As a tennis player, I wasn’t planning to watch The Dink on the 2026 movie schedule. The very noise the pickleball makes is obnoxious enough to deter me, and there are myriad articles on the Internet about why tennis players get frustrated having to share courts with casual picklers. I won’t get into those in depth, except to say that despite loving Jake Johnson, I wasn’t that enthusiastic about the new comedy flick. But then the reviews dropped.

Can I say I’ve changed my mind? Yes, yes I have. This week a bunch of journalists shared their opinions, and they make some compelling arguments. For instance, Kristy Puchko of Mashable says in her review of The Dink that director Josh Greenbaum — who’s also helming the upcoming Spaceballs sequel — combines wacky humor with physical comedy, resulting in a laugh-out-loud yet heartwarming crowdpleaser. Jake Johnson and Mary Steenburgen have crackling chemistry and sublime comedic timing, she says, continuing:

Travis Hopson of Punch Drunk Critics says Josh Greenbaum keeps The Dink just grounded enough to deliver a charming message in a sports comedy that “scores more than it hits the net.” In the critic's words:

OK, let’s not get carried away here. I said I’d watch the movie, not fully jump ship. But if anybody’s mind is going to be changed, Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert seems to think Jake Johnson and Mary Steenburgen might be the ones to pull it off. Johnson’s Dusty is the right mix of ego and vulnerability, while Steenburgen’s Candace is effortlessly charming. The critic rates The Dink 3 out of 4 stars, writing:

Matt Schimkowitz of AV Club gives it a B in his review of The Dink, writing that this Apple TV movie isn’t trying to be Challengers. However, its leisurely action, low-lift laughs and enthusiastic cast allow it to “hit hard with light taps.” The critic says:

Lindsey Bahr of the AP says the grounded and goofy humor, coupled with eccentric characters and some fun cameos, add up to make this quite an enjoyable watch. She rates it 2.5 out of 4, writing:

Look, The Dink sounds like it’s actually pretty good, and another quality outing for those with an Apple TV subscription. My co-worker Heidi Venable loved it. So, I humbly submit I will bow down to the pickleball gods, give it a watch this weekend, and try to keep my judgy personal opinions to myself.

Yes, we’re still waiting for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, and that’s a bummer. However, considering the stellar reviews for Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse, I have a feeling the wait will be worth it. Plus, after Jake Johnson, who voices Peter B. Parker, said there are moments where “theaters are gonna explode” in this new installment, I’ve started speculating about what he could be talking about, and I think that will hold me over until this third movie’s premiere.

What Jake Johnson Told Me About Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse

At the moment, the cast of Beyond the Spider-Verse is recording their parts. So, when I had the chance to chat with Jake Johnson about his new show on the 2026 TV schedule, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, I also brought up Spider-Man. I asked him how the recording was going and if there was anything different with the process this time around. In response, he said, “It’s going great,” and then teased what’s to come:

Well, that’s very exciting! To this day, Miles jumping off the building in Into the Spider-Verse lives rent-free in my head alongside the Spider-Men chase in Across the Spider-Verse. Plus, the introductions of Oscar Isaac’s Miguel O’Hara and Jason Schwartzman’s Spot in the sequel helped both expand and bend the universe in ways I never could have fathomed. So, if what’s to come exceeds those moments, I’ll 100% be exploding in the theaters.

However, we won’t find out what those moments are until Beyond the Spider-Verse comes out in June of 2027. So, in the meantime, I have some guesses.

My Guesses About Why ‘Theaters Are Gonna Explode’

Now, as someone who has watched and rewatched the first two movies over and over – you can stream Into with a Netflix subscription and Across with a Disney+ subscription – I’ve been theorizing about what exactly will happen after that cliffhanger involving Miles and the Prowler. I’ve also been wondering how this new movie will push the boundaries of animation like its predecessor.

So, here are my guesses about potential moments that could make theatergoers lose their minds:

A Fight Between Miles And The New Prowler Leads To A Reunion

Considering that Across the Spider-Verse ended with a reveal that the Miles we know was in a universe where his variant was the Prowler instead of Spider-Man, I’m certain some kind of standoff is coming. With that in mind, I cannot wait to see a Miles v. Miles fight, and I think it’d be extra impactful if Peter B. Parker found his Miles as this was happening. It would be dramatic, likely emotional and super cool. Therefore, it’d be cause for an audience freak out as an epic fight leads to a wanted reunion.

A Battle That Includes A Massive Mashup Of Animation Styles

Into the Spider-Verse is considered a game-changing animated movie, and Across the Spider-Verse pushed the form even further. So, I fully expect Beyond the Spider-Verse to take it up a notch once again. I don’t know how that will manifest itself, but I’m hoping it involves using various animation styles and maybe even live-action in a massive battle.

Wild Card Idea: One To Three Of The Live-Action Spider-Men Make A Cameo

Now, to throw something truly crazy out there: What if Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield and/or Tobey Maguire showed up as their Spider-Men? The three Peters united for Spider-Man: No Way Home, and we’ve seen bits of live-action in the Spider-Verse movies, so I don’t think it’s impossible. Plus, it’d be fun to see Jake Johnson’s Peter B. Parker interact with the Peters we already know and love. Also, this is the multiverse, so anything could happen…

Now, obviously, I don’t know what moments Jake Johnson was referring to. However, I do feel good about my guesses, and whether I’m right or wrong, my hype for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse has certainly gone up. So, you best believe I’ll be ready to “explode” when this highly anticipated movie finally makes its way to the big screen.

The holiday season is upon us, which means a number of Hollywood stars will be receiving a truly sweet gift from Tom Cruise, if they haven’t already. Cruise is known for sending out his famous Christmas cake, which has arguably become another piece of the beloved actor’s lore. At this point, it seems that quite a few people receive the pastry from Cruise, and former co-star Jake Johnson is on that list as well. Unfortunately, due to a dietary reason, Johnson can’t actually eat the cake, but Cruise has him covered with something else.

Jake Johnson notably worked with Tom Cruise on 2017’s The Mummy and, based on a recent Instagram post Johnson shared, he holds positive feelings towards his on-screen partner. In the social media update, Johnson revealed that shortly after working with his “film hero,” he began to receive his famous cake, which is a white chocolate coconut bundt confection. However, the Jurassic World alum can’t have dairy products, so he let Cruise know about that – and he offered a truly tasty alternative:

That’s an incredibly lovely and thoughtful gesture from the Mission: Impossible icon. I honestly don’t know what I love more: the fact that Cruise not only provided another treat for Johnson or that he also managed to make it special for his kids in the process. And the gingerbread house itself is really well done, too (and part of me wishes I had one myself). Check out some photos of the cookie-made structure in the photos Johnson shared:

Jake Johnson actually isn’t the only Tom Cruise collaborator who’s received a gingerbread house from him over the holidays. Joseph Kosinski – who’s worked with Cruise Top Gun: Maverick and Oblivion – also revealed in 2024 that he received the house, which he referred to as “another level of Cruise cake.” On top of that, Kosinski’s apparently been privy to other cool pastries from the Collateral star, who even got him an F-18 cake for his birthday one year.

While a gingerbread house or a fighter plane-styled cake sound cool, the people who simply receive the coconut cake seem to be quite pleased. In late 2024, Glen Powell posted about receiving the cake, as he shared a snapshot of the pristine box in which it arrived. Even Tom Hanks gushed about receiving a cake from Cruise and talked about how delicious it was. This sounds like a delectable dish, and one that should be savored for as long as possible.

Of course, those who’d like to try the cake for themselves can order it from Doan’s Bakery, which is located in Woodland Hills, California. Still, I’d imagine that the cake would hit a bit differently if you just happen to be one of the select people Tom Cruise wanted to send it to. I hope Jake Johnson and his kids continue to enjoy their gingerbread house for years to come. And, given that Kirsten Dunst has been on the mailing list for 30 years, there’s a good chance Johnson and his family will be enjoying their holiday tradition for a while.

In the age of Hollywood sequels and reboots, it’s odd that New Girl has been overlooked. The comedy series is largely considered one of the most rewatchable TV shows ever, and fans have expressed a positive interest in wanting to see the beloved characters reunite on screen. Unfortunately, we won’t be getting new episodes of the hit show on the 2025 TV schedule or anytime soon. However, Max Greenfield, Jake Johnson, Lamorne Morris, and Damon Wayans Jr. did reunite and share insight on where they think their characters would be in 2024. And I’m going to be honest: I don’t agree with Johnson’s future for Nick.

The four men reunited as part of People’s Sexiest Man Alive issue to discuss a variety of things, like passing blame on who is stopping the show from getting a possible rival and what they think their characters have been up to. Morris said Winston would be hanging out with his kids, while Wayans joked that Coach would be bald and unemployed. Greenfield’s answer felt the most in line with his character Schmidt, saying he “just invested in a power washer” and he’s “power washing everything right now.” It sounds like the plot of potentially one of the best New Girl episodes!

However, it was Johnson’s answer about what Nick is up to these days that struck me as odd. When pressed to answer, he said:

It’s hard to tell if Johnson was joking, given the tone of the interview was anything but serious — the guys even teased Morris on his recent Emmy win for his role in Fargo. However, if he was serious, then I think Johnson needs to sit his butt down and rewatch New Girl, because a salesman is not who Nick Miller is, at least not a post-Season 7 Nick.

For those who don’t rewatch New Girl every year, by the end of the final season, Nick has achieved a lot in his life. He’s married to Jess; they finally moved out of the loft, he owned a bar with Schmidt, and he became a published writer. A lot would have to change for Nick to suddenly become a salesman at a car dealership.

Now, I’m not saying being a salesman is a bad job; it’s just not the right one for Johnson's character. For one: salesmen are stereotypically good at lying to make a sale, and New Girl fans know that Nick is a terrible liar. In fact, it was one of the show's biggest gimmicks!

Even if, for some reason, Nick needed a new job because he gave up writing, I can’t see him going into sales. It would make way more sense for him to go back to bartending rather than enter a new career.

I do think that 2024 Nick would have a mustache, though. That’s a piece of Johnson’s opinion I can get behind.

While there’s no word on if we’re ever going to get a new season or reboot of New Girl, you can relive the hilarious magic of the show by streaming all seven seasons with a Hulu subscription.

New Girl has cemented itself as one of the staple shows of the 2010s. The chemistry across the entirety of its ensemble was undeniable, with each character being well-rounded, and more importantly, funny. Although, some really outranked the others in hilarity. The show remains a fan-favorite today, and many still hold out hope for a revival. Well, Lamorne Morris -- who played our favorite cat lover on the show, Winston (a.k.a. Winnie the Bish) -- revealed what's holding up a new season.

Fresh off his 2024 Emmy win for playing Deputy Witt Farr on Fargo Season 5, and ushering in his most recent movie Saturday Night, Lamore Morris sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to recap his win and more. The humorous actor was inevitably asked about the chances of seeing more New Girl and revealed that one of his co-stars is apparently the reason new episodes haven't been made:

If Jake Johnson is actually holding out, I hope he changes his tune sooner rather than later for his ex-cast members and fans. However, one can understand why he's apparently not looking to jump back on board right away. The Nick Miller actor has been busy since the show ended its seven-season run on Fox in 2018. He’s been in plenty of projects both in film and TV and is honing his writing, producing, and directing . He most recently helmed the flick Self Reliance, which he also starred in.

Whether or not a full-cast revival may materialize, complete with some of the best New Girl inside jokes, Lamorne Morris revealed that Jake Johnson is expensive. If that’s actually true of him, it's unclear how much the actor wants tell, but the Woke star had this to say:

What seems evident at this point is that there's certainly an audience for more New Girl. Of course, even though it may seem like an obvious move to greenlight more episodes, one has to respect an actor's schedule and salary expectations. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Jake Johnson signs on and that we'll see more of Winston, Nick, Jess and the gang.

If you’re interested in rewatching or just deciding to get in on the Zooey Deschanel-led comedy now, you you can stream it with a Hulu subscription. Or, if you’d like to see the show's highest points, take a look at the best New Girl episodes.

Who’s that girl? Well, as fans of the hit Fox comedy New Girl know, it’s Jess. For seven seasons we laughed along as she, Nick, Winston, Schmidt, and Cece played the incomprehensible True American drinking game and delivered some of the best inside jokes from Jess and the gang. The series, which starred Zooey Deschanel, Lamorne Morris, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield and Hannah Simone, ended in 2018 but still has many devoted fans who would love to see a revival, and Morris recently jokingly took a shot at Johnson when asked about getting everyone back together.

What Did New Girl’s Lamorne Morris Joke About Jake Johnson When Asked About A Revival?

Though the years since the popular sitcom wrapped have been difficult ones for many people, one of the small bright spots was having beloved comfort shows to turn to when we just needed a damn break. Fans new and old were able to indulge their funny bones by streaming all of New Girl’s best episodes, and anyone who loved watching Winston with Furguson or seeing Nick moonwalk backwards would, naturally, want to see the cast together again. When speaking with Entertainment Tonight recently, Lamorne Morris (who played Winston) noted that the cast is mostly up for it, but the final decision is up to show creator Elizabeth Meriwether, and added:

Well, this is certainly more clear cut than one of Winston’s infamously bad pranks (in one he put Jake Johnson’s Nick on the California sex offender registry), and I love how he took shots at his former co-star while also promoting Johnson’s new movie. 

Everyone’s been busy since they finished portraying their hilarious New Girl characters nearly six years ago. Morris was recently seen on Fargo Season 5, while Max Greenfield (Schmidt) has been on the CBS sitcom, The Neighborhood, since right after the Fox show ended. Hannah Simone (Cece) is going into Season 2 of Not Dead Yet on ABC, while Zooey Deschanel (Jess) returned to television in Apple TV+’s dramedy, Physical, for Season 3, and got engaged to boyfriend Jonathan Scott. Johnson, meanwhile, co-executive produced and starred in two seasons of Minx for Max/Starz and recently released his feature length directorial debut in the aforementioned Self Reliance on Hulu.

Speaking of that new streaming film, it hit the service on January 12, and by the very next day was already number one on Hulu’s Top 15 list, so Morris pretending that no one watched it is just a very Winston thing for him to do so he could poke fun at his friend. The cast is still very close after all these years, and Morris and Johnson actually engaged in a bit of a Nick and Winston mess-around on Instagram to help promote the new movie, so maybe he can get his good buddy to lower his asking price and help along the New Girl revival fans are hoping for. 

Jake Johnson is making feature directorial debut with his new movie “Self Reliance” hitting Hulu this week. He joins us for an extended chat on his process, what he wanted to accomplish with his first film knowing there’s no guarantee to make another, working with Anna Kendrick and his cast, and so much more. We are all huge fans of Jake Johnson’s work from New Girl to his role as Peter Parker in the Spider-Verse saga, and as such we are glad to report that his debut feature is an absolute blast. 

We often recommend going into films as blind as possible, and this is no exception. If you haven’t seen it, head over to Hulu, enjoy the ride Jake Johnson and team have put together, and return for a truly hilarious conversation.

Timestamps (approx. only)

• 00:00:00 - Intro 
• 00:04:51 - Jake Johnson Interview
• 00:49:06 - ‘Self Reliance’ Review
• 01:01:28 - Outro

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Sign up for our premium membership, which includes a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes. Also, be sure to subscribe to ReelBlend on YouTube for full episodes of the show in video form. Finally, we have all kinds of fun merchandise for dedicated Blenders to flaunt their fandom with pride.

Heroes. They come in all shapes and sizes, and serve so many different purposes. Lately, thanks to his involvement in the animated Spider-Verse saga, New Girl’s Jake Johnson finds himself rising to the challenge of Spider-Man’s heroics. That’s what happens when you star in two of the greatest Spider-Man movies ever made. Fans respond in kind, and sometimes turn to you for help. Now, Johnson is an actor. A voice actor. And even a director. His new film Self-Reliance is one of the better upcoming 2024 movies we have seen. And while having a conversation with Johnson about his directorial debut and his career, he opened up about something spectacular he did for the Spider-Man fan base, and a surprise he got through the interactions. 

Jake Johnson’s version of Spider-Man in the two animated films, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, is Peter B. Parker, a version of the classic hero who exists on Earth 616. He served as a mentor for Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), and appears to be part of the team who will come to Miles’ rescue, based on the ending of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. So Johnson’s legacy will be tied to Spider-Man for the rest of his career, which he learned when the world went through a global pandemic. While appearing on the ReelBlend podcast to discuss Self-Reliance, Johnson spoke about an action he did for Spidey fans during the pandemic, and explained: 

This doesn’t surprise me. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Ellen Degeneres and many more have told stories about recording messages for young fans while in character as Woody, Buzz or Dory. So it’s very cool that Jake Johnson agreed to do that for young Spider-Man fans. But then he got hit with a massive surprise, and it breaks my heart a little. As Johnson went on to explain:

I wish I knew that Jake Johnson was doing that for Spider-Man fans of all ages. I definitely would have hit him up, Cameo-style, so that I’d always have my own recording of Peter Parker telling me that everything is going to be OK. I could play it during tough times. Spider-Man’s voice can help get me through, the way that he did for kids and grown fans. 

We still don’t know when the third chapter of the Spider-Verse trilogy is due to arrive. During the ReelBlend interview, Jake Johnson admitted to us that he has yet to record any dialogue for the sequel, but also said that means nothing, as vocal parts can come together quickly. So stay tuned here for any updates on Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, and also, keep an eye on Johnson’s socials, in case he opens up the window to personalized messages again.

Back when Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ended, we all thought that the trilogy’s capper – Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse – was arriving in March 2024. That was crazy ambitious, but hopeful… even though Across pushed the boundaries of animation, and we expect Beyond to continue that revolutionary track. Naturally, Beyond the Spider-Verse was delayed. For how long? We don’t know. And we are willing to wait, so long as creative voices Phil Lord and Chris Miller push to make this one of the best Spider-Man movies ever made. It may end up being that way. Just, don’t ask Jake Johnson about it yet, because he hasn’t recorded a single line of dialogue. 

Which isn’t a problem at all. At least, according to Jake Johnson. The New Girl star was a recent guest on the ReelBlend podcast, promoting his directorial debut Self-Reliance, available to anyone with a Hulu subscription. At the end of our conversation, which will post in full on January 12, we brought up Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, and asked Johnson if he has recorded any dialogue for it yet. And he told us:

There you have it. No need to panic. We fully don’t expect Jake Johnson to be able to record all of his Peter Parker dialogue in one day. Though, the character’s role was diminished in Across the Spider-Verse, as Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) took more of a central role. 

Given the ending of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, though, it looks like Peter B. Parker will be heavily involved in the action that’s setting up in the third installment. 

Self-Reliance is a terrific new movie by Jake Johnson, and one that should earn him more shots at directing features. It reminds me a bit of Palm Springs with Andy Samberg (who also plays a part in the movie), but also David Fincher’s The Game. That might not make sense, but it will once you see this. Put it on your radar. And then look out for more upcoming 2024 movies, as they make their way out. 

2024 has arrived, and it’s time to look ahead at what’s on offer at theaters and on streamers in the coming months. Last year, "Dune: Part 2" topped our list as our most anticipated movie of the year, and with its delay into March, it has a great shot of taking the cake yet again. 

What are your most anticipated movies of 2024?

Timestamps (approx. only)

• 00:00:00 - Intro 
• 00:05:36 - Top 5 Most Anticipated Movies Of 2024
• 00:56:13 - Spoiler Warning: ‘Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child And Fire’ Review
• 01:10:25 - ‘Godzilla Minus One’ Is A Top 5 Movie
• 01:16:37 - Outro

Want More ReelBlend?

Sign up for our premium membership, which includes a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes. Also, be sure to subscribe to ReelBlend on YouTube for full episodes of the show in video form. Finally, we have all kinds of fun merchandise for dedicated Blenders to flaunt their fandom with pride.

January is often a slow time for the box office, and that may lead more people to go searching for what there is to find on streaming platforms when looking for something new to watch. Luckily, this week offers a lot of options as almost every streaming platform has at least one thing worth checking out. There are new movies, new reality series, new episodes of weekly series, and even the first fully bingable Marvel series.

Echo is just one of the highlights of the strreaming week, as the Marvel series will drop all episodes at once, a first for an MCU series. It will be interesting to see how that impacts the streaming service or viewership of the series. But that's far from the only thing of note to watch this week. Here's a look at some of the highlights on the major streaming services this week. 

What's On Netflix

Lift - January 12

F. Gary Gray has been behind some solid action movies including The Italian Job and a Fast & Furious movie, but in Lift Gray will team with Kevin Hart and he’ll leave the stylish cars behind and take to the skies. The new Netflix movie stars Hart as the leader of a team of thieves who get blackmailed by the U.S. government to steal $500 million in gold from a plane mid-flight. The movie so-stars Vincent D’Onofria as a member of Hart’s team and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as the government agent running the heist. The Lift trailer makes the movie look like it could be a lot of fun.  

The Trust: A Game Of Greed - January 10

If reality TV full of interpersonal drama is your thing, then The Trust: A Game of Greed may be your new favorite series. The premise sees 11 strangers given a share of a quarter million dollars, but that’s just the beginning. While all the players could simply do nothing and go home with their share, we can guess that won’t actually happen, as everybody is tested and tempted to vote people off in order to increase what they take home.  

What's On Disney+

Echo - January 9

Echo is a first-of-its-kind series from Marvel Studios in a lot of ways. It’s the first Marvel Studios Spotlight production, a designation that means that, while the show takes place within the MCU, don’t expect its story or characters to have a significant impact on the larger story of Phase 5. This standalone nature is probably a side effect of some of the other ways this one will be different.

It will also be the first new Marvel series to drop all its episodes at once, which will change the way Disney+ subscribers consume this one. More importantly, however, it’s the first Marvel Studios series that will be rated TV-MA. The Echo trailer showed a series that will be a lot more violent than we’re used to seeing. That alone will be worth checking out. 

Bluey - January 12

By this week kids are back in school. But for those kids that are a bit too young for school, or just for anybody who loves incredible television, the final 10 episodes of Bluey Season 3 are set to hit Disney+. You don’t need to be a kid, or a parent of one, to appreciate the incredible humor of Bluey. The fact the show is able to put together hilarious, and often touching, stories that resonate with just about anybody is the magic of Bluey. Also, that theme song is incredibly catchy. And worry not, Season 4 of Bluey is on the way.

What's On Hulu

Self Reliance - January 12

The last time that The Lonely Island teamed up with Hulu, we got the excellent, and perfectly timed, time loop comedy Palm Springs. Now the team is behind Self-Reliance. The movie marks the feature film directorial debut of Jake Johson, who also wrote and stars in the movie. It follows Johnson's character, who is recruited to take part in a reality show where people actively try to kill him, but he wins $1 million if he survives for 30 days. Since he can only be killed if alone, it drives our hero to find some unusual friends. Anna Kendrick and Andy Samberg co-star, the latter playing himself.  

What's On Max

It’s been four years since the last season of HBO’s hit True Detective, and while the series hasn’t always received stellar reviews, each season has been an event in itself. The new season, subtitled Night Country, is set during the endless night of the Alaskan winter and stars Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as the detectives tracking down a missing person. The series will debut on HBO but will also be available with a Max subscription the same day so there will be no wait for those who want to keep up with this one every week.  

What's On Apple TV+

Criminal Record - January 10

Apple TV+ doesn’t have the quantity of new content that other streaming platforms have, so when it does have something original debuting, it’s worth taking note. Criminal Record stars Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo as a pair of London police detectives. Jumbo plays Detective Sergeant June Lenker, who is investigating the possibility that a man who has been in prison for years may not have committed the crime. Capaldi plays the detective of the original case, who is not in favor of his work being reviewed.  The first two episodes of the show hit this week, with future episodes arriving weekly.

What's On Prime Video

Role Play - January 12

If action comedies are your thing there’s going to be something of a battle of them on January 12 the same day that Lift arrives on Netflix, Role Play arrives on Prime Video. Kaley Cuoco plays a wife and mother who happens to be a professional assassin. When her husband, played by David Oyelowo realizes who his wife really is, he tries to help her escape the life, even though that means now everybody is trying to kill her. It looks like a version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith if Mr. Smith had no idea what was going on.

If these new series For a complete look at what’s hitting streaming in January, be sure to check out what’s new on Netflix, as well as everything coming to Disney+ in January 2024. 

Ever since True American made its debut on New Girl in 2012, I’ve been baffled by it. Every time I watch the show I find myself thinking about how this nonsensical game could be played in real life, and I’d ponder how on Earth they came up with one of the best inside jokes from New Girl.

It turns out there are answers to both these questions about the gag that involved all of New Girl’s hilarious characters, and I’ve got the history for you. So, if you are looking to play the game at the center of some of New Girl’s best episodes or if you just want to know how it came into existence, keep reading. 

How To Play True American 

Now, the “rules” in the show are loose, at best. However, they are explained by the characters. So, here’s a breakdown from Jess and Winston about how to play Ture American circa Season 1, Episode 20 of New Girl: 

Jess: It starts off, there are four zones. An alternate zone is a crazy zone. 

Winston: There’s a trail of chairs, but the floor is lava. 

Jess: [Pointing at lots of beer] These are the pawns they’re the soldiers of the secret order. [Grabs a bottle of Jack Daniels] This is the king of the castle.  

Winston: Now, remember, everything you hear in True American is a lie, knock on wood.

Jess: And it starts with a shotgun tip-off. 

My understanding after this point is that the goal is to get to the castle without touching the ground. The New Girl creator Elizabeth Meriwether put True American’s rules in the simplest form when she jokingly said this during a panel for The Paley Center for Media in 2014:

However, fans have created legit rules for Ture American, and unlike the show, they actually create a semi-cohesive and playable game. While there is even a WikiHow on how to play this silly drinking game, True American Rules.com and Wide Open Country provided the most common and conscience methods of play. Here are the basics:

The Setup: You need to create The Castle and The Zones. The Castle is made up of a big bottle of liquor in the middle with beer cans lined up in four lines that stem from the bottle. The big bottle is the king, and the beer are the pawns. The lines created by the beer cans also show you each zone. Which brings me to the Zones. These are four quadrants and each needs five pieces of furniture or items to stand on in them – because the floor is lava. You can only take a pawn by standing on the item closest to The Castle in each respective zone, other than that, I'm not quite sure what the point of the zones are.  

Starting The Game: The players have a shotgun contest to determine who goes first. Then, the person who won yells "One, two three, JFK!" And the rest yell "FDR" and the game begins with players grabbing a pawn and retreating to a piece of furniture in one of the zones. 

Playing The Game: Players take turns moving. On a person's turn, they are allowed to move one space, and other players win their moves by either holding up a number no one else chooses, completing a quote about American history or figuring out the commonality between two things the person names. However, whoever is on their turn gets to decide which game is played. Also, every player must have at least one pawn and no more than three pawns in their hand at all times. 

Losing: If you don’t have a beer, and you get caught, you lose. The same goes for if you step on the floor. 

Winning: When you are at the spot closest to the castle you can grab a pawn. You play until all pawns are gone and you are able to take a drink out of the King. 

While I’ve just laid out a lot of rules that fans have created to play True American. At its core, I think all you really need to know is the floor is lava, and you better be ready to scream “JFK! FDR!”

The History Behind New Girl’s True American

In Season 1 of New Girl, Jess brings home an older boyfriend, played by Dermot Mulroney. So, to bring him into the story and to show his maturity level, the writers came up with Ture American, according to Bustle. Loosely based on a “floor is lava” like game writer Lesley Wake Webster used to play in college, the team decided to add it into the show, and intentionally didn’t give it any real rules. Luvh Rakhe, a writer and co-executive producer, elaborated on why they did this, saying:

So, the script didn’t have any rules at all, and writer Berkley Johnson said they wrote it around 2 a.m. with Rakhe, and they were “just typing, ‘They walk on pillows, they turn some stools upside down and use them as boots.”

While there clearly are no rules, it's been claimed that there are. So, after disputing a claim that there are rules to True American, Zooey Deschanel explained to The Paley Center for Media in 2014  how the game manifested itself while they were shooting:

In the Bustle article, Deschanel also said the screaming of “1,2,3,4, JFK, FDR” and “George Washington, Cherry Tree” was her idea. It was confirmed that the numbers on the forehead were always a rule too, and the New Girl cast had a lot of say in how the game was ultimately portrayed on screen. According to Lamorne Morris who played Winston:

After Season 1, True American made subsequent appearances in almost every other season (see the list of episodes the game is featured in below), and each time the game got messier and funnier.

• Season 1, Episode 20 “Normal” 
• Season 2, Episode 15 “Cooler” 
• Season 3, Episode 20 “Mars Landing” 
• Season 5, Episode 21 “Wedding Eve” 
• Season 7, Episode 8 “Engram Pattersky” 

They never really found a concrete way to play True American, it was simply chaos on set. According to Jake Johnson, who played Nick, anything could happen while shooting the drinking game. He explained to Bustle that there would be times when people would randomly start throwing pillows or jumping on the couch, and in those chaotic situations, the cast would just follow along. 

Jake Johnson has been asked over and over what the rules are to this game, however, the simple answer is…there are none. However, while speaking with E! News in 2016 the Nick Miller actor did provide a way to go about playing Ture American, saying:

Well, there you have it. Ture American is truly just an amalgamation of chaos, drinking and some light American history. However, while the creatives didn’t come up with any definitive rules, viewers have, and this game has become a beloved joke and activity among New Girl fans. But, if following these complex and confusing rules is not your thing, you can turn the Fox comedy on through a Hulu subscription, and follow Jake Johnson’s rules of the game, which is to simply: “get drunk and yell presidents and throw beer in corners.” 

The profession known as acting tends to attract people who want to become major stars as a result of their talents. However, just as there are some performers hoping to become the next Tom Cruise, there are those like Jake Johnson, who just want to do what they love. Johnson himself recalled exactly when he realized he didn’t want to be like the Mission: Impossible 7 star, and it involved a meet-up for dinner during production on The Mummy.

Yes, we’re talking about the 2017 reboot that was supposed to usher in Universal’s Dark Universe series. But the story Jake Johnson predates the tepid reaction to the horror/action flick. Talking to THR in support of his directorial debut Self Reliance, Johnson recalled meeting up with his colleague for a meal and how the situation became a bit hectic:

The Jurassic World alum makes a pretty solid point here, as he prefers to be noticed for work, like his role in the Fox sitcom New Girl, rather than being front and center in a major studio franchise. Johnson’s career path has only made that more apparent as of late. An example would be his reprisal of Peter B. Parker as part of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's cast,. There's also his role on the newly revived series Minx. While both projects will have fans undoubtedly excited, it's not like an entire restaurant is going to shut down because Johnson stars in them.

Tom Cruise, on the other hand, seems to enjoy that sort of attention, and the man doesn’t hide it. A fan of stunts both physical and promotional, Cruise recently helped surprise Mission: Impossible fans through a one-day/four city tour promoting Dead Reckoning - Part One. That sort of feat is not for everyone, though, and looking at the Paper Heart star's career path over the last couple of years, you can see where his passion truly lies. 

It takes all sorts of performers to make the business of show run smoothly. Even the much-maligned Mummy reboot proved what can happen when folks from both sides collaborate. While the quality of the overall film can be debated, one thing that’s not in question is how well Tom Cruise and Jake Johnson worked together during their scenes. As always, perfect casting is like putting together a championship sports team. You need the Cruises and the Johnsons to make it all worth watching. In short, there need to be actors that follow Johnson’s lead to achieve such balance. 

Jake Johnson may just end up scoring another win, thanks to Self Reliance. That project will make its debut at some point in September and will be streamable for those with a Hulu subscription. 

The moment that reviews started rolling in for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, audiences realized they were in for something very special. It wasn’t just that the reactions were positive, including a perfect 5-star grade from our own Eric Eisenberg. It was the fact that critics were calling Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse a masterpiece, and unlike anything else that has been done in animation up to this point. Co-creators Phil Lord and Chris Miller even had to address comparisons that were being made to Empire Strikes Back, considered by many to be the best Star Wars movie in the franchise. Where is the series supposed to go after such raves? 

Well, if you are the creative team behind the Spider-Verse movies so far, you immediately start getting ready for the third and reportedly final installment in the trilogy centered on Miles Morales (Shameik Moore). Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse was announced at CinemaCon back in 2022, when Sony confirmed that Across the Spider-Verse would be part one of a two-part story. If you have seen Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, you know that there’s still plenty of story to tell when it comes to Miles, Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac) and the major players of the Multiverse. But, we're basically halfway through 2024, and we have no updates on when the story might continue. And that's a little concerning. 

Let’s break down everything we know so far about Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse.

What Is The Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse Release Date?

When Sony revealed that the sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was going to be a two-parter, they circled March 29, 2024 as a release date. Since then, the movie has been delayed. As of right now, we have no concrete release date for the third and final chapter. 

There are several reason why Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse has shifted off of its original release date. Some can blame the writers' strike, which created lengthy production snafus. But also, animation takes a very long time. Speaking with Digital Spy about Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse's release date, Lord and Miller said: 

It bears repeating, though, that animation (on the level of the Spider-Verse movies) takes an enormous amount of time. Production on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse took five years to complete. The same team is going to have a worthy sequel in theaters less than one year after Across plays to crowds? Get out of here. Give the final installment in this trilogy all of the time that the creative team needs. 

Beyond The Spider-Verse Follows Some Major Cliffhangers

This section contains some plot information about Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse. Read on at your own risk!

Spider-Man fans should think of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse as the middle chapter of a trilogy. This is a big part of the reason why the creative team behind the movie addressed comparisons to Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back once Across the Spider-Verse came out. Much like that famous Star Wars sequel, Across the Spider-Verse was darker and more mature than its immediate predecessor. And it ended on a cliffhanger that left the main hero in a devastating emotional spot. (No pun intended on the use of the term Spot.)

Because of how Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ended, we know that Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse will have to deal with Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) being stranded on Earth-42, a dark dimension where the spider that bit Miles was supposed to be. Yet, because the spider ended up in Miles’s universe, NO ONE got bit on Earth-42, meaning there is no Spider-Man. The brief looks we got of that universe made it look crime-ridden and destroyed. And then came the biggest reveal of them all… Miles Morales on Earth-42 didn’t become Spidey. He became The Prowler. 

Shamiek Moore and Other Cast Members Are Expected To Return

More spoilers ahead if you haven't seen Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse! 

As of this moment, Shameik Moore is the only confirmed cast member on IMDB for Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse. But we can use deductive reasoning to assume that Hailee Steinfeld and Jake Johnson absolutely will be returning as Gwen Stacy and Peter B. Parker. In the closing moments of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Gwen is putting together a new team to go rescue Miles from Earth-42 (and save Jefferson Davis from The Spot). The first person she portals over to recruit is Peter B., who is putting his daughter Mayday to bed. But we know he’ll agree to the mission… and they won’t be alone.

Several Spider people from Into the Spider-Verse were also part of Gwen’s new team. We saw Spider-Noir and Spider-Ham, meaning there’s a very good chance that Nic Cage and John Mulaney will return to voice those characters in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. 

Jason Schwartzman undoubtedly will be back to finish off his journey as The Spot, who only grew more powerful over the course of Across the Spider-Verse and needs to be taken down. Finally, we expect that Miguel O’Hara and Jessica Drew – two characters we met for the first time in Across – will continue to make major contributions to the third and final chapter of the saga, so let’s pencil in Oscar Isaac and Issa Rae as “cast members assumed to return” when Beyond reaches theaters.

Here's What We Think 'Beyond' Might Mean In Beyond The Spider-Verse

We are hung up on the term Beyond. What does it mean to go beyond the Spider-Verse? In my mind, it means moving past the concept of animation, which is significant to the success of the first two movies. The animation in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse completely pushes the envelope in terms of what’s possible in the animation medium. It’s visually mindblowing, and often left my jaw hanging open in terms of what was accomplished. Particularly when it came to Gwen Stacy’s world, composed of spectacular watercolors that changed color to match the emotions of the scene. 

But there were moments in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse when the action stepped into live-action, specifically when it entered the universe of Venom, and interacted with Mrs. Chen (Peggy Lu), the shopkeeper who always pesters Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy). Later, during the conversation of canon, and moments in the life of Spider-Man that have to occur, we get glimpses of both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, further blending live-action into the Spider-Verse movies. Does this mean that Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse will fully embrace live-action, possibly in a combination that mirrors Who Framed Roger Rabbit? If that’s the case, I think that will lead to the inclusion of live-action Tom Holland playing his version of Peter Parker, and maybe even the official casting of Miles Morales in live-action… a part that Shameik Moore very much would like to play. 

Who Will Direct Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse?

When Sony Pictures Animation greenlit the sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the studio made one major change. The three co-directors of Into the Spider-Verse were replaced, though they stayed on as executive producers. That change led to Kemp Powers (Pixar’s Soul), Justin K. Thompson (Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs), and Joaquim Dos Santos (Avatar: The Last Airbender) taking over directorial reins for the sequel. And this trio will remain in place for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

This makes a ton of sense, because the creative team hard at work on Across the Spider-Verse had to be making strides on Beyond at the same time, and likely will be able to breathe a little easier now that the release date has been pushed back. Overall, though, keeping the core trio in the directors’ chairs also helps maintain continuity of voice and vision, which will be essential following the success of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. 

Who Is Going To Write Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse?

Along the same lines, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse will continue to be shepherded by co-creators Phil Lord and Chris Miller, in addition to screenwriter Dave Callaham. When Lord and Miller appeared on an episode of CinemaBlend’s official podcast, ReelBlend, they talked about some of the contributions Callaham made to Across the Spider-Verse that would continue through Beyond, telling us:

How’s that for a tease? Now, the waiting game begins. After the massive success of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, it’s going to be really hard to press pause on our anticipation and wait for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. But given the quality of the first two movies, we have a very strong feeling that our patience will be rewarded with this (probably most likely) 2025 movie.

Many have come to the conclusion that 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the best Spider-Man movie. From both an animation and superhero standpoint the film was groundbreaking in a lot of ways and left people in awe. So, following its basically universal acclaim and its Best Animated Feature Oscar, the expectations for its sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse were high. So, with the movie now in theaters, Jake Johnson, the voice behind Peter B. Parker, weighed in on if he felt the pressure while making one of the highly anticipated movies on the 2023 movie schedule.

In the greater Spider-Verse the saying “with great power, comes great responsibility” is a staple. So, I’d assume the filmmakers and cast of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse felt the kind of pressure that comes with this saying while making the Spider-Verse sequel. However, when we asked Jake Johnson if he felt the pressure of topping the 2018 movie, he explained why he had the utmost confidence in this follow-up, and was “really excited” to return as Peter B. Parker. The actor told CinemaBlend: 

Before it was confirmed that Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse was a masterpiece through a swath of positive reviews about the Spider-Verse sequel, I, like Johnson, had a sense of confidence about the movie. Knowing that Phil Lord and Chris Miller were at the top, and that they had added three new directors, including Kemp Powers, who directed Pixar’s Soul, I had an inkling that we were in for something special. 

The movie was co-directed by Powers, Joaquim Dos Santos and Justin K. Thompson, who all have wickedly impressive resumes. Dos Santos was a storyboard artist for shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Spectacular Spider-Man. While Thompson came from a production design background after working on movies like the first Spider-Verse as well as Lord and Miller’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Overall, it was clear as day that this movie was in good hands. Having three masters of their craft at the helm, Lord and Miller returning to write with Dave Callaham and produce it with the OG movie’s directors it makes sense why Jake Johnson wasn’t all that worried about topping the original.  

Even with these massive expectations, Spider-Man: Acorss the Spider-Verse managed to top the original with both critics and audiences alike praising the film for its groundbreaking animation, stand-out new characters like Pavitr Prabhakar, and heartfelt exciting story. Our own Eric Eisenberg gave Across the Spider-Verse five stars, saying “you’ve never seen anything like” it, and that the film is “thrilling, stunning, and emotional perfection.” 

So, that confidence Jake Johnson had was warranted, and our beloved Miles Morales’ story continued in an amazing, emotional, and jaw-dropping way that improves on its exceptional predecessor. 

HBO Max is in the midst of a serious transition period ahead of its merger with Discovery+. Warner Bros. As part of the preparation process, the service has been cancelling shows and ultimately removing them from the platform. The latest show to suffer this fate is The Minx, the critically acclaimed period comedy that was renewed by the streamer earlier this year. It’s a move that’s surely viewed as disappointing by fans, especially since the show was reportedly almost done shooting its second season. However, cast member Jake Johnson – in an appreciative and hopeful social media post – says the axed show isn't finished just yet.

Jake Johnson shared a post on Instagram, in which he opened up about the comedy series’ current status. The actor confirmed that the cast and crew are indeed almost done filming Season 2 and confirmed that work will continue. He also revealed what he knows about the plans for the future right now: 

So this may not be the end of the show after all. The decision to keep production going bodes well for the Ellen Rapoport-created program. Of course, there is the question of what company would pick it up if it is indeed being shopped around. That’s definitely something to think about but, at this point, viewers are probably just glad to hear this bit of optimistic news from one of the stars.

Minx is set in the 1970s and focuses on Joyce Prigger (Ophelia Lovibond), a young feminist living in Los Angeles. Set on creating the first erotic magazine for women, Prigger teams up with a small-time porn publisher named Doug Renetti (Jake Johnson) to make her dream a reality. And from there, the two navigate the industry and form unexpected but endearing connections along the way. The series received praise upon its debut, with many highlighting the writing and performances of its lead actors. In his post, Johnson hyped up the work that  the cast and crew put in for Season 2, before thanking fans for their support:

The Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse actor closed out his message by expressing hope that he and his cohorts will “have good news to share soon.” He also shared a funny behind-the-scenes photo of himself and co-star Ophelia Lovibond. Check it out:

All the while, many remain concerned regarding the fates of other pieces of content on the streaming service. HBO Max originals like The Gordita Chronicles have been removed, and even recently cancelled prestige series Westworld is set to be scrubbed from the streamer entirely. There’s no telling what will remain when the HBO/Discovery+ hybrid service (which will allegedly be called Max). It’ll be interesting to see if Minx as well as other cancelled shows find new homes within the streaming sphere.

Minx may no longer be available with an HBO Max subscription, but keep your eyes peeled to find out whether it ends up somewhere on the 2023 TV schedule.

While everything seems to be shaking out per usual over at HBO, where its acclaimed drama The White Lotus just wrapped its second season on the way to a third, the streaming service HBO Max seems to be on decidedly more shaky grounds where its own expanding content library is concerned. The Warner Bros. Discovery merger, including the combined streaming platform on the horizon (codename: Max), has caused all kinds of programming changes in recent months, and the dour announcements haven’t stopped just yet, either. The latest victim of the company’s cost-cutting decisions is the sexy, critically acclaimed dramedy Minx, which has been canceled outright despite being renewed for a second season back in May 2022.

And it’s not just that Minx Season 2 was already renewed seven months ago, but the HBO Max original was reportedly in the final stretch of filming, with plans to soon wrap on the Season 2 production altogether. But instead of celebrating another season of hard work on the way to a premiere date, Minx’s creator Ellen Rapoport and stars Ophelia Lovibond and Jake Johnson (among many other talents) are all finding themselves without an ongoing gig tied to the fictional world of female-geared erotic magazines.

Not only did HBO Max suddenly drop the axe on Minx’s in-production second season, but the service will also be removing the show from its library entirely, similar to fates that have been suffered by animated series such as Infinity Train and Close Enough, children’s fare such as The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo and Little Ellen. Most recently, the streaming platform pulled the Latino family comedy Gordita Chronicles, which sparked some unhappy reactions online.

Minx boasted other big names behind the scenes, such as EP Paul Feig (of Freaks and Geeks and Bridesmaids fame) and EP/writer Ben Karlin (Modern Family, The Daily Show), with Lionsgate TV as the studio behind it all. And for fans who are the most disappointed by this cancellation news, take heed that Lionsgate isn’t reacting to this unexpected blow by laying down. According to Variety, the studio is attempting to find another home for Minx, presumably somewhere that wouldn’t mind footing the bill to round out a nearly completed production. Here’s how the company put it in a statement:

Obviously, no reason for Lionsgate TV to burn any bridges with gripes about how the tides suddenly turned with Minx, which also co-stars Michael Angarano, Jessica Lowe, Oscar Montoya, and Lennon Parham. Instead, the studio is holding its centerfold-worthy head up high in an attempt to sway other platforms and/or networks to pick up the liberating series. Given the material, it doesn't seem a likely import for Disney+ or anything youth-oriented, but considering just how widely acclaimed the first season was, there will no doubt be much interest in a second. Here's hoping there's enough money to balance that interest.

For the time being, Minx Season 1 is still available to stream with an HBO Max subscription, but that likely won’t last for very long, so get to bingeing! And head to our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows hopefully won’t be canceled too soon next year.

When Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse came out in 2018, the world was shook by the stellar storytelling, groundbreaking animation and slew of unique characters. Now, nearly five years later we have finally gotten the aptly titled sequel: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and along with its incredible story and action, it also features a top-tier voice cast.

The movie has 240 unique characters in the background of the multiverse as Miles and his friends and family try to save it… again. The sequel will focus on Miles and his relationships with a few characters specifically. We’ll see the return of some fan favorites, as well as get to know some new and exciting characters. Here is a list of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's cast members.

Shameik Moore

Shameik Moore came back to play the Spider-verse saga's beloved main character, as confirmed by Across the Spider-Verse's first trailer. We met Miles Morales in Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse and watched as he evolved from a student into a Spider-Man, with the help of three Peter Parkers, Gwen Stacy, Spider-Ham, Peni Parker and his dad Jefferson. Miles fought off Kingpin and saved the world from falling into the multiverse.

While Moore is best known for his role in the Academy Award-winning animated movie, he also starred in the 2015 movie Dope. His other credits include Netflix originals like The Get Down series and the movie Let It Snow, as well as the series Wu-Tang: An American Saga.

Hailee Steinfeld

Hailee Steinfeld made her return to the Spider-Verse as Gwen Stacy in the upcoming sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse, as confirmed in the trailer. Gwen, also known as Spider-Gwen, is not from Miles’ universe, but helped him fix his it in the first movie. 

Steinfeld has been extremely busy. Before the first Spider-Verse movie, she was known for her roles in True Grit, Pitch Perfect 2 and The Edge of Seventeen. Since the animated movie, she has been on a few popular series, including Arcane and Dickinson, which can be watched with a Netflix subscription and  Apple TV+ subscription, respectively. She also made her live-action MCU debut in the Disney+ series Hawkeye as Kate Bishop. 

Oscar Isaac

Making his first appearance in the post-credits scene of Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse Oscar Isaac joined the franchise as Miguel O’Hara, also known as Spider-Man 2099. Isaac reprised his role as a version of Spider-Man from the future. He explained in an interview with ScreenRant that his character is hilarious because he has absolutely no sense of humor. 

From indie films to massive franchises, Isaac has done a little bit of everything. Earlier in his career, he was known for smaller, yet acclaimed hits like Ex Machina and Inside Llewyn Davis. He has also starred as Poe Dameron in the latest trilogy of Star Wars movies, played Duke Leto Atreides in Dune and donned a live-action cape to lead the cast of Marvel’s Disney+ series Moon Knight. 

Jake Johnson

Peter B. Parker came crashing (literally) into Miles’ life in the first movie. He became a grumbly and goofy mentor to Miles throughout the film, all while trying to deal with a personal life crisis of his own. Luckily, this isn’t the last we’ve seen of the slightly down-on-his-luck version of Peter Parker, because Jake Johnson confirmed his reprisal of the role. He explained that he hadn’t heard from the studio for a while, and he would have been “heartbroken” if he couldn’t be involved. Once he got the call he was ecstatic and said he couldn't wait to see what Peter B. Parker is up to in the web-slinging sequel.  

Johnson is best known for his role as Nick Miller on the Fox comedy New Girl. He has also starred in a lot of smaller movies, like Drinking Buddies, and Safety Not Guaranteed. Most recently, he starred in Minx, which can be watched with an HBO Max subscription. 

Jason Schwartzman

After the directors teased the villain of Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, it was later officially announced that this villain is The Spot, and he would be played by Jason Schwartzman. In the comics, The Spot started out as Dr. Jonathan Ohnn who worked for Wilson Fisk, also known as Kingpin. He gained his powers after the collider exploded in the first movie, and they allow him to travel between dimensions via portals. 

Jason Schwartzman is probably best known for his work with Wes Anderson. He has starred in Anderson’s films Rushmore, The Darjeeling Limited and Moonrise Kingdom, and he also made a brief appearance in The Grand Budapest Hotel. Schwartzman has also appeared in Fargo Season 4, and he is set to play Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman in the film adaptation of The Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.  

Brian Tyree Henry

Brian Tyree Henry plays Miles' dad Jefferson in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and he was confirmed by Variety to return for the sequel. Jefferson is a cop and he does not like Spider-Man. However, Miles saves his dad at the end of the movie, and it seems like Jefferson's view on the web-slinger may be changing. 

Brian Tyree Henry has been busy since his first go around as Jefferson. He has continued to star in the FX hit show Atlanta, which is currently in its final season. He also made his live-action MCU debut as Phastos in Eternals and starred in the action-comedy Bullet Train earlier this summer. 

Daniel Kaluuya

We found out via a toy release that Spider-Punk would make an appearance in the film, and then it was confirmed that Daniel Kaluuya would be voicing the rock 'n roll Spider-variant. 

Spider-Punk’s name is Hobie Brown, and in the comics, his signature weapon is his guitar. When the casting announcement was made, it was also revealed that Kaluuya's character would be  “a homeless teenager who becomes a hero to the oppressed citizens of New York in his dimensional universe," according to THR.

This will mark Kaluuya's second project in the world of Marvel, as he played W'Kabi in the 2018 hit Black Panther. He has also made a name for himself by way of Jordan Peele's movies Nope and Get Out, which he earned an Oscar nomination for. Speaking of the Academy Awards, the actor won one in 2021 for his role in Judas and the Black Messiah.  

Issa Rae

Issa Rae has entered the Spider-Verse as Jessica Drew in the upcoming sequel. Jessica Drew, also known as Spider-Woman, is a Spider-person who works for Miguel O'Hara and serves as a mentor for Gwen.

Issa Rae came to fame with her YouTube series Awkward Black Girl. She is best known for her work on the HBO show Insecure. She created the show, starred in it and both wrote and executive produced it. She has also appeared in A Black Lady Sketch Show, Lovebirds, and The Photograph. Currently she is an executive producer on Rap Sh!t. 

Luna Lauren Velez - Rio Morales

In Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, we didn’t see much of Miles’ mom, Rio. But Luna Lauren Velez told ComicBookMovie that her character will have a bigger role in the sequel, and she does. We see in the first movie that Rio is a nurse and loves her son dearly, and in the sequel we get a closer look at her relationship with her son and husband.

The actress voicing Rio, Luna Lauren Velez, is probably best known for her work on the Showtime hit Dexter, where she played Maria LaGuerta. She has also appeared in various shows like Oz, Ugly Betty and How to Get Away With Murder. 

Rachel Dratch - Principal

In the first movie, we see Miles transfer into the Brooklyn Visions Academy, which is a prestigious private school. While we meet a few of his teachers, we had yet to meet the principal. Rachel Dratch leads the high school in the sequel, which obviously led to some hilarious interactions between Miles and his principal. 

Rachel Dratch is best known for her time on Saturday Night Live and her characters like Debbie Downer. Since SNL, Dratch has been working consistently with supporting roles in Just Go With It, Click, and Spring Breakdown. Recently, she has appeared in Plan B and I Love My Dad, along with voice acting roles in Teen Titans Go! and Harley Quinn. 

Shea Whigham

When we met Gwen in the first movie, she was alone and not in her universe. In this movie, we got a closer look into her personal life, because Shea Whigham has been cast as her dad, George Stacy. The character is most frequently depicted as a captain of the New York City Police Department. 

Shea Whigham is probably best known for his work on two popular HBO shows, Perry Mason and Boardwalk Empire. He also appeared in the FX anthology series Fargo. Whigham has also shown up in multiple Fast & Furious movies, and he is set to appear in both parts of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning. 

 Jorma Taccone  

Announced at the same time as Schwartzman and Whigham, Jorma Taccone plays The Vulture in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The Vulture is an iconic Spider-Man villain, most recently shown on film when Michael Keaton played him in Spider-Man: Homecoming. The Vulture is the alias for Adrian Toomes who is a brilliant engineer. The character is a long-time and classic foe of the Web-Slinger and was one of the founding members of the Sinister Six. This version has been described as a Renaissance-inspired criminal with an Italian accent.

Taccone is likely best known as one-third of the comedy music group The Lonely Island, which also includes Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer. The movie Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping was written by the three dudes of The Lonely Island, and was directed by Schaffer and Taccone.

Andy Samberg

Announced on The Lonely Island's Instagram, it was revealed that Andy Samberg, another member of the comedic rap trio, joined the Spider-Verse. It's been confirmed by the movie's Twitter account that the actor plays Ben Reilly/Scarlet Spider in the upcoming movie.

Both Samberg and Taccone worked with Phil Lord and Chris Miller on The LEGO Movie as they wrote the song "Everything is Awesome," so it's not all that surprising that they are both popping up in this Spider-Man movie. Aside from The Lonely Island, Andy Samberg is best known for his work on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Saturday Night Live. 

Karan Soni

Pavitr Prabhakar has entered the Spider-Verse, and he is voiced by Karan Soni, per THR. This character is a new one in the world of Spider-Man movies, but he's been swinging around the comics for a while. 

You might recognize Soni from a small role he had in Deadpool as Dopinder the cab driver, where he assisted the merc with a mouth by driving him to battle. He's also appeared in other shows like Miracle Workers, and has done a lot of voice work on series like Big Mouth, Mira, Royal Detective and Trolls Holiday in Harmony. 

Amandla Stenberg

Amandla Stenberg was confirmed as Spider-Byte in a thread on Twitter about the cast of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Her character Margo created a spider-powered avatar so she could fight in cyberspace.

Stenberg broke onto the scene as Rue in The Hunger Games, and has gone on to star in movies like The Hate U Give and Bodies Bodies Bodies. Along with joining the Marvel world, she'll also be flying into the Star Wars universe in the upcoming series The Acolyte. 

This installment of the Spider-Verse franchise is just as epic as the first, and that's in part thanks to the stellar cast and some exciting new characters. While Across the Spider-Verse has been delayed a few times, it made a splash on the 2023 movie schedule, and now the wait has begun for Beyond The Spider-Verse. 

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now available to buy and rent. 

Sadly, actor Ralph Ahn has passed away at the age of 95. Ahn appeared on many shows throughout the course of his career, though many audiences might remember him most for his fan-favorite role of Tran on New Girl. The actor’s passing elicited a reaction from Jake Johnson, as well as other former cast members of the Fox comedy series. 

Most of Ralph Ahn’s scenes on New Girl involved Jake Johnson’s Nick Miller, who randomly met Tran one day while sitting on a park bench. Tran then served as a father figure of sorts for Nick, and while he hardly ever said anything in the entirety of the series, he taught Nick many things. Johnson honored Ahn with a post on his Instagram page and had a few kind things to say about his former co-star.

Ralph Ahn appeared in seven episodes of New Girl but only had two lines in the entire show. Tran told Nick he was “a huge baby” while teaching him how to swim in his first appearance, and he said “drive” in his final episode appearance. Nick and Tran had some hilarious moments on New Girl, so it’s of little surprise that Jake Johnson respected Ahn and wanted to honor his passing. 

Jake Johnson’s post gained the attention of other New Girl actors, and of course, the lead actress who starred in the show, Zooey Deschanel. Deschanel (who landed the gig in a surprising way) popped up in the comments of Johnson’s post, and while she didn’t have a ton to add on top of what Johnson said, her comment indicated she was sad to hear about Ralph Ahn’s passing.

Lamorne Morris, who played Winston on New Girl, also took some time to honor and pay respects to Ralph Ahn. Morris shared a photo of Ahn on the show and said a few words about what Ahn’s Tran brought to the comedy series. 

To say that Ralph Ahn had the best scenes of the episodes he appeared in is high praise, especially from an actor like Lamorne Morris. Some of Morris’ scenes as Winston are among the best of New Girl (and Schmidt’s scenes are a close second), so to see him give those types of props to Ahn for his quiet but emotive performance as Tran is really cool. Hopefully, Ahn’s loved ones can take solace in the fact that his role on one show had such a positive impact on its cast, as well as its fans. If there’s ever a reunion for this show, hopefully, Tran gets a reference. 

Although Ahn's role as Tran might be the most memorable of the later years of his life, he had a long list of TV credits to his name, including Gilmore Girls, The Shield, ER, and Suddenly Susan, among others. CinemaBlend would like to send its condolences to the friends and family of Ralph Ahn and wish them well during this tough time. 

Unlike a lot of superheroes, Shameik Moore’s Miles Morales didn’t have to learn the ropes of being a superhero during the events of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. He was mentored by some Spider-heroes from other universes, including Jake Johnson’s Peter B. Parker. Although Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2 will chronicle the next chapter of Miles’ cinematic journey, it hasn’t been confirmed yet if the older Peter will be taking part in the sequel, Johnson will be disappointed if his character doesn’t jump back into action.

To be clear, so far the signs point to Peter B. Parker participating in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2, as Jake Johnson said last month that he was working on a contract to reprise his role. Nevertheless, the New Girl actor made it clear that he’d be let down if he didn’t get to return for the next animated Spider-Man movie, saying:

Jake Johnson also mentioned in his interview with The Daily Beast that the role of Peter B. Parker “was one of the best written pieces I’ve ever had,” and that he was “honored” to play the character in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Johnson also recently told CinemaBlend that while he’s not “passionate” about the Spider-Man franchise as a whole, he’s heavily invested in what’s happening in the Spider-Verse corner. If he and Sony have been working out the details of a new deal, it’s probably safe to say that barring any extreme developments, we’ll be hearing him again as Peter B. Parker, who’s over a decade older than his deceased counterpart from Miles’ universe.

When we met Jake Johnson’s Peter B. Parker in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, he was in a rough period, having lost his Aunt May and separated from Mary Jane Watson, among other life complications. But following his time alongside Miles Morales and the movie’s other Spider-heroes, Peter returned to his reality in a healthier state of mind, and we watched him take the first step to repairing his relationship with MJ. Wherever we find him in the sequel, presumably he won’t hesitate to help Miles deal with whatever multiversal threat has reared its head this time around.

While no plot details for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2 have been revealed yet, Hailee Steinfeld will also be back as Gwen Stacy, the Spider-Woman of her reality who found a way to contact Miles across dimensions after the first movie’s main story wrapped up. We’ll also meet Issa Rae’s Jessica Drew, a Spider-Woman from another universe, as well as Takuya Yamashiro, known best from the 1970s live-action Japanese Spider-Man TV series. Behind the scenes, Joaquin Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson are directing Into the Spider-Verse 2, and David Callaham, Phil Lord and Chris Miller wrote the script.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2 will spin its web in theaters on October 7, 2022, and check out our 2022 release schedule to learn what other movies will arrive next year. Jake Johnson can currently be seen starring opposite D’Arcy Carden, J.K. Simmons and Susan Sarandon in Ride the Eagle.

In December 2020, Tom Cruise was recorded on the Mission: Impossible 7 set in London yelling at two crew members for not following COVID-19 safety protocols. The leaked rant drew mixed reactions from the public, but Jake Johnson, who performed alongside Cruise in 2017’s The Mummy, wasn’t surprised by what he heard. That’s because he saw firsthand just how intense the man who’s played Ethan Hunt for two and a half decades can be.

Jake Johnson played Chris Vail opposite Tom Cruise’s Nick Morton in The Mummy, the movie that was intended to kick off Universal Pictures’ Dark Universe franchise. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Johnson noted he was “hesitant” on The Mummy because he considered Cruise to be an “intimidating figure,” particularly when it came to doing action sequences. The New Girl actor recognized that same kind of passion when he heard the Mission: Impossible 7 audio. In Johnson’s words:

Tom Cruise’s tirade on the Mission: Impossible 7 set reportedly stemmed from seeing the two crew members standing within two meters of one another, thus violating the social distancing rules put in place. Supposedly 50 people were nearby for the outburst, and while some people working on Mission: Impossible 7 anonymously came to Cruise’s defense, other crew members reportedly quit following another “eruption” after the first one. Back in May, Cruise admitted he was emotional about the situation, as he didn’t want to see production on Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8 (the two movies are shooting back-to-back) shut down because people weren’t following the rules.

Shortly after Tom Cruise’s outburst was leaked, it was decided to shut down Mission: Impossible 7’s production early for the holidays, with filming resuming in January. Then in June, production had to be halted for two weeks after a crew member tested positive for COVID-19. As for Jake Johnson, he also recalled the moment on The Mummy when he realized that Cruise wasn’t “faking it” when it came to putting himself in harm’s way:

Following The Mummy’s underwhelming critical and commercial performance in summer 2017, the Dark Universe plans were scrapped and Universal refocused on delivering standalone features based on the Universal Monsteres property, starting with The Invisible Man in 2020 and continuing in the coming years with projects like Bride of Frankenstein, the Ryan Gosling-led Wolf Man reboot and the Nicholas Hoult-starring Renfield. While Cruise is still keeping busy with the next two Mission: Impossible movies, Jake Johnson currently stars in Ride the Eagle, has lent his voice to the upcoming Netflix animated series Lost Ollie, and expects to be back as Peter B. Parker for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2.

That animated web-slinging movie is slated to arrive on October 7, 2022, but before that, we’ll see Tom Cruise back in action as Ethan Hunt for Mission: Impossible 7 on May 27, 2022. Scan through our 2022 release schedule to discover what other movies are coming out next year.

Moviemaking is an amazing thing, especially when trying to make a film like director Trent O’Donnell’s Ride The Eagle during the COVID-19 pandemic. Written by and starring New Girl and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse star Jake Johnson, this story of a man trying to live the life his mother would have wanted him to have is a wide open affair, with nature playing a huge part in the tale. It was apparently so wide open that not only was it safe to film during 2020’s unpredictable events, Jake Johnson and most of his co-stars, including on-screen mother Susan Sarandon, never even met each other.

Our own Jeff McCobb sat down with chat with Jake Johnson on behalf of the press day for Ride The Eagle. Sure enough, the star-studded cast became a talking point, as in addition to Susan Sarandon, there’s also stars like Commissioner Gordon himself, J.K. Simmons, and The Good Place’s D’Arcy Carden included in the mix. With an impressive roster like that, it’s even more amazing that only some of them actually got to meet with Johnson. However, that meant that an important collaborator had to step in and bridge the chemistry gap between the film’s cast:

In the case of Susan Sarandon’s character Honey, it kind of made sense. As she appears to her son Leif (Jake Johnson) in a series of videotaped instructions, Ride The Eagle’s distance between Johnson and Sarandon only enhances the moment. However, when it came to the plotline involving Leif reconnecting with ex-girlfriend Audrey (D’Arcy Carden), Trent O’Donnell’s role as in-between presented some challenges.

Perhaps the largest obstacle was the fact that there’s a phone sex scene in Ride The Eagle, and Jake Johnson had no one to act against except his own director. Normally, as Johson himself pointed out, you’d have a chance for leads like himself and D’Arcy Carden to sort of build chemistry while in the moment. But since this was a more compartmentalized, pandemic-fueled production, situations such as the following arose:

If Jake Johnson was still slated to appear in Jurassic World: Dominion, which sadly isn’t the case, he could have put those skills to the test with all of the digital dinosaurs that will be added to the final product. But at least Ride The Eagle has prepared him for even more encounters with roles that see him using his imagination. Though maybe he’ll still get to meet Susan Sarandon someday, if only to have a talk about how they did on their cinematic family ties.

Ride The Eagle is in limited theatrical release, but can also be rented through VOD. If you’re looking for more films like this one, 2021’s release schedule should be your next stop as something charming and heartwarming awaits at a theater near you.

Jake Johnson fans may be in for a major disappointment, as it looks like another Jurassic World movie is happening without the New Girl star. Johnson’s role as Lowery in the rebooted franchise has been kind of a rollercoaster, between him not returning for the second film and the renewed possibility for an appearance in the upcoming third film. With Johnson seemingly not returning to the franchise for the upcoming movie, he's now sharing exactly what happened to halt his return.

Jake Johnson explains that he was written a great part in the upcoming Jurassic World: Dominion, reprising his role as Lowery and he was excited about filming. However, as is the case with a lot of films during the last year, the pandemic put a kink in things. Here’s what Johnson says in his own words, during an interview with Looper:

The return of Jake Johnson and his character Lowery to the Jurassic World franchise probably would have something to do with his “old friend” Colin Trevorrow. Trevorrow directed the 2015 film that kicked off the rebooted franchise and served as a writer on the 2018 sequel, Fallen Kingdom. Given that Trevorrow has overseen the direction of the entire trilogy and is good friends with Johnson, it makes sense that he would want to try to keep him in the fold.

In the same interview, Jake Johnson went into his and the director’s long relationship and how Colin Trevorrow tried to make Johnson’s role reprisal work through the pandemic issues. The actor also shared some thoughts on another potential return for Lowery. Here’s what Johnson says, exactly:

Of course, there will be plenty of character returns in the upcoming film so, honestly, anything is possible. At this time though, fans should probably temper their expectations when it comes to seeing Lowery in the upcoming Jurassic World: Dominion, despite efforts made to get him in there. We can expect the next Jurassic Park franchise film to drop next year on June 10th and, just like Jake Johnson, we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for even a small cameo appearance from his witty Jurassic Park fanboy.

Spider-Man’s had a relatively consistent presence on the big screen since 2002, but 2018 marked the first time an animated Spider-Man movie was released to the masses. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse saw Shameik Moore’s Miles Morales being mentored in the ways of web-slinging by Spider-heroes from other corners of the multiverse, including Jake Johnson’s Peter B. Parker. As it turns out, the New Girl star isn’t a Spider-Man fan, but he was attracted to doing Into the Spider-Verse for a special reason.

Jake Johnson recently chatted with CinemaBlend’s own Jeff McCobb about how much he enjoyed his time on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which boasted a cast that also included Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman, Liev Schreiber as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, Kathryn Hahn as Olivia Octavius/Doctor Octopus, Brian Tyree Henry as Jefferson Davis and Mahershala Ali as Aaron Davis/Prowler, among others. But Johnson didn’t join this animated movie steeped in Spider-Man lore. Quite the opposite, as he specifically said in the interview:

There’s no question that Spider-Man is one of pop culture’s most famous superheroes, on the same level as the likes of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. So it’s difficult to go through life without hearing the name Spider-Man, let alone not instantly recognizing the character. But for Jake Johnson, that’s where the familiarity ends, as he hadn’t seen any of the live-action Spider-Man movies and evidently hadn’t even heard of the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home, which also looks to be playing around with the multiverse through characters like Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus.

Instead, what drew Jake Johnson to participate in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was the story of a teen who’s just getting started as a superhero being mentored by someone who’s been at the crimefighting game for a few decades. Strip away the fantastical elements, and that core story resonated with him. Combine that with the fun Johnson had recording with his co-stars, and he’s planted firmly in Camp Spider-Verse, though still not necessarily interested in exploring other on-screen interpretations of this property.

Luckily for fans of Peter B. Parker, it sounds like we’ll be seeing more of him, as last week, Jake Johnson said he was working on a contract to return for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2. When we left off with this version of Peter at the end of the first Spider-Verse movie, he’d returned to his reality and was preparing to make amends with his ex-wife Mary Jane Watson. So it’s likely he’ll be in a better mental space when we reunite with him in the sequel compared to where we found him in Spider-Verse, and even more likely he won’t hesitate to help Miles and the Spider-gang deal with whatever threat has emerged to plague the multiverse.

Along with Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld reprising their respective roles, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2 will star Issa Rae as Jessica Drew, a different Spider-Woman. Oscar Isaac’s Spider-Man 2099 is also expected to return, and it was announced back in 2019 that we’ll spend time with Takuya Yamashiro, the main protagonist from the 1970s live-action Japanese Spider-Man TV series. Behind the scenes, Joaquin Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson are directing Spider-Verse 2, while David Callaham, Phil Lord and Chris Miller wrote the script.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2 spins its web in theaters on October 7, 2022. You can discover what other movies are slotted for next year with our 2022 release schedule.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has quickly become a major favorite among Spider-Man films since the 2018 film dazzled audiences and earned Sony Pictures Animation an Oscar. And Miles Morales' journey is set to continue in 2022 when the yet-to-be-titled Spider-Verse sequel hits theaters. Production for the movie has been underway since last year, but fans will be excited to learn that one fan-favorite web-slinger from the original is coming back.

So far we’ve known that Shameik Moore will be back as Miles Morales, Hailee Steinfeld is playing Spider-Gwen again and Issa Rae has been cast to play Jessica Drew. But what about Jake Johnson’s Peter B. Parker? Here’s what the New Girl actor had to say:

Well, grab a slice and cancel your crying in the shower plans, because Miles Morales' father-figure from another universe is coming back! While speaking to The Movie Dweeb about his Marvel voice role, Jake Johnson teased the return of the alternate Spider-Man along with sharing his hopes for the character:

Johnson shared that he has yet to read a script for Spider-Verse 2, but he is currently working up a contract with the folks at Sony to reprise his voice role of Peter B. Parker. Considering the movie’s release is still over a year away, it’s not out of line to think that this would be the time to get more of the Spider-Crew together as production continues.

At the end of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Peter B. Parker gets a happy ending as he is seen reconnecting with ex-wife Mary-Jane Watson and ready to commit to fatherhood. We’d imagine the next time we see him, he might be a parent with MJ. So would that mean he'll he step away momentarily to reunite with Miles for another dangerous adventure?

The dynamic between Miles Morales and Peter B. Parker was definitely one of the best parts of the original film, so we’re swinging with joy knowing that Jake Johnson’s character has a future. Along with Peter B. Parker’s return, the end-credit tease of Oscar Isaac’s Spider-Man 2099 is expected to be expanded upon further in the sequel. There's also the character of Takuya Yamashiro -- a.k.a. Spider-Man from the live-action 1970s Japanese TV series, who will apparently be in the movie as well.

The movie will be directed by Joaquin Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson and Kemp Powers, the latter of which co-wrote and co-directed Pixar’s Soul. Spider-Verse 2 is expected to be released on October 7, 2022.

Who’s that girl? Who’s that giiiiirl? It’s Jess! It’s kind of crazy to believe that New Girl ended back in 2018 since it’s been in constant rotation on my wife’s Netflix account ever since. The show, which would early on advertise its lead, Zooey Deschanel as “adorkable”, would later drop the whole idea and instead focus on the rest of the New Girl cast since it was always more of an ensemble piece anyway. To wit, it was actually the other New Girl characters, like Schmidt, Coach, and Cece who played off of Jess’s character, making her so much funnier in the long run.

But, with such a great cast of characters, who was the funniest on the show? That’s actually really tough, and I asked some of my friends online who they thought was the funniest, but I got completely different answers across the board. I’m crossing my fingers that New Girl will have a reunion of sorts, a la Friends, but until that day, here are the funniest characters on New Girl, ranked by hilarity.

6. Jess (Zooey Deschanel)

The “New Girl” the show is actually based around, Jess really is “adorkable.” From her job as a teacher—of both children and adults—to her many weird boyfriends, Jess is an interesting character with many quirks, some good, and some bad. In that way, I like Jess. I don’t know if I would want her to be my roommate, but she’s fun to watch. Especially when she’s playing “True American” with the gang.

So, why is she at the bottom of this list? Well, because her character is only really funny around other characters. What I mean is, she’s a great springboard for jokes, and everybody else is funnier because she’s there, but I don’t really think that she’s funny on her own. She’s awkward, which is the point, but it’s only funny because it bleeds into all the other characters around her. Case in point, “The Hike” episode. When Cece’s former boyfriend, Robby (played by Nelson Franklin) tries to date Jess, everything goes downhill fast when they learn that they’re actually third cousins. Her shocked reaction to it is great, but it only really works since Robby doesn’t seem to really care all that much. That contrast is great, but it doesn’t always work in Jess’s favor.

5. Cece (Hannah Simone)

Jess’s best friend and former model, Cece is fiercely loyal to anybody she cares about. At first, she goes from boyfriend to boyfriend, but then eventually falls in love with Schmidt, which changed the whole dynamic of her character as a lot of her humor was exchanged for the cuteness of their relationship.

Now, I know how I just said that Jess is at her best around others, and the same can be said about Cece. But I just prefer Cece’s, You-guys-are-all-losers-but-I-love-you-anyway, attitude. She’s especially great with Winston (played by Lamorne Morris) as his often silly, prankish comedy bounces off of her more laid back approach. So, when she actually is excited, like when she was trying on wedding dresses, her humor and happiness is infectious, making her that much funnier. Who doesn’t love Cece?

4. Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.)

Coach was one of the original roommates who moved out when he got into a serious relationship (and by serious relationship, I mean the actor, Damon Wayans Jr. was still contractually on the show, Happy Endings). He’s a former athlete and a physical trainer who pretends to be tough, but he’s not fooling anybody. He’s a complete softy on the inside.

Now, here’s where I met some contention. My wife said Coach is the funniest character on the show, but most others put him closer to the bottom. I think it’s because he left for a while, and when he came back, his replacement, Winston, just completely took over in his absence. But when he came back, he had some great moments, like when he was searching for a boy named “Duquan Feldman” that he made up to help Winston out, and ended up coming home with a grown man instead. Coach is a great character, but I wouldn’t put him in the top three. He wasn’t on the show enough to earn it. He’s like Brock Lesner only showing up to PPV events. And if you get that wrestling reference, you’re awesome.

3. Schmidt (Max Greenfield)

Schmidt, who works at a very successful marketing firm (run almost entirely by women) considers himself the alpha male in pretty much any situation, even though everybody around him can tell that he’s trying way too hard to pull it off. He’s a bit of a douchebag (which is why he constantly needs to fill the douchebag jar), but he’s also a really good friend and boyfriend who has a genuinely good heart. He’s not the guy you love to hate. He’s actually quite the opposite, the guy you hate to love!

If Schmidt’s character was on any other show, he’d be the funniest character by far. He’s kind of like the Kramer of New Girl, as his wild, somewhat manic personality definitely makes him stand out from the rest of the cast. But like that Seinfeld reference, Schmidt is not on another show. He’s on New Girl, which means that pretty much every character is funny. Even the guests. In that way, his controlling personality is definitely funny, like when he specifies to Cece that he “designs” rather than “decorates” the apartment. But it’s the kind of humor that I can only take in small dosages, which is also kind of like Cosmo Kramer.

2. Winston (Lamorne Morris)

Winston, who just came back from playing basketball in Latvia, is a weird guy who loves cats and playing pranks on people. What more could you possibly want in a roommate? He’s the kind of guy who will go to a wedding and order the fruitiest drink on the menu, and also the kind of guy you would never think would become a cop, but becomes one anyway. If you don’t love Winston, I’m pretty sure you’re dead inside.

Winston is a grown ass man who’s afraid of the dark. He calls himself “Pranks Sinatra” and earns that title, like when he said he pulled off “my greatest prank” (Or, “Engram Pattersky”) and made everybody in the loft think they were getting kicked out. If I were to rewatch New Girl in its entirety, I’m pretty sure Winston would get the most laughs since he definitely has the best lines. Or maybe it’s just that he delivers his lines the best. I really wanted to put Winston at number 1, but…

1. Nick (Jake Johnson)

Bartender turned author of The Pepperwood Chronicles, Nick, played by Spider-Man himself, Jake Johnson, looks tired all the time, both physically, and emotionally. He’s a cheap ass who doesn’t apply himself—until he does—and when he does try, it almost always goes wrong. I genuinely feel like I knew people just like Nick in college, which makes him feel like the most authentic character on the show. And also the funniest.

Winston may have the best lines, and Schmidt the best outbursts, but I can just look at Nick and I'll start laughing. He can just be standing off in the corner with his eyes glazed over, and his mouth slightly ajar and I’ll just start cracking up. I can’t really think of one specific moment from the show that Nick stole, but that’s because he stole all of them. He’s sarcastic to a fault and believes that you can use somebody else’s bath towel after you take a shower since you’re already clean. Nick is the only character who I think could have his own show, and it would still be really funny even without the other characters. And for that reason, Nick is the funniest character on the show.

But what do you think? Did I put Zooey Deschanel way too low on the list? If so, then sound off in the poll below! I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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I’m going to reveal something very embarrassing about myself. When Jurassic World first came out back in 2015, I thought it was going to be a massive flop. I know, I know. In hindsight, that sounds utterly ridiculous. We now know that putting the word “Jurassic” in front of anything is going to sell it like gangbusters. But, back then, I thought the whole idea of dinosaurs on the loose had run its course after 2001’s somewhat disappointing Jurassic Park III. I had no idea at the time that the Chris Pratt / Bryce Dallas Howard revival would give such a massive shot in the arm to the franchise, or that the series would go on to cross so many box office milestones.

We now know, of course, that it has, and we’re currently looking forward to the future of the franchise with the upcoming, Jurassic World: Dominion, which is still slated to come out in 2022. I’ve come to really appreciate the Jurassic World series, most notably with the animated show, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, but I wanted to focus on that first film in the series and the Jurassic World cast. Sound good? Great! Then cue the T-Rex roar!

Chris Pratt (Owen Grady)

Chris Pratt has come a long way from being the lovable Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation. Probably most known as Star Lord (Who?) from the Guardians of the Galaxy series, Chris Pratt has been in several big movie roles since 2015’s Jurassic World. In 2016, he starred in the sci-fi film, Passengers, with Jennifer Lawrence. He also did voice work for the sequel to the hit film, The Lego Movie, as well as the dopey (but vital!) older brother in Pixar’s vastly underappreciated movie, Onward.

But, really, it’s neck and neck between his role as Owen Grady in the Jurassic World series, and his role as Peter Quill/Star Lord in the Guardians of the Galaxy series, with that character’s last appearance being Avengers: Endgame, and his next appearance being in Thor: Love and Thunder, which comes out in 2022, just like Jurassic World: Dominion. His next big project is The Tomorrow War, which is about an alien invasion. Seriously, the guy’s unstoppable.

Bryce Dallas Howard (Claire Dearing)

Daughter to Hollywood legend, Ron Howard, (she also had a very minor part in her dad’s film Apollo 13 as “Girl in Yellow Dress”), Bryce Dallas Howard has kept busy both as an actress, but also as a director, as she directed two great episodes of The Mandalorian. On the acting front though, she was in quite a few notable films prior to starring in Jurassic World, such as a leading role in M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village, which is where I first saw her, as well as another major role in his Lady in the Water, which I’m sorry, but I actually liked a lot. She was the first Gwen Stacy in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, and was also in the Twilight series, as well as Terminator Salvation.

But, since 2015, Jurassic World has been her main big screen gig. She also starred in Disney’s live-action (and oft-forgotten) Pete’s Dragon, as well as Rocketman, and also appeared in the excellent Black Mirror episode, “Nosedive.” You’ll be able to see her again as Claire Dearing in Jurassic World: Dominion.

Vincent D’Onofrio (Vic Hoskins)

I know it’s unfair, but no matter how many stellar roles Vincent D’Onofrio takes on, he will always be Private “Gomer Pyle” to me, from Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece, Full Metal Jacket. But, yeah, Mr. D’Onofrio has done a lot. Like Bryce Dallas Howard, he’s tried his hand at directing, such as his 2010 musical slasher film, Don’t Go in the Woods. He also directed the Billy the Kid movie, aptly titled, The Kid, which came out in 2019 and stars Chris Pratt.

D’Onofrio, who starred in movies like Sinister 2, Rings, and the Death Wish remake is actually probably more known for his television work, like his long-running role as Det. Robert Goren on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and more recently, as Kingpin on the popular Netflix Daredevil series. He can be seen next in the period drama, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, as well as an as-of-yet untitled film by German director, Nora Fingscheidt.

Nick Robinson (Zach)

For a long time prior to his role in Jurassic World, I just referred to Nick Robinson as “that kid from Melissa & Joey” (I miss Melissa & Joey). Since Jurassic World, he’s had a pretty interesting career, most notably as Simon Spier in the romantic comedy-drama Love, Simon, which he was nominated and won several awards for. He was also in 2019’s Native Son, Shadow in the Cloud, and 2021’s Silk Road.

TV-wise, “that kid from Melissa & Joey” has done quite a bit, too, notably as a voice-over actor in Love, Victor, which is set in the Love, Simon universe, and the main role in the miniseries, A Teacher. He’ll next appear in the Netflix show, Maid, in a leading role.

Ty Simpkins (Gray)

The first time I ever saw Ty Simpkins in anything, he scared the hell out of me as the kid in Insidious. In fact, he had quite a big career as a kid actor prior to Jurassic World, most notably in Little Children, Revolutionary Road, and Iron Man 3.

Post Jurassic World, he was in The Nice Guys, another Insidious movie, Insidious: The Last Key, and would appear all grown up in Avengers: Endgame at Tony Stark’s funeral. You can find him in Darren Aronofsky’s next flick, The Whale, which I can only hope will be as good as his masterpiece, mother! And shut up. I love mother!

Jake Johnson (Lowery Cruthers)

For my wife and I, Jake Johnson will always be Nick from New Girl. For my daughter and son, he will always be the voice of Peter B. Parker in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. He’s actually been in a ton of stuff, though, besides those two notable performances, including 21 Jump Street, Neighbors, and a guilty pleasure of mine, Let’s Be Cops.

TV-wise, he’s had a bunch of guest-starring parts, such as his role on FlashForward, Drunk History, and BoJack Horseman. We’ll see him again in Jurassic Park: Dominion and in a still untitled sequel to Into the Spider-Verse, which I just can’t wait for.

Lauren Lapkus (Vivian)

If you know Lauren Lapkus from anything, it’s likely her role as Susan Fischer in Orange Is the New Black, which she was on from 2013 all the way to 2019. Film-wise, she was also in Good Girls Get High, Holmes & Watson, and The Wrong Missy, among others.

She’s done a lot more television work though, appearing here and there on a number of famous shows like Lucifer, Good Girls, Life in Pieces, and The Big Bang Theory. She’s also done a lot of voice work, like on Bob’s Burgers, American Dad!, and most recently, the Animaniacs reboot. You can hear her again in 2021’s animated show, Close Enough. She’s also the co-host of the podcast Newcomers with Nicole Byer.

BD Wong (Dr. Henry Wu)

BD Wong is the only connective tissue between Jurassic World and Jurassic Park! For that reason alone, he should be cherished! BD Wong has a television career that spans all the way back to the year of our Lord (and me) in 1983, with his first role on the miniseries, No Big Deal. Since then, he’s been in everything from the X-Files to the reboot of Duck Tales. He’s done some theater work, too!

Since Jurassic World, he was in The Space Between Us, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and Netflix’s Bird Box. Find him next in—you guessed it!—Jurassic World: Dominion!

Katie McGrath (Zara)

Irish actress Katie McGrath, has done more TV work than movies. If you’re into Canadian programming, you might know her from Slasher or Frontier. But you’d probably most recognize her as Lex Luthor’s younger half-sister, Lena, on Supergirl. This will be her last ride on the show since it has since been cancelled, but maybe she’ll be in a potential spin-off? Only time will tell.

On the film side, she was in The Throwaways, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, and Buttons.

Irrfan Khan (Simon Masrani)

Irrfan Khan, who passed away in 2020, had a long and impressive career, mostly in Hindi cinema. Outside of India, he was in such big films as Slumdog Millionaire, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Life of Pi.

Khan played Simon Masrani in Jurassic World, the owner of the dangerous, dino theme park. Jurassic World would be his final American film, but his last movie, in general, came out in 2020; the Indian comedy, Angrezi Medium. He had a lengthy and fascinating career.

So, was I wrong that Jurassic World was going to be a flop? Of course, I was! I should have known that even back then. People love dinosaurs, and people have fond memories for Jurassic Park. It only makes sense that it was a roaring success. I’m super excited for this next movie, and it was nice to take a trip down memory lane.

I think it's safe to say that the multi-talented Jonathan Groff won over a lot more all-aged fans with his roles in popular projects such as the Frozen films and the epic musical Hamilton than he did with his hyper-dark role on Netflix's serial killer drama Mindhunter. Groff is returning to the streaming service for his next big TV project, but it won't be for Mindhunter Season 3, much to the dismay of fans. Rather, Groff is joining New Girl and Watchmen stars for the family-friendly limited series Lost Ollie.

Inspired by the children's book Ollie's Odyssey from author William Joyce, Lost Ollie will be a live-action/animated hybrid series about a lost toy (Jonathan Groff) in the midst of an epic journey in search of his owner, and also about a boy named Billy (Kesler Talbot) who lost not just his homemade stuffed rabbit, but also his best friend. The quest to reunite will put both Ollie and Billy in all kinds of dangerous situations, but I can't help but feel like everyone will pull through. That said, the show will consist of four 45-minute episodes, which implies things might be far more dramatic than happy-go-lucky with each installment's passing.

While the behind-the-scenes talent on Lost Ollie is also superb – more on that lower – let's talk about all the big names that will be joining Jonathan Groff. On the toy side of things, we have the Grammy-winning Mary J. Blige (Power Book II: Ghost) as a raggedy but fearless teddy bear named Rosy that befriends Ollie, while Watchmen's Tim Blake Nelson is set to voice a chivalrous and helpful old clown doll named Zozo.

On the human side, Lost Ollie will have Jane the Virgin vet Gina Rodriguez playing Billy's loving and inspirational mother Sharon, affectionately known as Momma. On the flip side, Jurassic World's Jake Johnson will play Billy's father James, a.k.a. Daddy, whose good intentions for Billy are sometimes upended by being overworked and stressed. And then there's Kesler Talbot as Billy, a creative young boy who aims to retrieve the beloved toy his mother made for him. This sounds like it has Brave Little Toaster vibes, and I am all about courageous, size-appropriate objects.

Interestingly, this is a cast that is already well familiar with Netflix TV projects. (As King George himself sang, "You'll be back.") Mentioned previously, Jonathan Groff headed up the first two seasons of David Fincher's Mindhunter, while Gina Rodriguez is the voice of the titular criminal in Carmen Sandiego and Jake Johnson lent his expletive-spewing skills for the adult-animated comedy Hoops. Meanwhile, Mary J. Blige was part of the first season of The Umbrella Academy, and Tim Blake Nelson starred in the docu-drama Wormwood some years back. Only Kesler Talbot hasn't worked with the streaming service before, but that'll change with Lost Ollie.

Bringing Lost Ollie to life will be creator, writer and executive producer Shannon Tindle, an artist and designer who worked on such projects as Coraline and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and who also penned the story for Laika's Kubo and the Two Strings. The director all four episodes will be Peter Ramsey, who worked with Jake Johnson in the absolutely stellar Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and Stranger Things' Shawn Levy will be executive producing along with colleague Josh Barry. Another major creative plus for Lost Ollie is that Lucasfilm's Industrial Lights & Magic studio will be handling the character designs and animation.

So while it's not another season of Mindhunter for Jonathan Groff, and also isn't another Frozen film or another Lin-Manuel Miranda musical, Lost Ollie sounds like it could be an exciting and emotional project right up there with some of Disney's most memorable projects in recent years. And if Ollie, Rosy and Zozo end up crossing paths with a toaster, a lamp, a vacuum, an electric blanket and a radio, it will be the greatest crossover in human history. Or perhaps something slightly less hyperbolic.

Lost Ollie doesn't yet have a release date set on Netflix, and it might be a while before that happens, given how long it usually takes live-action/animated hybrids to come together. But here's hoping we haven't all outgrown our favorite toys by the time it gets released.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet watched through Netflix's new show Hoops.

At first glance, Netflix's Hoops looks like it might be a run-of-the-mill animated comedy about Jake Johnson's unlucky high school basketball coach who finds the motivation to lead his team to a championship. It's most certainly NOT that kind of show, though. Rather, Hoops is a hilarious cacophony of foul characters (some of them New Girl vets) blaring foul language, and Johnson's Ben Hopkins is the worst/best of the bunch. In fact, the character also gets disrobed arguably more than most animated characters.

CinemaBlend recently spoke with Hoops' creator and showrunner Ben Hoffman about the long process it took to get from the initial pilot presentation to landing a Netflix order – it took seven years. During our chat, I asked if Netflix every brought in censorship guidelines for any scenes dealing with nudity or situations that would be illegal if they were in live-action. And as you'll read below, it turns out the streaming service had zero pushback against Hoops' comedy.

Ben's Pixelated Penis

In asking Ben Hoffman about Netflix's approach to Hoops' more obscene humor and visuals, I jokingly mentioned the company introducing a pixelated penis mandate. For those who watched, that's obviously in reference to Episode 5, which featured a terrible VHS "music video" that Ben made to win future ex-wife Shannon's heart back whenever they were younger; the video not only featured Ben nude in the shower, but also a pants-less Ben spinning superimposed over the above background. Here's how Hoffman followed that up:

Perhaps more surprising than the idea that Ben's video actually worked on Shannon is the fact that Ben Hoffman apparently enforced more restrictions on his own content by scaling down Coach Ben's dick size, while scaling up the pixelation efforts. Usually, TV creators try to get away with everything they can when dodging corporate censors, but considering all the other sordidness that Hoops brings to the table, Hoffman wasn't at all interested in trying to showcase an animated dong in all of its glory. (I guess The Simpsons already did it first with their movie anyway.)

The Sex Song

Hoops didn't exactly give Jake Johnson's Coach Ben and Natasha Leggero's Shannon a ton of sexual chemistry throughout the bulk of the season, considering she was constantly on him to sign divorce papers. But it all culminated in some sweet, sweet cartoon sex in Episode 9, where Ben actually signing the damned papers was enough to light a metaphorical fire in Shannon's hoo-ha. Ben Hoffman, who was also at the center of the sadly short-lived Comedy Central series The Ben Show, chose to buck potential expectations by making the scene a million times less gratuitous than it could have been, largely thanks to that hilarious slow jam about not watching them have sex. When I asked Hoffman about inspirations for that song, he said:

That split second shot of the vaginal crack is just too ridiculous, since of course it isn't an actual vagina, but I digress. For those wondering, the brother in question is the Scissor Sisters' bassist Scott Hoffman, better known by his stage name Babydaddy. He was actually responsible for all of the music in Hoops, including the theme song, which actually does feature Ben Hoffman's vocals. Not to discount the latter for his independent musical stylings, as he has three different albums out under the faux country-western persona Wheeler Walker Jr.

Hoops Season 1 is currently available to stream on Netflix, where it has been in the Top 10 TV shows since it debuted on August 21. While waiting to hear more about a potential Season 2, head to our Netflix 2020 rundown and our Fall TV 2020 premiere schedule.

New Girl vet Jake Johnson has kept his TV career flourishing over the years, and followed the beloved comedy up with the comic book drama Stumptown. But it's his new Netflix series Hoops that allowed Johnson to reconnect with his former New Girl co-stars, from Max Greenfield to Hannah Simone to Damon Wayans Jr. Unfortunately for anyone hoping for a clean sweep of cameos, Hoops does not feature any cameos from New Girl stars Zooey Deschanel and Larmorne Morris, but Johnson shined some light on why those didn't happen.

When it comes to Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson basically said he was possibly too ashamed to ask her to join the too-filthy-for-live-action Hoops, which potentially features more F-bombs than any other word in the English language. Here's how he explained it to EW:

For anyone who thinks that Jake Johnson is exaggerating with his above sentiments, know that he most certainly isn't. As Hoops' Coach Ben Hopkins, Johnson says some of the most hilariously filthy things I've heard in any TV show. Plus, a lot of it is directed at the teenagers making up the basketball team that he coaches, which just makes it seem all the more disgusting, even though the teens are all voiced by adult actors.

In any case, Johnson clearly wasn't dying to have Zooey Deschanel watch and listen to him talking to students about blowjobs or talking about his dick in any situation. Not that New Girl's Nick wasn't a feisty kinda guy himself, but not at all to those extremes.

On the flip side of things, it doesn't sound like Jake Johnson had any hesitation when it came to telling someone to fuck off in front of New Girl's Lamorne Morris. The reason why that actor can't be heard in Hoops is totally different. In Johnson's words:

There's never enough time to do everything on desires, and that was apparently the case with Larmorne Morris' potential inclusion for Hoops. Though it's not entirely clear what Morris would have been working on that stopped him from taking on the voice role, it's very likely that he was filming his new Hulu comedy Woke, in which he portrays a comic strip cartoonist who starts hearing voices from inanimate objects after traumatizing incident. As traumatizing at it would be to get coached by Jake Johnson's Ben Hopkins, that wasn't it.

As previously mentioned, Hoops does contain vocal performances from not only New Girl leads like Max Greenfield and Hannah Simone, but also actors who recurred and had one-off appearances, such as Rob Riggle, Cleo King and Ron Funches. And keep an ear out for even more brilliant comedic minds as you watch, because there are tons of them, including co-star Natasha Leggero.

Hoops Season 1 is available to stream in full on Netflix, so be sure to check it out. And in the meantime, check out everything else coming to Netflix in the coming months, and bookmark our 2020 Fall TV schedule to stay current with everything else hitting the small screen soon.

Next year’s Jurassic World: Dominion is going to feel like homecoming week for the Jurassic Park franchise, as a lot of familiar faces from the previous five movies will be taken part in the next dinosaur-packed cinematic romp. That said, we may have to scratch at least one individual from the guest list, as New Girl’s Jake Johnson isn’t so sure he’ll get to participate in the threequel after all.

It was reported back in February that Jake Johnson was set to reprise Lowery Crothers, who previously appeared as a control room employee in Jurassic World’s eponymous park, in Jurassic World: Dominion. However, while talking about his new animated Netflix series Hoops in a recent interview, Johnson mentioned that the current health crisis has thrown a wrench in the Jurassic World 3 works. The actor explained:

Jurassic World: Dominion began principal photography in late February, but the cast and crew had to press pause just a few weeks later due to the spreading COVID-19 pandemic, a fate that befell many film productions. Dominion finally started rolling cameras again in early July and numerous have been taken to ensure there’s a safe and healthy work environment, including running tens of thousands of COVID tests and setting up hand sanitizer stations.

If Jurassic World: Dominion production had unfolded as planned, then there wouldn’t have been any issue with Jake Johnson returning to play Lowery Crothers. However, the delay now threatens to cause scheduling conflicts with his ABC series Stumptown, where he plays Grey McDonnell and stars alongside Cobie Smulders. Still, maybe there’s a chance that Johnson and Colin Trevorrow can work around this issue, with Johnson noting that because Dominion is serving as a “big finale” and so many people are coming back for this movie, “there would be something amiss if Lowery didn’t at least make an appearance.”

Later in his interview with Collider, Jake Johnson also talked he’d been giving some thought on how radically different Lowery Crothers looks should he indeed appear in Jurassic World: Dominion. As Johnson put it:

Even if Jake Johnson doesn’t make it back for Jurassic World: Dominion, at least one person we haven’t seen since Jurassic World will be present, as Omar Sy is reprising Barry Sembène. Dominion’s other returning faces, besides Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard of course reprising Owen Grady and Claire Dearing, respectively, include the original trio of Sam Neill’s Alan Grant, Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm and Laura Dern’s Ellie Sattler, as well as B.D Wong’s Dr. Henry Wu, Justice Smith’s Franklin Webb, Daniella Pineda’s Zia Rodriguez and Isabella Sermon’s Maisie Lockwood. The new actors joining the mix include Dichen Lachman, Scott Haze, Mamodou Athie, DeWanda Wise and Campbell Scott, the latter of whom is taking over the role of Lewis Dodgson.

Jurassic World: Dominion rampages into theaters on June 11, 2021, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates, including if the threequel is delayed. Find out what movies are slated to arrive later this year in our 2020 release schedule.

Despite having ended in Spring 2018, New Girl is the kind of show that fans will always have right next to their hearts, and the kind of cast that viewers will follow from project to project. Jake Johnson's newest show, Netflix's extremely explicit comedy Hoops, will feature quite a few actors from both New Girl's main cast and some recurring characters throughout its seven-season run, although with many more F-bombs than people might be expecting from the animated comedy.

For Hoops' Comic-Con@Home panel, Jake Johnson and other cast members (and creator Ben Hoffman) spoke at large for the first time about the streaming comedy, which centers on Johnson's foul-mouthed high school basketball coach Ben Hopkins. During the panel, the conversation turned to just how many former New Girl actors would be appearing. In the first place, Max Greenfield served as moderator while rocking a most un-Schmidt-like mustache. At one point, it was revealed that Greenfield himself will appear in Hoops. Here's what the actor had to say about it:

Max Greenfield showing up for two episodes is better than him showing up for no episodes, amirite? Even though his character Lonnie's ethics might be slightly suspect in any scene that Jake Johnson's shameless Ben is at the center of. You can take a look at the two characters they're playing in the pic below, which features the traditional character dynamic of Ben smiling sheepishly while another character glares at him.

What's more, it was also revealed that Max Greenfield's New Girl romantic interest Hannah Simone is also a part of Hoops' first season. That said, no information was disclosed about what role she would be taking, so viewers should take it as a challenge to try and figure out who she's playing whenever the season comes out.

Hoops' Jake Johnson did offer up some details about who New Girl vet Damon Wayans Jr. will be playing, though. While he won't be reprising the Fox comedy's role of "Coach," he will indeed be playing an actual coach. Here's what Johnson said about it:

Which brings us to the main Hoops ensemble, where Rob Riggle is part of the fun as Ben's steakhouse-owning dad, who is sorta played up as being a douche, but actually seems completely normal in retrospect since Ben is clearly the way bigger asshole. In any case, New Girl fans will remember Rob Riggle recurring as the overbearing cousin Big Schmidt. And Hoops' other stars Cleo King and Rob Funches also appeared in a couple of New Girl eps themselves, as noted below.

Jake Johnson and Hoops creator Ben Hoffman also threw out another few Hoops co-stars that viewers can expect to hear, and it shouldn't surprise anyone at this point in the story that a few of those additional names are also comedy actors who popped up on New Girl in the past. That shortlist is below, noting who they played and the eps they appeared in.

So by all means, save for Zooey Deschanel and Lamorne Morris, Hoops is probably the biggest setting for a New Girl reunion that fans could ever hope for, even though none of it is happening in live-action. But that's perfectly fine, though, since Hoops definitely wouldn't work as well as a live-action series.

While you'll also be able to find Jake Johnson in ABC's Stumptown at some point in the future, you can hear him on Hoops when it debuts on Netflix on Friday, August 21. Check out our 2020 Netflix schedule to see what other big shows are debuting soon on the streaming service, and then hit up our 2020 Fall TV schedule to see what the rest of the television spectrum has to offer.

The New Girl was Fox’s series that developed a dedicated fanbase during its run from 2011 to 2018. Zooey Deschanel had already been in hit movies like Elf and 500 Days of Summer prior to landing the role of Jess in New Girl. The show made Deschanel an even bigger star, and endeared the world to her and her co-stars, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Hannah Simone, and Lamorne Morris. It’s been only two short years since the series ended, but the New Girl cast has stayed busy with their careers.

The New Girl cast has taken on many new projects after the show, bringing their names to whole new audiences. If you’re curious to learn what the New Girl crew has done since the show ended, well let us recap some of their recent projects.

Zooey Deschanel (Jessica Day)

Zooey Deschanel played New Girl’s lead Jess, a quirky optimistic school teacher. Following New Girl’s 2018 end, Deschanel returned to the world of Trolls to voice Bridget in Trolls World Tour. The film was a huge Video on Demand hit, and included voice-over work by Justin Timberlake, Rachel Bloom, Anna Kendrick, Kelly Clarkson, and Ozzy Osbourne.

In 2020, she had a special appearance on Apple’s Carpool Karaoke with her sister Emily Deschanel and the Property Brother twins Drew and Jonathan Scott. In 2019, she made an appearance on The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show. With her boyfriend Jonathan Scott, she currently (since May 2020) hosts a virtual game night at least once a month. She is also still making music with her band She and Him.

Jake Johnson (Nick Miller)

Jake Johnson played Nick Miller in all seven seasons of New Girl. He was the cranky hero that we needed but didn’t deserve. Nick was one of Jess’s roommates and her on-again-off-again-on again boyfriend. In 2018, Johnson voiced Peter B. Parker aka Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse. He plays Grey McConnell on Stumptown, an ABC crime show based on the comic book of the same name. The series plans to move to Wednesdays this fall.

He also appeared in an episode of Rob McElhenney’s show Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet. Soon Jake Johnson fans can listen to him as he voices the main character on Netflix’s animated series Hoops, which will be released on August 21, 2020. Jake Johnson doesn’t plan to slow down anytime soon, because he will also be in the next Jurassic World movie. It is entitled Jurassic World: Dominion, and currently scheduled for a June 11, 2021 release.

Max Greenfield (Schmidt)

Schmidt was the lovable d-bag. As a scene-stealer, Max Greenfield made it hard not to root for Schmidt, despite some of his crazier opinions and comments. Greenfield filmed a few movies after New Girl ended, including the black comedy The Oath that stars Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz, and the Taraji P. Henson led What Women Want remake What Men Want.

In 2020, he appeared along with an all-star cast in Promising Young Woman, a movie about a mysterious woman who has her future disrupted by an unexpected event. This leads to her living a double life. The cast also includes Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Laverne Cox, and Jennifer Coolidge.

Greenfield has been staying just as busy in the TV world. He reunited with Ryan Murphy, after appearing on American Horror Story, to have a recurring role as Ronnie on American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. He also has one of the lead roles on CBS’ The Neighborhood, starring opposite Cedric the Entertainer, Tichina Arnold, and Beth Behrs. His TV credits post-New Girl also include A Series of Unfortunate Events and BoJack Horseman. Max Greenfield also reprised his role as Leo in Veronica Mars for Season 4.

Lamorne Morris (Winston Bishop)

Winston was not part of the original New Girl cast. He came into the project a little after Damon Wayans Jr. left it. He quickly became one of the oddest, lovable hilarious characters. Morris appeared in the critically acclaimed Game Night film that starred Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams. He also appeared in the hugely popular Netflix Christmas movie, The Christmas Chronicles with Kurt Russell. Morris has been in other popular films like Yesterday, Bloodshot, and Jumanji: The Next Level.

In 2020, Morris reunited with his former New Girl co-star Nasim Pedrad in Desperados, a Netflix romantic comedy that also starred Robbie Amell, Sarah Burns, and Anna Camp. His TV roles include appearances on SMILF, Hell’s Kitchen, Valley of the Boom, and Squinters.

Hannah Simone (Cece)

Hannah Simone played Cece, Jess’s model best friend who eventually becomes a model agent and Schmidt’s wife. Simone appeared on a few episodes of the now cancelled Single Parents. She played Dr. Monica Dewan on the show. Then Hannah Simone had an appearance on a series called Weird City.

In 2020, Simon joined the cast of Mira, Royal Detective as the voice of Pinky. Mira, Royal Detective is a children’s show that focuses on Indian culture and customs. It airs on Disney Junior in the United States. Simone also recently landed a pilot for a CBS series that co-stars Elizabeth Hurley. Both women co-produced the series. She is also among the guest names set to appear in Jake Johnson’s new animated comedy series Hoops. The guest will also include his former New Girl co-stars Max Greenfield and Damon Wayans Jr.

Damon Wayans Jr. (Coach)

Coach was Jess, Schmidt, and Nick’s original roommate, but he left the show not long after the pilot. He then made guest appearances throughout and became a main cast member in Season 4, but then went back to guest-starring in the following seasons. In addition to his appearances on New Girl, he was a lead in Happy Endings. After that he made appearances on series such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Bob’s Burgers. Damon Wayans Jr. is also set to appear in an upcoming episode of Jordan Peele’s The Twilight Zone series.

Wayans Jr.’s recent movie credits include Super Troopers 2, Trouble, and upcoming Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo movie Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar.

Nasim Pedrad (Aly Nelson)

Aly was introduced in New Girl Season 4 as Winston’s new cop partner. They become friends after a rough start, and that eventually grew into a romance. They marry by the Season 7 premiere. Nasim Pedrad appeared with an all-star cast in the horror-comedy Corporate Animals. It also starred Ed Helm and Demi Moore. In the same year, she appeared in Disney’s live-adaptation of Aladdin as Dalia, Jasmine’s handmaiden.

In 2020, Pedrad took on the lead role as Wesley in Netflix’s offbeat romantic comedy Desperados. The film reunited her with her former TV husband Lamorne Morris. Her post-New Girl TV roles have included Brooklyn Nine-Nine, No Activity, and Chad.

Megan Fox (Reagan Lucas)

Megan Fox stepped in for Zooey Deschanel when she was on maternity leave. She played Reagan, a pharmaceutical rep who briefly took Jess’ spot in the loft while she was sequestered as a juror. Reagan also briefly became Nick’s love interest. Fox has since seemed to have left the TV world behind, only appearing in one series after New Girl. A show that she hosted called Legends of the Lost with Megan Fox, a four-part docu-series that aired on the Travel Channel.

Fox has appeared in a series of movies from 2019 and on, including a supernatural romance called Above the Shadows. Her other work includes a dramedy directed by James Franco called Zeroville. The cast also included Joey King, Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson. A few of her upcoming projects are Think Like a Dog, Rogue, and Midnight in the Switchgrass.

Nelson Franklin (Robby)

Robby entered the series in season two as Cece’s boyfriend. He was super nice and laid-back, a major departure from Schmidt. Schmidt tries to start a feud with him, but as the show progresses they become friends. Robby is one of the few long-running recurring characters on New Girl-- often popping up when least expected. He even briefly forms a romantic relationship with Jess, until they find out that they’re third cousins.

Nelson Franklin appeared in the films Gemini, Battle of the Sexes, and Captain Marvel. In Captain Marvel, he had a brief role as a medical examiner. His next film project is a movie called Sweet Girl. Jason Momoa and Isabela Merced star. Franklin has had a recurring role as Connor Stevens in Black-ish since 2016. He also was a main character in the short-lived series Abby’s.

David Walton (Sam Sweeney)

Sam was Jess’ love interest in Season 2. Their relationship started off mainly physical, but the character deepens and so does their relationship. He’s another character that pops up throughout the series. David Walton had a brief lead role in NBC’s About A Boy, then he appeared in the series Angie Tribeca, 9JKL, and Brockmire.

Walton has appeared as Mike Mitchell in the Bad Moms movies. Mike is Mila Kunis’ character’s husband turned ex-husband. In 2018, Walton appeared in the romantic comedy Happy Anniversary. The movie stars Noel Wells and Ben Schwartz. David Walton had the role of Sam on NBC’s now cancelled Council of Dads.

With upcoming Hoops and Desperados, Netflix is providing plenty of New Girl reunions to keep fans happy. Desperados is currently available to stream and Hoops is available on August 21, 2020. The entire New Girl series is also available to stream on Netflix if you wish those lovable weirdos.

While Jake Johnson isn't necessarily known for being the most prudish and expletive-averse actor out there, he's best known for more all-ages projects such as Jurassic World, Into the Spider-Verse and even New Girl. However, Johnson is set to debut one of his filthiest offerings yet in the form of Netflix's Hoops, an adult-skewing animated comedy that executive producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller (of Lego Movie and Jump Street fame) felt wouldn't even be possible to pull off as a live-action series.

For a bit of background for potential viewers unfamiliar with the Netflix show, Hoops stars Jake Johnson as Ben Hopkins, the rage-filled coach of a high school basketball team whose lack of talent doesn't stop him from holding onto his big-league dreams. You might not think a show centering partially on high school athletes would deliver that many F-bombs, but Hoops is loaded with them. Speaking at Comic-Con@Home during the comedy show's panel, Johnson revealed the show originated as a pilot presentation that creator Ben Hoffman purposefully wanted to make as foul-mouthed as possible. Here's how they put it:

That's obviously not the most practical way to try and get a TV project picked up by a network, and I'm pretty sure there aren't many people in Hollywood who intentionally make everything over-explicit when pitching shows and movies. Especially for a channel like MTV where censorship is still an issue, even if it's a lighter one than on basic networks like NBC and ABC. But I guess that's as good a way as any to stand out in the (animated) crowd.

For those wondering just how "disgusting" Hoops is, the Comic-Con@Home panel's moderator Max Greenfield – Jake Johnson's former New Girl co-star – said that it was one of the raunchiest show's he's seen. (The first four episodes of Season 1 have "fuck" in their titles, if that clarifies anything.) To that point, creator Ben Hoffman told another anecdote about the show's origins, specifically how Phil Lord and Chris Miller first reacted when they read Hoffman's script, which was apparently set up to be live-action.

The Hoops clip that played during the panel did indeed provide some insight into that sentiment, as it showed viewers just how unbridled Ben's anger can get when he coaches, leaving no one spared from his foul-mouthed scorn. Had it been live-action, viewers would basically just be watching Jake Johnson tell non-alpha teens to go fuck themselves atop a mountain of other politically incorrect insults. That would make for some uncomfortable viewing, regardless of how good Johnson's performance would be.

Ben Hoffman might not have a whole lot of experience with animated projects in his career, but he's one of relatively few people who can say he's got an animated TV show on Netflix. After talking about how much he liked the way Hoops' animation looked as crisp as Bob's Burgers', Hoffman talked about being excited to have created a more adult version of Fox's key Sunday night animated staple.

Yes, co-star Ron Funches and others had jokes to make about "x-rated Simpsons" material already existing in the world. But instead of dwelling on that, check out the first teaser below to get a taste of Jake Johnson's language skills in Hoops, which also stars Rob Riggle, Natasha Leggero, Cleo King and A. D. Miles.

While Jake Johnson's ABC drama Stumptown will return for Season 2 at some unknown point in the future, Hoops is set to debut on Netflix on Friday, August 21, at 3:01 a.m. ET. Be sure to check out our 2020 Netflix premiere rundown to see what's on the way soon, and our 2020 Fall calendar will help fill in all the rest of the blanks.

After playing Peter B. Parker in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, Jake Johnson is headed back to network television. No, New Girl isn't getting a revival, but the former star will head back to network television for a new series alongside another television veteran turned movie star, Cobie Smulders. Johnson is set to co-star in the comic book adaptation of Stumptown, which is due to arrive on ABC in the fall.

As for how he'll be involved, Jake Johnson has been cast in the role of Grey McConnell. McConnell is the best friend of Cobie Smulders' Dex Parios, an Army veteran turned private investigator who often finds herself in front of some bad criminals. As for McConnell, TVLine reports he's a bar owner with a shady past and some unresolved feelings for Dex that they both need to work out. Johnson will be a series regular on Stumptown.

Jake Johnson's casting comes after the actor who was originally set to play Grey McConnell, Mark Webber, was dropped from the series. As mentioned, Johnson will join Cobie Smulders and the rest of a talented cast that includes Almost Human's Michael Ealy and The Practice's Camryn Manheim, just to name a few.

The interesting bit about Jake Johnson's latest role isn't that it's another comic book inspired role, but that he's once again playing a character caught in a romantic predicament. While we don't know how serious the feelings between them will be right out of the gate, it does appear there will be some sort of romantic storyline in which Stumptown viewers will wonder if the two will ever get together.

There's an assumption that Stumptown will have a romantic spin anyway, as Jake Johnson's casting has not been without controversy. Mark Webber took to Twitter in early May when he found out he was being recast and, as one may expect, he wasn't too happy. According to Webber, he lost the job due to executives thinking he wasn't handsome enough for the role.

Mark Webber later added that he had no ill will towards Cobie Smulders, Michael Ealy, or anyone other actor or crew working on Stumptown and wished them all success. Webber hasn't commented on Jake Johnson's casting at the time of writing, and judging from his lack of talking about it since then, one wouldn't expect him to.

The role in Stumptown is just the latest for Jake Johnson, who has been seeing a steady stream of Hollywood roles ever since his time on New Girl. He's bounced between the world of film and television quite skillfully since New Girl's ending, but could be on lockdown for any major roles in movies in the near future if Stumptown takes off at ABC. Until then, we can at least expect to see him in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-verse's sequel, right?

New Girl's Jake Johnson Told Us The Name Of Nick And Jess' Kid, And It's Kinda Perfect

Stumptown will arrive on ABC in the fall, and while an exact date isn't known, it's being said it will air at 10:00 p.m. ET. Stick with CinemaBlend for more details on its development, and more news in the world of film and television.

SPOILER WARNING! The following article contains minor spoilers for Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse. If you haven't seen the film, you may want to stay away until you have.

There are many wonderful and weird jokes in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, courtesy of the filmmakers' fantastic wit, but the Christmas album is one of the best touches. Not only is it super funny, but it actually offers a touch of insight into the first Peter Parker we meet in the movie. It's a funny gag at the start of the feature, a great addition to the soundtrack in the end credits... and now music that you can listen to anywhere:

The folks at Sony Pictures Animation have offered fans everywhere a wonderful holiday treat today, as they've not only released two songs from the A Very Spidey Christmas album, but have announced full plans for an entire CD that will be available to fans starting tomorrow, December 21st. In addition to "Spidey-Bells (A Hero's Lament)," sung by Chris Pine, the soundtrack will also feature Jake Johnson singing his own odd take on "Deck The Halls...

Which you can listen to below!

The EP, which it seems will only be getting a digital release (according to Film Music Reporter), includes a total of five tracks, all featuring talent from Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Here is the listing of all the songs, including the two that have already been released:

(In case you were confused/curious, Jorma Taccone - best known for his work with The Lonely Island - voices not only the Green Goblin in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, but also the 1960s animated Spider-Man with whom Spider-Man 2099 gets into a fierce pointing battle during the mid-credits sequence.)

The fact that the Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse filmmakers got Chris Pine to sing not one, but two different Spider-Man-themed Christmas songs is sincerely impressive, but also a testament to just how good the material is here. It's weird how excited I am to hear these other tracks and the experience of imagining the songs being sung by the different characters.

As mentioned, the special A Very Spidey Christmas soundtrack will be available for download starting tomorrow - and perhaps you can even listen to the song while you make your way over to the movie theater for another screening of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. The film, featuring the talents of Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Liev Schreiber, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Lily Tomlin and more, is now playing in theaters everywhere (and is also one of the best films of the year).

In Sony's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Shameik Moore and Jake Johnson join the proud lineage of cinematic Spider-Men, as Miles Morales and Peter Parker respectively. Only instead of donning the suits onscreen, the two actors got to provide their voices to their animated counterparts in the film. They did a lot of voicework too, recording every scene a surprising number of times, as Jake Johnson explained:

Speaking with CinemaBlend's own Eric Eisenberg, Jake Johnson makes it clear just how much time these two Spider-Men put in to get this film right. That is a long time to spend on a movie and an awful lot of doing the same scene over and over again. You'd almost think that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a David Fincher or Stanley Kubrick film, demanding directors who both famously forced actors to do take after take after take.

Although they did every scene a bunch of times, that doesn't mean that every take was the same or they had to say the same thing over and over. Jake Johnson and Shameik Moore had the opportunity to play off each other and improvise in the recording booth, and they were constantly getting new lines to try out, as Jake Johnson elaborated:

Although Chris Miler didn't work on the script for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse with partner Phil Lord, he clearly played an active role as producer, texting over lines to one of the film's co-directors, Rodney Rothman. It's kind of funny to think how ideas were so free flowing and coming fast and furious that Jake Johnson was just reading lines off a phone, not some typed up pages.

The real essence of what comes across in this bit of Eric's interview with the film's two stars is that the script wasn't set in stone and the actors didn't have to follow it to the letter. There was an environment of improvisation and collaboration where everyone worked together and played off each other to work through every possible idea to deliver the best kind of film.

You can check out the rest of what Jake Johnson said to Eric about the recording process in the video below:

It may have been a lot of work, but it is clear that the results of the 2-½ year recording process speak for themselves. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has received widespread acclaim, amounting to a phenomenal Rotten Tomatoes score. And the film is already getting a sequel and a spinoff. So Jake Johnson and Shameik Moore can look forward to plenty of more time spent in those recording booths.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse swings into theaters on December 14. For everything coming to theaters next year, including the live-action version of the web-slinger, check out our 2019 release schedule.

When it's released later this year, the animated Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse will be the first blockbuster to feature two different versions of the wall-crawler. The movie is set to center on Miles Morales, a Spider-Man from an alternate universe, but a big twist in the story is that he has the opportunity to study with the original webslinger, Peter Parker. In the film the characters are voiced by Shameik Moore and Jake Johnson, respectively, and I recently had the immense pleasure of watching their wonderful banter together in person:

Shameik Moore and Jake Johnson were down in San Diego, California for the city's annual comic book convention, and shortly before they took the stage in the famous Hall H they were awesome enough to stop by the CinemaBlend shooting suite. During our interview, I asked about the influence that Peter Parker has on Miles Morales, and it wound up leading to a spontaneous improv session. The two actors had the opportunity to do recording sessions together in the making of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, and they quickly fell back into that dynamic during our conversation.

Created in 2011, Miles Morales was originally introduced in Marvel Comics as part of the brand's Ultimate Universe (a universe parallel to the main Marvel universe a.k.a. Earth-616). At the age of 13 he is bitten by a genetically-enhanced spider very similar to the one that originally bit Peter Parker, and as a result he gains super powers - with some unique abilities including camouflage and a "venom strike." When the Peter Parker of the Ultimate Universe is killed, Miles winds up taking the mantle, though, like any young superhero, struggles to get and handle on things at the start.

It was in a 2012 miniseries called Spider-Men that Miles Morales got to meet Peter Parker from Earth-616... but that won't really be the version of Peter featured in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Instead, Jake Johnson has described his take as a 40-year-old out-of-shape version of the beloved web-head who doesn't quite have the same youthful exuberance for crime fighting that he once had. As you can imagine, that doesn't really put him in the best mental space when it comes to try and teaching a new Spider-Man, but it's also a recipe for comedy and drama.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, which sports an amazing supporting cast that includes Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Liev Schreiber, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Lily Tomlin, Kimiko Glenn, John Mulaney, and Nicolas Cage, will be hitting theaters on December 14th. We're excited to learn a whole lot more about it in the coming weeks and months, so stay tuned for more updates here on CinemaBlend.

Warning: spoilers ahead for Tag! Read ahead at your own risk!

Buddy comedies generally tend to keep things light-hearted in nature, which is why Tag feels so different from what we've seen before. The film takes a couple of notably dark turns in its story, with one scene focusing on a potential miscarriage and another revealing that Ed Helms' Hoagie has cancer. I recently talked to Tag star Jake Johnson about these scenes during the Tag press day in Los Angeles, and the New Girl star explained that these scenes concerned him because of the need to balance the tone. Johnson explained:

Comedy is all about pushing the envelope, but Tag goes pretty far with those two scenes, and the daring nature of the comedy was not lost on the cast. Jake Johnson was initially concerned over how the audience would respond to the sequences, so he made sure to explain that the cast and crew needed options and different types of takes so they could adjust the tone if necessary. It sounds exhausting, but Johnson thinks that it was the best way to make those scenes work in the end.

Technically speaking, these "options" involved filming the scenes extensively from a wide variety of angles. By doing this, director Jeff Tomsic could create a higher degree of flexibility and adjust the style of the scenes on a dime. For example, if things got too dark in a particular version of the scene, they could go back into their raw footage and pick out reaction shots from any other member of the cast, or lines from different versions of the sequence to add in and lighten things up.

Take a look at the following clip from our chat with Jake Johnson during the Tag press day to hear what else he had to say about the controversial sequences in the comedy and how they created options to make those scenes work.

Tag is currently in theaters. Make sure to check it out to see all of the glorious buddy comedy antics for yourself, and take a look at CinemaBlend's full review of the film (not to mention our comprehensive review roundup) to get a better sense of the critical consensus surrounding the movie! Beyond that, check out our 2018 movie premiere guide to see what else is coming this year!

We live in an age very much defined by sequels, so when any original movie debuts it's worth wondering if a follow-up could materialize. That's especially relevant for a movie like Tag, which features an all-star lineup of actors from a wide variety of genres and franchises. With the idea of Tag 2 in mind, I recently asked Ed Helms and Jake Johnson who they would want to bring into the fold for a sequel, and they had some pretty awesome answers including Tom Cruise, Max Greenfield, and many others. In response to the question, Johnson said:

Jake Johnson has worked with a wide variety of actors and actresses over the years, so he knows plenty of people who he would want to include in a massive Tag 2 ensemble. Following the recent New Girl finale, he wants to see Max Greenfield join in AS his beloved character, Schmidt. Moreover, he wants to get Tom Cruise in on the action to fill out Tag 2's more intense sequences. Then finally, he wants to shine a spotlight on comedienne Charlyne Yi (known for her work on Knocked Up and House) to sign on as well.

Then there's Ed Helms, who liked the success they saw with The Avengers' Jeremy Renner and wanted to see more action stars enter this particular world. Building off of Jake Johnson's remarks, Helms also addressed the possibility of Tom Cruise entering the tag game, and included a few other awesome action heroes. Helms said:

One of the most interesting things to note about these two answers is the fact that both Jake Johnson and Ed Helms think that Tom Cruise could fit within the Tag world. The Top Gun star has already proven his comedic chops with his roles in films like Risky Business and Tropic Thunder, so it's not that hard to imagine how he could fit in this particular world. Given the fact that Jeremy Renner worked with Cruise on Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol and Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation, maybe it would simply take a phone call to get those wheels turning.

Not content to stick with just three individuals, Jake Johnson chimed in one more time during our Tag interview and noted that he would also want to bring the late Andre the Giant into a potential sequel if The Princess Bride actor was still around to do so. Getting a bit more heartfelt, Johnson said:

Of course, if you want to hear everything that Ed Helms and Jake Johnson had to say about the possibility of Tag 2 (or Still Taggin, as Johnson insisted on calling it), then you can check out a clip from the interview, below.

Only time will tell if we get a sequel, but for now, you can check out Tag in theaters. Beyond that, make sure to take a look at our full review of the movie and our in-depth review of the film as well as our review roundup, and head over to our movie premiere guide to get more information on all of the other movies set to hit the big screen this year!

Last month, New Girls fans watched the end of an era with its series finale. The gang finally rode off into the sunset after seven seasons of loft-y adventures, and one of the biggest developments to come out of the final run was the reveal that Nick and Jess had a kid. Said baby was a huge moment for the fan-favorite couple, though the show did not reveal the name before it came to an end. To help solve that mystery, CinemaBlend recently caught up with New Girl star Jake Johnson, who actually revealed the youngest Miller family member's name to us, which was a tribute to the Chicago Bears. Johnson said:

So, there you have it, New Girls fanatics. True to the oddball nature of Nick and Jess' relationship, they decided to name their kid in honor of current Chicago Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky. That was the official call of showrunner Liz Meriwether, and even though the name reveal wasn't made on the finale itself, it seems like we can accept that answer as canon. (Or "cannon," if we're talking quarterback arms, amirite?)

Nick Miller's love of Chicago and the NFL's Bears became a long-running joke throughout New Girl's run. The lovable misfit constantly referred to the team and the city throughout his life and times with Jess and the rest of the gang, so it makes sense to see him opt for a name paying tribute to his team. Personally, I would've named the kid Julius Pepperwood Miller, but Mitchtrubisky definitely makes quite a bit of sense. Trubisky's youth doesn't make him the most obvious choice for namesakes, but perhaps this was Liz Meriwether's delightfully coy way of telling fans that the Bears finally regained their Super Bowl glory in New Girl's future.

Jake Johnson clued us in on the Miller infant's moniker at the recent Tag press day in Los Angeles, and it wasn't overly surprising to learn that the Millers opted for such an offbeat name, as New Girl didn't ever shy away from bizarre baby names during its final run of episodes. Mitchtrubisky Miller is certainly hilarious in its own right, but Schmidt and Cece similarly opted for a fun baby name by naming their daughter Ruth Bader Parekh Schmidt in honor of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. And let's not forget Winston's choice of "Danbill," which probably isn't a weird town in Connecticut. Now, with the show finally over, we're left to wonder what the playdates between Mitchtrubisky, Ruth and Danbill will look like.

Speaking of what things look like, you can watch Jake Johnson delivering the answer himself in the video below.

Now that New Girl has come to an end, we wish Nick, Jess, and Mitchtrubisky all the best with the rest of their lives. As for Jake Johnson, you can catch him in Warner Bros' upcoming comedy Tag, which opens in theaters later this month on June 15. If you want more information on all of the TV shows coming to the small screen in the coming months, then make sure to keep an eye on our summer premiere guide to learn everything you need to know about the new and returning series!

The Spider-Man mythology is being covered on two fronts for the big screen this year. In the live action realm, Tom Holland will make his third appearance as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Peter Parker in Avengers: Infinity War, while over in animation Miles Morales will get the spotlight in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Taking its cue from the Ultimate universe, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will see Miles taking on the web-slinging mantle following the death of Peter Parker, but as revealed in the trailer, Miles will also cross paths with an adult Peter, and that incarnation will be voiced by New Girl star Jake Johnson.

It was made official at Sony's presentation during CinemaCon that Jake Johnson be supplying the vocals for classic Spider-Man Peter Parker, who will serve as Miles Morales' mentor during Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Johnson is best known for playing Nick Miller on the Fox series New Girl, and his other credits include 21 Jump Street, The LEGO Movie, Jurassic World, Smurfs: The Lost Village and The Mummy. He joins a cast that already includes Shameik Moore as Miles Morales, Mahershala Ali as Aaron Davis, Brian Tyree Henry as Jefferson Davis and Liev Schreiber in an undisclosed role.

In case you're not familiar with Miles Morales' history on the Marvel Comics pages, after the Ultimate version of Peter Parker was believed to have died during his battle with the Green Goblin (it was later revealed that he survived), Miles, who had already been bitten by a different genetically-altered spider and been imbued with his own unique set of spider-abilities, decided to take over as Spider-Man. It looks like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will start off with a similar course of events, but then Miles will be approached early into his superhero career by Jake Johnson's Peter Parker, who hails from another universe and has been at the crimefighting game for a long time.

It's entirely possible that other Spider-heroes from other realties will also appear in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, meaning that the movie will take more direct cues from the Dan Slott-penned Spider-Verse crossover event. That being said, Miles and the adult Peter will have a particularly close connection, as the latter will show the former the ropes... or rather, webs. It's similar to the dynamic these two have had in the comics ever since Miles was transferred to the main Marvel continuity, a.k.a. Earth-616. It remains to be seen, though, if the adult Peter will help Miles with battling the notorious Spidey villains who are threatening Miles' universe in the upcoming movie.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse swings into theaters on December 14, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates about the movie. If you're interested in learning what other major motion pictures are on the way, scan through our 2018 release schedule.

Fox's veteran comedy New Girl is slated to return for its seventh and final season in 2018, but cancellation seemed quite likely for a while in Season 6. Ratings weren't what they used to be, and the final episodes of the season tied up a lot of loose ends pretty neatly. If New Girl had been cancelled after the Season 6 finale, the story wouldn't have ended on an excruciating cliffhanger. That said, one more season is better than a cancellation, and it turns out that the cast helped work to get the show renewed.

When things weren't looking too great for a Season 7, New Girl creator Liz Meriwether suggested that the cast reach out to Fox co-chairmen Dana Walden and Gary Newman to ask for one more batch of episodes. Actor Jake Johnson, who has played Nick from the very first episode, revealed that he reached out to the Fox head honchos:

Fox did ultimately order the renewal, although the final season will be quite different than all that came before. Season 7 will consist of only eight episodes, which is a significant drop from the first six seasons. The previous seasons all ran for at least 22 episodes, and even star Zooey Deschanel's maternity leave didn't force a big drop in episode count. Given that the show very nearly got the axe, we should all probably be happy we're getting any episodes at all, and eight may be the perfect amount to wrap things up for the characters.

The lower episode count isn't the only thing that will be different about New Girl in Season 7. The premiere will kick off with a time jump of four years after the conclusion of the Season 6 finale, which will mean a kid in the mix thanks to the news of Cece's pregnancy reveal at the very end. Jake Johnson also chatted about the time jump with TVLine, saying this:

Jake Johnson actually stated while Season 6 was airing that he believed Season 6 would be the last, so his comment that he felt they "were running in circles" makes sense. The time jump means that the show will definitely explore some new territory in the shortened Season 8, which must have meant some fresh challenges for Johnson and the rest of the cast. We'll just have to wait and see how fans react to all the changes.

No premiere date for New Girl Season 7 has been announced yet, although it's expected to hit the airwaves at some point in the spring. For the shows with premiere dates that have already been announced, take a look at our midseason TV guide. To see all the series that do not have a future on the small screen, check out our list of all the 2017 TV cancellations.

Despite the crash and burn that was Dracula Untold, Universal is hell bent on crafting the shared universe that will herald the rebirth of their legendary Universal Monsters. With The Mummy, the studio hopes that Tom Cruise fighting the forces of supernatural evil will draw the public into their multi-picture trap, and it looks like Jake Johnson will be the sidekick tasked with helping him do so.

The Hollywood Reporter delivered the news that Johnson, who served as comedic relief in the studio's massive hit of 2015 Jurassic World, is now set to play "a member of the military" in a role specially tailored for his skill-set. Seeing as Tom Cruise is playing a member of a Special Forces organization and Annabelle Wallis is playing a scientist involved with whatever the new mummy will be trying to pull, Johnson's place as the comic relief is not only a given, it's a continuation of the formula.

Looking back to the multitude of action adventure comedies in the past couple of decades, but most specifically Stephen Sommers' previous incarnation of The Mummy, the structure of the new team is mighty familiar. Using the Sommers template as a direct analog, Tom Cruise and Annabelle Wallis are obviously the Brendan Fraser / Rachel Weisz of the next generation of The Mummy, which puts Jake Johnson squarely in the role of the John Hannah surrogate. Not only does this dictate that Johnson will get to tell Tom Cruise's unnamed character how crazy he is for trying to defeat a mummy, but also gets to have some scrapes and pratfalls of his own while trying to help out. If this isn't the perfect position for Johnson to be put into, we don't know what is.

While he didn't get all that many action beats to work off of in Jurassic World, Jake Johnson won't have to do too much adapting to such activity in The Mummy. And you can thank the massively panned Let's Be Cops for helping give Johnson the edge when it comes to the Alex Kurtzman directed refresh. The latter film gave Johnson a taste of action choreography, as well as some time in a uniform, so the transition from the TV star's previous film gig won't be that jarring. Though considering the latest actor to play the titular mummy is Star Trek Beyond's Sofia Boutella, Jake Johnson's prep for The Mummy might be a little more intense than expected.

The Mummy has a lot riding on its shoulders, as the new approach to the classic horror story is Universal's second shot at creating a universe where their creatures can freely go bump in the night. With Johnny Depp's new interpretation of The Invisible Man presumably hanging in the balance, the success of the Tom Cruise lead reboot would be the key to the subsequent film's existence. However, with Jake Johnston providing to be more than up to the challenge of balancing beatings with banter, Cruise won't have to shoulder the burden of the entire Universal Monsters universe alone.

The Mummy is slated to start production in April, with a June 9, 2017 release date penciled in.

While most films use alcohol substitutes for drinking scenes, Drinking Buddies is not like most films. The indie comedy directed by Joe Swanberg and starring Olivia Wilde, Anna Kendrick, and Jake Johnson used actual beer while filming. As a result, Wilde got buzzed with Kendrick — and often.

Actually, buzzed isn’t the right word. During a sneak peek of Wilde’s upcoming interview with Off Camera with Sam Jones, revealed on People.com, the actress said,

Drinking Buddies, a film heavily comprised of improvisational dialogue, features two brewery co-workers, Luke (Johnson) and Kate (Wilde), who spend way too much time flirting with each other despite the fact that they both have significant others. Production set up shop at Chicago’s Revolution Brewery, and Anna Kendrick agreed to join the project about two weeks in. According to Olivia Wilde, the petite Pitch Perfect star was taken aback when she realized the beer they were consuming at 10 in the morning on set was actual beer. The story goes she took a heavy swig of beer without knowing and "was instantly hammered."

Watch the sneak peek of Wilde’s interview in the video below.

Anna Kendrick previously detailed some of her drunken shenanigans on set. Speaking with Vulture back in 2013, she described a scene in which she played cards with Jake and she kept pounding back beer every time she lost. She didn’t realize she was tipsy until halfway through the shot. She said:

Olivia Wilde previously defended the whole "drinking at work" ordeal to The Daily Beast, saying how they were trying to immerse themselves in the craft beer world and to better improvise accordingly. Swanberg would give the actors outlines of the scenes and told them they needed to hit specific plot points. But other than that, the dialogue was generally left up to them.

Let's be real-- the stars of this movie are still going to be the dinosaurs-- but Jurassic World continues to add humans who will at least prevent us from screaming "Bring back Goldblum!" at the screen. Deadline reports that Ty Simpkins, best known as "that kid who miraculously wasn't obnoxious in Iron Man 3," has snagged a lead role in the film, which is now set for a June 12, 2015 release date. Deadline also hears that Jake Johnson, star of Fox's New Girl and the recent VOD hit Drinking Buddies, is in the mix for a lead role, but can't get confirmation from the studio. Johnson also starred in director Colin Trevorrow's breakthrough hit Safety Not Guaranteed, so it's not hard to imagine the director would want to bring in his buddy on his big-budget adventure.

The only other human name that's been connected to a role in the film is Bryce Dallas Howard, who was rumored for a lead role back in September but also hasn't been confirmed. Trevorrow, who was handed the project back in March with Steven Spielberg on board as a producer, will be working from a script by Rise of the Planet of the Apes writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. But, remarkably, that script has managed to stay very secret. Trevorrow joined a fan podcast earlier this year and warned fans "don't believe everything you read. There are way more insiders on the internet than there are in real life." And despite rumors about things like aquatic dinosaurs and a return to the original island, nothing whatsoever has been confirmed. So far, that's exactly the way we like it.

From the way Deadline tells it Simpkins' casting is a done deal, which means we might get confirmation about Howard and Johnson's participation soon as well. In the meantime, check out Johnson in the trailer for Trevorrow's Safety Not Guaranteed, and let us know your thoughts on their potential reunion.

Joe Swanberg is a polarizing figure in independent film. Since his first feature in 2005 (Kissing on the Mouth), he's proved quickly prolific, directing eighteen full-length features in just eight years. Let me say that again: eighteen films in eight years!

Within that intense output are such critically praised pictures as Silver Bullets, Alexander The Last and Nights and Weekends. But to some critics, Swanberg's typical mumblecore approach is too rushed and slapdash or—in the opinion of outspoken critic Devin Faraci, who literally fought with Swanberg at last year's Fantastic Fest—"the laziest form of filmmaking." But even Swanberg's harshest critics might be wooed by his latest Drinking Buddies, as its trailer suggests it may be his most commercially appealing effort yet.

Written and directed by Swanberg, Drinking Buddies boasts a remarkable foursome as its leads: Anna Kendrick, Jake Johnson, Olivia Wilde, and Ron Livingston. We first got word of this quirky comedy last summer, when Kendrick signed on, but back then the pic's plot was being kept under wraps. Since then, Magnolia Pictures has committed to its release, and their first trailer gives us a look into what Drinking Buddies is all about.

Wilde and Johnson star as Kate and Luke, best buds who work together at a craft brewery and often crack each other up. As you can see in the trailer above, they seem on the verge of breaking out of the friend zone—until we meet their dreamy significant others/romantic obstacles. Livingston plays Kate's clean cut beau, Chris; Kendrick plays Luke's lovely lady friend Jill, who is getting restless and looking for Luke to take the next step in their relationship. You know, the one that involves a costly bit of finger bling? But all of these relationships are spun into risk after a fateful weekend where Kate and Luke are left alone, sans significant others.

Its love triangle premise might be a bit predictable, but the trailer clearly displays the feature's finest attributes are Wilde, Johnson, and the chemistry they share. For too long, Wilde has been cast almost solely for her unearthly good looks in roles that give her little opportunity to show off her comedy chops (Cowboys & Aliens, Tron: Legacy, In Time). But her small roles in under appreciated comedies like The Change-Up and Butter have shown she's got a great sense of comic timing and a sharp-witted charm. Finally, this trailer shows what silly skills Wilde's been kept from showing us in full. Add to that Johnson and his bizarrely gruff but sexy appeal and you've got an onscreen chemistry I can't wait to see ignite…if you know what I'm saying.

Drinking Buddies will be available on iTunes/On Demand on July 25th. A limited theatrical release will follow on August 23rd.

The buddy cop comedy is a tried and true formula where you pair two polar opposites as partners then watch the sparks fly as they save the day and explode at each other. (Riggs!) But the newly greenlit comedy Let's Be Cops offers a new twist on this time-tested narrative, providing two best-bud protagonists who aren't actually policemen. They are just pretending to be cops for kicks. Of course impersonating a cop is a serious crime, but what's worse is when these two dressed-up dummies end up enraging a real mobster.

Deadline reports 20th Century Fox bought the pitch for this project from Luke Greenfield, who will direct and co-wrote the script with Nick Thomas. Filling the film's lead roles are television stars Damon Wayons Jr. (Happy Endings) and Jake Johnson (New Girl). Casting for the rest of the feature's roles is currently underway.

Personally, I have high hopes for this buddy cop comedy. While I'm not much of a New Girl watcher, I found Johnson intriguing in the time-travel rom-com Safety Not Guaranteed, in which he played a smug jerk with a vulnerable/romantic center. And concerning Wayans, it's about damn time he got noteworthy movie role!

First off, if you're not watching Happy Endings, you have my sympathies, but let me fill you in. While Wayans' uncles have been making one dumb spoof after another, DWJ has been delivering hysterical performances as Brad Williams on the sassy sitcom week after week, whether he's warring with his type-A personality wife, palling around with his frumpy gay bff, or indulging in his passion for romantic comedies or deeply tucked shirts. Here's a brief gif of his awesomeness in action:

The only worrisome sign on paper is Greenfield, who has helmed such uninspired and critically scorned offerings as The Animal, The Girl Next Door and Something Borrowed.. However, Greenfield's most recent credits were a couple of truly hilarious episodes of the surprisingly delightful, alien-centered sitcom The Nieghbors. So maybe he's evolving as a comedy crafter.

There's no word yet on when Let's Be Cops might roll into production.

Safety Not Guaranteed screened at the Sundance Film Festival last January, and those fortunate enough to attend the South by Southwest Film Festival may have gotten the opportunity to see it there. Our own Sean O'Connell had good things to say about the film at SXSW, saying that it had a "great spirit about it," and talking about the good chemistry among the cast. The rest of us will have to wait for its limited release next month and hope that the movie makes its way into a theater near us.

If you caught the trailer for Safety Not Guaranteed, then you know the general premise. It follows a group of magazine reporters who seek out a story when discovering an unusual classified ad from someone looking for a time travel companion. Specifically, the ad states, "Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before." Who wouldn't respond to an ad like that?

The cast includes Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), Jake Johnson (New Girl), and The League's Mark Duplass. iTunes shared the video below, which not only gives us a look at the film, but also digs into the back-story, as the film was inspired by an actual ad placed back in 1997.

The featurette doesn't show us much more from the movie than what we've seen in the trailer, but given a story like this, I'm sort of ok with that if it means avoiding spoilers or giving up too many of the better moments. What it does do is bring to light the inspiration for the movie, which leaves me even more curious to know if this will be a story with a truly satisfying ending, whether that involves actual time travel or not.

Directed by Colin Trevorrow and written by Derek Connolly, Safety Not Guaranteed arrives in theaters with a limited release June 8, 2012. More information can be found in our Blend Film Database.

I’m a huge fan of Colin Trevorrow’s Safety Not Guaranteed. A time-travel romance comedy (of sorts), it stars Parks and Rec comedian Aubrey Plaza as a magazine intern following up a story lead about an offbeat loner (Mark Duplass) who placed a classified ad seeking a partner for a time-travel mission. FilmDistrict picked up the rights to Safety, and is prepping audiences with a perfectly balanced trailer, which we are sharing below (via Apple):

The trick of Safety is not revealing too much of the story’s direction, though that teaser really manages to convey the different emotional swings Trevorrow and screenwriter Derek Connolly strive for (and achieve). As I wrote from the South By Southwest Film Festival, Safety becomes more of a movie about why people would bother time traveling, rather than the science-fiction behind time travel, itself.

But the film has been charming audiences since the Sundance Film Festival in January, where it was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize and took home the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. It should continue building its fan base once FilmDistrict releases Safety in theaters on June 8. And be on the lookout for New Girl co-star Jake Johnson as Plaza’s boss. Though Guaranteed hangs its hat on the strong bond between Plaza and Duplass, it’s Johnson who emerges from the picture as a red-hot talent on the rise, and he does so by stealing every scene that he’s in.