It’s rare (but not unheard of, thanks to last year’s John Wick spinoff Ballerina) that the leads of your action thriller come in the form of ballet dancers. Pretty Lethal hits the 2026 movie release calendar on March 25, featuring a handful of ballerinas who are forced to use their training to fight their way out of an inn full of dangerous gangsters. Critics screened the movie, and while opinions are mixed, they mostly agree there’s some “bonkers” ballet-fu fun to be found.

Pretty Lethal has acquired a great cast, including Maddie Ziegler, Lana Condor, Iris Apatow, Millicent Simmonds and Avantika, with Uma Thurman playing the owner of the inn who has a tragic history with ballet. Matt Donato of Daily Dead rates it 3.5 out of 5, saying that it’s not a perfect movie by any means, but for a streaming popcorn flick, it’s “a pretty fun lil' ass-beater.” The critic says:

Glenn Garner of Deadline says Uma Thurman leaves “no crumbs” in her performance and is complemented by the talented young dancers around her, as director Vicky Jewson puts her twist on the action genre through a “darkly comedic, emotionally wrought female lens.” Garner continues:

Grant Hermanns of ScreenRant isn’t quite as enthusiastic about the new action movie, rating it a 5 out of 10. The critic says there are some unique, if a little sloppy, action sequences, but with an underwhelming script and no depth to the characters, the “ballet-fu” can only take it so far. More from the review:

Angie Han of THR says one third-act fight scene seems to be the entire reason Pretty Lethal exists in the first place with its “John Wick-meets-The Nutcracker choreography.” While that’s undeniably fun, Han says, the movie is ultimately forgettable. The critic continues:

Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert rates the movie 1.5 stars out of 4, citing minimal character development, Hostel levels of brutality that throw off the tone and a criminal underutilization of Uma Thurman. The critic says:

It sounds like Pretty Lethal shines the brightest when we’re seeing the ballerinas do their John Wick-esque thing, though a shallow script, tonal imbalances and a waste of Uma Thurman’s talents have left some critics less than enthused. If you want to check out the ballet-fu action thriller, Pretty Lethal is streaming now with a Prime Video subscription.

The beloved To All the Boys franchise is finally continuing with the second season of XO, Kitty on Netflix's 2025 schedule. Filled to the brim with subtle TATB Easter Eggs, the spinoff series takes fans back to the Korean Independent School of Seoul for Kitty’s second semester with plenty of drama, romance, and family history. This all means Anna Cathcart is taking the lead in the franchise again as Kitty Covey, and now, the OG film's leads, Lana Condor and Noah Centineo, are gushing about their on-screen sister and her show like proud parents.

Condor and Centineo were the faces of the beloved teen rom-com trilogy as Lara Jean Covey and Peter Kavinsky. Both of them are also coincidentally promoting new projects at the same time as XO, Kitty’s release -- Condor stars in the 2025 film release, Valiant One, while Centineo is about to premiere the second season of his own Netflix show, The Recruit. So, of course, To All the Boys and XO, Kitty have been brought up during their interviews, and they couldn’t stop saying great things about it.

What Lana Condor Said About Her On-Screen Sister And XO, Kitty

Condor and Cathcart just so happened to reunite while promoting their respective projects on New York Live, and it was quite the sight to see. The two actresses could not stop waving at each other and the Lara Jean actress had quite a lot of praise for her on-screen little sister. Basically, the TATB franchise is in good hands, and Condor couldn’t agree more:

Considering Cathcart was just about 14 years old while filming the first movie, it’s probably pretty crazy for Condor to see her at 21 carrying on the franchise with her own show. It’s also sweet hearing how supportive she is, proving that they are sisters not only on-screen but off, and the in-person reunion makes it even better.

What Noah Centineo Said About Reuniting With Anna Cathcart

Speaking of in-person reunions, Noah Centineo guest-starred on Season 2 of XO, Kitty, and fans were as excited as ever to have Peter Kavinsky gracing their screens once again.

While speaking with People, Centineo also couldn’t sing enough praises for Anna Cathcart and seeing her in her element while filming XO, Kitty. And just like that, it’s like I’ve fallen in love with him and Peter all over again:

Isn't that just the sweetest thing? It's so wonderful to see these two actors spotlighting Cathcart and praising the work she's doing in the franchise their characters' story started. Truthfully, their comments make them look like proud parents, and I frankly feel the exact same way.

It’s been six years since To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before hit Netflix, and nearly four years since To All the Boys: Always and Forever closed out the trilogy. Now, XO, Kitty is pushing the Covey's stories forward, and we all love to see it!

Of course, fans can always rewatch the films and XO, Kitty with a Netflix subscription to relive that magic, but seeing the love and support from the cast for Cathcart and XO, Kitty might be even better.

After bringing on Bradley Cooper to guest star, Abbott Elementary is continuing to bring out the big guns. Many A-listers have expressed interest in guest starring on the Emmy-winning sitcom, and among the many celebrities guest starring on Season 3 is To All the Boys star Lana Condor. While it was previously unknown what her role was, a new first look previews that she and Tyler James Williams are going out and they actually look kind of cute.

It's no secret that Abbott Elementary has been gradually building up to a possible romance between Williams’ Gregory and Quinta Brunson’s Janine, but work and other relationships keep getting in the way. However, Williams doesn’t even think the two teachers should end up together, which makes it a good thing that Abbott is seemingly bringing on a new character to gauge Gregory’s interest. Per ABC, the synopsis for the new episode, “Double Date,” airing this Wednesday, reads:

From the looks of things, Gregory and Jacob are starting fresh after having relationship troubles, and it might just be what they need. Whether or not Condor will stick around for more episodes is unknown, but perhaps it really all depends on how things work out with her character and Gregory. However, if Condor can work out her boy troubles in the To All the Boys trilogy, what can she do on Abbott Elementary? Plus, it is nice to see Gregory getting back out there and dating after the “Will they/won’t they?” dilemma with Janine.

Janine and Gregory’s relationship has been complicated from the start and it doesn’t seem like things will be getting any easier for them, at least for now. Janine is coming back to Abbott after realizing working for the district wasn’t for her, so this could help them get back to normal. It might be a little too soon for the series to try again with them, which could be why Lana Condor is being brought in. While she and Tyler James Williams are certainly cute together, fans may have to wait until the episode premieres to really give their opinion on this potential new romance.

Meanwhile, Condor is not the only big guest star Abbott Elementary has landed recently. Questlove guest starred in a recent episode, three of the Philadelphia Eagles made a surprise cameo in the season premiere, and Keegan-Michael Key also stopped by in a guest role. Williams has his pick for guest star, previously suggesting Jeff Goldblum as a student, while Bette Midler pitched herself a specific role: the mother of Lisa Ann Walter’s Melissa Schemmenti.

It will be exciting to see Lana Condor guest star in Abbott Elementary and add a little spice to Gregory’s personal life. It’s clear that he still has feelings for Janine, so whether or not anything will happen with him and Condor’s character will be something to look forward to. The new episode airs this Wednesday, May 1 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC on the 2024 TV schedule.

Abbott Elementary Season 3 is moving right along, and it’s been packed to the brim. So far, fans have been treated to Janine Teagues navigating her work at the school district, Jacob Hill breaking up with his boyfriend and principal Ava Coleman just being… well, Ava. There have also been a smattering of major guest stars this year, with the latest being Bradley Cooper, who cameod during the show’s post-Oscars episode. Now, it sounds like the star power isn’t dying down anytime soon, as it’s been reported that a number of other notable guests are making their way to the sitcom.

We now know that there are at least five notable names that’ll be popping up on Abbott Elementary before the season is out. Those stars are Keegan-Michael Key, Lana Condor, Cree Summer, Karan Soni and Tatyana Ali. As of right now, it’s unclear as to when exactly these stars will be popping up during Season 3. Per Deadline, details on their roles have also yet to be revealed. Though what I can say as a fan is that I’m deliriously excited to see these esteemed actors when I tune in for Abbott. 

It’s hard not to make note of the fact that all of the stars that’ve been cast have experience with comedy. Lana Condor may be young, but she’s proven her comedic chops through her leading role in Netflix’s To All the Boys and the comedic miniseries Boo, Bitch. (She also starred in the unreleased Looney Tunes film Coyote vs. Acme.) Some are surely also familiar with Karan Soni, who starred on the anthology comedy series Miracle Workers and has appeared on various sitcoms like The Goldbergs, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Silicon Valley. He’s probably best known for playing Dopinder in the Deadpool franchise. 

Tatyana Ali is a bonafide sitcom icon, as she notably played the role of Ashley Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (which can be streamed with a Max subscription). She’s also headlined the sitcom Love That Girl! and appeared in other comedies. Keegan-Michael Key is famous for his stint on Mad TV and for co-creating the beloved sketch comedy series Key & Peele alongside Jordan Peele. He was most recently a co-lead of the musical comedy series Schmigadoon!, and played a supporting role in the film Wonka. 

And, last but certainly not least, there’s the great Cree Summer – the prolific actress who had her breakthrough as a cast member on the college sitcom A Different World. While she still appears on live-action shows, she has and continues to do a massive amount of voiceover work, which she’s famous for. So, yeah, there’s a lot of talent here.

I’ve been incredibly impressed with the guest stars that have appeared amid Abbott Season 3 up to this point. The one-hour season premiere kicked everything off with a bang by having Philadelphia Eagles players Jalen Hurts, Brandon Graham and Jason Kelce. Comedian and influence Sabrina Brier also popped in as did Joy Ride alum Sabrina Wu. Though Bradley Cooper’s brief appearance, during which he was referred to as “the face of Alias,” was too perfect. 

The amount of stars that this series is capable of pulling never ceases to amaze me and, honestly, the sky is only the limit from here. Here’s hoping that Keegan-Michael Key, Lana Condor, Cree Summer and co. are all utilzed flawlessly when they appear on the warm and funny sitcom.

Catch the guest stars by watching new episodes of Abbott Elementary when they premiere on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC as part of the 2024 TV schedule. You can also stream them the following day using a Hulu subscription.

On August 17, 2018, Netflix released one its most beloved original movies, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, and it became a phenomenon almost instantly. The coming-of-age movie based on Jenny Han’s bestselling novel of the same name was a huge hit that helped lead the recent comeback of the rom-com and became a trilogy. To celebrate the original movie’s five-year anniversary, the streaming service paid tribute to All The Boys with a Hollywood billboard. 

As Netflix shared on Twitter this morning, the studio decided to pronounce its continued love for the All The Boys franchise with a Sunset Boulevard billboard. It’s not only a sweet way to commemorate the anniversary, it also seems to confirm what’s going on with Lana Condor’s Lara Jean Covey and Noah Centineo’s Peter Kavinsky these days. Check it: 

The billboard reads “Five years later, Lara Jean & Peter, still going strong.” It sounds like Netflix wants the world to know that the movie couple are always and forever even though the movies concluded back in 2021! As you may recall, the end of the third All The Boys movie had Lara Jean and Peter graduating high school and going to college 3,000 miles away from one another. While the movie ended with some open-endedness about whether the couple would survive, Lara Jean was hopeful their regular letters to one another would assist their continued romance. 

Netflix’s bold proclamation seems to offer hope for fans of the couple staying together years following the end of To All the Boys: Always and Forever. It’s not a great day to be Team John Ambrose, but it’s definitely a sweet tribute to the romantic comedy couple for an exciting milestone for the first movie. It’s also a good reminder that the summer 2018 release is still right there for those with a Netflix subscription to stream, especially if the endless scrolling is getting you down. 

Since the end of All The Boys, the franchise’s author Jenny Han has been keeping busy on a couple of big series, between being the showrunner for The Summer I Turned Pretty and spinning off All The Boys with XO, Kitty, which arrived to Netflix back in May. XO, Kitty also confirmed the couple are still together in a scene in the third episode. 

While the trilogy may be over, the billboard ignited some interest from fans to see more of Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky after high school. They are definitely among the rom-com pairings we’d love to see in another movie together. I imagine the pair of Netflix stars coming together to continue the story for the high schoolers 10 or 15-year reunion. After both characters have had some time to grow up more and live life, it’d be so interesting to learn where they stand. Anyways, Happy Five Years to To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before! 

Lana Condor may have closed the chapter on Lara Jean back in 2021 when the final To All The Boys movie was released, but the actress continues to take her experiences from the trilogy with her. When we spoke to Condor for her leading role in Dreamworks’ Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, she opened up about how her famed rom-com role impacted her portrayal of the undersea warrior princess. 

While the characters look worlds apart from the outside, upon further investigation, one could draw a few comparisons between Lara Jean and Ruby Gillman. For one, both of them are attempting to navigate the rough waters of high school amidst having secret crushes and … other secrets. During our interview with Condor, she shared this about how the two roles collided for her: 

Per the actress, the To All The Boys movies were a lesson in creating likable characters that people want to root for at the end of the day. Teenage girls (or krakens) don’t often have the most foresight and could easily be written off. However, for Lana Condor, between the two roles, she’s felt that she’s really learned about playing heroines the audience can depend on to do the “good” thing. 

Lana Condor was thrust into mega fame at the age of 21 when 2018’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before hit Netflix. She’s previously opened up about it in retrospect, speaking to how the movie was received “better” than she had “ever imagined” in her “wildest dreams.” She sprung into more projects immediately after in an effort to “capitalize” on it, but she became burnt out by all the “stimulation” of stardom. 

It's been two years now since To All The Boys’ conclusion, and Lana Condor got to start from scratch with an animated high schooler who learns one day she has the ability to turn into an all-powerful kraken. The 2023 new movie release sees the nervous teen learning of her undersea origins, and she is warned about “evil mermaids,” which is obviously much different than the tales Disney tells of who’s the good and bad guys of the ocean. 

Following Ruby Gillman, Lana Condor is set to star alongside John Cena in a Looney Tunes movie called Coyote v. Acme, a The Bachelor-inspired thriller called The One and a rom-com called Worth The Wait. We have to wonder if Condor will continue to play “genuinely good people” or start to experiment with the other side throughout her career, as well. 

We are fast approaching the dog days of summer, and for people hoping to escape the heat, there have already been plenty of family-friendly options in theaters. Animation dominated the box office last weekend, and Disney offered up its live-action remake of The Little Mermaid a month ago. Now it’s DreamWorks Animation’s turn to take moviegoers under the sea, as Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken hits theaters June 30. Critics had a chance to screen the movie ahead of its release, and they seem to like it, but think it should have leaned further into what makes it unique.

The movie stars Lana Condor from the To All the Boys series as the voice of the titular Kraken, as well as Toni Collette and Jane Fonda as her mother and Grandmamah, respectively. Let’s see what the critics think of the latest project from DreamWorks Animation, starting with CinemaBlend’s review of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. Our own Sarah El-Mahmoud rates it 3 stars out of 5, noting its similarity in plot to last year’s Pixar offering Turning Red. At a tight 90 minutes, this is an enjoyable option for families she says, but nothing earth-shattering: 

Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com gives the movie 3.5 out of 4 stars, calling it “one of the best family films of the year” with its buoyant energy, and while this critic also points out that it’s reminiscent of Turning Red, DreamWorks delivers its own unique delights Minow says, writing: 

Many critics, including Travis Hopson of Punch Drunk Critics, agree Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken had potential but didn’t dive deep enough. The movie is at its best, Hopson says, when daring to skewer our perception of The Little Mermaid, and while the critic thinks a franchise could be built around Ruby, this movie gets just 2.5 out of 5 stars: 

Manuel Betancourt of AV Club grades it a C+, calling the movie a “perfectly adequate fable.” The critic says there’s plenty to enjoy, but Ruby Gillman struggles to find the happy medium between its kooky premise and sincere emotion. Betancourt continues: 

Rachel LeBonte of ScreenRant rates it a “Fairly Good” 2.5 out of 5 stars, calling Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken “endearing” with a stunning voice cast, but the movie needed to go deeper, and it may have trouble making an impression with so many other options. LeBonte writes: 

The critics have lots of good things to say about Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, even if the story isn’t as well-developed as many would have liked. As a family-friendly option with a reasonable runtime, there are surely plenty of worse ways to spend a summer afternoon, so if you’d like to check this one out, head to your local theater now. Be sure to also take a peek at our 2023 Movie Release Calendar to see what else is hitting the big screen soon. 

Questing for a sequel to 2019’s Alita: Battle Angel continues to rage on, through both the fans and the collaborators that brought Robert Rodriguez’s sci-fi movie to life. Previously, folks like Rosa Salazar and Jon Landau, as well as Rodriguez and James Cameron, have all stated they’d love to hop back into the world of Iron City. Now actor Lana Condor has thrown her name onto the list of those who are patiently waiting for an Alita sequel, so it’s your move now, Disney.

In an interview with ComicBook.com, the star of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken was asked if she had any updates about the ever elusive, but oft-discussed Alita 2. Her response was what you’d expect, right down to this heartfelt sentiment on what a sequel could do for the franchise:

Playing the character of Koyomi, Condor is a supportive force of positivity in a dangerous world. As one of the humans that Rosa Salazar’s Alita becomes friends with while trying to remember who she is, we see her helping Alita learn the ins and outs of Motorball. Koyomi even sticks up for Alita: Battle Angel’s title hero in a particularly moving scene where she forces friend Tanji (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.) to confront his bias against their new acquaintance. 

Since the release of this budding cult classic, Lana Condor has made a name for herself in the hit To All The Boys movie series on Netflix. But as you can see, she hasn’t strayed too far from the rest of her compatriots in supporting the cause.

As for where the hypothetically-titled Alita: Fallen Angel currently stands, the product still has some hopeful cheerleaders. Producer Jon Landau gave a hopeful update while doing press for Avatar: The Way of Water, responding to the most recent inquiry by stating “We’re working on it.” Director Robert Rodriguez basically confirmed Landau’s optimism, but also tempered it with the fact that the Avatar sequels play a part in the delay of this would-be follow up. 

The more time passes, the more likely it feels that an Alita: Battle Angel sequel will be made. At least, that’s what it seems like when you have people like Lana Condor continuing to voice their support for another round of futuristic cyborg combat. Once again, it all rests on the shoulders of the decision makers at Disney, as the motorball is officially in their court.

While it may not be in the same wheelhouse, you can catch Ms. Condor’s latest in theaters this weekend, as Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is opening soon at a theater near you. Meanwhile, Alita will be returning to streaming as part of everything new on Hulu starting July 1st.

All The Boys’ Lana Condor has become the latest Dreamworks lead with one of this weekend’s upcoming movies, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. The animated film comes just ahead of it being 25 years since the first movie from the studio, 1998’s Antz was released. In spirit of that, CinemaBlend spoke to Condor about her early memories with Dreamworks and how 2001’s milestone movie for the studio, Shrek, really influenced her growing up.  

Lana Condor just turned 26 last month, so the actress herself is just about as old as the animation studio’s filmography. That also means she was basically raised on Dreamworks movies. As the actress shared during our interview: 

I’m around the same age as Condor, and I can remember how big of a deal Shrek was when it first came out. The movie really turned fairytales on its head and brought a completely new perspective to the whole thing, especially with the character of Fiona, voiced by Cameron Diaz. The princess decides to be an ogre rather than break the spell and become human and be with Shrek. As Condor shared, while hilariously imitating herself as a child (in the video above), as a young kid the movie really inspired her to be herself in her early years. 

Now she gets to be that inspiration herself.

With Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, Lana Condor is the voice of Dreamworks’ first titular heroine. The character is an awkward teen just trying to fit in at school, and perhaps even go to prom with her crush despite her mother’s crazy rules when she learns she has the power to become a massive kraken. Not only that, she’s also a princess kraken who is in line to lead the seven seas! 

As the movie progresses, Ruby meets her powerful Grandmama, voiced by Jane Fonda, and meets a shady mermaid, voiced by Annie Murphy, both of which really challenge her place in the world and her rocky relationship with her mother, voiced by Toni Collette.

How meaningful must it be to progress from being influenced by Dreamworks to being a part of that narrative.

Meanwhile, in the over two decades that Shrek has been out, the movie has really become the face of Dreamworks and what is possible for an IP with the animation studio. There are four Shrek movies thus far and a fifth Shrek is reportedly in the works with the studio as well. 

Ahead of the latest Dreamworks picture hitting theaters this Friday, you can check out our Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken review and look forward to more exclusive coverage from the cast and director. 

It often feels like rom-coms are a dime a dozen, but the truth is that the best romantic comedies are ones built on several things. Fans of the genre enjoy snappy dialogue, inventive and/or realistic complications for the central couple, a swoon-worthy love story, and, of course, main characters portrayed by actors who have more than enough on-screen chemistry to make all of those pieces come together. 

What’s great about romantic comedies is that we’ve gotten more than enough couples like this over the past two plus decades, but some of them have either only partnered one time (which, granted, may be because their pairing is still relatively new), or haven’t been in a film together for many years now. So, let’s take a look at the (mostly) rom-com partners that we really think should make another movie together!

Meg Ryan And Tom Hanks

This duo probably feels like a no-brainer to you, and, well, it should! Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks have memorably joined forces for two rom-com hits, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, plus the 1990 cult favorite romantic comedy, Joe Versus the Volcano, so there’s no reason for them not to really round things out with a fourth film. I’d be down for a second chance romance where they learn to love again, wouldn’t you?

Diane Keaton And Keanu Reeves 

Yes, yes… Already I’m cheating here, but only a tiny bit. While the magnetic on-screen coupling of Diane Keaton and Keanu Reeves wasn’t the main focus of Something’s Gotta Give, I have spent the past 20 years wishing they were. So, let's get these adorably crazy kids back together! They could play any kind of couple (bickering marrieds who are clearly still hot for each other, two folks who shouldn’t get together but can’t help themselves, etc.) and I’d be in the theater on opening night.

Lana Condor And Noah Centineo

Honestly, there might not be a cuter couple on this list. The dreamy teen romance movie pairing of Lana Condor and Noah Centineo was, obviously, gifted to everyone with a Netflix subscription in the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy, and there’s a reason that so many people fell head over heels for them. These two sorta sparkle together on screen, and I’d love to see them reunite in a romance (or any comedy) that’s got more of an adult edge to it.

Alison Brie And Jason Sudeikis

We all adore it when a rom-com gives us something different, and 2015’s Sleeping with Other People does just that with its story of friends who openly acknowledge their sexual tension, but purposely avoid doing anything about it so as to not screw up what they have. Alison Brie and Ted Lasso cast lead Jason Sudeikis are amazing as the friends in question, and I’d love to see them bring their casual, but still sexy, chemistry to another film. 

Jenny Slate And Jake Lacy

A true pleasure of watching Obvious Child was seeing the relationship between Jenny Slate and Jake Lacy’s characters develop as she has trouble revealing that she’s getting an abortion several weeks after their one-night stand. They work great as a duo with a clear attraction that’s impeded by a secret, and we’d really appreciate it if we could watch him warm her butter and make her tea in a movie that sees them as fully coupled characters.

Constance Wu And Henry Golding

I cannot tell a lie; some of the reason for Constance Wu and Henry Golding making the list is simply because we are all dying for the Crazy Rich Asians sequel we’ve been promised for several years now. While we wait, I’m hoping we can at least get those two into another fun rom-com where he can bring his posh, suave energy to meet her adorably spunky, girl-next-door verve.

Emma Stone And Ryan Gosling

What’s not to love about Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, especially when they star opposite each other in a romantic story? They were sweet, sexy, bantery, and slightly goofy together in Crazy, Stupid, Love, then had all of that with more emotional depth in La La Land, and also had the same chemistry in Gangster Squad, but with an added veneer of danger. It’s been a rough few years; the world needs more of their exact thing, OK?

Kate Hudson And Matthew McConaughey

I know, I know! Matthew McConaughey doesn’t make rom-coms anymore, but that’s honestly no reason why he can’t re-team with Kate Hudson, 20 years after they first hit the screen together in How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. The engaging push-and-pull of their romance in that film can easily be translated to, say, a movie where each is portraying a lawyer on the opposite side of a big murder case. There! Someone make that movie!

Queen Latifah And Common

Just Wright might not be the first movie you think of when it comes to Queen Latifah or romantic comedies, but it’s hard to deny that watching her play off of Common as they slowly go from not-quite-enemies to lovers was a genuine treat. Now all we need is the right vehicle for them so their individual easygoing charm can show us how well-matched they are on screen.

Jennifer Garner And Mark Ruffalo

There’s a reason that 13 Going On 30 is still so popular almost two decades later. That reason is Jennifer Garner’s joyful, weirdo energy as a teen suddenly transplanted to her adult life, sure, but it’s also how Mark Ruffalo calmly reconnects with the childhood friend he’d long ago lost touch with. They're just sweet together, OK? We saw them in The Adam Project. We need more!

Sandra Bullock And Channing Tatum

The luminous and hilarious pairing of Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum was definitely not on my rom-com bingo card, but damn, it was a joy to behold once we got it. In The Lost City, they were perfect as a starchy and grieving romance novelist and her incredibly sweet but somewhat dim cover model who get caught in a life-or-death situation in the jungle, and all I can hope for is that we someday have a sequel to enjoy.

Billy Eichner And Luke Macfarlane

If an opposites attract energy is your thing, there’s no way for you not to enjoy the pairing of Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane. The Bros stars only just met up on screen in 2022, but we’d love to see them reunite in a rom-com that switches Eichner’s intense characterization and Macfarlane’s laid-back vibe around for additional laughs.

Meg Ryan And Hugh Jackman

Kate & Leopold is the rare romance where Meg Ryan’s character is less than sweet for much of the film, but watching her early ‘00s driven career woman begin to soften with the attentions of Hugh Jackman’s fancy man from the 1870s was a delight. Now if we can just get them to play off of one another when both are from the modern day, all will be right in the world.

Anne Hathaway And Chris Pine

We all know that The Princess Diaries 2 is so beloved that fans have wanted to bring the cast back for the now in development third movie for nearly 20 years, and part of that was because of the sweet, (sorta) slow burn love story between Anne Hathaway and Chris Pine’s characters. While everyone would love to see them as a long-married couple in a sequel, we’d also take them as, oh, I don’t know, bickering co-workers who can’t deny their attraction, so let’s stop stalling and get this coupling back on the big screen!

Julia Roberts And Hugh Grant

Look, I know that Hugh Grant is fully in his slimy villain era right now and is hilariously against even attempting rom-coms again. But! I think that makes the potential of this Notting Hill pairing coming back together even more appealing. Let him play a con-man who tricks Julia Roberts into falling in love, only to steal all her money and force her to track him down with a hilarious vengeance. I’d buy a ticket for that, OK?

Jennifer Lopez And George Clooney

Sure, sure. I’m cheating this entry a bit because, technically, Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney didn't star in a traditional rom-com together, but who among us can deny that they were HOT in Out of Sight? No one, that’s who! I say we get these two into a proper romantic comedy, but maybe one that’s not another Lopez wedding movie, just to switch things up.

Sanaa Lathan And Omar Epps 

Yes, this is another, more direct, fudging of this article’s concept, because Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps were a romantic drama pairing in Love & Basketball… but they were SO GOOD TOGETHER. Watching them play out a long-term path to eventual happiness was extremely satisfying, but maybe this time we can use that chemistry of theirs for a couple that has more good times than stressful ones.

Cristin Milioti And Andy Samberg

The chances that Cristin Milioti and Andy Samberg will strike time loop movie gold again after Palm Springs is incredibly unlikely, and we wouldn’t want them to try. Instead, why not let these two portray criminals on the run for separate crimes who accidentally cross paths and fall in love while they’re on the lam? They can give us that same adorably wacky enthusiasm that we all loved the first time around that way!

Kristen Stewart And Aubrey Plaza

If you saw Happiest Season, then you saw the undeniable spark between Kristen Stewart and Aubrey Plaza as their characters (Who weren’t even dating!) dealt with a lot of toxicity during Christmastime. They managed to genuinely bond (and look great doing it) over their similar relationship trauma, so I say we go ahead and give these two an even bubblier romantic comedy where they can actually freakin’ end up as a couple! 

Gemma Chan And Harry Shum Jr. 

Obviously, we didn’t get a real romance between the characters played by Gemma Chan and Harry Shum Jr. in Crazy Rich Asians, but the movie sure did set up the promise of fulfilling the epic love story that was a part of Kevin Kwan’s novel trilogy. Fans got a very brief scene of them looking all cute and dreamy with each other and dancing during the mid-credits scene, so hear me now: WE NEED THAT ASTRID AND CHARLIE SPINOFF, ASAP!

Issa Rae And Kumail Nanjiani

It may be hard to cast two people who have perfect romantic chemistry, but it could be even harder to find a duo who can portray the first glorious blush of falling in love, that same couple once they’ve begun to fall apart, and then play them as they start to get closer… because they’re on the run after being accused of murder. Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani are those people, and we’ve been wanting them back on screen since The Lovebirds to do something just as crazy and rom-commy again.

Reese Witherspoon And Josh Lucas

If you’re looking for a bickering duo who are hot together no matter what, that’s Sweet Home Alabama’s Reese Witherspoon and Josh Lucas, for sure. I’m sure they’d be great doing anything on screen, but also doubt anyone would mind if they paired for a story that would let them fight (and fight through) their attraction until they finally admit their feelings for each other.

Rachel McAdams And Domhnall Gleeson

You know what’s coming, right? After being apart for a decade, it’s About Time that Rachel McAdams and Domhnall Gleeson join forces again to bring fans another lovey dovey couple, and we don’t even care what the set up is!

Sarah Hyland And Tyler James Williams

Never has it been more enjoyable to watch a woman who’s not sure about the whole marriage thing date a man who’s very much ready for a long-term commitment than in The Wedding Year, and that was because of the well-matched chemistry/comedic energy of Sarah Hyland and Tyler James Williams. I think these two would be fantastic in an action/adventure rom-com like The Lost City!

Kristen Bell And Dustin Milligan 

Though Kristen Bell and Dustin Milligan starred in The People We Hate at the Wedding, which was more of a straight ahead comedy, they had a definite romantic comedy storyline and played off of each other beautifully. I’m imagining a cinematic rematch for them that involves both of their characters being messy and a bit angry this time, and I think they’ll be a delight to watch once again.

Vivian Oparah And David Jonsson

Even though Vivian Oparah and David Jonsson are a very new rom-com pairing, as their starring vehicle, Rye Lane, debuted in early 2023, there’s no doubting the fizzy joy one gets from watching their characters meet cute and end up slowly becoming attracted to each other over the course of one eventful day. These two can do anything together next, but I don’t think anyone would mind a sequel where we get to see this romance progress!

If nothing else, while we wait to see if these rom-com partners get back together on the big screen, we can all at least go back and enjoy the amazing films they’ve already given us!

The first thing you need in my opinion to make a great rom-com is a pair of actors with great chemistry. If the leads don’t vibe, the audience won’t jive. The common denominator among all the best rom-coms of all time is a couple of actors who have fantastic chemistry and complement each other beautifully. So, with Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey’s iconic rom-com, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days celebrating its 20th anniversary, and with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, and lots of rom-coms on the 2023 movie schedule, we thought we’d look back at some legendary acting duos who really need to make another romantic comedy together. 

Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey 

Talk about a duo that just oozes charm and chemistry. Both Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey are two of the most charismatic, charming and outgoing actors working right now, in my opinion, and it felt inevitable that they’d end up in a rom-com together. I think McConaughey said it best in a live stream on Hudson’s Instagram, when he described their personalities and chemistry in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days like this:

Hudson then said they are both “free” and “spontaneous” souls which allowed them to play on set back in 2003, and they really found their funny and electric chemistry. So, I’m so happy McConaughey took the role after an interaction with a psychic, because it’s hard to imagine anyone other than the two of them playing Ben and Andie.

Considering it’s been 20 whole years since How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, I think we’re due for two of the most charismatic characters in Hollywood to “play” together again as the actors put it. 

Stream How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days with a Paramount+ subscription. 

Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell  

In my humble opinion, Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell are the Millenial versions of Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. They are both uber-charismatic, extremely funny, and have mad chemistry. Lightning really struck with their Netflix rom-com Set It Up as the two actors played assistants trying to, as the title implies, set their bosses up so they didn’t have to work so much. 

Seeing as the director of Set It Up already has a sequel in mind, Deutch and Powell have remained good friends, and both their careers have flourished because of movies like Not Okay and Top Gun: Maverick, respectively, I think it’s time we see them re-team for another rom-com. Maybe this time they could be the bosses.

Stream Set it Up with a Netflix subscription. 

Joel Kim Booster and Conrad Ricamora  

One of the best under-the-radar movies from 2022 was Fire Island, and Noah and Will quickly became one of my favorite rom-com couples. It’s the classic case of opposites attract. With Joel Kim Booster’s extroverted and sassy character and Conrad Ricamora’s quieter yet equally sarcastic love interest, they made for a great match on screen. 

Fire Island was a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, and Kim Booster and Ricamora played a great parallel to Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, and it would be amazing to see the two together again. Maybe it could be another modern adaptation of a classic work, a la 10 Things I Hate About You. Or maybe it could be an original story that capitalizes on their comedic timing and wholesome chemistry. 

Stream Fire Island with a Hulu subscription. 

Anne Hathaway and Chris Pine 

Now, Anne Hathaway has some iconic rom-coms and some magnificent screen partners, but nothing comes close to the absolutely legendary pairing of her and Chris Pine in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. Growing up with this movie, and watching these two actors go from enemies to lovers was incredible, and set a high bar for all other rom-com pairings moving forward. I mean nothing tops that fountain scene.

Luckily, there is a Princess Daires 3 in the works, however, it’s unclear who will be involved. Hopefully, we’ll get to see Hathaway and Pine together again, because it’s been almost 20 years since they've been on screen together. I think it's time for another Royal Engagement, if you will, from these two powerhouses.

Stream Princess Diaries 2 with a Disney+ subscription.  

Noah Centineo and Lana Condor 

I was a sophomore in college when To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before came out, and let me tell you, it was a mega-hit among us Zillenials, and remains one of my favorite recent rom-coms. The reason this movie is so good is mostly because of how fantastic Noah Centineo and Lana Condor are together. 

The two shined as Lara Jean and Peter, and led the To All The Boys cast fantastically. Now, the two have taken on other roles, and their stars have grown significantly. Now that it’s been a few years since this rom-com trilogy ended I think it’s time the adorable pair picked up another project together. They’re funny and have so much chemistry people actually thought they were dating, however, they decided to keep things platonic, and they seem to have a blast working with each other. So, bring on another rom-com!

Stream To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before with a Netflix subscription. 

Henry Golding and Constance Wu 

Crazy Rich Asians proved to be a crazy rich hit in 2018. And while the entire ensemble was incredible, Henry Golding and Constance Wu were at the heart of the story, and they were perfect together. While the two are set to reprise their roles in a sequel as Rachel and Nick, it’s unclear when that will happen, so it would be great to see them in another movie together. 

What was interesting about Crazy Rich Asians, is when we meet Golding and Wus’ characters they are already in a long-term relationship. They worked so well, that I didn’t doubt Nick and Rachels' relationship for a second. I think it’d be fun to see the two play out a new relationship in another movie, however, I’m also hoping they reunite for Crazy Rich Asians 2 sooner rather than later. 

Stream Crazy Rich Asians with an HBO Max subscription. 

Jude Law And Cameron Diaz

There’s nothing cozier to me during the Christmas season than sitting down, putting on The Holiday, and watching Cameron Diaz and Jude Law fall in love. Kate Winslet and Jack Black’s relationship is oh, so wholesome. However, the big stars of the show are Diaz and Law, whose chemistry jumps off the screen, and their relationship feels like a warm hug.

While our dreams were dashed of ever seeing a sequel to The Holiday, when Kate Winslet turned the rumors down, a girl can dream. And I think it’s about time we see Diaz and Law in another comforting rom-com together. 

Stream The Holiday on Showtime, or rent/buy it on Amazon.

These are just a few pairs of actors who I’d love to see together on screen again. From early aught classics, to more recent pairings that have already made their mark, there are so many couples I’d love to see together again. And hopefully, someday all my dreams will come true.

Since Everything Everywhere All At Once was among the best movies of 2022, and awards season is in full swing, the movie remains high in conversation on the road to the Oscars. And, as Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis have been collecting in performance nominations and wins, one underrated performance has continued to be Stephanie Hsu’s role as Joy and Jobu Tupaki. While Hsu is certainly getting recognized for her role in The Daniels’ film, she recently spoke to getting misidentified on red carpets and her fears going forward. 

Amidst Hsu being stopped by Reservoir Dogs’ Steve Buscemi, who asked her for a picture after telling her he was a fan of Everything Everywhere All At Once so much that he’d caught the film multiple times. Hsu spoke to The New York Times about her experience in Hollywood, saying this: 

Stephanie Hsu understood the comparisons between herself and Lana Condor, who has brought diversity to rom-coms with the All The Boys movies, but she also is very much aware of the prevalent racism she and other Asians continue to deal with today. As she continued: 

The 32-year-old found roles in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical before playing Joy, the daughter of Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan’s Evelyn and Waymond Wang, who is just looking for acceptance in one universe, whereas in another she becomes a multiverse-jumping villain as a result of her internal pain. Everything Everywhere All At Once is an important film for Asian representation, not only for Hsu, but the many moviegoers who have come up to her to say the “saw myself in the movie” or draw comparisons between their own families. As Hsu also explained: 

Hsu said these words just ahead of Everything Everywhere All At Once being among Tuesday night’s 2023 Golden Globe winners. The actress was seen during the telecast in tears as Michelle Yeoh accepted her first major award of her career for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical Comedy over actresses Margot Robbie, Emma Thompson, Lesley Manville and Anya Taylor-Joy. 

During Yeoh’s speech, the actress spoke to the struggles she dealt with throughout her career following their co-star Ke Huay Quan also getting up on stage for the Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture award. Quan shared that for decades he thought he’d never get to outdo his child self, who starred in the second Indiana Jones movie and The Goonies. Look out for Hsu’s emotional reaction during Yeoh’s Golden Globes speech: 

Check out how you can stream Everything Everywhere All At Once as awards season continues. Hsu was just nominated for a SAG award among other recognition this year. Next, the actress will join Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huay Quan in the upcoming book adaptation American Born Chinese, set to hit Disney+ this year.  

Check out all eight episodes of Boo, Bitch with a Netflix subscription before reading this SPOILER-filled interview.  

Anyone see that Boo, Bitch twist coming? After Lana Condor’s Erika Vu rises to high school fame and leaves her bestie, Zoe Colletti’s Gia, in the dust, she finds out that it has been Gia all along who was killed in a freak deer-car accident. Oops! We talked to the Boo, Bitch stars about how they made that plot twist work on set and whether it was a secret to other cast members. 

What goes down in Boo, Bitch is the kind of disorientating ending that has one second-guessing the last few hours of television and trying to connect how that could be. Now, the new July Netflix release did have some holes in its lore, as we questioned how Erika could be seen by everyone if she was dead, but the show figured out how to pull a trick on us. Zoe Colletti – who turned out to be the actress behind the real ghost of the series – spoke to how the twist was dealt with while filming: 

So… apparently if you watch Boo, Bitch again, no character ever looks at Gia. Lana Condor, who previously found popularity on Netflix as the star of the All The Boys trilogy, also spoke to making the twist work in every episode without being a dead giveaway to the audience. In her words: 

If you were keenly observing it, you may have noticed it! With the exception of Condor and Tenzing Norgay Trainor’s Gavin, who has medium powers, the rest of the Boo, Bitch cast had to be aware of not looking at Coletti because she was an invisible ghost the whole time who only Erika could see. Condor continued: 

While speaking to the Boo, Bitch stars, CinemaBlend also spoke to them about its homage to Mean Girls, which comes as the movie recently returned to Netflix. The series certainly has a lot of nods to the 2004 comedy and its takes on the high school setting. While Erika becomes obsessed with status when she thinks her time on Earth is over, she learns that none of that actually matters and it was not her unfinished business after all. 

Once Erika tells all her classmates about Gia, and how she’s been dead throughout these few weeks, Gia is able to finally pass on, finally being known among her peers. Yeah… things got real real by the end of Boo, Bitch and that twist was surprising! It definitely deserves a rewatch now that the whole season is available streaming on Netflix.

Those at Netflix always seem know how to come out with the best kinds of shows, whether that be a series about a group of '80s teenagers a la Stranger Things, or a show about a mighty beast slayer in a mythical land like on The Witcher. Yes, the Netflix lineup is a key part of the 2022 TV schedule - and now, a new show is getting added to that mix, the limited series, Boo, Bitch. 

The title itself is enough to trigger your curiosity. Telling the story of Eika Vu, a simple high schooler, all she wants is to live her life to the fullest and she decides to go to an absolute rager of a party. However, she finds herself dead the next day. Even with her life seemingly being over, she discovers that her popularity is now higher than ever. What do you do when the cosmos gives you an opportunity? You grow your influence, that’s what. 

Boo, Bitch is the latest limited series to drop on Netflix, and with it comes a stellar cast that has been all over the industry in movies, TV shows, and so much more. If you’re wondering where you might have seen the Boo, Bitch cast before, here are your answers. 

Lana Condor (Erika Vu) 

Playing the main character, Erika Vu, is Lana Condor, a name that has become quite popular among Netflix fans. For those who don’t know, Condor gained so much popularity when she starred in the cast of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, alongside Noah Centineo, and started a film romance trilogy that truly made girls and guys swoon everywhere. 

But, besides writing letters to fictional crushes, Condor has been in plenty of other great projects. In 2022, she starred in the HBO Max original film, Moonshot, and in the past, she’s appeared in films such as X-Men: Apocalypse, Alita: Battle Angel and more. She was also a part of the main cast of Deadly Class, a one-season Syfy drama.

Zoe Colletti (Gia)

Next up on the cast list of Boo, Bitch, we have Zoe Colletti, who portrays Gia, the best friend of Erika. Colletti has been all around the map in terms of where she has worked, from movies to television. Her most recognizable role is most likely her part in the The Walking Dead universe show, Fear the Walking Dead, where she played Dakota. 

However, Colletti has been in many other TV shows as a guest star, including Past Life, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, and so much more. She’s also appeared in plenty of movies as well, such as one of the best Christmas films on Netflix, A Boy Called Christmas, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Skin, Wildlife, and the 2014 version of Annie, as well as a few others. Surely, another great addition to the cast. 

Mason Versaw (Jake C.)

Moving on, now we have Mason Versaw, who plays Jake C. in Boo, Bitch, Erika’s crush and a popular boy at school. Mason Versaw is relatively new to Hollywood, as most of his roles have been smaller parts where he hasn’t been given the chance to truly shine as much. He played a young Jonathan Larson in the fantastic Netflix original film, Tick, Tick…Boom, and has popped up in many TV shows such as the HBO revival of Gossip Girl, Blue Bloods, Sex Appeal, and more. 

However, his role as Jake C. is his first main part in a limited series, so it’s super exciting to see him get the praise that he deserves. 

Aparna Brielle (Riley)

Next up, we have Riley in Boo, Bitch, another popular girl who rules the school and makes sure everyone either loves her or fears her - and is, of course, dating Jake C. Playing Riley in Boo, Bitch is Aparna Brielle, who has made her name in Hollywood with several appearances on television. 

Her biggest role thus far was playing Sarika on the comedy, A.P. Bio, before it was cancelled in 2021. She’s also appeared in several other TV shows such as Grimm, The Librarians, Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life, and more. Brielle also popped up in the film, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, but has mainly kept her talents close to television and shows off her skills that way. 

It’s exciting to see her sign on for something so great as Boo, Bitch, another main role, after just finishing up a big part on A.P. Bio, so I’m excited to see what she does next after this. 

Tenzing Norgay Trainor (Gavin)

The next person in the Boo, Bitch cast is Tenzing Norgay Trainor, who plays Gavin on the Netflix limited series, and is - get this - a medium who prefers the company of the dead over the living. I mean, same man. It’s quieter. 

Trainor isn’t new to television, and has appeared in many roles prior to his part in Boo, Bitch. One of his biggest was playing Parker Rooney in the popular Disney Channel series, Liv & Maddie, opposite star Dove Cameron. However, Trainor has gone on to have roles in many other TV shows, such as American Housewife and The Stranded, and has had guest roles on TV shows such as Modern Family, Good Luck Charlie, Knight Squad, and many others. 

Trainor has also used his skills for movies such as Abominable, providing voice-over work as Jin for that. But Boo, Bitch is just adding onto this actor’s already impressive resume. 

Jason Genao (Devon)

Last but not least, we have Jason Genao, who plays Devon in the Netflix limited series, Boo, Bitch, someone that Erika might have screwed over a long time ago and is trying to make amends with. 

Genao has had his fair share of TV roles, but his two biggest were playing Ruby Martinez on On My Block, a great Latinx series you should definitely watch, and Napoleon on The Get-Down, a Netflix series that was cancelled far too soon. Along with those, he’s also appeared in films such as the popular superhero movie, Logan, and Ladrones. 

With such a talented cast, it’s no surprise that Boo, Bitch could be another great addition to everything these great cast members have done. I can’t wait to see what they do next - and hopefully, it’ll be something that’s a little less dead.  

Within the past twenty years, there have been many great high school comedies, but none compare to the iconic status of 2004’s Mean Girls. So it’s no wonder Netflix’s latest coming-of-age story feels wonderfully inspired by Tina Fey’s hilarious and “fetch” hit. Boo, Bitch gives off some major Mean Girls energy, except added on top is an element of the supernatural as Lana Condor’s character goes from invisible high schooler to ultra-popular ghost. 

When CinemaBlend spoke to the cast of Boo, Bitch about the fun limited series, star and producer Lana Condor, who recently came off leading the All The Boys trilogy, shared why comparing the Netflix series to Mean Girls makes perfect sense. In her words: 

In the upcoming Netflix series, Lana Condor plays a high school student named Erika Vu, who has spent her years being wrongly called “Helen Who” instead. On the night Erika and her ride-or-die bestie Gia (Zoe Colletti) decide to actually party, Erika gets run over by a car and a deer at the same time. When Erika finds out she’s dead but able to be still seen to complete her unfinished business, she makes it her mission to become known at her high school. 

In that last sense, Boo, Bitch is an awesome Mean Girls homage, often playing with a similar fun tone the 2004 movie did. Zoe Colletti also spoke to the similarities: 

In Boo, Bitch, there is of course a popular school girl, Aparna Brielle’s Riley. When CinemaBlend spoke to the actress, she shared that she did base her role on Regina George in some aspects, but also wanted to do more than play homage to one of the greats. As she shared: 

It’s been nearly 20 years since Mean Girls came out and it remains an important part of pop culture. Just this weekend the movie arrived on Netflix and the internet was all over rewatching it. So much so the movie became one of the streaming service’s top trending movies. 

Boo, Bitch was created by Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's Erin Ehrlich and Awkward's Lauren Iungerich, alongside co-creators/executive producers Tim Schauer and Kuba Soltysiakis also on the team. The show is additionally executive produced by Lana Condor, which is a first for the actor alongside Jamie Dooner, Jonathon Komack Martin and Blake Goza. 

If you’re looking for something in the camp of Mean Girls, Boo, Bitch is not only a homage, but takes some of the elements from it to deepen its characters, along with telling a more modern story. Hello, social media!! You can check out Boo, Bitch with a Netflix subscription on July 8 and look forward to Condor next in Looney Tunes spinoff film Wile E. Coyote following that.  

One of the first movies in this recent resurgence of the romantic comedy genre was Netflix’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, which adapted Jenny Han’s bestselling novel and effectively made its young stars, Lana Condor and Noah Centineo, massive names. Now that All The Boys has become a trilogy and its author has made an upcoming spinoff called XO, Kitty, Han is reflecting on her streaming adaptation journey thus far. 

Jenny Han just served as the showrunner of The Summer I Turned Pretty, which is an adaptation of her first YA novel before she wrote All The Boys. While speaking to CinemaBlend, the bestselling author shared how she feels about the conclusion of the All The Boys movie trilogy, saying this:   

The main All The Boys film series ended in February of 2021, giving Lana Condor’s Lara Jean Covey an ending to her high school love story with Peter Kavinski that began with personal letters getting to her crushes. The trilogy had Lara Jean and Peter deciding to stay together despite their distance in college. Following the success of those movies, Jenny Han has developed the spinoff series XO, Kitty, which revolves around Lara Jean’s scene-stealing younger sister, played by Anna Cathcart. Han spoke about XO, Kitty with these words: 

XO, Kitty will tell the first love story for Kitty Covey and mark the first time Jenny Han has made an onscreen project that wasn't pulled from a beloved novel released beforehand first. When CinemaBlend asked the author how that process was different and if we can expect an XO, Kitty novel, she said this:  

It'll be exciting to tune into the series once it premieres on streaming and finds a release slot on Netflix’s TV premiere dates. Before we see what’s next for the All The Boys franchise over on Netflix, Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty has already arrived on Amazon Prime and has been even renewed for a Season 2. 

When adapting The Summer I Turned Pretty, Jenny Han talked to CinemaBlend about changing some elements of her book she wrote over a decade before to be more diverse, like adding more of a focus on its main character being from an Asian-American family. The Summer I Turned Pretty centers on a teen girl going on her annual summer vacation to a family friend's home and finding herself in a love triangle between two brothers. The show, now streaming on Amazon, also features an incredible soundtrack full of Taylor Swift songs. 

Jenny Han has expanded her presence on streaming in the past four years of being part of it, and she seems to be poised to bring us even more 'coming of age' fun. 

When To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before hit Netflix in 2018, many believed the book adaptation launched a new rom-com era with more diversity. Following the trilogy coming to a close last year, All The Boys author Jenny Han is bringing us her first coming-of-age trilogy, called The Summer I Turned Pretty, to life through a streaming series, this time with a larger role as showrunner. As the series arrives, Han is sharing what she’s learning about working in Hollywood.

The bestselling author played the executive producer role in the All The Boys movies, but for The Summer I Turned Pretty, which was her first YA book series, she serves as a showrunner. While speaking to Han, she talked about how the Netflix movies affected her latest project. 

Just a few years ago, Han had never stepped on the set of a movie before; following her involvement in the Netflix trilogy starring Lana Condor and Noah Centineo, she received a hands-on education about what enriches a project. When working on The Summer I Turned Pretty, here’s how she felt that knowledge played into making the show: 

Jenny Han recently launched her own production company called Jenny Kissed Me, which The Summer I Turned Pretty is produced under. The series follows a teen named Belly (played by newcomer Lola Tung) who returns to her family friends’ beach house for her annual summer vacation, except this summer she finds herself in a love triangle she didn’t expect. 

It’s great to see Jenny Han taking control of her own words in TV form, especially considering that she is one of the few Asian-American female authors to get a popular book adapted into a major project. As Han shared with CinemaBlend, she really worked on all elements in getting the series right, over a decade after publishing the book initially in 2009. 

Ahead of the show’s release, Amazon Prime already renewed The Summer I Turned Pretty for a second season, which will give Han a chance to adapt her second of three books about Belly, It’s Not Summer Without You. Han has also been working on All The Boys spinoff XO, Kitty, which will tell the story of Lara Jean’s younger sister finding love. 

You can stream all seven episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty on Friday, June 17 with an Amazon Prime subscription. 

Back in 1961, classic movies like Breakfast at Tiffany’s and West Side Story would have white actors portray people of color. With more diversity coming into play on the big screen such as Latina representation in the West Side Story remake, we’ll be sure to see a wide variety of different representations in films going forward. To All the Boys star Lana Condor talks about bringing diversity to the rom-com genre and what it has meant to her.

During an interview with NBC News, Lana Condor talks about how colorful the world is and those romantic comedies should show how the world really looks. That there are more people of color out there looking to fall in love other than the “Kate Hudsons” of the world. 

Condor continues the interview by saying that she has a lot of joy and pride in what she does as an actress and that if she can impact one person with her representation, it is enough for her. While the rom-com actress acknowledges that she knows there are a lot of steps to take, Lana Condor would like the world to get to a point where representation in rom-coms and commercials is considered the new normal. 

There were some major steps forward in regards to inclusion in the MCU, as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings starred an Asian cast , was helmed by an Asian filmmaker, and became the ninth grossing film of 2021. The importance of Asian representation also impacted Jacob Batalon who played Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Ned as people started messaging him about what an inspiration he was to the community. Representation has proven to be very important in reaching millions of people who want to see a glimpse of themselves in the characters they see onscreen. With more Asian actors like Lana Condor making a name for themselves in Hollywood, this will give room for others from the Asian community. 

Lana Condor recently concluded Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy about a teenage girl who writes love letters to her crushes only for those letters to be accidentally sent out. She currently stars in the HBO Max film Moonshot, another romantic comedy with this one having a sci-fi twist. Co-starring with Riverdale’s Cole Sprouse, two college students sneak on a space shuttle to Mars to be reunited with their significant others. You can also keep your eyes open for Lana Condor in the upcoming Looney Tunes movie with John Cena. It doesn’t look like this up-and-coming actress or her Asian representation is going anywhere. 

You can find Moonshot on your HBO Max subscription.

The Looney Tunes got back to the action last summer for Space Jam: A New Legacy alongside LeBron James to an overall mixed response. Warner Bros is currently getting ready to move the spotlight to Wile E. Coyote for a live-action/animation hybrid film called Coyote vs. Acme starring John Cena, and some more talent has just signed on as well. 

Following the conclusion of Netflix’s All The Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy last year, Lana Condor has found another high-profile project in her role in Coyote vs. Acme. The 24-year-old actress from Netflix's To All The Boys film series is all set to join the upcoming movie, although we don’t know which character she’ll play. 

In the Deadline report naming Lana Condor as a star in Coyote vs. Acme, it was also announced that Saturday Night Live veteran Will Forte has been cast. Forte will play Wile E. Coyote’s lawyer against his “intimidating former boss”, played by Cena. The movie will follow the popular Looney Tune hiring a billboard lawyer to sue the ACME corporation. As viewers of the cartoon know, Wile E. Coyote is always being let down by the conglomerate's products whilst trying to take down the Road Runner. 

Coyote vs. Acme is based on the New Yorker humor article of the same name by Ian Frazier. It’s quite the random and original idea for Warner Bros to take on in concern to its Looney Tunes legacy. Are we to believe we’re getting a Looney Tunes courtroom comedy? That, plus the compilation of Peacemaker star John Cena, Will Forte and Lana Condor, and this is quite the project that's been put together. 

The idea first went into development back in 2010, and was then revived in 2014 with Steve Carell on board as the star before being announced again in 2018. The project has seemingly fallen through multiple times and seen many different eyes on it, but nowadays Dave Green is set to direct the movie after previously helming 2014’s Earth to Echo and 2016’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. 

Coyote vs. Acme is being produced by James Gunn, who famously made the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, along with his recent turn to DC for The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. That might explain John Cena’s involvement, as he worked closely with Gunn on the spinoff series Peacemaker, which is available to watch with an HBO Max subscription. 

It’ll especially be great to see Lana Condor take on another big project following her romantic comedy franchise. Previously, she was in X-Men: Apocalypse and Alita: Battle Angel, which were not necessarily big hits all around, despite being big-budget projects. Coyote vs. Acme has a release date set for July 21, 2023, so it looks like this time it’s for real: Wile E. Coyote is taking ACME to court. 

Spoilers are ahead for Netflix’s To All The Boys: Always and Forever.

One of Netflix’s biggest runaway hits came in 2018 with To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. The adaptation of Jenny Han’s best selling YA novel ushered in a high-profile trilogy starring Lana Condor and Noah Centineo as high school couple Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky, who are brought together by secret love letters. The story officially concluded earlier this year with LJ and Kavinsky getting ready to stay together long distance in college, but left open the question about whether they would truly be “always and forever”.

Fans of Netflix’s teen franchise who have lived through high school and college might be more skeptical of their fate. The high school sweetheart to staying together ratio does happen, but it's uncommon. Lana Condor shared her thoughts on if she thinks her iconic character would stay with Noah Centineo’s Kavinsky following the end of the trilogy. As she put it:

Long distance is not easy, especially when college opens a whole new world of opportunity outside one’s hometown, so Lana Condor is not betting on LJ and Peter to make it through another graduation as a couple. But of course, Always and Forever does leave things open ended, as she ultimately decides to go to school in New York. Meanwhile, her boyfriend stays on track with his plans to move to Northern California, where she had planned to join him before she changes her mind to benefit her own desires.

However, Lana Condor does still have hope for the couple from All The Boys. During her interview with Us Weekly, the 23-year-old actress spoke about what she imagines is next for them in more detail:

I know we’re talking about fictional characters here, but I think Lana Condor is dead on. It wouldn’t only be uncommon, but perhaps unfair to Lara Jean if her first and last boyfriend was Peter Kavinsky. We all grow through having different experiences, and college and one’s 20s are great times to understand what works best for us. Condor continued:

Wouldn’t that be perfect? I’d love to see Lana Condor’s vision come true, because the idea of this older and mature Lara Jean would be so much fun to see after following the character in high school. The actress wants to revisit the character years from now when she and Noah Centineo’s Peter have broken up, but somehow find each other again and fall in love again as adults once they’ve lived life apart. It’s an adorable idea! Netflix, are you taking notes?

So here’s the thing: Lana Condor and Noah Centineo were seriously adorable together in the To All the Boys movies. Their chemistry really shines through the Netflix franchise, from beginning right up to the end. What they experienced together with the rom-com phenomenon is prime breeding ground for a real life romance, but they intentionally decided to remain professional early on and decide not to date.

Lana Condor recently recalled that right before filming the first movie To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (which became an overnight hit for its young stars), she went to a hot yoga class and grabbed pizza with Noah Centineo when she realized sparks could seriously fly between them if she didn’t set boundaries. Then and there, she told the actor that it "was not going to happen" between them, and he agreed. Now that they’ve wrapped the trilogy, Condor stands by their no-dating pact. As she told ET:

When the two actors initially made the first film, they had no idea the To All The Boys movies would become as popular as they are. Their professional relationship has thrived four years since Lana Condor drew that line, and she believes the movie is better for it. The odds of them maintaining their relationship for all that time may have been difficult, and there would have been a lot more focus on their personal relationships than the movies. Condor continued:

When a couple of actors like Lana Condor and Noah Centineo get cast in a movie series like All The Boys, it seems as though it would be easy to fall in love. The two were already placed in romantic situations together, and they clearly have genuine chemistry off screen. Also, in terms of their lives, both of them were going through an insane change, during which they were both in the process of becoming major stars. It’s exactly what happened to Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, or High School Musical’s Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens and The Amazing Spider-Man’s Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone.

They’d also be spending time in interviews navigating relationship questions. But instead they get to make a case for not dating your co-stars. Sure, there’s a cute aspect to the idea from the outside looking in but, when it comes down to it, acting is a job and, when two actors get together in real life (especially under contract), it can cause a lot of heartache and drama. Noah Centineo echoed Condor’s perspective with these words:

Centineo and Condor sound like they have a really great friendship with one another, which will likely remain for years to come. And if they had dated in an alternate universe, as Condor called it, we may not have treasured the final chapter Always And Forever as deeply.

On Valentine's Day weekend, romantic Netflix users celebrated the holiday by watching To All The Boys: Always and Forever, the third and final installment in Netflix's popular YA romance trilogy. Starring Lana Condor and Noah Centineo, the movie adaptations of Jenny Han's best-selling novels sparked a lot of interest in the promising careers of its up-and-coming stars, who also include To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You's Jordan Fisher. So, now that Netflix has closed the book (or, rather, sealed the letter) on this franchise, what's the To All The Boys I Loved Before cast doing next? Let's find out!

Lana Condor (Lara Jean Covey)

As Lara Jean Covey, the lovelorn high schooler who became Peter Kavinsky's fake girlfriend, then his real one, Lana Condor found her star-making role as the romantic protagonist in Netflix's To All the Boys trilogy. Away from starring in this streaming franchise, the young actress had notable supporting roles in X-Men: Apocalypse, Patriots Day, Lifetime's High School Lover, and Alita: Battle Angel. Additionally, Condor starred in Syfy's short-lived Deadly Class and the ensemble comedy, Summer Night. Furthermore, she did voice work in Rilakkuma and Kaoru and BoJack Horseman's final season. Outside of acting, Condor started a prominent YouTube channel last February.

Next, Lana Condor will star in Netflix's limited series, Boo Bitch. She'll also serve as an executive producer. Also, Condor is headlining Girls Night and HBO Max's Moonshot.

Noah Centineo (Peter Kavinsky)

In the role of Peter Kavinsky, a popular kid who forms a fake relationship with Lara Jean Covey, only to develop real feelings, Noah Centineo stole a lot of hearts with his lovey-dovey romantic lead in the To All The Boys trilogy. Outside of this film series, Centineo is known for his starring roles in two other Netflix movies, Sierra Burgess Is a Loser, and The Perfect Date. He also appeared in Disney Channel's How to Build a Better Boy, the final three seasons of Freeform's The Fosters, Disney Channel's Austin & Ally, and Hulu's T@gged. His other film credits include Charlie's Angels (2019), Can't Take It Back, Swiped, and SPF-18. Outside of acting, Centineo served as a writer and producer for #TheAssignment. He also directed ARTY's "Save Me Tonight" music video.

Next, Noah Centineo stars in Jackie Chan's The Diary. He's also slated to play He-Man in Masters of the Universe and Atom Smasher in DC's Black Adam. Additionally, it was recently announced that Centineo will appear in Netflix's still-untitled GameStop drama.

John Corbett (Dr. Daniel Covey)

Playing the part of Dr. Daniel Covey, the widowed father of Margot, Lara Jean, and Kitty, John Corbett provided a dutifully caring paternal figure. Outside of this film series, Corbett is known as the romantic lead in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and its 2016 sequel. Additionally, on TV, the actor starred in CBS's Northern Exposure and Showtime's The United States of Tara. Furthermore, Corbett had recurring roles in Sex and the City, Parenthood, and Undone, while also starring in FX's short-lived Lucky and Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll. His other film credits include Tombstone, Serendipity, Raising Helen, Street Kings, Ramona and Beezus, I Hate Valentine's Day, The Boy Next Door, and Sex and the City 2. Outside of acting, Corbett is also a musician and released two country albums, 2006's John Corbett and 2013's Leaving Nothin' Behind.

Next, John Corbett will co-star in ABC's Rebel, which is set to premiere on April 8th.

Madeleine Arthur (Christine Donati)

As Christine Donati, Lara Jean's best friend, Madeleine Arthur plays a supportive free spirit in the franchise. Outside of this series, Arthur is notably known for her roles in Color Out of Space, Big Eyes, and ABC's The Family. Additionally, she appears in The Killing, The Tomorrow People, Supernatural, Legends of Tomorrow, The X-Files, The Magicians, R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour, and TNT's Snowpiercer. Next, Arthur is expected to star in the indie drama, Tell Me Why I Don't Like Mondays.

Israel Broussard (Josh)

In the role of Josh Sanderson, Lara Jean's childhood friend and potential love interest, Israel Broussard played a prominent part in To All The Boys I Loved Before, but his character was missing from the sequels. Broussard is known for Happy Death Day and Happy Death Day 2U. His other notable film credits include The Bling Ring, Flipped, Earth to Echo, and The Chaperone. Additionally, Broussard starred in Perfect High and guest-starred in Sons of Anarchy and Fear the Walking Dead. He also appeared in M83's "Claudia Lewis" music video. Following To All The Boys I Loved Before's Netflix debut, Broussard drew controversy when insensitive tweets resurfaced online. He apologized, though this media firestorm could be the reason for the actor's absence in the sequels.

Recently, Israel Broussard was seen in Hulu's Into the Dark and this month's Fear of Rain. His next project isn't known, though Happy Death Day 3 could be happening soon.

Jordan Fisher (John Ambrose McClaren)

Playing the part of John Ambrose McClaren, Lara Jean's childhood friend and potential love interest, Jordan Fisher had a starring role in To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You. Most notably, from 2016-2017, Fisher appeared in Broadway's production of Hamilton. Starting in 2020, he played the title character in Dear Evan Hansen. Also, Fisher won Dancing with the Stars' 25th season and hosted 2018's Dancing with the Stars: Juniors. His other acting credits include The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Liv and Maddie, Teen Beach Movie 1 and 2, Grease Live, Teen Wolf, iCarly, and Rent Live.

Fisher appeared in Netflix's Work It and Quibi's Royalties. He also does voice work for She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and Archibald's Next Big Thing. Next, the actor stars in Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between, where he also serves as an executive producer.

Anna Cathcart (Kitty Covey)

As Kitty, the youngest Covey daughter who sent out all of Lara Jean's secretive letters, Anna Cathcart played a crucial part in establishing the core fake-then-serious relationship in the movies. Outside of this franchise, Cathcart starred in PBS Kids' Odd Squad Season 2, as well as Odd Squad: The Movie, OddTube, and Odd Squad: World Turned Odd. She also appeared in Disney Channel's Descendants 2 and 3. Additionally, Cathcart played the title role in Zoe Valentine. The child actress reprised this character for Spring Breakaway. Her other TV credits include Once Upon a Time, Fast Layne, and Dino Dana. Additionally, Cathcart hosted the web series, Letters To.

Next, Anna Cathcart stars in the Disney Channel Original Movie, Spin.

Janel Parrish (Margot Covey)

In the role of Margot, Lara Jean and Kitty's older sister, Janel Parrish played a key character in To All The Boys I Loved Before, and had a supporting part in the sequels. Most notably, Parrish is known for starring in ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars and 2019's spin-off, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, which was canceled after one season on Freeform. Additionally, the actress starred in Bratz, Triple Dog, Trespassers, and Tiger. Her other film credits include Celeste and Jesse Forever, Fired Up!, April Showers, and Mighty Oak. Additionally, on television, Parrish was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars Season 19 and appeared in Heroes, Baywatch, True Jackson VP, The O.C., Zoey 101, and Lifetime's I'll Be Watching. Outside of film and TV, Parrish was seen in 1996's Broadway and touring productions of Les Miserables.

Most recently, Janel Parrish starred in Hallmark Channel's Holly & Ivy. She also recently guest-starred on CBS's Magnum P.I. Next, Parrish will be seen in Until We Meet Again.

Sarayu Blue (Trina Rothschild)

Playing the part of Trina Rothschild, the next-door neighbor who begins a relationship with Dr. Covey, Sarayu Blue, also known as Sarayu Rao, adopted a key character. Most notably, Blue is known for her starring role in NBC's I Feel Bad. She was also in the main cast for The CW's short-lived No Tomorrow. Some of her other television credits include Sons of Tucson, Monday Mornings, NCIS: Los Angeles, Medical Police, The Unicorn, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Additionally, on the big screen, Blue is best known for her supporting turn in Blockers. The actress also makes appearances in Dealin' with Idiots, Lions for Lambs, and November's Happiest Season.

Next, Sarayu Blue will be seen in Apple TV+'s limited series, The Shrink Next Door.

Ross Butler (Trevor Pike)

As Trevor Pike, Peter and Lara Jean's childhood friend, Ross Butler played a prominent supporting character in To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, andcan also briefly be seen in To All The Boys: Always and Forever. Most notably, Butler was known for his main role on Netflix's 13 Reasons Why. The film and television actor can also be seen in Disney Channel's K.C. Undercover, Teen Beach 2, Riverdale, Perfect High, The Internship, Chasing Life, Teen Wolf, and Shazam!, as well as the music videos for Steve Aoki's "Waste It On Me" and Juice Wild's "Graduation."

Butler was set to star in Quibi's Swimming with Sharks, though the short-form show's status is unknown after the company folded. Next, Butler will be heard in Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon, which arrives in theaters and on Disney+ on March 5th. Additionally, the actor will lend his voice to Netflix's Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas.

Emilija Baranac (Genevieve Mitchell)

In the role of Genevieve Mitchell, Peter Kavinsky's popular ex-girlfriend, Emilija Baranac played a preppy personality in the trilogy. Most notably, Baranac is known for her prominent part in The CW's Riverdale Season 2. The actress/model can also be seen in Beyond, Supernatural, and Charmed. Additionally, Baranac starred in a pair of Lifetime movies, Tempting Fate and Deadly Second Chances.

Recently, Emilijia Baranac reprised her role as Heidi in The CW's Charmed. Following her performance in To All The Boys: Always and Forever, the actress will star in There's Someone Inside Your House. She's also expected to appear in the short film, Dead End.

Trezzo Mahoro (Lucas Krapf)

Playing the part of Lucas Krapf, Lara Jean's former crush-turned-close friend, Trezzo Mahoro was seen as a caring and supportive confidant in all three To All The Boys movies. Some of his other film credits include Dragged Across Concrete, 2016's Adventures in Babysitting, and A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish. Also, on television, Mahoro appeared in Van Helsing, The Magicians, The X-Files, Motive, and iZombie.

This past November, Trezzo Mahoro was seen in Netflix's Operation Christmas Drop. Additionally, Mahoro appeared in this month's The Right One. Following To All The Boys: Always and Forever, the actor will star in The Four Fathers and Syfy's Day of the Dead.

Do you love the To All The Boys movies? Which one is your favorite? Tell us below!

Spoilers are ahead for Netflix’s All The Boys: Always and Forever.

This past week, All The Boys fans said goodbye to Lana Condor's Lara Jean after a sweet trilogy that followed the teen’s growth into first love and forging her path after high school. The ending to LJ’s story and her continued relationship with Noah Centineo’s Peter Kavinsky went the way of the hopeless romantic, having the couple pledging to send each other love letters as they packed their bags to colleges across the country from each other.

Although the pair had planned to attend the same college, Lara Jean did not get into Stanford like Kavinsky. This led to LJ initially choosing a neighboring Northern California school to her boyfriend, before ultimately deciding to go to NYU for herself after falling in love with what the campus had to offer. All The Boys star Lana Condor shared her thoughts on the franchise’s finale to EW:

Although it's easy (and fun) for us to get wrapped in the love story between Noah Centineo and Lana Condor’s characters, the last shot in the movie does make it all about Lara Jean and her personal journey. And that’s what it’s been about the whole time, hasn’t it? All The Boys: Always and Forever does place the focus on LJ’s college plan with Peter but, in the end, she chooses herself and paves her own future. And, she maintained her relationship with him. It goes to show that focusing on your own growth can turn into happily ever after. Condor also said this about Lara Jean:

There it is right there. That’s why the All The Boys: Always and Forever ending lands. It places Lara Jean’s development as a character over its romance, whilst leaving room for the two to coexist. The conclusion was already written in Jenny Han’s books and, now, audiences of the Netflix movies got to see it play out too! It’s not easy to ground a story about high school love over three movies, but the series’ focus on its central lead helped those final moments hit the right emotional notes.

The All The Boys movies completely changed the lives of Lana Condor and Noah Centineo, who are now major names in Hollywood following their breakout success. Centineo reached hearthrob status not long after All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’s release, recently recalling a time when he was followed home after some fans tracked his flight.

The 24-year-old actor is soon heading to the DCEU as Atom Smasher in Black Adam, and Condor is already heading to a Netflix limited series called Boo, Bitch, about a high-schooler who becomes a ghost. Check out our full breakdown of the All The Boys ending here on CinemaBlend.

After years of movies, the final installment in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before film series is here. To All the Boys: Always and Forever is the third film in the series, and features Lana Condor’s Lara Jean and Noah Centineo’s Peter as they get ready to head to college. After some complications arise, Lara Jean must figure out what she really wants for her future.

Lara Jean Covey and Peter Kavinsky’s romance fired up the YA fan in all of us with the first two films, which led to both actors becoming famous overnight (which apparently was a huge adjustment that neither of them could prepare for). After the release of the first film in 2018, Noah Centineo’s social media follower count went from 300,000 to 11 million in just one week (and he had a pretty terrifying fan encounter). Now we get to watch how it all ends for Lara Jean and Peter in To All the Boys: Always and Forever.

If you're trying to decide how to spend your Valentine’s weekend, To All the Boys: Always and Forever just debuted on Netflix today, and critics have already started to post their reviews for the film.

CinemaBlend’s own Sarah El-Mahmoud rated the film three out of five stars. She applauds the genuine chemistry between Lana Condor and Noah Centineo and the way Always and Forever ties up all of the narratives from the franchise. She says:

Kimber Myers of the Los Angeles Times complements the series’ ability to develop characters, pointing out how the series allows Lara Jean and the characters around her to grow with surprising depth. She said:

Kate Erbland from IndieWire remarks on the overstuffed nature of the film, saying that “There’s just too much here,” but admits that To All the Boys: Always and Forever still keeps the audience invested in the lead pair of actors. She comments on the franchise as a whole, saying:

Peter Debruge of Variety was impressed by the development of the supporting cast, such as Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, and Sarayu Blue, as well as the growth of the main couple. He also noted:

Mary Sollosi of Entertainment Weekly was not very impressed with To All The Boys: Always And Forever. She notes that the film doesn’t really know what to do with the main couple now that they are firmly, well, a couple. Mary comments that the film reduces each of the main actors to their quirks, “as if to remind its viewers that these are the characters they loved once before, rather than trying to make anyone love them at this moment in their lives.” They go on to say:

Well, you can judge To All The Boys: Always And Forever for yourself on Netflix as it debuts on the streaming platform today. You can also check out the rest of the movies coming out this year after you've finished watching the conclusion to Lara Jean and Peter's story.

In less than a week, the final installment of Netflix’s All The Boys is coming our way, which means it's almost time to say our goodbyes to Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky’s young romance. The roles have been monumental to Lana Condor and Noah Centineo’s blossoming careers, but becoming so famous overnight is not an adjustment either of them could ever prepare for.

Lana Condor became a household name at the age of 21 when the first All The Boys I’ve Loved Before hit the streaming service and turned into a massive hit. Ahead of the premiere of the third movie, Condor talked to Self about blowing up in Hollywood so fast and brightly:

Just following the making of the first To All The Boys movie, Condor went right into the action series Deadly Class and found a role in Robert Rodriguez’s Alita: Battle Angel, but it was too much for her to deal with all at once. The actress suffered some mental health struggles right after becoming a hugely successful new star that she wasn’t expecting. She felt some pressure to take on multiple opportunities, and it became an unexpectedly dark time for her. Condor continued:

Lana Condor has since also had honest conversations with her parents, who suggested that she slow down after being “clearly unhappy” from taking on so much at once. She was living a completely different life than she ever had before, previously known only as Jubilee on X-Men: Apocalypse, which was her first film role ever. She said she had been hesitant to open up about her struggles before, believing that people would minimize it as “champagne problems” since she has found success. But it’s a reminder to anyone taking on a lot of responsibility at a time that we can only handle so much.

Lana Condor almost tried to take on more when she auditioned for Star Wars: The Last Jedi to play Rose Tico, a part that went to Kelly Marie Tran. Condor was down to the last couple people before the role went to Tran, but she may be saying good riddance to that. The Star Wars role dealt with an onslaught of online hate that led to her to quit social media. Either way, Condor has since gained some perspective on working in Hollywood, recently moving up to Seattle to get away from the Los Angeles hustle and bustle. She’ll be starring and executive producing a comedy series for Netflix next.

Lana Condor’s last time as Lara Jean is just a few days away, as All The Boys: Always And Forever comes to Netflix on Friday, February 12. Check out what other new February movies to get excited about here on CinemaBlend.

Every actor has a role that got away, and To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before star Lana Condor has a pretty major one. She was nearly Rose Tico in Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi until Kelly Marie Tran officially nabbed her first studio movie in a galaxy far, far away instead. According to the 23-year-old actress, she was among the final few too!

Lana Condor dropped the reveal last year, recalling the moment she met John Boyega just before the actor broke out as Finn. But now the actress has offered more details about just how close she was to landing the role before Kelly Marie Tran was picked instead. In her words:

Yeah… this is a rough one. While speaking to Yahoo! ahead of To All The Boys: Always and Forever’s release on Netflix, Lana Condor went into detail about just how close she was to playing Rose Tico in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. She did a number of chemistry reads with John Boyega and had a number of meetings with Rian Johnson about the project, but when it came to the end of the line, she was one of the last actresses to be cut.

In some ways, it’s a huge compliment to Lana Condor. She was so good that she was seriously being considered for the role. But, at the same time, it must hurt a lot more to feel like she was that close to starring in a Star Wars movie and it didn’t work out in her favor. The actress went on to say that she believes that “everything happens for a reason,” and if she had become Rose Tico, she wouldn’t have been able to play Lara Jean in the To All The Boys rom-com trilogy. Condor spoke more about facing rejection in Hollywood with this:

Lana Condor apparently has faced close calls in other instances too, previously being cast for a role in a TV show before being cut at the last minute and the role being recast to someone else. The audition process can be a grueling one, especially for a young actress like Condor, but she’s been pretty lucky. Before Star Wars, she got to portray Jubilee in X-Men: Apocalypse for her first-ever movie role, and she worked with Robert Rodriguez in Alita: Battle Angel.

Lana Condor will wrap up her time as Lara Jean with the third and final To All The Boys film on February 12. Check out the trailer to the Valentine’s Day weekend release:

It’s the end of an era for Lana Condor and Noah Centineo, her partner in crime here, who became an overnight teen heartthrob when he first debuted his role as Kovinsky. Centineo is heading to the DCEU to play Atom Smasher in Black Adam, as well as star in the Masters of the Universe movie as He-Man. Both of these actors have bright futures ahead of them without Star Wars.

I’m kind of The Avatar/The Legend of Korra guy round these parts. And being such a huge fan of the whole Avatar universe, I think about it frequently. Maybe too frequently. Actually, no, you can never think about Avatar too frequently. And that’s why even though we’ll probably never in a million years get a live-action The Legend of Korra movie, you can’t keep me from dreamcasting a hypothetical movie version! You just can’t!

Now, first things first. There will be no whitewashing in my hypothetical The Legend of Korra movie. So, even if you don’t like my picks, you’ll likely at least still be okay that we’re not going to run into one of the main issues of the Avatar: The Last Airbender movie. Secondly, I’m going to focus on Book 1 of The Legend of Korra cartoon, so my villain will be Amon. And lastly, I know I’m not going to get a sequel, so I’m going to make Korrasami a thing in this movie. And I don’t care if you think their relationship needs more than one film to evolve. It’s my movie, and I want Korrasami, dammit! Now, on with the dreamcasting!

Korra (Chloe Bennet)

Korra is brash, yet vulnerable. A leader, and yet desperately in need of friendship. And, oh, she’s also the avatar, and you gotta deal with it. A lot of people don’t like Korra for a variety of reasons, but at her heart, she’s a barrel full of emotions and is just trying to figure out her place in the world. You know, like most people. She also goes through some traumatic experiences, and comes out a changed person in the end. So, I definitely want somebody who can both kick ass and show emotional change throughout her journey.

Enter Chloe Bennet, probably best known as Daisy Johnson (or Quake) from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (though, she also voiced Yi in the animated movie Abominable). Bennet has proven that she can look like she can handle herself in a fight, but also like she can handle emotional depth, like during the Secret Warriors story-arc where she ended up leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. Plus, she’s already played an Inhuman. So, why not a bender?

Bolin (Ki Hong Lee)

Bolin is the comic relief of the show (Well, him and Verrick). The earthbending brother to Mako who would later become the movie star, Nuktuk, can also be serious when he has to be. But the one thing to always remember about Bolin is that he cares. And he’s also a loyal friend to the end. He may not be Sokka, but does he really have to be? No. The answer is no, he doesn’t. And he’s all the better for it.

I actually think Ki Hong Lee would be the perfect Bolin. He’s shown he can handle himself in an action movie, like he did with his role as Minho in The Maze Runner, but also that he could handle comedy, like he did in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as Dong Nguyen. And hell, he’s even voiced The Totally Awesome Hulk in the animated Spider-Man series. Give this man the role already! Jeez!

Mako (Harry Shum Jr.)

Whereas Bolin is the silly brother—the Michelangelo of Team Avatar, if you will—Mako is the more serious, disciplined brother. Not quite the Raphael, but also not quite the Leonardo, either (and I have no idea why I’ve started referencing the Ninja Turtles when describing Mako. Please just follow me here). Mako would probably be a loner if not for having to take care of his brother. He eventually becomes a police officer and is one of Korra’s most loyal allies. But he’s also a love interest to Korra early on before she falls in love with Asami.

I’d pick Harry Shum Jr. to be my Mako. He’s probably most recognizable as Mike Chang from Glee, but I’m thinking of him more from his roles in the Step Up series, Shadowhunters, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny. Mako is the kind of character who has a lot to say, but remains quiet and mostly talks through action. And Harry Shum Jr. definitely has the moves to portray a firebender. But I also think he has the acting chops to play Mako as well, as seen in his role as the warlock Magnus Bane in Shadowhunters. You know what? I really shouldn’t be writing this article, because I now want this movie more than ever! Harry Shum Jr. would be perfect as Mako! Absolutely perfect.

Asami (Lana Condor)

Okay, so maybe Asami is the Sokka of The Legend of Korra? I only say that since she’s the only nonbender in this version of Team Avatar. She’s not really funny, but she’s earnest and even goes against her father when she sees his disdain for benders. She is also Korra’s one and only toward the end of the series. But Asami is a threat in her own right, too, as she is both a businesswoman as well as somebody who is willing to throw down to protect her friends. We’re going to need somebody with a lot of range to play Asami… Hmm…

I got it! Lana Condor. She played a minimal role in X-Men: Apocalypse as Jubilee, so I know she’s down for action pictures, but she also played the complex Lara Jean in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. I think she could navigate the role of somebody who feels a need to uphold family honor, but also one who believes in following her heart, and Lana Condor could pull that role off to a T. I especially think she’d be a great love interest for Korra. Phew, okay. And now, for my hardest pick of all. The villain.

Amon (Vincent Rodriguez III)

Leader of the anti-bender group known as the Equalists, Amon likes to pretend that he’s a nonbender when in actuality, he’s a waterbender who specializes in bloodbending! When he bloodbends, he can actually take away a person’s bending ability, leaving them feeling worthless and broken. Amon is one of Korra’s fiercest foes in the entire series, so we need somebody who can be super convincing and scary in the role.

Okay, so hear me out with this one. You remember when everybody heard that Heath Ledger would be playing the Joker, and then people were like, him? You mean from 10 Things I Hate About You? No way! But then, when they actually saw the role, they shut up instantly? Well, I think the same thing would happen with Vincent Rodriguez III, whose main role was on the cult hit TV series, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Yes, the show is a comedy, but Vincent Rodriguez III showed that he could actually be quite intimidating in the role as Josh Chan, but also somebody who could be sympathetic. In that way, I pick Vincent Rodriguez III as my antagonist for my hypothetical, never-going-to-happen (Dammit) The Legend of Korra movie!

But what do you think? Did I get a home run with all five of my picks, or did I strike out completely? And of course I didn’t forget about Tenzin or Lin Beifong. But why get excited over something that will never happen? Even so, I’d love to hear your picks. So, let me know who you’d cast in the comments section down below!

Following close to two decades of anticipation, producer James Cameron finally delivered with 2019's Alita: Battle Angel. Based on the early 1990s cyberpunk manga series by Yukito Kishiro, Alita was a long-brewing passion project for the Titanic/Avatar filmmaker, and he realized his vision through director Robert Rodriguez. 

Starring Rosa Salazar in the lead role, along with Christoph Waltz, Mahershala Ali, Jennifer Connelly, Jackie Earle Haley, and Ed Skrein in the supporting cast, this sci-fi blockbuster was a huge movie, and it found a loyal fanbase since its release last year. Whether or not a sequel is imminent is unclear, particularly since it's not certain how much of a profit the film made. But whether or not the Alita sequel comes to be, there will likely be many movie lovers who'll want to know what this cast has in the works. Therefore, here's what the cast of Alita: Battle Angel is doing now.

Rosa Salazar (Alita)

As the title character herself, Rosa Salazar got her own starring vehicle as Alita in Alita: Battle Angel. While this breakthrough part is currently her most famous and well-recognized role, Salazar is also known for her performances in The Maze Runner sequels, The Divergent Series: Insurgent, CHIPS, NBC's Parenthood, Bird Box, Man Seeking Woman, and American Horror Story Season 1. The Canadian actress also earned acclaim for her performance in the indie romantic dramedy, Night Owls. 

Following Alita's release, Salazar was seen in the lead role of Amazon Prime's Undone. She was also in an episode of CBS All Access' Star Trek: Short Treks and heard in episodes of Dirty Diana and Big Mouth. Salazar also starred in the indie drama, No Future, which recently debuted in the film festival circuits. Next, she'll be seen in Pink Skies Ahead and Netflix's upcoming series, Brand New Cherry Flavor.

Christoph Waltz (Dr. Dyson Ido)

In the role of Dr. Dyson Ido, the cyborg-scientist who becomes Alita's father figure, Christoph Waltz provides an emotional parental performance in Alita: Battle Angel. Best known for his Oscar-winning performances in Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained, respectively, the Austrian actor has seen his profile rise significantly over the course of these past ten years. Some of his most noteworthy performances appear in The Zero Theorem, Big Eyes, Spectre, Downsizing, Water For Elephants, Carnage, and Muppets Most Wanted. 

Following his performance in this sci-fi blockbuster, Waltz has been seen in the Quibi series, Most Dangerous Game. He's also been on the festival circuits with Rifkin's Festival and Georgetown, the latter of which Waltz also directed. Next, Waltz will reprise his role as Blofeld in No Time To Die. He also stars in The French Dispatch, and he'll lend his voice to Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio.

Keean Johnson (Hugo)

As Hugo, a scrap dealer and Alita's love interest, Keean Johnson played one of the key roles in Alita: Battle Angel. This role is one of his first major film performances, as he's more commonly associated with his TV work. He starred in Spooksville, Nashville, The Fosters, and Guidance. Following his role in Alita, Johnson is most commonly known for his role in HBO's Euphoria. He was also recently seen in Midway, We Summon the Darkness, and Low Tide. Earlier this year, Johnson starred in Cut Throat City and Emperor. Next, the actor will be seen in The Ultimate Playlist of Noise.

Mahershala Ali (Vector)

Playing the part of Vector, an influential entrepreneur at The Factory with some criminal intents, Mahershala Ali provided one of his most prominent roles following his Oscar-winning performance in Moonlight. Shortly after Alita's release, Ali won his second Oscar for his role in Green Book. He is also known for his work in House of Cards, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 and 2, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Hidden Figures, Crossing Jordan, The 4400, Luke Cage, and more. 

Most recently, Ali starred at the forefront of HBO's True Detective Season 3 and he appeared in the second season of Hulu's Ramy. Next, Ali is expected to lend his voice to the new series, Invincible, and he's currently slated to play Blade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Whether that's a show or a movie is still left either unclear or undetermined.

Jennifer Connelly (Dr. Chiren)

As Dr. Chiren, Dr. Ido's estranged wife and a cyborg-engineer who works with Vector, Jennifer Connelly played a prominent role in Alita: Battle Angel. The actress is best known for her Oscar-winning performance in A Beautiful Mind, as well as her lead roles in Requiem for a Dream, Labyrinth, Career Opportunities, House of Sand and Fog, and Phenomena. Connelly is also known for her work in Hulk, The Rocketeer, Dark City, Blood Diamond, Noah, and He's Just Not That Into You, among other films. 

Following her time in Alita, Connelly joined the main cast of TNT's Snowpiercer, based on the Bong Joon-ho movie of the same name, and the show was already picked up for another season. The newest episodes are expected to come out sometime in later in 2020. Next, Connelly will be seen in Top Gun: Maverick, which is currently slated for July 2nd, 2021.

Lana Condor (Koyomi)

Playing the part of Koyomi, a friend to Hugo and Tanji, Lana Condor received one of her most high-profile early roles in Alita: Battle Angel. While the talented young actress is also known for YouTube channel and her work in X-Men: Apocalypse, she rose to fame through her lead role in Netflix's To All The Boys I Loved Before, and its sequel, To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, from earlier this year. She's also recognized for her supporting turn in Patriots Day. 

Following her role in Alita: Battle Angel, Condor became the star of Syfy's Deadly Class and lent her voice to the English dub of Rilakkuma and Kaoru and the final season of BoJack Horseman. She also starred in the coming-of-age rom-com, Summer Night. Next, Condor will star in the third, presumably final sequel, To All The Boys: Always And Forever, Lara Jean.

Ed Skrein (Zapan)

In the role of Zapan, a sword-wielding bounty hunter cyborg with a vendetta against Alita, Ed Skrein provided a menacing antagonistic role in Alita: Battle Angel. Prior to his work in Robert Rodriguez's blockbuster, Skrein was best known for his role in Games of Thrones, as well as his villainous turn in Deadpool. He was also at the forefront of The Transporter: Refueled. Outside of acting, Skrein is also a musician; he released a studio album, The Eat Up, in 2007. Around the time Alita: Battle Angel came to theaters, Skrein also received praise for his work in If Beale Street Could Talk. 

Following Alita's release, Skrein has since starred in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Midway, and Born a King, the latter of which went to film festivals last year. He'll next appear in Naked Singularity, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, and Prisoners of the Ghostland.

Jackie Earle Haley (Grewishka)

As Grewishka, an imposing criminal cyborg who works as Nova's personal assassin and enforcer, Jackie Earle Haley provided an intriguing supporting turn in Alita: Battle Angel. A former child actor best known for his role in The Bad News Bears films, Haley's acting career was revived when he starred in Little Children, for which he received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. He'd go on to provide memorable performances in Watchmen, Shutter Island, and 2010's A Nightmare on Elm Street, and he starred in Dark Shadows, Lincoln, 2014's RoboCop, The Dark Tower, London Has Fallen, and more. 

He also made his feature directorial debut with 2015's Criminal Activities. Haley appeared in several episodes of Human Target, Preacher, The Tick, and Narcos: Mexico. Most recently, Haley starred in No Future and Death of a Telemarketer, both of which hit the film festival circuits earlier this year.

Jorge Lendeborg Jr. (Tanji)

In the role of Tanji, Hugo's scrap-dealing friend and criminal accomplice, Jorge Lendeborg Jr. played a notable supporting character in Alita: Battle Angel. In the past few years, Lendeborg Jr. has amassed an impressive filmography which includes Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Brigsby Bear, Love Simon, and Bumblebee. He also starred in episodes of Wu-Tang: An American Saga and Day by Day. Most recently, he was seen in John Leguizamo's Critical Thinking earlier this month. Next, Lendeborg Jr. will star in Bliss and Night Teeth.

Eiza Gonzalez (Nyssiana)

Playing the part of Nyssiana, a wanted cyborg assassin, Eiza Gonzalez gave life to one of the most memorable characters in Alita: Battle Angel. The film/TV actress first gained popularity through her role in the musical telenovela Lola, érase una vez. She also starred in the lead role of Nickelodeon's Sueña Conmigo. From there, Gonzalez starred in From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, which is where she first started collaborating with director Robert Rodriguez. She was then seen in Jem and the Holograms, Baby Driver, and Welcome to Marwen. 

Following her role in Alita, Gonzalez has most notably appeared in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Bloodshot, and Cut Throat City. Gonzalez is also in I Care A Lot, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month. Next, Gonzalez is slated to star in Godzilla vs. Kong and Love Spreads.

Edward Norton (Nova)

In the role of Nova, Edward Norton made a quick blink-and-you-might-miss-it cameo in Alita: Battle Angel. It's apparent that he was there to tease his looming role in the proposed sequel, though it's still not clear when that'll happen or if it'll come together now that 20th Century Fox is owned and operated by Disney. Nevertheless, should this rumored sequel come together in the near future, Norton will likely play a key role in the proceedings. He's a well-respected actor with several prestigious credits and accolades to his name, notably through his outstanding performances in Primal Fear, Fight Club, American History X, 25th Hour, The Illusionist, Moonrise Kingdom, Birdman, and more. 

He's also known for his work in The Incredible Hulk, The Bourne Legacy, Red Dragon, Rounders, and more. Most recently, he directed, starred in, and adapted Motherless Brooklyn. He'll next be seen in The French Dispatch.

Who is your favorite Alita: Battle Angel character and/orcast member? Are you hopeful for the sequel? Be sure to let us know in the comment section!

Among the many controversies that have kept the new Star Wars trilogy afloat in conversation is Kelly Marie Tran’s character of Rose Tico. She became a fan favorite to some and the target of hate to others following the release of Rian Johnson’s polarizing The Last Jedi. But 2018’s To All The Boys breakout star Lana Condor was close to being the one to deliver Rose's lines on the big screen.

Before nabbing her iconic role as Lara Jean Covey on the Netflix hit, Lana Condor was in the running for Rose Tico. So much so that she actually met with John Boyega for a chemistry read. Here’s what the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before star recently revealed:

Whoa! Before The Force Awakens hit theaters and John Boyega likely said goodbye to casually hanging out at sushi joints, Lana Condor met up with him as part of the casting process for The Last Jedi. Finn and Rose spent a good part of Episode VIII together, so one of the last passages into nabbing the part was making sure the two could click with audiences on screen.

Obviously Kelly Marie Tran got the role and Lana Condor didn’t, but the 22-year-old actress has a level head about the whole thing. In her words to StyleCaster:

Lana Condor got to lead her own romantic comedy that went on to become one of Netflix’s biggest hits ever. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before became a phenomenon that put her on the map, and her co-star, Noah Centineo, quickly became the internet’s boyfriend. She’s since made a recently-released sequel To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You and has already filmed the end to the trilogy, Always and Forever, Lara Jean.

The actress is likely kind of happy she’s not in Kelly Marie Tran’s shoes either. The actress received so much online hate for her role as Rose Tico in The Last Jedi that she quit social media and went to therapy. It was her first theatrical movie, though. Lana Condor’s first big-screen role took place on 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse when she appeared as Jubilee. (By the way, she’s completely down to play the mutant again, Disney.)

Following the backlash toward Rose Tico, the Star Wars character was given just one minute and 16 seconds of screen time in The Rise of Skywalker. Lots of fans of the character protested her tiny presence in the movie, but Kelly Marie Tran explained being “really grateful” just to be a part of the franchise.

Despite Lana Condor’s initial Star Wars rejection, she’s got a bright future of her own. If you're curious about what movies are arriving in theaters later this year, look through our 2020 release schedule.

A new era of X-Men is underway. Following a bummer of an ending for the beloved franchise with Dark Phoenix last year, Disney has its Mickey gloves on it, and there are plans for the mutants to collide with the MCU at some point. However, there are some characters from the Fox-produced films fans feel really lost out on seeing – such as Lana Condor’s Jubilee.

The Chinese-American character is a favorite among fans, and Lana Condor’s casting in X-Men: Apocalypse was an exciting moment for the franchise. However, when the film hit theaters in 2016, her screen time turned out to be incredibly limited. It was basically a cameo. Years later, Lana Condor is still passionate about Jubilee and would like to play her again. Here’s what she said:

Yes please! Since her debut as Jubilee, Lana Condor has gone on to become a household name thanks to Netflix’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. The rom-com based on the same-named novel was a cultural phenomenon and has since spawned a recent sequel To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, with a third movie on the way. Condor has already completely filmed the high school-set trilogy.

So she has time and seems set on doing it. But could a return to Jubilee happen? In Lana Condor’s words to The Wrap:

It sounds like Lana Condor is so interested in going back to Jubilee that she is actually rubbing elbows with filmmakers to get the character back in their brains. The main issue with her character returning is the universe she was created in will likely cease to exist. Following Dark Phoenix and Disney’s $71.3 billion acquisition of Fox, what was once the world of X-Men isn’t expected to return, although Patrick Stewart did say he had “long conversations” with Kevin Feige about Professor X a few months ago.

Even though the previous X-Men franchise is likely no more, maybe Jubilee had a small enough role in Apocalypse to be revisited somehow? Could she and other X-Men characters receive screen time in the MCU’s planned Phase Five or over on Disney+? Lana Condor will have to keep sticking her neck out.

Until then, there is one more remnant of Fox’s X-Men era coming in the form of The New Mutants on April 3. Also, you can see what happens to Lana Condor’s Lara Jean in To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You on Netflix now.

It’s no secret that Netflix has been a game changer in the landscape of cinema for a number of years. And as the streaming giant expands, so has the pressure for other platforms to build their brand with their own original content for audiences to subscribe to. But To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before breakout star Lana Condor has a bit of a love letter to write about seeing the latest sequel with an audience in a theater.

Back in summer 2018, the book adaptation of Jenny Han’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before was a massive hit among Netflix subscribers. So much so that the site has made a real effort to keep pumping out rom-coms on their platform (many of which starring the film’s love interest, Noah Centineo). Since then, Netflix has produced two upcoming sequels to Lara Jean’s high-school endeavors, including To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, which comes out next week.

Lana Condor caught a screening of To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You at a special advanced screening of the film, and she especially loved the rare experience for the Netflix film. In her words:

Don’t you wonder sometimes why Netflix doesn’t just give its high-profile movies theatrical dates? It seems like P.S. I Still Love You would do so well. Lana Condor gushed to Variety about her experience seeing the romantic sequel, and it sounds like it was a great time. She actually sought out the movie theater experience herself, and the 22-year-old was pleasantly surprised to hear fans reacting to her own character.

On the surface, the To All The Boys movies may seem to be, well, all about the cute boys involved in Lara Jean’s personal love letter leak. And the audience undoubtedly adore them too. Lana Condor even teased that the theater she watched P.S. I Still Love You in actually swung her toward Lara Jean’s new-old love interest, John Ambrose McClaren, played by Jordan Fisher in the movie.

But Lana Condor also finds fans of the movies geeking about her too. Lara Jean is certainly among the phenomena of the Netflix hit. In the actress' words:

We’ll have to see how the movie takes Lara Jean’s love life. At the end of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, she was head over heels for Noah Centineo’s Peter Kavinsky. In P.S. I Still Love You, she’ll receive a response from her camp crush, John Ambrose McClaren, that will challenge her feelings for Peter. The sequel will be available to stream on February 12.

Most of you might know Lana Condor best for her performance as Lara Jean Covey in the Netflix original film To All The Boys I've Loved Before, but it's worth remembering that in 2016, she appeared as Jubilee in X-Men: Apocalypse. Alas, Condor was unable to reprise Jubilee for this year's Dark Phoenix due to scheduling issues, but she's hopeful that she'll get to rejoin the X-Men franchise in the future. As Condor put it:

Considering how popular To All The Boys I've Loved Before since it was released on Netflix last August, prioritizing that over Dark Phoenix was probably a wise move, especially considering that Jubilee's role in X-Men: Apocalypse was minor. Nevertheless, as she told Collider, she hasn't turned her back on Jubilee entirely and welcomes the opportunity to reprise the character at some point. Apocalypse was her film acting debut, so while the movie itself was met with mixed critical reaction, it and the X-Men franchise as a whole holds a special place for her.

That said, the chances of Lana Condor getting to play Jubilee again don't look too good. While it's not officially confirmed yet, given that 20th Century Fox is soon being absorbed into Disney, which subsequently means the X-Men and Fantastic Four properties can finally be brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Dark Phoenix is believed to be the final main X-Men film of the Fox era. The MCU is going to hit the reboot button hard on those characters, so unless by some chance Dark Phoenix gets a follow-up, the current continuity will soon be history.

Fortunately for Lana Condor, she has enough projects to keep her busy in the near future. It was recently confirmed that Netflix has ordered a To All The Boys I've Loved Before sequel, and Condor is also keeping her foot in the comic book media realm by starring in the upcoming Syfy TV show Deadly Class, which is based off an Image Comics ongoing series. But who knows, maybe she'll be able to star in another superhero blockbuster when she's older.

Although Jubilee appeared in X-Men: Apocalypse as a classmate of Cyclops, Jean Grey and Nightcrawler's at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, she didn't join those three and the rest of the main characters after the X-Mansion exploded. Whether or not her whereabouts will be addressed in Dark Phoenix remains to be seen, but regardless, those characters will have enough to deal with in the movie, as like in X-Men: The Last Stand, Jean Grey has lost control of her powers and threatens the entire world.

You can see a Jubilee-less Dark Phoenix in theaters on June 7, and for all the other movies opening this year, check out our 2019 release schedule.

The X-Men franchise is in a transitional place at the moment. While Logan is making tons of money and being hailed as one of the best installments in the universe, a question marks looms over the main franchise. X-Men: Apocalypse was critically panned, and First Class trilogy stars Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, and Michael Fassbender have reached the end of their contracts. It's unclear if that trio will be back for the next film, although now it appears that one of the supporting characters is ready to suit back up.

Lana Condor made her X-Men debut in Apocalypse as the teenage mutant Jubilee. While some of her work ended up on the cutting room floor, the actress recently posted to Instagram, announcing she'd ready to return to the role.

Well, that's one X-Men actor we don't have to worry about. Only a billion more to go.

It shouldn't come to much of a surprise that Lana Condor is ready to slip back into Jubilee's yellow jacket. X-Men: Apocalypse introduced a ton of new characters to the franchise, giving us a glimpse into younger version of Cylops, Jean Grey, Storm, Nightcrawler, and yes Jubilee. This was likely done so that the franchise could cover its bases, just in case stars like Jennifer Lawrence decide to depart from their roles. Adding these young newcomers will allow the X-Men story to continue, regardless of which classic characters return.

And from what we're hearing about the next X-Men installment, it looks like the focus will largely be on these newcomers. Early rumors indicate that the next X-Men movie will be revolve around the Dark Phoenix storyline. This iconic plot was heavily hinted at during X-Men: Apocalypse, as Sophie Turner's Jean Grey had a difficult time controlling her massive psychic powers. During the movie's third act, Professor X tells Jean to finally release her power, and she saves the day as a fiery phoenix appears behind her.

I'm personally hoping that Jubilee becomes a more active role in the X-Men franchise. As a product of 90's television, I grew up watching the X-Men Animated Series, of which Jubilee was a main character. While her powers are significantly less cool than favorites like Storm, it would be great to see a badass or more capable version of the character in live-action. And while Apocalypse did set up the character, she was excluded from the film's main conflicts after the mansion exploded.

Alas, we'll just have to wait and see what happens to the X-Men franchise as details are released. Be sure to stick with us here at CinemaBlend for updates as they become available.

Avatar mastermind James Cameron spent years trying to adapt the '90s manga Battle Angel Alita into the theatrical movie, only for the project to be continually delayed. 2016 finally marks the year this adaptation is getting underway, now with Robert Rodriguez in the director's chair. Alita: Battle Angel has been building its main cast over the last several months, and the latest addition to the lineup is X-Men: Apocalypse actress Lana Condor.

Deadline is reporting that Lana Condor will play Koyomi in Alita: Battle Angel. No other details were provided about her character, but she is the ninth actor to be added to the cast. Some of her other co-stars include Rosa Salazar as the eponymous protagonist, Christoph Waltz as Dr. Dyson Ido, Ed Skrein as Japan and Mahershala Ali as Vector. Just like the original manga, Alita: Battle Angel will tell the story of Alita, a cyborg who wakes up in a scrap yard one day with no memory of her previous life, but still retaining her badass martial arts skills. She'll put those to could use by becoming a "hunter-warrior" so she can track down and eliminate dangerous criminals.

Judging by the original source material, it sounds like Alita: Battle Angel might be taking some creative liberties with Lana Condor's Woyomi for the sake of condensing the timeline. In the Battle Angel Alita manga, Woyomi was a baby when Alita and Dr. Ido, her mentor, first met her, and at the time, Woyomi had been adopted by the proprietor of the Bar Kansas. The manga, as well as its sequel Last Order, charted her growing up, to the point that she reached adulthood by the time this length story ended. As a teenager, Woyomi ran away from home, only to become more deeply embroiled in the story's main events. Considering that this movie only has a two-hour period to work with (unless of course a sequel is ordered), it will be interesting to see which of Woyomi's traits or history will be retained in live action.

Lana Condor rose to prominence earlier this year playing Jubilee, a student at Professor Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, in X-Men: Apocalypse. Condor's Jubilee hung out with Cyclops, Jean Grey and Nightcrawler when they left the mansion to hang out at the mall, but she was left behind when the other three sneaked away to rescue to try to rescue the older protagonists. The movie's deleted scenes provided her a few extra moments to shine, including showing off her special mutant ability. Condor will next be seen in the Mark Wahlberg-led feature Patriots Day, and her inclusion in Alita: Battle Angel is another step towards her becoming more well known among the general audience.

Alita: Battle Angel hits theaters on July 20, 2018. Let us know what you think of Lana Condor's casting in the comments below.

Despite X-Men: Apocalypse boasting a large cast, not every character got chances to shine. Arguably the biggest victim of this was Jubilee, whose screen time was cut down to the point that the theatrical cut didn't even show her using her special ability. Fortunately, she didn't perish during Apocalypse's reign of terror, leaving the door for her to return at some point. If/when that happens, Lana Condor wants audiences to see Jubilee show off her full potential.

Because moviegoers didn't get to see Jubilee show off her trademark "fireworks" powers when X-Men: Apocalypse was in theaters, Lana Condor told Screen Rant that if the young mutant hero is included in the next main X-Men movie, those fireworks need to be on display full blast. As she put it:

Like her comic book counterpart, X-Men: Apocalypse's Jubilee was able to generate multi-colored energy plasmoids from her hands, albeit with an electrical twist. At first glance, these may just look like they would only be useful for a 4th of July celebration, but Jubilee has actually put them to good use when fighting enemies on the printed page. Not only can she mentally direct the plasmoids where to go, but she can also control their intensity, be it simply blinding an opponent or using them to detonate nearly objects. At one point, she was even able to use the plasmids in a way similar to a nuclear fission bomb. So yeah, she can definitely be classified as a powerhouse, though she's not quite at Phoenix levels.

Unfortunately, not only did Lana Condor's Jubilee get to use this ability in X-Men: Apocalypse, but her role on the movie was minimal. Despite hanging out with Cyclops, Jean Grey and Nightcrawler, she was left behind when the three of them went to rescue the older X-Men protagonists. As for Jubilee in the deleted scenes, the only time she showed off her powers is when she tampered with the Joust arcade machine Cyclops and Jean Grey were using so they could keep playing without putting in more quarters. Currently the next X-Men movie (which will be set in the 1990s) hasn't been assigned a release date, but if the creative minds at work are looking to expand the roster of the new X-Men team established at the end of X-Men: Apocalypse, they would be wise to put Jubilee at the top of the consideration list.

X-Men: Apocalypse is now available on both Digital HD and Blu-ray/DVD, so make sure to check out those deleted scenes and special features if you're eager to see more of Lana Condor's Jubilee.

Lana Condor is a ball of energy. The youngest member of the main cast was clearly pumped to be on the set of X-Men: Apocalypse bringing Jubilee to life — and she should be. Director Bryan Singer has been trying to feature the character in an X-Men movie since the beginning. Katrina Florece portrayed her in a background role for X1, Kea Wong featured in a deleted scene from X2, and scrapped Jubilee concept art was designed for Days of Future Past. Condor is, in many ways, the first actress to really play the character on screen, though this Jubilee will be slightly different from what you remember in the comics.

"Jubilee, her power in the comic books is fireworks. In this film, I can safely say her power is more fire-ploid, plasmoid, electricity type," Condor said from the set, likening the special effects to the white energy used for Kitty Pryde’s powers in Days of Future Past. She continued,

That’s an understatement. The ‘80s exploded on her costume. In addition to wearing fishnets and the character’s classic yellow jacket, Condor’s flair game consists of pins that say things like, "I love ‘80s," "Take a chill pill," and "Stay golden, Ponyboy." Some of these costume pieces are direct from the decade, or as Condor puts it, "much older than me."

"She’s fun. She’s a really, really, really fun girl," Condor said, remarking later how she wishes she had someone to have a little conflict with — even Apocalypse. The actress explained Jubilee, who is often the comedic relief, has a "very strong knowledge that something is going wrong, but in terms of knowing specifics, it’s very much like Hank [Nicholas Hoult] or Jen [Lawrence, who plays Mystique]" dealing with the conflict. Should Fox develop another sequel, Condor hopes Jubilee would have "an even bigger character arc because she’s just starting out."

Unfortunately for her, even if that happens it won’t involve Hugh Jackman, whose retiring his Wolverine role after the character’s third standalone film. "What I love about her in the cartoons and the comics is that she has a great relationship with Wolverine," she said. "I met Hugh Jackman at Comic-Con. Oh my god, I wanted to die. Like really."

X-Men: Apocalypse hits theaters on May 27. Find out more about Quicksilver's next big scene, the Four Horsemen, the new timeline, and more from our set coverage.

By the time that 2016 is over, we will have seen hundreds of new movies released to the masses – some starring popular names and recognizable faces, and others comprised entirely of up-and-comers looking to leave their mark on the industry. From all of those titles, we expect to see multiple standout performances, some coming from actors who we’ve never really heard anything about. Obviously this field will be filled with a lot of surprises that we don’t see coming, but there are certain performers who we definitely have our eye on going into the new year.

Going through the 2016 release calendar, we’ve put together a list of 10 lesser-known names who we think are going to wind up leaving an interesting mark on the cinematic year. Read on to find out our choices!

Brianna Hildebrand (Deadpool)

All of the footage we’ve seen from Deadpool has suggested that the film will be packed to the brim with all kinds of hilarity and insanity – mostly courteous of star Ryan Reynolds – but we expect big things from Brianna Hildebrand’s Negasonic Teenage Warhead. We’re not entirely clear on what her character’s abilities are, but her part as an angst-y, goth teen should work great as a foil to the ridiculousness of the titular Merc With The Mouth.

Cyrus Arnold (Zoolander 2)

We were actually introduced to young Derek Zoolander Jr. in the final moments of Ben Stiller’s 2001 comedy Zoolander, but in Zoolander 2 he’s all grown up and turned into young actor Cyrus Arnold. It’s true that we haven’t seen much of the character in footage just yet, but surely Stiller must have seen something significant in him to cast him within such a star-packed ensemble, and the young actor should have a fun geeky role to play opposite his idiotic fictional father.

Anya Taylor Joy (The Witch)

There are still a few high-profile movie from the 2015 indie film festival circuit coming out in the next year, but The Witch is easily one of the most buzzed about. A horror film set in colonial New England, the story follows Anya Taylor Joy as a young girl who finds her family set upon by the evil of a witch. The feature is incredibly dedicated to its period setting, and Joy has already earned high marks for her performance.

Jaeden Lieberher (Midnight Special)

With films like Take Shelter and Mud, Jeff Nichols has firmly established himself as a director to watch – and in his last film demonstrated an impressive ability to work with child actors. It’s for this reason that we have high expectations for Jaeden Lieberher in the sci-fi thriller Midnight Special. He demonstrated impressive talent with his performance alongside Bill Murray in 2014’s St. Vincent, and we expect a lot from him as Michael Shannon’s gifted son in the new movie.

Neel Sethi (The Jungle Book)

It was all the way back in July of 2014 that Neel Sethi landed the hotly-pursued role of Mowgli in director Jon Favreau’s live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book - and now that the movie is about to come out, the young actor is on the verge of stardom. From what we’ve seen, the film looks absolutely beautiful, and obviously Mowgli is the key character in the story. If Sethi can impress, the sky is the limit.

Lana Condor (X-Men: Apocalypse)

Bryan Singer has assembled a talented group of young actors to play the young mutants who will likely play key roles in the X-Men franchise beyond X-Men: Apocalypse, but Lana Condor is one star that has caught our curiosity. She doesn’t have any professional credits just yet, and as Jubilee will be introducing a brand new character – so there is real opportunity for her to leave an indelible mark. We’re staying positive and hoping that she does.

Alexandra Shipp (X-Men: Apocalypse)

That’s right: 2016 looks like it’s going to be a big year for young actors joining the X-Men universe. Playing Storm in X-Men: Apocalypse, Alexandra Shipp steps into a very interesting position, as fans never really did take to the performances of Halle Berry. That being said, Storm is a very important character in this franchise, and Shipp is now in a position to become the best live-action version of the weather-controlling mutant.

Madison Wolfe (The Conjuring 2 : The Enfield Poltergeist)

Director James Wan is returning to the world of horror this summer with the sequel The Conjuring 2 : The Enfield Poltergeist, and while Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga will surely be back front and center, the young Madison Wolfe is a talent you should keep an eye on. Playing Janet Hodgson in the adaptation of the famed Entfield Poltergeist story, she’s has a key role to play in the movie’s plot, and could surprise us all.

Travis Fimmel (Warcraft)

At 36 years old, Travis Fimmel is a bit older than all of the other actors on this list, and it’s true that he has the television show Vikings… but we predict that it will be his big screen role as Anduin Lothar in Duncan Jones’ Warcraft that will really make him a superstar. The large-scale fantasy epic is aiming to make a big impact this summer, and as the human lead he’s in position to earn a lot of attention.

Jessie Usher (Independence Day: Resurgence)

Given that Jessie Usher is playing the son of one of the biggest action movie stars of the 1990s, there’s certainly a good amount of expectation for his role in Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day: Resurgence. We don’t exactly expect him to match the charisma of Will Smith’s Capt. Steven Heller (that would just be unfair), but if utilized properly he could be a real stand-out (which is saying something when you look at the talented ensemble cast).

Earlier today, 20th Century Fox unveiled the first official look at Kodi Smit-McPhee has the new version of Nightcrawler, but now he has been joined in the light by a few of the other new castmembers in Bryan Singer's X-Men: Apocalypse. This is because some new set photos from the film have leaked online, giving us our debut peek at Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, Tye Sheridan as Cyclops, and Lana Condor as Jubilee (as well as extra angles on the new Nightcrawler).

Click HERE to see a full, hi-res shot. Then check out the leaked set photos below!

These two images were posted online by Twitter user @FrancescaY, who evidently lives in the area where X-Men: Apocalypse is currently shooting (and as you may be able to tell from her caption, it seems that her mom was the one that snapped the photos). Obviously it's hard to glean any kind of plot information from the images, but they definitely do give us an interesting peek at what the movie is doing with the characters. For starters, it definitely looks like Nightcrawler is wearing Michael Jackson's red jacket from the "Thriller" video, but that's only the tip of the iceberg.

On the far right of the first photo is our first look at Tye Sheridan's young version of Cyclops - stepping in for James Marsden, who played the character in the original X-Men trilogy as well as X-Men: Days of Future Past. Certainly the most notable part of his costume here is his eyewear, which appears to be rather standard blue sunglasses rather than the character's classic visor. This makes sense given that it doesn't appear that he's heading into battle in this scene, but hopefully X-Men: Apocalypse will feature a sequence with the character in his most famous gear (maybe Nicholas Hoult's Beast can build it for him).

Next up, let's take a look at Jubilee - who actually looks like she's wearing a costume straight from the comics. After all, the first shot reveals that Lana Condor is sporting a pair of pink sunglasses on top of her head, and the second shot has her clearly wearing a yellow leather jacket. It's without question the outfit she is best known for wearing, and it looks like X-Men: Apocalypse is paying tribute to that.

Of the four actors featured in the shot, the reveal of Sophie Turner as Jean Grey is perhaps the least exciting - but that's not really anyone's fault. A large plant blocks our view of her costume in both shots - though it looks like she might be wearing some kind of blue pant suit. At least her red hair looks perfect.

Hopefully it won't be too much longer until we get official first looks at these X-Men: Apocalypse characters, but for now, what do you think?

Bryan Singer's X-Men: Apocalypse has been on a bit of a casting tear as of late. In recent weeks the production has hired Tye Sheridan as the new Cyclops, Alexandra Shipp as the new Storm, Sophie Turner as the new Jean Grey, Kodi Smit-McPhee as the new Nightcrawler, and Ben Hardy in a mystery role. Now the ranks have increased yet again, as the director has announced that actress Lana Condor will be playing Jubilation Lee a.k.a. Jubilee in the 2016 blockbuster.

Like he's been doing with just about all of the casting so far, Bryan Singer made the announcement via his personal Instagram account - simultaneously giving us a close up look at the young actress. You can see his post below:

For those unfamiliar with the character, Jubilee made her debut in X-Men comics back in 1989, but earned a great deal of popularity due to her front-and-center role in the great X-Men animated series that began in 1992. Introduced as a typical teenager, she classically has had a mutant ability allowing her to project "energy plasmoids" from her fingertips.

Hardcore fans of the X-Men movies will note that this actually isn't the first time that the character has appeared in the films - though evidence suggests that X-Men: Apocalypse will feature her most prominent part to date. In Singer's franchise entry, she was played by Katrina Florece and could be spotted in the scene where Rogue is introduced to Iceman:

Jubilee was played by Kea Wong in both X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand, though she once again had a very minimized role:

For those curious about Lana Condor, the sad truth is that there isn't much information currently available about her as a performer. For example, she has an IMDb page, but it's currently blank. It would appear that X-Men: Apocalypse will be her big screen debut - and that's quite impressive. Interestingly, her lack of previous exposure also creates the opportunity that we will forever associate her with the part - similar to how we've viewed Hugh Jackman ever since he first became Wolverine.

X-Men: Apocalypse will be going into production in the next few weeks, with a cast that also includes James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, and Oscar Isaac. 20th Century Fox will release the film in theaters on May 27, 2016.