I’ll never forget my first time seeing The Hunger Games in theaters. I was 16, the exact same age Katniss Everdeen is in the dystopian thriller. And while I wasn’t thinking about it too much at the time, in 2012 it was rare to see a young woman lead a massive action film and feel as human as Jennifer Lawrence made her. But Maya Hawke just talked about it ahead of her Hunger Games debut on the 2026 movie calendar, and I’m so happy she did.

Hawke is best known for voicing Anxiety in Inside Out 2 and playing Robin in Stranger Things – a role that actually makes her more famous than her dad, Ethan Hawke, in some circles. Here’s what she had to say about her personal connection to the book-to-movie adaptations as we get ready to see her in Sunrise on the Reaping:

In a new interview with People, Hawke had high praise for the franchise. As she added regarding Jennifer Lawrence’s performance specifically:

This is so true. JLaw’s role as Katniss Everdeen really raised the bar for what heroines could be in big movies, and it was really inspiring to a young Maya Hawke. The actress is just two years younger than me, so she must have had a similar experience seeing those movies come out from 2012 to 2015 and watching how they changed the game for what could be possible.

I find it interesting to hear this from Maya Hawke considering her mom is Uma Thurman, who’s an action legend in her own right. Thurman flexed some major action hero chops in the likes of Kill Bill and Batman & Robin, but one could certainly argue those roles were more reflective of the 1990s and 2000s, and The Hunger Games offered something new to the genre.

While Maya Hawke admitted her role as Wiress in Sunrise on the Reaping is “very small”, getting to be in the new Hunger Games has to be a cool full-circle moment for her. She said she loves her role as Wiress, and she’s very “excited to get to see the movie and to be a fan.” Plus, Hawke had the chance to work with director Francis Lawrence, who also helmed Catching Fire, both Mockingjay movies, and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes as well.

Oh, and if the report that JLaw and Josh Hutcherson are in Sunrise on the Reaping is true, Hawke and Lawrence might even be in the same Hunger Games movie. We’ll find out once the new movie comes out on November 20. Until then, you can watch all the Hunger Games movies with a Netflix subscription starting July 15 and revisit them in theaters this September.

Maya Hawke isn’t just Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman’s child, as she’s an actor who’s built up an impressive resume of movies and TV shows across the past decade, most notably through her role on Stranger Things, her voice work in Inside Out 2, and her upcoming part in the Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping cast. And as it turns out, she’s even had moments where she’s overshadowed her famous dad in fan encounters.

When Maya Hawke was promoting Stranger Things 5, which ended in the emotional series finale, she shared when the roles were reversed for her with her famous dad. In Maya’s words:

Ethan Hawke was shown the interview moment while on TODAY to talk about his acclaimed film Blue Moon, which earned him his first Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards. He smiled at the funny story, before adding this:

Can you imagine growing up with your father being a Hollywood star, and then becoming one yourself? So crazy! The 27-year-old gained acclaim for playing Robin in Stranger Things, and her dad explained why he’s so proud that she has achieved her status as an actor and singer, saying this:

Like father, like daughter! As Hawke joyously shared, he’s seen the interest in his daughter to pursue the arts since she was a kid, and he helped influence her love and appreciation for a number of art forms. Since Maya has become an actor, the pair have worked together on the same movie, Wildcat, and yes, weighed in on the nepo baby debate.

Hawke often shows support for his daughter’s success, and he's said that her role in Stranger Things feels “aligned in the stars” to him. The day the Upside Down opens in the TV show was his real-life 13th birthday, which was the year he started acting and was in the movie Explorers.

While Ethan Hawke is one of Hollywood’s biggest actors with roles in beloved movies like Dead Poets Society, Before Sunrise, Training Day, and Boyhood, it’s certainly understandable that Maya might be more recognizable these days since she was in one of the biggest TV shows of the past decade. One can’t help but think about the persistent fans who’ve told her they didn’t know who her dad was.

Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things Season 5, so consider yourself warned. Stream the whole series with a Netflix subscription.

It’s been a few weeks now since Stranger Things officially came to an end after five seasons, and there’s plenty that fans are still debating: What happened to Eleven? How did Max graduate on time after spending nearly two years in a coma? Why was Linda Hamilton’s role so badly botched? Did Rockin’ Robin and Vickie stay together? The Duffer Brothers weighed in on this last question, and I’ve got my own thoughts on the matter.

Vickie (Amybeth McNulty) was introduced in Season 4 as a member of the Hawkins High School band who Robin (Maya Hawke) had a crush on. By Season 5, the two were officially (but secretly) an item, and Vickie even got in on some of the Vecna-fighting fun. So did this traumatic experience bring Robin and Vickie closer or drive a wedge between them? Ross Duffer told EW:

So, just like the fate of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Ross and Matt Duffer are letting each individual fan decide if they think the couple lasted, despite admitting that they did talk about the characters’ futures. However, as Ross mentioned above, there are some hints.

Vickie didn’t attend the graduation with Robin in the epilogue, and she wasn’t seen or mentioned by name either, which some fans are taking to mean they broke up. That theory is only strengthened when Robin talks to Steve, Nancy and Jonathan about “overbearing significant others,” though it’s unclear if she’s referring to her own love life or Steve’s (Joe Keery).

Matt Duffer offered his own slightly more-decisive take, saying:

His response is still noncommittal, but he makes a valid point. While Nancy and Jonathan did end their relationship, Max and Lucas’ bond was strong enough to endure, and Joyce and Hopper got engaged. All of these decisions make sense narratively to me, and that’s why — in my opinion — the right choice would be to break up Robin and Vickie.

Both young women are so, well, young, and they’re still discovering themselves. It’s far more realistic that despite sharing something beautiful (and, at times, horrifying) as teenagers, they would continue to evolve when they go to college, move out of Hawkins and meet other people. As Matt Duffer pointed out, not a lot of high school sweethearts survive that.

I also really don’t like it when a book or TV series shows its characters in the future having not made any new friends, found new hobbies, dated anyone else, etc. I want the people I’ve invested so much time in to live big, full lives that aren’t confined to one specific chapter.

That’s just me, though, and by not giving a definitive answer to the Robin-and-Vickie question, the Duffer brothers are fine with letting everyone call that ending for themselves.

I’ve been emotionally invested in the world of Panem since Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games books first hit the shelves and introduced me to the trials of Katniss Everdeen. The world was stunningly brought to life on screen over a decade ago, but I’m happy to say this world isn’t done expanding. After the success of the prequel, Battle of Songbirds and Snakes, in 2023, another HG film was reported to be in the mix. Now, Maya Hawke confirms t the latest prequel film, titled Sunrise on the Reaping, is nearing the end of production, and I genuinely can’t wait!

Via a recent Instagram post, Hawke shared a behind-the-scenes look at the Sunrise on the Reaping. The clip shows the actress goofing off near the trailers and getting ready for her close up in the makeup trailer. Hawke is set to play Wiress, a character who is also depicted as an older woman in Catching Fire. Hawke made sure to thank the team of creatives working on the 2026 movie schedule entry and suggested fans have a lot to look forward to in the new installment. See her post below:

While Battle of Songbirds and Snakes was an exciting re-entry into the Hunger Games dystopia, this film seems to be different. First of all, it's centered around Haymitch’s Quarter Quell Games, which are frequently referred to as legendary within the original trilogy. Second, we as fans already have an emotional attachment to Haymitch as a character, as he is lovingly played by Woody Harrelson in the initial films. Haymitch’s evolution is one of the most satisfying elements throughout the books, and I can’t wait to see his origin story on the big screen.

Fans can also look forward to seeing younger versions of other established characters in the upcoming prequel film. The Sunrise on the Reaping cast is unbelievable, with Jesse Plemons fittingly playing Plutarch Heavensbee, Elle Fanning portraying Effie Trinket in a new light and perhaps most excitingly, Kieran Culkin playing the beloved Caesar Flickerman. Also, I feel at ease knowing Francis Lawrence is back as director, given he has helmed almost all of the Hunger Games films, so I know this movie is in the hands of someone who loves the franchise as much as fans do.

With everything I’ve already heard about this latest HG flick, I’ve already been excited, but Maya Hawke’s post reminded me that the release date for Sunrise at the Reaping is just getting closer and closer. Considering that the original four films perfectly bring the books to life, Sunrise has a high bar to clear. However, I think the source material alone is enough to set the stage for memorable turn back to Panem. Also, if the first trailer for the new Hunger Games film is any indication, the movie is going to deliver.

See The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping when it hits theaters on November 20th, 2026. In the meantime, fans can revisit the original Hunger Games movies now with an HBO Max subscription.

Quentin Tarantino's movies are truly iconic, and the filmmaker is known for his very specific vision. He's also known for his penchant for featuring actors' feet, whether it's in Kill Bill or Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The latter is one of the best Maya Hawke movies, as she was a member of the Manson Family. And it turns out that her mother Uma Thurman offered a four-word piece of advice about working with the Oscar-winning filmmaker.

The Django Unchained filmmaker has been synonymous with actors' feet over the years, including Margot Robbie's dirty feet in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. While Tarantino has defended himself against this discourse, it sounds like his collaborators have a different perspective. When appearing on Good Hang with Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke revealed the advice her famous mother (and frequent Tarantino collaborator) gave her ahead of filming. Namely:

Honestly, that's some solid advice. Uma Thurman's feet got plenty of screen time, especially in Kill Bill Vol. 1. So when Hawke was going to work with Quentin Tarantino on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, her mother told her to keep her shoes on. Indeed, plenty of actors on the project ended up going barefoot.

The acclaimed 2019 movie helped the internet become obsessed with Margot Robbie's feet, but Maya Hawke didn't let her tootsies show on screen. The star of Stranger Things (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription) took her famous mom's advice, but the same can't be seen for the rest of the cast. Margaret Qualley's were on full display throughout its runtime, as were Dakota Fanning and Sydney Sweeney's during the Spawn Ranch Scene.

Amy Poehler and Maya Hawke met while collaborating on Inside Out 2 (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription), which is likely why the latter was so honest about her famous mother's Tarantino-related advice. Her role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood came right before she became a household name thanks to Stranger Things, and she was one of many young actors to appear in the Manson Family sequences.

Aside from filming the two Kill Bill movies, Uma Thurman also famously worked with Quentin Tarantino on 1994's Pulp Fiction. She knows the acclaimed filmmaker well, which is why she was able to give her daughter some practical advice about collaborating with him.

Of course, there are plenty of moviegoers who want to see Thurman and Tarantino reunite on a third Kill Bill movie. There's been no indication that this project is actually coming together, but that hasn't stopped fan from crossing their fingers (and swords).

Stranger Things Season 5 will premiere on November 26th as part of the 2025 TV schedule. I'm definitely hoping that Maya Hawke's Robin manages to survive the final battle against Vecna and the Upside Down.

When you’re an actor, you never really know what characters of yours are going to become popular, but Maya Hawke has had some good luck on that front. Along with playing Stranger Things’ fan-favorite Robin Buckley, last year she voiced the Pixar character Anxiety, and it was the biggest blockbuster hit of 2025. She just opened up to Amy Poehler about what playing the character means to her over a year later.

Maya Hawke fittingly was on the podcast her Inside Out 2 costar hosts, Good Hang with Amy Poehler. During their conversation, the 27-year-old talked about being behind the viral animated character. In her words:

When Inside Out 2 came out last summer, it instantly became a huge release, ultimately making $1.67 billion worldwide, topping the worldwide box office in 2024. Hawke’s character of Anxiety was a huge highlight of it all, emulating many’s own experiences with the emotion. As the actress continued:

Maya Hawke feels like perhaps she’s at the point where dressing up as Robin in her Scoops Ahoy costume might be a little old for her, especially considering she first donned the outfit back in 2019’s Season 3. However, she doesn’t see the same being true for her Inside Out 2 character. It’s a good thing too, because the movie beautifully encapsulates what it’s like to deal with anxiety in a way that generations to come will likely remember. They'll continue to come up to Hawke and talk about her about for her whole life.

During the co-stars' chat about being part of Inside Out 2, they commiserated about how “rare” it is to be part of a movie that hits all the benchmarks of success like the Pixar sequel did – including through our glowing Inside Out 2 review. Hawke called it a “rainbow,” pointing out how wild it is that it made over a $1 billion dollars and is “good for the world.” Hawke also said this about being approached to embody Anxiety:

It certainly sounds like playing Anxiety has allowed Maya Hawke to connect with people and find a positive way she can impact others by embracing the character further. Elsewhere in the interview, Hawke said that playing Anxiety has taught her to show love to the anxious part of herself, invite it into the conversation and give it a “comfy chair” like Riley does in the movie.

We don’t know if Inside Out 3 is happening, but we have some ideas about what should happen. Both Hawke and Poehler expressed their interest in returning to Joy and Anxiety should there be another sequel.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Across the past month, the new Hunger Games movie, Sunrise on the Reaping, has been slowly unveiling the cast. Every time a new name is announced one of the most high-profile upcoming book adaptations only gets us more excited. About a day after we learned who is filling the shoes of Jeffrey Wright’s Beetee, another casting name has been announced, and fans are creating their own fan club for the casting director.

Maya Hawke Is The Latest Actor To Be Cast In Sunrise On The Reaping

The latest actor to join Sunrise on the Reaping is Stranger Things’ Maya Hawke! The 26-year-old known for playing Robin on the Netflix phenomenon and voicing Anxiety in last year’s Inside Out 2 was revealed to be playing Wiress in the below Instagram announcement:

Excuse me?!? This is absolutely perfect casting, but for the past few weeks the casting department has been revealing name after name fans like me feel the same way about.

If you haven’t caught up on Sunrise On The Reaping yet or are a few years removed from watching the Hunger Games movies and books, Wiress is a District 3 tribute who won the 49th Hunger Games. So, she’s the victor right before Haymitch steps into the arena. In the Sunrise on the Reaping book, we learn that she won by hiding for most of the games and outsmarting the gamemakers from the disorienting environment they created that year.

She’s assigned as a mentor to Haymitch alongside Mags during his games, which he’s not happy about because she didn’t have to fight in order to win. Wiress’ mentor during her games was Beetee, who is being played by Mufasa actor Kelvin Harrison Jr. It’s also worth noting that Amanda Plummer previously played the role in Hunger Games: Catching Fire when the character was reaped again for the 75th Quarter Quell.

Fans Can't Stop Talking About How Good The Casting Is Going For The New Hunger Games, And I Totally Agree

Maya Hawke joins an ever-growing cast that includes newcomer Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy, Hocus Pocus 3’s Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird, Jesse Plemons playing Plutarch (previously played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Makenna Grace as one of the other District 12 tributes, Maysilee Donner. Check out how the comment section reacted to Hawke’s casting:

• “ATE AND DEVOURED THIS CASTING TOO, LIKE YALL NEED A RAISE FOR THIS” - @cullenstwilight_
• “I LOVE YOU CASTING DEPT” - @enjoyerbooks
• “This casting director is great” - @seriallyblonde
• “no one clocking in harder than the sotr casting director omfg” - @conversationswithkara
• “everyone say thank u hunger games casting director” - @alliebell.a

My thoughts exactly! Not only does Maya Hawke share some likeness to Amanda Plummer, she’s perfect because she’s oddly excellent at playing eccentric characters with a nervous energy to them. Wiress is definitely an oddball, especially considering she’s one of the smartest Hunger Games victors who also has the nickname of “Nuts.” It’s also exciting to see the actress have another major role on the way as the release of Stranger Things Season 5 draws nearer.

Streaming titan Netflix may have begun as a convenient way for people to watch theatrical releases from the comfort of their homes, but it quickly established itself as a powerhouse studio capable of releasing some of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed media of the streaming age. And as Netflix originals continue to be released, exponentially it seems, they launch waves of previously unheard actors into stratospheric stardom. Here are 32 stars who gained massive fame after landing a role on a Netflix show or movie.

Millie Bobby Brown

Millie Bobby Brown burst into the mainstream at age 11 for her portrayal of Eleven, a mysterious girl with psychokinetic abilities, in the hit series Stranger Things. Eleven was so popular in fact, that her iconic look became a viral Halloween costume. Brown has landed many roles since starring in Stranger Things, including the titular role in Enola Holmes and its sequel, and Elodie in 2024’s Damsel, all of which are also Netflix originals.

Drew Starkey

Drew Starkey is best known for his role as Rafe Cameron, a turbulent character who struggles with anger issues and addiction, in the teen drama Outer Banks, which details a group of teens from different socioeconomic backgrounds living on the barrier islands of North Carolina. Starkey has gone viral for bringing Rafe to life, especially on TikTok, and has since landed roles in major films like Queer.

Cooper Koch

Cooper Koch gained notoriety and acclaim for his portrayal of Erik Menendez in the second season of Monsters, a true crime anthology series developed by Ryan Murphy. The second season tells the story of Erik and Lyle Menendez, two brothers who were convicted and sent to prison for ending the lives of their wealthy parents in the early ‘90s. Many of Koch’s moments from the Monsters press tour went viral, including his appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.

Chance Perdomo

Before his tragic passing in early 2024, Chance Perdomo was making a name for himself as one of Hollywood’s most exciting young actors, with his most recent role as metal manipulator Andre Anderson in The Boys spinoff, Gen Z. Before that, the role that put him on the map was the charismatic and hilarious Ambrose Spellman, cousin of the titular witch in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Tom Sturridge

Oftentimes, celebrities can experience great success in one specific area of the entertainment industry that does not translate to mainstream appeal. For example, Tom Sturridge had received two Best Actor Tony nominations before appearing as Morpheus / Dream in the fantasy drama The Sandman, but it wasn’t until his haunting and commanding portrayal of Dream that the Internet started buzzing about him.

Jenna Ortega

Jenna Ortega stands out as one of the few Gen Z former Disney stars who chose to pursue acting instead of pop music, and doing so has proven to be a smart career move for her. Her first Netflix gig was a supporting role in the hit psychological thriller You, which proved that she had the acting chops to take on more adult material. However, the show that made her a household name and earned her a much-deserved Emmy nomination was the leading role as Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s adaptation for Wednesday.

Louis Partridge

Louis Partridge’s breakout performance was as Viscount Tewkesbury, the love interest to Millie Bobby Brown’s Enola in Enola Holmes and its sequel. Since then, his jobs have included reimagining Peter Pan in The Lost Girls and working with Alfonso Cuaron in his thrilling miniseries Disclaimer.

Victoria Pedretti

The derangement of You’s Joe Goldberg, portrayed by Penn Badgley, had been unmatched until he met Love Quinn in Season 2, brought expertly to life by Victoria Pedretti. Pedretti’s ability to match, and in many instances outpace, the insanity of Badgley’s Joe with her haunting face acting and theatrical meltdowns is beyond impressive. Her performance stands out so much that, in a show with a cast of continuously rotating characters, she is second only to Badgley in how popular her character is.

Phoebe Dynevor

The talk of the ton, the Diamond of the Season, Daphne Bridgerton of the large, illustrious Bridgerton family in the self-titled series made Phoebe Dynevor a household name. Season 1 of Bridgerton, where Dynevor is a lead, quickly became a top 10 most-viewed season of a Netflix series of all time, when it was released. Since Bridgerton, she has continued to impress in films like Fair Play.

Madelyn Cline

Another standout from Outer Banks is Madelyn Cline, who portrays Rafe’s younger sister Sarah, who is embedded in a group of wealthy social elites but forms a relationship with the leader of the group of working-class locals. Since starring in Outer Banks, Cline has taken on more film roles, including a supporting role in Glass Onion; A Knives Out Mystery and the 2025 remake of I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Nicholas Alexander Chavez

Nicholas Alexander Chavez had already developed a cult following for portraying Prince Spencer Cassadine on ABC’s General Hospital when he was cast as Lyle Menendez in Monsters. Not only did Chavez’s explosive performance produce countless viral clips and memes, but he was also honored by becoming the Internet Boyfriend of the fall of 2024. Since Monsters, Chavez has continued with his television roles with an appearance with fellow Ryan Murphy project Grotesquerie, and he made his major feature film debut in the 2025 I Know What You Did Last Summer remake.

Simone Ashley

Phoebe Dynevor handed the reigns over to Simone Ashley to become the female romantic lead for Season 2 of Bridgerton. Ashley brings Kate Sharma to life, a headstrong, protective older sister who harbors complex feelings toward Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, who is betrothed to her younger sister. In the wake of her Bridgerton success, Ashley has continued to stun in her numerous red-carpet appearances and has appeared in big-budget films like the live-action Little Mermaid remake.

Glen Powell

Glen Powell quickly established himself as a modern Hollywood leading man, demonstrating his comedic sensibilities in the romantic comedy Anyone But You and his action capabilities in the disaster flick Twisters. But Netflix’s Hit Man is the film that made audiences and critics alike begin to take Powell seriously as a versatile actor, as the admittedly bizarre role, which centers around a college professor posing as a fake hitman, requires Powell to adopt many different, quirky personas, which he does with prowess.

Walker Scobell

Acting opposite Hollywood royalty Ryan Reynolds would be intimidating for any new actor, but to do it at age 12 with the prowess Walker Scobell did demonstrates how much talent he harbored from a young age. After his breakout role as the younger version of Reynold’s character in The Adam Project, Hollywood clearly took notice, because the following year he was cast as the lead in the Disney+ Percy Jackson and the Olympians television adaptation.

Aidan Gallagher

Many child actors fade into obscurity after they age out of the series that put them on the map. The same cannot be said for Aidan Gallagher who proved that he wasn’t just another Nickelodeon kid and had the range to hold his own against acting titans like Elliot Page and Emmy Rossum in The Umbrella Academy. What makes Gallagher’s portrayal of teleporter and time jumper Five so memorable is the believability with which he portrays living as a middle-aged man trapped in a pubescent boy’s body.

Laverne Cox

Laverne Cox’s portrayal of Sophia Burset in Orange Is the New Black balanced the line between being heartfelt and hilarious and made her the first transgender person to be nominated for an acting Emmy. With the acclaim and notoriety that Cox received from Orange, she has gone on to make enormous strides for transgender people in Hollywood and has remained a prominent advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.

Lana Condor

Lana Condor endearingly brought to life one of the most likable young adult fiction protagonists to life in the film adaptation of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Lara Jean Covey’s stylish outfits, confident yet kind demeanor, and plentiful cutesy moments with Peter struck a chord with audiences, developing a fanbase for the franchise far beyond that of its source material.

Jonathan Bailey

In a show with so many eligible bachelors ready to become the next Hollywood Heartthrob, Jonathan Bailey’s ability to capture Bridgerton viewers’ hearts with his repressed yearning and devotion as Viscount Anthony Bridgerton is commendable. Bailey has continued to win the hearts of men and women alike, bringing to life crushworthy characters like Tim Laughlin in Fellow Travelers and Prince Fiyero in Wicked.

Charlie Cox

Before it moved to Disney+ and became MCU canon, Daredevil was a gritty, violent Netflix series depicting the life of one of Marvel’s most captivating vigilantes, with Charlie Cox at the helm. Cox’s performance was quickly singled out, as the work he put in to sensitively and accurately depict a blind character as a sighted person was visible on screen. He also showed off his impressive physicality in the series’ numerous action scenes, which have been clipped and shared across the web numerous times.

Jaz Sinclair

Before reuniting with Chance Perdomo on Gen V, Jaz Sinclair acted alongside him in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina as one of Sabrina’s best friends, Roz. Jaz’s depiction of Roz’s inner turmoil in coming to terms with her own magical abilities set her up wonderfully to portray a tortured character like Marie Moreau in Gen V.

Uzo Aduba

Uzo Abuba’s off-the-walls performance of Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren in Orange Is the New Black made her one of the only people in history to win Emmys in both the Drama and Comedy categories for the same role. Aduba has continued to receive many accolades on and off screen, including a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Play.

Kit Connor

Kit Connor became a household name after starring in queer, teen romance Heartstopper as schoolboy Nick Nelson. For his performance, Connor won the inaugural Outstanding Lead Performance Emmy at the first Children’s and Family Emmy Awards. He has since lent his voice to the beloved animated film The Wild Robot and portrayed Romeo in the Broadway musical adaptation of Romeo & Juliet.

Jacob Elordi

If there’s one actor who should be singled out for his range, it’s Jacob Elordi. While most might recognize Elordi for his role as Nate Jacobs in Euphoria, he first became a household name portraying Noah Flynn in The Kissing Booth, and though both projects are set in high school, tonally, they could not be more different. Elordi’s success from the Kissing Booth franchise helped catapult him to A-lister status, and he has stayed booked and busy.

Joseph Quinn

Few recurring characters from Stranger Things have left as lasting of an impact as Season 4’s Eddie Munson, brought to life by Joseph Quinn. Eddie is zany and charismatic, but also deeply misunderstood and empathetic, which makes audiences fall in love with him. Since Stranger Things, Quinn has booked many high-profile gigs, including a major role in A Quiet Place: Day One and Gladiator 2.

Ho-Yeon Jung

Ho-Yeon Jung gives a scene-stealing, supporting performance as North Korean defector Sae-Byeok Kang in Squid Game. Watching Sae-Byeok’s cold, reserved demeanor slowly melt in the presence of a genuine friend is truly gripping, making her fate in the show all the more heart-wrenching, and Jung captures this arc beautifully. It’s no wonder her performance had such a lasting impact on Squid Game's millions of viewers.

Noah Centineo

Noah Centineo’s charming portrayal of adorkable schoolmate Peter Kavinsky made him an Internet Boyfriend back in 2018. Centineo realized he struck gold with this archetype because he continued to take roles that were very Kavinsky-esque, including acting as Sierra Burgess’s crush in Sierra Burgess Is a Loser and the lead in the romantic comedy The Perfect Date.

Maya Hawke

Having superstars like Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman as your parents definitely doesn’t hurt your chances of making it big in Hollywood, but it takes a special talent to transcend “nepo baby” status and be celebrated for your own work, which Maya Hawke has successfully done through her role in Stranger Things. Hawke’s character, Robin Buckley, is so funny and down to earth, that you can’t help but love her, and, by extension, Hawke herself.

Joe Locke

Joe Locke gained notoriety for his sensitive portrayal of love-struck teen Charlie Spring in Heartstoppers, which garnered him a Children’s and Family Emmy Award nomination. His subsequent roles include Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street on Broadway and William Kaplan in Agatha All Along.

Richard Gadd

Richard Gadd had a devastating early start to his career as a screenwriter, and he somehow managed to spin those awful experiences into a comedic and harrowing limited series based on his own experiences called Baby Reindeer. Baby Reindeer has received mass viewership and acclaim and earned Gadd multiple Emmy awards and nominations for creating and starring in it.

Emma Myers

Emma Myers’s bubbly, energetic character Enid Sinclair is the perfect Golden Retriever best friend to compliment Wednesday Addams’s standoffish, black cat energy, quite literally in fact, considering Enid is a werewolf. And the Internet loves it when opposites attract, so Emma Myers quickly went viral for her character’s cheerful disposition and rainbow color palette.

Noah Schnapp

In many ways, Will Byers, brought to life by actor Noah Schnapp, is the heart and soul of Stranger Things. It is the search for Will, the desperation to release him from the monster’s grasp, and the longing to reconnect with him that drives the series forward. And Schnapp’s acting chops added so many textures to Will’s character, from his trauma and paranoia to his nerdiness and deep love for his friends, so it’s no surprise he became a fan favorite.

Jessica Gunning

As Penn Badgley knows, it takes a talented actor to compellingly portray a stalker so well that you compel viewers to watch you rather than repulse them, and Jessica Gunning proved that she was the best choice for the chop with her unhinged performance as Martha in Baby Reindeer. The performance was such a standout, in fact, that it earned Gunning her first Emmy award.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The First Trailer Has Been Released

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

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

The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping Is A Prequel

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

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

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

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

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

The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping Cast

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

Joseph Zada As Haymitch Abernathy

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

Mckenna Grace As Maysilee Donner

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

Ralph Fiennes As President Coriolanus Snow

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

Jesse Plemons As Plutarch Heavensbee

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

Glenn Close as Drusilla Sickle

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

Elle Fanning As Effie Trinket

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

Kieran Culkin As Caesar Flickerman

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

Maya Hawke As Wiress

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

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

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

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

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

Francis Lawrence Is The Director

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

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

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

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

We’re still five shrugging emojis away from Stranger Things Season 5 arriving on Netflix to close out the throwback horror saga, but the creative team has seemingly been running at full cylinders since production kicked off in January 2024 following strike-related delays. Obviously the cast and crew have been held to a minimum with teases, but star Maya Hawke shared a new update that speaks to the overall size of the final run of episodes, and while I should be more excited, it just taps into my biggest issue with many streaming dramas.

Of the many upcoming horror TV shows that are on the way, Stranger Things is almost definitely the most anticipated, with Season 4 having concluded back in July 2022 with a finale that clocked in around 140 minutes. And while appearing on the podcast Podcrushed with hosts Penn Badgley, Nava Kavelin, and Sophie Ansari, the Robin Buckley actress revealed that the new season also apparently won’t be embracing brevity, saying:

For many fans, that confirmation of extended episodes is probably a pretty exciting update, and I’d be lying if I said I was completely against it. As a horror fan, my number one province is always “More horror!” so I can’t exactly complain about spending as much time as possible in Hawkins and beyond. However, I’m really starting to feel burnt out by every other streaming drama churning out episodes of 60+ minutes without always earning that extended stretch of the audience’s attention span.

TV Episodes Aren't Movies

When I sit down for a TV show (or when I start doing laundry, depending on the -brow level of entertainment I’m digging into), I go into it with the appropriate expectations and understanding. And those details are different from the mindset one has when throwing on a new movie, which connotatively should be a lengthier and more complete experience than anything episodic. And yet several of Stranger Things Season 4 episodes — as well as eps of Fallout, Bridgerton, its spinoff, and more — could technically be considered an indie movie with runtimes spanning beyond 75 minutes.

Things become slightly less episodic when installments cover more ground (and budget) than whatever is in theaters at any given moment. It’s one thing if we’re talking Sherlock, whose feature-length episodes can more or less standalone, but for something so heavily serialized as Stranger Things, it’s a slog knowing that binge-watching three episodes could take up an entire afternoon. Even if it’s an afternoon spent with Joe Kerry’s Steve.

• The Best Maya Hawke Movies And TV Shows (And How To Watch Them)

I Want More Normal-Length Episodes, Not A Handful Of Massive Eps

So this probably gets more into production economics and the bizarre way things get factored out in Hollywood, where "pay per episode" funds can be manipulated. But I'm forever befuddled how traditional TV seasons went from 22-24 episodes per to around 6-10, rather than more of a gradual shift downward.

Granted, some series' writers have trouble even justifying stretching stories out for eight episodes, so those definitely shouldn't get padded out even more. But for series like Stranger Things with a wide variety of plotlines to keep up with, I'm never sure why the instinct is always to force more details into a limited number of episodes rather than just expanding that total. It can't be due to any projections about fan expectations, since viewers would go apeshit if the Duffer brothers revealed Season 5 will be 16 episodes instead of 8.

Episodes Might Come Faster If They Were Shorter

Even though Netflix will likely never fall into the broadcast network habits of airing series while future episodes are still filming, I can't help but feel like the massive production lengths wouldn't feel quite so gigantic if the eps being filmed weren't so large themselves. Which would theoretically make the show more viable for evenly split seasons, as opposed to Season 4 releasing seven episodes initially followed by the final two.

Maya Hawke touched upon the writing process as well in her update, saying this about the Duffers and their team:

I'm not claiming it would 100% be easier to write out shorter eps, especially for the Duffers, who reportedly penned over 800 pages of scripts for the fourth season. But having predetermined guidelines like "time" has obviously factored into successful TV storytelling for as long as the medium has been around, so it's not surprising to hear that bypassing that option leads to extended writing and filming sessions.

Maya Hawke does sound like she's enjoying herself and is grateful to be filming the final episodes, so I guess I shouldn't gripe about how long their are if the end result is happiness and positivity and the all-out destruction of the Upside-Down and Vecna.

We don't know just yet when Stranger Things will be popping back onto Netflix with Season 5, but we know it's coming in 2025. In the meantime, check out some of Netflix's other great horror TV shows while also keeping current with everything else on the 2024 premiere schedule.

Minor spoilers for Inside Out 2 are ahead. If you haven’t seen the sequel on the 2024 movie schedule, you can catch it in theaters now. 

When we started seeing trailers for Inside Out 2, there was a lot of speculation and theories about Riley’s sexuality, because it seemed like she might have a crush on one of the girls on her hockey team. Now, Maya Hawke, who plays Anxiety in the movie, has opened up about the discourse surrounding Riley and if she has a queer storyline. 

We now know that Inside Out 2’s story is all about Riley trying to make a hockey team and dealing with the struggle of trying to make new friends and maintain relationships with others who are moving to a new school. Her relationship with Val, an older team member, specifically caused discussion about Riley's sexuality, and when asked about that on Sirius XM, Maya Hawke gave this thoughtful answer:  

Hawke had been asked about TikToks and posts being made about Riley maybe being queer and how she felt about people reacting to her character Anxiety and Ayo Edebiri’s Envy. The Stranger Things star noted that the stage of life Riley is in is when she builds her identity and feels her emotions intensely, she said:

As critics have seen Inside Out 2 (our own review of the Inside Out sequel gave the movie 4.5 stars) have noted, one of the reasons why the movie works so well is because everyone feels those emotions of anxiety, fear, envy, joy, anger and more. So, anyone can relate to Riley’s story, as Hawke was saying. 

However, she also understands why fans thought the main character might be queer, and she noted that those views are “totally appropriate,” as she said:

That point, to reiterate, is that young women’s relationships with each other, no matter their sexuality, are “so powerful.” And that’s so true, Riley could be attracted to anyone and the story that’s told in this movie still applies to just about everyone. 

It’s always possible that Riley could be part of the LGBTQ+ community – maybe that will be addressed in a third Inside Out film. However, in this movie, nothing is confirmed or denied. This girl is simply figuring out who she is and learning to be her truest self.  

To see Inside Out 2, you can catch it in theaters right now. To go back and see where Riley’s story began, you can stream Inside Out with a Disney+ subscription. 

When Inside Out was released in 2015, it quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, earning over $850 million at the box office and winning an Academy Award. But while Inside Out is widely considered to be one of the best Pixar films and has captured the hearts of millions, we musn’t forget that our hearts were also broken. I’m of course talking about the traumatizing death of Riley’s imaginary friend Bing Bong, voiced by Richard Kind. Almost a decade later, it still hurts, but thankfully the delightful voice of Joy, Amy Poheler, recently provided me with some much-needed catharsis.

Catching up with Amy Poehler to discuss the upcoming release of Inside Out 2, she said this:

Given that Amy Poehler’s response had a tinge of “Get over it” energy, I’m going to assume I wasn’t the first person at this press junket to ask about Bing Bong. Regardless, her answer was very sweet, and I’ve been waiting 10 years to hear it. See the interview for yourself in the video at the top of this article.

In case you don’t remember Bing Bong, he's a big pink elephant oddly enough inspired by John Candy from Planes, Trains and Automobiles. But if you’re at the point where you even need a refresher, you should really just rewatch Inside Out. Bing Bong’s death scene is embedded below, and if you think this is sad, just try to imagine the original cut, which featured a much longer and more devastating version of the scene:

New to the emotions gang for Inside Out 2 is Anxiety, hilariously voiced by Maya Hawke. Hawke was also present during the interview and seconded Amy Poehler’s sentiment, though it seemed that the wound was more fresh for her. She went on to explain that the scene was like a “knife to the heart,” and it even reminded her of another major death in recent Hollywood history:

I wish I had the answer to that question, Maya. Sometimes life is just unfair. Hopefully she was able to experience her own catharsis when J.K. Rowling apologized for the death of Dobby, but chances are that one lingers, just like our pain has carried on since that fateful day in 2015. Rest in peace, Bing Bong.

You can watch Inside Out with your Disney+ subscription right now, and Inside Out 2 in theaters tomorrow, June 14! As for everything else coming to theaters, check out our 2024 movie release schedule.

Stranger Things Season 5 is coming and that means the end is near. The series' final season isn’t expected to arrive until next year, but considering the show’s popularity, it’s going to be an emotional farewell for all of the fans who have followed the residents of Hawkins so far. And Maya Hawke says it’s just as emotional for the cast. The show isn’t even over for them yet, but they’re already getting sentimental, and now so am I.

ET spoke with Maya Hawke on the red carpet for the Inside Out 2 premiere, where she revealed that for those members of the cast who have been part of the Stranger Things world for eight years, the end is “heartbreaking.” Since she was a late addition to the cast who maybe doesn’t have quite as strong a connection, she’s trying to help everybody through it. Hawke explained…

It’s completely understandable why the core cast of Stranger Things might be having trouble dealing with their feelings staring down the barrel at the end of the show. Most of the Stranger Things cast were teenagers when this thing started, so they’ve literally grown up, becoming young adults throughout the show.

Beyond that, Stranger Things has made stars of many of the cast. There's a whole list of upcoming Millie Bobby Brown movies and shows as her star has continued to rise. Finn Wolfhard is a Ghostbuster now. Others have also seen their careers blossom as a result of the show. They also appear to have become friends with each other, and the end of the show means no longer seeing each other regularly.

And that’s just the actors, considering what the end may have in store for their characters is another conversation entirely. We're still waiting to see how the Stranger Things Season 4 ending will resolve. Everything has seemingly changed and it's hard to guess where things will go. A not insignificant number of Stranger Things characters have died over the course of the series, and so the possibility that other beloved characters may not survive Season 5 has to be considered a strong possibility. 

Maya Hawke says she’s just excited to have been part of Stranger Things. The same probably goes for the fans who have been watching for four seasons. It will be sad to see it all end, but we’ll be glad that it was here and that we were here for it.  

These days, Maya Hawke is likely more known for her role in the megahit project Stranger Things than for being the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. However, it’s not lost on the public or the actress that she is part of the nepo baby debate, considering the A-list status of both her parents. With all that in mind, she recently opened up about how her mom’s relationship with Quentin Tarantino probably helped her land a role in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. 

While some call the nepo baby debate “lame,” like Dakota Johnson did, or get defensive when the topic of nepotism is brought up, Maya Hawke took a different position. In an interview with The Times of London, via Deadline, Hawke spoke about this topic and how it probably helped her land a role in Tarantino’s movie thanks to her mom’s working relationship with him:

Thurman played major parts in both the Kill Bill movies and Pulp Fiction. So, it’s hard not to draw a connection between that and her daughter’s role in the Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio-led movie. 

Along with Hawke, the Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood cast featured more actors with famous parents, as Margaret Qualley, who is Andie MacDowell’s daughter, and Rumer Willis, whose parents are Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, were also part of the movie. The Stranger Things actress explained that Tarantino wanted to “cast a lot of young Hollywood” in the film.

Continuing to speak about nepotism and the role it plays in her career, Maya Hawke was honest about it. When asked if she “deserves” the opportunities she’s gotten, she told the interviewer:

This isn’t the first time Maya Hawke has spoken about nepotism and her career. She worked with her dad on the film Wildcat, which recently premiered on the 2024 movie schedule, and while they were promoting it, they weighed in on the debate. 

Much like her recent comments, the actress told Variety that it’s fine that people criticize her over this topic, and in the end, she simply just wanted to work with her father on a project. As for Ethan’s thoughts, he noted his daughter’s fame and talent, saying he’s a “nepo dad.” Before that, the Dead Poets Society actor also gushed over his daughter’s work on Stranger Things, which makes it even clearer how much he respects her as an artist as well as his kid. 

The Asteroid City actress is by no means the only famous person who has gotten candid about being a nepo baby. For example, Tilda Swinton’s daughter was honest about how her mom’s fame helped her develop important professional connections. 

These quotes illuminate the idea that Maya Hawke understands and accepts the role her parents and their fame have played in her career. Overall, she seems to have a very level-headed perspective on the nepo baby debate, and she gets where it comes from. However, she’s also proven herself over the years that she’s just as good an actor as her parents. 

Constantly stuck in the dreaded “Nepo Baby” debate, Maya Hawke continues to forge her own path in Hollywood starring in some pretty amazing movies and TV shows. However, the young actress is still best known for playing Robin, as introduced in Season 3 of Stranger Things, and fans can't wait to see her back at it in the upcoming Season 5, where she'll presumably face off against an evil entity or two.

While the hit Netflix show is currently filming its fifth and final season, Hawke took some time away from the fictional worlds of Hawkins and the Upside Down to take part in the C2E2 convention in Chicago, where she met up with fans and shared news about her various projects. As expected, fans were enthusiastic about seeing the Stranger Things star in person, but one fan took it to a totally different level showing up in a rather lifelike Demogorgon costume, and it downright terrified Hawke. Take a look:

In the video, the Do Revenge actress is telling a friend by as the Demogorgon approaches, so she's completely caught off guard upon turning around, which sends her immediately in the opposite direction. She’s definitely learned a thing or two during her time in the Upside Down!

When she returns to the fan she goes on to say that they scared her before showering them with praise for the costume. In fact, the actress and singer was so in awe of the dedication she shared the video on her own Instagram account.

It didn’t take long for the fan in the costume to notice that the Inside Out 2 star had shared the video, and they provided the following comment:

Naturally, the rest of the comments section was flooded with hilarious fan reactions, with some laughing at Hawke’s reaction, and others praising the incredible costume the fan created. Here are some of the highlights:

• @emmaslabaw great costume! How did you open the mouth? - @poopityfoo
• Poor Demogorgon just wanted a hug 😢 - @struniverse
• Always in character, a true professional - @catface___meowmers

While Hawke’s character Robin had faced off against evil Russians, Demobats, and the overarching antagonist Vecna by the time the end of Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 came around, she’s never interacted with a Demogorgon, the original Upside Down frightfest, during her time on Stranger Things. At least, not yet! Anything is possible as the series heads into its final season. Who knows, maybe this fan unwittingly gave fans a look at what Hawke's reactions might be during certain Season 5 scenes.

Unfortunately, it’ll be a while before fans get to see her back in action alongside fan-favorite character Steve Harrington, who'll presumably survive to live all the days. Hawke has ideas for what Robin's fate should be in Season 5, but we'll also have to wait to see if they come true or not. Thankfully, Stranger Things fans are pros at being patient, having survived the extended hiatus between Seasons 2 and 3, and the even longer gap ahead of Season 4's premiere.

To keep the excitement up, The Duffer Brothers have been generous this season, sharing behind-the-scenes looks at what’s going on in Hawkins on a somewhat regular basis. And the fans are keeping busy too, sharing theories about whether or not Eddie Munson will return, and what the real deal is with Hawkin’s Laboratory, to name a few.

There’s no word on when fans can expect to reenter the Upside Down for the final time, but all four previous seasons can be streamed with a Netflix subscription. And don’t forget to show Hawke’s other projects some love, like the highly anticipated release of Inside Out 2, when they hit the 2024 movie schedule.

Between a host of lovable characters, skin-crawling monsters and the mysterious underworld of the Upside Down, Stranger Things is one of the most obsession-worthy shows imaginable for fans of science fiction. As we prepare to say goodbye to one of Netflix’s best creations with Stranger Things Season 5, it’s a great time to show your love of the TV show in your living space (or give a great gift to a fellow fan) with the show’s many available Funko Pops.

Across the four seasons of Stranger Things that have been released thus far, so many iconic character moments and they’ve been immortalized through Funko Pops. If you’re shopping for the best Stranger Things Funkos, look no further to become a master of Pop-pets. 

Eleven With Eggos And Mike With Walkie Talkie (From Season 1) 

Friends don’t lie! Our love of Stranger Things all started back in 2016 when the first season introduced us to Eleven and the gang of friends who help her. Eleven and Mike create a special bond from the start, and those beginnings have been turned into a pair of Funkos you can buy together, because as we know, Eleven and Mike don’t like to be apart for long.

Will The Wise (From Season 3) 

It’s safe to say the Stranger Things boys may not have become the best of friends that they are without the power of Dungeons and Dragons, which they would play every week together before their life kind of became a game of survival on its own. In the spirit of that, a unique Funko to own is this glow in the dark “Will The Wise” figure! 

Hawaiian Shirt Hopper (From Season 3) 

David Harbour’s Jim Hopper is one of the best parts of Stranger Things, between his character arc and funny moments with the cast. His best fit of the series has to be in Season 3 when he rocked a Hawaiian shirt and does some action-packed investigating. Hopper fans will love this find. 

Max with Walkman (From Season 4) 

I don’t think we’ll ever forget the emotional “Running Up That Hill” sequence starring Sadie Sink’s Max in Season 4 of Stranger Things. The moment that made Kate Bush’s ‘80s song go viral decades after its release has been tributed though this Funko Pop. She looks a lot more content as a frozen figure than how she appeared in the show, that’s for sure. 

Joyce with Christmas Lights (From Season 1) 

When we first fell for Stranger Things, Joyce’s sequence with the Christmas Lights in an effort to communicate with Will from the Upside Down was one of those big moments that got us there. This Funko Pop's price has lit up a big higher over the years as it's become more rare, so snatch it up before you have to communicate by otherworldly means to get your own! 

Robin In Scoops Ahoy Outfit (From Season 3) 

It’s hard to believe Maya Hawke’s Robin has only been around for two seasons on Stranger Things, because she’s become a favorite of ours so quickly! While she’s worn a lot of great fits since her introduction, her most identifiable outfit remains from Scoops Ahoy, where she was once a coworker with Steve Harrington at the mall. A lot of mileage comes from that hat font.

Eddie Munson & Dustin With The Demobats (From Season 4) 

The last we saw of the series was the Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 2 ending, where Dustin and Eddie came across some pesky Demobats in the Upside Down and had to fend them off. Ultimately, Eddie fended them off and lost his life saving everyone doing so by playing Metallica’s “Master of the Puppets” on his guitar. Funko made this special set of both Eddie and Dustin coming against the Demobats. It’s a great keepsake for an all-time great moment in the series. 

Steve Harrington with Spiked Baseball Bat (From Season 2) 

I say with confidence that Joe Keery’s Steve Harrington remains the No. 1 heartthrob of Stranger Things in many of our hearts, and him swinging his spiked baseball bat with Demogorgon-destroying rage was most certainly a highlight of the character’s arc on the show thus far. This Funko Pop was a San Diego Comic Con exclusive, so it’s pricer than the others, but we’re not bat-ting any eyelashes at that, since it’s a great figure!  

Alexei with Slurpee (From Season 3) 

Another iconic slice of Season 3 (arguably the most iconic of anything free from danger and romance) was Alexei’s Slurpee moment. The Russian scientist quickly became a beloved character during the 2016 season of the show. Sadly, Alexei did not make it long enough to try new flavors, but this Funko Pop can keep him alive forever. 

Barb (From Season 1) 

The first famed casualty of Stranger Things was Barb. Anyone and everyone who saw Season 1 of Stranger Things needed a few business days (or business years, honestly) to cope with the sudden death of Nancy’s best friend so early in the series. She was gone too soon…but at least the character found justice in Funko form. 

Billy On Halloween (From Season 2) 

No list of ST characters would be complete without the hellacious Billy Hargrove, who first arrived in Season 2. The older step-brother of Max Mayfield was used as a vessel by the Mind Flayer, making him a sizable villain in Stranger Things. Perhaps his most memorable fit was on Halloween when he wore the leather jacket without a shirt. It’s one of the most sought after Funkos as well, given the price tag.  

Black Light Vecna (From Season 4) 

Speaking of villains, the big bad of Stranger Things is Vecna of course. With the release of the fourth season of the series, Funko released a special black light version of Vecna that will add some creepy coolness to whatever space you place it in. Is it Number One? That's up to the buyer.

Camo Lucas (From Season 3)

Caleb McLaughlin’s Lucas Sinclair has had tons of great moments in the series (and plenty of Funko editions as well), but our favorite is this sweet fit he wore in Season 3. As you may recall, Lucas wore the same camo bandana in Season 1, so it was fun to see him bring it back for Season 3 with an upgrade to his ‘80s sense of style. 

Hunter Nancy (Season 4) 

Another OG Stranger Things character to add to your collection is Nancy Wheeler. While there’s many versions of the high schooler in Funko form, we argue the best is from Season 4 when she went into badass mode, gun and all! She might also have the best plastic 'do of anyone.

Jonathan With Camera (Season 1) 

And to finish out our collection of best Funko Pops, check out this Season 1 figure of a glaring Jonathan holding his camera. It’s going for $70 these days because it’s more rare than a lot of other figures, and presumably not because of what's on the camera's film. Treat yourself to Funko treasure! 

As you go down the Funko Pop rabbit hole, check out what movie Funko Pops we cannot believe hasn’t been made yet! You can also catch up on Stranger Things now with a Netflix subscription. 

Flannery O’Connor is considered by some to be one of the best American writers of the 20th century thanks to her sardonic voice, Southern Gothic stylings, and a wide range of characters, both beautiful and grotesque. At some point soon, those not all too familiar with the Georgia novelist, essayist, and short-story writer will get to learn more about O’Connor and her complicated life with Ethan Hawke’s Wildcat.

The upcoming biopic from the actor-turned-filmmaker will see Stranger Things standout Maya Hawke take on the role of the controversial writer in a unique biographical drama diving into not only her relatively short life but also her most famous works. Here’s everything we know about Wildcat… 

What Is The Wildcat Release Date?

We won't have to wait all that much longer to see what Wildcat is about, as the upcoming biopic is slated to open in select theaters on May 3rd, according to Deadline. This news came not long after it was revealed that Oscilloscope had picked up the film's distribution rights in the United States. However, it's not yet known when it will have a larger, national roll-out.

Wildcat has been ready to go for several months and the film had its premiere in September 2023 at the 50th Telluride Film Festival, which was then followed by a showing at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Maya Hawke Leads The Wildcat Cast As Flannery O’Connor

When Wildcat opens on the big screen later this year, it will be one of the rare occasions where an actor or actress’ performance is directed by their famous parent, as Maya Hawke leads the upcoming biopic as its focus, Flannery O’Connor. The younger Hawke told Variety in September 2023 that while she had “moments of insecurity” about how people would react to landing the starring role in her dad’s film and being a “nepo baby,” she and her father wanted to work together and “like being with each other.”

In addition to having Maya Hawke at the top of the list, Wildcat will also feature a tremendously talented ensemble consisting of established stars and up-and-coming talent. Back in January 2023, Variety reported that Laura Linney, Philip Ettinger, Rafael Casal, Steve Zahn, Vincent D’Onofrio, Alessandro Nivola, Willa Fitzgerald, and Cooper Hoffman, the son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, would all show up in some capacity in the upcoming biographical drama 

Wildcat Focuses On Flannery O’Connor As She Returns To The South After A Stint In New York

One of the greatest struggles an artist can face is going back home after moving away to start a new life on their own, and according to Vanity Fair, Wildcat will tackle that in its story about Flannery O’Connor. The movie centers on the Southern Gothic writer as she returns to her Georgia home after her first stint in New York where she worked on her first novel. Gone are her writer friends and the freedom of the Big Apple and now she is left to face the cruelty of the South and her own mortality after being diagnosed with lupus, the very disease that caused her father's death some years earlier.

By the way it sounds, Wildcat will very much be a biographical drama about the struggles O’Connor faced during her short life, both as an artist and a patient dealing with a disease that causes their immune system to attack their body.

The Movie Will Also Bring Several Of Flannery O’Connor’s Stories To Life

Wildcat is a biographical drama but it will also take a unique approach with what sounds like a genre-bending experience that takes the biopic in a different direction. In addition to focusing on Flannery O’Connor’s life, career, and death, the film will also bring to life several of the late writer’s most well-known stories. According to the Telluride Film Festival, where it premiered in September 2023, the movie will dramatize scenes from stories like “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” “Revelation,” “Good Country People,” and “Everything that Rises Must Converge,” and incorporate them into O’Connor’s life.

When Deadline wrote about Oscilloscope acquiring the rights for Wildcat in January 2024, it described the film that blurs the lines between reality, imagination, and faith as O’Connor begins to explore her craft and her own place in the world around her. In a statement provided to the outlet, the distributor’s president, Dan Berger, said the movie is an “inventive and unique” look at an artist that was “inventive and unique.”

Ethan Hawke Co-Wrote The Movie With Longtime Collaborator Shelby Gaines

Over the years, Ethan Hawke has worked extensively with musician, composer, and writer Shelby Gaines on everything from the former’s Off-Broadway revival of A Life of the Mind to the 2018 music biopic, Blaze. That partnership continued with Wildcat, as Hawke and Gaines shared a screenwriting credit for the forthcoming biographical drama that was inspired by Maya Hawke’s Juilliard audition.

In a September 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ethan Hawke recalled how Maya delivered a monologue from Flannery O’Connor’s A Prayer Journal, which she then attempted to adapt after debuting on Stranger Things. But as the process went on and he met with Joe Goodman, the rights holder of O’Connor’s work, the Before Sunrise star saw something bigger saying,

After this, Hawke started to work with Gaines on the script and the two ironed it out to create a portrait of the artist, her work, and her complicated life.

How Long Is Wildcat?

We don’t exactly know when Wildcat is coming out, but we do know that the movie has a runtime of 108 minutes. This information comes from the movie’s page from the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. This could very well change if the movie has to make any cuts for a rating ahead of its theatrical release, so make sure to check back for more information in the coming weeks and months.

We should know more about Wildcat very soon, but in the meantime don’t forget to check out the rest of the 2024 movie schedule to see what else is coming to the big screen this year.

Every streaming service had a handful of megahits, and those with a Netflix subscription know that Stranger Things is definitely in that category. The sci-fi period piece is wildly popular, and fans are preparing for the release of its fifth and final season. After a strikes-related delay, Stranger Things 5 is in production, with Joe Keery and Maya Hawke reuniting with a sweet set photo. And I've never missed Steve and Robin more, tbh. 

Maya Hawke's Robin was introduced in the third season of Stranger Things, and quickly became a fan favorite character. This is partly thanks to her friendship with Steve, so it's thrilling to see them back together on the set. Stranger Things' official IG shared a photo of the pair back together in Hawkins, check it out below:

The gang's back together, including everyone's favorite queer ally/ babysitter of children: Steve Harrington. The stakes for the final season are high, and it should be fascinating to see how Robin and Steve's relationship continues to change in the final group of episodes. Suddenly the ongoing wait for Season 5 feels excruciating. 

What we know about Stranger Things Season 5 is limited, but it seems like the final battle against Vecna and the forces of the Upside Down are going to come to a head. Stranger Things' Season 4 finale showed the barriers between worlds dropping, and smart money says that a number of beloved characters aren't going to make it out alive. For her part, Maya Hawke has expressed interest in being killed off-- but only time will tell what the writers are planning.

The pressure is on for Stranger Things' final season to deliver a satisfying conclusion, although the show has definitely been on a hot steak. Season 4, which was divided into two parts, was bigger than ever, and felt almost theatrical in regards to scale. So I've got faith that Season 5 is going to be firing on all cylinders.

Narratively, there are a number of threads to pull in the final season, directly connected into the events of the Season 4 finale. Obviously the biggest question mark is the way the Upside Down is seemingly invading Hawkins. The town has been torn apart in the first four seasons, and one can assume that chaos is going to ensue in the final chapter of episodes.

Plus there's the ongoing battle against Vecna, who definitely is still alive per Will. Fans are also curious about what's going to happen with Sadie Sink's Max, who was briefly killed but is in a coma the last time we saw her. Hopefully we get lots of Steve and Robin, because I can't get enough of that friendship. 

It's currently unclear when Stranger Things Season 5 will debut, but all eyes are on any indication of the future. In the meantime, check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch. 

In Hollywood, there are plenty of celebrities we all know and love, but sometimes, we might not realize that there are other actors they are related to, such as famous parents who have been around for decades. From new up-and-coming stars to people who have been in the business for some time, here are some celebrities with famous parents that you should know about. 

Gwyneth Paltrow

First up on this list has to be Gwyneth Paltrow. While the actress has built a career for herself over the last few decades with roles in movies like Shakespeare in Love, Seven, and of course, her role as Pepper Potts in the Iron Man movies, Paltrow comes from fame and is the daughter of Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner, both of which worked in the industry. 

Maya Hawke

Maya Hawke may be an up-and-coming star, with her breakout role as part of the Stranger Things cast and only continuing to grow as an actor as time passes, but her parents have been around for some time. Hawke is the daughter of the actor Ethan Hawke and the actress Uma Thurman, who were married for a time back in the early 2000s. 

Anderson Cooper

While we all know Anderson Cooper now for his presence on the cable news network CNN, Cooper came from a large family that we all know well. His mother was Gloria Vanderbilt, who was a part of the famous Vanderbilt family. 

Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston has become a significant actress in the last couple of decades, specifically for her time as Rachel Greene in the Friends cast and many other great movie and TV roles. But Aniston also comes from Hollywood royalty, as her father was John Aniston, who was on the classic soap opera Days Of Our Lives for 37 years. 

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie's best movies have only evolved over the years, from her time as the classic Disney villain, Maleficent, to her critically acclaimed roles. Jolie's father is Jon Voight, an Academy Award-winning actor; and her mother is Marcheline Bertrand, a Hollywood actress.

Chris Pine

Chris Pine is another example of someone you would never expect is the child of another celebrity, but his father was Robert Pine, and his mother was Gwynne Gilford. Robert Pine is best known for starring in the TV series CHiPS, while his mother appeared in many TV shows during the '70s and '80s. 

Colin Hanks

Colin Hanks has appeared in various films and TV shows over the last few years, including Fargo, Band of Brothers, Dexter, and more, and he hails from famous actor Tom Hanks. In 2022, Colin Hanks was a part of The Offer cast on Paramount Plus. 

Margaret Qualley

Margaret Qualley is another actress who has been up and coming for some time now, appearing in films like Death Note, Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, and more, as well as in TV shows like The Leftovers and Maid on Netflix. Qualley's famous parent is Andie MacDowell, a former fashion model and actress who has appeared in films like St. Elmo's Fire, Groundhog Day and Four Weddings and a Funeral. 

Zoë Kravitz

Zoë Kravitz's best movies include The Batman, the Divergent franchise, and more, but she hails from a family of famous faces. Her father is the renowned guitarist/actor Lenny Kravitz, and her mother is a Hollywood it girl, Lisa Bonet. Zoe Kravitz is also the granddaughter of Roxie Roker, from the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons. 

Dakota Johnson

Dakota Johnson has appeared in plenty of movies, including the Fifty Shades of Grey series, and she is the daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith. Johnson was known for his role on the TV show Miami Vice, and Griffith appeared in films like Working Girl, Something Wild, and more. 

Mamie Gummer

With a mother like Meryl Streep, it's no surprise that Mamie Gummer went into acting. Streep, known for many famous roles, was married to Don Gummer for several decades and had a few children with him, including Mamie Gummer. The actress has starred in the CW series Emily Owens, M.D., and appeared in films like Side Effects, Cake, and more. 

Rashida Jones

Rashida Jones is the daughter of the famous musician Quincy Jones. Considered a legend in the music industry, Jones was a significant influence and worked with several prominent musicians, such as Frank Sinatra and Count Basie. Rashida Jones  is known for numerous acting roles, including her part in the Parks and Recreation cast as Ann Perkins. 

Riley Keough

Riley Keough is an actress who has appeared in movies like The Runaways, Magic Mike, Mad Max: Fury Road, and more. She is the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley, who was the daughter of Elvis Presley. 

Liv Tyler

Liv Tyler is a well-known actress for her roles in movies like Heavy, Armageddon, Ad Astra, Wilding, and more, as well as the Lord of the Rings movies. But you might not know that Tyler is the biological daughter of Steven Tyler, the frontman of the famous band Aerosmith. 

Lily-Rose Depp

The actress is the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis. Lily-Rose Depp made a name for herself in 2023 with her starring role in The Idol cast on HBO. Depp has also appeared in other movies and roles, such as Tusk and A Faithful Man. 

Tracee Ellis Ross

While many know Tracee Ellis Ross as one of the main stars of the hit family show black-ish, Ross is the daughter of another famous face in Hollywood – Diana Ross, a legendary singer from the 1970s and beyond. Ross can sing like her mother, too, and recorded an album for the film The High Note in 2020.

Bryce Dallas Howard

Bryce Dallas Howard is known for many incredible movies and TV shows. She'll even be in the 2024 release of Argylle on Apple TV+ and is a well-known actress. However, her father, Ron Howard, began in Hollywood first and is a renowned director. Some of his biggest movies that he's directed include Willow, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, and Frost/Nixon.

Jessica Capshaw

Jessica Capshaw is primarily known for her role in the TV shows The Practice and Grey's Anatomy, which has gone on for many years. However, Capshaw is also the daughter of actress Kate Capshaw, whom you might know from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, among other films. Jessica Capshaw is also the step-daughter of a famous Hollywood director you may have heard of – Steven Spielberg.

Jasmine Cephas Jones

Jasmine Cephas Jones earned much acclaim for her roles in the Hamilton cast and went on to star in the Starz series Blindspotting, but her father, Ron Cephas Jones, had been in Hollywood for far longer. While he has numerous movie and TV credits to his name, you may known him in recent years from his part among the This Is Us cast before he sadly passed away in August 2023. 

Lily Collins

Lily Collins is known for her starring role in the Emily in Paris cast and several other movies like The Blind Side and Mirror Mirror. Her father, Phil Collins, is a well-known musician and was the lead singer and drummer of the band Genesis. 

Jack Quaid

I knew who Jack Quad was before I knew who Dennis Quaid was, thanks to the young actor being in The Hunger Games franchise and then in one of the best Amazon TV shows, The Boys. His father, Dennis Quaid, has been in Hollywood for many years. Dennis Quaid's list of films include The Parent Trap, Breaking Away, Vantage Point, and more. Jack Quaid's mother is Meg Ryan, an actress known for her great romantic comedies and hilarious comedic timing. 

Harley Quinn Smith

Harley Quinn Smith is a young actress on this list who has appeared in movies such as Tusk and Yoga Hosers. Her father is Kevin Smith, a filmmaker who has made movies like Clerks, Mallrats, and more. He also directed both Tusk and Yoga Hosers. 

Laura Dern

Laura Dern is the daughter of Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd. Bruce Dern has appeared in movies like Nebraska, Coming Home, and more, and Diane Ladd also appeared in films like Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Wild at Heart, Rambling Rose, and more. Ladd is the recipient of three Academy Awards. 

Allison Williams

Allison Williams has appeared in the show Girls and horror movies like the Jordan Peele-directed film Get Out and M3GAN. She is the daughter of Brian Williams, a famous news correspondent for NBC Nightly News. 

Kate Hudson

Kate Hudson is a well-known actress who has appeared in movies like Desert Blue, Almost Famous, Bride Wars, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, and more. Her mother is Goldie Hawn, and her biological father is Bill Hudson. Based on the post she shared honoring Kurt Russell -- her mother's long-time partner -- on Father's Day in 2022, it seems she has a very close family relationship with him. 

Liza Minnelli

When you think of Hollywood it girls, Liza Minnelli is bound to be one you think of, appearing in such movies as Cabaret, Stepping Out, The Act, and more. An EGOT winner, Minnelli is the daughter of director Vincente Minnelli and Judy Garland, known for her starring role in The Wizard of Oz. 

Domhnall Gleeson

Domhnall Gleeson is primarily known for his roles in the Harry Potter franchise, where he played Bill Weasley, and appeared in Star Wars films and movies like Anna Karenina, Frank, and more. He is the son of Brendan Gleeson, a famous actor who has appeared in movies like 28 Days Later, The Banshees of Inisherin, Gangs of New York, and more. 

Kaia Gerber

Kaia Gerber is a well-known young model who has appeared in Fashion Week for the last couple of years. She is the daughter of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, two famous models. Arguably, Crawford was one of the most popular models of the 1980s and '90s, and it's fitting that her daughter is turning out to be the same in the 2020s. 

Maude Apatow

While everyone knows Maude Apatow from the Euphoria cast, as her character in the show, Lexi, is a fan favorite, the actress grew up as the child of Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann. Judd Apatow's best movies that he has directed include Bridesmaids, Trainwreck, and The King of Staten Island, among others. Leslie Mann is a famous actress in films like This Is 40, Knocked Up, Big Daddy, and more. 

Jamie Lee Curtis

Jamie Lee Curtis first appeared in the BC drama Quincy, M.E., and continued to gain popularity over time with her roles in the Halloween franchise and many other films. She is the daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, two well-known classic movie actors. Curtis lets their legacy live on now, and even won an Academy Award for her acting in 2023 for Everything Everywhere All At Once. 

Hailey Baldwin

Hailey Baldwin is a model who is the daughter of Stephen Baldwin, an actor who has appeared in movies like Bio-Dome, 8 Seconds, and more. She is also the niece of famous actor Alec Baldwin. Her legal last name now is Hailey Bieber, as she is married to well-known singer Justin Bieber, but many remember her as Hailey Baldwin from her earlier years in the industry. 

Cazzie David

Cazzie David is a scriptwriter and actor. She appeared in The Umbrella Academy on Netflix and has written TV show scripts for Hannah Montana, Eighty-Sixed, and more. She is the daughter of comedian and actor Larry David and Laurie David. 

Wyatt Russell

Wyatt Russell has appeared in shows like Black Mirror, Under the Banner of Heaven and more, and also was a part of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier cast. The actor is the son of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell.

Other celebrities have famous parents out there, but these are just some you might not realize were related to someone famous. And now, I need to figure out who else might be related to someone I never knew about—time to dive into some Hollywood history. 

Even before I knew that she was Hollywood royalty, I had a feeling that actor and musician Maya Hawke was destined to be one the industry’s sharpest and most sought-after stars. The multi-talented daughter of Academy Award nominees Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman has already managed to achieve a pretty stellar career so far and in such a short time. The key, in addition to her proven skill, is the variety found in the best Maya Hawke movies and TV shows, which we have assembled below.

Inside Out 2 (2024)

As Riley becomes a teenager, a new group of more complex emotions begins to emerge.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke movies: Maya Hawke voices Anxiety in one of the best movies of 2024, Inside Out 2 – a heartwarming sequel to one of the most beloved Pixar movies yet.

• Stream Inside Out 2 on Disney+
• Rent Inside Out 2 on Amazon
• Buy Inside Out 2 on Blu-ray on Amazon

Maestro (2023)

A portrait of the loving, but complicated relationship between legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) and actor Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey Mulligan).

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke movies: Seven 2024 Academy Award nominations — including Best Picture — went to writer and director Cooper's Netflix original biopic, Maestro, which also stars Hawke as Leonard and Felicia's daughter, Jamie Bernstein.

• Stream Maestro on Netflix

Stranger Things (2016-Present)

A group of average, close-knit people from a small, Midwestern community are forced to contend with extraordinary circumstances that continue to follow them for years throughout the 1980s.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke TV shows: The moment Maya Hawke became a household name was the day she joined the Stranger Things cast in Season 3 in the scene-stealing role of Robin Buckley. She immediately became a fan-favorite character in The Duffer Brothers’ Netflix original sci-fi hit, which has a fifth and final season in the works.

• Stream Stranger Things on Netflix

Little Women (2017)

Romance, poverty, personal tragedy, and other life-changing moments of four sisters (played by Maya Hawke, Kathryn Newton, Willa Fitzgerald, Annes Elwy) in Civil War-era America are recalled by the second eldest sibling, a writer.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke TV shows: For her screen acting debut, Hawke had the honor of the playing Jo March — the primary character of Louisa May Alcott’s seminal novel, Little Women — in this three-part limited series adaptation produced as part of PBS’s Masterpiece that also stars legends like Emily Watson, Angela Lansbury, and Michael Gambon.

• Stream Little Women on Amazon Prime
• Stream Little Women on Peacock
• Stream Little Women on Tubi
• Stream Little Women on Plex
• Buy Little Women on DVD on Amazon

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)

As a former Western TV show star (Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio) contemplates the uncertain future of his career, his best friend and longtime stunt double (Academy Award winner Brad Pitt) has a foreboding encounter with a bizarre group of people in late 1960s Los Angeles.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke movies: In one of Maya Hawke’s first feature-length gigs — also her first collaboration with one of her mother’s most frequent collaborators — she briefly appears in the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood cast as a real-life Manson Family member known as “Flowerchild” in writer and director Quentin Tarantino’s dark, but dazzling, love letter to cinema’s silver age.

• Rent or buy Once Upon A Time In Hollywood on Amazon
• Buy Once Upon A Time In Hollywood on Blu-ray on Amazon

Human Capital (2019)

The lives of two suburban families clash when the teenage daughter from one (Maya Hawke) and the son from the other (Fred Hechinger) start a relationship that eventually proves to lead to tragic circumstances.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke movies: Hawke also appeared in another star-studded thriller from 2019 called Human Capital — director Marc Meyers and writer Oren Moverman’s adaptation of Stephen Amidon’s novel — which also stars Liev Schreiber, Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei, Peter Sarsgaard, and Alex Wolff in its stellar ensemble.

• Stream Human Capital on Tubi
• Rent or buy Human Capital on Amazon
• Buy Human Capital on DVD on Amazon

Mainstream (2020)

A young, struggling filmmaker from West Hollywood (Maya Hawke) finds the unlikely success she has been striving toward when her video featuring a random man she met on the street (Academy Award nominee Andrew Garfield) surprisingly becomes a viral sensation.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke movies: Co-writer and director Gia Coppola captures the manic, self-absorbed, and self-destructive world of Internet fame in her bold satire, Mainstream, which actually features digital influencers like Jake Paul and Juanpa Zurita among the cast.

• Stream Mainstream on AMC+
• Buy Mainstream on Amazon
• Buy Mainstream on Blu-ray on Amazon

Italian Studies (2021)

An English woman (played by Vanessa Kirby) realizes that she has lost her memory and lives adrift among a group of New York City teens as she struggles to uncover who she is.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke movies: Maya Hawke appears in Italian Studies — writer and director Adam Leon’s strange, mysterious drama — as one of the young New Yorkers Kirby’s amnesia-stricken protagonist becomes acquainted with.

• Stream Italian Studies on Hulu
• Rent or buy Italian Studies on Amazon

Fear Street: Part One - 1994 (2021)

A group of teens struggle to survive against a band of seemingly unstoppable killers while attempting to break a curse that has plagued their town for centuries.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke movies: In a clear homage to Scream — one of its many classic horror movie references — Maya Hawke (one of the most famous faces in the Fear Street movies cast) appears in the intense opening scene of the first installment of Netflix’s fun, freaky trilogy of slashers inspired by Goosebumps author R.L. Stine’s more mature horror novel series.

• Stream Fear Street: Part One - 1994 on Netflix

Do Revenge (2022)

Hawke plays an introverted preparatory high school transfer who meets a popular preparatory student (played by Camilla Mendes) by chance and both agree to help each other get back at the people who ruined their lives.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke movies: Hawke and Mendes make a great team leading the Do Revenge cast in this crowd-pleasing modern take on an Alfred Hitchcock classic (Strangers on a Train) with a coming-of-age twist, a la Heathers or Mean Girls.

• Stream Do Revenge on Netflix

Asteroid City (2023)

A group of people from various walks of life gather in a rural, desert town for an event for young astronomy enthusiasts in the 1950s, only to find themselves trapped after a life-changing event.

Why it is one of the best Maya Hawke movies: Continuing her streak of being a part of acclaimed A-list ensembles in movies, Maya Hawke starred in the Asteroid City cast as an elementary school teacher in one of the strangest Wes Anderson movies yet, which is really saying something.

• Stream Asteroid City on Peacock
• Rent or buy Asteroid City on Amazon
• Buy Asteroid City on Blu-ray on Amazon

While we never covered any of Maya Hawke’s collaborations with her parents in the list above, she would appear in one episode of her father’s limited series western The Good Lord Bird in 2020, shows up in a 2023 comedic thriller called The Kill Room alongside her mother Uma Thurman and was directed by Ethan Hawke as the lead of a Flannery O’Connor biopic called Wildcat, which he also wrote. Maya is also set to star alongside Ethan in Andrew Stanton’s Revolver and, according to Quentin Tarantino, there is little chance of her appearing in a third Kill Bill movie as The Bride’s daughter but one can dream.

It’s been almost a year since Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke teamed up together in Netflix’s teen black comedy Do Revenge. The movie, which is loosely inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train, begins when an explicit video Drea (Mendes) sent to her boyfriend gets leaked to the whole school. Ostracized over the summer, Drea meets Eleanor, a transfer student who has also been violated by a fellow classmate. Together, the girls team up to get revenge on each other’s assailants.

After rewatching Do Revenge I can confidently say it’s still hilarious, conniving and, at times, totally gut-wrenching. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the epic plot twist it pulled off or the hard work of the incredibly talented cast. It’s one of my favorite teen movies of all time and definitely has the potential to become a cult classic years from now.  However, my love for the movie doesn’t blind me from rightfully critiquing it. 

In fact, I might be Do Revenge’s harshest critic when it comes to how it wrapped things up. Sure, some movies deserve a nice little bow before the credits start to roll, but I believe Do Revenge would have been even more successful had it pushed the ending with two tweaks. 

The Girls Should Have Killed Max

Every great teen movie needs a villain of sorts, and for Do Revenge, it’s Max (Austin Abrams). On the outside, he’s Rosehill County Day’s golden boy who can do no wrong, but on the inside, he’s a narcissistic misogynist who relies on his father’s status to get what he wants. 

After victimizing himself by saying he feels violated for having a personal video of Drea stolen from his phone, Max goes on to form a men-supporting-women fake feminist club, and then starts dating Drea’s ex-best friend. Very feminist of him, right?

He eventually admits to leaking the video of Drea when he corners her at a party near the fire pit. On top of that though, he explains why he did it and ensures Drea that he’ll continue to ruin her life because he thinks she used him to get popular. 

His entire villain monologue is captured by Eleanor, who is wearing a hidden camera, and the girls decide to play it for everyone at the party to watch. While it is satisfying watching everyone turn on Max, there is one ending I think would have been more satisfying, and that’s for the girls to kill Max. 

With the entire confrontation happening near the fire pit, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for Drea or Eleanor to shove Max into the fire. After all, we know what the girls are capable of, and it would have been so easy to make it seem like a drunken/high accident. 

Even now, a hundred rewatches later (which I definitely recommend), one of the thoughts on Do Revenge rolling around in my mind is the hope for that alternative ending. In fact, I’m always shocked that that’s not what happened given director and co-writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson has written about teen girls nearly killing evil boys before — if you haven’t seen her short-lived MTV series Sweet/Vicious I highly recommend it.

While I definitely don’t advocate for murder on a regular basis, there are some fictional instances where I think it might be necessary. Do Revenge happens to be one of those cases. The movie shows us time and time again how Max is able to talk and pay his way out of trouble. Even with recorded evidence of his wrongdoing, I just don’t see the heat on him sticking. Not to mention, most of the partygoers were under the influence, so who's to say if they’ll even remember Max’s takedown in the morning? 

In my opinion, the only way for the girls to finally get their revenge on Max is to make him disappear forever. If the Heathers could pull off teen murder in the '80s, audiences can definitely handle it in the 2020s. I mean just look at the success of the Scream franchise. 

Drea And Eleanor Should Have Romantically Ended Up Together 

While Max living is my biggest complaint regarding the ending of Do Revenge, I have also always been slightly bummed that Drea and Eleanor stayed firmly in the friend zone when it came to their complicated relationship. I’m not alone either as many fans took to Twitter and Reddit last year to share their same thoughts. 

Here’s the thing, I totally think it’s important to portray female platonic friendships on screen, especially one between a confirmed lesbian and a presumed straight character to break that harmful stereotype. But there’s also something to be said about the incredible chemistry and intense, sometimes toxic relationship Drea and Eleanor have on screen. 

There’s just something in the looks Drea and Eleanor share and the way they can scream at each other, but still want each other in their lives that feels like a quintessential teenage romantic relationship. Sure, it might not be the healthiest relationship given that Eleanor literally crashed her car into Drea’s car, but hey, even queer girl relationships deserve some toxic representation every now and again. 

In defense of Do Revenge though, the writing never once hinted at the possibility of making Drea and Eleanor endgame. It never even assumed the idea given that both Drea and Eleanor are given love interests from the very beginning. It's a move that just might have saved it from facing the wrath of a crusade from fans who could have claimed the movie queerbaited them. But the complexities of a claim like that are a topic for another day, especially since Do Revenge does not, in any way, queerbait its viewers.

To me, making Drea and Eleanor drive off into the sunset after sharing a kiss would have been the icing on the cake to an already incredible Gen-Z-inspired movie. Still, having them remain friends, doesn’t diminish the strength and love they share. 

Despite what I may think about the ending, I still think Do Revenge is a near-perfect teen comedy that deserves all the praise it can get. Just like Heathers and Mean Girls did for teens in past generations, Do Revenge can and will do for Gen-Z teens. If you haven’t seen it yet or want to rewatch it to celebrate its anniversary, the movie is still streaming on with a Netflix subscription. You should also consider checking out other great Gen-Z coming-of-age comedies that pair well with a Do Revenge double feature. 

Father/daughter duo Ethan and Maya Hawke prove that talent can certainly be genetic. But as the Nepo Baby debate has been going on for months, social media users are questioning whether the children of famous actors have made their name in the business due to their parents’ names. As the Hawkes weigh in on the Nepo Baby debate, Ethan Hawke proudly announces, “I’m a Nepo Dad!”

Ethan Hawke’s latest project will be directing his daughter in the biopic Wildcat where she’ll play the lead role of American writer Flannery O’Connor who went through struggles to get her first novel published. While it can be easy to say father/daughter actors working together only adds fuel to the Nepo Baby debate, the situation you could say is the reverse for Wildcat. Per an interview with Variety, the movie was actually Maya Hawke’s idea with her father declaring what his new role is.

The way the Boyhood actor says it, it would almost sound like a superhero name. Ethan Hawke knew ever since Maya Hawke was a preteen that the entertainment industry would be the path for her. In 2009, Hawke was being directed by Sam Mendes in the stage production of The Winter’s Tale and had to bring a then-12-year-old Maya to tech rehearsals since she didn’t have a babysitter. While he originally planned on sending his daughter home in a taxi to avoid having to watch rehearsals for the second time, she was the one who requested to stay. You could almost say Hawke was entranced by watching her father's work.

The internet has been very harsh towards the range of young actors taking in the shoes of their famous parents. It first started when Johnny Depp’s daughter Lily-Rose got slammed by an Italian model who called her a Nepo Baby. From then on, more celebrities of famous parents were accused of their start as pure nepotism like Jamie Lee Curtis, Kate Hudson, Allison Williams, and more. While filming Wildcat, Maya Hawke admitted to Variety the Nepo Baby debate crossed her mind when working with her dad.

It’s true that you need to go with your own intuition and not worry so much about what the internet will say about a certain collaboration. Maya Hawke has every right to want to work with her father if she wants to. As the Dead Poets Society actor started in the business at 14, he made sure to educate the Stranger Things actress about the dangers of fame before she ventured into the business, making him a great teacher as she said. You can tell Hawke is a very proud dad. He’s shown pride in his daughter’s work in Stranger Things where she gained worldwide recognition. The former child star felt the Netflix series must have been meant to be for Maya as the first season took place in 1983 which was the year he made his acting debut in Explorers. Coincidence or was it “aligned in the stars” like the “Nepo Dad” said?

In the end, the internet will say whatever they want about actors working with their kids. But like Ethan Hawke pointed out, people are free to think what they want and he’s free to team up with his daughter. Check out Maya Hawke's best movies and TV shows to date. 

Ethan and Maya Hawke seem to take a lot of pride in the work they’ve done together on Wildcats. So, it would be a waste of time for social media users to describe their teamwork as an act of nepotism instead of a sweet collaboration. Be sure to keep up with our 2023 movie releases so you’re aware of when Wildcats will be released. 

While it’s more common for parents to embarrass their kids, whether they be actual children, teenagers, or adults, there are moments when a parent does something that is seemingly cool to their kids. Nearly everyone has been there at some point. Maybe your parent told a joke that gets all your friends to laugh, maybe they actually quoted a meme correctly, or maybe they shamelessly flirted with Rihanna at a basketball game. Well, okay, maybe the last one isn’t that common. But it is true for Maya Hawke, the talented actress/singer of Academy Award Nominee parents Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. 

In a shared video from Variety, the father-daughter acting duo joke about the time Ethan was caught “openly flirting” with Rihanna at a basketball game while sitting courtside. The younger Hawke quickly corrects her father, saying he was caught “openly trying” to flirt with Rihanna — leading us to assume that his flirtations were unsuccessful. Like any great father, Ethan accepts his daughter’s correction, laughing and joking that about the moment. He goes on to say:

Maya doesn’t let her father beat himself up over it, though, immediately swooping in to shake off any embarrassment the incident may have caused him. Instead, she reassures him that the moment isn’t shameful, saying instead: 

It’s a heartwarming and hilarious moment between the father-daughter duo that has many people on X (formally known as Twitter) reliving and laughing about the iconic moment. And while the story is hilarious, it’s actually even funnier when one remembers that Hawke was at the game with his then-13-year-old son (and Maya’s brother). Pictures shared on Ethan’s Instagram show that his son was originally sitting next to Rihanna, the two clearly swapped seats during the game so Ethan could, in Maya’s words, “openly try to” flirt with the Grammy winning artist.

Ethan may not have won Dad of the Year in 2015 for the hilarious incident, but he’s certainly in the running this year. The award-winning actor has just finished directing his daughter in their new film Wildcat , a movie that Maya brought to her father’s production company because she felt he was the best fit to help her bring the story to life. The indie movie, which has signed a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement allowing the two to do press, is a biopic about American novelist Flannery O’Connor and her struggles to get her first novel published. 

Maya stars in the movie as O’Connor, while her father directed and co-wrote the script with Shelby Gaines. Not only is she the film’s main character, but the younger Hawke also plays six other characters, all of whom appear in O’Connor’s short stories.

Wildcat premiered on September 1st at the Telluride Film Festival and is scheduled to screen at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival later this month. Unfortunately, for those of us who aren’t attending the film festival, we’ll have to wait a bit longer to watch the biopic. Wildcat currently doesn’t have a public release date, but keep an eye out on the 2023 Movie Release Schedule for any updates. In the meantime, check out Maya Hawke's best movies and TV shows.

Warning: Mild spoilers for Asteroid City are in play. If you haven’t seen the film just yet, you’ve been warned. 

The world of Wes Anderson movies feels like a dollhouse, in that it’s an elaborate and meticulously curated experience that we’re invited to experience each time he releases a new film. Asteroid City is yet another example of such a phenomenon. However, what makes this film all the more interesting is that Anderson was relatively hands-off when it came to one particular piece of the puzzle -- a dance number. So, while speaking with actors Maya Hawke and Rupert Friend about their roles in the film, they broke down their unusual dance in the film, and how they collaborated with the director to make it.

This knowledge was shared with me during the press day for Wes Anderson’s latest, as I was able to sit down with both Hawke and Friend for one of the day’s interviews. Their recollection of pulling together the moment where a school teacher (Maya Hawke) and a cowboy (Rupert Friend) dance to the tune of a song praising the UFO that’s visited Asteroid City’s central local painted a picture that’s both unexpected, but very apropos of the auteur filmmaker’s fictional worlds. 

As these co-stars spoke with CinemaBlend, Maya Hawke's portion of the conversation highlighted just how unusual this scene was to craft. Here's what she had to say: 

“Dear Alien” is one of two original songs in Asteroid City, thanks to the collaboration of Richard Hawley and Jarvis Cocker, along with Wes Anderson joining in for that song in particular. In that respect, one could assume that his familiarity with the material was what guided his thought process when putting together Maya Hawke and Rupert Friend’s rather impromptu hoedown on set.

Even with that in mind, this is the same director that is known to provide his cast with full animatics of the project they’re about to embark on. That process was still very much present when making this film, so one has to wonder what the rough version of the sequence where “they dance” looked like in comparison. It's a question that feels like a deeper rabbit hole than it seems, especially when looking at how Asteroid City's trailer sells the whole package in a mysterious, but still laugh-out-loud manner.

Maya Hawke and Rupert Friend’s big song and dance number in Asteroid City may be unusual, but for this slice of Andersonia in particular, that seems to be par for the course. At the same time, that sort of comedic energy mixed with a dramatic sweetness is used to dissect our modern times in a fantastical view of the past. Or that seems to be the aim when you take into account the reactions Asteroid City’s cast had to its rather cryptic message. 

Depending on who you talk to, Asteroid City is about finding meaning in the presence of “interesting times.” Though a random musical number praising extraterrestrial life may seem out of place to some in those circumstances, Maya Hawke may have summed up just why this scene works so well: "freedom and exuberance and joy."

And when Rupert Friend discussed with CinemaBlend the process of creating "Dear Alien," he tied the finished product to the much deeper story at hand. Friend's story reads as follows:

You can experience this lovely little moment for yourself in theaters, as Asteroid City is currently showing in all of its cinematic glory. And don't forget to come back and read up on what that rather cryptic ending could mean; as you're definitely going to have some questions walking out of the theater. Also, there are still plenty of 2023 new movie releases waiting down the line including some more Maya Hawke movie and TV roles.

This time last year, the first seven episodes of Stranger Things Season 4 had been available to Netflix subscribers for a month, and the season’s final two episodes followed on July 1. But even before Season 4’s arrival, fans had already been informed that Stranger Things will end with Season 5, so needless to say that there’s a lot of anticipation surrounding how the show will wrap things up for our protagonists in Hawkins, Indiana. However, given current events, one of Stranger Things’ main actors has shared that we’ll be in for an even longer wait for this final season.

While chatting about her time on the 2023 new movie release Asteroid City, Maya Hawke, who plays Robin Buckley in Stranger Things, told Inverse that Season 5 is still in the scripting stage, and showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer, a.k.a. The Duffer Brothers, won’t finish putting words to paper until the writers strike has concluded. In her words:

Like so many movies and TV shows in Hollywood, the writers strike has impacted Stranger Things in a big way, with The Duffer Brothers sharing in May that production on Season 5 “is not possible during this strike,” and that they hoped "a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work.” Back in March, David Harbour, who plays Jim Hopper, said that cameras were expected to begin rolling in May, so had the strike not unfolded, the cast and crew would be weeks into filming at this point, and The Duffer Brothers presumably would have been putting the finishing touches on this saga writing-wise as the first episodes were being shot.

However, Stranger Things Season 5 can only start moving forward again once the writers strike has been resolved, and even then, it may take even more time for principal photography to kick off. It’s not like the cast and crew can all just start working in the final season the day after the strike is officially over; schedules need to be figured out and time needs to be blocked off for everyone to come together. As such, even if the strike ends in the next month or two, it’s entirely possible that Stranger Things Season 5 won’t be able to begin principal photography until next year, which from there could mean the completed season won’t come out until 2025.

This timing is just speculation on my part, but the important part is that Stranger Things fans will have to continue being patient for the final chapter of this story. Fortunately though, we haven’t been entirely deprived of Season 5 updates lately, as it was announced that Terminator’s Linda Hamilton has been cast in an undisclosed role. That said, she’ll be just one of a few fresh faces added to the lineup, as The Duffer Brothers said in August 2022 that they were doing their best not to introduce too many new characters in favor of focusing on “the OG characters.” As far as Robin is concerned, Maya Hawke recently said that she has “mixed” feelings about her character’s love life being further explored, as she values Robin’s friendships, particularly with Joe Keery’s Steve.

Whenever Stranger Things Season 5 does begin production, we here at CinemaBlend will let you know. Until then, check out the other best shows on Netflix currently available to watch, and browse through the Netflix TV schedule to learn what programming the streaming service will deliver soon.

Warning: spoilers for Asteroid City are in play. If you haven’t seen this movie just yet, you’ve been warned. 

“You can’t wake up if you don’t go to sleep.” It’s the line that pops up out of nowhere and stuns audiences in Wes Anderson’s new film Asteroid City, which is about to open in wide release this weekend. The 2023 new movie release is one of his most experimental, thanks in part to this philosophical broadside that plows into a movie already navigating two realms of reality. So I had to ask the cast about this baffling statement from the film, who in turn have provided some interesting interpretations of their own. 

While speaking with Adrien Brody and Jeffrey Wright, Brody immediately picked up on the question at hand. Though he deferred the question to his interview partner, which allowed Wright to rope in some knowledge from a previous Wes Anderson movie. Sharing his thoughts with CinemaBlend, the actor's interpretation of this mystery is quite intriguing: 

Indeed, the ending to Asteroid City seems to be playing in the same sort of themes that The French Dispatch’s various finales all took part in. In Wright’s summation of the more recent movie’s conclusion, it would appear that Wes Anderson has played with some massively relevant social themes in his more recent films.

One could even expand that opinion to cover The Grand Budapest Hotel, and its charmingly whimsical caper set against a nation sinking under a growing tide of fascism. Just like with his previous filmography, the trailer for Asteroid City hides this greater playground of thought in the usual candy colored settings and stylistic choices the independent auteur has always used to get his message across. 

Looking at Asteroid City in the context of modern day issues was the common thread that ran through the rest of the rooms I interviewed as well. When speaking with Hope Davis and Steven Park, their read on “You can’t wake up if you don’t fall asleep” tied into another key piece of dialogue delivered by Adrien Brody’s Schubert Green. Piecing together the themes of the picture a little more in their own way, here’s Davis and Park’s reactions: 

Steven Park: Well it’s a little bit of a zen koan, that’s my interpretation, where you can’t quite understand it intellectually. But the idea of waking up to the present moment, waking up to wonder. I think that’s kind of what Wes is pointing to, that there is something that’s beyond what we can understand. And like what Adrien Brody’s character is saying to Jason’s character about, ’Just keep on telling the story You’re doing great. You don’t need to understand it. Just keep moving forward.’’

Hope Davis: Me too, that’s my favorite line in the movie. … I feel every day that I’m battling this wave of information and digital content. To me it’s about saying we have to put it down, and go to sleep. It’s very literal in a way, we have to find a way to get back to a more natural rhythm of actually detaching from the world. Letting your brain shut down, so you could actually be with the person that you’re facing the next day; rather than everyone kind of existing in this half kind of awake, half there/half not there. I think this is something that Wes must have a strong opinion about, because you never see him distracted. I’ve never seen him hold a phone, I don’t know if he has a phone. But I think it’s like, we’ve gotta reconnect. 

Park: I think we tend to, especially because we’re all connected to social media and whatever, we tend to walk around in this trance state. And it’s kind of a call to, ‘Hey, wake up. There’s something happening in front of you right here, right now.’

Already some have picked up on the possibility that Wes Anderson took the events of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other current events of dismay, and expressed his own thoughts on those themes in Asteroid City. Hope Davis’ thoughts especially opened the door to a moral that encourages us to stop doom-scrolling and go back to dreaming. 

It was all brought home in the final room for the day, as Maya Hawke and Rupert Friend were my final stop on this tour of talk. Returning to that question one last time, their sentiments aligned perfectly with their cast mates, while also adding a deeper context. What Hawke and Friend provided to CinemaBlend is as follows: 

Maya Hawke: I think it means if you don’t take the time to rest, and to let go, you’ll never really have awareness of what’s happening in the world around you. Anyone can have a different interpretation, but awakeness in terms of like spiritual awakeness and presence in your own life; being present. And you can’t really be present if you don’t let yourself rest.

Rupert Friend: I would go a little bit more into the sort of meditation side of things. I think it’s about shedding the ego in the sense of ‘I,’ and remembering that everything is connected. And if you want to enter that dream, it is a true dream, then you drop this notion of ‘us and them.’ 

No matter which film of his you’re discussing, the unifying element throughout Wes Anderson’s movies is that they’re all set in a world slightly removed from ours. Whether it’s through varying layers of reality, or even in the context of aspect ratios and varying time periods, we the audience aren’t in the same world as the characters of a film like Asteroid City. 

The question of whether that makes Anderson’s message easier or more difficult to access is up to interpretation. This is probably part of why the cast took part in that Wes Anderson TikTok trend, as a good way to sell a movie of such a complex tone. 

“You can’t wake up if you don’t fall asleep” is one of the lines people will be dissecting for some time to come after experiencing it firsthand. If you’re ready to take this wild ride of aliens, quarantines, martini vending machines, and theater for yourself, Asteroid City is currently in theaters. Just remember, you can’t wake up if you don’t fall asleep. But if you fall asleep at the wrong time, you could miss one of the most Wes Anderson shots in the film.

We know a good deal about Stranger Things season 5 but, given that the season's production is on pause due to the WGA writer's strike, there are only so many concrete details to gather at the moment. At the very least, we can get thoughts from the actors in the meantime, including Maya Hawke, as she gave her opinion on Robin's potential budding romance with Vickie. The only downside is that fans may not like what the actors have to say. And there will certainly be some bummed out by Hawke's thoughts on Season 5 exploring Robin's love life further. However, I think the comments fall in line with the heart of the show.

Maya Hawke was on hand to speak to Yahoo! Entertainment about her various roles and what she has coming up. That includes her return as Robin Buckley for Stranger Things Season 5. While many fans are wondering whether or not Eddie Munson is actually dead, there are others who would like to see Robin's queer storyline continue, courtesy of a romance with Vickie. For those who've forgotten, she was the band girl Robin crushed on in Season 4. Hawke was asked her opinion on seeing that supblot play out further, and the actress confessed she's on the fence about it for a reason that feels totally on brand: 

Maya Hawke is supportive of Robin and Vickie's romance, but she'd rather see the former's character explored further through her friendship with Joe Keery's Steve Harrington. I can totally empathize with her thinking, especially on the grounds that she'd rather not have Robin's arc be reduced to a romance. Her platonic friendship with Steve has resulted in some great scenes, and I'm looking forward to more of them together in Season 5. 

Now, I'm not at all against Robin and Vickie getting more screentime. However, pulling Robin in that direction and away from Steve in Season 5 could diminish the beautiful friendship that's been established thus far. Plus, it could pull Robin away from the main action a bit. Stranger Things Season 4's ending teased that a massive battle is headed for the town of Hawkins and, as has been the case in the past, the teens are seemingly going to be involved. 

With that in mind, there's a chance the Netflix series will not prioritize Robin's budding romance over the battle against the mysterious Vecna for all of humanity. The Duffer Brothers could surprise us and find a way to fold both into the story in a way that makes sense. Given what Maya Hawke is saying above, though, I wouldn't count on it. After all, if she knew that some major storyline for Robin and Vickie was on the horizon, would she be this candid about having mixed feelings on the subject? 

With that being said, there is a possibility that Maya Hawke isn't aware of everything that's in store for her character in Season 5 just yet. When the series shut down, the Duffer Brothers popped up on social media to explain that writing continues during a season, and as such, it wasn't possible to continue filming until a deal was reached with the WGA: 

So for anyone holding onto hope that Robin's love life will get more shine in Stranger Things Season 5, there's always a chance. If not, however, Maya Hawke adequately explained why it's not entirely necessary for the character if it falls to the wayside. And plus, let's be honest, who doesn't want to see more of Robin and Steve's hilarious and sweet back-and-forths?

Stranger Things Season 5 is coming, but it may be a while before we're watching it with our Netflix subscriptions. The good news is there are already four seasons to stream and plenty of speculation to talk out before this new season finally arrives. 

Be warned: SPOILERS are ahead for Do Revenge, now streaming with a Netflix subscription. 

I’ll be right back, I’ve decided I need a whole new wardrobe after seeing Netflix’s Do Revenge, because Maya Hawke and Camila Mendes slayed way too hard in this week’s trending streaming release. Then again, it wasn’t just all the marvelous getups they wore, it was their instantly iconic performances and all the fun teen movie references that fueled this film that has me obsessed with Drea and Eleanor. 

And y’all, there are so many teen movie homages in Do Revenge. Let’s talk about them: 

Freaking Sarah Michelle Gellar 

The queen of teen movies (and a beloved TV show) in the ‘90s was Sarah Michelle Gellar for I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream 2, Cruel Intentions and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, obviously. So her Do Revenge casting as Rosehill Country Day School’s headmaster is truly inspired casting, along with being one of so many homages to the teen movie genre. Gellar’s character is the head of the school that oozes teen movie nostalgia, I mean it’s perfect. 

All The Cruel Intentions

Aside from the star of Cruel Intentions, Sarah Michelle Gellar’s presence in Do Revenge, there’s a few more references to 1999’s Cruel Intentions. For example, as pictured above, Talia Ryder’s Gabbi is reading Les Liaisons Dangereuses, the novel Cruel Intentions is based upon during the school assembly. There’s a lot of plot elements that also scream Cruel Intentions too, including the end of the film when Drea and Eleanor skip out on graduation to ride off in a convertible, much like Annette does in the '90s classic. 

The Scream Fountain At Rosehill Country Day School 

If Drea’s former besties eating grapes at Rosehill gave you deja vu, it’s probably because you’ve seen it before in 1996’s Scream. Director and co-write Jennifer Kaytin Robinson told Vanity Fair that they built a fountain on the set to pay homage to the teen slasher. Robinson found the moment when Neve Campbell and the other stars of the movie hang out on the fountain to be an “iconic frame” she wanted to emulate in Do Revenge. 

The Clique Tour, A La Mean Girls

How can we forget the scene in Mean Girls, when Lindsay Lohan’s Cady gets a tour of all the clique tables at school? Do Revenge also emulates Mean Girls when Gabbi shows Eleanor all the different groups at Rosehill Country Day School. Additionally, when Drea and Eleanor release Max’s texts with other girls at school later in the film, it’s giving Burn Book energy as the school halls become chaotic as a result before Mr. Popular is able to spin the circumstance in his favor. 

A Makeover Montage, Of Course 

Whether it’s She’s All That, Clueless or The Princess Diaries, the makeover montage is a common occurrence in teen movies in particular. So of course, Do Revenge had to do it to ‘em. Once Drea and Eleanor decide to do each other’s revenge, Drea dresses Eleanor up into a “cool girl” with a fun sequence where Mendes’ character changes up her new partner’s look. 

The Paintball Date In 10 Things I Hate About You 

Before Drea and Rish Shah’s Russ threw paintballs at each other before sharing their first kiss in an adorable date in Do Revenge, 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You did it first when Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger’s Kat and Patrick went paintball fighting, sparking their love-hate relationship into a lot more love. The scene also reminds us a bit of a scene in The Princess Diaries, where Mia throws darts at a paintball canvas with her mom. 

Cher’s Fluffy Pink Pen From Clueless

Do Revenge also has a lot of parallels to one of the most beloved teen flicks, Clueless, from the school uniforms having an edge to them to its main character taking a new student under her wing, Drea and Cher have a lot in common. In reference to that, there’s a scene midway through the movie where Drea writes with a pink fluffy pen just like Alicia Silverstone’s character did in Clueless. 

Max’s John Tucker Must Die Parallels

Anyone remember 2006’s John Tucker Must Die? The teen comedy is about three girls who get revenge on the school’s basketball star after they learned he was secretly dating them all at once. Austin Abrams’ Max draws numerous parallels to the antagonist of John Tucker Must Die, including dating girls from different cliques in high school and coming out of the whole thing rather unscathed. 

Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion Fashion 

Of course we had to go back to Do Revenge’s incredible outfits. There’s a lot of references within the fashion picks we could spend a lot of time with (including Drea going “...Baby One More Time” with her outfit at tennis camp). However, one major inspiration was 1997’s Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion. Robinson told Tudum that the movie came up “a lot” when “finding the visual language and the vibes for the costumes.” That is especially apparent in Drea’s yellow fluffy jacket, which reminds of Lisa Kudrow’s blue one in the ‘90s movie. 

And, THAT Soundtrack Too!! 

Finally, the Do Revenge soundtrack, which is thankfully all on Spotify, gives total teen movie energy. Remember the days when we used to watch teen movies and learn about new songs and associate them with the scenes in the movies? It feels like that doesn’t happen much anymore. However, Do Revenge is full of teen angst bangers, from Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever,” Olivia Rodrigo’s “Brutal” along with some nostalgic ‘90s hits like “Dreams” by The Cranberries. The whole spirit of the soundtrack takes us back to classic teen movies, along with yet another reference to Clueless with “Kids In America” playing during the film after being part of that soundtrack as well. 

Do Revenge knows what it is and went all out with the teen movie references. In one sequence in the film, Maya Hawke’s Eleanor even calls herself “a disciple of the ’90s teen movie.” After seeing the new Netflix comedy and finding all these homages, we have a list of films to marathon next. This was the best mix of subliminal messages we could receive. 

As Stranger Things fans continue to mourn the events of the Season 4 finale, it’s time to get ready for the upcoming fifth and final season of the popular Netflix series.  The show is no stranger to doing things big and taking things far, even if it means saying goodbye to fan favorites. That in mind, star Maya Hawke has shared her wishes for the final episodes and how she’d feel if Robin died. 

Robin Buckley was introduced in Season 3 of Stranger Things as Steve’s co-worker at Scoops Ahoy. Since then, she has become a beloved character and an integral part of fighting everything that comes out of the Upside Down. Although not much is known about Stranger Things 5, Maya Hawke told Rolling Stone that she actually wouldn’t mind if Robin’s fate turned dark while fighting what could be the biggest threat the kids have dealt with yet:

Of course, with it being the final season, there will likely be a death or two or even more, and Stranger Things is known for killing off characters that fans have grown attached to – such as Bob Newby and Eddie Munson. While it wouldn’t be ideal for Robin to die just because she is such a great character, it would be interesting to see how that would impact the show, depending on how early or late in the season it happens. 

Learning that Maya Hawke wants Robin to die says a lot and perhaps could influence the Duffer Brothers to actually write it in if it flows well with the story. Although it might be hard to watch, if it works, then we might have to accept it. Plus, if it keeps them from killing off Steve, I am all for it. How he would react to his best friend’s death would be hard, but it’d be a win-lose situation for emotional audiences.

Meanwhile, fans won’t have to worry about new characters coming in for the fifth season, as the Duffer Brothers have previously mentioned their desire to focus on OG Stranger Things characters for the final season. (Though that only means that we will probably get more than one OG character’s death). At least if it’s Robin, we’d be somewhat prepared knowing Maya Hawke wants it that way. 

As for the rest of Season 5, we do know that Eddie’s death will greatly impact Dustin, as the two grew close in the short time they knew each other in Season 4. It’s going to be hard to watch Dustin cope, especially knowing that there will be a time jump when the series comes back. But hopefully whatever death awaits us in the final season won’t be too bad, and if it is, the writers do it justice. 

Keep checking CinemaBlend’s Netflix TV schedule to see when your favorite streaming series comes back to the platform.

Netflix’s latest comedy Do Revenge stars an ensemble cast of today’s most popular “teen” (because they’re all in their 20s in real life) stars. This new flick stars Camila Mendes, who is famously part of the Riverdale cast, and Stranger Things standout Maya Hawke, who committed to the film back in 2020. Both leading ladies were complimented for their performances by the critics, who also dug the nostalgia factor and the supporting cast. A cast that includes powerhouses like Sophie Turner, who you might know from a little show called Game of Thrones, and Alisha Boe, who was in the Netflix adaptation of 13 Reasons Why. 

While there were pitfalls to the movie, the reviews remained positive, with the film at 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. Here is what a few of the critics have to say about Do Revenge. 

Calling it a “sharp and stylish dark comedy,” Emily Bernard from Collider wrote that the new Netflix movie will keep you on your toes until the end. She compliments Mendes and Hawke, saying Mendes “completely owns” her character’s “righteous nature,” while Hawke gives a “nuanced” and “multidimensional” performance that shows off her range. Along with the two leads, she acknowledges her appreciation for the rest of the ensemble: 

Carla Meyer at the San Francisco Chronicle wrote about Mendes and Hawke embracing their inner Regina Georges for the movie. The Mean Girls vibe along with its progressive take on the teen revenge trope worked mostly because of the two lead actresses. Meyer elaborated on this point saying: 

Matt Zoller Seitz over at RogerEbert.com wrote that while the movie has its issues, like lots of teen movies do, it manages to elevate itself “beyond pastiche” because of the lead performances. He also noted that the direction of the film as well as its self-awareness were highlights. Notably, he called out Maya Hawke’s strong performance, with a nod to her famous parents, writing: 

Alexander Harrison from ScreenRant explains that Do Revenge harnesses the nostalgia of ‘80s and ‘90s movies like Heathers and Clueless. It then uses that nostalgia to create a film that speaks to the issues of today surrounding social media and streaming. Using that nostalgia and its ensemble cast, he writes that it was a fun time that fits right in with its predecessors. 

While Jordan Hoffman from TV Guide did not love the movie, he also admits he is not the intended audience for it. Overall, he calls the film “breezy and agreeable,” saying while it's nothing fantastic, it is amusing. While he may have been indifferent overall, he praised Hawke’s performance in the film and appreciated how the poppy colorful costumes worked into her storyline.

The verdict seems to be that this movie is a good time, especially if teen comedies are your cup of tea. Among the many 2022 movies being released this week, this seems like a good one to watch if you have a Netflix subscription and are looking for something fun and easy to watch in the never-ending sea of Netflix movies. 

The high school comedy and the noir thriller are two genres that could not be more different, but have crossed paths on a surprising number of occasions — such as in the the ‘80s with Heathers and with the deliciously demented Thoroughbreds in 2018. The latest edition of this “Hughes-meets-Hitchcock” genre splicing is the new Netflix original movie, Do Revenge.

Speaking of Alfred Hitchcock, co-writer and director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s follow-up to Someone Great, essentially, takes the plot of Strangers on a Train and lightens it up a bit by doing away with any murderous activity and, instead, focuses on a pair of prepatory high school students helping each other get back at the people who wronged them. The two main leads of the Do Revenge cast are already well-versed in coming-of-age stories and mysterious thrillers alike. See for yourself by looking at what else they and the rest of the film’s ensemble are also known for.

Camila Mendes (Drea)

As Drea — a popular student who wants to ruin her ex-boyfriend’s life — we have Camila Mendes, who made her screen acting debut in the Riverdale cast as Veronica Lodge in 2017, before making her feature film debut the following year with The New Romantic and her Netflix original debut the next year with The Perfect Date. 

After also leading crime thriller Coyote Lake in 2019, she was cast as the lead of her next Netflix movie — the 2020 thriller, Dangerous Lies — and, that same year, and played Cristin Milioti’s sister in Hulu’s hilarious romantic fantasy, Palm Springs. Also in 2020, Mendes leant her voice to an episode of The Simpsons and, the following year, joined the cast of Amazon’s Fairfax as the voice of melody and other characters.

Maya Hawke (Eleanor)

As Eleanor — an awkward new student who wants to “burn [her childhood bully] to the ground” — we have Maya Hawke, who is also a talented musician, but inherited acting chops from parents Ethan Hawke (whom she worked with on Showtime’s Western miniseries, The Good Lord Bird) and Uma Thurman. 

She made her screen acting debut in 2017 with PBS’ miniseries adaptation of Little Women, and made her feature-length debut with Ladyworld the next year before really breaking out as (the ever popular) Robin Buckley in the Stranger Things cast and as the Manson Family’s “Flowerchild” on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood cast in 2019. That same year, Hawke worked with Fred Hechinger in Human Capital before reuniting with him as a member of Netflix’s Fear Street Trilogy cast, starred alongside Andrew Garfield in Gia Coppola’s 2020 dramedy, Mainstream, and, in 2021, appeared opposite Vanessa Kirby in the strange thriller, Italian Studies.

Austin Abrams (Max)

Playing Drea’s ex-boyfriend, Max, is Austin Abrams, who has played many other unlikable teens in the past — such as Ron Anderson on The Walking Dead, Tommy Milner in 2019’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and Marc McKeon in the This is Us cast. 

However, he has also played a few goodhearted young men, too — like Ben in 2015’s Paper Towns, Ben Stiller’s onscreen son in Brad’s Status from 2017, and in HBO’s Euphoria cast as Ethan Lewis. Abrams also had small roles in Gangster Squad and The Kings of Summer from 2013 and, coincidentally, shared an onscreen romance with Camilia Mendes’ Riverdale co-star, Lili Reinhart, in 2020’s somber teen drama Chemical Hearts.

Ava Capri (Carissa)

Playing Elenor’s childhood bully, Carissa, is Ava Capri, who is also no stranger to coming-of-age stories, having played Lucy in Hulu’s Love, Victor cast, Olive on the web series T@gged, and being in the Blast Beat cast in 2021. She made her acting debut on the final season of Parks and Recreation in 2015, made her film debut with 2018’s Write When You Get Work, and later appeared in the 2020 sports drama, Embattled. Also in 2022, Capri starred in yet another teen movie (but darker) called When Time Got Louder.

Talia Ryder (Gabbi)

As Gabbi — one of Eleanor’s first new friends at her brand new prep school — we have Talia Ryder, who first broke into the industry in the role of Hortensia in a Broadway production of Matilda in 2015. Five years later, she made her film debut in the acclaimed teen drama Never Rarely Sometimes Always, sort of returned to her theatre roots the following year as Tessa in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story cast, and, that same year, appeared in Olivia Rodrigo’s music video for “deja vu.” Also in 2022, Ryder starred in the Amazon Prime original horror film, Master, and played the female lead of Netflix’s adaptation of the literary romance, Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between.

Alisha Boe (Tara)

Drea’s friend-turned-rival Tara is played by Alisha Boe, who is best known from the 13 Reasons Why cast (a much darker Netflix original teen story), but got her start in horror movies — namely her 2008 debut as Jessica Lucas’ younger self in Amusement and a supporting role in the fourth of the Paranormal Activity movies in 2011. She also had a stint on Days of Our Lives, recurring roles on Hulu’s Casual, Showtime’s Ray Donovan, and in MTV’s Teen Wolf cast, to name a few. In 2019, Boe shared the screen with Maya Hawke’s Stranger Things co-star, Natalia Dyer, in the satirical Yes, God, Yes, played a cheerleader in Poms, and took on demons in Gates of Darkness.

Rish Shah (Russ)

Because he dons blue hair to play Carissa’s friend, Russ, some Do Revenge viewers might not initially recognize Rish Shah, who is best known as Varun Dutta in the third of Netflix’s To All the Boys movies and from Disney+’s Ms. Marvel cast as Kamran. The actor debuted on the psychological limited series, PrankMe, in 2017, two years before appearing on HBO’s dystopian miniseries, Years and Years, and in an episode of the British drama, Doctors. In 2020, after appearing on another BBC medical drama called Casualty, he landed a recurring role on the long-running U.K. soap opera Emmerdale and, the following year, starred in the comedy Indian Sweets and Spices.

Maia Reficco (Montana)

Another former friend of Drea’s named Montana is played by Maia Reficco, who made her acting debut in 2017 in the title role of Kally’s Mashup — a musical teen comedy made for Nickelodeon’s Argentinian audiences — which she would reprise in the series’ feature-lengthen spin-off in 2021. Reficco’s biggest claim to fame right now outside of the Do Revenge cast is HBO Max’s Pretty Little Liars spin-off, Original Sin, on which she plays Noa Olivar.

Paris Berelc (Meghan)

Another rival of Drea’s named Meghan is played by Paris Berelc — a former Disney Channel star known for playing Skylar Storm on both Mighty Med and Lab Rats: Elite Force, and from the title role of Invisible Sister in 2015. She first transitioned into Netflix star status as one-half of the titular duo from teen dramedy series Alexa & Katie before appearing in the 2019 moviem Tall Girl, Adam Sandler’s popular horror-comedy Hubie Halloween in 2020, and reuniting with Kevin James for the short-lived sitcom, The Crew, the next year. Barelc is also known for the Shudder original thriller Confessional and, also in 2022, played the lead of Amazon Prime’s competitive gaming movie, 1UP.

Jonathan Daviss (Elliot)

As Max’s best friend, Elliot, we have Jonathan Daviss, who is also best known for his role on a coming-of-age Netflix series — namely the Outer Banks cast, as Pope Heyward. He debuted in 2013 on the second of season NBC’s Revolution as “Kid” and starred in producer Nicolas Sparks’ Lifetime original historical drama, Deliverance Creek, the following year. He starred in three movies in 2018: the faith-based sports drama Edge of the World, the 1986 summer-set dramedy Age of Summer, and the crime thriller Shattered Memories.

Sophie Turner (Erica)

As Erica — a spoiled, rich young woman with a grudge against Drea — we have Sophie Turner, who is not only one of the biggest stars in the Do Revenge cast, but one of the biggest stars in the world thanks to her Emmy-nominated debut role in HBO’s Game of Thrones cast as Sansa Stark. 

The British actor’s other best known role is a young Jean Grey in two of the X-Men movies, but her other notable film credits include the 2015 spy comedy Barely Lethal, the time-travel comedy Time Freak, and one of Ray Liotta’s final credits, Broken Soldier. While Do Revenge is Turner’s first Netflix original, she has starred in a couple of HBO Max originals, such as when she leant her voice the animated satire, The Prince, and joined The Staircase cast as Margaret Ratlff.

With a cast like this, Do Revenge — now available to stream on Netflix as of Friday, September 16 — looks like a dark comedy movie worth siding with and not holding a grudge against. Perhaps it will find itself a spot on the Netflix Top 10 and even hit Number One on the list of Netflix’s Top 10 Movies in the U.S. Either way, what a fun time staying in for movie night it should be.

Although her Instagram bio hilariously claims she’s the daughter of Tony Hawk, Stranger Things star Maya Hawke is actually the product of absolute Hollywood icons Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke. The 24-year-old actress has really made a splash since joining the cast of ST as the intriguing Robin in Season 3, and, apparently good ol’ dad is thrilled with where she is as an actress. The terrifying Black Phone star recently opened up about his daughter’s performance, gushing about her work on the show and also shared his own interesting personal connection to the Netflix series.

Parenthood has plenty of ups and downs, and seeing former babies become adults with their own lives and purposes can definitely be a huge up. As far as Ethan Hawke is concerned, seeing his daughter Maya Hawke come into herself and follow in his and his ex-wife Uma Thurman’s footsteps in Hollywood is seeming one of the high points of fatherhood. In an interview with ET, Hawke explained that he has immense admiration for Maya and can only sing her praises when it comes to the person she has become in adulthood. Here it is in his own loving words:

It sounds like Maya Hawke shares a lot of personality traits with her on-screen character, Robin, who with Steve Harrington makes up one of the Stranger Things duos fans just can’t get enough of. Robin, like Hawke apparently, is both serious and funny/playful and just all around awesome, as the show’s Dustin Henderson would say.

In addition to feeling connected to the show through his daughter, Ethan Hawke, in the same interview, explained another interesting, unrelated connection to Stranger Things. It would seem that he’s a bit of an expert when it comes to a key date involving the Upside Down, and that's because said day is important for him. Here’s what he says in regards to his deep connection to the show:

While it’s a pretty off-the-wall coincidence, Ethan Hawke clearly believes in fate. It’s actually super sweet that he feels the show was meant for his daughter, especially since she shines so brightly in the role. 

One other role that Maya Hawke could have practically been born for is Quentin Tarantino’s long-hoped-for Kill Bill 3. While there have been rumors of Hawke involvement alongside her mom, Uma Thurman, it doesn’t look like there's been any true movement on that front.

I’ve got my fingers crossed for a family reunion for one of Tarantino’s final films but, for right now, me and those with Netflix subscriptions will just have to be content with watching her in the recently released fourth season of Stranger Things. (And if you've seen it, ponder some of the major questions we have about Season 5.) We might not be able to enjoy the series with the same level of connection that Ethan Hawke has, but many of us can still definitely relate to the wonderful character that is Maya Hawke's Robin.

It’s almost here!

That’s right. Stranger Things Season 4 is right around the corner as part of the 2022 TV schedule, and I am so excited. While there are plenty of things to remember before Season 4, and all the major deaths that we have to anticipate, it’s sometimes hard to remember that it’s been three years since 2019, when Season 3 came out. And, the cast members of this show have been doing a lot. 

For fans of the Stranger Things cast, here is what they've all been up to in between Seasons 3 and 4. So, maybe you’ll be able to find something new to watch then in now. 

Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers)

Starting off strong, let’s take a look at Joyce Byers, the loving matriarch of Stranger Things that we all fell in love with during Season 1, played by the wonderful Winona Ryder. This actress has been in plenty of movies and TV shows in the past, and in the last three years, that hasn’t changed a bit. 

Ryder recently made an appearance in the thriller, The Cow, and also had a main role in The Plot Against America, as well as the television special, Sarah Cooper: Everything’s Fine. But, it won’t be long before we see her as Joyce Byers again on the small screen. 

David Harbour (Jim Hopper)

While we may all know David Harbour as Jim Hopper, the slightly gruff sheriff who became a father to Eleven and ended up “sacrificing” himself at the end of Season 3 of Stranger Things, Harbour has been very active these last few years. 

His biggest role thus far was being a part of the Black Widow cast, where he played Alexei. Some of his other big roles over the last three years was playing the titular character of Hellboy, a role in Extraction, and a part in No Sudden Move. He’s also guest-starred on many television shows, like The Simpsons, Q-Force, Big City Greens, and more. 

Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler)

You want to talk about a young man who’s been making a name for himself? Look no further than Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things. Over the last several years, Wolfhard appeared in several movies, such as reprising his role in IT: Chapter 2, had a huge part in the Ghostbusters: Afterlife cast, appeared in the movie, The Goldfinch, had another starring role in The Turning, and many others. 

He also had a main role on the Netflix reboot of Carmen Sandiego, and guest starred on many TV shows such as Smiling Friends, Home Movie: The Princess Bride, and more. 

Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven / Jane Hopper)

Arguably one of the most known names from Stranger Things is Millie Bobby Brown, who blew up after her starring role as Eleven - later known as Jane Hopper. Millie Bobby Brown has consistently proven herself a valuable actress, and has appeared in a couple of movies. 

Her biggest role was starring in Enola Holmes as the titular character, a role which she will reprise in the upcoming sequel. She also had a role in the big-time monster movie, Godzilla Vs. Kong, and had a guest spot on Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special. 

Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson)

I think everyone else has collectively decided that we all love Dustin Henderson on Stranger Things, and he could only be played by the wonderful Gaten Matarazzo. While this young actor hasn’t been in any movies since Stranger Things Season 3 came out in 2019, he’s been very active in television. 

He guest-starred on the show, Nickelodeon’s Unfiltered, and hosts his very own prank show on Netflix called Prank Encounters, and with that charming personality, it’s not surprising that he’s won the hearts of viewers through his hosting skills. 

Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair)

Moving on, now we have Caleb McLaughlin, who plays Lucas Sinclair in Stranger Things, and he’s been quite active in both movies and TV during these three years. He appeared in two films, the sports drama High Flying Bird, and the urban western, Concrete Cowboy. He also voiced Ghost in the animated series, Summer Camp Island.

Most recently, McLaughlin had a guest spot on The Boys Presents: Diabolical, an animated spinoff of the Amazon Prime original series, The Boys, so McLaughlin hasn’t strayed too far from television. 

Noah Schnapp (Will Byers)

Will was the boy we were all looking for in Stranger Things Season 1, but now it seems that he and Eleven are going to be spending plenty of time together in California in Stranger Things Season 4, where he will continue to be played by Noah Schnapp. 

Schnapp has appeared in a few movies over the last few years, including the films Abe, Waiting for Anya, and the Netflix Adam Sandler original, Hubie Halloween. Schnapp also appeared in a guest spot on the YouTube Red comedy series, Liza on Demand. 

Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield) 

Sadie Sink is a name that I’m sure you have heard a lot over the several months. 2021 was really her year, because not only did she have a pretty big role in the popular Netflix horror trilogy, Fear Street, she also had a starring role in Taylor Swift’s short film, All Too Well, based on the song that Swift wrote long ago for her album, Red. She also appeared in the movie, Eli. 

Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler)

Nancy Wheeler was one of those characters where, at first, you wanted to not like her because of how she abandoned Barb in Stranger Things Season 1, but now, after some time has passed, you can’t help but admire her persistence to want to do good and her lowkey badassery. And, she's still played by Natalia Dyer. This young actress has been putting in work over the last couple of years, appearing in a variety of movies. 

She appeared in the films, Yes, God, Yes, Velvet Buzzsaw, After Darkness, Tuscaloosa, United States vs. Reality Winner, and Things Heard & Seen. She also had a guest role on the TV series, Acting for a Cause, where she guest-starred on the episode, “Jane Eyre,” playing the titular character. 

Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers)

Another character that I genuinely liked since the beginning of Stranger Things was Jonathan Byers, the strange yet sweet older brother of Will who would do anything to keep his family safe, and who ends up being Nancy’s boyfriend in Season 2. Jonathan is played by Charlie Heaton, who has appeared in plenty of movies and TV shows over the last few years 

In terms of film, he played a part in the movie, No Future, and was a part of The New Mutants cast. He also played Jim Dagger in The Souvenir: Part II. Heaton also had a guest role on the series, Soulmates, where he appeared on the episode, “Break On Through” as Kurt. 

Joe Keery (Steve Harrington)

Oh, Joe Keery. The person that I have truly fallen for over these last couple of years, because he is just so dang funny. To fans of Stranger Things, you know Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, the character that started off as someone that we all sort of collectively didn’t like, but over the last several seasons, he’s proven just how much of a nice guy he is - and a lowkey mentor to all of the children we know and love on the sci-fi hit. 

Steve has some amazing moments and they could only be performed by Keery. I can’t picture anyone else pulling it off. Well, maybe Ryan Reynolds - whom he does co-star with in Free Guy - but that’s besides the point. 

Anyway, Keery has been in a couple of movies and TV shows, which include being a part of the Free Guy cast, as mentioned earlier, as well as appearing in the film, Spree as Kurt Kunkle. Keery also has a recurring role as Officer Ed Reinhardt in No Activity, and had a special role in two television specials on Netflix, Death to 2020 and Death to 2021, where he played Duke Goolies. You just gotta love him. 

Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley)

Last but not least, we have Maya Hawke. While she only joined Stranger Things in Season 3, her character, Robin Buckley, left an impression on audiences and quickly became a fan-favorite, and also gave us some adorable friendship moments between her and Steve, who are basically besties now. Hawke has been very active these last several years, appearing in a variety of movies and TV shows. 

She appeared in the films Human Capital, Mainstream, and Italian Studies, and even was in Fear Street: Part One: 1994. Hawke has also stepped into the TV world a bit more, appearing in the miniseries, The Good Lord Bird, where she played Annie Brown.

With Stranger Things Season 4 around the corner, one can only wonder what these amazing cast members are going to do next. Are they going to end up joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Will we see more sci-fi from them after Stranger Things comes to a close? Only time will tell. But, you can bet that no matter what, I’ll be there watching from the sidelines to see whatever they do on the big or small screen. 

Quentin Tarantino is one of the most iconic filmmakers of all time, thanks to the careful and specific work he puts into each project. He’ll seemingly only direct a few more movies before retiring from the job, and many moviegoers are hoping he makes time for Kill Bill Vol. 3. Fans want actress Maya Hawke to play a grown-up B.B., and now she’s responded to those rumors about joining Tarantino and her mother Uma Thurman.

B.B. is The Bride’s daughter in Kill Bill, so fans are hoping to see Uma Thurman’s real-life daughter in the role if a threequel is ever made. Maya Hawke has already proven herself a capable actress in projects like Stranger Things, and previously worked with Quentin Tarantino on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. She recently responded to fans hoping she’ll be in Kill Bill Vol. 3., saying:

Well, there you have it. While there aren’t currently any plans for Kill Bill 3 to come together with Maya Hawke, she seems more than interested in joining the beloved franchise. And there’s no telling how authentic the performances would be with Hawke and Uma Thurman as daughter and mother. Make it happen, Tarantino!

Maya Hawke’s comments to The Guardian definitely shows how well she knows Quentin Tarantino as well. While admitting he’s working at his own pace, she would be happy to once again work with the prolific Oscar winner. Whether that happens in Kill Bill 3 or another project remains to be seen, but Tarantino should presumably only have a few more directing credits in him. 

While Quentin Tarantino has continued working on acclaimed work like The Hateful Eight and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, some fans are hoping to see him return to the world of Kill Bill sooner rather than later. The premise for a potential threequel is simple: an adult version of Vernita Green’s child Nikkia comes to look for Uma Thurman’s The Bride, in another tale of revenge and blood. B.B. would also presumably factor into the story, making way for Maya Hawke to star alongside her mother.

It’s currently unclear if Kill Bill 3 will ever happen, but Quentin Tarantino has definitely expressed interest in returning to that property. Still, it remains to be seen if this comes to fruition. He’s also seemingly flirting with the idea of his own Star Trek movie, in addition to whatever 10th original creation also develops. Clearly folks would love to work with Tarantino, including Maya Hawke. Or as she simply calls him, Quentin.  

Maya Hawke will be seen again when Stranger Things returns for its fourth season on Netflix. Be sure to check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Throughout the events of Leigh Janiak’s Fear Street trilogy, the threads of the past and present of Shadyside, Ohio intermingle in some interesting ways. With over 300 years of history connecting characters through various eras in R.L. Stine’s fictional town, it’s a universe where familiar faces pop up in different eras of time. But one interesting connection came in the coincidental casting of two Stranger Things stars, Sadie Sink and Maya Hawke, and how neither of them knew it until later in the process.

Originally, as I was talking with Fear Street: Part 2 - 1978’s Sadie Sink during the press day for the Fear Street trilogy, I’d meant to ask about whether or not Ms. Sink got a chance to bond with Gillian Jacobs, who just happens to play the older version of Ziggy/Christine Berman. As Sink gets to play the younger, more rebellious version, and Jacobs is the more subdued and traumatized variant, I wanted to find out what sort of discussions that may have prompted between the two actors. However, in that process, I learned something even more interesting, as you’ll see in Sadie Sink’s discussion on how she learned that Maya Hawke was in Fear Street: Part 1 - 1994:

For those of you wondering where Maya Hawke may have popped up in the Fear Street trilogy, we’ll help you out with the answer. In the beginning of Fear Street: Part 1 - 1994, Hawke plays Heather, the B. Dalton store clerk who is actually selling Fear Street books at the Shadyside Mall. Though, in the tradition of such films as Psycho, she doesn’t make it past the first act, as her boyfriend is Ryan Torres, the first victim of the supposed “Curse of Sarah Fier” who we’re introduced to. And for you eagle eyed R.L. Stine fans who couldn’t tear your eyes off the books shown in that sequence, yes, Heather is selling The Wrong Number to Sam’s stepmom in the opening. Not to mention that the book that spares Heather’s life for a little longer is none other than Cheerleaders: The First Evil.

The respectful nostalgia that Fear Street shows to R.L. Stine’s source material is another angle that probably sees audiences draw unconscious comparisons between these films and the Stranger Things phenomenon that Netflix has been riding the wave of for some time. What’s even stranger about this Netflix casting coincidence is the fact that Leigh Janiak herself has a personal connection to the world of Stranger Things, as she’s married to series co-creator Ross Duffer. Taking the connections one step further is the fact that Fear Street: Part 3 - 1666 showcases yet another actor from the cast in its ranks, with Randy Havens playing the father of Sarah Fier in the trilogy-capping installment.

But with all of these strong connections to that other nostalgic Netflix juggernaut, Janiak found it even more important to respectfully separate Fear Street from Stranger Things. One key decision in how Fear Street distinguished Shadyside, Ohio from Hawkins, Illinois was in its baseline time period. 1994 wasn’t just chosen out of a hat, as Leigh Janiak explained that the setting of the Fear Street universe’s core story was initially set to take place a bit sooner than it eventually did. The switch to 1994 came out of the following necessity, according to Janiak herself:

While Sadie Sink, Maya Hakwe and Randy Havens just happen to be in both Fear Street and Stranger Things, it’s not like Leigh Janiak was trying to create a Voltron-style combination of Netflix properties. That’s not to say that she doesn’t enjoy the comparisons, but rather that she wasn’t aiming for such a connection when making this project over at the original home it set up with 20th Century Fox:

Of course, the distinctions between Fear Street and Stranger Things do present themselves in the ways that Leigh Janiak described above. But even when it comes to Sadie Sink’s role as Ziggy Berman in Fear Street: Part 2 - 1978, part of pushing those boundaries came in the form of her most stunt heavy role ever. As Ziggy gets to tussle with the Nightwing Killer, the physical edge to those antics are more strenuous than anything the monsters of Hawkins threw her way, and she was absolutely game for it.

Audiences will still probably draw comparisons between Stranger Things and Fear Street, and much like Sink and Maya Hawke, they won’t even know they did so until after the fact. But the big difference is that while the more family-friendly TV series sinks a little deeper into the nostalgia pool, Leigh Janiak’s potential universe of terror opts to use nostalgia as an accent, doing the world she loves justice in the hopes that others will also fall in love with its bloody and harrowing charms. It’s a blood-soaked love letter with a mix tape to die for, and you can enjoy every minute of the Fear Street trilogy for yourself, as all three installments are currently streaming on Netflix.

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One of the most taxing things about being a fan of horror movies is having to wait for the next installment of your new favorite franchise, but, that is not the case with the Fear Street movies on Netflix. Inspired by the young adult book series by Goosebumps author R.L. Stine, a three parts of this chilling trilogy (one taking place in the mid-1990s, the second during the dawn of the slasher era, and the finale in the time of witch trials) are being made available to stream within one week of each other. The Fear Street cast (some of which appear in each installment) also boasts an impressive variety of up-and-coming young stars and familiar faces, such as this actress who might be on her way to joining the Scream Queens Hall of Fame.

Kiana Madeira (Deena Johnson/Sarah Fier) - 1994, 1978, 1666

Deena, the central heroine of Fear Street Part One: 1994 and an important character of the subsequent films too, is one of the first leading roles for Kiana Madeira, but not her first introduction to horror after starring in the Facebook watch original Sacred Lies and Disney Channel’s My Babysitter’s a Vampire series (if you want to count that as horror). She is also no stranger to literary adaptations after guest starring on The Flash (one of The CW’s most popular DC TV shows) in 2018 and becoming a series regular on Netflix’s Trinkets (based on the book by Kristen Smith) the following year. Another book-to-screen project is in Madeira’s future, having joined the cast of the After movies series for its next installments, After We Fell and After Ever Happy.

Olivia Scott Welch (Samantha Fraser/Hannah Miller) - 1994, 1978, 1666

Also a young veteran of YA book adaptations and the horror genre is Olivia Scott Welch, who killed both of those birds with one stone before playing Sam in the Fear Street movies in 2021 as the main character of the Amazon Prime original series Panic, based on creator Lauren Oliver’s novel. Earlier, she, technically, joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a guest appearance on Hayley Atwell’s short-lived Agent Carter series after earning a recurring role on Modern Family Season 7 as Manny Delgado’s “fetching” study partner. Welch became a member of the Netflix family in 2019 when she starred on a few episodes of the platform’s true crime miniseries Unbelievable opposite former Last Man Standing cast member Kaitlyn Dever and made her feature film debut in the indie college comedy Shithouse in 2020.

Benjamin Flores Jr. (Josh Johnson/Henry) - 1994, 1978, 1666

Playing the young expert of all things fearful in the Fear Street movies, Josh, is Benjamin Flores Jr, who rose to fame at age 7 as rapper Lil’ P-Nut - earning him his acting debut in 2011’s Happy Feet Two as a rapping penguin. His first taste of “horror” came on the sitcom The Haunted Hathaways on Nickelodeon (which would later cast him on another show called Game Shakers and as the voice of Gerald in 2017’s Hey Arnold: The Jungle Movie) before appearing in more movies like Ride Along in 2014, Transformers: The Last Knight in 2017, and 2019’s Rim of the World - Flores’ first Netflix original about youths taking on evil. He also lent his voice Netflix’s Spirit Riding Free: Riding Academy, its animated Jurassic World spin-off series, and appeared on Showtime’s Your Honor miniseries in 2020.

Fred Hechinger (Simon Kalivoda/Isaac) - 1994, 1978 1666

Simon, the comic relief of Fear Street Part One: 1994, is played by Fred Hechinger, who has also had a relationship with Netflix since starring in the 2018 LGBTQ+ rom-com Alex Strangelove the same year he made his debut in Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade and starred opposite Natalie Portman in Vox Lux. Other Netflix exclusives on his resume include News of the World (temporarily on the platform internationally during COVID) with Tom Hanks and The Woman in the Window with Amy Adams and his HBO Max originals include Steven Soderbergh’s Let Them All Talk and the upcoming limited dramedy series The White Lotus. He is also associated with Amazon Prime (after appearing on an episode of The Underground Railroad) and Hulu (after being cast on the upcoming miniseries Pam & Tommy, starring Sebastian Stan as Tommy Lee and Lily James as Pamela Anderson).

Julia Rehwald (Kate Schmidt/Lizzie) - 1994, 1978, 1666

One of the closest friends of Deena and Simon is Kate Schmidt, played by Julia Rehwald, who (like most of the Fear Street cast) is also slated to appearing in Fear Street Part Two: 1978 and will have a large role in Fear Street Part Three: 1666… but more on those later. The trilogy of Netflix horror movies actually marks the feature-length film debut for the 20-year-old actress, who was only previously known for starring in short films - namely the 2017 teen romance Where’s Darren and culinary comedy Mukbang Masarap in 2019.

Ashley Zukerman (Sheriff Nick Goode/Solomon Goode) - 1994, 1978, 1666

As the obligatory local cop who seems to know more about Shadyside’s secrets than he lets on, we have Ashley Zukerman, who broke out in Australia (where he was raised) on the crime drama Rush before his American debut on the World War II-set miniseries The Pacific on HBO in 2010. After the original Australian version of The Slap in 2011, he appeared on Fox’s short-lived sci-fi show Terra Nova, was cast in another WWII era drama (WGN’s Manhattan), and landed guest spots on hits like Fear the Walking Dead on AMC and Showtime’s Masters of Sex. The star of the upcoming The Lost Symbol series (in which he will play Da Vinci Code hero Robert Langdon) is also known for the 2018 horror gem The Wind, the Hulu original miniseries A Teacher, and his recurring role on HBO’s Succession as Shiv Roy’s ex-boyfriend Nate Sofrelli.

Matthew Zuk (Mayor Will Goode/Elijah Goode) - 1994, 1978, 1666

Playing Sheriff Goode’s brother and the Mayor of Shadyside is Matthew Zuk, who has been a face without a name for much of his preceding career in unnamed and uncredited roles like “Pep Rally Cheer Leader” in We Are Marshall or “Street Pedestrian #2” in Avengers: Infinity War, to name a few. Ironically, his biggest role to date outside of the Fear Street movies requires him to not show his face at all: Matt Bomer’s body double as Negative Man in the Doom Patrol cast. Zuk also got to work with Tom Hanks in the Apple TV+ war drama Greyhound in 2020.

Maya Hawke (Heather Watkins) - 1994

Giving off “Drew Barrymore in Scream” vibes in Fear Street Part One: 1994 is Maya Hawke, who has more than being Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman's daughter as her claim to fame. After making her debut as Jo March in PBS’ miniseries adaptation of Little Women, the 23-year-old actress and model pretty much earned her Scream Queen status when she broke out on the Stranger Things cast as Robin Buckley (whom she is set to reprise when Season 4 of the hit Netflix series premieres) in the same year she joined Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood cast as Manson Family member “Flowerchild.” Next, Hawke will team up with the Riverdale cast’s Camila Mendes for Netflix’s Strangers (described as teen comedy rewrite of an Alfred Hitchcock classic) and voice author Helen Gurley Brown for the upcoming podcast The Playboy Interview.

Sadie Sink (Ziggy Berman/Constance) - 1978, 1666

Maya Hawke’s co-star from the Stranger Things cast, Sadie Sink, has also firmly earned her Scream Queen status at only 19 years old after following up her role as Max Mayfield on the Netflix hit with the platform’s thriller Eli in 2019. The Texas-born actress made her acting debut on a Season 1 episodes of the FX period drama The Americans before earning a guest spot on the hit CBS procedural Blue Bloods in 2014 and would later work with Brie Larson in the drama The Glass Castle in 2017. The hero of Fear Street Part Two: 1978 will next appear in the post-9/11 drama Dear Zoe and director Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale opposite the No Sudden Move cast’s Brendan Fraser.

Gillian Jacobs (C. Berman) - 1978, 1666

It is clear from the Fear Street Part One: 1994 ending that Gillian Jacobs’ character of C. Berman is going to be a major part of the subsequent Fear Street movies. While she is known best for comedies - especially for playing Britta Perry in the Community cast - the 39-year-old actress is no stranger to the horror genre, having starred in Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly’s 2009 cautionary tale The Box and Come Play in 2020. After lending her voice to Invincible cast as “Atom Eve” on Amazon Prime’s animated superhero TV show, Jacobs will try her hand at action movies in Violence of Action opposite Chris Pine and will star in an upcoming biographical miniseries about the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team.

Emily Rudd (Cindy Berman/Abigail) - 1978, 1966

As Ziggy Berman’s sister, Cindy, in Fear Street Part Two: 1978, we have Emily Rudd, who is not related to Paul Rudd in case you were wondering. Appearances in music videos dominated the young actress’ early career before appearing on Amazon Prime’s Philip K. Dick-inspired anthology series Electric Dreams, the platform’s royal family drama The Romanoffs, and The CW’s reboot of the hit primetime soap opera Dynasty in 2020. The Fear Street movies are the first of Rudd’s feature-length credits, but she currently has a sci-fi romance called Moonshot, also starring Cole Sprouse, in the works.

So far, this new trilogy of Fear Street movies has turned out to be some of the best horror movies I have personally seen in 2021. As you can see, the cast is a big reason why.

In a way, the talented members of the Stranger Things cast could already be considered superheroes and the fact that some have already starred in superhero movies really helps sell that notion. For instance, Charlie Heaton appeared in The New Mutants in 2020, which immediately made me wonder what it would be like to see his co-stars as X-Men characters, too. The following is a list of all your favorite actors from the hit sci-fi Netflix series and the mutants I would cast them as in the Marvel movies if given the opportunity, starting with one starlet who already knows a thing or two about playing a super-powered being.

Millie Bobby Brown (Kitty Pryde)

For the actress behind the telekinetic Eleven, I could have gone with the obvious choice of Jean Grey, but X-Men fans have been pulling for Millie Bobby Brown to play this mutant, nicknamed Shadowcat for her ability to walk through walls, for a while. I agree with the casting, especially considering how her Stranger Things character also shares similar telepathic powers with Kitty Pryde.

Maya Hawke (Jean Grey)

Besides, I would actually rather see how Maya Hawke, who joined the Stranger Things cast as Robin in Season 3, could handle the part of Jean Gray. Outside of a brief appearance in the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood cast as a Manson Family member who chickens out before invading Rick Dalton's house, the daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke has yet to really show her dark side and portraying the powerful psychokinetic's evolution toward becoming the Dark Phoenix would be a great opportunity.

Joe Keery (Cyclops)

Someone who did show off his dark side with 2020 horror movie Spree is Joe Keery, whose Stranger Things character Steve Harrington wrongfully assumed he had a shot with co-worker Robin in Stranger Things Season 3. Well, I can switch that around by casting him as Jean Grey's longtime laser-eyed lover Cyclops, whom Keery is nearly a dead ringer for outside of possessing the charisma of good-nature, but sometimes cocky, hero that defines the role.

Natalia Dyer (Rogue)

Some fans have also considered Maya Hawke as a good fit for Rogue, as well, but I actually thought of Natalia Dyer when considering who to play the young X-Men member. Her role as the feisty, ambitious Nancy Wheeler on Stranger Things has gone through one of the series' most transformative character arcs, convincing me she would be perfect to depict the energy-absorbing mutant.

Charlie Heaton (Cannonball)

You know, speaking of second choices, I actually did consider making Natalia Dyer Jean Grey and making Charlie Heaton Cyclops as a reference to their romance on Stranger Things and in real life. However, say what you want about The New Mutants, the British actor's performance as Sam Guthrie (otherwise known as Cannonball for his destructive flight path) was a highlight that warrants a second chance at the role in an MCU X-Men reboot movie.

Finn Wolfhard (Pyro)

Another destructive X-Men character is Pyro, the name St. John Allerdyce would earn for his ability to manipulate fire, but not create it. I thought of Finn Wolfhard to play a younger version of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants member, in part because I think the Stranger Things Mike Wheeler actor has potential to play a bad guy that his "sinister" role in 2020 horror movie The Turning did not quite justify.

Noah Schnapp (Nightcrawler)

When considering what X-Men character Noah Schnapp should play, I thought I would take some inspiration from his Stranger Things character, Will Byers, who chose a wizard for his Dungeons and Dragons role. While not an official magic user, I feel that the teleportation abilities of Nightcrawler make him a close enough choice. Plus, Schnapp got a taste of what it is like to portray a someone of more "monstrous" proportions in Stranger Things Season 2 when The Mind Flayer took over Will's body.

Gaten Matarazzo (Forge)

I also looked to Gaten Matarazzo's scene-stealing Stranger Things character to decide the X-Men character he had the most potential for, but not in terms of his Dungeons & Dragons role. After returning from Camp Know Where in Stranger Things Season 3, Dustin Henderson proved himself to be pretty damn tech savvy, much like Forge - an intuitive mechanical genius with mystical powers and a cybernetic leg.

Caleb McLaughlin (Cloak)

It was not, particularly, anything about Caleb McLaughlin's role as Lucas Sinclair on Stranger Things that led me to choose the darkly mystical and aptly named Cloak as his potential X-Men-related character. Yet, I did find similarities between Cloak's young, pre-superhero alter ego Tyrone Johnson and McLaughlin's role as a rebellious teen on the road to redemption in the Netflix original movie Concrete Cowboy from 2021.

Sadie Sink (Dagger)

On the other hand, I will admit that it was Sadie Sink's chemistry with Caleb McLaughlin as Max Mayfield, who became Lucas' girlfriend at the end of Stranger Things Season 2, that convinced me to cast her as the also rebellious young woman Tandy Bowen. She uses her mutant powers to project "daggers" of light as Cloak's partner in crimefighting (and on-and-off romance) under the alias Dagger. Together, they are known as Marvel's Cloak & Dagger, who would inspire a Freeform series of the same that ran from 2018 to 2019.

Dacre Montgomery (Slipstream)

As Max Mayfield's extremely antagonistic brother, Billy, on Stranger Things is Dacre Montgomery, whom you would never know is actually a native of Australia by how well, and how often, he hides his accent on screen. So, I figured, why not cast him as a mutant from Down Under like Slipstream, whose water-based powers and love of surfing call to mind Billy's stint as a Hawkins lifeguard in Season 3.

Winona Ryder (Selene)

Outside of playing Joyce Byers on Stranger Things, you no longer see Winona Ryder play the kinds of characters that made her a Scream Queen, like as Lydia Deetz in the Beetlejuice cast or the female lead of Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1992. The latter role gives me the idea of casting her as one of the X-Men's most horror-centric characters Selene, whose mutant abilities of mental life force absorption classify her as a "psychic vampire."

David Harbour (Beast)

You know, I cannot say I am a fan of 2019's failed Hellboy reboot, but I still believe, as the titular demon with a heart of gold, David Harbour gave his best performances since playing Hopper on Stranger Things shot him to the A-list. To give him the chance to bring another kindhearted "beast" to life on the big screen, I think casting him as middle-aged Hank McCoy would be an inspired choice.

It almost sounds too meta, but could still be greatly satisfying, for the MCU to bring in the Stranger Things cast to play the bulk of their X-Men characters. If not, a future in the DC movies is not out of the question.

It's been a year-and-a-half since Quentin Tarantino rocked his way back into theaters with his ninth film, Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie, among several others, this star-studded period piece was exactly the sort of entertaining revisionist history that only Tarantino could make, and it became another critical and commercial darling for the famous filmmaker. It was nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, and it won two, for Best Production Design and Best Supporting Actor for Pitt.

Following the movie's celebrated success, what is the cast of Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood doing next? Let's take a look and see.

Leonardo DiCaprio (Rick Dalton)

In the role of Rick Dalton, a dwindling movie-turned-TV star caught spiraling at the dawn of the American New Wave, Leonardo DiCaprio played the lead role in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood. An Oscar-winning actor best known for Titanic, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Catch Me If You Can, The Departed, Gangs of New York, Romeo + Juliet, The Aviator, Inception, The Wolf of Wall Street, and The Revenant, DiCaprio is one of Hollywood's biggest stars. He previously collaborated with Tarantino on Django Unchained.

Most recently, Leonardo DiCaprio made an uncredited appearance in the mini-series, Grant, where he served as an executive producer. Currently, the actor is filming a role in Adam McKay's star-studded Don't Look Up. The actor-producer is soon set to reunite with Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon. Outside of acting, DiCaprio is producing the biopic, Atari.

Brad Pitt (Cliff Booth)

Playing the part of Cliff Booth, a disgraced stuntman and loyal sidekick to Rick Dalton, Brad Pitt gave an Oscar-winning performance in Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood. As one of the biggest movie stars on the planet in the '90s and '00s, Pitt is known for a number of A-list roles, including the Ocean's movies, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Twelve Monkeys, Thelma & Louise, Legends of the Fall, Interview with the Vampire, Se7en, 12 Years a Slave, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Following this acclaimed performance, Brad Pitt starred in Ad Astra. He's currently filming Bullet Train and he's expected to star in Babylon, the newest film from director Damien Chazelle. As a producer, meanwhile, Pitt is involved with Blonde, Amazon Prime's The Underground Railroad, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and Black Hole, to name only a few forthcoming titles under his Plan B banner.

Margot Robbie (Sharon Tate)

As Sharon Tate, a high-profile American actress who lives next door to Rick Dalton, Margot Robbie provided a touching take on the tragic real-life figure. The Australian actress found fame through Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street and garnered an Oscar nomination for I, Tonya. She's also well-known for her performance as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad.

Following her work in Quentin Tarantino's latest film, Robbie gave an Oscar-nominated performance in Bombshell. Earlier this year, the A-list talent starred in Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn and Dreamland, both of which she also produced. Also, Robbie is a producer on this month's Promising Young Woman. Next, she'll be seen in The Suicide Squad, reprising her role as Harley Quinn, and heard in Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway. Additionally, the actress is expected to star in Babylon, opposite Brad Pitt, and the newest film from writer-director David O. Russell. Robbie will also produce Netflix's Maid.

Margaret Qualley (Pussycat)

Playing the part of Pussycat, Margaret Qualley gave a standout supporting performance in Quentin Tarantino's newest film. The daughter of actress Andie MacDowell, Qualley is an Emmy-nominated star for her work in FX's Fosse/Verdon. She's also known for her performances in The Leftovers, Novitiate, Palo Alto, Netflix's IO, The Nice Guys, Death Note, and Spike Jonze's dance-heavy short film, Kenzo World.

Following her role in Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood, Margaret Qualley starred in Strange But True, Adam, and Seberg. She also appeared in Olivia Wilde's short film, Wake Up, and Rainey Qualley's "Love Me Like You Hate Me" music video. Additionally, the actress can be heard in the video game, Death Stranding. Next, Qualley stars in My Salinger Year and Netflix's upcoming dramedy series, Maid. She also booked roles in North of Normal, A Head Full of Ghosts, and Claire Denis's The Stars at Noon.

Julia Butters (Trudi Fraser)

In the role of Trudi Fraser, a talented child star who gives Rick Dalton some much-needed encouragement during a moment of doubt, Julia Butters plays a sizable role in Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood's mid-section. Outside of this performance, Butters plays a main character in ABC's sitcom, American Housewife. She can also be seen in 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, Term Life, and episodes of Transparent.

Most recently, Butters starred in the latest season of American Housewife and she was heard in the animated short film, Fetch.

Mike Moh (Bruce Lee)

As a fictionalized version of Bruce Lee, Mike Moh played a kick-ass role in Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood. Outside of this performance, Moh starred in the web series, Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist and Resurrection. He also played a role in ABC's short-lived Inhumans and he made appearances in Empire. Outside of acting, Moh is the founder of Moh's Martial Arts in Waunakee, Wisconsin.

Shortly after Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood's release, Moh starred in Killerman. Next, the actor will be seen in Eddie Haung's feature directorial debut, Boogie.

Emile Hirsch (Jay Sebring)

Playing the part of Jay Sebring, a close friend of Sharon Tate, Emile Hirsch had a prominent supporting role in Quentin Tarantino's newest film. The actor is best known for his acclaimed lead performance in Into the Wild. He's also known for The Girl Next Door, Lords of Dogtown, Speed Racer, Milk, Alpha Dog, Lone Survivor, Killer Joe, Taking Woodstock, and Prince Avalanche.

Following his work in Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood, Emile Hirsch starred in Never Grow Old and this year's Force of Nature. He also did voice work in Wizards, 3Below: Tales of Arcadia, Robot Chicken, and the video game, Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia. Next, Hirsch stars in The Comeback Trail, Son, American Night, and Midnight in the Switchgrass. Currently, the actor is filming a role in State of Consciousness.

Kurt Russell (Randy Miller/Narrator)

As Randy Miller, an experienced stunt coordinator, as well as our narrator, Kurt Russell reunited with writer-director Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood. A former child actor-turned-movie star, Russell is known for a variety of roles, including (but not limited to) The Thing, Escape from New York, Big Trouble in Little China, Overboard, Tango & Cash, Tombstone, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, Sky High, Miracle, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Silkwood, Bone Tomahawk, and Backdraft. Also, the actor worked with Tarantino on Death Proof and The Hateful Eight.

Most recently, Kurt Russell starred in Netflix's The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two, where he reprised his role as Santa Claus. He was also seen in last year's Crypto.

Al Pacino (Marvin Schwarz)

In the role of Marvin Schwarz, Rick Dalton's agent, Al Pacino played a fun, flashy supporting character in Quentin Tarantino's most recent movie. As one of the most famous and revered working actors of the past 50 years, Pacino is an Oscar/Tony/Emmy-winning superstar with acclaimed performances in The Godfather trilogy, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, Scarface, Heat, Donnie Brasco, Scent of a Woman, Glengarry Glen Ross, Angels in America, Dick Tracy, and The Panic in Needle Park, among several other productions of the stage and screen.

Shortly following his starry role in Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood, Al Pacino played Jimmy Hoffa in Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, for which he was Oscar-nominated. Earlier this year, he led Amazon Prime's Hunters. Next, Pacino stars in Axis Sally. He's also signed on to star in Ridley Scott's Gucci.

Timothy Olyphant (James Stacy)

Playing James Stacy, Timothy Olyphant was a prominent supporting character in Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood. Best known for his Emmy-nominated lead role in FX's Justified, the film/TV actor also starred in Scream 2, Deadwood, Hitman, Live Free or Die Hard, Go, The Crazies (2010), A Perfect Getaway, and Santa Clarita Diet.

Last year, Timothy Olyphant reprised his role as Seth Bullock in HBO's Deadwood: The Movie. He was nominated for an Emmy, along with the rest of the cast, for his part in this TV movie. Earlier this year, Olyphant made a slew of television appearances. He was seen in episodes of The Good Place, where he played "Timothy Olyphant," Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Mandolorian. Most recently, Olyphant played a recurring role in FX's Fargo Season 4. Next, the actor stars in the upcoming dramatic film, The Starling.

Austin Butler (Tex)

As Tex, Charles Manson's deputy, Austin Butler played a vicious role in Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood. Outside of this performance, the actor is better known for his television work in Switched at Birth, Ruby & the Rockits, The Carrie Diaries, and The Shannara Chronicles. He was also seen in Aliens in the Attic, Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure, Yoga Hosers, Dude, and The Dead Don't Die, as well as episodes of Arrow.

Next, Austin Butler will play The King of Rock 'n' Roll in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis.

Maya Hawke (Flowerchild)

Playing the part of Flowerchild, Maya Hawke had one of her first blockbuster roles in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood. Most notably, Hawke (the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman) is known for playing Robin in Stranger Things Season 3. She also played Jo March in the BBC's 2017 adaptation of Little Women. Earlier this year, Hawke starred in Human Capital. Additionally, she was recently seen in the mini-series The Good Lord Bird, Samia's "Is There Something In the Movies?" music video, and a pair of short films, As They Slept and Memory Xperiment: Kathy Acker, respectively.

Next, Maya Hawke will star in Mainstream and the latest season of Stranger Things. She's also set to star in the upcoming comedy, Strangers.

Mikey Madison (Sadie)

In the role of Sadie, Mikey Madison has an explosive part in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time ... In Hollywood. The actress is most well-known for playing a main character in FX's acclaimed Better Things.

Following this supporting turn, Mikey Madison was heard in 2019's The Addams Family. Additionally, the actress was seen in the latest season of Better Things earlier this year. Next, Madison stars in 2022's Scream.

Madisen Beaty (Katie)

Playing the part of Katie, Madisen Beaty gets a smashing role in Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood. Outside of this performance, Beaty has been seen in The Master, Other People, The Fosters, The Cloverhitch Killer, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Most recently, Madisen Beaty starred in To The Stars and a couple of episodes of The Magicians. Next, the actress will be seen in the horror-mystery, Seance.

Dakota Fanning (Squeaky)

Playing the part of Squeaky, a devoted Manson follower, Dakota Fanning plays a starry cameo in Once Upon a Time ... In Hollywood. The former child star is best known for War of the Worlds, The Cat in the Hat, I Am Sam, Man on Fire, Charlotte's Web, The Secret Life of Bees, The Runaways, Coraline, Dreamer, and the Twilight sequels.

Earlier this year, Dakota Fanning starred in Sweetness in the Belly, Viena and the Fantomes, and The Alienist: Angel of Darkness. Next, she'll star in The Nightingale opposite Elle Fanning.

Bruce Dern (George Spahn)

In the role of George Spahn, a blind, bed-ridden rancher visited by Cliff Booth, Bruce Dern filled in for the late Burt Reynolds in Once Upon a Time ... In Hollywood. A revered character actor with nearly 200 credits to his name, Dern is a two-time Oscar-nominated actor known for his performances in Coming Home, Nebraska, Silent Running, The King of Marvin Gardens, Posse (1975), The Cowboys, The 'Burbs, and Black Sunday. He also starred in Quentin Tarantino's previous film, The Hateful Eight.

Following this performance, Bruce Dern starred in Remember Me (2019), Inherit the Viper, Emperor, The Artist's Wife, Ravage, Badland, and a season of Mr. Mercedes. Next, he'll be seen in Death in Texas, Overrun, Buck Alamo or (A Phantasmagorical Ballad), Hands that Bind, Hellblazers, Girl Named Guy, Last Call, The Gateway, and the final season of Goliath. If that weren't enough to keep him busy, Dern is currently filming a role in Christmas vs. the Walters.

Damon Herriman (Charles Manson)

As cult leader Charles Manson, known here as "Charlie," Damon Herriman played a menacing role in Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood. He also played Manson in Netflix's Mindhunter. And he's well-known for his work in Justified and The Nightingale (2019).

Following his brief-but-important part in Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood, Damon Herriman appeared in TV shows like The Commons, Perpetual Grace, LTD, Lambs of God, and Mr. Inbetween. He also appeared in Julia Stone's "Unreal" music video, while playing one of the titular roles in Judy & Punch. Next, Herriman will star in Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, as well as two upcoming mini-series, The Serpent and The Underground Railroad.

Did you love Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood? Let us know in the comments!

After her standout turn as Robin Buckley in the third season of Stranger Things, Maya Hawke has the industry and fans expecting big things, and while she hasn't exactly been picking up projects left and right in the last year, she has now signed on for an exciting new project that will add to her resume of Netflix exclusives.

According to Deadline, Hawke is now set to team up with Riverdale’s Camila Mendes for Strangers – a film that is essentially a remake of Patricia Highsmith's Strangers On A Train (previously made into an iconic movie by Alfred Hitchcock) that is getting a revamp with teenage protagonists. It's not totally clear just how dark the feature will get, but the plot is described as being about two young women named Drew and Eleanor who meet up randomly and make a deal that will see them work to try to take down the other's bullies.

Newcomer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who wrote and directed the 2019 Netflix feature Someone Great as her feature debut, is set to helm the project and has penned the script with TV writer Celeste Ballard. There are no current details available for when the film will begin production.

The daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, Maya Hawke most recently appeared on an episode of her father's showtime series The Good Lord Bird, and plays one of the leads in writer/director Gia Coppola's dramedy Mainstream – which had its world premiere this fall at the Venice Film Festival. She is set to reprise her aforementioned role as Robin Buckley in the fourth and final season of Stranger Things, which remains in production due to COVID-19-related delays, and it's now expected to launch on Netflix sometime in 2021.

As for Camila Mendes, she has the fifth season of Riverdale set to start up in January of next year, and this past year played a supporting role in the hit Hulu comedy Palm Springs, starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti.

It will be interesting to see what direction Strangers winds up going with its story, as the core premise has become a kind of pop culture staple – with Strangers On A Train not only inspiring a variety of feature adaptations (such as 1987's Throw Momma from the Train), but also storylines in various television shows. Hopefully the new take will recognize how familiar the formula has become, and use those expectations to throw curveballs that nobody expects.

Strangers doesn't presently have a release date, as Netflix doesn't typically reveal those until just a few weeks before a project is set to launch, but stay tuned for more updates on the production (it wouldn't be too surprising to see the production aim for some notable talent to play the story's antagonists).

Warning: Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 3 are in play. If you aren’t caught up, please exit the mall and return once you’ve experienced this most recent season.

Stranger Things’ third season had some pretty explosive moments, both literally and figuratively. We found out more about antagonist lifeguard turned alien emissary Billy’s tragic life story, we saw relationships bloom and bust, several characters took some rather chilling ice baths, and an entire mall was destroyed for the amusement of Netflix subscribers that tuned in for the latest adventures in Hawkins, Indiana.

Among all of that excitement was another landmark event: the first major LGBT character in the Stranger Things universe made her debut in Robin, Steve and Dustin’s co-conspirator in cracking the secret Russian operations going on under Starcourt Mall. It’s an achievement that actor Maya Hawke is quite proud of, as she explained in a recent interview.

The big reveal came in the sixth episode, “E Pluribus Unum," as Maya Hawke’s Robin and Steve Harrington, played by series fixture Joe Keery, shared a personal moment which eventually led to two big drops.

As Steve confessed his crush on Robin, she then told Steve of her own personal truth: She was in love with a girl who had a crush on him. Rather than lead to a cut and dry end to their association, Stranger Things uses this reality, and the insane chemistry between Maya Hawke and Joe Keery, to keep the characters together after their job at the Scoops Ahoy ice cream parlor comes to an obvious, fiery end.

During her conversation with THR, Maya Hawke explained Robin’s journey in the following terms, framed in the context of how she develops throughout Season 3:

The future of Stranger Things looks to be headed into a specific direction that already looks like it’s already starting to take form. While some questions are still in need of answers, there’s a solid bedrock for the future of Will, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Eleven to be built upon.

Wherever those adventures take the gang, particularly in the supposedly limited time left in the series’ endgame, it would be nice to see a vital part of that foundation is the continuing adventures of friends Steve and Robin, as they settle into their new roles at the local arcade. In a series about friendship and the bonding of small town youths against the increasingly weirder world, they just might be one of the most important pairs to follow up with throughout the rest of Stranger Things’ run.

Stranger Things Season 3 is currently available on Netflix for your viewing enjoyment, should you want to take another lap around the Starcourt Mall. But if you’re looking to see what else is coming down the line with our 2019 TV and Streaming schedule.

When Stranger Things debuted on Netflix in the summer of 2016, it became an almost instant phenomenon. The supernatural show, which is set in the 1980s and follows a group of pre-teens / teens as they battle evil, took the nation by storm with its delightful mixture of nostalgia for the sci-fi / fantasy tales of Steven Spielberg and the horror stories of Stephen King. Never have a telekinetic little girl who can barely speak, a group of D&D playing geeks, a monster with no face and a super shady government lab been cooler.

After Season 2 hit the service in October 2017, Stranger Things continued to be one of Netflix's most talked about shows, so it was no surprise when the freaky drama got picked up for Season 3 on the streamer. Here's everything we've learned so far about what's coming next to Hawkins, Indiana. And, we should start with the new trailer:

What Have We Seen From Stranger Things Season 3?

After a long wait, late March of 2019 finally brought us a gloriously full trailer for the new season of Stranger Things. While the storyline of the upcoming season is hardly completely laid out for us, we do get good looks at a lot of the action. And, it's little surprise that things in Hawkins will not go well once we begin to catch back up with our friends in the small town.

Everything starts off calmly enough (with the exception of Lucas getting hairsprayed in the eyes), but it soon becomes clear that there's more trouble brewing between the rightside uppers and the upside downers. Who knows if that giant antenna the kids put up actually has anything to do with the impending trouble, but even if it doesn't, how much longer until the whole town knows what's going on and just takes off for Indianapolis or some other location without man (and woman, child and cat) eating monsters who look like they've been chewed up and spit out by bigger, nastier monsters?

When Will Stranger Things Season 3 Debut?

As of mid August 2018, Stranger Things had only been filming on the next season for about four and a half months, but at least we can say when fans can expect to see the completed batch of episodes pop up on Netflix: July 4, 2019. While fans had certainly been hoping that Season 3 would show up sometime in the fall of 2018, the '80s-tastic teaser that was released in mid-July gave everyone the impression that there would actually be no new Stranger Things in 2018.

A couple of weeks later, Netflix confirmed that that would, indeed, be the case, as Season 3 was scheduled to drop sometime in the summer of 2019. Netflix's Vice President of Original Content Cindy Holland noted that the delay was due to Shawn Levy and the Duffer brothers' desire "to deliver something bigger and better than what they did last year. And so they really want to take the time to get it right." Season 1 debuted in the summer of 2016, so while it felt like a long wait, it will at least get us back on the original release schedule.

What Will Stranger Things Season 3 Be About?

So, what will the focus of Stranger Things be this time around? The short answer to that question right now is that we don't really know. As could be expected from a town with a precarious connection to the Upside Down and a pissed off deadly being like the Mind Flayer just waiting around to try and get another foothold in the town, there will undoubtedly be some crazy supernatural shenanigans going on that lead our heroes to take action.

And, while the Duffer Brothers have said that they don't intend to do a spinoff that focuses on Kali, the other known Hawkins Lab experiment survivor, they have said they might bring the character back. So, we might get more Kali in Season 3. Aside from that possibility, we'll just have to wait and see, especially since David Harbour has been cut off when it comes to show secrets.

Speaking of David Harbour, though, while the actor is now much more tight-lipped than he used to be, he has given us some hints at to what we might expect from Stranger Things Season 3. He has alluded to the season being very specific to 1985, the year that it will take place in, and noted that watching some of the popular movies from that year would probably go a long way toward preparing fans for the upcoming episodes.

Some big sci-fi and fantasy movies came out that year, so any (or all) of them could be influences for the next season. While he didn't talk specifics about those movies that will play a part in the season, Harbour did mention that the Chevy Chase comedy Fletch would, somehow, also be important to Season 3. So, it looks like we've got some work to do to piece together what might go down this summer in Hawkins.

How Many Episodes Will Stranger Things Season 3 Have?

While we don't have much concrete info yet on Season 3 of Stranger Things, we do at least know the episode count. It was recently revealed that there will be eight episodes in the next season, which matches up with Season 1, but is one episode less than Season 2. While that may seem like a huge bummer, let's all remember that what ended up being the extra episode of Season 2 took Eleven on the journey that led her to Kali and one of the most divisive episodes of the series to date.

So, maybe the slight reduction in episodes means there will be no one-offs that take us away from the main action in Hawkins, and also that we'll get all our favorite characters battling supernatural weirdos together the whole season long this time around.

Along with an official episode count, early 2019 brought us the titles of each episode, which, combined with the trailer, have led to some theories about where things might be going in Season 3. Here they are now, in order of course, for you to obsess over for the next couple of months:

OK, so we can make a few guesses based on the episode titles and what the trailer and a rat-filled teaser has shown us. "The Mall Rats" will likely deal with the kids experiencing the new mall for the first time and having their tiny, '80s minds blown. But, also, this episode might introduce us to that gang of rats we saw in the teaser.

Billy is working as a lifeguard, and is clearly popular with the ladies, but it sounds like one of these fine, young specimens will end up in the Upside Down by the time "The Case of the Missing Lifeguard" comes around. A brief image in the trailer shows Eleven trying to grab someone in the demented dimension but not being able to grab her, so...ugh, that chick is probably doomed. Say "Hi" to Barb for us.

"The Source," "The Birthday" and "The Bite" all sound super-ominous to me. And, Hot Take here, I think we might see Billy, who has a shower moment in the trailer when he's looking at an infected part of his arm with much trepidation, turn into that messy-ass creature that Jonathan comes across in the hallway. Poor Billy, we hardly knew ye as more than mean eye candy. Oh, well...

As far as "The Battle of Starcourt" goes, methinks the good townsfolk of Hawkins won't have to worry about that fancy mall taking business away from mom and pop shops for very long. Seriously, how many businesses have to become ground zero for monster murder fests before the whole town realizes what's going on?!

Hopper

Life hasn't been easy lately for Hawkins' Chief of Police. After helping to get Will out of the Upside Down in Season 1, Hopper was tasked in the second season not only with becoming a father figure to Eleven, but fighting even more supernatural critters and keeping Will from getting taken over by the Mind Flayer. Now that Hopper is officially Eleven's adoptive father, he'll certainly be even more invested in keeping her safe in Season 3.

It also looks like we'll get to see how Hopper handles some real domesticity, and it sounds like a very real possibility that he'll find himself with a love interest this season. Aside from that, we know that David Harbour, who plays Hopper, wants to see the show get into his backstory more or do anything that will let Hopper take out some of his pent up aggression by punching lots of bad guys. And, considering that there's a scary, assassin-looking guy roaming around, it seems he might get his chance.

Eleven

Everyone's favorite telekinetic teen had a very different arc from Season 1. While Mike was desperately trying to contact Eleven after her disappearance at the end of the previous season, we found out that she had been hidden away by Hopper in his granddad's remote cabin in an effort to keep her from being reclaimed by the new crew at Hawkins Lab. She spent quite a while locked up there, and was not happy at all about not being able to see Mike, or anyone besides Hopper, for that matter.

As a result, the two got into some heated arguments where Hopper learned that it's very hard to punish a kid who can move shit with her mind. When she finally broke his rules and left the cabin, not only did she locate her mother and aunt, but Kali, who taught her to harness her anger and would have turned Eleven into even more of a killer than she already is.

In the end, Eleven was able to save the day again by closing the rift between worlds, but the Mind Flayer is pissed and might now have its sights set on her when Season 3 rolls around. As if that weren't enough, she'll clearly have to go up against the new monster and try to save at least one lifeguard, but, she will get some girl time with Max when she's not hanging with Mike.

Will

Oh my goodness. Poor, poor Will Byers. Even after he finally got back home to the Rightside Up version of Hawkins and was no longer being chased by the Demogorgon, we knew that things were not going to be smooth sailing for Joyce's youngest son once he threw up an extra-dimensional slug during some creepy alone time in the bathroom.

And, sure enough, Season 2 of Stranger Things saw Will have recurring visions of the Upside Down that became more and more intense, as it was finally revealed that he was being used and slowly taken over by the Mind Flayer, who wanted (badly) to get into our world. It took a lot of work to get him free from that monster's control, but his friends and family prevailed.

The very good news for Season 3 is that the Duffer Brothers don't plan to have Will be the focus of all the supernatural craziness in town. So, while he'll still likely feel obligated to help solve whatever mystery awaits, he won't be in any more danger than his friends this time around. But, it does sound like Will and Mike will have some trouble, with Will's Upside Down inspired arrested development leading to some tension as the kids grow up.

Lucas

Most of Season 2 saw Lucas dealing with his annoying and disapproving little sister, Erica, and trying to connect with newcomer Max, which was made difficult not only by the boys' need to keep the events of the previous year quiet, but also by the constant scrutiny the new friends were under thanks to Max's step brother, Billy.

Lucas was able to finally win the redhead over by telling her everything about Will and the town (and then showing her proof that it was all real), and just in time for Max to really help the group overcome the season's supernatural obstacles. After surviving Billy, and some tricky life or death situations, these two danced at the Snow Ball, and shared a kiss on the dance floor, and it looks like they'll be a couple when Season 3 gets underway.

Mike

Mike had two main jobs in Stranger Things Season 2: trying to contact Eleven and becoming Will's main confidant as his issues with the Upside Down continued. While the early part of the season revealed that Mike hadn't given up on finding Eleven since she disappeared after stopping the Demogorgon at the end of Season 1 (he'd tried to contact her 352 days in a row with his walkie talkie), he was soon too busy to try once Will began seeing visions of the Mind Flayer and revealed just how messed up he still was to Mike.

Of course, it didn't take long for the fight to save Will to take over Mike's life once again, but, luckily, during this process Eleven showed up just in time to keep the group from getting killed by a pack of Demodogs. A couple of months later, Mike and Eleven also shared a kiss as they danced at the Snow Ball, so, hopefully, Season 3 will see the two closer than ever.

You know who's not going to be close, though? Mike and Will. The newly coupled teen really takes it out on his beleaguered bestie in the trailer, and it seems that two years of having to help save him might have taken a toll on their friendship. Plus, it doesn't help that Mike has had more mental space for regular old growing up stuff in the past two years, while Will has been dealing with Upside Down bullshit that's probably kept him longing for the simplicities of childhood.

Dustin

Poor Dustin. The boy took a bit of an emotional beating in Season 2. Not only did he make a pet of a dangerous Upside Down creature, and realize the error of his ways way too late to save the family cat, but his Three Musketeers-loving Demodog, Dart, died at the end of the season like the rest of his kind when Eleven closed off the portal to his dimension.

Luckily, Dustin managed to make a new friend in the form of Steve, and he was also back in the good graces of his friends by the end. The unlucky in love kid even got a new 'do thanks to Steve in time for the Snow Ball, and was treated to a spin around the floor from Nancy.

While we certainly hope Dustin now has some better instincts when it comes to picking up strange critters, it looks like Season 3 will still be a bit rough for him. His best buds Lucas and Mike both have girlfriends, while Will is wanting to reclaim the childhood he lost a few years ago. This means that, even though Dustin is obviously still close to Steve, he's probably going to be missing the core friendships from his younger days, and also wishing that he could find his own lady love.

Nancy, Steve And Jonathan

Nancy was on a mission in Season 2 to finally bring some peace to her friend Barb's parents and also bring the folks of Hawkins Lab to justice for setting the events in motion that led to the shy high schooler's death. And, with a lot of help from Jonathan, she was finally able to do just that. Luckily for fans who could feel their sexual tension all the way back in Season 1, their work on Barb's case led to the two having sex a few days after Nancy's breakup with Steve.

The final moments of the most recent season implied that Nancy and Jonathan were going strong as a couple, and that Steve was actually OK with her decision. Hopefully, this means that the three can actually be friends and continue to work together to help stop whatever strange-ass evil will be coming the town's way in Season 3. Maybe Steve will even find himself a new girlfriend before the season's over.

Joyce

The past couple of years have been tough on Joyce Byers. First, her son Will goes missing, then she realizes she can communicate with him through Christmas lights in her home, then she sees a monster and has to go to another dimension to get him back. Season 2 saw Joyce lose new boyfriend Bob after he heroically followed her into the living underground tunnels of Hawkins as she fought to keep Will from being completely taken over by the Mind Flayer.

Will seems to finally be out of the creepy, extra-dimensional monster woods, and Joyce and Hopper are growing ever closer. We don't know what Season 3 will bring for Joyce, but we do sorta hope that she can finally get a little bit of peace (and maybe some Hopper-lovin') in between whatever beast slaying she's bound to have to do.

Martin Brenner

Matthew Modine's shady scientist, Martin Brenner, was suspiciously absent from Stranger Things Season 2 after playing a huge part in the first season. We last saw his character getting attacked by a truly pissed Demogorgon in Hawkins Middle School right after Eleven and the boys were able to escape. This led to many fans thinking the character was dead, but, as astute viewers of sci-fi or fantasy (or, even soap operas, really) will tell you, if you ain't seen the body they probably ain't dead.

Season 2 saw former Department of Energy employee Ray Carroll tell Eleven and Kali that Brenner was still alive, and considering that Matt and Ross Duffer have said that they feel the audience deserves to actually see Brenner bite the dust, it sounds like that info is correct and we could very well see him make a return in Season 3.

Robin

By late August 2018, the only new character we'd gotten a look at was Robin (Maya Hawke). The first teaser for the new season brought us a glimpse of Robin, who will work in the Starcourt Mall food court at Scoops Ahoy with Steve. Robin is billed as an alternative girl who's not very happy with her boring life, but will soon find more excitement than she might be able to handle when she stumbles upon a big secret that was never meant to be known.

This character was called one of the new leads by a report in Variety, so it seems that knowledge of this secret will lead to Robin being around quite a bit in Season 3. And, sure enough, we do get to see that Robin will be involved in some (probably nasty and scary) Starcourt shenanigans with the main gang this season.

Other Characters

Now, here's where things get a bit divisive when it comes to the fans and Stranger Things characters. While new additions to Season 2 like Joyce's doomed boyfriend Bob (R.I.P. Literally...) and Lucas' little sister Erica eventually came out of the season as fan favorites, others like Billy and Kali were hated to within an inch of their fictional lives. Bob, obviously, will not be showing up again, but we do know that Billy and his sister Max will have significant roles this time around.

The Duffer Brothers have confirmed that Erica was also popular with the writers, and that while working on Season 2 they were constantly looking for ways to bring the character in more, but simply didn't have enough time to fit Lucas' annoying little sister into more of the storyline. From the tease we get of her in the trailer, it looks like Erica might actually play a real part in whatever monster-hunting missions the gang will surely get up to. So, you can count on Erica being around more in Season 3.

Kali was a major part of what ended up being the most hated episode of Season 2, "The Last Sister," which was Episode 7. In it, Eleven left the action in Hawkins behind to travel to Chicago to try to find the only other test subject of Brenner's that she knew of, and she found Eight, now going by Kali and hanging out with quite the band of degenerate criminals.

And, that was just fine with Kali, since she was, understandably, angry at being experimented on and had taken it upon herself to start killing anyone she could find who'd been a part of that program. She even tried to get Eleven to kill Ray Carroll, forcing the young girl to go to some dark places. The Duffer Brothers have revealed that they feel Kali's story isn't really wrapped up, so we might see her in some capacity in Season 3.

Recently, we've also learned that Season 3 will give us some new characters in Hawkins, as well. Mayor Larry Kline has been described as a handsome, smooth-talking politician who's also pathetic and self-serving, and I can already see this guy becoming Upside Down food at some point during the season. Kline will be played by The Princess Bride and Saw star Cary Elwes.

The kids will also befriend a woman in her 70s, Patricia Brown, who doles out advice as she works in her garden. Patricia could turn out to be an ally, but she's already getting the evil-Upside-Down-denizen-hiding-in-plain-sight side eye from me. Also, remember the missing lifeguard? Well, actress Francesca Reale will be playing a lifeguard named Heather who'll be involved in a "dark mystery" this season, so, yeah, sounds like she might be the one Eleven is trying to save from the Upside Down in the trailer.

Last, but not least, Stranger Things will introduce us to Bruce, a messy, overweight, sexist and morally corrupt reporter. Jake Busey (Starship Troopers, Ray Donovan) has signed on to portray Bruce. And, it sounds like this is exactly the kind of character who could survive the events of Season 3, while someone we've come to love bites supernatural the dust.

It's not long now until Season 3 of Stranger Things hits Netflix, so be sure to bookmark this guide for the latest info!

Stranger Things Season 3 just dropped its official trailer, and it has everything -- a new monster, new characters, crazy new hairdos, and great new team-ups. Not everything was new, though. There was also more bromance bonding between Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) and his son/friend/protege Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo). Steve was a jerk in Season 1 but became a fan favorite in Season 2. Now in Season 3, we see he has a new job at the ice cream shop at the mall. It also looks like he's attacked while in that work uniform, and injected with something. One trailer shot shows Steve in peril and pain, and fans responded with ALL-CAPS FURY, ready to riot if Netflix kills him off.

Stranger Things fans shared fears like that across social media. It's hard to imagine they really would kill off Steve Harrington, but it's tough to see the newly popular hero in trouble:

Here's another all-caps threat to fight someone if something happens to Steve:

It's almost like, if you DIDN'T post an all-caps threat, are you even a Steve fan?

In a happier scene, Steve and Dustin showcased their bonding at the very end of the trailer. Steve has a new job at Scoops Ahoy! in the Starcourt Mall, along with new character Robin, played by Maya Hawke. She drops a great line, asking Steve how many children he's friends with. Some fans pointed out that he's kind of their father, after the events of Season 2, and he has a lot of kids to take care of:

Steve's co-worker Robin was just one of the new characters showcased -- or at least quickly teased -- in the jam-packed trailer. We see Cary Elwes as Maylor Kline and Jake Busey as Hawkins Post reporter Bruce. Francesca Reale was also cast in the recurring role of Heather, a lifeguard at the Hawkins community pool. Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery) is also apparently a lifeguard at the pool, and he's featured in the trailer too.

It's great to see Stranger Things pair up Eleven/El/Jane (Millie Bobby Brown) and Max (Sadie Sink) instead of continuing the jealousy storyline of Season 2. They have their respective pairings right now, and it's good to see these two young women can bond and be friends.

I'm sad for Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), in a new way this time. Poor Will can never catch a break, and he must feel so left out of the new pairings. They are not kids anymore, but he spent the past two seasons out of the loop, tortured by monsters. Mike (Finn Wolfhard) has Eleven, Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) has Max, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) has Nancy (Natalia Dyer), and Dustin has Steve. Who does Will have? Just his mom Joyce (Winona Ryder)?

Stranger Things Season 3 picks up in the summer of 1985, about a year after the events of Season 2. The episode titles have been released, and are available for analysis. The whole season will premiere on Netflix on July 4, 2019, which fits perfectly with the Fourth of July theme in the trailer. (The rats still need to be explained, though, right?)

As you wait and worry once more for Steve, keep up with what else we know so far about Stranger Things Season 3.

If Once Upon a Time in Hollywood really is one of Tarantino's last movies, as the director has said he only plans to make 10 films, a lot of actors are certainly getting their chance to work with the filmmaker this time around. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a fictional western television star and Brad Pitt as his stunt double, set in Los Angeles in 1969 at the height of the counterculture explosion and during the Manson family events. Margot Robbie will also play Sharon Tate, a victim of Charles Manson murders. But that's just the tip of the iceberg with this movie's cast, and now the lineup includes Lena Dunham, among other new casting announcements.

According to Deadline, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood will be Girls creator and star Lena Dunham's first major motion picture. The actress will reportedly be playing Catherine "Gypsy" Share, a former member of Charles Manson's family, per Entertainment Weekly. Young blood actors Austin Butler, Maya Hawke and Lorenza Izzo also join her in the casting news has continued to grow. Al Pacino, James Marsden, Dakota Fanning, Emile Hirsch and Damien Lewis previously joined Tarantino's cast that will feature a mix of real life people and fictional characters in Hollywood at the final moments of its golden age. Here's more about the new cast joining Once Upon a Time in Hollywood:

A frequenter of teen programming, Austin Butler has reportedly joined the cast as Charles "Tex" Watson, a central member of the Manson family who was part of the murder of actress Sharon Tate and other victims. Butler was previously on The Carrie Diaries and Switched at Birth before starring for two seasons on fantasy series The Shannara Chronicles which started on MTV and moved to Spike before being cancelled by the network. He is set to star in comedy-horror film The Dead Don't Die alongside Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray and Steve Buscemi soon.

Maya Hawke, who is the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, has been cast as fictional character "Flower Child" in Quentin Tarantino's film. One does wonder what Maya's mother, Thurman, who recently discussed her issues with the director while on the set of Kill Bill, thinks about her next role. Hawke played Jo March in BBC's Little Woman adaptation and will soon be seen in the highly-anticipated next season of Stranger Things.

Lorenza Izzo will be portraying glamorous Italian movie star Francesca Capucci in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The Chilean actress previously worked on the short-lived AMC television series Feed the Beast and will be a series regular on the final season of Hulu's series Casual. Izzo also nabbed a role on The House with a Clock in Its Walls opposite Jack Black and Cate Blanchett.

For a movie about Hollywood, it's not too surprising that Quentin Tarantino's next flick will feature such a talented ensemble cast. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood will be released on July 26, 2019. If you're interested in learning what movies are hitting theaters later this year, look through our 2018 release schedule.

Stranger Things is one of Netflix's biggest shows after only two seasons, and fans are already anxiously awaiting the third season. Details about what's to come are still relatively scarce, but we now know some intriguing details about what's in store. Another new character has been cast, and one of the most entertaining breakout characters of Season 2 will be around a lot more in Season 3. Here's what's happening.

The new character will be an "alternative girl" who isn't happy with her lot in life. She has a boring day job that just isn't satisfying for her, and she wants more thrills and excitement out of her life. Unfortunately for her -- and as you might expect in Hawkins -- she'll find more excitement than she wanted when she discovers a troubling secret that was never meant to see the light of day. The character's name hasn't yet been revealed, but we do know who will play her: Maya Hawke.

The 19-year-old actress doesn't have a whole lot of roles to her name. Her breakout role was Jo March in the Little Women miniseries that debuted on the BBC in 2017. Before landing Jo, Maya Hawke was best known for being the daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke. Stranger Things will put Hawke in the spotlight in a big way, and it could open the door to more opportunities to her. It should be interesting to see how her character fits into the existing ensemble on Stranger Things. Assuming her character is also around 19-years-old, she could be connected to Steve Harrington, who will be around the same age and presumably can't spend all his time hanging out with Dustin and the other kids. Variety describes Hawke as "one of the new leads," which likely means that we'll see plenty of her in Season 3.

Another character who should turn up a fair amount in Season 3 is none other than Erica, who debuted in Season 2 as Lucas' hilarious little sister who had no patience for his and his friends' shenanigans. Actress Priah Ferguson expressed interest in showing up even more in Season 3, and she'll get her wish. Ferguson has been bumped up to a recurring actress and have an arc of her own.

In Season 3, Erica will have a group of her own friends who are ready to get into the action themselves. She and her pals go on a quest to save Hawkins when a new threat emerges and puts a whole lot of people in danger. On the one hand, this description could almost apply to Lucas and Co. in Season 1, although they were older than Erica at the time. On the other hand, Erica was quite disdainful of her brother's hobbies in Season 2, which probably means that she doesn't have an extensive knowledge of Dungeons and Dragons to help her to deal with monsters and mayhem. Whatever happens, we can bet that she'll be hilarious.

Unfortunately, we probably have a while to wait before we see Maya Hawke and Priah Ferguson in Stranger Things. For a rundown of what details are currently available, take a look at what we know so far about Stranger Things Season 3. For what you can watch while we wait for more Stranger Things, check out our 2018 Netflix premiere guide and our 2018 midseason TV premiere schedule.