TV cliffhangers don’t usually shape the way I feel about life for the next year and a half, but Mark’s choice in Severance’s Season 2 finale — see also: everything else in the ep — has been ratting around inside my non-chipped brain ever since I initially streamed it via Apple TV subscription. Seriously, the wait for Severance Season 3 has been a nightmare already, so I couldn’t be more excited that there’s a relatively positive update to cling onto.

Perhaps even more interesting than the news itself, however, is the Severance star who shared it: John Turturro, whose character Irving notably exited the season prior to the finale in part due to his outside-of-Lumon communication with Christopher Walken’s Burt Goodman. Speaking with Collider, Turturro was asked if the previously rumored production window for Season 3 was still set for April, to which he shared:

This is one of those rare cases where an actor shares an update that’s actually worse than what was originally thought, and yet it still balances out to be a net positive. I halfway assumed that a spring start would be too early, but hoped that filming wouldn’t need to wait that much longer afterward. As such, July feels like it’s right in the pocket, though it means filming likely won’t end until early 2027, and episodes likely won’t be ready for premiere until six months after that.

Still, while it may seem like I’d be saying the above with a negative tone, I’m trying really hard to keep my smile turned up and my chipperness at a maximum, even though Turturro claims he’s been kept out of the loop on plot details during the hiatus. When asked, he responded with:

That makes all of us, John! Head writer Dan Erikson shared the update in January that he was in the thick of scripting out the third season, which followed the disappointing previous update that Ben Stiller is stepping away from director duties on Severance in order to focus more on other projects. But as far as any kind of story details, it's been a vacuum.

That said, the Emmy-winning actor did voice the idea that he's built up his own kind of backstory for Irv in his head, and he believes the character's life outside of Lumon is completely different and isn't what fans might expect. Granted, he also pointed out that his ideas aren't based on anything official from the creative team, so they may not pan out. But let's engage in some theories about ol' Irv's future.

My Rapid-Fire Irv Theories For Severance Season 3

Given comments Turturro made in the past about Severance's long and stressful production, I wouldn't have been too surprised if Irving didn't return after getting on that train with his loyal pup. It would have required a lot of second-hand exposition from other characters, but given all the other possible changes happening with other characters, losing Irv didn't feel like the most outrageous outcome.

But now that we know for sure he'll be back, let's put on our speculation caps with matching ascots and throw out some predictions for how Irv will return to the story.

• Mr. Milchick will call Irving back in to try and talk sense into Mark and Helly. - I can totally see this one happening, since Trammell Tillman's character has resorted to requesting help from outies in the past.
• Burt will have second thoughts about sending Irving away, and will drive to bring him back to Kier. - This seems less likely, given the somewhat dark implications teased for Walken's character, but there's no denying the kinetic connection between the two men, despite one having a spouse in the outside world.
• Iriving will spend the early part of Season 3 investigating Lumon in the outside world. - A fairly likely scenario, especially if no one in Kier actually knows how to get in touch with Irving. Given all of the research material he had locked up in his trunk at home, it seems like Irving has sunk some time into this effort already, but hasn't quite cracked it yet.
• Irving and Eustice Huang will cross paths and team up in the quest to take Lumon down. - Can't say I feel overly confident about this one, mainly because I have no idea how long it takes to get to the Gunnel Eagan Empathy Center, or how long she would need to be there. Plus, other than her antagonism with Mr. Milchick, Sarah Bock's Ms. Huang seemed to be pretty tapped into the Kier way of thinking, without much sympathy for innies.
• Irving will revisit whatever trauma that inspired him get severed. Possibly a doubled-edged sword of an answer, since part of me fully believes that a scandalous prior work relationship with Burt is what led to Innie Irv. So I'm not entirely sure how he could research that without going right back to Burt's house after the train ride. Maybe Irving will find a way to talk to Burt's hubby Fields and get his information that way, rather than directly.

I could spend at least the next hour coming up with more ideas for where Irving's story is going, and that's not even looking in the direction of all the other characters, much less digging into any theories on that front. I'm ready to spend the rest of the afternoon envisioning various outcomes for Mark, Helly and Gemma, but alas, there are other things to do. Such as create a massive paper-chain leading up to the Season 3 premiere.

Both seasons of Severance are currently available to stream on Apple TV.

There are great Coen Brothers’ movies, and then there's their greatest movie, which is, in my opinion, 1991's Barton Fink.

Yes, I know. Who the hell picks Barton Fink as their favorite Coen Brothers movie? Most people would probably pick No Country for Old Men, or The Big Lebowski, but I've always just loved Barton Fink the most out of all of their work.

So why, pray tell, is it so overlooked then? I mean, while I wouldn't call it “underrated” like some other Coen Brothers’ movies (it won the freaking Palme d'Or, after all, making it the only film of theirs to do so), I would say that it doesn't get nearly as much love as it should, and I'm here to tell you why it must.

It Truly Is A Nightmarish Experience Watching This Film...In A Good Way

Barton Fink is probably the Coen Brothers at their most oblique. It's about a New York playwright (John Turturro) who is commissioned to write scripts in Hollywood, and he’s tasked with writing a story about wrestling, which he is completely out of his depth doing.

This leads to crippling writer's block, which I'll get into later, and he'd probably just sit in his room all day if not for some noises on the other side of his wall, which are coming from the one and only John Goodman, who plays an insurance salesman named Charlie Meadows…or so he says.

You see, from there, everything goes downhill to the point of becoming nightmarish (there's a reason why some people compare this story to Dante's Inferno). In fact, even though the film is often labeled as a dark comedy, some people even compare it to a horror movie, sort of like how Mulholland Drive is sometimes considered as such.

Goodman's character turns out to be a serial killer, and Turturro's character becomes an accessory to murder (which is ridiculous, but also why this film is considered a dark comedy, as well as a thriller). All throughout, there's a ticking clock of whether Fink can deliver his script on time, and when he does, it's considered too artsy (I believe the politically incorrect term used in this film is “fruity”). This is really unlike any other film in the Coen Brothers’ catalog, and I mean that in the best way.

John Goodman Has Never Been More Terrifying Or Unhinged

John Goodman is one of my favorite actors, and Barton Fink is one of his movies that doesn't get talked about nearly enough.

As mentioned earlier, he introduces himself as Charlie Meadows, and he apologizes for the noise he's making in the other room. He seems like a nice enough fellow…however, later in the film, Fink sleeps with a woman, and when he wakes up, he finds that she’s been viciously murdered. Now, the normal course of action would be to call the police, but Fink instead contacts Meadows, who disposes of the body and tells Fink not to contact the police.

We later learn from the police that Meadows is actually a serial killer, and that he really goes by Karl “Madman” Mundt. Not only that, but he himself killed the woman, and Fink is looking at jail time for not reporting it. That is, until Goodman has probably the most insane performance of his career as a hallway gets engulfed in flames, and he wants to show the police officers THE LIFE OF THE MIND!

It's a bonkers performance, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

It's A Film About Writer's Block, Which Speaks To Me

Do you want to know my top three favorite movies? Number 1 is Apocalypse Now, which is one of the best war movies of all time. Number 2 is Big Trouble in Little China, which I've rewatched on countless occasions. And Number 3 is Adaptation, which I think is Charlie Kaufman’s finest film.

Now, I want to stick with that last one, since out of the three, Adaptation is the one that I can relate to the most. That’s because it’s about writer’s block, which, let me tell you, I’ve gone through on multiple occasions. When you sit with something for a long time and can’t get any words out, it truly is maddening, and I feel like Barton Fink gets that down to a tee. Because, I’ve been there, man. Staring at the page, starting, then stopping, then starting again, then backspacing, and then just giving up for the day.

It's soul crushing, and I feel like this film captures that better than any other movie. Even more so than Adaptation, which I mostly love for the dual Nicolas Cage performances. But, Fink encapsulates that feeling of not making any progress, and feeling utterly drained because of it.

It’s a weird sensation, having ideas but not knowing how to express them in words, and the story nails it. Maybe too much, even.

They Also Really Nailed The Time Period

One thing that I didn’t mention in the last entry was that the Coen Brothers were sort of into period pieces back in the early ‘90s. In fact, the inspiration for Fink, which takes place in 1941, was that they were struggling to write 1990’s Miller’s Crossing, which takes place in 1929.

I mean, just think. The Coen Brothers created what I consider their masterpiece after struggling to create another masterpiece. The mind works in mysterious ways sometimes. Anyway, even though a lot of Fink takes place in a grungy, LA hotel, you really get a sense of this being on the outskirts of 1940s Hollywood.

Perhaps it’s the clothes, as they all feel authentic to the time period. Or maybe it’s the clack, clack, clack of the typewriter that really sets you in the mood of this era. Or, maybe it’s the historical references, such as John Mahoney playing an obvious stand-in for William Faulkner (even though his character’s name in this is W.P. “Bill” Mayhew). Or, maybe it’s just the casual anti-semitism uttered from some of the characters.

Whatever it is, it makes it all feel like we’re in that time period, which stays consistent to the very end. Oh, speaking of which…

And I Will Always Love That Ending

Throughout the film, Barton really has only one thing in his hotel room to look at, and that’s a picture of a woman on the beach. The picture represents a mental break for him, who would rather be anywhere else besides this tiny room with this crummy script that he’s working on.

Well, by the end of the film, after all of the calamity and him turning in his soon-to-be-rejected script - he actually goes to the beach, and who should we find there but the woman from the picture that he’d been staring at the entire film. When he talks to her, he asks her if she’s ever been in pictures, to which she says that she hasn’t, and that’s it. That’s the end of the movie.

And, man. I LOVE that ending. Probably just as much as the inclusive ending of No Country for Old Men. It’s because it’s just so surreal, and so…so silly! Have you ever been in pictures? I mean, really? Besides it being a pun, it really calls into question Barton’s mental state by the end of the film, which is why I love it so much.

Have you ever watched Barton Fink? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

When it comes to the best boxing movies to grace the silver screen over the years, viewers have come to expect a certain kind of storytelling formula, which proves to be effective. The Cut, one of the sports flicks on the 2025 movie schedule is a bit different, though. The Sean Ellis-directed film doesn't feature much fighting in general, and I found that surprising upon watching it. With that, the movie's stars, Orlando Bloom and John Turtorro, shared some keen thoughts with CinemaBlend on that front.

The Cut sees Orlando Bloom play an Irish boxer, who’s never specifically named, as he decides to come out of retirement for another chance for a championship title. However, in order to do so, he has to undergo a brutal weight loss regimen in order to be eligible to compete in the ring. When CinemaBlend spoke to Bloom about the movie’s lack of actual fighting, he told us this:

While one would expect to film a big fight in a boxing movie, the movie is more about the process of undergoing rapid weight loss that boxers may go through so they can be properly matched with opponents. Bloom makes a good point in that this movie feels "fresh" in that it seeks to tackle the mental hurdles a fighter has to deal with as opposed to the physical ones. Of course, a film like Raging Bull also manages to tackle deeper themes with a boxing story, but The Cut still feels like a novelty nonetheless.

That mental battle was also big for Orlando Bloom. For the film, Bloom decided to lose 30 lbs. in a matter of three months to authentically play the role. He called the experience “definitely not something to try at home” and has been open about the “mental toll” it put on him. In our interview, he even told us that he came to set at his lightest weight and they filmed The Cut in reverse chronological order. As Bloom sought to gain the weight back, he had to “start gorging food” and found himself eating “anything and everything.”

Bloom and I aren't the only ones who agree with the "fresh" assessment either, as John Turturro shares the perspective. In the movie, Tuturro plays the unorthodox boxing coach who's hired to ensure Bloom’s character makes his goal weight. When discussing co-star take about their movie’s lack of fight scenes, Turturro said this:

Ellis' film, which was written by Justin Bull, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year to positive reviews overall. When the director talked to Box Office Pro about making the movie as well, he said training montages in boxing movies are often “not realistic”, and he was interested in talking about boxing from a “more human” angle.

I'd say that approached served the movie well. The mental fight of The Cut also leads to a shocking ending that may not hit the same way as a big fight scene, but it definitely had me on my toes. Anyone who'd like to see the cerebral film should know it's currently streaming on Paramount+ and available to rent or buy on digital platforms. Also, seek out other excellent sports movies that are worth a watch.

Among 2025 movie releases out this weekend is The Cut, starring Orlando Bloom as a fictional boxer. He has to go to great lengths to drop 32 pounds in the matter of a week in order to qualify for a boxing championship in Las Vegas after getting the offer out of the blue to come out of retirement. Bloom’s character decides to take on the challenge with the help of John Turturro’s unorthodox trainer, but my, my, is The Cut’s ending brutal.

When I spoke to Orlando Bloom and John Turturro about filming the grueling ending of The Cut, they explained how they actually started filming the latest of boxing movies with the end. As Bloom shared:

The movie ends with the boxer (who is never named outright) doing the weigh-in that will determine if he can do the match. But when he steps on the scale in front of a crowd of people, he’s 0.02 pounds off. It’s maddening considering all the hell he put himself through, but the boxer doesn’t give up. In a daze, Bloom’s character ends up going up to a craft table and using a knife next to a hunk of ham to chop off two of his fingers. When he returns to the scale, he’s 153.98 pounds, making him eligible to go out and fight.

During our interview, Bloom detailed how he lost a dramatic 30 pounds like his character before coming on set to film the movie, but rather than doing so in a wildly unhealthy week, he did so across three months. By the time he arrived to set at the weight the boxer is at the end of the movie, he told us he “could hardly function” and his “brain capacity was limited at best”.

So, it wasn’t necessarily difficult to get in the mindset of the character, but working backwards on set actually ended up working to the actor’s favor. As he continued:

Bloom said he’d write in the script what he’d done in the later parts of the script in order to remind himself and work backwards. He found that the way of filming tracked with his “funny way of thinking.” But, the real difficulty came in getting off his diet and moving to “constantly eating” after his “insane weight loss”. Bloom recalled how it messed with his hormones and “everything”.

2025 Emmy nominee John Turturro didn’t have a strict diet to adhere to, but he did recall what it felt like on set to film the movie basically backwards. Of course, he has Severance under his belt, where he and his castmates have to basically play two characters, but this was a different animal. As he added:

The Cut ending is absolutely one of the most chilling scenes we’ve seen this year, and it’s interesting to hear how it actually went down on set. We’re even more impressed by these actors after hearing their perspectives.

In 2022, the same year that Apple TV+ subscription-holders got to start watching him play Irving Bailiff in Severance, John Turturro made his comic book movie debut playing Carmine Falcone in The Batman. Just like in the comics, Turturro’s Falcone was a powerful crime boss in Gotham City with a personal tie to Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne. There was also an aspect of his physical appearance that wasn’t present in the comics, but Turturro requested before he would agree to play Falcone, and I actually think it helped make the character even cooler.

Turturro revealed during his conversation with Josh Horowitz on Happy Sad Confused that it was his idea to wear sunglasses while playing Carmine Falcone, as he wanted to wear a “mask” of sorts just like Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz and Paul Dano. The actor explained his rationale as follows:

Carmine Falcone doesn’t traditionally wear sunglasses in the comics. Instead, the primary distinguishing feature on the character’s face is usually the claw marks below his right eye from when Catwoman scratched him in Batman: Year One. But from John Turturro’s perspective, wearing those sunglasses gave him his own kind of “mask” in order to make himself look more intimidating as Falcone. At least he’s self aware enough to know his eyes unobscured weren’t enough to do the job.

No explanation is ever provided for why Carmine Falcone wore those sunglasses during his waking hours, even if it was nighttime, but they accomplished their goal of making him look cooler. Mark Strong even wore them when he played a younger version of the man in The Penguin. However, since Falcone was murdered by The Riddler in The Batman, we can assume those sunglasses are now buried six feet under with their owner.

So let’s instead look to the future, as The Batman: Part II is slated for an October 1, 2027 release, and Robert Pattinson, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis and Jeffrey Wright are all on deck to reprise their roles. Just like with the first movie, director Matt Reeves worked on the sequel’s script with Mattson Tomlin, and production is expected to begin in London on January 1, 2026. Severance fans can look forward to seeing more of John Turturro as Irving Bailiff whenever Season 3 is released.

So, the Severance Season 2 finale came and went, and I’m still sobbing over it, but here we are—talking about a character who feels like they were forgotten in the last hour.

Okay, maybe that’s jumping a bit to conclusions, but it’s how I feel deep down, and it’s something I need to talk about. The 2025 TV schedule has been filled to the brim with excellent additions, and of course, Season 2 of Severance was among those. While one of the best Apple TV+ shows, the series really gained a ton of momentum in its second season and has even beaten out Ted Lasso to become the biggest series on Apple TV+.

But with so many twists and turns and moments that made you stop and think in the finale, there was one character that is still on my mind even today, days later. So let’s talk about it.

The Finale, In General, Left Me Absolutely Sobbing – And Angry

So when it comes to Severance, I was far behind everyone else because I didn’t catch up with the show until earlier this year when the second season began to air. Every second was amazing, and it made me love and hate certain characters, and develop a certain interest in Milchick and his weirdness (but coolness, too).

Every single episode felt like a new cliffhanger, a never-ending stream of questions. We would get answers in one episode and then leave with a ton of new inquiries the moment the credits rolled. I think that just means it's good television, and it certainly keeps fans engaged.

And now, the Season 2 finale has come, and I sobbed plenty in those last minutes – as well as got annoyingly angry.

I mean, I had a feeling it wasn’t going to work out all hunky-dory because Severance Season 3 is confirmed, but it still hit me hard. Watching Gemma yell at her husband through the door and not understanding why Mark was running to Helly, and everything else that was happening absolutely shattered my heart.

I honestly can’t even be mad at Helly because it really comes down to Mark. He knew what would happen, and he willingly chose to double-cross his outie to be with Helly, even though I think deep down he knows what will happen next. I’m mad at his decisions, but at the end of the day, all I can really do is wait.

However, while everyone keeps talking about Gemma and Mark and Helly and everything else, there’s another character we’ve forgotten about.

But I Can’t Stop Thinking About Irving

Yeah, I can’t stop thinking about Irving, and I am so concerned about the rest of this story.

Aside from the fact that I really love John Turturro as the character and certainly want to see him in Season 3, it felt like Season 2 really dug deep into Irving’s Outie life, where we see that he knows something is up at Lumon, he is doing a lot of digging, and it’s going to get him in deep trouble.

This entire season has been leading up to some big moment with Irving – heck, even his dream in “Woe’s Hollow” was terrifying and added to the momentum. But then, in the penultimate episode, Burt (Christopher Walken) confronts him in his home and takes him on a drive.

But instead of killing Irv, he takes him to a train station and tells him to ride until the end of the line to get out as far as he can go. And then he…leaves?

I mean, I was expecting there to be at least something with Irving in the finale, but he’s barely even mentioned or talked about. All we know is that he’s on the train, and it’s heading off. But I don’t think it’s as simple as that.

Why Did Burt Stay At The Train Station After Irv Left?

We’ve also gotten to know Burt a lot throughout Season 2, from Christopher Walken's touching take on the character and Irv to learning about his Outie life. But something doesn’t line up incredibly well with how they left things.

The biggest thing that stands out to me is that Burt stays in the train station after he drops Irv off. Truthfully, it felt like they were trying to keep a low profile, but then why would Burt willingly let himself stay in the train station? Wouldn’t he have wanted to dip the moment that he saw Irv get on the platform for the train?

And you can’t even say that he wanted to stay to see Irv take off – he stays within the hub of the train, not within distance to watch Irv get on. And that ticks off something in my brain, that maybe this isn’t the kind of escape Irv may believe it to be. If Burt did have good intentions, a part of me thinks he might just be sitting down because he knows Lumon pretty much knows everything, and he’s just waiting for someone to confront him.

But if it’s not, and he stayed at the train station to maybe communicate with a Lumon employee that Irving was on a train and ready to be taken out, then I could see that, too.

Is Irving Riding Into A Trap?

That’s my biggest fear – that Irving was too kind and really believed all of Burt’s words, and secretly, this is all a trap that will lead to his ultimate demise.

It’s because of Irving that so much stuff happened. He was a massive catalyst behind a lot of the significant moments of Season 2 – primarily that huge ORTBO episode and the aftermath of that within Lumon.

With that in mind, I doubt Lumon will let any of this go. I really do think that somehow, Irv might get himself seriously hurt, and all we can really do is sit back and watch. Maybe I’ll get lucky enough for him actually to survive, and all of this will be for nothing. But Severance really doesn’t leave cliffhangers without answering them…and I have a feeling this will lead to something significant.

Season 3 Will Tell All

As I said before, Severance Season 3 is confirmed. While John Turturro has said in the past that he didn’t want to continue past two seasons, he recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter, saying that he believes this story of both Irv and Burt goes past Season 2—so I do think he’ll be back.

And with this in mind, I think this really does paint a big portrait (pun intended) of what’s going to happen in Season 3. I think whatever happens with Irving might be even more intense than those opening shots of Season 2 or the finale altogether. All I can really do is hope that we get answers quickly and efficiently.

While it’ll be a little bit because we get Season 3 of Severance, I think I’ll rewatch for all the context clues and more. I might even get a Lumon sweatshirt; who knows?

Spoilers are out on a corporate retreat for Severance Season 2, Episode 4, so be warned if you haven’t yet watched with an Apple TV+ subscription.

Three episodes into its second season, Severance has revealed to fans that Gwendoline Christie is in charge of the goats, that Lumon provides its promoted supervisors with racially questionable Kier Eagan portraits, and that Reghabi is slightly better at the reintegration procedure post-Petey. Among many other weird, suspicious and unnerving details, of course. But nothing shown thus far could properly prepare viewers for the snow-blanketed resplendence of MDR’s ORTBO journey in “Woe’s Hollow,” perhaps my favorite installment to date, as well as an early standout amidst the 2025 TV schedule.

A field trip meant to challenge and intimidate the Severed Floor’s allegedly famed quartet, the ORTBO (Outdoor Retreat & Team-Building Occurrence) took Mark, Dylan, Irving and “Helly” out of their shared comfort zone and made them face previously unseen elements, more confusing Kier Eagan lore, and the all-out trauma of losing a fellow Innie. And the game-changing episode sparked a seemingly endless number of questions in viewers like me. So let’s gear up and ship out.

How Did Lumon Stagger The Outies' Arrivals At The ORTBO Location?

Considering Lumon has its various severed employees showing up to work at different times so that none of the Outies can see each other, I have to wonder what the process was that led to Mark, Dylan and Irving's Innies waking up, as it were, out in the middle of the snow.

Did Mr. Milchick and Miss Huang have to bring them out one at a time, or were blindfolds and tons of patience involved? I'd even think helicopters were involved if the snow around Irving would have been more disturbed.

Isn't A Frozen Lake A Wildly Dangerous Place For Irving And Mark To Begin The ORTBO?

Sure, Lumon execs are no doubt extremely familiar with the area, and can attest to the general thickness of the lake’s ice as it relates to its employees’ safety while standing on it. But it still seems like a very strange and potentially threatening move to for Innies to arrive outside for the first time (with work permission) in a way that could be seen in any way as an insurance hazard.

I also don’t know how Irving automatically knew he was standing on ice if it was all covered in snow, but I’ll let that one go.

Where Does This Episode Even Take Place?

The go-to assumption is that "Woe's Hollow" is set somewhere in the non-residential areas shown behind the Lumon building, and that may well be the case. But I have to think that ep director Ben Stiller intentionally framed the area's wide shots so that we couldn't see Lumon looming (Luming?) in the background, nor the mountainous

Why Wasn't Helena-As-Helly Better At Lying?

The Helena-as-Helly twist is one that fans saw coming, but that's mainly because Britt Lower's Outie hasn't been very good at playing the role of her Innie. And while I get that it was initially an impulse decision that she couldn't plan for, I don't think her "night gardener" story was the best lie she could have crafted, especially after Irving questioned her about it repeatedly. If her true motivation was to completely fool Helly's MDR colleagues, Helena's gameplan should have been more foolproof. Unless...

Was This All A Ploy To Get Irving Fired Again?

Unless the actual goal there was specifically to draw out Irv's paranoia to the point where he'd do something so extreme that Mark wouldn't be able to argue against Milchick firing him. His past with Burt has caused enough friction behind the scenes that Christopher Walken's character was forced into retirement. And I don't think Irv's spot-on Innie-tuition would be a proactive selling point for the severance chip.

Does Calling ORTBO An "Occurrence" Rather Than An Exercise Imply The Events Were Fated?

While the goal of most work retreats is building up reliable teamwork and morale by having coworkers group up for tasks, Lumon's ORTBO doesn't feature any such activities. It's basically a long walk before storytime and a nap seemingly without any overarching purpose beyond laying out Keir Eagan's hidden backstory. Which speaks to the above notion that it was all a ruse.

What Was Powering That TV And Other Electronics?

Lumon is a big enough company that they can likely power that high school A.V. club set-up with a portable power supply, but I think I prefer to believe that there are roughly 700 extension cords going from that cliff top to the nearest outlet.

Is Dieter Eagan Real?

Milchick refers to the ORTBO's setting as the Dieter Eagan National Forest, sparking a bit of exposition about Keir's twin brother and the Fourth Appendix. All of it sounds like manufactured and back-pocketed lore specifically meant to placate wayward Innies. Sure, I can understand why the story doesn't have a prominent display in the Hall of Perpetuity, but is it based on anything resembling real events? Is Scissor Cave a real thing?

Was Milchick's Rhyming Warning Just Meant To Keep The Innies From Running Away?

The video recorded for MDR obviously resembles awkwardly produced training videos for employees, but it takes a weirdly ominous and fantastical tone when the televisual montebank Mr. Milchick utters this rhyming warning:

It'd be one thing if we'd ever heard him tell Dylan, "Make your numbers nice and hearty. Then you'll earn the Waffle Party." But no, Tramell Tillman brings the spooky chills with this out-of-character phrasing, especially in close-up.

What The Actual Fuck With Those MDR Lookalikes?

I don't know that anything in Severance has put me on edge quite as much as seeing the slightly askew MDR doppelgängers guiding the team along their way. They look like they were molded out of clay and then left unfinished, with an A.I. program adding the rest of the details. I don't buy into the idea that they represent Keir's twin, and I just think they're nightmare monsters.

Why Indeed Did That Deal Seal Look So Messed Up, Helena?

The group discovering that mangled animal corpse was no coincidence, and I have to think "Helly" remarking on its mangled nature was just as intentional. Was it, as Mark hinted at, a sign of death meant to stoke fear and worry among the team members? Or is there some deeper metaphorical meaning that I'm unfamiliar with?

Is Helena Sincerely Invested In The Waterfall?

I can only assume that Mr. Milchick lied about the waterfall being the tallest in the world to impress the Innies. But Helena-as-Helly actually does seem to be drawn to the spot in a way that implies the lore isn't just hogwash to her. Or maybe she just thinks falling water is pretty.

Is It Even Legal For Miss Huang To Be Part Of This ORTBO?

From playing the theramin to chunking the Keir-emblazoned marshmallows into the fire, Sarah Bock's Miss Huang is a quiet but stoic force throughout the latter half of the ORTBO. And there are several moments where the camera hangs on her expression as she seems to glare at Irving. But beyond all that, how is she allowed to take overnight work trips if she isn't a robot or clone or something non-human?

Does Helena Want Mark To Get Her Pregnant?

Helena and Mark don't seem to be using protection when they get it on, and viewers were more or less left with the notion that he didn't pull out. Given how important Mark seems to be to Lumon, and the Fourth Appendix's allusions to seed-spilling and red-haired brides, are we meant to believe that Helena is setting up a new generation of Lumon CEO by mating with Mark? And how does Gemma/Ms. Casey fit into that?

Did Irving's Dream Reveal That Burt Used To Be His MDR Cubicle Mate?

It's long been assumed that Irving and Burt used to work in the same Lumon department before they were both sent to the Testing Floor to presumably get their chips reset in some way. So was Irving's dread-frought dream tapping into the truth when it showed Burt lowering the cubicle separator?

Did Irving's Computer Clue Him In On Helena's Identity?

Just before Irving's dream ended, he was staring at his MDR computer as the numbers and letters started moving around and forming the shape of an eye, with only certain numbers and letters appearing, where the letters can be used to spell out:

The numbers that come up are 1, 3, 5, and 7, all prime numbers. Perhaps meant to indicate that the woman he'd been working with was actually the prime version of Helly and not the Innie herself.

If Lumon Warns Against Innies Falling Asleep, Why Send MDR On An Overnight Trip?

Considering it was Irving's dream that fully tipped him off about Helena, and since Lumon makes sure its employees don't fall asleep at work, why was a multi-day ORTBO approved? Unless the point was specifically to provoke those specific kinds of mental untanglings within Irving.

Was Helena's Near-Drowning Foreshadowed In The Microdat Uprising Video?

In a truly bizarre piece of foreshadowing, the stop-motion Microdat Uprising video from Season 2's premiere seemed to give viewers an early look at Helly/Helena's underwater distress when showing off the new "Bobbing For Pineapples" perk. But how would the people making that video know anything like that would happen?

Unless that image was meant to stick around inside the Innies' brains as a subliminal suggestion, with the end goal being for Irving to incite that moment in reality. Which is possibly why Helena left her tent early to go and stand near the waterfall, knowing that Irving would find her there.

How Often Is The Glasgow Block Used?

When Mr. Milchick calls for Helena to be switched back to Helly R., he tells the person on the other end of the radio to "remove the Glasgow Block now." So there's clearly a named and established system in place for this kind of thing to happen, possibly allowing Lumon to turn Outies back into their Innie form whenever they want.

Or perhaps it's just limited to specific cases like Helena's. But I'm assuming the worst here.

Why Wasn't Irving Taken Farther Away From Other Innies Before Being Switched Off?

This question is similar to the one that kicked off this list: if one of Lumon's priorities is making sure its severed employees don't see each other, then wouldn't it be dangerous to have a just-terminated Outie still in the vicinity?

I still have more questions that need answers from this episode, such as why Milchick's first action wasn't to make sure Helly/Helena was okay, but to reprimand Irving and deliver his medieval termination speech. And how Mark is going to express to Helly that they bumped uglies. But that'll have to wait until Episode 205 drops on Friday, February 14.

If you haven’t been to ‘Woe’s Hollow’ yet, go back and watch Episode 4, Season 2 of Severance with an Apple TV+ subscription before diving into this story.

There have been a ton of creepy and unsettling characters, reveals and plot points in the episodes of Severance that have aired on the 2025 TV schedule. However, nothing made my skin crawl more than the innies' trip to Woe’s Hollow, as we learned more about Kier, Irv realized the truth about Helly, and it was ultimately revealed that Helly was actually her outie, Helena. So, I asked John Turturro about this haunting trip, his character’s nightmare, and how that all led to the big reveal about Britt Lower’s character at the end.

Like many fans, Irv had been suspicious about Helly since the second she mentioned that night gardner. Then, on the trip to Woe’s Hollow, his suspicions were confirmed. Part of that confirmation came after Irv left camp and fell asleep in the snow. He proceeded to have a terrifying nightmare that featured Christopher Walken’s Burt and a horrifying zombie-like seemingly computer-generated woman. I asked Turturro how this horrific nightmare played into his realization about his co-worker, and he explained:

Overall, it seemed like this dream more than confirmed Irv’s doubts about Helly. I think it also highlighted and possibly solidified his ongoing issues with Lumon as a whole. Now, there are still a lot of questions to be answered on this front – like who that scary lady was. However, we 100% know that the dream was the final straw that got Turturro’s character to act against Helena.

Speaking to that point, the Barton Fink actor told me that after the dream, he went to find Helly and call her bluff. He needed to act on what he had been questioning, and he turned out to be right, as Turturro told me:

In the same interview, Britt Lower, who plays Helly/Helena, called this “a rescue mission,” and the Do the Right Thing actor said this was the point where he really wanted to “get to the bottom of it.” So, he tried to drown her to prove his point, and that happened after this ambiguous dream.

This moment felt like Irving’s breaking point, and he knew it. His actions against Helena led to him being fired and basically killed Irv’s innie. Maybe seeing Burt, his love whose innie also left the company, drove him to finally act. Maybe he finally figured out what those numbers meant. While we don’t know that for sure, we do know his night in the snow ultimately led to the reveal that Helly was actually Helena, which will change the game of Season 2 for good.

Ultimately, this dream and Helly reveal caused more questions than answers. Along with characters like Gemma, Miss. Huang and Gwendoline Chrstie’s Lorne and things like the goats and the numbers, we can add Irv’s dream and Helena’s motivations to the list of things we need to be constantly questioning.

However, all this mystery and intrigue is what makes Severance one of the best shows on Apple TV+. And as it continues airing on Fridays, you better believe I’ll be hyper-fixating on this dream, Irv’s firing and Helena’s choice to go to the severed floor as herself and not as Helly.

Spoilers for Severance’s Season 2 premiere are ahead! Proceed down the elevator to the severed floor with caution if you aren’t caught up, and watch the show with an Apple TV+ subscription.

Listen, I know that when it comes to Severance, I need to expect the unexpected. However, while I was prepared for the goats and the wild theories about Ms. Casey, I was not ready for a literal child to be put in charge. I'm, of course, talking about Miss. Huang, who is played by 18-year-old actress Sarah Bock, because she truly left me shell-shocked while watching Season 2’s premiere. So, when I interviewed the cast about the new episodes, I needed to get their thoughts on this young and unexpected character.

It was truly unsettling when Mr. Milchick introduced Mark to Miss. Huang. She’s a literal teenager, and it’s made clear quickly that she has more power than any of the innies we know and love. Mark asked “Is it normal for a child…?” after meeting her, and I have to say, I have the same unfinished question. That was only emphasized when Irving, Helly and Dylan met her too.

Turns out, John Turturro was also a bit perplexed and “intimidated” by her as well, as he told me during an interview for CinemaBlend:

The Irving actor made a great point here! The innies are a lot like children in the sense that they’re understanding of the world is very limited and they’re just starting to learn about it. So, putting them in an office with a character who is a kid is fascinating and a really cool juxtaposition.

On top of that, it’s fun to see a young actress, like Sarah Bock, going toe to toe with this cast. Zach Cherry, who plays Dylan, also pointed that out, as he told me:

Turturro then stepped in, declaring “She’s awesome,” which was followed by Britt Lower, who plays Helly, saying:

Cherry then ended the answer by saying she’s “a lot of fun,” and I couldn’t agree more.

Overall, Miss. Huang is such a surprising and “fun” addition to this show. However, her character really only gives me more questions than answers.

That’s the fun of Severance though, and it’s why it’s one of Apple TV+’s best shows. I can’t wait to learn more about why this child works at Lumon as the season progresses, and I really am excited to see how she impacts Irving, Dylan, Helly and Mark.

So, buckle up for a wild ride folks, because the addition of Miss. Huang proved that this show has some wild twists up its sleeves.

Now, as Severance continues its run on the 2025 TV schedule (new episodes drop on Friday, by the way), I’ll be paying extra close attention to this kid to figure out why she’s there, what her relationship is with the innies and how she could seriously shake things up on the severed floor.

Some spoilers below for Severance’s Season 2 premiere, so tread carefully while running through the labyrinth of hallways if you haven’t yet streamed it with an Apple TV+ subscription.

Few TV shows arriving on the 2025 premiere schedule are set to provoke as many bonkers fan theories as Severance Season 2, and the Lumon-branded gloves have already come off now that we’ve finally seen the series’ first new episode in 3 years. “Hello, Ms. Cobel” reignited so many of the same speculation-centered synapses, even without Patricia Arquette’s character actually appearing. Another absent fan-fave was Christopher Walken’s Burt, but the Emmy-nominated actor’s latest comments seemingly confirm something big is coming.

Or to be more specific in relation to this show’s complicated nature: the comments seem to confirm something big already happened, and that further information may (re)surface for some of these characters. Namely, that Burt and Irving have known and cared for each other for far longer than their severed colleagues and viewers have been led to believe.

Speaking with Collider, Walken was asked if he knew he was specifically requested by co-star John Turturro to play the R&D head that so clearly captured and held Irving’s attention throughout Season 1. The Deer Hunter alum said he was only recently made aware of that tidbit, and then spoke of Burt and Irv’s kinship in a VERY intriguing way, saying:

By all means, I don't mean to imply that anything Christopher Walken said above is brand-spankin-new information to anyone paying attention. From the start, the chemistry between Walken and Turturro's characters was warm and friendly, among other things, and the duo's real-life friendship certainly shone through.

But what did we really see in those scenes? Burt and Irving talking about Lumon topics such as the new tote for the handbook, art, and other things. Some hand-touching. An embrace amidst some greenery. Moments that could easily imply a deeper relationship, but within a context that makes such a relationship seem impossible.

So for Christopher Walken to say that he and Turturro are "playing people who love each other," I can't think of any other way to take it than to assume that their backstory goes much deeper than what we've been led to believe. Which, obviously, has been a huge avenue for fan theories, particularly when it comes to Outie Irving's paintings.

Fans Like Me Believe Lumon Reset Burt And Irving's Chips After They Had A Previous Relationship

Without going too deep down any rabbit holes, the basic idea is that Burt and Irving likely worked in the same department together years prior to the start of the series. And that they got a little too close for Lumon higher-ups' comfort, leading both of them to get sent down to the Training Floor, the place where it's theorized that severed employees go to get their chips reconfigured. At this point, it's assumed that they were relocated to different departments in further efforts to eliminate such fraternizing.

But such is the power of love that Irving and Burt did indeed reconnect, and that their innate feelings are apparently too strong for Lumon's technology to successfully thwart in full. Rather than making the same choices and running the same risks as before, Lumon took the initiative to have Burt retire from the company outright, thus ending the duo's inter-office mingling.

Obviously their connection hasn't been severed altogether, though, or else Christopher Walken wouldn't be doing any promotional interviews for Season 2. But I do think it's interesting that Burt was left completely out of the stop-motion "Microdat Uprising" video.

For now, it's unclear just how and where he'll pop up again, but I'm making a hopeful fan's bet that we'll see Outie Irving and Outie Burt having a potentially baffling discussion sooner rather than later. I doubt we'll find out what the goats think about it, though we did get a bit more insight into the that mystery.

Severance streams new Season 2 episodes on Apple TV+ every Friday, as followed by new episodes of Ben Stiller and Adam Scott's companion podcast.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet streamed Severance's Season 2 premiere with an Apple TV+ subscription, so be warned!

One of my biggest TV obsessions has finally returned, with Severance arriving on the 2025 premiere schedule three years after that first season's cliffhanger had everyone wondering if Mark would actually remember yelling "She's aliiive!" before being pulled back into his outie's reality. Answer: he didn't. But creator Dan Erickson's team still filled the episode with myriad other answers and new details to gnaw on until the next episode of this critically acclaimed season arrives.

Of all the wild and unpredictable quotes, discoveries, changes and introductions on display in "Hello, Ms. Cobel," what drew my attention the most was Lumon's bonkers "Microdat Uprising" video that Milchick showed to Mark, Helly, Dylan and Irving as a way of welcoming them back, seemingly months after the events of the previous episode. So join me in obsessively running through some of that video's most oddball and questionable details.

1. Does Lumon Have Its Own Animation Studio?

So, I already didn't believe when Milchick told Mark it's been five months since the "Uprising," but even if that were the case, I have trouble believing Lumon either employs animators skilled enough to create it, or that they would outsource such a job from a professional. Especially considering the lo-lo-fi CGI shown in past animated clips.

2.. "Lumon Is Listening"

Pretty ballsy to start this video off with a double Lum-ontendre that very clearly points out that this workplace is a surveillance state, but in such a celebratory way that it seems like it actually does mean the best-case version, that Lumon wants to appease the Innies' needs.

3. The Slightly Different Building Setting

Viewers are aware of what the immediate area surrounding the Lumon building looks like, even if only in snow-covered form, and the version seen in the video doesn't quite look the same. I get that there was no reason for the animators in this case to go 1:1 with the recreation, but why make it similar at all if not?

4. Why Is This Building Branch 501?

As the animated building itself points out, it's classified as Branch 501, which makes it sound like it wasn't the first administrative building the company built. Yet, it's then stated that the building was "sired" in 1870 as an illustration shows a home sat in the same spot all those years ago, followed by a time-lapsed look at its evolution over time. But maybe other buildings did come before it, and the home was only repurposed after its owner's death.

5. Nope To That Giant Winking Kier Egan Face

I wouldn't even like that giant wall of Kier Egan's face even if it didn't blink. But the fact that it does is extra justification.

6. I Wonder If All The Other Employees Shown Are Actual Lumon Workers

Since animated versions of Mark, Helly, Dylan and Irving are all seen in the video, does that mean every other claymation character represents someone else working in the same building? I get that we might never meet even a tiny fraction of those who work anywhere between the surface and the Severed Floor, but I do wonder about the workers seen in that setting.

7. "My Basement Floor"

More straight-up lying from the Lumon Administrative Building. (Perhaps buildings have looser moral codes in such respects.) We know that in order to reach the Testing Floor, employees have to go down, which would make THAT the basement.

8. Lumon Is Located In 206 Countries

For all that it seems like Lumon has its work cut out for it just at the one Kier building in the fictional state abbreviated as PE, that workforce is apparently small potatoes compared to the brand's global reach as a whole. I'm not entirely sure if we should believe the video's claim that it operates in 206 countries, and part of me can't help but suspect this whole operation of being smaller than it claims. I couldn't quite tell if anything was different or off about the lit-up globe used in that moment.

9. No Running In The Halls, Lest You Tickle The Walls

I honestly don't understand if the wall claiming its ticklish is supposed to be anything other a blatantly patronizing way to curb running down the halls. But at least Irving thought it was worth a chuckle, even if Ms. Hwong wasn't amused.

10. Bluebirds Of Happiness?

I'm not entirely sure if those are meant to represent "bluebirds" as a species, or just to offer the general idea of the bluebird of happiness. (The Lumon building talks about happiness when they're shown, so I'm definitely connecting them, especially since blue is such an important color in this universe.

11. Team MDR's Efforts Get A Cinematic Dramatization

The section that actually covers the "Uprising" is a wild case of corporate gaslighting, and to the people who actually made it happen. The video makes the foursome's efforts appear far more organized, confident, and Mission: Impossible-esque, even though the people watching it know it wasn't nearly as smooth.

12. "Let's Burn This Place To The Ground"

Echoing the notion that Lumon Is Listening, the video features Irving's actual voice making the rebellious suggestion above, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that MDR's conversations and actions are always being seen, heard, and recorded.

13. Twirling, Burning Irving

I get the idea of Irving's burning scalp visually denoting his hotheaded nature in regards to his threatening words, but I'm perhaps less aware of what the synchronized spinning choreography was about. I'm going to pretend that it means Outie Irving is a dancer.

14. They Even Animated Mark And Helly's Kiss

As much as Mark and Helly's smooch outside the elevators was set up as the "Love" quadrant of this epic-seeming tale, I think it's pretty weird that Lumon would so willingly draw attention to that interaction without ulterior motives beyond shaming the two characters in front of their cubicle mates.

15. Were Cobel And Milchick Giving Advice On Building Plans?

While I could be wrong, it appears to be Cobel and Milchick talking to a blueprint-holding building contractor. But even if that's not correct, it does present a question similar to "Who animated this video?" Lumon seems like the kind of place that wouldn't hire random outside contractors, and would only want to work with trusted partners, but is there anyone in the outside world who might have secrets or helpful knowledge about the building that could help the Outies?

16. "Tasty New Snacks"

• Fruit Leather
• Cut Beans
• Christmas mints
• Salsa

I want a few of whatever snack made Dylan go all psycho-orgasmo, except all of the options above sound terrible as vending machine purchases, so maybe I'll pass. But still, what a sad list.

17. That Hall Pass Is Too Little, Too Late

With Irving's trips to see Burt helping to stoke the fires of the Uprising, making Hall Passes a new incentive after forcing Burt into retirement feels like an incredibly malicious middle finger at John Turturro's character.

18. How Can Bobbing For A Pineapple Possilbly Be An Incentive?

Less directly targeted than the Hall Pass, at least I think, is the notion that Bobbing For Pineapples makes any sense to anyone. It's a non-incentive of the highest order, since the only way to succeed is through self-harm. So maybe it IS a cheap shot, but aimed at Helly, who is indeed the one whose head is dunked rather violently below the water, with her eyes going all wonky at one point. Foreshadowing for Helly, or just quirky animation?

19. Ain't Nothing Playful About That Mirror Room

Lumon taking more shots at Irving by reflecting monstrous visions of himself within the "playful" mirror room. (Maybe that's what the contractor was holding blueprints for.) The way the final distorted face remains reflected in the water during the scene transition is all kinds of foreboding. Whoever put this together at Lumon was not aiming to deliver comfort whatsoever.

20. In The End, Kier Still Gets The Glory

Despite starting off with the MDR team being hailed as quasi-heroes, the video ends perhaps predictably not by repeating their praises, but by giving all the graciousness and credit to Kier Eagan.

Even with all of those thoughts above, there are other tidbits I could go on about, such as being kind of disappointed the reflective pool had no goats slurping up its water. But hopefully more of those details are on the way soon. Thanks for taking this laborious and important journey with me.

New episodes of Severance hit Apple TV+ every Friday.

The wait for Severance Season 2 is nearly over, and not a moment too soon. Fans’ heads are in danger of exploding from myriad old and new theories that have amassed in the nearly three-year wait since Season 1’s chilling finale. Such speculation ranges from intriguingly realistic to surreally far-flung, and I’m eager to finally learn which ideas had merit and which were devoid. Thankfully, the show’s cast came together to shed both light and darkness on certain fan theories.

To promote the already lauded-by-critics Season 2 being available to stream soon for fans with Apple TV+ subscriptions, stars John Turturro, Patricia Arquette, Zach Cherry, Adam Scott, and Britt Lower were given a variety of viewer-based theories for a video put together by EW. Several were more or less put to bed, such as the lurking idea that the numbers being tracked by the MDR team are completely meaningless. (Arquette called that one out as being B.S.)

Honestly, though, I was more intrigued by two of the theories that the show's stars didn't quickly shoot down as being illogical or mistaken. The first, because it matches squarely with something I already believe, and the second, because I want to spend more time thinking about what it all means. Let's step through the elevator doors.

THEORY: Irv's Testing Door Paintings Are Connected To Hidden Past With Burt

From the very start of their regular interactions, Turturro's tight-knit Irving and Christopher Walken's O&D charmer Burt seemed to be building on a pre-existing kinship, if not something more heartfelt. That idea was perhaps strengthened by Innie Burt being forced into retirement once Irving's visits became more frequent and disruptive.

Separately, we have the mostly confirmed idea that Outie Irving's paintings are of the Testing Floor hallway and elevator doors that are located below the offices where severed employees work. Those ideas match up via the theory that both Irving and Burt were sent to the Testing Floor in the past to "reset" them, as it were, by severing each's more amorous feelings for the other.

In response to the theory that connects Irving's paintings to a potentially erased relationship with Burt, John Turturro tiptoed around confirming that detail by saying:

Obviously that answer sparks intrigue simply for offering credence to the theory in the first place, but Turturro's specific method of agreement offers more threading to get all knotted up in. In that he refers to his own "theories," which implies that even he's not 100% in the loop on what it all means.

Or perhaps Turturro is indicating that the idea lines up with what his own theories about Irving's story were, before he got wind of whatever the real answer is that creator Dan Erickson and EP Ben Stiller concocted. But that doesn't even necessarily mean the theory is wrong, just that the Emmy-winning actor excels at caginess. I'm still feeling good about this one.

THEORY: Colors Mean Everything In Severance

Okay, so there are technically a bunch of theories focused on Severance's use of colors, but not anything so overarchingly simplistic as "good" characters wear white and "evil" characters wear black. The idea goes beyond the assumption that Erickson & Co. are hyper-intentional with set design and costuming choices, and digs into how the Egan family and Lumon itself utilizes colors to dictate the Innies' world.

Patricia Arquette was the one to shed a thin line of fluorescent light on this matter by more or less agreeing that fans should be paying attention to color schemes, particularly within Lumon's walls. As she put it:

Regardless of what colors Harmony Cobel (or her faux personality Mrs. Selvig) has on, I would find it very hard to consider the character herself as warm and earthy as one might expect from an "Autumn." I guess Selvig could be considered in such a way, given her motherly vibes with Devon and Ricken's baby, but given that was all an artifice, it doesn't count.

In any case, I'm going spend more time ahead of Season 2 doing down obsessive rabbit holes focused on the blue-and-green balance on the Severed Floor, among other thought trains.

But first, I have to give Zach Cherry some credit for leaning into one of the most wonderfully outlandish theories about the conversation-driving goats comprising Lumon's Board, even if his jokey response was kneecapped by Turturro.

• ZACH CHERRY: I'm not going to debunk this. It's possible the goats could be the Board.
• JOHN TURTURRO: I'm debunking it.

It's unclear when or if the above theories will either be proven true or false, but the only way to start arriving at an answer is to watch Season 2 when it debuts on Apple TV+ on Friday, January 17.

When Severance Season 2 hits the 2025 TV schedule, it will be just a few months shy of three years since I was left shouting at the TV (much like Mark Scout’s Innie) after one of the best cliffhangers in TV history. Finally the sci-fi drama is returning to give us some answers about what happened to the macrodata refiners following their little field trip outside of the Lumon severed floor (and for godsakes, why there are the baby goats!), but can the sophomore season possibly live up to the first? Critics have screened the 10-episode season, so let’s see what they have to say.

We can blame Ben Stiller and Dan Erickson’s need for perfection for why Severance Season 2 took so long, but with the big cast additions and intriguing sneak peeks we’ve gotten, I’ll happily sever myself from the past three years of pain in favor of new episodes. Let’s get to the reviews, which I will keep spoiler-free, because it’s not too late to get your Apple TV+ subscription and binge Season 1! Jeremy Mathai of SlashFilm rates the second season an 8 out of 10, calling the series “darker, more ambitious, and as confounding as ever.” Mathai writes:

Nicole Gallucci of Decider says her expectations had swelled to dangerous heights during the three-year wait for new Severance episodes, but there’s no sophomore slump in sight, as Season 2 slaps harder than Page 197 (iykyk). The next chapter of the Lumon employees’ story brilliantly builds on a near-perfect first season, Gallucci writes, continuing:

Carly Lane of Collider gives the second season a perfect 10 out of 10, saying that already Severance makes a strong case to be one of the best shows of 2025. Questions are answered as quickly as new mysteries are introduced, and you’ll be left dissecting a couple of standalone episodes for weeks. Lane writes:

Alison Herman of Variety echoes the sentiment that Season 2 was worth waiting three years for, as the universe expands to give us more of the Outies’ experiences (after following only Adam Scott’s Mark outside of Lumon in Season 1). Herman also confirms that the goats. are. back. The critic says:

Angie Han of THR notes that Season 2 of the upcoming Apple TV+ series is darker, bringing less humor than the first season and leaning into the drama of a cruel corporation that hits uncomfortably close to home. Han says:

It’s been too long that we’ve had to wait for some kind of explanation for what happened to Mark’s wife, what “mysterious and important” work Lumon’s Microdada Refinement division even does and so many other questions. The wait will officially end on Friday, January 17, when Severance Season 2 hits Apple TV+.

While cinematic universes are very common, there are a few comic book properties that are kept separate. Chief among them is Matt Reeves' The Batman (which is streaming with a Max subscription), and that universe has been expanded with the Max series The Penguin. The showrunner has responded to John Turturro's "violence towards women" comments, and made a very logical point about Carmine Falcone.

The Batman Part II is one of the most highly anticipated upcoming DC movies, but luckily we've been able to return to Reeves' Gotham City in The Penguin. While the Falcone crime family is at the heart of the story, Turturro's Carmine Falcone didn't appear in Sofia's flashbacks, with the actor being replaced by Mark Strong. While the 67 year-old actor claimed that was because he didn't like the show's portrayal of violence against women, showrunner Lauren LeFranc spoke to The Wrap about his absence. She said:

Strong's version of Falcone only appeared in one episode of The Batman, where Sofia's backstory of betrayal was finally revealed. And it sounds like LeFranc is satisfied with his take on the character, as well as how Carmine was utilized so specifically in The Penguin.

Turturro's comments about The Penguin's violence towards women quickly circulated online, but Lauren LeFranc claimed that his absence in the series "to my knowledge it was due to scheduling conflicts." She also addressed Carmine Falcone's history of violence as shown in The Batman, saying:

During The Batman's ending, Falcone was ultimately killed by Paul Dano's Riddler, leaving the leadership of his crime empire up for grabs in The Penguin. What we know about The Batman Part II is very limited, but it'll presumably be influenced by what goes down on The Penguin. And in the most recent episode, the Falcone Family was dissolved, with Sofia instead beginning the Gigante empire, after her late mother's maiden name.

The Penguin has been very well received, which will likely help to buoy excitement for the delayed Batman sequel. While we wait for news about the second movie, check out the 2025 movie release dates.

We’re more than halfway into The Penguin’s run on HBO, and along with Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobb being placed front and center, we’ve also seen some other fellow The Batman alums briefly reprise their roles. Additionally, the episode “Cent'Anni” included flashbacks featuring Carmine Falcone, only rather than being reprised by John Turturro, Mark Strong played the younger version of the character. Although Turturro’s absence from this DC TV show airing running on the 2024 TV schedule was initially attributed to scheduling conflicts, the actor has now explained the real reason why he didn’t return for The Penguin.

While speaking with Variety about his new movie The Room Next Door (which will open wide in the United States early on in the 2025 movies schedule), Turturro briefly mentioned that he didn’t feel like returning for The Penguin because he didn’t care for the subject matter involved. In his words:

Warning: SPOILERS for The Penguin are ahead!

Those who’ve been watching The Penguin, whether it be live or later on with their Max subscription, know that Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Falcone spent ten years at Arkham for strangling numerous women to death as The Hangman. However, as revealed in “Cent'Anni,” it was actually her father Carmine who committed these murders, which included his wife and Sofia and Alberto’s mother, Isabella, who was originally thought to have died by suicide. When Sofia started aiding the police in their investigation into the deaths of women who worked at the Iceberg Lounge and also initially thought to have hanged themselves, Carmine framed his own daughter and had her institutionalized to prevent her from talking.

Evidently this aspect of Carmine Falcone was enough to dissuade John Turturro from reprising Carmine Falcone, which is why Mark Strong (who previously played Sinestro in Green Lantern and Dr. Sivana in Shazam!) was cast in his place. Turturro also said the following about how he preferred that Carmine’s brutality was only implied during The Batman rather than outright shown:

It’s important to note that we never actually see Strong’s younger Carmine Falcone ever actually strangle these women onscreen during The Penguin, so Turturro wouldn’t have needed to worry about acting out such scenes. That said, assuming he read all of the “Cent'Anni” script, he may be referring to the other deaths shown in the episode, like when Sofia killed Magpie at Arkham and gassed almost the entirety of her family to death in the present day storyline. Regardless, Turturro sounds like he’s content with what he accomplished with Carmine during his time on The Batman, which saw his character being killed by The Riddler.

New episodes of The Penguin air Sundays at 9 pm ET on HBO and are released on Max shortly thereafter. Following the conclusion of the miniseries, the shared universe known as the Batman Epic Crime Saga will pick back up when The Batman: Part II is released on October 2, 2026.

The events of Matt Reeves’ The Batman saw crime lord Carmine Falcone being fatally shot by Edward Nashton, a.k.a. The Riddler, as part of his plot to expose corruption in Gotham City. But we’re not done spending time with this longtime Batman villain just yet, as Falcone is set to appear in the upcoming DC TV show The Penguin through flashbacks. However, instead of being reprised by John Turturro, Mark Strong is taking over playing Carmine, and showrunner Lauren LeFranc explained to CinemaBlend why this pivotal role was recast.

Our own Sean O’Connell had the opportunity to speak with LeFranc ahead of the Colin Farrell-led The Penguin premiering to HBO viewers and Max subscription holders this Thursday on the 2024 TV schedule. Although Strong playing Carmine Falcone was only just revealed to the public, Sean was privy to this knowledge ahead of time, so he asked the showrunner why Strong was selected to play Carmine and if Turturro was asked back. She answered:

While it would have been welcome seeing John Turturro getting to spend a little more time in Carmine Falcone’s shoes, it’s completely understandable that scheduling conflicts prevented this from happening. After all, The Penguin was filming around the same time as the second season of Severance, the Apple TV+ show where Turturro is a series regular alongside people like Adam Scott, Dichen Lachman, Christopher Walken and Patricia Arquette. With that and other projects taking up his time, it’s no wonder he didn’t have time for The Penguin.

Fortunately, Mark Strong is a talented actor in his own right, so I’m eager to see how he does playing Carmine Falcone in this The Batman spinoff series. This is Strong’s third DC role, as he previously played Sinestro in Green Lantern and Thaddeus Sivana in the Shazam! movies. Here’s how he’ll look as Carmine:

Carmine Falcone may be gone from The Batman world, but his criminal enterprise lives on, which includes his children Sofia, played by Cristin Milioti, and Alberto, played by Michael Zegen. Other major players in The Penguin’s cast include Clancy Brown’s Sal Maroni, Rhenzy Felix’s Victor Aguilar, Michael Kelly’s Johnny Vitti and Shohreh Aghdashloo’s Nadia Maroni, among others. Lauren LeFranc wrote both the premiere and the finale, and the miniseries’ directors include Craig Zabel and Helen Shaver.

Keep visiting CinemaBlend for more coverage on The Penguin. Also, don’t forget that Colin Farrell will reprise Oz Cobb in The Batman: Part II, which hits theaters on October 2, 2026.

When it comes to the smartest TV detectives we’ve ever seen, Adrian Monk definitely can count himself among them – right next to Columbo, Sherlock Holmes, and Luther (to name a few). For eight seasons of the USA Network series, Adrian Monk’s tendency to see all the details, often tied with his OCD, matched with his personal motivation to get “the guy” following the death of his wife, Trudy, was exciting to tune into week-to-week. All the while, major actors would often guest star. Some of which were big names before Monk, and others that have since skyrocketed into fame. 

Jeffrey Dean Morgan 

Over a decade before Jeffrey Dean Morgan became The Walking Dead’s Negan, the famed TV actor was in the Season 3 premiere of Monk, “Mr. Monk Takes Manhattan.” In the episode, Monk travels with the SFPD team to New York City to do some work in association with the murder of Trudy, but in the meantime, Monk gets embroiled in the case of a recently deceased Latvian ambassador. Morgan’s character catches the detective’s eye in connection to the ambassador’s death. 

Malcolm McDowell

The lead of Stanley Kubrick’s masterful A Clockwork Orange, Malcolm McDowell, made his way into Monk during Season 4 in a particularly great episode of the series that takes the detective into the world of fashion. In “Mr. Monk Goes To A Fashion Show,” he decides to pay a visit to the inspector of his favorite collared shirts when he notices recent inconsistencies. It leads him and Natalie to meet a British fashion designer named Julian Hodge, played by McDowell. 

Jennifer Lawrence

Did you know that Silver Linings Playbook Oscar winner, Jennifer Lawrence, was in Monk? Back in 2006, when the actress was a teenager and had not yet starred in any movies, she had a very small role as a high school mascot in the Season 5 episode “Mr. Monk and the Big Game.” Her head is covered for most of her scene, but she does take off the helmet for a moment in the episode. 

Jason Alexander 

Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander guest starred in Monk for the Season 4 premiere “Mr. Monk and the Other Detective” as another P.I. in town named Marty Eels. During Monk’s latest case, the detective begins to be overshadowed by Alexander’s character, which hilariously has Monk calling him a cheater. As Eels becomes a big competitor for Monk, it’s a blast to see Shalhoub and Alexander act together. 

John Turturro 

Monk perfectly cast the detective’s brother in 2004 by bringing in John Turturro in a fabulous guest role, that he would play in three episodes. Turturro, who is famous for being in movies with the Coen Brothers, Spike Lee and Adam Sandler played Ambrose, who suffers from severe agoraphobia and deepened Monk’s backstory. He was so memorable in the series that he earned an Emmy for “Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series” for the episode in which he debuted the character, in Season 2’s “Mr. Monk and the Three Pies”. 

Stanley Tucci

One of the strongest Monk episodes of the series is definitely Season 5’s “Mr. Monk and the Actor.” In the 2006 episode, an actor named David Ruskin is set to play Adrian Monk in a movie based on his life and comes to shadow Adrian on his cases. Stanley Tucci plays Ruskin as the actor goes a bit too method with the role of Adrian and debunks some demons regarding what it’s like to be Monk. Tucci won an Emmy for the guest role, and was actually a finalist to play Adrian Monk prior to his guest role. 

Rainn Wilson 

Just a couple years before Rainn Wilson would become Dwight Schrute on one of the best sitcoms of all time, The Office, the actor made a small guest appearance on Monk in Season 2. He played a massive baseball fan and collector as Adrian Monk looked into a case involving a star baseball player. 

James Brolin 

Longtime TV and movie actor James Brolin (who is also the father of Josh Brolin and husband to Barbara Streisand), made his way into Monk for 2005’s Vegas episode. Brolin plays a millionaire casino owner who becomes a suspect following the death of his wife, and Stottlemeyer brings in Monk to solve the case. 

Sean Astin 

In Season 5, Lord of the Rings and The Goonies actor, Sean Astin crossed paths with Tony Shalhoub’s Monk in an episode called “Mr. Monk Is At Your Service.” Astin plays a young billionaire, Paul Buchanan, whom Monk and Natalie come across amidst a visit to Natalie’s parents' wealthy neighborhood. Monk ends up going undercover as Paul’s butler to learn more about him. 

Sarah Silverman 

Famed standup comedian, Sarah Silverman, guest starred in three episodes of Monk over the years as a character named Marci Maven. She first became part of the procedural in 2004 for “Mr. Monk and the TV Star,”  where she played an obsessed fan of the star of a hit show made up for the series called Crime Lab S.F. 

Danny Trejo 

In “Mr. Monk Goes To Jail” in Season 2, Danny Trejo, of Spy Kids, From Dusk Till Dawn and Desperado (among many of his movies), also got to work alongside Tony Shalhoub’s Monk. During the episode, Monk goes undercover as the cellmate of Trejo’s character, who is a convicted quadruple murderer. As you may suspect, comedy ensues. 

Snoop Dogg 

Snoop Dogg was also in Monk for the Season’s “Mr. Monk and the Rapper,” where he played a fictional hip hop star, Murderuss. In the episode, Murderuss approaches the detective to hire him to clear his name after becoming the primary suspect in the death of another rapper. The best part? Snoop Dogg actually raps Monk’s famous “here’s what happened” segment at the end. 

Alfred Molina

Beloved character actor, Alfred Molina, has also been part of Monk for a Season 6 episode. What’s interesting about Molina, is he was actually one of the finalists to play the lead role of Adrian Monk before Shalhoub was cast. In his guest role, he played a billionaire software mogul whose beach house has a view of a nudist beach. 

Jon Favreau 

MCU actor and famed director Jon Favreau was in “Mr. Monk Goes To The Dentist,” which aired during the series’ fourth season in 2006. Favreau plays a dentist who Lieutenant Disher goes to and swears murdered someone while he was under anesthesia for a procedure. 

Carmen Electra

All-star actor, model and singer Carmen Electra can be found in the Monk episode “Mr. Monk and the Panic Room” which came out in 2004. The episode has the detective investigating a crime scene where it seems like a chimpanzee has killed his owner. The victim is a record producer and Electra plays his pop star wife. 

Craig T. Nelson 

Poltergeist and Parenthood actor Craig T. Nelson earned a very important role in Monk for its two-part finale, “Mr. Monk and the End.” He plays Judge Ethan Rickover, who was on the California Court of Appeals and has a history with Monk’s late wife, Trudy. 

Tim Curry 

In Season 1, an enemy of Monk’s was introduced as financier Dale “The Whale” Biederbeck. After the character was originated by Adam Arkin, none other than The Rocky Horror Picture Show’s Tim Curry embodied the role for a brief time in “Mr. Monk Goes To Jail.” 

Niecy Nash

Reno 911’s Niecy Nash made a guest spot in Monk in the early days for “Mr. Monk and the Girl Who Cried Wolf.” The episode follows Adrian’s first assistant Sharona as she starts to believe she’s losing her sanity when she keeps seeing a man with a screwdriver sticking out of his ear (that no one else can see). Neicy Nash plays Sharona’s friend and fellow nurse, Varla should step in to assist Monk. 

Jeffrey Donovan 

The star of Burn Notice, which also was on USA Network like Monk, turned up in the detective series in the episode “Mr. Monk and the Astronaut.” In the Season 4 episode, Jeffrey Donovan plays an astronaut who Monk is sure killed someone, but his alibi is airtight… considering he was in space when the murder occurred. 

Laurie Metcalf 

Roseanne actress Laurie Metcalf had some fun on Monk when she guest starred in the Season 4 episode “Mr. Monk Bumps His Head.” When Adrian wakes up in a small town with amnesia, Metcalf’s unhinged character uses the opportunity to convince the detective he is her husband. 

Nick Offerman 

Parks and Recreation’s Nick Offerman made an appearance in 2005’s “Mr. Monk and the Election” before he became famous for playing the very quotable Ron Swanson. Look out for the actor in his clean-shaven days during the Season 3 episode that has Natalie Teager running for the school board. 

Jane Lynch 

Before actress Jane Lynch rocked sweatsuits on Glee, she did guest for “Mr. Monk Gets Married.” In the episode, Randy Disher is concerned about his mother getting suddenly married to a man who is 30 years younger (played by Lost’s Nestor Carbonell) than him and asks Monk to look into it. This leads Monk and Sharona to pretend to be a married couple for a retreat that Lynch’s psychologist character is in charge of. 

Amy Sedaris 

The very funny Amy Sedaris was on two episodes of Monk to play Sharona’s younger sister, Gail. She first appeared in 2002’s “Mr. Monk and the Earthquake” before also being part of 2003’s “Mr. Monk Goes To The Theater.” Since she’s an actress in the series, her part in a local play that turns into a crime scene makes the second episode a particularly juicy appearance for Sedaris. 

Rachel Dratch

Saturday Night Live’s Rachel Dratch found her way into Monk for “Mr. Monk and the Missing Granny.” In the 2004 episode, Dratch’s character is stressed about the kidnapping of her grandmother and offers to help reinstate Monk to the police force if he can help find her alive. 

Howie Mandel

The Gremlins actor and game and competition show host played the role of Ralph Roberts in two episodes of Monk in 2008. Howie Mandel played the head of a religious cult called Siblings of the Sun in the Season 7 episodes. Mandel is a germaphobe in real life like Monk is.

Holland Taylor

Two and a Half Men actress Holland Taylor played Natalie Teager’s mother Peggy in two episodes of Monk. In the series, Peggy is a well-off woman who married into the Davenport Toothpaste business. She is part of 2005’s “Mr. Monk Goes To A Wedding” and 2007’s “Mr. Monk Is At Your Service.” 

Gena Rowlands

Gena Rowlands is an Academy Award nominee who starred in movies like Woman Under The Influence and Gloria in her youth before famously playing the older version of Allie in The Notebook. In Season 7’s “Mr. Monk and the Lady Next Door,” Monk becomes friendly with Rowlands’ Marge Johnson, but suspicions about her true intentions begin to grow. 

Ariel Winter

Before Ariel Winter became part of Modern Family’s Dunphy family, the actress was in Monk as an eight-year-old for “Mr. Monk and the Astronaut.” She has a small but pivotal role as the neighbor of the victim, whose place in the story leads Monk to track down the killer. 

Julie Bowen

In Season 7’s “Mr. Monk and the Bully,” Julie Bowen plays a character that Adrian Monk investigates after his childhood bully comes out of the woodwork asking for help from the detective. The Truman Show’s Noah Emmerich plays her husband and Monk’s former bully. Julie Bowen is a two-time Emmy winner for her leading role in ABC’s Modern Family. 

Eric Stonestreet

Modern Family’s Cameron Tucker was on Monk the same year the hit ABC comedy first arrived on network television. In “Mr. Monk and the UFO,” Eric Stonestreet plays a small role as a local mechanic named Boom-Boom whom Monk offends and ends up raising his estimate. 

Sung Kang 

Sung Kang, who famously played Han in the Fast and the Furious movies, also guest starred in Monk as two separate characters. First in “Mr. Monk vs. the Cobra” he plays an employee of a martial arts school they visit while investigating the death of a fictional kung fu star, Sonny Chow. Four years later, Kang stars in “Mr. Monk on Wheels” as the cousin of a criminal named John Kuramoto.

Angela Kinsey 

The Office actress Angela Kinsey had a guest role in Monk as Arlene Boras for two episodes of the series. She plays an X-ray technician who was in Alfred Molina’s episode, “Mr. Monk and the Naked Man.” She reprised her role for the 100th episode of Monk as well. 

It’s been over two years since Severance — one of the best Apple TV+ original series — left viewers with that wild Season 1 cliffhanger, and now we finally know when we will see what’s next for Mark Scout and the rest of his severed colleagues at Lumon Industries. Severance Season 2 will return on January 17, 2025, Apple TV+ announced, and that’s not all. A sneak peek (which you can see above) gives us a glimpse of the chaos that awaits, including a first look at new cast member Gwendoline Christie. I can’t help but wonder if she’s going to help us figure out what’s up with those goats?

Gwendoline Christie is one of several major additions to the Severance Season 2 cast, with the Game of Thrones veteran joining the ensemble that includes Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower and John Turturro. Details of Christie’s character haven’t been released, but in the sneak peek, we see her tell someone (seemingly Mark and Helly), “You should have left.” It seems she’s definitely in the know about what’s going on at Lumon Industries, but how much is she involved? Were her words a threat or a warning?

From the fluorescent lighting and what looks like an employee badge, I’m assuming she’s inside Lumon. However, in addition to the typical business attire we’ve seen from its employees, Gwendoline Christie’s character appears to be wearing an apron of some sort under her blazer and a kerchief in her hair. Could she be part of a maintenance or cleaning crew? Taking care of baby goats also could be a pretty messy job that requires some extra layers, am I right?

The rest of the new video is just as cryptic, showing mere flashes of Season 2, including what has to be Helly’s Outie walking alone down a corridor after her Innie outed Lumon’s treatment of its severed employees. I can’t wait to dig deeper into Helly’s role in everything. We also see Dylan entering possibly a new area of Lumon, a flipbook of what appears to be drawings of Christopher Walken’s Burt, and a shot of Irving with his head thrown back in laughter.

Tramell Tillman’s Milchick is back, as we see him running down the hallway again, and Helly is shown crawling down Lumon’s halls for reasons unknown. As expected, it looks like we’re going to get more time with Mark outside the office, as Adam Scott’s character is shown outdoors looking pretty terrified, and an overhead shot shows three unknown people all running from (or chasing) something.

It’s hard to know at this point what any of it means, but there’s no doubt fans will start poring over this look at Season 2 and begin forming more wild theories about Gwendoline Christie’s role and the microdata refiners’ fates.

Along with the Star Wars actress, Season 2 adds John Noble, Bob Balaban, Robby Benson, Stefano Carannante, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Alia Shawkat and Merritt Wever. We’ll also see Jen Tullock, Michael Chernus, Dichen Lachman and Patricia Arquette reprising their roles from Season 1.

As little as the Severance Season 2 sneak peek tells us, I’m more excited than ever to get back into that unhinged world. The only drawback is knowing we still have months to wait until its release. However, that means we have plenty of time to get caught up or refreshed on the TV series’ most shocking moments, including when we learned the identity of Helly’s outie and that big twist regarding Mark’s wife.

Severance’s first season can be streamed with an Apple TV+ subscription, and keep an eye on the 2024 TV schedule to see what’s coming soon.

There are fewer more popular cult classics than The Big Lebowski. Some of the cast is very well known of course, and they are on this list, but others are less so. They are all phenomenal actors, and most have had long careers outside of the Coen Brothers classic, and while you might think to yourself, "Oh yeah, I know that guy," you might not remember from where. That's why we're here to fill in those gaps and give you 32 cast members from The Big Lebowski and where else you've seen them on screen. 

Jeff Bridges (The Dude)

Of course, you can't talk about The Big Lebowski without talking about The Dude, or "El Duderino" if you're not into the whole brevity thing. Jeff Bridges is on the record as saying it was one of his favorite roles and that's saying a lot considering he's won an Oscar for another role in Crazy Heart and is the star of another beloved cult classic, Tron. Bridges' full list of accomplishments is far too long to mention here. 

Peter Stormare (Uli Kunkel/Karl Hungus)

Any fan of the Coens probably immediately recognizes Peter Stormare as the nihilist Uli Kunkel and from his role as Gaear Grimsrud, Steve Buscemi partner in Fargo. Before Lebowski, he also was in The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Armageddon. Most recently, he is probably best known for playing Abram Tarasov, the main baddie in John Wick: Chapter 2. 

John Goodman (Walter Sobchak)

John Goodman's performance as Walter Sobchak is one of the best of the legend's career. It's hardly his only great performance in a Coen Brothers movie, either. He's worked with the writing and directing team in Raising Arizona, O Brother Where Are Thou?, Inside Llewellyn Davis, and Barton Fink as well. Not to mention all the other roles he's well known for. 

David Huddlestone

The late David Huddlestone, who passed away in 2016 was amazing as the other Jeff Lebowski. He also pops up in some other great roles you may have missed, like Mayor Olson Johnson in Blazing Saddles and as Sen. Max Lobell in a couple of episodes of The West Wing. 

Philip Moon (Woo)

Philip Moon's Woo is one of the two goons sent by Jackie Treehorn to shakedown the wrong Lebowski and his actions towards The Dude's rug is what kicks off the whole adventure. Outside of this movie, Moon is probably best known as Mr. Lee in Season 2 of Deadwood. 

Mark Pellegrino (Thug #2)

Mark Pellegrino plays one of the thugs who assault The Dude at the beginning of the movie, dropping The Dude's bowling ball on the floor in the bathroom. Pellegrino has dozens of credits on his resume going all the way back to the 1980s including the wrestling movie No Holds Barred, plus Lethal Weapon 3, Mulholland Drive, Capote, and National Treasure. Pellegrino is also well known for playing Jacob in Lost. 

Flea (Kieffer)

The three idiot nihilists who fake the kidnapping of Bunny Lebowski were all in a band together called Autobahn. Every band needs a bass player, so adding the Red Hot Chili Pepper's Flea to the mix is perfect casting. It's not Flea's only acting work, either. He has also appeared in Back to the Future II as one of the skating thugs, and alongside his bandmate, Anthony Kiedis in The Chase among other roles. 

Leon Russom (Malibu Police Chief)

The chief of the Malibu police department, played by Leon Russom, is a real reactionary. Russom himself is, presumably, not, but he is a fantastic actor. He's best known these days for his smaller, but very important role as the old man in the woods in A Quiet Place. 

Torsten Voges (Franz)

German Torsten Voges' first big role in the U.S. was as one of the nihilists, Franz. He's the least known of the three actors playing the supposed kidnappers, but since he's appeared in movies like 88mm and TV shows like Grimm. 

Julianne Moore (Maude Lebowski)

The late '90s were a peak moment in Julianne Moore's career, one of a few, as she continues to be one of the best actors in Hollywood. Around the same that she starred in The Big Lebowski, she also starred in Boogie Nights and Magnolia. More recently she received acclaim for her acting in May December, one of the best movies of 2023. 

Jerry Haleva (Saddam Hussein)

Jerry Haleva isn't a big name actor, but he found a lot of success in the 1990s for playing Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, including in The Big Lebowski. As the spitting image of Hussein, he also showed up in Hot Shots! and Hot Shots! Part Deux.

Sam Elliott (The Stranger)

Sam Elliott has one of the greatest mustaches in movie history and it's on full display in the movie. Elliott is beloved for his decades of work in movies like Mask, the classic western Tombstone, and Road House. 

Philip Seymour Hoffman (Brandt)

The Big Lebowski was released just as the late Philip Seymour Hoffman's career was really starting to take off. He'd had some important roles previously, as in Boogie Nights, Twister, and Scent of a Woman, and of course after he became a pretty huge star. 

Jimmie Dale Gilmore (Smokey)

Jimmie Dale Gilmore plays the burnout pacifist Smokey whose foot was over the line in a league match against Walter and The Dude. Gilmore isn't a professional actor, but he is one of the most accomplished and underrated country singer/songwriters of '70s and '80s. 

Ben Gazzara (Jackie Treehorn)

When Ben Gazzara died in 2012, he'd been in show business for nearly 60 years. He started on the stage but also made a huge mark on TV and in movies. Some of his most well-known roles came in The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), Summer of Sam, and, of course, as the main antagonist in the original Road House, alongside fellow Lebowski actor Sam Elliott.

Aimee Mann (Nihilist Woman)

Aimee Mann doesn't have a huge role in the movie, as she's seen just in one scene, ordering pancakes with the other nihilists, and missing a toe nail, with nail polish. Of course, Mann is best known as one of Canada's greatest singer/songwriters and while her music has been in many movies, she's only acted in a couple. 

Jon Polito (Da Fino)

Jon Polito was a Coen Brothers regular, playing in five of their movies before his death in 2015. He also was a series regular in the first couple of seasons of Homicide Life On The Streets and in movies like The Crow and American Gangster. 

Tara Reid (Bunny Lebowski)

Pretty much everyone knows Tara Reid, right? In the '90s, she was huge, starring not only as Bunny in The Big Lebowski, but as Vicky in American Pie and its sequels. Since, her most infamous role has been in the Sharknado series. Bunny is still her best role though, don't you think? Brandt does. 

Jack Kehler (Marty The Dancing Landlord)

Jack Kehler is a fantastic character actor who completely disappears into his roles. So much so that you might love some his movies and not even know he's in it - and that's meant as a compliment. He's been in Point Break, Men In Black, Waterworld, and many others. 

Steve Buscemi (Donny)

Donny was a bowler. And a surfer. Steve Buscemi is an actor. And a legend. And so much more. There isn't much we can add that most people don't know about Buscemi. He's starred in some of the best movies and TV shows of all time, including Reservoir Dogs, Con Air, and The Sopranos. It's arguably he's most loved as Donny though. 

Carlos Leon (Maude's Thug)

Carlos Leon has a pretty small role in The Big Lebowski as one of Maude's thugs who knocks The Dude out and takes the rug back. After Lebowski, he found his biggest fame as a series regular, Carlos, in Oz. He's got dozens of other credits to his name, especially on shows shot in New York like Law & Order and others. Of course, he is most known for being Madonna's ex-partner and the father of her daughter, Lourdes Leon.

John Turturro (Jesus)

It could be easily argued that John Turturro steals the show as Jesus. Of course, he steals the show in almost every movie his in, and he's well-known for doing it. His breakout role came in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing and since he's got dozens and dozens of impressive credits, including three Golden Globe-winning performances. 

Richard Gant (Older Cop)

Richard Gant's small role in The Big Lebowski as the more skeptical cop investigating The Dude's car theft is a character actor with an impressive career. He's worked with Eddie Murphy in movies like Norbit, Daddy Day Care, and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, among other roles. 

Christian Clemenson (Younger Cop)

The more enthusiastic cop helping The Dude with his car is played by Christian Clemenson. Clemenson has been working in Hollywood since the mid-'80s when he had a small role in Hannah and Her Sisters. He's also been in blockbusters like United 93, Apollo 13, J. Edgar, The Fisher King, and Broadcast News. 

Dom Irrera (Tony The Chauffeur) 

When The Dude learns all about his chauffeur's rash, he can do nothing but sympathize. the chauffeur, played by comedian Dom Irrera, is a small but memorable role. It's Irrera that makes it so. The standup has been in the business for decades and often pops up in screwball comedies like Silence of the Hams and the forgotten Rodney Dangerfield movie The Fourth Tenor. 

David Thewlis (Knox Harrington)

David Thewlis plays the visual artist Knox Harrington. Most people know Thewlis as Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter series. He's was also Ares in Wonder Woman and Justice League, plus he'll star in the next two installments of the Avatar series. He's a fantastic actor who you might now know the name of, but love him nonetheless. 

Lu Elrod (Diner Waitress)

Lu Elrod is one of the actors that you know you've seen before, but can't always place. In Lebowski she's the waitress that tries to hush Walter, but she's also played small roles in about a dozen other movies like Primary Colors, Wag The Dog, and Kicking And Screaming.  

Mike Gomez (Laughing Cop)

The most memeable moment in the movie is the laughing cop when The Dude asks about any leads in the case of his stolen car. Mike Gomez is that laughing cop and as such, has become more recognizable for that rile. Outside of that, he's probably best known as Quinones in the Clint Eastwood movie Heartbreak Ridge.  

Peter Siragusa (Gary The Bartender)

Heard more than seen, Peter Siragusa as Gary the bartender doesn't have a big role in the movie, serving The Dude his White Russians at the bowling alley. Peter Siragusa was an accomplished actor, however. Much of it was voice work before he died in 2022, but you would certainly recognize him as the lineman in Home Alone. 

Warren Keith (The Funeral Director)

Warren Keith is one of the Coen Brothers' go-to actors, having appeared in four of their movies, Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski and well as off screen in Fargo and A Serious Man. He was recently in the acclaimed 2020 Oscar-winner Nomandland as well. 

Gérard L'Heureux (The Big Lebowski's Chauffeur)

Gérard L'Heureux doesn't have a big role in the movie either, but he is a great actor, despite not really having any lines as he drags The Dude from one limo to another. He's probably best known as one of the prison guards in Con Air, a movie that doesn't make any sense but is still one of the most re-watchable movies ever. 

Asia Carrera (Woman in Adult Movie)

Some of you out there might not want to admit to knowing who Asia Carrera is, but certainly many do. As one of the most-booked adult film stars of the '90s, Carrera was very famous, but not often talked about. The Big Lebowski is one of her very few roles in straight Hollywood, but she's got hundreds of credits in that other Hollywood that people don't always admit to watching. She's really a legend in that way. 

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Mr. & Mrs. Smith Season 1. If you have yet to watch the new series and don’t want anything spoiled, please exercise extreme caution.

The Amazon original series, Mr. & Mrs. Smith finally debuted on the streaming platform in February 2024, and the small-screen reimagining of the 2005 Brad Pitt and Angelina Joie action comedy, is getting a lot of praise from critics. While a lot of that attention has been focused on series leads Donald Glover and Maya Erskine’s John and Jane Smith, there has also been a lot of buzz about the various guest stars who appeared throughout the show’s first eight episodes. Maybe because the cast list is absolutely stacked!

If you’ve watched the new 2024 TV show and are wondering why some of those familiar faces look so familiar, stick around, because we’re about to break down all the Mr. & Mrs. Smith Season 1 guest stars…

Alexander Skarsgård (Other John)

Before Donald Glover and Maya Erskine’s titular characters show up on Mr. & Mrs. Smith, we are introduced to a team of spies played by Alexander Skarsgård and Eiza González. The mysterious couple isn’t around all that long and they don’t even get a chance to finish their final bottle of wine before being taken out by a pair of mysterious killers. Before his brief portrayal, Skarsgård made a name for himself on shows like True Blood and Big Little Lies.

Eiza González (Other Jane)

Eiza González’s Jane makes it a little longer than her John, but not by much, as the mysterious spy is killed off four minutes into the first episode. Probably best known for her roles in Baby Driver, Hobbs & Shaw, and Ambulance, González has also appeared on shows like From Dusk till Dawn: The Series and Extrapolations.

Paul Dano (Harris, A.K.A. ‘Hot Neighbor’)

Paul Dano appears briefly throughout Season 1, and you would think that his character, Harris, a.k.a., “Hot Neighbor,” would be some kind of villain. But no, the architect who lives next to John and Jane Smith is just simply obsessed with their brownstone and how they afford such a place. Dano does give off some creepy vibes like characters in several of his best movies like The Batman, Prisoners, and There Will Be Blood.

John Turturro (Eric Shane)

John Turturro, who has been in some of the best Coen Brothers movies over the years, shows up in the second episode of Mr. & Mrs. Smith Season 1 as Eric Shane, a wealthy and eccentric billionaire real estate mogul who becomes the titular couple’s target. But he isn’t around long, as a botched mission ends with this wild character in a compost bin. In addition to playing iconic movie characters, Turturro has also appeared on a long list of TV shows that includes The Plot Against America, The Night Of, Severance, and Monk, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award.

Sharon Horgan (Gavol Martin)

Catastrophe star and co-creator Sharon Horgan shows up in the third episode as Gavol Martin, a successful businesswoman who becomes John and Jane’s latest target when they’re on a luxurious skiing holiday in the Italian Dolomites. But, things don’t according to plan on what ends up being a tense and thrilling vacation, as Gavol finds herself in a delicate and dangerous situation. Horgan has also appeared on shows like Bad Sisters, HouseBroken, and Disenchantment in recent years.

Billy Campbell (Parker Martin)

Billy Campbell also appears in the third episode of Mr. and Mrs. Smith Season 1, and he can be seen playing Gavol Martin’s frustrated husband, Parker, who has grown tired of his wife’s workaholic and demeaning personality. If Campbell looks familiar, it could have something to do with the fact that he famously played Clifford Secord in Joe Dante’s The Rocketeer, a Disney movie that deserves a sequel. More recently, Campbell has landed roles on shows like Cardinal, Helix, FBI, and Star Trek: Prodigy.

Parker Posey (Other Jane)

We meet a third set of John and Jane Smiths halfway through Mr. & Mrs. Smith, a couple that initially seems like a friendly, well-meaning pair of spies. But as we learn throughout the show, looks are often deceiving, and that’s the case for Parker Posey’s Jane. Prior to taking on the role of the cold-hearted killer, Posey appeared in some of the best ‘90s movies like Dazed and Confused, You’ve Got Mail, and Party Girl, to name a few. More recently, Posey has given great small-screen performances on The Staircase, Lost in Space, and Tales of the Walking Dead.

Wagner Moura (Other John)

Wagner Moura appears as the John to Parker Posey’s Jane and one part of the dastardly duo tasked with taking out other killers from the shadowy organization. Moura, who will show up in A24’s Civil War later in 2024, is best known for his work on shows like Narcos and Narcos: Mexico where he played Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. Fans of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish should recognize Moura’s voice from his portrayal of the Wolf, a.k.a., one of the best DreamWorks Animation villains to date.

Úrsula Corberó (Runi)

One of the briefest guest appearances during Mr. & Mrs. Smith Season 1 belongs to Úrsula Corberó, who shows up as John Smith’s ex-girlfriend, Runi. If you recognized the actress from her shot time at the farmer’s market it could have something to do with her portrayal of Silene Oliveira on the popular Netflix streaming series, Money Heist. 

Ron Perlman (Toby)

Ron Perlman has one of the wildest and most over-the-top guest spots during Season 1 when he shows up as a man named Toby, who has to be rescued and protected by Donald Glover and Maya Erskine’s characters in Lake Como. Though his character is a major departure from roles he had on Sons of Anarchy and Hand of God, the Hellboy and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts actor is just as charismatic and hilarious on the new Amazon series.

Sarah Paulson (Couples Therapist)

Another great Mr. & Mrs. Smith guest spot belongs to Sarah Paulson, who shows up in the final third of the season as John and Jane Smith’s quirky couples therapist. A nice touch to the cast, Paulson makes the most of her short time on screen and gives a genuinely hilarious performance. It’s quite different from her Ratched and various American Horror Story characters, which makes the guest role so much more fun.

Michaela Coel (Bev)

Michaela Coel shows up as Bev, a rival spy whom Jane initially believes is John’s hook-up buddy near the tail end of the show’s first season. Throughout her career, Coel has done everything from appearing in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as Dora Milaje warrior Aneka to creating and starring in her own black comedy series, I May Destroy You, and showing up in two of the best Black Mirror episodes. 

Who knows what kind of guest stars will show up in Mr. & Mrs. Smith if the show is picked up for a second season, but if you want to revisit these great appearances you can do so right now with an Amazon subscription. 

Stream Mr. & Mrs. Smith on Amazon.

Updated with video.

Whenever The Conners welcomes new characters into the dysfunctional fold, it usually means some form of bad news for the titular family, whether it's local business owners turning Darlene down for work or old classmates returning to reignite past rivalries. That pattern rang similarly true when The View's Whoopi Goldberg traded off morning chats for sitcom spats for a recent guest spot, where she played Mark's music teacher who also had personal history with Jackie. Thankfully, that discomfort didn't bleed over behind the scenes, as Lecy Goranson told CinemaBlend the EGOT comedienne was an absolute delight on the set. while also sharing what kinds of guest stars she'd love to see stopping by the ABC show.

Whoopi Goldberg appeared in Episode 517, "The Contra Hearings and the Midnight Gambler," taking on the role of Mrs. Glen. And while she wasn't a big barrel of smiling laughter the whole time, given her non-ideal relationship with the fam, she did get to dish out some signature Whoopi snark by way of Mrs. Glen ripping on the Conners' sliding scale of domestic class. She apparently dropped the character's aloofness when the cameras stopped rolling, though, as Lecy Goranson shared just how pleased she was to have the Star Trek vet as a guest star.

That's five different "wins," and only three of them made it into the headline. Whoopi Goldberg got wins for days. 

Since it sounded like she and other cast members were able to spend a decent amount of time with Goldberg during her visit, I asked Lecy Goranson how that usually went with Conners guest stars (particularly outside of pandemic-related setbacks). In her words:

The last time The Conners focused a plotline on Mark's contrabassoon skills, Hollywood icon Christopher Lloyd served as the wowzers guest star, reprising the role he originated in Roseanne. Assuming Mark's talents pop up again in the coming episodes, should we expect to see another major cameo as his new instructor? Or, since things went so well the first time around, maybe Whoopi Goldberg will be asked to return for a more genial experience with the Lanford fam. 

Two Guest Stars Lecy Goranson Would Love To Have On The Conners

Considering all the guest stars that have brought their talents to the ABC sitcom, with Season 5 alone serving up icons like William H. Macy and SNL vet Jane Curtain to share the screen with Katey Sagal and John Goodman, I asked Lecy Goranson about who she would love to welcome to the show in the future, whether as a love interest for Becky or in other capacities. First and foremost, she would love more theatre actors, and has two particular fan-favorite stars of the stage and screen in mind for potential Conners appearances. 

It probably goes without saying how amaze(bowling)balls it would be if John Turturro signed on for a Conners appearance, since he and John Goodman co-starred in one of the coolest damned movies of all time, The Big Lebowski. (You just know The Dude would go gaga for some of the rugs, sofa throws and more from the Conners' home over the years.) He's currently starring in Apple TV+'s Severance, which is on the other side of the TV spectrum tonally from the ABC hit, but it'd be the perfect way for him to go against type, amirite?

And who wouldn't want General Zod himself to have a reason to make Lanford kneel before him? Not that Michael Shannon would be playing the DC villain on The Conners, but he'd no doubt bring the same amount of intensity that he embues into every role. He's also currently busy promoting his latest small screen foray, as he's back for the follow-up miniseries Waco: The Aftermath, which will premiere on Showtime on April 16. 

I'm not sure what I can personally do to make either of those casting choices happen, but if it involves sitting down and writing about it from my home office, I think we're in good shape. In the meantime, The Conners' next episode is set to air on ABC on Wednesday, April 19, and will be available to stream the next day with a Hulu subscription. Head to our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see what other new and returning shows are popping up soon.

Every once in a while, there comes a movie I am so hyped for that I literally count down the days until it gets here. For a long time, it was the Harry Potter series. Then I started to convert that energy to movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But as I’ve gotten older, I also have that same energy for a certain filmmaker whenever he releases a new project, and that’s Guillermo del Toro. 

A master of fantasy and horror, del Toro is one of my idols in the movie world, and someone I truly look up to in terms of what I believe is a great moviemaker. And now, he’s coming out with a new film on Netflix, his adaptation of Pinocchio that he’s been working on for years. And let me tell you – the cast is stacked. 

From people who have appeared in several del Toro movies before, to brand new actors, here is where you might have seen (or heard) the Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio cast before. 

Ewan McGregor - Sebastion J. Cricket

First up on the list, we have Ewan McGregor, who plays Sebastian J. Cricket in Pinocchio, and McGregor has been around in the business for years. Most people might know McGregor from his role as Obi-Wan in the Star Wars franchise, a role he reprised in 2022 in the Disney+ original series, Obi-Wan Kebobi, but McGregor has done so much more in the world of movies and television that you might know. 

For example, McGregor has an amazing voice, and he performed in the movie musical Moulin Rouge!. He’s also appeared in many other films, including Big Fish, Trainspotting (and its sequel), Black Hawk Down, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, The Ghost Writer, Angels and Demons, Christopher Robin, and more. He was also in Birds of Prey, as well as the Stephen King adaptation, Doctor Sleep. In terms of voice-acting, he played Lumiere in the 2017 live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, and was the main protagonist in the film, Robots. 

McGregor hasn’t done as much on television, but his starring roles are significant. He played two of the main characters in the third season of Fargo, and starred in Halston, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award. 

David Bradley - Geppetto

Gepetto is the man, the myth, the legend in Pinocchio who creates the titular boy, and he is voiced by David Bradley. Another of Hollywood's familiar faces, Bradley has been around in the industry for a long time. Some of his biggest roles include playing Filch in the Harry Potter franchise, as well as Lord Walder Frey in Game of Thrones, but he’s done so much more. 

Some of his biggest movies include The Intended, Harry Brown, The Young Messiah, Jolt, and others. In television, he worked with del Toro before in the animated series Tales of Arcadia, but has appeared in many other shows, like The Strain, Mount Pleasant, After Life, and Thieves Like Us, among other guest appearances. 

Gregory Mann - Pinocchio And Carlo

Of course, we have to have Pinocchio in Pinocchio, and he is voiced by Gregory Mann, who also voices Carlo in Pinocchio. Gregory Mann is a relative newcomer to Hollywood, with his only credit thus far being in the 2019 version of Cats, but I’m sure that as time goes on, you’ll get to see him more and more. 

Burn Gorman - Priest

Moving on, we take a look at Burn Gorman, who plays Priest in Pinocchio. Like many of the cast members on this list, he has been in many movies and TV shows – and has worked with Guillermo del Toro in the past. Gorman was a part of the Pacific Rim movies, and had a role in Crimson Peak. Some of his other films that you might have seen him in include The Dark Knight Rises, Fred Claus, Watcher, Enola Holmes, and Imperium. 

Gorman has also had a very recognizable career in television, appearing in shows such as Torchwood, Turn: Washington’s Spies on AMC, as well as The Man in the High Castle on Amazon. He also appeared in the Halo series on Paramount, was a part of The Offer cast, and was in The Expanse. Truly, all over the map, this one. 

Ron Perlman - Podesta

Next up is Ron Perlman, who plays Podesta in Pinocchio. Perlman is another actor who has done so much in the world of movies and TV, but he’s also a really good voice actor, too - with almost too many roles to even talk about. My personal favorite is when he voiced the Stabbington brothers in Tangled. 

Other than that, Perlman has made a lot of films. Some of his biggest roles are in the 2021 movie, Don’t Look Up, Drive, the Hellboy films, Alien: Resurrection, Quest for Fire, and several more. Perlman is also a frequent collaborator with del Toro, and has appeared in many of his movies, including Cronos, Blade II, Nightmare Alley, and Pacific Rim. 

In television, he had a main role in the Beauty and the Beast TV series, and was a big character on the popular FX drama, Sons of Anarchy. 

John Turturro - Doctore

Moving on, we take a look at John Turturro, who voices Doctore in Pinocchio. Another major player in the world of Hollywood, Turturro has appeared in many movies, including Do The Right Thing, Five Corners, The Big Lebowski, The Jesus Rolls, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the Transformers film series, and even 2022’s The Batman. 

In terms of television, most recently, Turturro took a role on the popular Apple TV+ series, Severance, but has appeared in many other shows including Monk, The Night Of and The Plot Against America. 

Finn Wolfhard - Candlewick

Candlewick in Pinocchio is played by Finn Wolfhard, someone who really got his start in Hollywood by playing Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things, a role he has continued to play to this day and will continue to do so in Season 5 of the show. However, Wolfhard has also appeared in several movies during his career so far, including the IT films, The Goldfinch, Ghostbusters: Afterlife (which is getting a sequel) and The Addams Family animated film. His career is still so new – but I’m sure we’ll be seeing a whole lot more of him as time goes on. 

Cate Blanchett - Spazzatura

Another star on this list, Cate Blanchett voices Spazzatura in Pinocchio. I could go on for hours about Blanchett and how brilliant of an actress she is, but we’ll be swift and say that she’s appeared in many amazing movies. For a highlight of what she’s done and what you might have seen her in, she was in The Lord of the Rings franchise as Galadriel, Elizabeth and its sequel, Hamlet, The Aviator, Blue Jasmine, Carol, Notes On A Scandal, and so many others. 

Blanchett also voiced a main character in the How To Train Your Dragon franchise, and was a part of many other recent films, too, such as Nightmare Alley, Cinderella, Ocean’s 8, and Thor: Ragnarok, where she played Hela, Thor’s sister. 

The actress has also appeared in a few television shows as well, such as Heartland, Stateless, and the miniseries, Mrs. America, but movies are where she frequently shines. And, I can’t wait to see what she does with this role. 

Tim Blake Nelson - Black Rabbits

Tim Blake Nelson voices Black Rabbits in Pinocchio, and Nelson has been in the business for some time. He’s worked on many films including Minority Report, Lincoln, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Syriana, Old Henry, and, like many others on this list, Nightmare Alley. And that’s just a highlight of some of his best. 

Nelson has also done some work in television. Most recently, in 2022, he was a part of the cast for Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, but he’s also worked on shows such as Watchmen and Lost Ollie. 

Christoph Waltz - Count Volpe

Christoph Waltz is a name I’m sure many of us are familiar with, since he’s such an amazing actor, and of course, he’s voicing Count Volpe in Pinocchio. Waltz has done so much in the industry. He’s primarily known for his breakout role in the Quentin Tarantino film, Inglorious Bastards, but has appeared in many other movies, including Django Unchained, Carnage, The French Dispatch, Spectre, and No Time To Die. He was also in Downsizing. 

Waltz has also done some work in television as well. While he primarily appeared on German television shows for many years, he’s also had guest appearances on American shows like Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, and had a role in Most Dangerous Game. 

Tilda Swinton - Wood Sprite And Death 

Last but not least, we have Tilda Swinton, who voices both the Wood Sprite and Death in Pinocchio. Swinton is certainly a star of Hollywood, and has appeared in many, many films where you might have seen her. Some of her best include Orlando, Caravaggio, The Last of England, War Requiem, Young Adam, Julia, Constantine, We Need To Talk About Kevin, The Chronicles of Narnia series, and so many more. 

She’s also appeared in several Wes Anderson movies, including The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch, and Moonrise Kingdom. She also portrayed the Ancient One in Doctor Strange and Avengers: Endgame. In television, she’s had guest appearances on shows such as What We Do In The Shadows, Getting On, and What If…?

Truly, a cast of stars is here and they are bringing it in Pinocchio. And who knows? You just might have found a new show or movie to fixate on starring these incredible actors. So many amazing projects to pick from – where will you start? 

Filming has begun on Season 2 of Ben Stiller’s workplace satire, Severance, and anybody who survived the brutal cliffhanger that ended the first season of one of 2022’s best new shows should understand just how great that is. Apple TV+ also announced a number of cast additions for its sophomore season, which makes sense, especially if this next offering dives deeper into the lives of the Lumon employees’ Outies. Some big names will be joining the waffle party fun, including Game of Thrones alum Gwendoline Christie and John Noble of Fringe.

Season 2 will continue the stories of Lumon Industries’ microdata refiners (played by Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry and John Turturro) but will add eight to Severance’s cast. Along with Gwendoline Christie and John Noble, Apple TV+ revealed that Bob Balaban (The Chair), Robby Benson (Beauty and The Beast), Stefano Carannante (Mirabilia), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (The Tourist), Alia Shawkat (Search Party) and Merritt Wever (Godless) will be part of the new ensemble. 

It’s unclear what roles these actors will play, and whether they’ll be part of the Lumon family or people on the outside but, if I don’t get a scene with John Turturro, Christopher Walken and Bob Balaban, I might riot. With the Innies discovering a little bit about their lives outside of the office at the end of Season 1, it’s possible that some of these new characters could be related to the MDR employees.

Other integral figures from the first season are also set to return in the next chapter, the streamer announced. They include Patricia Arquette, Dichen Lachman, Jen Tullock, Tramell Tillman, Michael Chernus and Christopher Walken.

Severance was nominated for 14 Emmy Awards this year, taking home trophies for Outstanding Main Title Design and Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score). The story revolves around Lumon Industries, a mysterious, billion-dollar company with seemingly cult-like tendencies. Most notably, it requires its employees to undergo a controversial procedure that completely severs the brain, preventing the worker from remembering anything about their personal life and vice versa. 

Season 1 was full of eerie twists and turns, culminating in complete chaos after the Innies discovered that it was possible to wake up their work personas outside of Lumon's walls. Curious about the lives and families that their Outies went home to every night, they enacted the "Overtime protocol," with the season ending on a cliffhanger that has led to some pretty wild fan theories. (The goats! The waffle parties! The scary numbers!)

Executive producer/director Ben Stiller celebrated the second season’s start of filming with an astute reminder on Instagram that we all chose to be here: 

We’ve still got a while before we can actually see the continuation of the drama series' story and find out if they address any of the questions we hope Season 2 answers. In the meantime, you can rewatch the first season with an Apple TV+ subscription, and check out these shows that Severance fans might like. 

Rarely has there been a season finale that has left me more desperate to find out what happens next than the end of Severance’s first season. The Apple TV+ sci-fi workplace thriller — rated one of the best new shows of 2022 — brought the drama to a boiling point for all of our beloved Microdata Refiners, and left viewers begging for Severance Season 2 with all of those wild cliffhangers. But, for all the new information we were given about Lumon and our heroes, there was still so much left unanswered about the inner workings of the company and the characters overall. 

Praise Kier, a second season of the Ben Stiller-produced thriller has already been ordered, and once we finally learn the consequences that await the characters played by the Severance cast (both their Innies and Outies) after MDR’s field trip outside Lumon, we really hope some bigger revelations about Lumon Industries and those connected to it will follow soon after. Here are six big questions we hope will be answered when Severance Season 2 returns to Apple TV+ subscribers:

How Did Mark Come To Work At Lumon, And What Happened To Gemma?  

Mark (Adam Scott) choosing to sever himself, as an emotional escape following the death of his wife, Gemma (Dichen Lachman), seemed to make enough sense — albeit in a depressing and flawed way. But the late-season reveal that Gemma (or the “Ms. Casey” version of her) has apparently been on the Lumon testing floor the whole time adds an interesting wrinkle. Did Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette) have a hand in Mark taking a job on Lumon’s severed floor? Was Lumon involved in Gemma’s “death”? Was Gemma severed before or after her accident?

Since Ms. Casey told Mark that she’d only been awake for 107 hours, does that mean the testing floor is the department Petey (Yul Vazquez) told Mark about, where you don’t get to leave? With Season 1 ending on Mark’s haunting wail of, “She’s alive!” this is definitely going to get some attention next season.

How Does Irving Know About The Testing Floor?  

Speaking of the testing floor, Irving’s Outie seemed to have a fixation with it, as we saw him compulsively painting the hallway leading up to it. So, how did he know about the testing floor? From what we saw of Irving (John Turturro) in Season 1, there was no indication his Innie had seen it, either. 

There did seem to be some blending of Irv’s worlds, because as well as that, we also saw his Innie hallucinate black paint (like from his Outie’s paintings) when he nodded off at work. Why was it important for Irv’s Outie to stay awake via loud music and coffee? Was he avoiding nightmares? Was he trying to get his Innie to fall asleep on the job? I think we’ll definitely delve into the MDR Outies more next season.

We’ve Got To Talk About The Waffle Party  

Definitely one of Season 1’s biggest “What the actual fuck?” moments came when Dylan (Zach Cherry) was rewarded with a waffle party after being named Refiner of the Quarter. In a twist so bizarre even Stephen King commented on it, Dylan enjoyed a plate of waffles in the model Kier Eagan house, before climbing into Kier’s bed and donning a large mask of the Lumon founder. Then four costumed dancers in lingerie came out and seductively re-created the Lumon painting of Kier and the four tempers. 

I need to know what would have happened if Dylan hadn’t had to sneak out to wake up his colleague’s Innies. You absolutely cannot introduce something like that in Season 1 without seeing it through in Season 2. You just can’t.

What Does Lumon Even Do, And What’s With The Baby Goats?  

That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? What kind of company is Lumon Industries? We know they’re a billion-dollar corporation, high on security, and pro-severance even outside of what is mandatory for their employees. Oh, and don’t forget the cult-ish religious overtones. We know the MDR department sorted numbers based on the emotion they evoked, but to what end? It could literally be anything on the spectrum from some kind of emotional manipulation to meaningless busy work.

If we couldn't even nail that down, there’s no way to speculate what the other departments were doing, or even how many departments there are. Mark and Helly (Britt Lower) stumbled upon a man bottle-feeding baby goats, who seemed terrified because “it isn’t time.” Severance will need to give us at least a morsel of what we’re looking at in regards to Lumon’s agenda next season. Those goats were giving me Lost polar bear flashbacks, so I hope there’s a satisfying explanation.

Why Was The Card Dylan Stole Such A Big Deal? 

The infographic card that Dylan stole from the Optics & Design department didn’t appear to be anything wildly incriminating — maybe some kind of martial arts or self-defense instruction — but whatever it was, it was important enough for Milchick (Tramell Tillman) to wake up Dylan’s Innie on the outside to get it back, thus revealing the Overtime Protocol to the MDR staff. Why was Milchick so concerned?

Also, with Dylan staying behind to wake up the others, we didn’t learn as much about his Outie as we did for Helly and Irving. Milchick tried to bribe Dylan with information about his three children, and with Dylan’s late-season desperation to know more about his family, I'm thinking we'll learn more about them in Season 2, including why he decided to sever himself.

What Is Regabhi’s Plan, And Will We See A Successful Reintegration? 

Mark was the only Outie we spent any real time with in Season 1, as his work BFF Petey tracked him down following his reintegration. Season 2 is going to have to dive deeper into that process, including what former Lumon employee Regabhi (Karen Aldridge) is plotting. All we know is that Regabhi was the one who performed the severance process on Lumon’s other workers, and now she’s figured out how to reverse the process. 

Why is she doing that? Why doesn’t she work for Lumon anymore? What killed Petey? The first season really only scratched the surface on reintegration, as even the Lumon Board refused to acknowledge that it could be done. I expect that we’ll not only learn more about Regabhi next season, but we’ll possibly even see a successful reintegration.

It’s baffling how deep a world Ben Stiller and Dan Erickson were able to create in just nine episodes, and how invested we got in the characters and their stories, while still being so in the dark about the universe at large. As we wait for Severance Season 2 to clear up a lot of these questions, be sure to check out some of the other best shows on Apple TV+ as well as these other shows to watch if you liked Severance.

Never has a series made us look so intensely at the work/life balance than Severance, the satirical sci-fi thriller about four employees of the mega-corporation, Lumon, who have had their brains physically altered to keep their professional and private lives separate. Season 1 introduced us to Mark (Adam Scott leading an impressive cast) and the rest of the Microdata Refinement department — Helly, Dylan, and Irving — who started to realize there was more going on than they had ever thought to question. The Severance ending left us with a huge cliffhanger that set the MDR workers and their Outies up for big changes in Season 2. Let’s break down what happened.

The MDR workers became increasingly suspicious about the mysterious Lumon company over Season 1’s nine episodes. It all came to a head when Dylan’s Innie was woken up in the outside world, which they hadn’t previously known was possible. It didn’t take the MDR employees long to figure out how to do it for themselves, and a plan was set in place to expose what Lumon was doing to them, and learn more about the other half of their lives in the process. So where did Severance Season 1 leave our friends in the MDR?

Dylan Learns His Outie Has More Children

The event that set their whole plan in motion was Dylan (Zach Cherry) learning that he had a son on the outside. He became desperate to find out more about his family, but volunteered to stay behind and hold the two switches that keep his colleagues awake so they could learn about their Outies and send help. He was able to give Mark, Helly, and Irv about an hour in the outside world until their supervisor, Milchick (Tramell Tillman), caught wind of what was happening. 

In trying to get Dylan to let go of the switches, Milchick revealed that Dylan’s Outie had three children, and he said he’d tell him their names if Dylan opened the door. He didn’t take the bait, but Milchick eventually broke through, tackling the worker and thus putting the Innies back to sleep. What will Dylan do now that he knows he has three children? The microdata refiner had always been happy to collect finger traps and waffle parties — a perk so strange even Stephen King was talking about it — as rewards for his work, but in Season 2 he’s not going to be so easily satisfied.

Mark Discovers His Wife Is Still Alive, And His Innie Knows Her

Despite a number of frustrating interruptions, Mark (Adam Scott) was able to give his sister, Devon, a whole Lumon briefing, including revealing Mrs. Selvig’s (Patricia Arquette) true identity. She, in turn, was able to explain that Mark had chosen to take a severed job to escape the pain of losing his wife, Gemma (Dichen Lachman). At the very end of the episode, Mark found their wedding picture and recognized his wife as Ms. Casey, the wellness counselor from Lumon. He let out an absolutely primal scream of, “She’s alive!” just as his Outie was awoken. Scott spoke to Variety about what finding that photo meant for Mark:

That’s going to be a game-changer for Mark in Season 2, as he’ll no longer be the obedient Lumon employee he was before and will certainly be on the hunt for answers — and his wife. Did Devon hear what Innie Mark said about Gemma, and what will her and Outie Mark’s next moves be?

Helly Publicly Accuses Lumon Of Abuse

A double agent lurked amongst the MDR department — except Helly (Britt Lower) wasn’t aware of her Outie’s identity. Helly was actually Helena Eagan, daughter of the Lumon CEO, Jame, and granddaughter of cult-like leader, Kier, who severed herself to build public support for widespread legalization of the procedure. That explains why Helly’s Outie so quickly rejected her resignation request and why the board reacted so harshly to Cobel not disclosing Helly’s suicide attempt.

Rather than taking the stage to promote severance’s benefits, Helly exposed herself as an Innie to the crowd of potential investors, saying the employees were being tortured, and everything the Eagans had told them about severance was a lie. A Lumon employee tackled her to stop her from saying more, but it’s hard to believe that her actions won’t have some kind of ramifications for her family's already-controversial procedure.

Irving Tracks Down Burt Outside Of Lumon

Irving (The Batman’s John Turturro) woke up to find that his Outie obsessively paints the dark hallway to Lumon’s “training floor,” where Gemma/Ms. Casey has been. That possibly explained why Irv hallucinated black paint when he nodded off at work. (Was that intentional on his Outie’s part, given how much coffee Outie Irving drank?) Irving also learned that his Outie had been tracking down retired Lumon employees, including Innie Irv’s forbidden crush, Burt (Christopher Walken). 

Irving drove over to Burt’s house and after seeing him with another man, began to bang on the door, shouting Burt’s name. His Outie was awoken before Burt could open the door, but what will Season 2 reveal? Do Burt and Irving have a relationship on the outside? How does Irv (both his Innie and Outie) know about the training floor?

A second season of Severance has mercifully already been ordered for Apple TV+, and creator Dan Erickson discussed with Variety how they approached the Season 1 finale in hopes of setting up new stories for Season 2:

I think they certainly succeeded in doing that, and they left us with a ton of questions about what will happen to our four heroes as the Innies face the consequences of their actions within Lumon, and with the people around the Outies being a little wiser to Lumon’s ways. While we wait on a release date for the second season, make sure your Apple TV+ subscription is up to date, and check out some of the other best shows on Apple TV+.

The column gets into very specific plot points about The Batman, so stop reading it now if you haven’t yet seen the film, or care a lot about spoilers. 

By the time we reach the ending of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, the film does something that very few Batman films have done to this point – namely, it leaves the bulk of its villains alive and well, and capable of popping up in the Dark Knight’s life in a future film. From Jack Nicholson’s Joker to Liam Neeson’s Ra’s al Ghul, multiple on-screen Batman villains met their maker following a final confrontation with the Caped Crusader… unusual, because one of his defining characteristics is a lack of desire to kill any antagonist. Still, people end up dying around the Dark Knight, and in the case of one The Batman villain, we do lose them before the credits roll, and I really wish this wasn’t the case. 

Carmine Falcone ended up being the person pulling a lot of the strings that led to the crimes being investigated by The Batman (Robert Pattinson) in Gotham. He eliminated a journalist who was making life difficult for Thomas Wayne’s political aspirations. He led the charge to acquire access to the Gotham Restoration Funds, then spread that money around to purchase influence in the city’s government, and its police department. He could have been established as a large thorn in the side of our hero as he fights, tirelessly, to clean up Gotham of the criminal stink that hangs over the legendary location. 

Except, The Riddler (Paul Dano) killed Falcone off. Batman brought Falcone “into the light,” per one of Riddler’s cryptic clues, and the crime boss was assassinated by a bullet shot from a nearby apartment building. And for a movie that went to great lengths to keep the bulk of its rogues gallery intact, I lament the fact that Carmine Falcone – and specifically, John Turturro’s performance as the criminal – had to be taken off of the table. 

Given his ties to the Waynes, and the manipulations he no doubt conducted in order to reach the top of Gotham’s criminal pyramid, Falcone could have been a rich character to explore in future Batman sequels. I personally enjoyed the way that Turturro played him close to the vest, menacing and powerful yet unpredictable, so terrifying. The sight of him choking Selina – whom he knows to be his daughter – still sends chills.

In the Macro sense, Carmine Falcone might not have been needed moving forward. There certainly are plenty of colorful characters left behind in the villain’s wake. And as is pointed out in the closing narration for the film, the power vacuum created by Falcone’s departure can lead to all sorts of interesting headaches for The Batman (Robert Pattinson). But in a Micro sense, it’s my belief that there was still plenty of “juice” left to squeeze out of Bruce Wayne’s issues with Falcone and his organization, particularly with how it’s traced back to “The Sins of The Father.” This all still can be explored without Falcone in the picture. But that means less Turturro… and when is that ever a good thing? 

Matt Reeves will have plenty of avenues down which to travel if and when he returns for a sequel to The Batman. Nothing has been confirmed yet, though after the blockbuster cleaned up at the box office during its opening weekend, we expect that Warner Bros. is investigating the best ways to move forward on this franchise. Maybe with Robin? Or maybe with the Court of Owls, as Robert Pattinson himself has suggested. DC recently shuffled a slew of their upcoming dates, so keep your eyes peeled for our guide to Upcoming DC Movies and see which films are next in the pipeline.

Warning: This video contains very mild spoilers. If you want to go see The Batman completely blind, bookmark this page and come back after you've seen the movie.

The stars of The Batman including Robert Pattinson (Batman/Bruce Wayne), Zoë Kravitz (Catwoman/Selina Kyle), Colin Farrell (The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot), Paul Dano (The Riddler/Edward Nashton), Jeffrey Wright (James Gordon) and John Turturro (Carmine Falcone) discuss their new DC movie in this interview with CinemaBlend Managing Editor Sean O'Connell.

Video Chapters

• 00:00 - Intro
• 00:12 - Are Bats Cute or Scary? Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz Weigh In
• 00:55 - Robert Pattinson On The ‘Strangely Difficult’ Scene That Took ‘About A Million Takes’
• 01:26 - Colin Farrell On The Unexpected Benefits Of Wearing So Much Prosthetics As The Penguin
• 02:45 - Paul Dano On The Process Of Creating The Riddler’s Iconic Props
• 03:40 - Robert Pattinson On The Line Between Playing Bruce Wayne and Batman
• 05:03 - Jeffrey Wright On What It Was Like Having Batman Punch Gordon
• 05:52 - John Turturro’s DC-Employed Son Approves Of His Carmine Falcone Performance
• 06:38 - Zoë Kravitz Talks Selina Kyle’s Shifting Performance And The Film That Inspired Her Dynamic With Batman
• 07:43 - Paul Dano On The Iconic Prison Confrontation Between The Riddler And Batman
• 09:17 - Colin Farrell On Joel Schumacher’s Batman Legacy
• 10:33 - Jeffrey Wright Dodges Questions About HBO Max’s Gotham PD Series
• 11:21 - Colin Farrell Is Excited To Potentially Play The Penguin Again On HBO Max

You can see The Batman in theaters on March 4.

Since people were first able to sign up for an Apple TV+ subscription in November 2019, the streaming service has released some pretty amazing shows like Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, and Servant, to name only a few. And, as time goes by, the list of great original series only continues to get better and better, thanks in part to shows like the platform’s latest addition: Severance. 

Directed by Ben Stiller, this workplace psychological drama about a group of people who can’t remember what happens in the office once they leave and have no memories of the outside world when they clock-in each day. This promising story is only made better thanks to the impressive Severance cast, which features some heavy hitters. But, in the event you’ve forgotten where you’ve seen them before, worry not, because we’re about to break it down…

Adam Scott (Mark)

Leading the Severance cast is Adam Scott, who takes on the role of Mark, the mild-mannered team lead whose life is thrown out of whack when a former coworker finds him in the outside world, a colleague he does not remember.

Scott has long been a fixture of the small screen, having appeared on shows like Party of Five, Eastbound & Down, Big Little Lies, Parks and Recreation, and Party Down, which is set for a revival in the near future. His film work is just as impressive, with titles like The Aviator, Step Brothers, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (also directed by Ben Stiller), and Krampus.

Britt Lower (Helly)

Stepping in as Helly, the new hire who joins Mark and the rest of his mysterious coworkers who underwent the same operation to divide their memory into two-halves, is Britt Lower, who has been in quite a few movies and TV shows since bursting onto the scene in 2010.

Throughout her career, Lower has shown up on series like Man Seeking Woman, Unforgettable, Casual, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and High Maintenance, a.k.a. one of the best HBO shows that ended way too early. During that same stretch of time, Lower has appeared in movies like Domain, Holly Slept Over, Mr. Roosevelt, and Sisters.

Patricia Arquette (Harmony Cobel)

Taking on the role of Harmony Cobel, Mark’s domineering boss, on Severance is Patricia Arquette, who brings a unique blend of drama, humor, and awkwardness to the Apple TV+ series. 

A Tony Award away from having an EGOT, Arquette has given commanding performances in movies like Boyhood, True Romance, Fast Food Nation, and Holes. Those roles would be enough to earn Arquette a place on the list of best actresses of the past 35 years, but her work on the small screen only makes that idea much stronger. Over the years, Arquette has led series like The Act, Escape at Dannemora (also directed by Ben Stiller), Boardwalk Empire, and Medium, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award and countless nominations throughout the shows’ seven-season run. 

John Turturro (Irving)

John Turturro shows up in the Severance cast as Irving, a rather pretentious member of Mark’s team and one who also has a divided memory that prevents him from remembering his life outside of the office and the other way around.

Prior to landing a role on the new Apple TV+ series, Turturro found a great deal of success with various film and projects as well as some impressive stage productions (both on and off Broadway). Starting with his TV contributions, Turturro has appeared on The Plot Against America, The Night Of, Monk, and The Bronx Is Burning, to name just a few. The longtime Coen brothers collaborator has given memorable performances in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Big Lebowski, and Barton Fink. Other film appearances include Mr. Deeds, Gloria Bell, and The Color of Money. 

Christopher Walken (Burt)

Next up is Christopher Walken, who appears on the Severance cast as Burt, Mark’s quirky coworker, the latest in a long line of unique characters played by the one-of-a-kind actor.

Arguably the most prolific actor in the entire Severance cast, Walken has given memorable performances in everything from gritty, Academy Award-winning war movies like The Deer Hunter to Stephen King adaptations like The Dead Zone, to some of the best movies of the ‘90s like Pulp Fiction and True Romance, and just about every other type of film. Hell, he’s even been a part of some of the best Saturday Night Live moments, despite never being in the cast.

Zach Cherry (Dylan)

Taking on the role Dylan, one of Mark’s competitive coworkers on Severance, is Zach Cherry, who fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will immediately recognize as soon as he starts screaming with that signature high-pitched voice.

But, in case you need a little reminder, Cherry plays the street vendor who yells out to Spider-Man to get him to do a flip in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Cherry would also later appear in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings bus scene taking on the role of the vlogger documenting the badass fight. Outside of the MCU, Cherry has voiced characters on Duncanville, shown up on Succession and Crashing, and the first season of Search Party.

Tramell Tillman (Milchick)

Tramell Tillman shows up on the Severance cast as Milchick, the always smiling security guard who can usually be found standing not too far from Harmony Cobel or walking around with that oh so creepy optimism.

If you are a fan of the Epix drama series, Godfather of Harlem, then you will most likely recognize Tillman as Bobby Robinson. If not, then you have probably seen him on Difficult People, Dietland, or Hunters. He also had a one-off role on Elementary, for all those diehard fans out there.

Yul Vazquez (Petey)

Taking on the role of Petey, Mark’s former colleague who approaches him in the outside world and opens his mind to the true nature of their profession on Severance, is the veteran film and TV actor Yul Vazquez.

Throughout his career, which goes back to an episode of Tales from the Crypt in 1992, Vasquez has landed roles on some of the best and most-watched shows of the past 30 years, including Seinfeld (he played Bob The Intimidating Gay Guy in three episodes), The Sopranos, Sex and the City, The Good Wife, Narcos: Mexico, The Outsider, and Russian Doll. Over on the film side of things, Vasquez has popped up in Bad Boys II, American Gangster, Traffic, O.G., and dozens of other movies.

Jenn Tullock (Devon)

The Severance cast also includes several characters who aren’t part of the the program where their memories are divided into two halves, and one of those is Mark’s supportive sister Devon, played by Jen Tullock.

Throughout her career, Tullock has landed roles on shows like The Coop, Bless This Mess, Door No. 1, Disengaged, and even Curb Your Enthusiasm. She has also completed a great deal of film work over the years as well, including 2019 comedy-drama, Before You Know It, which she co-wrote with director and co-star Hannah Pearl Utt.

Dichen Lachman (Ms. Casey)

Taking on the role of Ms. Casey, another employee of Mark’s mysterious and downright unethical company, is Dichen Lachman, another star of the new Apple TV+ series who has made their mark on the small screen.

Throughout her career, which goes back to a 106-episode run on the Australian soap opera Neighbours, Lachman has shown up on Dollhouse, Hawaii Five-0, The League, Last Resort, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Shameless, Supergirl, Altered Carbon, and Animal Kingdom, and that is just including some of the more well-known shows she’s been on over the years. Her film work, which is not as extensive as her list of credits on TV looks to be on the up-and-up, with appearances in Bad Therapy, Too Late, and Raya and the Last Dragon. And, it looks like this is just the beginning, as she is set to appear in the forthcoming Jurassic World: Dominion.

Michael Chernus (Rickon)

Rounding out the main portion of Severance cast is Michael Chernus, who takes on the role of Rickon, Mark’s pretentious, know-it-all writer brother-in-law in the outside world.

Just like with Zach Cherry up above, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will recognize Chernus from his appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming, in which he played Phineas Mason, a.k.a. Tinker, the man behind most of Vulture’s big bad gadgetry. Sticking with his film contributions, Chernus has appeared in movies like The Messenger, Love & Other Drugs, The Bourne Legacy, Captain Phillips, Mistress America, and tons of other film projects. His work on the small screen includes Nurse Jackie, Orange is the New Black, Manhattan, Easy, Tommy, and most recently, Prodigal Son.

Well, this just about covers all the main actors who appear in Severance, but with a premise as promising and expansive as the one found in Ben Stiller's latest project, expect some surprises throughout the show's nine-episode run. If you want to know what else is coming to the small screen while you wait for new episodes to drop, take a quick glance at CinemaBlend's rundown of all the new and returning shows on the 2022 TV schedule. 

Although Gotham City is filled with colorful supervillains, there are still plenty of ‘regular’ criminals causing trouble separately from the freaks. One of Gotham’s most notorious organized crime figures is Carmine Falcone, who will be played in Matt Reeves’ The Batman by John Turturro.

While John Turturro has been a Batman fan since he was a kid, there was another masked hero who was top dog for him in his younger years: the sword-wielding Zorro, who celebrated his 100th anniversary last year. The actor recalled:

As one of the earliest examples of a fictional masked vigilante, Zorro is most frequently depicted as Diego de la Vega, who uses his sword-fighting skills to fight against tyranny and corruption in the era of Spanish California, i.e. ranging from 1769 to 1821, although some stories have been set later on in the 19th century. Along with numerous appearances in print media, Zorro has also led various movies, TV shows and radio dramas.

Considering that John Turturro was born in 1957, I imagine he became a Zorro fan either from catching airings of Zorro’s film appearances from the ’20s-‘40s, or he watched the Disney-produced Zorro TV series that ran from 1957 to 1959. Either way, Zorro was the #1 hero for Turturro growing up, but he went on to become a fan of the Adam West and Burt Ward-led Batman TV series. Continuing in his interview with Inquirer.net, Turturro said:

Zorro was most recently played on the big screen by Antonio Banderas in 1998’s The Mask of Zorro and 2005’s The Legend of Zorro. While there was a Zorro reboot in the works several years back, there haven’t been any updates on it lately. As of last June, it’s looking like the character’s next cinematic appearance will be in an adaptation of the Django/Zorro comic book miniseries, although who knows if that’ll even get off the ground.

While Batman has unquestionably surpassed Zorro in popularity, the latter hero actually plays a key role in the former’s origin story. Oftentimes The Mark of Zorro (either the 1920 original or the 1940 remake) is the movie young Bruce Wayne saw with his parents before they were gunned down in Crime Alley by Joe Chill, and Zorro would go on to inspire Bruce’s own masked persona as an adult.

As for John Turturro, he is the third actor to portray Carmine Falcone in live action, following Tom Wilkinson in Batman Begins and John Doman in Gotham. While no specific plot details for The Batman have been revealed yet, it’s a good bet that the Caped Crusader will be going up against the Falcone crime family. Not only that, but if the movie is adapting The Long Halloween as seemingly indicated, then Falcone’s operations could also be targeted by a different villain.

Joining John Turturro in The Batman’s cast are Robert Pattinson as the eponymous protagonist, Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as Riddler, Colin Farrell as Penguin, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson and Jayme Lawson as Bella Reál, along with Gil Perez-Abraham, Charlie Carver, and Max Carver being cast in undisclosed roles. In addition to directing The Batman, Matt Reeves also co-wrote the script with Mattson Tomlin.

The Batman is currently scheduled to come out on June 25, 2021, although given that its production has been shut down indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s possible that date could change. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all the biggest updates concerning the project.

The road to The Jesus Rolls has been an interesting one, as the upcoming movie only started coming to fruition after John Turturro requested permission from The Big Lebowski directors Ethan and Joel Coen to reprise his character from that film. They said he could take the character to new places and now Turturro has explained what the new movie is really about.

We’ve already gotten a look at The Jesus Rolls through its first trailer, but prior to its release, director John Turturro spoke out about the goal of the movie, noting it took some time for the premise to work itself out but now The Jesus Rolls is ready to hit theaters. He said:

Speaking to The Independent ahead of the film’s big February release, John Turturro also called the movie “racy” and confirmed he had the Coen brothers’ permission to move forward with the project.

In fact, John Turturro has been talking about playing Jesus on the big screen again for years and years ahead of getting the greenlight. Once he did get permission to take on the role again, it was also some time since we first heard The Big Lebowski spinoff might be happening. Reports of it coming together first started rolling out back in 2016. It’s unclear when The Jesus Rolls got traction, but now we have a trailer and a release date, so it’s a real thing that’s coming.

John Turturro has a slew of little known directing projects under his belt, including Romance & Cigarettes, which also starred Bobby Cannavale and Susan Sarandon (as well as an all-star cast also including James Gandolfini, his Lebowski co-star Steve Buscemi, Mandy Moore, Christopher Walken, Mary-Louise Parker and Kate Winslet).

People clearly enjoy working with the actor-turned-director, which is evident with The Jesus Rolls. Here are some key players in the cast:

If you haven’t caught the trailer for the John Turturro led (and directed) Big Lebowski spinoff yet, you can see more about The Jesus Rolls below, but it should be pointed out that early looks from film festivals compare the movie more to 1974’s Going Places than the nineties Coen brothers film the character originated in and it may very well attract a different sort of fanbase.

Which leads me to ask: Would you watch a spinoff about Jesus? Or will you let this one roll by? Personally, I feel this sort of spinoff can't be any more of a mismatch than when The Dude showed up during a Super Bowl ad, but I definitely don't speak for everyone.

This poll is no longer available.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Although it was originally primed as a platform for Ben Affleck’s Batman to shine on his own, The Batman has gone through a lot of changes in the last several years. Now completely separate from the DC Extended Universe, Matt Reeves’ take on the Caped Crusader will look at a younger Batman who’s still getting the hang of being Gotham City’s protector, but has already gone through the traditional origin story motions.

We’re a little over a year away from The Batman hitting theaters, but casting news has already started trickling in, and the first trailer was shown at DC FanDome. So let’s go over who’s part of the lineup for one of Warner Bros’ most anticipated DC movies so far. And before going further, Jonah Hill will not appear in the movie. Things just didn’t work out during the negotiations phase.

Robert Pattinson

It makes sense that the first name to be attached to The Batman would be the actor playing the eponymous protagonist. Most of you know Robert Pattinson best from his time as Edward Cullen in the Twilight film series, but he’s also made a name for himself in plenty of smaller fare, including Cosmopolis, Queen of the Desert, Life, The Lost City of Z, Good Time and The Lighthouse. The Batman marks Pattinson’s return to the world of franchises, and along with the movie taking place during Bruce Wayne's second year of crimefighting, Matt Reeves has said that this story will highlight the character’s detective skills, something hasn’t been done often in earlier Batman movies.

Jeffrey Wright

Jeffrey Wright already has some comic book adaptation cred on his resume as the voice of Uatu the Watcher in the upcoming animated Disney+ series Marvel’s What If… ?, but now it’s looking like he’ll get to leave his mark on DC Comics as well. It was reported in late September that Wright was in talks to play James Gordon in The Batman, and according to later trade reports, he has indeed signed on, which explains his teasing tweet. You might recognize Wright for playing Felix Leiter in the Daniel Craig-led James Bond film series, Beetee in the Hunger Games film series or Bernard Lowe in the HBO show Westworld, among many other things.

Zoë Kravitz

Back when The Dark Knight Rises was casting its Catwoman, Zoë Kravitz was told she was “too urban” for the role, and Anne Hathaway was chosen instead. Now Kravitz is getting the opportunity to bring Selina Kyle to life in The Batman. Funny enough, this will be her second time playing Catwoman, as she voiced the character in The LEGO Batman Movie. Kravitz previously contributed to the Marvel mythos for playing Angel Salvadore in X-Men: First Class and voicing Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. She also already has a relationship with Warner Bros through Mad Max: Fury Road and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Paul Dano

Since things didn’t work out with Jonah Hill, Paul Dano is was hired to play The Riddler instead in The Batman. This version of the question mark-obsessed foe will be named Edward Nashton instead of Edward Nygma, and considering the movie’s noir tone, one can imagine he’ll be more serious and intimidating than Jim Carrey’s Riddler from Batman Forever. Dano’s notable credits include Little Miss Sunshine, There Will Be Blood, 12 Years a Slave, Prisoners, Swiss Army Man and Escape at Danemora. As seen in the first trailer for The Batman, this Riddler lacks the green, question mark-covered suit, instead opting for a creepier, military-like look.

Andy Serkis

Andy Serkis has already left his mark on the Marvel Cinematic Universe from his two-movie tenure as Ulysses Klaue, and he’s since moved over to Sony’s Marvel Universe to direct Venom 2. Now he’ll get to take part in the DC Comics film world, as Matt Reeves has confirmed that Serkis will play Alfred Pennyworth in The Batman. It’s rare that you see a Batman story unfold without Bruce Wayne’s trusty butler and father figure involved, and considering that Reeves and Serkis had already worked together on the latter two Planet of the Apes reboot movies, having Serkis bring Alfred to life in this continuity is an inspired choice.

Jayme Lawson

It's been confirmed that The Batman has added Julliard graduate Jayme Lawson, making her a newcomer along the lineup of familiar faces. After it was initially reported that she'd be joining, naturally a lot of fans started speculating on who she'd be playing, with some wondering if Lawson had been tapped as Barbara Gordon. We've since learned that Lawson is playing Bella Reál, a Gotham City mayoral candidate. Bella isn't an established character from the comics, but it's entirely possible that she could end up being someone familiar to fans (akin to what was done with Marion Cotillard in The Dark Knight Rises). Still, getting to star in a superhero movie right after graduating one of the most prestigious acting schools in the world is a huge win for Lawson.

John Turturro

The villains in The Batman we’ve mentioned so far fall under the ‘freak’ category, but John Turturro’s character, Carmine Falcone, is a more traditional sort of criminal. Introduced in Batman: Year One, Falcone is one of Gotham City’s most powerful mob bosses when Batman first hits the scene, and he featured prominently in Batman: The Long Halloween, where a serial killer named Holiday gunned down members of his family and organization over the course of a year. It’s been rumored that The Batman is an adaptation of The Long Halloween, so if that’s true, Turturro’s Falcone might find his operation being assaulted by someone other than a costumed vigilante. This will be Turturro’s third time performing in a major franchise, having previously appeared in the Transformers and Cars film series.

Peter Sarsgaard

Having previously contributed to the DC movies sphere by playing Hector Hammond in Green Lantern, Peter Sarsgaard is now hopping over to Gotham City for The Batman. Initially THR’s sources speculated that Sarsgaard could be playing either a corrupt cop named Wasserman or a district attorney. It turned out to indeed be the latter, although contrary to fan speculation that was strengthened by Maggie Gyllenhaal, Sarsgaard’s wife, posting a picture of him with half of his hair gone after a “shave,” Saarsgard is not playing Harvey Dent, a.k.a. Two-Face. Instead, he'll be playing Gotham City D.A. Gil Colson, another character who's completely new.

Colin Farrell

This one took a long time to be officially confirmed. It was first reported back in November 2019 that Colin Farrell was in talks to play Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin, in The Batman, but it wasn’t until the beginning of January 2020, right around the beginning of principal photography, and after a photo of Farrell on set was leaked, that Matt Reeves confirmed his involvement. This will be Farrell’s second time appearing in a comic book movie, having previously played Bullseye in 2003’s Daredevil. Farrell already has the approval of Danny DeVito, who played Penguin nearly three decades ago in Batman Returns., and he looks nearly unrecognizable as "Oz."

Barry Keoghan

While Barry Keoghan has been acting professionally for nearly a decade now, most of you likely first noticed him in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk or Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Dear, both of which came out in 2017. Along with appearing in projects like Chernobyl and the upcoming The Green Knight, Keoghan scored his first bit of comic book media cred starring as Druig in Marvel’s Eternals. Now it looks like The Batman will mark his second comic book movie, as Slashfilm reports he was cast to play Officer Stanley Merkel, who was introduced in Batman: Year One as James Gordon’s first partner. So perhaps Keoghan’s Merkel and Wright’s Gordon will be working closely together.

Alex Ferns

If you live in the U.K, you like know Alex Ferns best for his role as Trevor Morgan in the series Eastenders, while his other notable credits include River City, 24: Live Another Day, The Legend of Tarzan and Chernobyl. Ferns was reported to be appearing in The Batman in January 2020, and sure enough, he is spotted in the first trailer. It’s clear just looking at the above image that Ferns is playing someone in a position of power; that individual is Commissioner Pete Savage. So it’s a good bet that James Gordon will inherit Savage’s job either during the events of the movie or later on in this film series, whether it’s because Savage’s corruption is exposed or he meets an untimely demise. Maybe both!

Gil Perez-Abraham

While he’s a newcomer compared to most of the previously mentioned people, Gil Perez-Abraham has already collected some notable credits. These include guest spots on shows like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Madame Secretary, Pose and Orange is the New Black, as well as movies like Anya and The Farewell. As of now, Perez-Abraham's The Batman character hasn’t been identified, so it remains to be seen if he’ll be an ally or enemy to the eponymous hero.

Charlie And Max Carver

Twins Charlie and Max Carver have appeared alongside each other in projects like Desperate Housewives, Teen Wolf, The Leftovers and Fist Fight, though they’ve also starred separately in various other movies and TV shows between them. According to The AV Club, the Carver brothers are back together in The Batman, and while we don’t know who they’re playing yet, there are some villainous twins whose shoes they could fill. Already there’s speculation that Charlie and Max could either be Tom and Tad, a.k.a. the modern incarnations of the Trigger Twins, who’ve been part of the Batman rogues gallery since the early ‘90s, or Min and Max, who worked for Two-Face in Batman: The Animated Series. Given the rumor at one point that Mad Hatter would show up in The Batman, maybe they could even be Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.

Rupert Penry-Jones

British audiences are familiar Rupert Penry-Jones from shows like Spooks, Whitechapel and Silk, while TV watchers in the U.S. might recognize him from The Strain and Black Sails. For The Batman, Penry-Jones is playing Gotham City mayor Don Mitchell. Interestingly enough, The Batman trailer released at DC FanDome has already revealed how Mitchell specifically factors into the main story, but I won’t divulge any spoilers here. Just keep a close eye out during the first half of the preview.

Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more casting updates concerning The Batman, which swoops into theaters on October 1, 2021. You can also find out what other DC Comics movies are in development with our handy guide.

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Batman protects Gotham City from all kinds of criminals, whether they’re of the conventional variety or colorful freaks. Some of the latter folks who Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader will go up against in The Batman include The Riddler and The Penguin, but now word’s come in straight from director Matt Reeves himself that John Turturro has been added as notorious Gotham crime boss Carmine Falcone. Here’s what the filmmaker posted:

Matt Reeves has been having fun lately confirming castings for The Batman on his Twitter account, and now we can officially add John Turturro’s name to the mix. Best known for movies like Barton Fink, Quiz Show, The Big Lebowski and O Brother, Where Are Thou?, this will be Turturro’s first time working on a comic book movie, though he has previous franchise experience with his work on the Transformers and Cars movies.

Introduced in 1987’s Batman: Year One storyline, Carmine Falcone is a powerful Mafia leader, nicknamed “The Roman,” who Bruce Wayne tangles with during the early years of his vigilante career. He played an especially prominent role in Batman: The Long Halloween, which saw members of his family and criminal organization being gunned down by a serial killer named Holiday.

Outside of the comics, Carmine Falcone was played by Tom Wilkinson in Batman Begins and John Doman in Gotham, and he’s also been featured in the animated Batman: Year One movie, Justice League Action and various video games. While not an origin story, The Batman will chronicle the eponymous protagonist as he’s still figuring out the Bat-ropes, so it makes sense to include Carmine Falcone, especially given the movie’s noir tone.

With plot details for The Batman still being kept under wraps, it’s hard to say how specifically Carmine Falcone will factor into the movie, though one could easily imagine Batman tossing with some of Falcone’s goons. However, it’s been rumored that The Batman will be an adaptation of The Long Halloween, and the addition of Falcone lends more credence to that claim. If The Long Halloween is indeed being translated for the big screen, then John Turturro’s Falcone will soon find his organization slowly being dismantled.

As mentioned earlier, Riddler and Penguin were already set to cause trouble in The Batman, with Paul Dano playing the former foe and Colin Farrell in talks to play the latter adversary. The Batman’s cast also includes Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth and Jayme Lawson as Bella. It’s also been rumored that Harvey Dent, Firefly and Mad Hatter could show up.

Behind the scenes, in addition to directing, Matt Reeves also co-wrote the script with Mattson Tomlin. Other contributors include Greig Fraser as cinematographer, Dan Lemmon as VFX supervisor and Michael Giacchino as composer.

The Batman casts its shadow in theaters on June 25, 2021, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more news on how it’s coming along. In the meantime, find out what’s hitting the silver screen soon with our 2019 release schedule and 2020 release schedule.

The name Jesus Quintana probably won't mean much to you if you're not a dedicated fan of The Big Lebowski. And why would it? The character, played by John Turturro in the original film, only appeared in a few scenes. He showed up in the bowling alley which served as one of the film's major settings, but it was only for one segment of the story. But if you don't know him, you're about to. The Turturro-led spin-off titled The Jesus Rolls is coming in early 2020 thanks to the company Screen Media coming aboard as a distributor - though no specific date yet has been given yet. Turturro himself wrote, directed and stars in the film - and yeah, he'll definitely bowl.

Jesus Quintana - a seasoned bowler, sex offender, and rival to Jeff Bridges's The Dude (whom Bridges almost didn't play) - stole every scene in which he appeared in The Big Lebowski, and quickly earned himself a reputation as an off-putting but oddly memorable character. I don't know if that warrants a feature-length spin-off, but we'll see how it goes. Meanwhile, The Dude continues to be a cinematic sensation. Bridges even briefly reprised the role to honor co-star John Goodman, who also plays one of the funniest characters in the Coen brothers movie. Sadly, though, we shouldn't expect either of them to be making cameos in The Jesus Rolls.

According to Deadline, indie distributor Screen Media has nabbed the North American rights to the film, and it's a move that is a long time coming. We've been anticipating this release date news for a long time, as the film started production quite a while ago. It was originally titled Going Places after the 1974 Bertrand Blier film of the same name. Instead, Turturro chose to include his character's name in the title, and a bowling reference to boot. That's probably a good idea, mainly because it'll allow fans of The Big Lebowski to identify the connection between the new film and the 1998 classic.

Bobby Cannavale and Audrey Tautou will co-star alongside Turturro, as will Jon Hamm, Pete Davidson, and Susan Sarandon. That cast list alone has me somewhat excited; Davidson is hilarious, and Hamm and Sarandon are amazing. I'm still skeptical about the premise from a macro perspective, but I'm hoping these big-name actors kill it in their roles here.

Now that we have a clearer idea of when to expect the spin-off, what do you think? Will you be seeing it or skipping it? Will the cast convince you to see it even if you hate sexual-deviants-turned-bowlers?

The Big Lebowski is a bona-fide classic, its meandering plot replete with rugs that tie the room together and a hilarious Steve Buscemi death scene. One of its sets even became a museum. It will be interesting to see how The Jesus Rolls stacks up to one of the Coen Brothers' best films. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below, and stay tuned for more updates about the release.

In an era defined by interconnected universes, sequels, and prequels, spin-offs have become an increasingly prevalent sight on the silver screen. That being said, we really never expected that The Big Lebowski would ever receive an offshoot of its very own. It looks like we were wrong. We've just received a look at the upcoming Lebowski spin-off, Going Places, and it appears that Jesus Quintana will once again lace up his bowling shoes. Check out the photo below to see for yourself.

Our first good look at Jesus Quintana from Going Places has just surfaced on Twitter, and it's already abundantly clear that John Turturro's legendary character really has not changed very much since the days of The Big Lebowski. He's still an energetic and oddly charismatic deviant who seems to love thrusting his pelvis in an incredibly expressive manner. And yes, his passion for bowling remains as intense as ever. Was there ever any doubt?

Although The Coen Brothers are not involved in the production of Going Places, John Turturro's status as the film's director and writer bodes incredibly well for the future of Mr. Quintana. Turturro famously created many of Jesus' iconic mannerisms during the production of The Big Lebowski, so the fact that he has taken the creative reins on Going Places seems like a solid indication that the character will soon be fleshed out in some seriously awesome ways.

As long as he's still the same old fast-talking, strike-scoring bowler, we will be happy.

Going Places will reportedly take the mythology of the Jesus in a wildly different direction compared to what we've seen before. The spin-off will center on a trio of sexually promiscuous eccentrics whose reckless attitudes towards basic decency eventually get them into trouble with the law. What follows is a story of life on the lamb as they struggle to escape the wrath of a violent hair stylist. If you thought things were going to become normal after the events of The Big Lebowski, then you were certainly mistaken.

Oddly enough, Going Places serves as both a spin-off and a remake. While the film clearly takes place within the Lebowski universe, it's also a remake of a French film of the same name. In addition to John Turturro, the film also stars Bobby Cannavale, Audrey Tautou, and Susan Sarandon.

CinemaBlend will bring you all of the latest and greatest details concerning the upcoming release of Going Places as more information becomes available to us. Jesus Quintana will make his gloriously perverted return to cinemas when the film debuts next year. Stay tuned for more details!

The new trend is Hollywood is to surprise audiences with sequels that we didn't know were supposed to be sequels. The Woods, for example, becomes a Blair Witch sequel in the making, and 10 Cloverfield Lane adopts connections to the Cloverfield universe. In a similar fashion, we're now learning that a movie titled Going Places -- which already has begin filming -- might be a long-awaited and often discussed spinoff to The Big Lebowski, starring John Turturro as his bowling fiend Jesus Quintana.

Sources close to the production of Going Places have revealed to the Web site Birth Movies Death that the film -- which is a remake of a French sex farce -- is actually going to be a Jesus Quintana movie. They have been told that the film, which has been in production for about two weeks, will star Turturro and Bobby Cannavale as petty thieves who engage in a competition to give a woman (Audrey Tautou) her first orgasm. Please tell me that Jesus will use his magical tongue for that process.

Here's where things get strange. This isn't a true The Big Lebowski spinoff, as Joel and Ethan Coen are not behind the movie in any creative sense. Going Places, according to BMD, doesn't even have proper distribution. And while John Turturro has teased a Jesus Quintana movie over the years -- swearing that he has discussed this with the Coens before -- the fact that this is happening under the radar gives us pause. This character, back in the hands of Joel and Ethan, would have us very excited. In someone else's hands? Even with Turturro in the role, I'm not sure what to expect. Will it ever touch this? How could it?

There's one way to get us very excited for Going Places. Tell us that it could have a walk-on by The Dude himself. Jeff Bridges wholeheartedly embraces his role as The Dude, and if there were an opportunity for him to bring the character back to the big screen, I think he'd jump on it. Could you really do a Big Lebowski spinoff movie without The Dude showing up, even in a glorified cameo? I think not. But that's just, like, my opinion, man.

For now, Going Places reportedly stars Turtorro, Cannavale, Tautou and Susan Sarandon. It doesn't have a release date, and no director but a screenplay by Turturro. We'll keep you posted on details as they emerge, but for now, are you interested in a Jesus Quintana movie?

If one ever needs proof that the Academy Awards don’t actually define who the most talented people in Hollywood are, one need only look at the long, long list of people that they have ignored over the last century. Legendary actors like Joseph Cotton, Peter Lorre, Kim Novak, Edward G. Robinson and many more not only never won Oscar trophies during their careers, but were never even nominated for a prize. But as shocking as that list is, there are some names of snubbed actors in the modern era that will confuse the hell out of you.

With the 87th annual Academy Awards upon us, we’ve assembled a list of 15 brilliant, currently working actors who amazingly have never been up for Hollywood’s highest honor. Who are the names? Read on to find out!

Steve Buscemi

A big reason why the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award even exists is to celebrate the works of the great character actors working in the movie industry, and yet one of the greatest of all time, Steve Buscemi, has never gotten any attention from the ceremony. This is honestly a rather baffling mystery, as Buscemi’s 30 year career is packed with brilliant titles and collaborations with geniuses like the Coen brothers and Quentin Tarantino, and yet the Oscars have never felt the need to give him consideration. Seriously, how the hell did he not get nominated for Fargo?

Jeff Daniels

In the past few years, Jeff Daniels has found himself finding great awards success thanks to his time on television – winning the 2013 Outstanding Lead Actor Emmy for his performance in Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom - but every time the guy has flirted with an Academy Award it has ended in disappointing fashion. He arguably came closest in 2005 with his turn in Noah Baumbach’s The Squid and the Whale, but was ultimately shut out of the final race. That being said, it’s hard to imagine that Daniels will wind up ending his career with a permanent spot on this list – especially when you consider that he is currently working with the likes of Danny Boyle and Ridley Scott on his next two feature film projects.

Isabella Rossellini

Over the course of her 39 year career, Isabella Rossellini has earned acclaim, and hardware from many film organizations, but sadly her performances have never stirred Academy members to the degree that they felt the need to declare her work some of the best in a given year. This is an awful shame given her memorable turns in movies like David Lynch’s Blue Velvet and Peter Weir’s Fearless (which got nominations for Dennis Hopper and Rosie Perez, respectively). Rossellini is certainly one of the most notable Italian imports in modern cinema, and it would be too bad if her big screen career ended before getting her first nod.

Donald Sutherland

At the age of 79, Donald Sutherland is the oldest actor on this list, but that only really serves to amplify just how ridiculous it is that he has never found himself up for an Academy Award. The man’s career is full of brilliant performances in some truly amazing movies – from Ordinary People to MASH to Invasion of the Body Snatchers to Don’t Look Now, but evidently none of these turns really stuck out versus stiff competition in various years. If it doesn’t happen in the next few years for one reason or another, there is definitely a case to be made for him at some point getting a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Jeffrey Wright

Jeffrey Wright’s career started off a bit slow as he was getting his foot in the door in the film industry back in the 1990s, but since the turn of the millennium the guy has proven to be one of the industry’s most talented character actors. In that time, he has found himself in multiple Academy Award nominated films, including Ali, Syriana, and The Ides of March, but has not yet been able to get himself on the Academy’s radar. Of course, just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it won’t, and one could easily see it happening as he keeps getting more interesting roles in interesting projects.

Alfred Molina

Thanks to movies like An Education and Frida, Alfred Molina has spent some time within the last 15 years being a part of some awards races, but to this point his work has not yet resulted in a nomination from the Academy Awards. He’s certainly been working with the right people, including directors like Paul Thomas Anderson, Ron Howard, and Kenneth Branagh, but sadly those impressive collaborations have not yet yielded any little golden men for the actor. Fortunately, the guys has rarely taken long breaks between projects, so his big ticket film could be coming at really any point.

Danny Glover

One can fairly easily predict that it will be Danny Glover’s time playing Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon movies that winds up being his most lasting legacy in the film industry, but it’s still rather surprising that his time starring in movies like Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple (which got 11 Oscar nominations) and Peter Weir’s Witness (which got eight Oscar nominations and two wins) never resulted in a single nomination for himself. Admittedly, at this point in Glover’s career it sort of seems the time has come and gone, but with the right director and the right script, anything can happen.

Pam Grier

Pam Grier came as close as she’s ever been to an Academy Award nomination when she starred in Quentin Tarantino’s brilliant 1997 crime drama Jackie Brown, but it’s a shame that she’s never actually gone all the way to the show. In addition to being an exceptional actress, she also happens to play an important role in cinematic history through her part in the Blaxploitation movement. Even if she doesn’t end up with another performance in her career that finds her in the awards race, at the very least the Academy should find some way to honor her contributions to cinema.

John Goodman

It’s perhaps an example of the Academy having a bit of a bias against actors who have spent a good portion of their careers on television, but there really is no excuse at this point for John Goodman not to have at least collected an Oscar nomination by this point in his life, if not an actual award. Like the case with Steve Buscemi, Goodman’s work with the Coen brothers alone should have at least resulted in one nod (Barton Fink!), but the guy is equally good in everything he does, and it’s shocking he has not get gotten the consideration he deserves.

Scarlett Johansson

After years as a child actor, Scarlett Johansson got her adult career off to an absolutely stellar start by making films like Lost in Translation and working with Woody Allen on multiple projects, but despite all of the clout she was able to build up, it has not yet resulted in an Oscar nod. Admittedly she has gotten a bit further away from the awards race in recent years due to the fact that she is turning into one of Hollywood’s most popular action hero leads, but the truth is that she’s still putting in award caliber work in smaller films like Her, and because she’s only 30 it’s not hard to see her eventually doing something that really gets the Academy’s attention.

Allison Janney

The fact that she has spent a good portion of her career on television is most likely what’s held Allison Janney back from the Academy Award crowd, but it still feels surprising that she has never at least picked up a nomination. With her warm screen presence as well as her high talent level, you’d think she’d at least find herself getting a Best Supporting Actress nod at some point, but to this point it has not happened yet. The good news is that she’s a very prolific actress who takes on a lot of opportunities, so it’s not hard to believe that we could see the Janney Drought end in the next few years.

Alan Rickman

Alan Rickman has a remarkable fanbase thanks to his legendary work in Die Hard and the Harry Potter series, and while we understand why those titles didn’t get him consideration from the Academy Awards (they’ve never been too big on genre stuff), the truth is that it’s still surprising he hasn’t picked up a nomination at this point in his career. The guy most certainly has the talent, but it just hasn’t translated to this point. Fortunately, all it takes is one spellbinding performance to take him out of qualification for this list, and one can sense that it’s really in the cards for him. It’s just a matter of when.

Meg Ryan

Over the course of his career, Tom Hanks has earned five Academy Award nominations, and has even taken home the Best Actor prize twice… but that really only serves to highlight the fact that his longtime romantic comedy partner, Meg Ryan, has never been up for acting’s highest honor. Thanks to their greater acceptance of comedic films, Ryan has been celebrated by the Golden Globes multiple times – earning nominations for When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, but none of that attention ever translated to Oscar attention. It’s not too late for Meg Ryan just yet, though if she wants the chance to ever get an Academy Award she should probably start doing more movies.

John Turturro

While Joel and Ethan Coen have picked up numerous Academy Awards for themselves over the years, it’s kind of amazing that they haven’t been able to spread that success to some of their favorite character actors. Yes, like Steve Buscemi and John Goodman, John Turturro is yet another Coen regular who has somehow never managed to find Oscar’s awareness. It’s a real shock just because the guy has done some truly fantastic work in films like Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, Quiz Show and Rounders. Hopefully the time and opportunity have not come and gone.

Jennifer Jason Leigh

She may still be remembered by many as the curious Stacy Hamilton in Fast Times At Ridgemont High, but Jennifer Jason Leigh has honestly put together quite an impressive resume in the decades since – albeit one that has not yet been given any notice by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A lot of her stuff has been more under the radar, but she has been consistently earning acclaim for years in movies like Margot At The Wedding and The Spectacular Now. This year she is playing the lead female role in Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, so this may actually be her opportunity to finally get her first nomination.

Despite their fame and iconography, no one has yet tried to make a big screen sequel or spinoff to a Coen brothers film. Sure, they've done it on TV: the recent Fargo on FX was the second of two televised attempts to capitalize on that film. But we haven't had to sit through Barton Fink Returns; we've never met A More Serious Man; and we haven't yet caught O Brother, I Found You. But are you ready to mess with Big Lebowski's the Jesus once more?

At the Taorima Film Festival, (via FilmDivider), John Turturro revealed his intention is to make a long-rumored follow-up to The Big Lebowski - specifically one centered on his character Jesus Quintana. He told the audience,

Apparently, Turturro's intentions are to direct the film himself. Which is a tall order, but he certainly has the Coens' stamp of approval: they produced his flawed-but-intriguing musical Romance And Cigarettes, which was barely held together by a ridiculous cast:

Turturro is an experienced director, but the best thing you could say about his skill is that he's purely functional. His latest was a curiosity called Fading Gigolo, a farce where Turturro stars as a mild-mannered flower shop owner who moonlights as a male prostitute. The casting of co-star Woody Allen seems like an ode to Turturro's inspirations. And as a working man, Turturro is appealingly off-kilter, though the fact that he services Sofia Vergara and Sharon Stone in his new film adds to the ludicrousness of a premise that also involves an intensely judgmental Hasidic community led by a deadpan Liev Schrieber. The picture had a very tiny release and somehow collected $13 million worldwide, suggesting that whomever owns the rights to The Big Lebowski maybe should be amenable to Turturro returning to the role.

Of course, Jesus Quintana ultimately has very little screen time in The Big Lebowski, so what kind of movie would this be? A wacky comedy about a noted pedophile rage case? An intense bowling competition drama? Something else? Maybe Turturro completely breaks from the Coen universe and makes something different. Should be interesting either way.

A filmmaking legend, Woody Allen, randomly teams up with a highly respected actor/director, John Turturro, to make a movie about an older man turning from unengaging florist into a studly prostitute, all while an even older man makes a buck while pimping him out. It may sound like the premise to a weekend show at the UCB Theater, but it’s actually Turturro’s fifth feature, the lighthearted upcoming romp Fading Gigolo.

We now have our second look at the film with this second trailer, via Yahoo! Movies, and while it looks almost exactly the same as the first trailer, it strengthened a feeling I have about it. This is either going to be a lovely movie that only bears at least one viewing, or it’s going to be a film that makes me want to tear my hair out in its depiction of loose New York women who don’t have anything better to do than pay for sex with a guy that doesn’t even seem all that interested in being very fetching.

The film starts off with Allen’s character, Murray, talking about how his hottie dermatologist, played by Sharon Stone, wanted to have a threesome with her friend (Sophia Vergara) and was looking for someone to do it with. I’m pretty sure that breaks the doctor/patient privilege, but Murray goes on to tell Fioravante (Turturro) about it, and an enterprise is born. For some reason, women want to pay $1,000 or more to spend time with Fioravante, and it’s going to make Murray some side cash.

If this were just a sexually driven drama, that would be one thing, but there’s also a woman named Avigal (Vanessa Paradis), whom Fioravante has fallen for, but is currently in a relationship with an Orthodox Jew played by Live Schreiber (in one of cinema’s worst hairdos). Of all movies, the one about the older gigolo sleeping with hot women really doesn’t need to incorporate a love interest angle. But, maybe it’ll all work out in the end for everyone - except Schreiber’s barber.

The one part I really liked in this trailer that I don’t think was in the first one is when Allen explains what a gigolo is to the children of the woman he’s dating. It’s a musician thing, surely. It’s a lie, but it probably has more in common with the truth than not.

With what is hopefully a pronounced lack of Last Vegas-style age jokes, Fading Gigolo will hit theaters for a limited run on April 18th. Will you swoon for it or avoid it altogether? Here’s the first trailer for your consideration.

Ridley Scott appears to be pulling out all the stops when it comes to casting his upcoming film Exodus. While the film already has Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton attached to play Moses and the evil Egyptian pharaoh Ramses, today it's been revealed that the movie will actually be an incredibly impressive ensemble. Deadline is reporting that Aaron Paul, Sigourney Weaver, Sir Ben Kingsley, and John Turturro are all either set or in negotiations to star in the new biblical epic.

Scripted by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Steve Zaillian, whose previous credits include Schindler's List, Moneyball, and Gangs of New York, the film will tell the story of how Moses was able to successfully free the Jewish people from bondage and slavery in Egypt and lead a pilgrimage to the Promised Land in Israel. According to the source, Paul is in talks to play Joshua, "the Hebrew slave who leads the people into the promised land after Moses"; Weaver is set to play Tuya, Ramses' mother; Turturro is set to play Seti, Tuya's husband and Ramses' father; and Kingsley is in talks to play "a Hebrew scholar." Variety says that cameras are currently scheduled to start rolling next month and that the production will be doing a bit of globe-trotting, set to shoot in England, Spain and Morocco.

Paul has spent the last five years giving audiences heart attacks playing Jesse Pinkman on the soon-to-end series Breaking Bad, he's getting prepped to make a major splash on the big screen soon. In addition to Exodus, next year we will also see him play the lead role in the video-game adaptation Need For Speed - which will be out in March. He has also wrapped on the Pascal Chaumeil-directed dramedy A Long Way Down, which co-stars Rosamund Pike, Imogen Poots, Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette and Sam Neill.

Weaver, who previously worked with Scott on both Alien and 1492: Conquest of Paradise, has also been doing a good bit of television work recently, playing the lead in the miniseries Political Animals, but she also recently signed on for the Mortal Instruments sequel (which may or may not happen after the first film's less-than-stellar opening at the box office this past weekend). She is also still attached to star in James Cameron's Avatar 2, which is currently scheduled to hit theaters in 2016.

Of all the stars that have been added to the Exodus cast Kingsley has been the busiest on the big screen in 2013. In addition to some smaller projects, the Oscar winner starred in Shane Black's Iron Man 3 back in May and will soon be seen in the anticipated adaptation of Ender's Game, which will be coming out on November 1st.

Lastly there's Turturro, who just recently directed the upcoming comedy Fading Gigolo, which stars both himself and Woody Allen. While the movie doesn't have a release date just yet, it will soon be showing at the Toronto International Film Festival, and you can watch the first trailer below,:

The importance of the director and writer’s vision should never be understated, and Fading Gigolo squarely exemplifies that. Had Woody Allen pimped John Turturro’s middle-aged male prostitute in a film by some other filmmaker, regardless of that person’s talent, it could have been a disaster. (I even worry about where Allen would have taken this material.) But because this story is all being filtered through writer-director Turturro’s witty (and apparently horny) brain, there’s an inherent maturity strewn throughout the film’s first trailer, as seen above.

I have to admit it’s a huge relief knowing that we probably won’t have to worry about seeing men in their 50s and 70s go on about loose bowels or other geriatric ailments. Though I fully expect to hear a few jokes about Viagra and the trouble with maintaining erection--this is a movie about sex after all.

The film, which will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, centers on friends Fioravante (Turturro) and Murray (Allen), who decide to make some quick cash by offering up Fioravante’s sexual prowess to women willing to drop some major dough for his services. Two of those women include Selima (Sofia Vergara) and Murray’s dermatologist Dr. Parker (Sharon Stone), both of whom eventually become intrigued by the idea of having a threesome with the still vigorous Fioravante. Somewhere along the way, the Jewish community gets wind of what the duo are doing and make their disapproval known. Also, Turturro finds time to fall in love with Avigail (Vanessa Paradis). Liev Schreiber also stars, although I didn’t even notice him in the trailer.

This film has two big things going for it, depending on where your tastes lie. For one, it’s the first time Allen has starred in a film he didn’t write or direct since 2000’s Picking Up the Pieces. Second, it features Stone and Vergara in bed together; even though this image would have probably turned more heads ten to fifteen years ago, there’s still some appeal there-- especially if Vergara’s character brings out the strap-on that she talks about. Man it just got hot up in this article.

The lingering effects of Allen’s Whatever Works kept fooling me into thinking Larry David was also in this movie somewhere, switching places with Allen every other scene. This is especially true when Allen decides his pimp name will be Dan Bungle, and when he talks about waitresses pooling tips.

I had serious doubts about Fading Gigolo after first reading about it, which seems silly since both of these guys are supremely talented, and I’m glad to find real humor and subdued situational comedy on display here. And power to Turturro for being able to pull off a "gulp" gag with style.

There’s no release date set yet for Fading Gigolo, but it could do the sideways tango into theaters at some point this year. Check out the film’s first poster below.

John Slattery's tenure on the long-running series Mad Men has afforded him the opportunity to flex his filmmaker muscle, having directed four episodes of the show, but now he's ready to take his behind-the-scenes prowess to the big screen. And what's more, he's bringing one of his co-stars, Academy Award winner, and two of the best character actors we have along with him.

According to Deadline, Slattery is now getting ready to make his feature directorial debut on God's Pocket, an adaptation of the Pete Dexter novel that he scripted with Alex Metcalf, and has signed Christina Hendricks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, and John Turturro to star. Set in South Philidelphia, the story follows a man named Mickey, whose psychotic stepson is killed on a construction site due to an "accident." While Mickey tries to quietly get rid of the body, his life becomes complicated when a reporter starts snooping around. From there, the site says, the protagonist "finds himself stuck in a life and death struggle between a body he can’t bury, a wife he can’t please and a debt he can’t pay." The article makes no mention of what characters any of the actors will be playing. The film is being sold at the Cannes Film Festival, but there's no mention of when production is scheduled to start.

Speaking of directorial debuts, Hendricks is currently in production on Ryan Gosling's, a fantasy thriller called How To Catch A Monster. Hoffman will be seen later this year in both The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, in which he plays Plutarch Heavensbee; and the John le Carre adapted thriller A Most Wanted Man. Jenkins has both White House Down and Turbo due out this summer, and Turturro is in post-production on his latest directorial effort, Fading Gigolo.

Someone needs to rescue John Turturro from Michael Bay’s clutches. The once-respected character actor best known for collaborating with the likes of Spike Lee and the Coen Brothers apparently has spent so much time on Bay’s inane Transformers franchise that he’s now convinced everything needs a sequel or a spin-off. And he’d like by branching off and further exploring Jesus Quintana, his beloved, ball-licking bowler from The Big Lebowski.

Granted, Turturro’s intentions are more noble than just cashing in on the enormous cult following enjoyed by Lebowski. As he tells The AV Club, he’d mostly like to do a follow up to the Joel and Ethan’s 1998 comedy so that fans will stop asking him questions about it.

“Because people are obsessed with the movie and obsessed with that guy,” Turturro explains. “It’s really bizarre, because the movie didn’t even do that well when it came out here. Once again, it’s a movie that’s gotten better or something.”

But Turturro isn’t working off the cuff. Apparently he has come up with an outline for a spin-off that he’d really like to get to the Coens in hopes of receiving their approval. Turturro admits that the brothers have no interest in expanding on Lebowski -- sequels never have been their thing – he did say that if they approved his idea, there’s a “very good chance” a Jesus Quintana movie could happen.

It goes without saying that this sounds like a terrible idea. Jesus worked in very small doses. Did anyone want to follow him home from the bowling alley to see what kind of perverse lifestyle he led when not tormenting The Dude? No. In fact, I’m way more interested in the Barton Fink sequel Turturoo teases later in the article, though honestly, I’d actually prefer the Coens to just leave their past films alone and not sully them with remakes, reboots or sequels. And I’m pretty sure they feel the same way.

Yesterday at the big Toy Fair event for Cars 2-- held at the glitzy Chelsea Piers meeting center-- Disney didn't just announce all the snazzy toys they'll be releasing with the film this summer, but introduced two new characters who will play key roles in the film. The character of Italian race car Francesco Bernoulli had shown up online previously, but Disney confirmed for the first time that he'll be voiced by John Turturro. They also introduced the entirely new character of Miles Axlerod (voiced by Eddie Izzard), a former oil baron who now spends his life both researching alternative fuels and hosting the Grand Prix race, which has Lightning McQueen traveling all over the world in the sequel.

The introductions actually happened through a pre-taped message from Cars 2 director and Pixar chief John Lasseter, who describes Turturro's character Bernoulli "completely, wonderfully full of himself" and promised that the movie-- which sees Mater tied up in an international spy operation-- is "not a parody of a spy movie; this is a spy movie."

Check out the two brand-new characters below-- Francesco is the racecar, obviously, while Miles I guess is some kind of SUV-- and come back later today for my interview with Emily Mortimer, who voices the super-spy car Holley Shiftwell. Cars 2 opens June 24 this year.

Early last month a trailer for Andrey Konchalovskiy's The Nutcracker In 3D came online, but was fairly inaccessible to American audiences. Probably something to do with the fact that it was all in Russian. With Elle Fanning, Nathan Lane and John Turturro in the cast, however, it was only a matter of time until we got an English-language version. I wish we hadn't.

Apple has posted the first domestic trailer for the film and boy, does it look awful. Because I didn't understand the language, I was able to focus on the visuals in the film, which look great, and the prospect of Turturro playing The Rat King, which is awesome on paper. But now that I have full comprehension, I want to stay as far away from this movie as possible. Every line of dialogue, particularly those spoken by the child actors, sounds wooden and forced and just as the Transformers series has suggested, it appears that Turturro doesn't care about quality anymore. Perhaps Robert Zemeckis' version will be better.

Check out the trailer below or in HD over at Apple.

Late last year there were two movies based on the E.T.A. Hoffmann novel "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," , one directed by Robert Zemeckis, the other by writer Darren Lemke. Though the projects would be very different in approach, Zemeckis making a direct adaptation while Lemke turned it into an action-adventure piece, it was still strange to see two projects based on the same source material announced at the same time. As it turns out, Andrey Konchalovskiy beat them both to the punch.

Twitch has premiered the first trailer for Konchalovskiy's The Nutcracker in 3D, but if you are hoping to understand it, you might want to learn a bit of Russian. Starring John Turturro, Elle Fanning, and Nathan Lane, the film will be released in English, but this video is overdubbed to hell. Despite my heritage, I don't speak a lick of the language, but perhaps someone in the comments section could explain what the hell is going on here. Until then, just enjoy the sight of Turturro dressed up as a rat.