She also starred on Season 2 and 5 of American Horror Story, played one of Bill Paxton’s three wives on Big Love, and was a police officer in Jim Jarmusch’s irreverent zombie comedy, The Dead Don’t Die, in 2019.

Norbert Leo Butz (Conrad “Co” Roy II)

Playing Lynn’s husband and and Conrad’s father, Conrad Roy II (also known as “Co”), is Chloë Sevigny’s Bloodline co-star, Norbert Leo Butz. The acclaimed Broadway actor has won Tonys for his performances in musical adaptations of two classic films: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Catch Me If You Can. 

On the big screen, he has played Steve Carell’s brother in the 2007 dramedy, Dan in Real Life, appeared alongside the star-studded cast of the timely 2012 drama Disconnect, leant his voice to the 2019 animated film Wonder Park, and starred in the Sean Penn-led (and directed) thriller, Flag Day, in 2021. On the small screen, Butz starred on the PBS Civil War-era series, Mercy Street, did three episodes of the 2018 FX miniseries Trust (based on the same crime that inspired All the Money in the World from the previous year), played Paddy Chayefsky on another fact-based FX miniseries called Fosse/Verdon in 2019, and stars on the Disney+ original musical film, Better Nate Than Ever, which premieres in April 2022.

Cara Buono (Gail Carter)

Playing Michelle Carter’s mother, Gail, is Cara Buono, who made her film debut in Gladiator (the 1992 boxing movie, not the 1999 Best Picture winner), which she followed with Waterland (not to be confused with Waterworld) before starring in 1995’s Kicking and Screaming from Noah Baumbach (not the Will Ferrell sports comedy) and the 1997 gangster drama Made Men, which is not to be confused with Mad Men. However, the actress did earn an Emmy nomination for playing Faye Miller in the Mad Men cast in 2010.

Buono also had a recurring role in HBO’s The Sopranos cast, has done a couple of comic book adaptations (namely 2003’s Hulk and her recurring role on The CW’s Supergirl), and played Kodi Smit-McPhee’s mother in Let Me In - the English-language remake of Swedish vampire flick Let the Right One In - from director Matt Reeves. She is also set to reprise her role as Karen Wheeler in the Stranger Things cast when the hit Netflix series returns in May 2022.

Kai Lennox (David Carter)

As Michelle Carter’s father, David, we have Kai Lennox, whom fans of the Mighty Ducks movies might recognize as Team Iceland’s Olaf from the second film in 1992. He has also made brief, nameless appearances in several other classic movies like Boogie Nights (as “High School/College Kid”), Starship Troopers (as “Male Trooper”), Pleasantville (as “Mark’s Lackey #1”), and Rush Hour (as “Cop at Diner”).

Lennox landed his first starring TV role on the short-lived crime dramedy, The Unusuals, from creator Noah Hawley (whom he would reunite with for a few Fargo episodes) a year before starring in the Oscar-winning drama, Beginners, in 2010 and, years later, playing a Nazi in Green Room for writer and director Jeremy Saulnier. He previously co-starred with Elle Fanning in 2016’s 20th Century Women, and starred in another fact-based miniseries involving teens called Unbelievable for Netflix in 2019.

Watch these talented actors recreate the tragic events that inspired The Girl from Plainville by watching the series on Hulu.

Stream The Girl from Plainville on Hulu.

The esteemed actors of the Criminal Minds cast not only had the honor of starring on one of the longest-running and most beloved crime procedurals on TV, but also had the pleasure of sharing the screen with many guest stars who would go on to become some of the biggest stars of today. Considering how it ran for a whopping total of 15 seasons on CBS, you can only imagine how many future Hollywood heavies appeared on the series. The following are some of the most recognizable names we dug up after their roles on Criminal Minds completely slipped our minds, starting with one actor who just a few years away from becoming TV royalty.

Aaron Paul (Michael Zizzo) 

In the premiere season of Criminal Minds (when Mandy Patinkin was still on the show), a 27-year-old Aaron Paul played a young man suspected of murder due to his involvement with a local group of Satanists who were framed by the high school student who turned out to be the real killer. In 2008, the actor played crystal meth dealer and manufacturer Jesse Pinkman on AMC’s Breaking Bad, for which he earned three Emmy Awards and a newfound reputation as a leading man on both the small screen and the big screen. 

Dean Norris (Det. John Barton) 

Speaking of Breaking Bad cast members, Dean Norris is still known best to this day for his role as Hank Schrader - devoted DEA agent and unsuspecting brother-in-law of notorious drug lord Walter White (Bryan Cranston) - on the acclaimed drama. He had actually already been cast on the show when he was temporarily demoted to police detective for a 2010 episode of Criminal Minds, on which his character helps the crew locate the last victim of a serial killer with clues he strangely left after taking his own life.

Walton Goggins (John Cooley)

Speaking of strange criminals, Walton Goggins received his sole Emmy nomination (so far) for playing Boyd Crowder on FX’s Justified, which would lead to an increasingly esteemed film career that includes a villainous role in the Marvel movies (namely 2018 Ant-Man and the Wasp) and becoming a frequent player in Quentin Tarantino’s recent filmography. In between his stint on The Shield and joining the Justified cast, the actor played a longtime friend of Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) who almost falls prey to a murderous priest (Carmen Argenziano) in a creepy Criminal Minds episode from Season 4.

Sterling K. Brown (Fitz) 

Sterling K. Brown also became a Marvel movie star in 2018 after appearing in Black Panther, following his Emmy-winning turns on both FX’s American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson as Christopher Darden and NBC’s This Is Us cast as Randall Pearson. Before all of that, in 2015, the St. Louis native appeared as a security guard for the United States embassy in Barbados in a Season 10 episode of Criminal Minds that served as back door pilot for the series’ short-lived spin-off Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.

Mike Colter (Colin Bramwell)

Mike Colter would become a Marvel TV show star in 2015 after appearing on Netflix’s Jessica Jones as the indestructible Luke Cage before getting his own self-title spin-off and, then, reprising the role on the streaming platform’s crossover series, The Defenders. Before that short-lived, but much-loved, phenomenon blew up his career, the Evil cast member played a former Special Forces sniper turned serial killer hired by his former colleague to kill his ex-wife on Season 9 of Criminal Minds.

Evan Peters (Charlie Hillridge) 

Someone who is also known for both Marvel movies (he was Quicksilver in the X-Men movies) and Marvel TV shows (he sort of reprised the Quicksilver role when he joined the WandaVision cast) is Evan Peters, who would initially acquire household name status as a series regular on American Horror Story since 2011. About a year before that creepy anthology premiered, the actor guest starred on Criminal Minds’ sixth season as a young man who was abducted as an 8-year-old by married murderers who would later make him their reluctant accomplice.

Finn Wittrock (Harvey Morell) 

On the other side of that coin, Harvey Morell was the willful accomplice to a killer named Caleb Rossmore (Jeff Newburg), with whom he shared an obsession with the Zodiac Killer, on a Season 7 episode of Criminal Minds. Playing that young killer was fellow recurring American Horror Story cast member Finn Wittrock, who will also add superhero TV shows to his resume when he plays Guy Gardner - a member of the Green Lantern Corps - on HBO Max’s upcoming original series based on the cosmic DC comic book.

David Mazouz (Ryan Hall) 

Speaking of DC TV shows, in 2014, David Mazouz had the honor of joining the Gotham cast as a young Bruce Wayne dealing with the recent murder of his parents for five seasons. Years before the Batman prequel series premiered, the actor also appeared on a Season 7 of Criminal Minds as a boy whose battle with leukemia sends his boxing champ father (Shawn Hatosy) into a murderous rage.

Cameron Monaghan (Jeffrey Charles) 

David Mazouz’s Gotham co-star Cameron Monaghan (who plays a particularly clownish criminal named Jerome Valeska) is also famous for playing Ian Gallagher on the Shameless cast for 11 seasons. You could say that he had some decent preparation for the former, more villainous (and Joker-esque) role when he landed a guest spot on Criminal Minds’ sophomore run as a young boy abandoned by his mother who takes his anger out on three people by bludgeoning them to death.

Elle Fanning (Tracy Belle) 

Cameron Monaghan’s Jeffrey Charles almost claimed a fourth victim - a little girl named Tracy Belle, whom he lures out into the woods before Mandy Patinkin’s Jason Gideon saves her at, essentially, the last minute. Tracy Belle was played on Criminal Minds by Elle Fanning, who - like her older sister, Dakota - would grow up to become one of the most sought after actresses of her generation, known for movies like Super 8 from 2011 and for leading Hulu’s The Great cast as Catherine the Great.

Jessie T. Usher (Daniel)

If we could switch gears for just a moment back to stars of superhero TV shows, Jessie T. Usher is known today as Samuel L. Jackson’s son in Tim Story’s 2019 Shaft movie and Will Smith’s son in the 2016 sequel Independence Day: Resurgence, but especially from Amazon Prime’s The Boys cast as A-Train. Before he had a starring role in anything, he had a guest spot on Criminal Minds’ two-part Season 4 finale in which the BAU investigates a series of murder that leads to make a shocking discovery at a pig farm in Canada.

Ariel Winter (Katie)

Although best known as Alex Dunphy on the Modern Family cast, Ariel Winter also has experience playing a superhero, having voiced a later incarnation of Robin named Carrie Kelley in one of the best DC animated movies, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, in 2012 and 2013. Years before the ABC sitcom made her a star, Winter was on Criminal Minds Season 3 as a young girl abducted and left for dead by her own aunt (Suzanne Cryer) who blamed her niece for ruining her marriage to her pedophile husband (Emmanuel Xuereb).

Melissa Leo (Georgia Davis)

Academy Award winner Melissa Leo (for the 2011 sports biopic The Fighter) would actually make her superhero movies debut in 2021 with the Netflix original action comedy Thunder Force. In Criminal Minds two-part Season 2 finale, the actress played a small town sheriff whose abduction leads to the BAU’s first encounter with prolific serial killer Frank Breitkopft, played by Keith Carradine.

Julia Butters (Gabby) 

Another notable abduction victim from Criminal Minds is the title character of “Gabby,” the 16th episode of the series’ ninth season, which was also the acting debut of then-5-year-old Julia Butters. The starlet would then land a recurring spot on the Transparent cast, a starring role on CBS’s American Housewife, and a memorable, scene-stealing role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as Rick Dalton’s precocious Lancer co-star. 

Sydney Sweeney (Dani Forester)

Fellow Once Upon a Time in Hollywood cast member Sydney Sweeney also made one of her earliest appearances on Criminal Minds as a young girl murdered along with her brother and mother by a serial killer who specializes in taking out whole families in Season 5. She would later achieve acclaim after joining the Handmaid’s Tale cast as Eden Spencer, the White Lotus cast as Olivia Mossbacher, and on HBO’s Euphoria cast as Cassie Howard, to name just a few notable roles. 

Anton Yelchin (Nathan Harris)

In lieu of the many notable roles that prove Anton Yelchin as one of the most exceptional talents of his time (Green Room, Charlie Bartlett, J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movies, etc.), he gave one criminally underrated performance on Criminal Minds’ second season as a teen with sexually sadistic tendencies. Sadly, Yelchin passed away in 2016 at the age of 27 when his Jeep Cherokee, which appeared to be in park but was really in neutral, rolled backward and pinned him against the security fence outside his Los Angeles home.

People who work in law enforcement likely rarely forget the faces of anyone they investigate, swore to protect, or failed to save. However, if you are guilty of forgetting any of these Criminal Minds characters and the now famous actors who played them,  you are forgiven.

Hulu has been coming out with some killer original shows, and one that has popped up in popularity over the last couple of years is The Great, an occasionally true story about the reign of Catherine the Great, one of the most known rulers of Russia, and her rise to power. Playing Catherine is Elle Fanning, an actress that has been around in the business for quite some time. 

From her early childhood roles to more recent performances that off her legit acting abilities, Elle Fanning has been in many other movies that you might want to watch if you enjoyed her skills in The Great. Here is what some of her best are, most of which are streaming right now. 

Super 8 (HBO Max)

Directed by J.J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg, Super 8 tells the story of a group of teens who are filming their own Super 8 movie back in 1979, but as they do, a train derails and releases a dangerous presence into their town, causing their lives to be flipped upside down. 

Elle Fanning received so much praise for her role in this film, as it showed the capable young actress’ abilities. The monster/thriller movie was truly terrifying and created this sense of dread that you felt while watching it, feeling like that monster was going to jump out at you at any moment, capitalized by the fear that you can easily see on these kids face. It’s acted to perfection thanks to a brilliant leads from the Super 8 cast. Honestly, this is one of those movies I actually wished got a sequel instead of many others. 

Stream Super 8 on HBO Max. 
Rent Super 8 on Amazon. 

Somewhere (Amazon Rental)

Directed by Sofia Coppola, Somewhere is a drama film about a newly famous actor in Hollywood who has emotional emptiness in his life. But through the help of his young daughter, he learns the value of becoming an adult, of being a father, and the life of being a star as he sees it. 

Elle Fanning has done so much in terms of brilliantly acted independent films (as you’ll see later on this list), and this was one of her first. With great chemistry with Stephen Dorff, who plays her father in Somewhere, the two co-stars create a beautiful father-daughter story that not only feels genuine but heartfelt at the same time, showing that fatherhood isn’t easy. 

Rent Somewhere on Amazon.

Ginger & Rosa (Showtime)

If you want a nice coming-of-age movie mixed in with drama, check out Ginger & Rosa. This film tells the story of two teenage girls who grow up in London during the 1960s, as well as the Cuban Missile Crisis. However, one event that happens in their lives ends up changing their relationship to each other forever. 

Elle Fanning plays one of the main characters (Ginger), and her chemistry with Alice Englert (who plays Rosa) is what makes this movie shine. We’ve all seen period pieces set before showing a specific instance in history, with a story revolving around it. But what I really adore about this movie is the realistic portrayal of best friends who truly do love and care for each other - even when something terrible happens between them. 

Stream Ginger & Rosa on Showtime. 
Rent Ginger & Rosa on Amazon. 

We Bought A Zoo (Disney+)

This heartwarming story is one that everyone should watch. We Bought a Zoo, based on the memoir of the same name, tells the story of a family who ends up buying a broken-down zoo and takes it upon themselves to somehow rebuild it so they can reopen it for the public to enjoy. 

Elle Fanning plays one of the zoo’s “workers” (although she was too young to work so she was paid under the table), creating cute moments between her and the kids as well as the older adults. Her character brought so much life to this movie, but in reality, this whole cast was a great pick. Both Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson as the leads were excellent choices and really made this movie so much fun to watch, but the addition of not only Elle Fanning but several other talented young actors like Colin Ford really sold it as a lovely family film. 

Stream We Bought a Zoo on Disney+. 
Rent We Bought a Zoo on Apple TV+.

The Maleficent Movies (Amazon Rental And Disney+)

In this live-action Disney movie, the Maleficent movies follow one of the most iconic Disney villains ever, Maleficent, featured in the Sleeping Beauty movie back in 1959, showing how she became the woman she is, and the history behind her wickedness. 

I have to admit, seeing Elle Fanning as a princess fits so well. While I love her in The Great as the badass empress she is, there’s something about her portrayal of Aurora that just feels so right. It’s like the perfect casting, as she has this sort of halo of sweetness and light around her that’s perfect for the role of Aurora. And her chemistry with Angelina Jolie (who plays Maleficent) is second to none. I love them together and wish there could be more movies in this series. 

Rent Maleficent on Amazon. 
Stream Maleficent: Mistress of Evil on Disney+. 
Rent Maleficent: Mistress of Evil on Amazon.

20th Century Women (Showtime)

In this comedy-drama movie, 20th Century Women is set in the 1970s, telling the story of a teenage boy, his mother, and two other women that help raise him to be the best version of himself that he can be, while living in the lower class. 

Elle Fanning plays Julie, the best friend of the main character (Jamie), played by Lucas Jade Zumann, and I really love their interactions together. The bond the best friends have between them is strong, but due to one wanting it to become a relationship and the other fearing it costing them their friendship, that bond becomes strained, despite both both still caring for each other. And the actors do an excellent job of showing that. 

I also love the other characters as well, played by the likes of Greta Gerwig, Annette Bening, and more. They really make this film such a fun time, and an important story about the value of having strong female figures in your life. 

Stream 20th Century Women on Showtime. 
Rent 20th Century Women on Amazon. 

A Rainy Day In New York (Peacock)

Directed by Woody Allen, A Rainy Day in New York is a romantic comedy movie that follows the life of a college student, who is trying to deepen his relationship with his girlfriend. Meanwhile, she is in the city to interview an acclaimed film director, a once in a lifetime opportunity. 

A Rainy Day in New York isn’t the most inventive independent film out there, as it is satire and even its plot feels very familiar and is nothing new. However, Elle Fanning is wonderful in this role, showing how far she has come as an actress, and having excellent chemistry with her on-screen boyfriend, Timothee Chalamet. The rest of this cast is fantastic as well, with the likes of Selena Gomez, Jude Law, Diego Luna, and many others rounding out a seriously talented ensemble. 

Stream A Rainy Day in New York on Peacock. 
Rent A Rainy Day in New York on Apple TV+. 

The Beguiled (Netflix)

This movie is drama-filled and you’ll love it. The Beguiled tells the story of a Union soldier, who ends up on the doorstep of a girls school, wounded and looking for help. However, his arrival ends up raising tensions between the girls, creating a web of jealousy, lies, and betrayal. 

Elle Fanning plays Alicia, one of the students at the school, and while her acting performance is great in this period piece, I have to say that it’s even better paired with everyone else. Her interactions with the rest of the cast are brilliant, with amazing scenes with Nicole Kidman, Kristen Dunst, and more. The whole movie is entertaining from start to finish if you enjoy Civil War movies. I think for those who aren’t even huge fans of war movies in general will enjoy it just for the brilliant cast. 

Stream The Beguiled on Netflix.
Rent The Beguiled on Amazon. 

All The Bright Places (Netflix)

Moving on, we have the Netflix original movie, All the Bright Places. Based on the book of the same name, this romantic drama tells the story of two teenagers in high school who are both suffering depression, and who both want to try and escape their little town. Soon, these shared traits lead them to each other, and down a road of romance and tragedy. 

All the Bright Places is a movie that will make you cry. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about that. Elle Fanning, alongside her co-star, Justice Smith, have this captivating young romance that truly feels like they are trying to heal each other, but one thing after another causes them to drift apart. It’s heart wrenching and tragic and honestly, one of the better romantic films that I’ve seen in the last couple of years because it doesn’t feel like a fairy-tale. It feels real, dealing with real-life issues such as survivor’s guilt, suicide, depression and more. 

Stream All the Bright Places on Netflix.

The Great (Hulu)

I mean, I have to include this, don’t I? The Great is a Hulu original series that follows the story of Catherine the Great, one of the greatest rulers of Russia, known for her progressiveness and how she pushed Russia into the future.

While the Hulu series is not known for its accuracy (they don’t claim to be an accurate story either), The Great is so much fun, I don’t even care. Elle Fanning is perfectly casted in the role of Catherine, bringing not only a spunk to the ruler’s legacy but this sort of fierceness that I love to see in a ruler. Her chemistry with Nicholas Hoult is also brilliant and I love to hate/root for their strange romance in the series, alongside the ridiculously talented The Great cast. Definitely watch it if you haven’t - but I’m sure you have. Huzzah! 

Stream The Great on Hulu. 

Now that you know about all of her other amazing movies, I think it’s time that we all get onto our streaming services and watch some awesome Elle Fanning roles, because truly, this actress has been in so much and there’s no way she’s slowing down anytime soon. 

Huzzah! The Great has returned for Season 2 and the fans are quite happy, indeed. An occasionally true story about the life of Catherine the Great and her famous rule of Russia, The Great has been a runaway hit for Hulu and a hilarious comedy. 

With a cast so large, it’s only inevitable that you’ve seen Hulu's The Great cast before. From its stars, Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult, all the way down to the serfs and the priests, these actors have been all over the place. If you’re wondering why that face looks so familiar, you’ve most likely watched them in another film or TV show. This is where you’ve seen The Great cast before. 

Elle Fanning (Catherine the Great)

Playing the the impeccable Empress in The Great is Elle Fanning, a young actress who has been around in Hollywood for quite some time and shows off her acting skills in this hilarious role. There’s an array of movies and TV shows you might have seen her in, from her beginnings in Hollywood to now. 

In movies, she appeared in the drama film, I Am Sam, alongside her sister, Dakota Fanning, the J.J. Abrams movie, Super 8, the family drama, We Bought A Zoo, Ginger and Rosa, and starred as Princess Aurora in Disney’s Maleficent fantasy films. She’s also starred in several other smaller independent films, such as A Rainy Day in New York by Woody Allen, The Beguiled by Sofia Coppola, and more. 

Fanning has also had some guest appearances in several television shows before as well, including House, CSI: Miami, Judging Amy and more. But The Great is her first major television role - and an amazing role it is, indeed. 

Nicholas Hoult (Peter III of Russia)

Next up, we have Nicholas Hoult, who plays the legendary overthrown Emperor of Russia, Peter III. Hoult has starred in a variety of films, so it’s no wonder you’ve probably seen him before. 

With film, he was in the dramedy film, About A Boy, the Greek-mythology inspired film, Clash of the Titans, played Hank McCoy in X-Men: First Class - a role he reprised in many of the other X-Men films - starred in Jack the Giant Slayer, was in the zombie movie, Warm Bodies, had a supporting role in Mad Max: Fury Road, played Earl of Oxford in The Favourite, and J.R.R. Tolkien in Tolkien. Talk about a diverse resume. As of 2021, he starred in the Angelina Jolie movie, Those Who Wish Me Dead. 

Hoult has also had some experience in TV prior to his role in The Great. Alongside several guest appearances in TV shows, he had a main role as Tony Stonem in Skins for two seasons, and played Bradley Fisher in Star. 

Phoebe Fox (Marial)

For the Empress’ best friend, The Great had to go with an amazing actress to portray Marial, and they went with Phoebe Fox. For some time, she was mainly in theater and worked on several plays in England, but soon broke into the movie and TV scene. 

Fox has made appearances in both movies and television. In terms of movies, she appeared in A Poet in New York, War Book, the horror movie The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, The Aeronauts and more. With television, she played the role of Grace Watkins in the fantasy series, Switch, the Duchess of Savoy in The Three Musketeers, and has made appearances in a variety of British television shows. 

Sacha Dhawan (Count Orlo)

Arguably, Count Orlo is one of the masterminds behind Catherine’s takeover of Russia and for good reason, and he is played by Sacha Dhawan. The actor has been in plenty of movies and TV prior to his role on The Great, from adventure movies to drama shows. 

He played Neville Landless in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, had a minor appearance in After Earth, and has had other small roles in movies. He’s kept most of his talents to television. 

He played Ali Pantajali in Out of Sight, Leo Nixon in The Last Train, Azmat Madari in Weirdsister College, Manmeet in Outsourced, Paul Jatri in Last Tango to Halifax, Davos in Iron Fist on Netflix, and several other television shows. He’s also the current Master in Doctor Who, becoming the youngest actor ever to do so. It’s no wonder he ended up coming to Hulu for The Great with that amount of television work. 

Charity Wakefield (Georgina Dymova)

I’m not the biggest fan of Georgina from The Great, but I think we can all agree that she is a cunning character, and played by the talented Charity Wakefield. Prior to her role in the Hulu original series, Wakefield also has plenty of TV experience under her belt, as well as film. 

While she has had minor appearances in films such as Vivaldi, the Red Priest, The Raven, and others, she’s also had bigger roles in movies like Serena starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper, and Kill Switch. 

However, Wakefield has done far more work in television. She starred as Marianna Dashwood in Sense & Sensibility, Ethel Bennett in Casualty 1900s, Cassandra King in The Player, Leah Walker in Bounty Hunters, and many other guest roles as well. 

Gwilym Lee (Grigor Dymov)

For every Emperor, there must be the Emperor’s best friend, and that’s exactly who Grigor is on The Great, played by Gwilym Lee. Lee has appeared in many movies and TV shows, from crazy modern musicals to murder mysteries. 

With movies, Lee has appeared in films like The Tourist, played Brian May in the Rami Malik film, Bohemian Rhapsody, portrayed Ned in Top End Wedding, and has had other minor appearances in smaller films. 

In television, Lee starred as James Hunter in Animal Ark, played Reverend Henry Hameson in Land Girls, DS Charlie Nelson in the murder mystery series, Midsomer Murders, and played Samuel Catell in Jamestown. 

Adam Godley (Archbishop “Archie”)

Archie is certainly one of those characters that you want to hate, but in my personal opinion, he’s grown on me from watching The Great. Playing Archie is Adam Godley, an actor more known for his stage work for several years. He’s appeared in stage productions such as June Moon, The Rivals, Anything Goes and more. 

However, he's also an incredible screen actor. He appeared as Mr. Trench in the romantic comedy, Love Actually, Mr. Teavee in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Father Ybarra in The X-Files: I Want to Believe, voiced Lord Bilge in The Missing Link stop-motion film, and many other roles. 

Godley has also had a prominent television career, with almost too many roles to talk about. Some of his highlights include playing John Trenchard in Moonfleet, Elliot Schwartz in Breaking Bad, Demyan Lukich in A Young Doctor’s Notebook alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Jon Hamm, Nigel Alexander Nesbitt in Suits, Captain Emile Cross in Powers, Pogo in Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy cast, and many others. I can’t wait to see what comes next for the Archbishop. 

Douglas Hodge (General Velementov)

Next up, we have General Velementov, the supposed man with a plan to fight against Russian invaders. Playing Velementov is Douglas Hodge, who has appeared in several movies and television shows prior to his role in The Great. 

With movies, Hodge has appeared in Vanity Fair, Robin Hood, Diana, Serena, Red Sparrow, played Alfred Pennyworth in Joker, and appeared as Tater Brown in the Netflix film, The Devil All the Time starring Tom Holland. 

In television, Hodge has had several guest appearances in shows like Me and My Girl, Only Fools and Horses, and many others. Hodge has had recurring roles as well, including shows like Screen Two, The Scold’s Bridle, Unforgiven, Secret State, The Night Manager, Catastrophe and more. One of his biggest roles was playing Bartholomew Rusk in the horror series, Penny Dreadful. 

Belinda Bromilow (Aunt Elizabeth)

Aunt Elizabeth is a kind yet strange woman who cares for Peter and Catherine dearly, and she is portrayed by the lovely Belinda Bromilow. While Bromilow has appeared in some movies, she’s mainly kept her talents to television. 

She’s had appearances in many TV shows such as The Rage in Placid Lake, a recurring role in Talk to Me and Packed to the Rafters, and main roles in Spirited and Doctor Doctor as Betty Bell. I can’t wait to see what she does next - or, more importantly, what Aunt Elizabeth does next in The Great. 

Bayo Gbadamosi (Arkady)

Next up, we have Arkady, one of the Emperor’s friends and many allies, played by Bayo Gbadamosi. Gbadamosi is relatively new to screen acting, with The Great among his most recent credits. 

He has also appeared in Doctor Who, Casualty, and This Time with Alan Partridge in guest roles, but later on had a main role as Kariem Gat Wich Machar in War of the Worlds. The Great is his next big main role in television, and hopefully, more will come soon after.

Florence Keith-Roach (Tatyana)

The wife of Arkady in The Great is Tatyana, a bit of a dummy but deep down has good intentions for Peter and her husband. Playing Tatyana is Florence Keith-Roach, a young actress whose first major role is The Great. 

However, she has appeared in other TV shows before in smaller appearances, such as Frenching the Bully, Cockroaches, and others. She also had a minor part in the film, Juliet, Naked. Hopefully soon, we might get to see more of her in other roles. 

Danusia Samal (Lady Antonia Svenska) 

Lastly, we have Danusia Samal, who plays Lady Antonia Svenska, one of the more elite and snobby nobles who basically hates anyone that isn’t from Russia - including the Empress.  

Like some of her other co-stars, Danusia Samal is still on the rise in her career, with just a handful of roles prior to her part in The Great. Samal has appeared in the TV series, Tyrant, as Ru’A, had a minor role in the Scarlett Johansson movie, Ghost in the Shell, and has appeared in a couple of film shorts as well. 

With so many amazing actors and actresses, it’s not surprising that they have been in plenty of other projects before The Great - and will most likely be in much more afterwards. It almost makes me want to gift a Hulu subscription to my friends just so they can watch The Great and admire the hilarity this cast brings. 

Hopefully, we get a Season 3 of The Great. Until then, I shall raise my goblet in celebration of this great show. Huzzah! 

In 2014, moviegoers glimpsed a new side to one of Disney's most famous fairy tales with Maleficent, a live-action re-imagining that saw Angelina Jolie adopting the role of the Mistress of Evil. Only now, as we learned, she wasn't so evil at all. Also starring Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Sam Riley, and Brenton Thwaites, the blockbuster proved to be a huge box office smash, if not a critical darling, spawning 2019's Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, which didn't fare so well. Now that it's been seven years since this movie waved its wand onto silver screens, it's fair to wonder what the Maleficent cast is doing now. Let's find out! 

Angelina Jolie (Maleficent) 

As the once-misunderstood fairy who finally gets her chance to tell her side of the story, Angelina Jolie took on the not-so-evil title character in Maleficent and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Most notably, the A-list actress won an Oscar for her celebrated supporting turn in Girl, Interrupted, and was Oscar-nominated for Changeling. Other film credits include Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Salt, Wanted, Hackers, Gone in 60 Seconds, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and its sequel, A Mighty Heart, and Alexander. 

Additionally, Jolie can be seen in movies like Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Beyond Borders, and The Bone Collector. Also, the actress can be heard in the Kung Fu Panda movies, Shark Tale, and Beowulf. Furthermore, Jolie wrote, produced, directed, and starred in By the Sea. She wrote, produced, and directed Netflix's First They Killed My Father and In the Land of Blood and Honey and directed and produced Unbroken. Last year, Jolie starred in Come Away. 

Moreover, she produced and was heard in Disney+’s The One and Only Ivan. Earlier this year, Jolie frontlined Those Who Wish Me Dead. Currently, the actress appears in Eternals. Next, Jolie stars in Every Note Played. 

Outside of film, Angelina Jolie was Emmy-nominated for starring in HBO’s Gia. The celeb was also nominated for her supporting turn in TNT’s George Wallace. 

Elle Fanning (Aurora) 

In the role of Aurora, the fair royal daughter who becomes Sleeping Beauty, Elle Fanning was the deuteragonist in Disney’s Maleficent and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Following her screen debut in I Am Sam, the actress has become one of our most prominent young movie stars. Notably, Fanning has starred in movies like 20th Century Women, Super 8, The Beguiled, The Neon Demon, We Bought a Zoo, Trumbo, Mary Shelley, and I Think We’re Alone Now. Other movie credits include Live By Night, Reservation Road, Babel, Because of Winn-Dixie, and Daddy Day Care. 

Last year, Fanning frontlined The Roads Not Taken, A Rainy Day in New York, and Netflix’s All the Bright Places. Next, she is signed on to star in The Nightingale and Francis and the Godfather. 

Away from film, Elle Fanning stars in Hulu’s The Great, for which she was Golden Globe-nominated. Currently, the actress is filming Hulu’s The Girl From Plainville. 

Sharlto Copley (Stefan)

Playing the part of King Stefan, a cruel, manipulative, tyrannical leader who isn’t the kind-natured ruler that we once knew, Sharlto Copley is our main antagonist in Maleficent. Most notably, he came into prominence by starring in District 9. Copley’s other notable film credits include The A-Team, Oldboy (2013), Elysium, Chappie, Hardcore Henry (which the actor also produced), Free Fire, and Gringo. Additionally, he can be seen in The Hollars, Open Grave, Europa Report, and The Last Days of American Crime. 

Outside of acting, Copley co-wrote and co-directed Spoon. Earlier this year, he starred in Ted K. Copley was also heard in Seal Team. Next, the actor will appear in Monkey Man. Copley is also currently filming Beast.

Furthermore, away from film, Sharlto Copley starred in PlayStation Network’s Powers. Next, the actor will appear in the new season of Netflix’s Russian Doll. 

Sam Riley (Diaval)

As Diaval, our lead's loyal friend and pet raven, Sam Riley plays our titular character’s “wings” in 2014’s Maleficent and its sequel. Most notably, the actor played Ian Curtis in the outstanding music biopic, Control. Also, Riley starred in On the Road. Other movie credits include Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Byzantium, Free Fire, Suite Francaise, and Happy New Year, Colin Burstead. 

Away from film, Riley also appeared in Tinkershrimp & Dutch and SS-GB. Last year, the actor appeared in Rebecca, Radioactive, and Sometimes Always Never. Earlier this year, Riley appeared in The Vault. Next, he’ll be seen in She’s in Love. He's also signed on to star in The Duchess of Malfi. 

Imelda Staunton (Knotgrass)

In the role of Knotgrass, the eldest and wisest pixie, Imelda Staunton plays the sternest member of the magical trio in both films. Notably, the actress was Oscar-nominated for her starring turn in Vera Drake, and is well-known for playing Dolores Umbridge in several Harry Potter sequels. Her other notable film credits include Shakespeare in Love, Sense and Sensibility, Much Ado About Nothing, Nanny McPhee, Alice in Wonderland, Chicken Run, Arthur Christmas, Downton Abbey, and the Paddington movies. Next, Staunton is set to star in Downton Abbey: A New Era and The Canterville Ghost. 

Outside of film, Imelda Staunton’s television credits include Big and Small, Cranford, Little Britain, The Singing Detective, and A Confession. Last year, the actress appeared in ITV’s Flesh and Blood and Apple TV+’s Trying. Next, Staunton will play Queen Elizabeth II, in Netflix’s The Crown Season 5.

Juno Temple (Thistlewit)

Playing the part of Thistlewit, the youngest, most carefree pixie, Juno Temple is a sweet-natured character in Disney’s Maleficent movies. Most notably, the actress was Emmy-nominated for her role in Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso. Previously, she had starring roles in HBO’s Vinyl, Bravo’s Dirty John, and Sky Atlantic’s Little Birds. She also appeared on Drunk History and Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams. Earlier this year, Temple was seen in Apple TV+’s Mr. Corman. Next, the actress appears in Paramount+’s The Offer, which is currently filming. 

Away from TV, Juno Temple is known for Killer Joe, Black Mass, The Dark Knight Rises, Atonement, Afternoon Delight, The Other Boleyn Girl, Year One, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Notes on a Scandal, and the St. Trinian’s movies. She's also seen in The Brass Teapot, Horns, Far from the Madding Crowd, Wonder Wheel and more. Earlier this year, Temple starred in Apple TV+’s Palmer. Next, the actress appears in Crooks and Everest. 

Lesley Manville (Flittle)

As Flittle, the third pixie, Lesley Manville plays a cheery, sometimes thoughtless member of the magical trio in Maleficent. Most notably, the actress was Oscar-nominated for her outstanding supporting turn in Phantom Thread. Additionally, Manville gained acclaim and awards recognition for her performance in Another Year. Her other notable film credits include Secrets & Lies, High Hopes, Grown-Ups, Topsy-Turvy, Vera Drake, Mr. Turner, All or Nothing, Ordinary Love, and A Christmas Carol (2009). 

Additionally, Manville can also be seen in Romeo & Juliet (2013), A Five Star Life, Ghosts,  and Ordinary Love. Most recently, the Academy Award-nominated actress appeared in Misbehaviour and Let Him Go. Next, Manville will soon be seen in Everything I Ever Wanted to Tell My Daughter About Men and Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. 

Outside of film, Lesley Manville’s notable television credits include Harlots, Law & Order: UK, and Cranford. Next, the actress will play Princess Margaret in Netflix’s The Crown. Manville is also slated to appear in PBS’s Magpie Murders. Currently, she is filming Starz’s Dangerous Liaisons. 

Brenton Thwaites (Prince Phillip)

In the role of Prince Phillip, the long-haired romantic who weds Aurora, Brenton Thwaites plays a dashing love interest in Maleficent. Most notably, he stars in HBO Max’s Titans as Dick Grayson, i.e. Robin, a.k.a. Nightwing. Thwaites also had a recurring role as Stu Henderson on Seven Network’s Home and Away. His other TV credits include Slide, Sea Patrol, and Blue Lagoon: The Awakening. 

Away from the tube, Brenton Thwaites starred in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Gods of Egypt, The Signal, The Giver, and Oculus. He can also be seen in Office Uprising (which he also produced), An Interview with God, and A Violent Separation. Most recently, Thwaites appeared in Ghosts of War and I Met a Girl. 

Kenneth Cranham (King Henry)

Playing the part of King Henry, a ruthless and power-hungry king who attempted to conquer the Moors through diligent force, Kenneth Cranham was a secondary bad guy in Maleficent. His other notable film credits include Layer Cake, Oliver!, Valkyrie, Hellbound: Hellraiser II, Mr. Jones, Official Secrets, Hot Fuzz, and A Good Year. Additionally, Cranham is seen in Born Romantic, Gangster No. 1, Women Talking Dirty, The Boxer, The Legend of Hercules, and Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, to only name a few credits. Next, he will appear in Warrior.

Away from film, Kenneth Cranham appeared in El C.I.D., Rules of Engagement, A Sort of Innocence, Heart of High Country, Shine on Harvey Moon, Danger UXB, Coronation Street, Rome, Without Motive, Dickens, The White Princess, Hatton Garden, The Spanish Princess, The Good Karma Princess, and In the Long Run. Most recently, the well-esteemed stage and screen actor starred in Finding Alice. 

Hannah New (Princess Leila) 

As Princess Leila, the daughter of King Henry and Aurora's mother, Hannah New adopted a short-lived character in Disney’s Maleficent. Most notably, the actress played Eleanor Guthrie in Starz’s Black Sails. She also had recurring roles in FX’s The Strain and Trust. Moreover, New was one of the leads in Antena 3’s short-lived The Time in Between. 

Outside of TV, her other film credits include Fuga de cerebros 2 and 2011’s short films, ReVersion and Super Mario. Away from acting, New produced 2016’s short film, The Dead Sea. Most recently, the film-TV actress was seen in Edge of the World. Next, New is slated to appear in Summit Fever. 

Maleficent is available to stream on Disney+. 

In 2011, between J.J. Abrams' commitments to The Final Frontier and A Galaxy Far, Far Away, the blockbuster writer-director-producer traveled back in time, all the way to 1979, to the fictional town of Lillian, Ohio, to tell his most personal story in Super 8, a heavily Spielbergian coming-of-age monster thriller with pre-fame performances from Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning, while also featuring the dependable acting talents of Kyle Chandler, Noah Emmerich, and Richard T. Jones. However you feel about this standalone effort (in my view, it's arguably Abrams' finest film), the nostalgic genre-fuser was a comfortable commercial and critical hit for the franchise-driven filmmaker, and it's hard to believe that a decade has passed since it premiered in theaters. If you love the Super 8 cast and want to know what they're doing next, we're here to help!

Joel Courtney (Joe Lamb)

As Joe Lamb, our mournful child protagonist caught in a local alien plot, Joel Courtney made his acting debut in J.J. Abrams' Super 8. Most notably, Courtney plays Lee Flynn in Netflix's The Kissing Booth and The Kissing Booth 2. His other movie credits include Assimilate, F the Prom, Don't Let Me Go, Sins of Our Youth, Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn, Dear Eleanor, Spare Time Killers, Mercy, and The River Thief. Additionally, on television, Courtney starred in The CW's short-lived series, The Messengers. The young actor also appeared in The Haunting Hour: The Series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and APB.

Most recently, Joel Courtney was seen in The Empty Man. Next, he'll appear in Pursued and Players. Additionally, Courtney reprises his role as Lee Flynn in The Kissing Booth 3.

Elle Fanning (Alice Dainard)

In the role of Alice Dainard, a rebellious young woman who pairs with our group of wannabe filmmakers, Elle Fanning plays our female lead in 2011's Super 8. Making her film debut in I Am Sam, Fanning starred in 20th Century Women, The Neon Demon, Phoebe in Wonderland, Somewhere, The Beguiled, How to Talk to Girls at Parties, Teen Spirit, Galveston, Mary Shelley, I Think We're Alone Now, Ginger & Rosa, and the Maleficent movies. The former child star's other movie credits include Live By Night, Trumbo, We Bought a Zoo, Twixt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Babel, Deja Vu, The Vanishing of Sidney Hall, and Daddy Day Care.

Most recently, Elle Fanning starred in The Roads Not Taken, A Rainy Day in New York, Netflix's All the Bright Places, and Hulu's The Great — the latter two she produced. She also lent her voice to Paramount+'s No Activity. Next, Fanning will frontline The Nightingale and she'll appear in Francis and the Godfather and Hulu's The Girl from Plainville. She also produced, wrote, and directed 2020's short film, Gucci Always Wins.

Riley Griffiths (Charles Kaznyk)

Playing the part of Charles Kaznyk, Joe's best friend, Riley Griffiths was a bossy, sarcastic character in J.J. Abrams' Super 8. The same year that this movie came out, Griffiths guest-starred in R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour. He hasn't appeared in any movies or shows since. The former child actor transitioned into playing football at Montana State University, though he has expressed an interest in working behind the camera someday.

Ryan Lee (Cary McCarthy)

As Cary McCarthy, an energetic, floppy-haired brace face, Ryan Lee plays a prominent part in Super 8. Away from this film, Lee is known for his role as Warren in ABC's Trophy Wife. He also plays a recurring role in IFC's Brockmire. Additionally, Lee was a series regular on Netflix's My Dead Ex. The actor's other notable TV credits include Breaking Bad, Friday Night Lights, Community, Good Luck Charlie, Workaholics, and The Son. He also appeared in My Generation, Dimension 404, and R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour.

Furthermore, on the big screen, Ryan Lee can be seen in Goosebumps, This is 40, Shorts, White Rabbit, and All Summers End. He also appeared in A Merry Friggin' Christmas, Speech & Debate, Song of Back and Neck, and Kings of the Evening. Next, Lee will be seen in Black Friday!

Gabriel Basso (Martin Reed)

In the role of Martin Reed, the lead actor of the group's amateur zombie movie, Gabriel Basso was a performer in J.J. Abrams' Super 8. Most notably, following this 2011 film, Basso starred in The Kings of Summer. His other movie credits include The Hive, Barely Lethal, Ithaca, American Wrestler: The Wizard, Alabama Moon, The Whole Truth, Alice Upside Down, Meet Bill, and Anatomy of the Tide.

Additionally, on television, Gabriel Basso played Adam Jamison in Showtime's The Big C. His other TV credits include iCarly, The Middle, Perception, Eastwick, The Red Road, and The Haunting House: The Series. Also, Basso is heard in NBC's Scared Shrekless. Furthermore, the young actor appeared in web series like Ghost Town and Silverwood. Most recently, Basso starred in Ron Howard's Hillbilly Elegy.

Zach Mills (Preston Scott)

Playing the part of Preston Scott, a fellow filmmaking friend, Zach Mills provides a supporting role in Super 8. Prior to this performance, Mills also provided supporting roles in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, Hollywoodland, Changeling, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, and Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. Additionally, the actor appeared in Steam, Insult to Injury, Dreams of an Angel, and Raspberry Magic.

Furthermore, on television, Zach Mills was seen in Rita Rocks, Numb3rs, Rules of Engagement, October Road, Malcolm in the Middle, Cold Case, Ghost Whisperer, and Scrubs. Following his supporting turn in Super 8, Mills appeared in The Hub's miniseries, Clue. This TV performance remains the child actor's last screen role.

Kyle Chandler (Deputy Jack Lamb)

As Jack Lamb, the Deputy of the town and Joe's dysfunctional father, Kyle Chandler plays an authoritative father figure in J.J. Abrams' Super 8. Most notably, the actor won an Emmy for his lead performance as Coach Eric Taylor in NBC's Friday Night Lights. Additionally, Chandler gave a two-time Emmy-nominated performance in Bloodline. He was also Emmy-nominated for his guest turn in Grey's Anatomy. Furthermore, Chandler starred in Early Edition, which he also produced, Homefront, What About Joan?, and The Lyon's Den. His other TV credits include Catch-22, Robot Chicken, and King of the Hill.

Additionally, on the big screen, Kyle Chandler played Hamilton Jordan in Argo. Also, the actor was seen in The Wolf of Wall Street, Manchester by the Sea, King Kong, Game Night, First Man, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Furthermore, Chandler appeared in The Kingdom, The Spectacular Now, Zero Dark Thirty, Carol, and The Midnight Sky. Most recently, he starred in Godzilla vs. Kong. Next, Chandler will appear in Slumberland. The actor is also signed on to star in Showtime's Super Pumped.

AJ Michalka (Jen Kaznyk)

In the role of Jen Kaznyk, AJ Michalka has a brief part in 2011's Super 8. Most notably, Michalka is one-half of the musical duo, Aly & AJ, alongside her sister, Aly Michalka. Additionally, the actress played Lainey Lewis in ABC's The Goldbergs. She reprised this role in the short-lived spin-off series, Schooled. Additionally, Michalka voiced a main character in Netflix's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. She also lent her voice to Steven Universe. The actress's other notable TV credits include Oliver Beene, The Guardian, Six Feet Under, General Hospital, Hellcats, and Silicon Valley.

Furthermore, on the big screen, AJ Michalka starred in Grace Unplugged. She can also be seen in Secretariat, Angels in Stardust, The Lovely Bones, Weepah Way for Now (which she also produced), and Support the Girls. Currently, Michalka is filming Ray Donovan, the movie continuation.

Ron Eldard (Louis Dainard)

Playing the part of Louis Dainard, Alice's father and the drunk that Jackson believes is responsible for the death of Joe's mother, Ron Eldard takes on a guilt-ridden character in J.J. Abrams' Super 8. Away from this sci-fi film, Eldard played Mickey Bunce in Drop Dead Fred, John Reilly in Sleepers, and CWO Michael Durant in Black Hawk Down. His other movie credits include House of Sand and Fog, Jobs, Ghost Ship, True Love, Deep Impact, Freedomland, Just a Kiss, and Mystery, Alaska. Additionally, Eldard is seen in The Last Supper, Scent of a Woman, True Love, The Runner, Roadie, and Poker Night.

Furthermore, on TV, Ron Eldard played Colton "Colt" Rhodes in FX's Justified and Ray "Shep" Shepard in NBC's ER. His other television credits include Men Behaving Badly, Bakersfield P.D., Arresting Behavior, Homicide: Life on the Street, Blind Justice, Law & Order: SVU, and In Plain Sight. Most recently, Eldard played a part in Higher Power.

Noah Emmerich (Colonel Nelec)

As Colonel Nelec, a menacing Air Force member who sets up base in Lillian, Ohio following the mysterious train crash, Noah Emmerich plays our scowling antagonist in Super 8. Away from this film, Emmerich is known for his performance as Stan Beeman in FX's The Americans. His other TV credits include Billions, The Spy, The Hot Zone, White Collar, The Walking Dead, Master of None, The West Wing, NYPD Blue, and Law & Order: SVU. Most recently, Emmerich played a recurring role in Netflix's Space Force.

Additionally, on the big screen, Noah Emmerich played Louis Coltrane in The Truman Show, Craig Patrick in Miracle, and Larry Hedges in Little Children. His other film credits include Frequency, Windtakers, Cellular, Pride and Glory, Warrior, Crazy in Alabama, Life (1999), Beautiful Girls, Last Action Hero, The Wilde Wedding, and Julie Johnson. Furthermore, Emmerich can be seen in Trust, Sympathy for Delicious, Blood Ties, Jane Got a Gun, and Tumbleweeds. Next, the actor will appear in The Good Nurse. He's also set to star in Apple TV+'s Suspicion.

Richard T. Jones (Overmyer)

In the role of Overmyer, a member of the Air Force, Richard T. Jones played a notable supporting character in J.J. Abrams' Super 8. Away from this film, Jones starred in Disney Channel's Full Court Miracle. He also starred in The Wood, Why Did I Get Married?, and Why Did I Get Married Too? His other notable film credits include Event Horizon, Phone Booth, Collateral, Soul Plane, Vantage Point, Concussion, CHIPS, G, Kiss the Girls, Twisted, Renaissance Man, and Godzilla (2014). Also, Jones appeared in Hot Pursuit, Jury Duty, The Trigger Effect, Goodbye Lover, Auggie Rose, Lockdown, The Breed, A Question of Faith, The Public, Edge of the World, and Round of Your Life.

Additionally, on television, Richard T. Jones played Bruce Van Exel in CBS's Judging Amy. He can also be seen in Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles, American Horror Story: Hotel, Narcos, Santa Clarita Diet, Criminal Minds, Wisdom of the Crowd, Girlfriends, Hawaii Five-0, and Ally McBeal. Currently, Jones plays Sergeant Wade Grey in ABC's The Rookie. Next, the actor will appear in the short film, Fool for Your Love.

Joel McKinnon Miller (Sal Kaznyk)

Playing the part of Sal Kaznyk, Charles' father, Joel McKinnon Miller plays a brief supporting turn in Super 8. Most notably, Miller plays Detective Norm Scully in Fox/NBC's Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He's also recognized as Dom Embry in HBO's Big Love. The actor's other TV credits include American Horror Story, ER, Melissa & Joey, Glee, Workaholics, Good Luck Charlie, Longmire, Bones, Community, Las Vegas, and The New Adventures of Old Christine. Additionally, Miller can be seen in Deadwood, The Closer, George Lopez, Desperate Housewives, Six Feet Under, CSI, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Malcolm in the Middle, The X-Files, Carrier, Nip/Tuck, and Murphy Brown.

Away from television, Joel McKinnon Miller's other film credits include The Truman Show, Miracle in Lane 2, Galaxy Quest, The Family Man, Rush Hour 2, Men in Black II, Friday After Next, After the Sunset, and Just Like Heaven. The character actor is also seen in Atlas Shrugged: Part I, Little Birds, Delta Farce, Dead Men Can't Dance, Wagons East, and Shotgun Weddings. Additionally, Miller was heard in The Swan Princess.

Super 8 is currently available to stream on Paramount+, Epix, and PlutoTV.