Prime Video’s Blade Runner 2099 is set to take fans back to the grungy, techno-futuristic world Ridley Scott developed more than 40 years ago. This chapter in the sci-fi saga, however, will feature different characters played by franchise newbies Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer. Both actresses apparently got quite close while filming the series, to the point that Yeoh did something to ensure Schafer was safe while performing stunts. And believe me when I say this is just so mom-coded (and I love it).

2099 sees Yeoh play Olwen, a dying replicant Blade Runner hunting down a rogue faction of replicants in Los Angeles. Olwen is joined in that pursuit by Schafer’s Cora, a human trying to blend in amid the new replicant-run regime. With that, Schafer and Yeoh spent a considerable amount of time together on set, and they spoke about those experiences during their show’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con, which CinemaBlend attended. Schafer opened up about getting to dip her toes into action scenes and learning from her co-star:

Long before Ip Man exploded onto the big screen or Shang-Chi “ninja-kicked that glass ceiling” for Asian representation, Michelle Yeoh was tearing it up as a big-screen action hero. The Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once star is a skilled martial artist and has various credits under her belt. So I can understand why Schafer would be geeking out over getting to work with Yeoh in an action-based context. Yeoh also had some high praise for her co-star, and Schafar revealed the gift she got from Yeoh, too:

• Yeoh: I’ve never seen a more fearless action hero. I mean, she really, literally dove in. I was almost trying to hold her back like, ‘No, no, no, no…. too late. Okay. Is Hunter OK?’ She would do the tumbles, the falls. I’m like, ‘Hunter, where are your pads?’
• Schafer: She bought me a baby helmet.
• Yeoh: Well, you got a concussion! I had to protect my baby, okay? I was like, ‘Here, where this.’ So I got her a baby helmet.

Just when I thought I didn’t need yet another reason to love Michelle Yeoh, I have one. Honestly, it warms my heart to hear about her taking the time to ensure her co-star’s safety. The notion of the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon icon buying Schafer a “baby helmet” may sound funny, but stunt work is no laughing matter. And, based on the Blade Runner 2099 teaser, Schafer had to take part in some truly intense scenes. Check it out:

I also like the notion of Hunter Schafer getting to spread her wings when it comes to action-centric material. As she mentioned, she’d had some opportunities to try a bit, but this show is arguably her biggest chance to try stunts. This might only be the beginning of Schafer working with stunts as well. That could especially be true if the X-Men rumor regarding her playing Mystique pans out.

At the risk of getting too far ahead of myself, though, I’m just eager to see Schafer share the screen alongside Yeoh in the Blade Runner spinoff show amid the 2026 TV schedule. I’m confident that the show will be just as intense and cerebral as the franchise’s two films and that the two leads will have great chemistry. And best believe I won’t forget Yeoh’s mom-centric gesture whenever I’m watching her “baby,” Schafer, perform stunts.

Blade Runner 2099 premieres on November 25, and all eight episodes will be available to stream at that time. Be sure to grab a Prime Video subscription by that time so you’ll be able to check out the show.

I remember when the Academy Award-winning Everything Everywhere All At Once first came out, and it absolutely blew my mind.

What surprised me the most about the film: OTHER people were blown away by it, too. Because, similar to how I'm always surprised that my favorite author, Kurt Vonnegut, is considered a national treasure (Surprised because his writing is so WEIRD), I'm also still shocked at just how much audiences loved EEAAO, because like Vonnegut, the movie is so different from anything else out there.

So, if you’ll allow me, here are a couple of other reasons why I'm still amazed that EEAAO was such a hit.

I Love That Such An Unconventional Immigrant Story Was So Big

There are plenty of conventional immigrant stories. The Godfather (especially its partial prequel, The Godfather, Part II) is a sprawling, albeit simply told, immigrant story. The coolest gangster movie ever made, Scarface, is a simply told immigrant story, too. The Don Bluth classic, An American Tail, is an immigrant story featuring animals, which is unique in a sense, but also conventionally told.

Then, you have Everything Everywhere All At Once, which is probably the most unconventional immigrant story ever made. It's actually a story of three generations of Asians. Michelle Yeoh plays the matriarch and the middle of the Asian-American immigrant experience. She runs a laundromat and is being audited by the IRS, and soon goes on a multiversal journey to find the best version of herself…sort of. And that's the thing about this movie: since it’s an absurdist, martial arts comedy, it plays with several different ideas.

Her daughter, played by Stephanie Hsu, doesn't really care about the Asian-American experience. In fact, she doesn't really care about anything at all since she's a nihilist. Her mother, however, feels a bit confined by her heritage, as she feels she has to live up to enormous expectations set by her father, played by the legend, James Hong.

In the end, it's a story about the Asian-American immigrant experience…and everything else in between. I still blows my mind that so many people of different races vibed with it, given the fact that it's so weird and also so in tune with the Asian-American experience.

The Movie Is Also Further Proof That Creative Filmmaking Is Still Alive And Well

Another thing that utterly blows my mind about EEAAO is that people totally fell in love with a movie whose pure appeal was its creativity. With sequels and remakes feeling like the norm these days, it makes my heart glad that a movie as creative and bold as EEAAO could be embraced by so many people…for the most part anyway.

I know some people detest this movie; I feel like they detest it for the same reason that people detested my beloved Sinners, and that’s because they think it’s “super overrated.”

I love that it found an audience that is so passionate about the film that they’ll stand by it and say that it deserved the hype. A big reason for this passion is that it's so rare that a movie can be this creative, and this DIFFERENT, and still be a movie that won tons of awards like Best Picture.

Because in a landscape where so many studios seem not to want to take major risks, EEAAO still seems like an anomaly, as it feels like both a cult movie and a massive blockbuster at the same time, and I still just marvel at that fact. Even all these years later.

There may be some fan infighting over which Star Trek movie is definitively the worst, but Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is almost always in the conversation. Not only is it bad, but it has the most Razzies of any other movie in the franchise, though a newcomer may be coming for its inverted crown here soon.

The Golden Raspberry Awards have celebrated the lowest-rated movies for decades, and have even convinced some stars to take part in the mostly good-natured ribbing. I'm not sure any Trek stars will get beamed into the 2026 ceremony, even if the franchise's latest feature could overtake the previous record-holder for most Razzies won in the franchise.

Star Trek: Section 31 Earned 5 Golden Razzie Nominations

Star Trek has struggled to return to theaters, and while Section 31 ineviably became a direct-to-streaming feature, there was hope that Michelle Yeoh would help make it a big hit, giving Paramount more reason to get back to that sie of the franchise. Unfortunately, no single talent could help with everything that was widely panned by critics, and it's now primed to set a record I doubt any movie's cast and crew would aspire to.

The 2026 nominations for the Golden Raspberry Awards are out, and Star Trek: Section 31 just narrowly avoided being one of the most nominated movies of the year. It's up for awards in five categories:

Star Trek: Section 31's Razzie Nominations

• Worst Picture
• Worst Actress - Michelle Yeoh
• Worst Supporting Actress - Kacey Rohl
• Worst Director - Olatunde Osunsanmi
• Worst Screenplay

Its five nominations are just short of frontrunners Snow White and Ice Cube's War of the Worlds, which are tied for the most with six nominations each. I find it hard to believe Section 31 will beat out War of the Worlds for wins, given the latter launched with a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, but will it reign supreme as the most razzied Trek movie of all time?

The Movie Has A Chance To Overtake Star Trek V: The Final Frontier's Record For Most Razzies In The Franchise

As previously mentioned, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier holds the record for most Razzies in the Trek franchise. It's not an accomplishment any movie wants, but I guess it's better to be remembered for being bad than not remembered at all.

The movie won the award for "Worst Picture," and William Shatner was gifted two Razzies for "Worst Actor" and "Worst Director." Shatner himself has spoken ill of the movie in recent years, noting that the movie didn't have the budget or ideal story that he hoped it would.

Another thing worth mentioning is that Star Trek V: The Final Frontier was nominated for six Razzies, so it had more chances to win than Section 31. I'm not sure I expect Michelle Yeoh to win a Razzie for "Worst Actress," but then again, other Oscar winners like Sandra Bullock have gotten Razzies the same year as they've received Academy Awards. All this to say, anything can happen, so we'll just have to wait until March 14th to see if Section 31 becomes the most-awarded bad Trek movie of all time.

Stream Star Trek: Section 31 and The Final Frontier with a Paramount+ subscription, and try to decide which is the worst of the two. We'll see how the movie performs at the Razzies, and hopefully, the fandom can all share a laugh at the results however it shakes out.

Adapting a Broadway stage musical into movies is a tricky job, but a number of musicals have won Best Picture over the years. Jon M. Chu added two great installments to the genre with the Wicked movies, with the sequel For Good smashing records at the box office. The Wicked cast is stacked with talent, although Michelle Yeoh has gotten some flak for her singing voice. But after re-watching the second movie, I'm here to defend the Oscar-winning actress.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are some of the best singers out there right now, so they set the bar high in the Wicked movies. This is partly why the iconic Bond girl's vocals have gotten so much hate in both titles. But I think that the hate is totally blown out of proportion.

Madame Morrible Is Not A Role About Singing

Rather than an offbeat musical, Wicked is a beloved blockbuster that generations of theater kids were brought up on. This, combined with the incredible vocal talents of its leading ladies, is a big reason why Michelle Yeoh has gotten so much hate for her (brief) vocal solos in Chu's movies. Was she belting out her limited vocal lines? No. But is this the point of Madame Morrible as a character? Also no.

In both the stage musical and the film adaptations, Morrible is never given her own song. Instead she briefly sings at the beginning of "The Wizard and I" as well as "Thank Goodness." That's it. For Good cut down her feature in the latter song even more, further highlighting that it's ultimately not a singing role. Instead, her focus in the movie is the dialogue, and the villainous way she manipulates Glinda, Elphaba, and the citizens of Oz as a whole.

When I attended a private screening of Wicked: For Good upon its release, there were groans from the audience when Yeoh briefly sang during "Thank Goodness." But while she's not a professional singer, I thought that she pulled off her limited vocal solos. There are plenty of non-vocalists who have been given much more singing in movie musicals before, and to worse results. I'm looking at you Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia! and Russell Crowe in Les Miserables.

I also think that focusing too much on Michelle Yeoh's singing is a disservice to the strong work she put out throughout both Wicked movies. Her Madame Morrible is manipulative and chilling, especially through her relationship with Glinda. And seeing the actress using tai chi to create a Tornado in For Good was beautiful and worth the price of admission.

Could Jon M. Chu have cast a singer like Cheryl Lee Ralph as Madame Morrible? Probably. But I think that putting too much emphasis on Yeoh's vocals is a mistake; her performance overall was very strong and definitely did the beloved character justice.

Wicked: For Good can be purchased digitally now, and the first movie is streaming with an Amazon Prime subscription.

As the wait continues for Star Trek to return to the big screen, the franchise did deliver its first streaming-exclusive movie back in January. Unfortunately, the 2025 movie release Star Trek: Section 31, which brought back Michelle Yeoh’s Philippa Georgiou from Star Trek: Discovery, was met with primarily negative critical reception. More than half a year later, Yeoh has shared her thoughts on the Paramount+ subscription-exclusive Section 31 being so poorly received, which included her pointing out how hard it is to please all audiences who are checking out a project.

With a 22% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 16% Popcornmeter, it’s safe to say that Star Trek: Section 31 will go down as one of this franchise’s biggest misses, though hardly the first. Michelle Yeoh was asked about the movie’s underwhelming performance by Collider, and here’s what she had to say:

Originally Star Trek: Section 31 was going to be a TV spinoff following Philippa Georgiou, a Mirror Universe tyrant who came to the Prime Universe not long after her Prime doppelgänger died, after she exited Discovery during Season 3. Eventually though, it was decided to turn Section 31 into a movie instead, with Olatunde Osunsanmi directing and Craig Sweeny writing the script. The story saw Georgiou now operating in the time period between The Original Series and The Next Generation, and teaming up with characters like Omari Hardwick’s Alok, Sam Richardson’s Quasi and Kacey Rohl’s Rachel Garrett, future captain of the USS Enterprise-C.

While Michelle Yeoh acknowledged that Star Trek: Section 31 could have been improved in some areas, she also acknowledged how the cast and crew were treading a very fine line with this production. Not only did this exploration of the organization that carries out covert operations for the United Federation of Planets need to feel like it belonged in the Star Trek franchise, but it also had to bring a unique energy to make it accessible to newcomers and stand out from the other movies and TV shows. The actress continued:

It’s true, making movies and TV shows are hard, and even the critically-acclaimed ones will have detractors. Still, given all those negative reactions to Star Trek: Section 31, something tells me there won’t be a next time for this corner of the franchise. Maybe Michelle Yeoh could reprise Philippa Georgiou elsewhere, but I don’t see a Section 31 sequel being greenlighted given the first movie fared.

So then what does the future of Star Trek on film look like? Well, Star Trek 4, i.e. the next installment in the Kelvin timeline, remains in development, and an origins movie was also announced in April 2024. The latter was once expected to be released in 2025, but obviously that won’t happen, nor does it look like it’ll be ready in time for the 2026 movies calendar.

Many of the biggest action stars of all time, in the best action movies, got their start in the 1980s and 1990s when action movies really started to dominate Hollywood. Stars like Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, and Keanu Reeves all started making their mark in those seminal decades in film. This gallery is a tribute to all the action stars who are still making movies today, but began their careers decades ago.

Keanu Reeves

While he broke out in comedies like Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Parenthood, it wasn't long before Keanu Reeves was starring in big action flicks like Point Blank and Speed. Reeves isn't just an action star, but with the lead in two now-iconic franchises, The Matrix and John Wick, he definitely belongs near the top of any list like this.

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie's career started early. She was just 6 years old when she appeared in her first movie in 1982 alongside her dad, Jon Voight. By the late '90s, she was on her way to becoming one of the biggest stars in the world. She got into action movies with films like Gone In 60 Seconds and her biggest franchise, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and while she has always kept one foot in more indie-type movies (including as a director), she's been a steady action star for decades.

Nicolas Cage

It's hard to come up with a Hollywood star with a more diverse acting career than Nicolas Cage. His rage is actually pretty amazing, and that certainly includes starring in some great action movies, like the iconic Con Air and the National Treasure movies.

Scarlett Johansson

Like a lot of actors on this list, Scarlett Johansson can't be pigeon-holed as simply an action star. She is, however, one of the major players in the MCU as Black Widow, and has starred in other action flicks like Jurassic World Rebirth and Lucy.

Wesley Snipes

Most of the biggest box office successes of Wesley Snipes' early career were comedies like Major League, Wildcats, and White Men Can't Jump. In the early '90s he transistioned into action movies with leading roles in the likes of New Jack City, Passenger 57, and Rising Son. He also starred in Demolition Man with Sylvester Stallone, and, of course, as Blade in three movies.

Halle Berry

You might not think of Halle Berry as an action star... until you remember how many superhero movies she's starred in. Not only was she an important part of the X-Men franchise, but she was also Batwoman in 2004 and has also starred in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and others.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

This one is a little tricky. Technically, action movie legend Arnold Schwarzenegger had his first role way back in 1970 with Hercules in New York, but that was really a one-off B-movie that was soon forgotten. After he spent the 1970s winning every bodybuilding trophy on Earth, he entered Hollywood properly in 1982 when he starred in Conan the Barbarian. Everything since is action history.

Robert Downey, Jr.

Robert Downey, Jr. doesn't jump off the page as an action star. The Oscar winner has proven he can star in any genre, but as the anchor of the MCU movies for more than a decade, he definitely belongs on this list.

Tom Cruise

There's nothing to be said about Tom Cruise that hasn't already been written, right? One of the biggest stars in Hollywood history, Cruise has starred in action movies like Top Gun and its sequel, a couple of Jack Reacher movies, the Mission: Impossible franchise, and great one-offs like Edge of Tomorrow, War of the Worlds, and Minority Report, to name just a few. Plus, he famously does a ton of his own stunts, which shows just how much he belongs on any list of big action stars.

Milla Jovovich

Milla Jovovich started as a model, but transitioned to movies with films like Return to the Blue Lagoon and Dazed and Confused. Soo,n though, she started popping up in legendary action movies like The Fifth Element and, most notably, as Alice in six Resident Evil movies.

Jean-Claude Van Damme

In the '80s, a whole slew of action-first stars emerged, and one of the most popular was Jean-Claude Van Damme. Van Damme first gained fame in No Retreat, No Surrender, and followed that with hits like Bloodsport and Cyborg.

Linda Hamilton

Director James Cameron can be divisive, but you can't argue that he knows how to create female action star leads with great parts and great casting. Linda Hamilton is a legend from her appearances in the Terminator movies over the years.

Kurt Russell

Okay, we have to acknowledge that Kurt Russell's career started when he was a child star with Disney way back in the 1960s. In the '80s, he fully dove into action flicks in a big way with movies like Escape from New York, The Thing, and Big Trouble in Little China, all directed by one of the decade's best directors, John Carpenter. He's since been in a slew of action movies.

Mel Gibson

With the Mad Max franchise and the Lethal Weapon movies, Mel Gibson would be on this list even if those were his only movies. Of course, he has so much more, like Braveheart, Ransom, and many of the other best action movies of the '90s.

Thandiwe Newton

Thandiwe Newton debuted in 1991's comedy Flirting, and in the '90s and beyond, she's starred in action movies like Mission: Impossible 2, The Chronicles of Riddick, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and 2012. She's also starred in TV shows like Westworld that fit in this genre, too.

Dolph Lundgren

One of the pillars of cheesy (and awesome) '80s action is the great Dolph Lundgren. From fantasy heroes like He-Man in 1987's Masters of the Universe to communist boxers like Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, he's been a staple for decades in lots of action movies, including part of the O.G. cast in The Expendables franchise.

Lucy Liu

Lucy Liu kicked off her career in the early '90s, and before too long, she started doing some awesome action movies. Probably the most notable are the Charlie's Angels movies and the Kill Bill movies, but she's also got some less-well-known ones like The Man with the Iron Fists, directed by RZA, and even superhero movies, like Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Jason Statham

Like other actors on this list, Jason Statham didn't start in true action flicks. His first roles were in the Guy Ritchie films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, but within a couple of years, he became a full-blown action hero in The Transporter and The Italian Job. Now it seems like he's in all the biggest action franchises, like The Expendables and the Fast & Furious movies.

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron is one of the most versatile actresses in Hollywood. She won an Oscar for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the terrifying true story Monster. She's also been in acclaimed dramas like The Road, Cider House Rules, and Bombshell. Of course, she's starred in a whole slew of great action movies like Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde, Æon Flux, and a few of the Fast & Furious movies.

Jet Li

Jet Li started out in movies in Hong Kong in the early 1980s, where he quickly established himself as one of the great martial arts stars in Chinese-language films. After a decade and a half in Hong Kong, he moved to Hollywood in the late '90s, starring first as the villain in Lethal Weapon 4 in 1998. He became such a big action star that he was included in the first three Expendables movies.

Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner might not seem like the typical action star, but he definitely is. Movies like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Postman, and the incredibly underrated Waterworld prove that when he wants to be, he can be a great action hero.

Michelle Yeoh

Like some other actors on this list, Michelle Yeoh starred in martial arts movies in Hong Kong in the '90s. Her breakout film in the West was as Wai Lin in the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies, where she showed the whole world her stage fighting and stunt skills. Since then, she's been in hits like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and, of course, Everything Everywhere All at Once, for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress.

Bruce Willis

There's no way this list would be complete without the great Bruce Willis! Die Hard will always be one of the best action movies of all time and in many ways helps define what a action movie in the 1980s looked and felt like. Only Willis could have pulled off the the wit and charm of John McClane. He's been in a ton of action movies since, of course. He is now retired, due to his health, but he worked right up until he no longer could.

Cameron Diaz

Cameron Diaz took a long hiatus from acting, finally returning in the 2025 Netflix release, appropriately called Back in Action. While she may be best known for her roles in romcoms like There's Something About Mary and The Mask and dramas like Gangs of New York and Vanilla Sky, she's had her fair share of action hits too, like Charlie's Angels and Knight and Day.

Steven Seagal

It's easy to forget just how huge an action star Steven Seagal was in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He actually sort of dominated the box office with movies like Hard To Kill, Above The Law, Mark For Death, and Out For Justice. He reached the artistic pinnacle of his career with 1992's Under Siege. It's not just a great movie for teenage boys like his first four movies; it's legitimately a great movie, with great performances from Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones, and Gary Busey. Sure, he's not making movies on that level anymore, but he's still been churning out straight-to-video-type releases for decades.

Peter Weller

Peter Weller's breakout came in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension in 1984, but he really hit the big time with 1987's classic RoboCop. Sure, it was insanely violent, but RoboCop had a unique political message, too. Weller's been going strong ever since.

Robert Patrick

The iconic T-1000 in Terminator 2 became one of the great action villains of the 1990s. Robert Patrick played the role of the callous, cold robot killer perfectly. It established him as a legit action star, and he's been busy ever since.

Mickey Rourke

Mickey Rourke isn't only an action star. In fact, most of his roles have been in serious dramas, starting with movies like The Pope of Greenwich Village and 9½ Weeks in the 1980s, but he's definitely proven his action bona fides with roles in Iron Man 2, Sin City, and The Expendables.

Matt Damon

Anyone who has starred as Jason Bourne in four films deserves to be on this list. Sure, Matt Damon might not be the first actor you think of as an action hero, but come on! You can't deny that he belongs on this list for those films alone. Throw in movies like The Martian and Elysium, and he definitely should be here.

Dwayne Johnson

We're making a slight exception here. Technically, Dwayne Johnson's first movie credit came in 2001 in The Mummy Returns, but he had been quite famous for years for his work in the WWE throughout the 1990s. So while he didn't get his start in movies until later, he was a well-established star years before that. Of course, in the two and a half decades since his first movie role, he's become one of the biggest action heroes of all time.

Zoe Bell

This is another interesting case. Zoe Bell's first acting role in a movie was in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof in 2007. However, she had already built a legendary career as a stunt woman going back to the 1990s. With the Academy Awards (finally) adding a trophy for best stunts, we're going to include Bell here, because she's been performing in movies for decades.

Will Smith

He started as a rapper, then got into acting with comedy, and in the '90s, Will Smith became a big action star with movies like Independence Day, Bad Boys, and Men in Black. He's proven to be a very versatile actor over the years, starring in every genre of film you can think of.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Section 31 are ahead!

Roughly eight and a half years after the release of Star Trek Beyond, there’s finally a new Star Trek movie to watch, albeit not one playing in theaters. Star Trek: Section 31 is now available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription, and it sees Michelle Yeoh reprising the Mirror Universe version of Philippa Georgiou, whom she previously played in the first three seasons of Star Trek: Discovery. Section 31 has been met with mostly negative critical reception, and our own Mick Joest talked earlier this week about how he thought it was a mistake to market the movie mainly to general audiences rather than hardcore Trek fans. I agree with him, and that also segues nicely into a glaring plot issue that’s been annoying me ever since I watched Section 31.

Where We Left Off With Philippa Georgiou In Star Trek: Discovery

Before I get into this big issue, here's a quick Star Trek: Discovery recap. The first two seasons took place about a decade before the events of The Original Series, and at the end of Season 1, she was forcibly brought into the Prime Universe by Michael Burnham. With her Prime counterpart dead, Mirror Georgiou assumed her identity and became an operative for Section 31, and by the end of Season 2, she was aboard the USS Discovery when it traveled nearly a millennium into the future.

The Discovery crew ended up in 3189, and for a time, it seemed like Philippa Georgiou would just make a new life for herself in that era just like the show’s other characters. But in a twist of bad luck, the combination of that massive jump forward in time and the increasing distance between the Prime and Mirror Universes resulted in Georgiou’s molecules rapidly deteriorating. If she remained in 3189, she’d die.

Fortunately, she met the Guardian of Forever on Dannus V, and he decided to send her back to a time where both universes were closer together after she passed his test. However, we never learn in Discovery what specific time period this is, i.e. would she be returned to roughly the period as when Season 2 took place or something different.

Section 31 Completely Ignores How Much Time Has Passed For Georgiou

Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 took place from 2258-2259, while Star Trek: Section 31 is set around 2324. In other words, the Guardian of Forever dropped Georgiou off nearly 70 years after the events of Season 2. Now that’s all fine and good, but here’s the problem: the movie in no way addresses that long gap in time.

When Omari Hardwick’s Alok found Georgiou to recruit her for the movie’s mission, he spoke to her as if she’d been off the grid for a few years at most, but that’s not what happened at all. One moment she was active several years before James T. Kirk took over captaining the Enterprise from Christopher Pike, and the next she’s resurfaced during Star Trek’s “Lost Era,” I.e. the period between The Undiscovered Country and The Next Generation; a time when Rachel Garrett, whose older self was seen on TNG, is working with Section 31.

I wouldn’t expect a casual Star Trek fan or someone unfamiliar with the franchise to catch this wile watching Section 31, but I immediately picked up on this, and it continues to bother me. It’s part of the larger, aforementioned problem with the movie that it distances itself from Star Trek: Discovery as much as possible. This didn’t need to be a big thing; in fact, I think a mention about how Philippa Georgiou was active in one time period and then popped back up nearly three-fourths of a century later and not having aged would have added to the character’s allure. More importantly, the time traveling aspect could have easily been addressed without getting too deep into the weeds with Trek lore.

This is far from the biggest problem with Star Trek: Section 31, but it’s the one that continues to linger in my mind whenever I come across something concerning this movie. Fortunately, it doesn’t diminish my interest in the upcoming Star Trek TV shows, with Strange New Worlds Season 3 next on that slate.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Section 31! Stream it with a Paramount+ subscription, or read at your own risk!

The long-awaited Star Trek: Section 31 is officially streaming, and those who checked it out surely took notice of that massive cameo. Viewers were treated to a reunion between the film's lead, Michelle Yeoh, and one of her former co-stars. Jamie Lee Curtis appeared in the eleventh hour as Section 31's Control. While Yeoh confirmed to CinemaBlend that she played a role in Curtis' involvement, she admitted she had hesitations about doing so.

Jamie Lee Curtis and Michelle Yeoh previously shared the screen in 2022's Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, a movie that was quite a career highlight for both. Both women won Oscars for their roles in the film. With that, I asked Yeoh if the cameo in Section 31 would've happened had they not done that movie together. The actress couldn't say for sure, before admitting that she did hesitate to contact her former co-star for this latest role:

A number of celebrities, including Pamela Anderson, have shared stories about Curtis, which give the impression that she's a sweetheart. Even Curtis' own emotional interviews give that impression. So I don't think the Trading Places alum was going to say no to Michelle Yeoh. She might've even done the cameo without the phone call. However, considering it was such a small cameo that might've been more trouble for her than it was worth, I'd assume Yeoh wanted to give the extra courtesy of letting her friend know that she'd appreciate her doing her a solid.

The cameo sets up Jamie Lee Curtis to return as the head of Star Trek: Section 31 should the film receive a sequel, but whether that happens remains to be seen. While the weekend has brought out some positive reviews from some viewers, critics were largely down on the Trek film, and that seems to be the prevailing opinion on the internet.

Whether that stops Paramount from greenlighting a sequel can only be speculated upon at this point. Alex Kurtzman told TrekCulture that a follow-up was not necessarily contingent on the movie's success, which is understandable. Michelle Yeoh is one of the most in-demand actresses in Hollywood and, if there's room in her Yeoh's upcoming movie slate for more Trek, I'm sure Paramount would love to have her. Similarly, the actress told CinemaBlend she was all in on continuing to play Georgiou, so I still think a sequel is possible.

In the meantime, I'm just appreciating the bond between Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis and that they were able to share the screen again, albeit briefly. Be sure to stream Star Trek: Section 31 now if you haven't already.

Star Trek: Section 31 is available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription, and that's the only place fans can go if they want to see the first film for the franchise in nearly nine years. Given the circumstances and Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh's involvement, I wondered why it didn't get a theatrical release.. CinemaBlend asked franchise head Alex Kurtzman for an answer and learned some surprising information regarding the future of the movies.

I was grateful to talk to executive producer Alex Kurtzman and director Olutande Osunsanmi ahead of Star Trek: Section 31's premiere, and asked why we couldn't see the action-packed title in theaters. Kurtzman is the driving force between upcoming Trek shows, so I assumed he had the answer, but he informed me that is not the case:

Alex Kurtzman was a big part of Star Trek's return to theaterical adventures long ago, having co-wrote the script for 2009's Star Trek and its sequel Star Trek Into Darkness. He's also served as co-creator on every live-action series for the franchise in the streaming era. So to hear he's not involved in what's happening with the vision for the film side and that upcoming origins movie we keep hearing about is a shock to this fan.

While it's not necessarily out of the ordinary for different people to dictate the direction of a franchise, one does have to wonder what's going on with this new Star Trek movie for it to sidestep one of the primary creatives behind the franchise's return to form over past decade and a half. It seems Paramount would sooner keep Kurtzman on what's working on the television side, while perhaps bring something new to theaters.

It's worth noting this quote was received before the reviews of Star Trek: Section 31 hit the internet, which was largely unfavorable. The movie currently has a 23% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics and 18% from the Audience Score. As mentioned by Alex Kurtzman, the movie originally started out as a series but was reconfigured into a film to accommodate Yeoh's busy schedule.

It remains to be seen how many people checked out the action film and whether this attempt to step outside of the traditional Star Trek adventure will encourage Paramount to greenlight further sequels with Michelle Yeoh back in the saddle. We also continue to be largely in the dark about what to expect from the next Trek movie on the big screen, though we know it's directed by Andor director Toby Haynes and written by Seth Grahame-Smith. My only hope is that it's tied to some of the franchise's successes on television in recent years, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Stream Star Trek: Section 31 on Paramount+, and check out the wide variety of content there as well. We're expecting Strange New Worlds to return before the end of the year, and hopefully, we'll get more news on that movie as well.

The Academy Award for Best Actress has been handed out every year since 1929 — it was initially awarded to star Janet Gaynor for her roles in 7th Heaven, Street Angel, and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans — and in the near-century since, it's been presented 97 times to 79 actresses. Winning that coveted statuette is unsurprisingly a dream come true for many a big-screen performer, but the award does come with added attention on the actress's next projects. Will whatever they work on next be as critically acclaimed or commercially successful? Here are 32 films that Oscar-winning actresses did after taking home the Academy Award, and how they were received.

Emma Stone

The whole La La Land Oscars brouhaha at the 2018 ceremony was quite memorable, but clearly so was star Emma Stone's performance as aspiring actress Mia Dolen opposite Ryan Gosling's jazz pianist Seb Wilder. One of Stone's best movies, the role earned the star her first Best Actress win (she would strike gold yet again with her 2024 victory for Poor Things). Her next performance also stirred up awards buzz: she was nominated for a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice Award for portraying tennis legend Billie Jean King in the sports drama Battle of the Sexes.

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep's history with the Academy Awards is long and legendary: over her decades-spanning career, she's been nominated for a record 21 Oscar nominations, winning thrice. After taking home the Supporting Actress statuette for Kramer vs. Kramer, Streep got her first big Best Actress win for one of her most iconic performances: as the titular character of the devastating 1982 drama Sophie's Choice. Her next role was just as haunting: as Karen Silkwood in the 1983 thriller Silkwood, for which she earned yet another Best Actress nod.

Michelle Yeoh

Along with kicking major butt, Michelle Yeoh made history with her starring role as Evelyn Quan Wang in the 2022 action-dramedy Everything Everywhere All at Once, for she became the first Asian performer to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. Following that notable win in 2023, the Wicked star lent her voice to the sci-fi flick Transformers: Rise of the Beasts as Airazor, a Maximal warrior who transforms into a peregrine falcon. That title earned largely mixed reviews, and it currently sports a 51% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Jessica Chastain

After losing out on the Oscar for Zero Dark Thirty, Jessica Chastain took the Best Actress trophy home for her transformative role as televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker in the 2022 bio-drama The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Her next project was far less successful with awards bodies — the action-spy thriller The 355 was both a critical and commercial bomb, reportedly losing Universal an estimated $93 million. Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph wrote: "Despite the strong cast, this is the film equivalent of a corn-syrup-based fizzy drink being passed off as chic in taller, slimmer cans."

Frances McDormand

Three-time Best Actress winner Frances McDormand took home her first Oscar in 1997 for her instantly iconic performance as Minnesota police chief Marge Gunderson in the classic Coen Brothers dark comedy Fargo. Later that year, the acclaimed performer joined a heavyweight lineup of actresses — including Glenn Close, Cate Blanchett and Jennifer Ehle — in the World War II drama Paradise Road. However, despite that acting clout, the film received mixed reviews, with its approval rating at a lowly 43% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Brie Larson

Child actor turned Marvel superhero Brie Larson took her career to a whole new level with her performance as kidnapping victim Joy "Ma" Newsome in the 2015 survival drama Room, for which she swept the subsequent awards season and took home the Best Actress Oscar. In 2016, the Lessons in Chemistry lead starred in another survival drama, this time the Ben Wheatley-directed action-comedy Free Fire. CinemaBlend's own Gregory Wakeman wrote of the film: "Free Fire has enough gun blasts and violence to entertain, but ultimately lacks the requisite surprises or savvy to be anything more than a frivolous diversion."

Olivia Colman

Olivia Colman's Best Actress win for her portrayal of Queen Anne in the black-comedy period piece The Favourite was a deserved yet delightfully shocking moment at the 2019 Oscars. Her next role was equally strange, but less acclaimed: she appeared alongside Kaitlyn Dever, Jim Gaffigan and Walton Goggins as snake-handling fundamentalists in the horror mystery Them That Follow. Though it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, it earned mixed reviews from critics.

Cate Blanchett

One of the most versatile actors in the industry — she's played Queen Elizabeth I and Bob Dylan, for crying out loud! — eight-time Oscar nominee Cate Blanchett secured her first Best Actress win in 2014 playing a neurotic former socialite in the Woody Allen-directed dramedy Blue Jasmine. And speaking of versatility, the Aussie star followed that awards win with a voice role in the animated fantasy sequel How to Train Your Dragon 2, which got its own Oscar nod for Best Animated Feature.

Sandra Bullock

Rom-com queen Sandra Bullock received her first Best Actress nomination and win in 2010 for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy in the biographical football drama The Blind Side. Her next film credit was the Stephen Daldry-directed 2011 drama Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, which did manage to score a Best Picture nod but not without controversy. Chris Krapek of The Huffington Post called the film "not only the worst reviewed Best Picture nominee of the last 10 years, [but] easily the worst film of 2011."

Katharine Hepburn

Hollywood icon Katherine Hepburn earned four Academy Awards for Best Actress out of 12 nominations across her illustrious film career—a record for any performer. The leading lady's first Oscar win was in 1934 for the Pre-Code drama Morning Glory (the rest would come later in the star's life), which she followed up with John Cromwell's Spitfire. Some viewers found Hepburn miscast as "hillbilly" faith healer Trigger Hicks — the film has a 35% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman didn't win the Best Actress Oscar for one of her most beloved performances, as cabaret star Satine in Moulin Rouge! but she instead secured the big win only a year later for playing English writer Virginia Woolf in The Hours. The Babygirl star's first post-award project was the 2003 avant-garde thriller Dogville, written and directed by Lars von Trier. Though the film prompted quite a polarizing response from critics at the time of release, it did end up on several best-of-the-decade roundups, including The Guardian and Paste.

Jennifer Lawrence

If they didn't already love her from her work in the David O. Russell dramedy Silver Linings Playbook, the world certainly fell for Jennifer Lawrence when she charmingly tripped up the stairs to accept her Best Actress statuette in 2013. That fall, she would reprise her role as Katniss Everdeen in the second Mockingjay movie, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which is widely considered the best installment of The Hunger Games film series (it's got a solid 90% Rotten Tomatoes rating) and earned Lawrence a Critics' Choice nod.

Helen Mirren

Dame Helen Mirren is a regal onscreen presence no matter what the role, but her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 docudrama The Queen welcomed her among the Hollywood royalty known as Oscar winners. However, despite the film title, she didn't strike gold with her next project: the Nicolas Cage-led adventure flick National Treasure: Book of Secrets, alongside Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, Ed Harris and Diane Kruger. Per Rotten Tomatoes, critic consensus said of the 35% "Rotten" movie: "A talented cast goes to waste in the improbable National Treasure: Book of Secrets."

Jodie Foster

One of Hollywood's most acclaimed child stars — she was only 12 years old when she starred opposite Robert De Niro in the Martin Scorsese masterpiece Taxi Driver, earning her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress — Jodie Foster successfully segued into more adult fare with the 1988 legal drama The Accused. As an assault survivor Sarah Tobias, Foster received a Best Actress win—it wouldn't be her last, with the star winning the same award for her next film release, one of the greatest horror movies of all time, The Silence of the Lambs.

Halle Berry

Halle Berry made Oscar history when she became the first African-American woman ever to win the Academy Award for Best Actress, for her performance as a struggling widow in 2001's Monster's Ball. After becoming an Oscar winner, Berry became a Bond Girl — bikini-sporting NSA agent Jinx, to be exact — in the 2002 spy flick Die Another Day, opposite Pierce Brosnan as 007. However, the latter is widely considered to be the worst entry in James Bond's canon.

Julie Andrews

A legendary performer across both screen and stage, Julie Andrews won her Best Actress Oscar in 1964 for a truly iconic role: as the titular nanny extraordinaire in Mary Poppins. And she didn't stop there — the very next year, she would get yet another Academy Award nomination for an equally beloved character, as The Sound of Music's Maria, the sweet, singing governess to the Von Trapp family. Talk about an epic filmography!

Kathy Bates

One of the best Kathy Bates performances, as obsessive superfan Annie Wilkes in the 1990 Stephen King thriller Misery, earned the talented actress her first Academy Award nomination and win. (She would have three more Oscar nods across her decades-spanning career.) Bates' next film role was in the South African drama The Road to Mecca, based on the Athol Fugard play of the same name — the performer was praised for both her acting and her accent work.

Hilary Swank

Before there were transgender characters like Emilia Pérez (Emilia Pérez), Sin-Dee Rella (Tangerine), or Raymond Rayon (Dallas Buyers Club), there was Brandon Teena, the real-life trans man at the center of the 1999 drama Boys Don't Cry. Hilary Swank's harrowing, career-making performance as Teena earned the star her first Best Actress award, with critics like Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman calling the actress a "revelation" in the film. Reactions to her next movie, the 2000 supernatural thriller The Gift, were far more mixed. A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote: "The picture is saved from mediocrity by [director Sam] Raimi's smooth competence, and by the unusually high quality of the acting."

Renée Zellweger

After prior Best Actress nominations for two of her best movies, Bridget Jones' Diary and Chicago — plus a Best Supporting Actress win for Cold Mountain — Renée Zellweger finally got her big Best Actress win for her portrayal of Judy Garland in Rupert Goold's Judy. After taking a multi-year break from acting, Zellweger's much-anticipated next film credit will be a return to a beloved role, in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman was so convincing as a troubled ballerina in the 2010 psychological thriller Black Swan that she thought the film was a docudrama while making it. So, it's no surprise, then, that her tour-de-force performance garnered the star an Academy Award for Best Actress. Ever one to keep you guessing genre-wise, Portman's next role was in the 2011 stoner fantasy-comedy Your Highness, which sadly was a box office bomb and received largely negative reviews from critics.

Cher

The "Goddess of Pop" Cher officially added the title of "Oscar winner" to her already legendary showbiz career with her 1988 Best Actress triumph for one of her best movies, the acclaimed rom-com Moonstruck. Her next movie role came two years later as Rachel Flax, the saucy single mom to young Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci in the 1990 dramedy Mermaids. The heartfelt title has been dubbed an "underappreciated 1990s coming-of-age gem" by The Guardian, which singled out Cher's performance as "nothing short of magical."

Kate Winslet

One of the greatest performers of her generation, it took Kate Winslet a whopping six Oscar nominations before she finally took home the Academy Award for Best Actress, for playing a former Nazi camp guard in 2008's The Reader. Her next onscreen role was in the 2011 black comedy Carnage, by disgraced director Roman Polanski. The film received positive reviews, with critics praising the performances of the cast, including Winslet's — she earned a Golden Globe nod for Best Actress in a Motional Picture Musical or Comedy.

Julia Roberts

After a decade that solidified her as rom-com royalty, Julia Roberts proved her dramatic bonafides by winning the Best Actress Oscar for playing the title role in the 2000 legal drama Erin Brockovich, one of her best movies. America's Sweetheart returned to her romantic comedy roots with her next film, fittingly entitled America's Sweethearts, though critics weren't too sweet on the movie. It only holds a 33% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's consensus reading: "Despite its famous cast, the movie lacks sympathetic characters and is only funny in spurts."

Susan Sarandon

After Oscar nominations for Atlantic City, Thelma & Louise, Lorenzo's Oil and The Client, Susan Sarandon was finally named Best Actress by the Academy for playing Sister Helen Prejean in 1995's Dead Man Walking. Her next film was the decidedly lighter kids' flick James and the Giant Peach, in which Sarandon voiced the character of Miss Spider. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with Randy Newman's score earning an Oscar nod; however, the film was a box office failure, grossing $300,000 less than its budget.

Marion Cotillard

French movie star Marion Cotillard became the first actor to win an Academy Award for a French-language performance for her transformative turn as legendary singer Édith Piaf in the 2007 music biopic La Vie en Rose. Her next film credit was another biographical drama — this time, the Michael Mann-directed gangster film Public Enemies, alongside Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. Though many critics praised the leading performances, reviews were mixed, with the title holding a 68% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

Marlee Matlin

Marlee Matlin's acting debut in 1986's Children of a Lesser God saw the actress making Oscar history not once but twice: she became the first deaf performer to ever win an Academy Award, as well as the youngest winner in the Best Actress category. The CODA star followed up that momentous victory with the 1987 Western Walker, starring Ed Harris, Richard Masur and Peter Boyle. The historical drama was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 38th Berlin International Film Festival but received very polarized reviews and was a failure at the box office.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Fun fact: Gwyneth Paltrow wasn't initially supposed to star as Viola de Lesseps in the 1998 Bard-inspired romantic comedy Shakespeare in Love — Julia Roberts was. But Gwyn is no doubt grateful the latter ultimately left the production, as the role won her a Best Actress Oscar. Her next project was equally acclaimed: 1999's Anthony Minghella-helmed thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley scored five Academy Award nominations.

Audrey Hepburn

Screen legend Audrey Hepburn won her first Oscar in 1953 for her debut starring role, as Princess Ann in the classic black-and-white comedy Roman Holiday. The British beauty would later be nominated four more times for films like her first post-award project, the 1954 Billy Wilder-directed dramedy Sabrina, as well as The Nun's Story, Breakfast at Tiffany's and Wait Until Dark.

Sally Field

The Academy likes her, they really like her — yes, Sally Field has won not one but two Best Actress statuettes, the first being for her inspiring performance in 1979's Norma Rae and the second five years later for another one of her best films, Places in the Heart. Following her first win, Field reprised her role as Carrie, or "Frog," in 1980's Smoky and the Bandit II opposite her real-life love Burt Reynolds. Though the sequel was a box office success, prompting a third film, it received almost entirely negative reviews from critics.

Charlize Theron

One of the best Charlize Theron roles was also the star's most remarkably unrecognizable: the South African-born actress earned a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of real-life prostitute and serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the 2003 crime drama Monster. Her next big-screen performance was the 2004 war drama Head in the Clouds, which saw Theron acting opposite her then-romantic partner Stuart Townsend. The film was a critical and box office failure; in the San Francisco Chronicle, Walter Addiego wrote: "If not for the presence of Charlize Theron, it's hard to imagine this film would have attracted anywhere near the kind of attention it's gotten."

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon proved she was more than just a musical sidekick with her Oscar-winning performance as June Carter Cash in the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line. The Legally Blonde star was next seen in the harrowing 2007 political thriller Rendition opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, Meryl Streep and Peter Sarsgaard. However, "the impressive cast cannot rescue Rendition, which explores complex issues in woefully simplified terms," reads the critics' consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, with the film at a paltry 47% approval rating.

Elizabeth Taylor

Through much of the mid-20th century, celluloid icon Elizabeth Taylor was one of MGM's most bankable stars. In fact, her final film for the studio — 1960's Butterfield 8, playing glamorous call girl Gloria Wandrous — earned the movie star her first Academy Award for Best Actress. Her next performance was just as iconic: as the titular Egyptian queen in the 1963 historical epic Cleopatra, which received nine Oscar nominations and four wins, though, alas, none for Taylor specifically.

Star Trek: Section 31 is now available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription, and it marks Michelle Yeoh's return to the franchise since her character's exit in Discovery. For the actress, it's a return she's waited for ever since plans for a spinoff series were stalled, thanks in no small part to her historic win at the Oscars. These days, she has no shortage of offers for roles, but the actress told CinemaBlend there will always be time for Philippa Georgiou.

I had the honor of speaking to Michelle Yeoh ahead of Star Trek: Section 31, and I had to ask if she considered the recently released movie her "farewell to the franchise." The actress struck down that notion pretty handily, and she explained why she'll continue to come back for future projects as the former Terran Empress if given the opportunity:

As a former Terran Empress, Michelle Yeoh's Georgiou is responsible for the slaughter of billions in her universe. She's no stranger to violence, and she's willing to go much further than most Starfleet operatives in Section 31. However, Discovery and the recently released movie show she was more a victim of her environment than someone who set out to be entirely ruthless and evil.

Michelle Yeoh has always seen this duality, to the point she revealed she was in Alex Kurtzman's ear about more Georgiou adventures a long time ago. Readers might not be surprised to hear that, though they may be shocked to find out just how early she was doing that:

While critics haven't been too kind Star Trek: Section 31, I certainly think it's worthwhile for all fans of the franchise to check it out and decide for themselves if this movie is right for them. All Star Trek movie rankings look different, and it's rare there's a universally held opinion about most of the films.

Additionally, Section 31 sets itself up for a sequel, and I'm of the opinion that this formula can be polished and improved on in a future film. Not that fans aren't free to express their opinion about the quality of a movie, but when one of Hollywood's biggest A-listers and in-demand actresses is stating she wants to remain in the franchise as long as possible, it certainly helps the franchise to have her around as much as it can. With so few upcoming Trek projects on the horizon compared to years past, it'd only be a good thing to continue to highlight Michelle Yeoh via Star Trek: Section 31.

As mentioned, those looking to see Yeoh in Star Trek: Section 31 will need a Paramount+ subscription to do so. We'll have to wait and see whether Paramount is interested in making a sequel for the movie and how many tune in to see this fresh new take into the universe.

Michelle Yeoh has been known for starring in action movies for decades, but did you know there was a time in her life, almost 30 years ago, when she almost hung it up completely? Just ahead of Yeoh’s Hollywood debut as one of the “Bond girls”, the actress was in a life-threatening stunt accident that had her rethinking her career. However, a meeting with Quentin Tarantino (of all people) actually inspired her to keep going.

At the age of 62, the actress’ career is bigger than ever, between her 2023 Oscar win and all the upcoming Michelle Yeoh movies. However, she recently reflected on her traumatic accident that almost altered the course of her career, saying:

Before Yeoh became a Hollywood star, she rose to fame with a series of Hong Kong action films in the ‘80s and ‘90s that notably had her working alongside Jackie Chan, Tony Leung, Donnie Yen and Jet Li. However, as she explained on The Graham Norton Show, she suffered a serious accident while trying to accomplish a stunt from an overpass to a moving truck. As she continued:

One wouldn’t blame Yeoh for hanging it all up after being faced with a near-death experience like that. However, a visit from the director behind Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction helped her put things into perspective. In her words:

Quentin Tarantino has long vocally been a huge fan of Michelle Yeoh and some of her Hong Kong films. He even called a stunt sequence she did in 1992’s Supercop "the greatest stunts ever filmed in any movie ever."

As Michelle Yeoh recalls, when Tarantino visited Hong Kong in the ‘90s, he set up a meeting with herself, along with Jackie Chan and Jet Li. During her meeting with him, he helped her realize how much she loves her job and it inspired her to not let her accident put a wrench in her career.

In the few years after the release of The Stunt Woman, Michelle Yeoh had some of the biggest movies of her career. She was in Tomorrow Never Dies with Pierce Brosnan’s 007 and she starred in 2000’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, as well. Imagine if she had quit before having those experiences? She would have missed out on so much.

Despite Quentin Tarantino’s love for Yeoh, the pair have never worked together. When the actress once asked him why she wasn’t cast in Kill Bill, he cleverly quipped “Who would believe that Uma Thurman could kick your ass?” Here’s hoping these two do work together someday. In the meantime, you can see Yeoh when the Star Trek: Section 31 release date comes on January 24 and see her in the Wicked cast as Madame Morrible.

There’s just one week left to go until Star Trek: Section 31 arrives on the 2025 movies schedule and reunites fans who have a Paramount+ subscription with Michelle Yeoh’s Philippa Georgiou, the former leader of the Terran Empire in the Mirror Universe. However, there was a time when Section 31 was intended to be on the slate of upcoming Star Trek TV shows. In fact, director Olatunde Osunsanmi shared that the Section 31 TV series actually made it pretty far along in the development process before the creative pivot.

Had things gone according to the original plan, Osunsanmi was going to direct the Section 31 pilot, having already contributed to the franchise helming various episodes of Star Trek: Discovery, which paved the way for this spinoff. In an interview with EW, Osunsanmi said the following about how things shaped up when the Section 31 TV series was happening:

For those who need a refresher or haven’t watched Star Trek: Discovery, the Season 2 finale saw the crew of the title ship, including Philippa Georgiou, traveling over 900 years into the future. However, Georgiou didn’t stay long, as the combination of her traveling so far forward in time and hailing from another universe meant that her molecules were too far from their origin. This was slowly killing her, but the Guardian of Forever opened a portal to send her back to an earlier time period in the Prime Universe. That’s where we’ll find her when Section 31 begins, albeit several decades ahead of when Discovery’s first two seasons took place, as evidenced by the presence of Rachel Garrett, the future captain of the Enterprise-C.

I’d be lying if I said didn’t want to see how Section 31 turned out as a TV series, especially if it included other Discovery characters to join Philippa Georgiou, like Shazad Latif’s Ash Tyler. Alas, that version of the project eventually went by the wayside when writer Craig Sweeney drafted another pilot script treatment. Then the COVID-19 pandemic further complicated plans, and by early 2023, it was decided to make Section 31 as a movie instead, although its production was delayed by the two Hollywood strikes.

Olatunde Osunsanmi credited the “relentless” Star Trek franchise overseer Alex Kurtzman, Aaron Baiers (the president of TV at Kurtzman’s production company, Secret Hideout) and Michelle Yeoh for Section 31 ultimately being made, saying:

We’ll see how the final product turned out when Star Trek: Section 31 is released on January 24, with Michelle Yeoh being joined onscreen by Omari Hardwick, Kacey Rohl, Sam Richardson, Sven Ruygrok, Robert Kazinsky, Humbly Gonzalez and James Hiroyuki Liao. Following its release, the Trek franchise will continue with Strange New Worlds Season 3 premiering sometime on the 2025 TV schedule.

Those of us who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know that the shared universe is constantly expanding, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. While there have been some missteps since Avengers: Endgame hit theaters, one major hit was Destin Daniel Cretton's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Simu Liu revealed which Shang-Chi character he wants to reunite with, and I couldn’t agree more.

Fans have been waiting for news about Shang-Chi 2 since the first movie was released, but the studio is keeping its cards close to the chest. While it does seem like the sequel is coming eventually, fans are eager for any information. Liu recently appeared at the Fan Expo Canada panel (via Collider) and revealed that he really wants to reunite with Michelle Yeoh's Ying Nan. He spoke about working with her on the first movie, saying:

Doing a fight sequence opposite Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh definitely sounds daunting. She's one of the most celebrated stunt and action performers in the business, to say nothing of her other talents as an actress. And it sounds like Simu Liu wants more time with Shang-Chi's Aunt in an upcoming Marvel movie.

Michelle Yeoh's career has been booming lately, partly thanks to her Oscar-winning performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once. As such, it's unclear if she'll be in the cast of Shang-Chi 2, or if she might be booked with other projects. Fingers crossed that fan (and Liu) get their way and see her in another appearance in the MCU.

The cast of Shang-Chi was full of outstanding talent, with Michelle Yeoh only playing a supporting role in the narrative. Whether we see some of these characters again will presumably be dependent on if/when the location Ta Lo factors back into the shared universe's story.

There are plenty of rumors swirling around Simu Liu's signture character, as fans wait for more information about the future of the MCU. One such story circulating online is that Shang-Chi was going to be one of the leading Avengers: Kang Dynasty characters, before the studio pivoted away from those plans. Will he still get to take the spot light in Avengers: Doomsday? Only time will tell.

The next MCU movie hitting theaters is Captain America: Brave New World on February 14th. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates.

Sometimes, all it takes is one joint appearance in a movie or television show for two popular actors to become known as an acting duo, and sometimes they prove to work so well together that they go on to star in even more projects together. We’ve come up with a list of 32 acting duos who have worked together multiple times, so you can see if you’ve watched all of the times these talented stars have been on screen with each other.

Tina Fey And Amy Poehler

Obviously, this funny duo began their most famed time together while starring on Saturday Night Live, but Tina Fey and Amy Poehler didn’t let the good times end there. The women were both in Mean Girls, starred in the movies Baby Mama and Sisters, and used their talents to great effect when co-hosting the Golden Globe Awards for several years.

Robert De Niro And Al Pacino

Two legendary actors make for a legendary acting duo, and while Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are frequently mentioned in the same breath, they’ve only been featured in four films together. Two of those movies, however, are absolutely the reason people often talk about them together as they count The Godfather Part II, Heat, Righteous Kill and The Irishman as their joint efforts.

Julia Roberts And George Clooney

Now, these two actually have made quite a few movies with one another, and largely with both in on-screen roles. Of course, it’s hard to forget that George Clooney and Julia Roberts are in all three of the Ocean’s Eleven films, but they’ve also starred in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (which Clooney also directed), Money Monster and the 2022 rom-com Ticket to Paradise. The erstwhile Danny Ocean also produced August: Osage County, while Roberts starred.

Jane Fonda And Lily Tomlin

Frequently we see an acting duo together multiple times because they really are buddies in real life, and that’s true for Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. After first starring together in the 1980 hit 9 to 5 (with Dolly Parton, of course) they eventually re-teamed for the Netflix series Grace and Frankie (which ran for seven seasons), as well as the dark comedy Moving On and 80 for Brady.

Emma Stone And Ryan Gosling

This duo has produced some well-known and beloved comedies and dramas over the years, as Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling first starred together in Crazy, Stupid, Love in 2011, moving on to Gangster Squad in 2013 and the Oscar-winning musical La La Land in 2016. Stone even once said she couldn’t “imagine” her life without Gosling, so these two will probably be friends forever.

Salma Hayek And Antonio Banderas

Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas sharing the screen in Desperado caused considerable heat, along with igniting a very real friendship, so it’s no surprise that they’ve now worked together a number of times. They’ve also been in the casts of Four Rooms, Frida, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Spy Kids 3: Game Over, Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard and both Puss in Boots animated movies. That’s a lot!

Dwayne Johnson And Kevin Hart

We’ve already born witness to a rather lengthy history of Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart ripping on each other during their (apparently) laugh and roast-filled friendship, and the two megastars have, indeed, brought that chemistry to the big screen multiple times. The duo counts Central Intelligence, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and its sequel, Hobbs & Shaw and DC League of Super-Pets as the titles they’ve appeared in together.

Matt Damon And Ben Affleck

If this isn’t a classic acting duo by now, there are none. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have been “bizarrely close” friends since childhood, and they first joined forces to great effect by penning and starring in Good Will Hunting (after having both appeared in School Ties), which won them the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. They also worked on Dogma in the 1990s, then, after nearly 25 years, they joined forces again to write and star in The Last Duel, and since then have also worked together on Air and the upcoming RIP for Netflix.

Denzel Washington And Don Cheadle

If only these two powerhouse stars had already been in more movies together…Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle’s first pairing was as P.I. Easy Rawlins and his loyal but unpredictable friend, Mouse, in 1995’s Devil in a Blue Dress. While their work in the film garnered critical acclaim, it would be over 15 years before they teamed again for Flight.

Sanaa Lathan And Taye Diggs

We should never underestimate the power of a franchise when it comes to popular on-screen pairings. Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs appeared in The Wood together in 1999 and then went on to star in The Best Man, its sequel and the Peacock mini-series, The Best Man: The Final Chapters. The duo also played the lead couple in the rom-com, Brown Sugar in 2002.

Scarlett Johansson And Chris Evans

Co-starring in a franchise with the same people will take an acting duo far, but Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans have surpassed even the typical standard where that’s concerned. Thanks to their joint time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they’ve appeared in a whopping seven movies together (including their mid-end credits cameo in Captain Marvel), and prior to their time as blockbuster movie-making superheroes they starred in The Perfect Score and The Nanny Diaries, bringing their current total to nine.

Anthony Mackie And Chris Evans

If you did enjoy many of those MCU movies, then you know that Chris Evans rubbed elbows with Anthony Mackie quite a bit there. But, did you also know that the two have been in XX non-Marvel movies together? Playing It Cool, What’s Your Number, and Ghosted also star/feature both actors and if you add in all their shared time in tights on screen, their total is also at nine.

Emily Blunt And Dwayne Johnson

The first time was a hit, so why not join forces again, right? Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson famously delivered winning chemistry in Jungle Cruise, and are coming back together for the upcoming drama The Smashing Machine. The two are also said to be willing to return for Jungle Cruise 2, whenever that can finally get off the ground.

Chris Pine And Ben Foster

The third time has been the charm so far for Chris Pine and Ben Foster. The duo famously portrayed bank-robbing brothers in Hell or High Water, joined up for The Finest Hours, and made it a three-peat in 2022 for The Contractor.

Margot Robbie And Will Smith

If it seemed that there could have been a little something extra going on between Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Will Smith’s Deadshot when you watched 2016’s Suicide Squad, then it might have been because you picked up on the chemistry the duo first built in Focus from the year before.

Margot Robbie And Brad Pitt

This big screen coupling made quite a showing for themselves across less than a decade, as Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt have starred in The Big Short, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood and Babylon. 

Margot Robbie And Leonardo DiCaprio

Just imagine, had it not been for this pairing, we might not have the megastar who is Barbie actor/producer Margot Robbie right now. Her role in Wolf of Wall Street as the second wife of Leonardo DiCaprio’s corrupt fraudster propelled her career, and by the time they starred in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood together Robbie was a major star.

Halle Berry And Hugh Jackman

We, again, have a superhero franchise to thank for bringing two great talents together, as Oscar winner Halle Berry and Hugh Jackman both have four of the X-Men movies among their credits. The duo also starred in Swordfish and Movie 43.

Awkwafina And Michelle Yeoh

This duo counts two megahits in their joint credits, with Awkwafina and Everything Everywhere All At Once Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh both having starred in Crazy Rich Asians (and we’re still waiting for that rom-com sequel) and the MCU entry Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Michelle Yeoh And Jackie Chan

Michelle Yeoh has been a star for several decades, and part of that reason is because of her breakout role in the 1992’s Supercop, which also starred Jackie Chan. But, they’ve made a number of other films with each other, including Supercop 2, and Hong Kong action films Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars, Project S, and both voiced characters in Kung Fu Panda 2, along with having starred in a 1984 watch commercial together.

Angela Bassett And Laurence Fishburne

While Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne were famously nominated for Oscars for their lead roles as Tina Turner and Ike Turner in 1993’s What’s Love Got to Do with It?, the duo was actually first together on screen for Boyz n the Hood in ‘91. They then later teamed up for Akeela and the Bee in 2006.

Julia Roberts And Richard Gere

If this isn’t a famous acting duo, then none are, despite their only making two movies with each other. Of course, Julia Roberts and Richard Gere starred in the mega-hit classic rom-com Pretty Woman and teamed up again for Runaway Bride in 1999.

Jennifer Aniston And Jason Bateman

For a while there, Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, who are friends in real life, were kinda on a roll. Their first joint film was The Break-Up in 2006, and since then they’ve filmed four additional movies with one another: The Switch, Horrible Bosses and its sequel, and 2016’s Office Christmas Party.

Kate Hudson And Matthew McConaughey

Who can forget the glorious chemistry created by Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey in How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days? No one, that’s who! This is why they made a second rom-com, Fool’s Gold, just five years later.

Kirsten Dunst And Jesse Plemons

It’s not unusual for an acting duo to become friends in real life, but Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons took that a few steps further after working on the TV series Fargo together. Not only have they since starred in the film The Power of the Dog (which netted each their first Oscar nomination) and the A24 drama Civil War, but they married in 2022 and have two sons.

Meg Ryan And Tom Hanks

We could hardly leave Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks off of this list, as the famed actors have co-starred in two of the biggest romantic comedies of all time. Everyone knows them for making Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail hits, but before all of that, they led one of the weirder rom-coms made with Joe Versus the Volcano, and reunited for the 2016 drama Ithaca, which Ryan directed.

Drew Barrymore And Adam Sandler

People often mention Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler as an acting duo they want to see more of and with good reason. The two have made magic in the classics The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates and Blended.

Adam Sandler And Chris Rock

This pairing goes back decades, to the time when Adam Sandler and Chris Rock starred on Saturday Night Live together in the ‘90s. Since then, the real-life buddies have appeared in seven movies together, with The Longest Yard, Grown Ups and its sequel, The Week Of and Top Five counted among that number.

George Clooney And Brad Pitt

Of course, George Clooney and Brad Pitt helped to make the Ocean’s Eleven franchise a hit, but the friends additionally teamed up for the live TV movie 8, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (which Clooney directed), Burn After Reading and the 2024 films If and Wolfs.

Keegan-Michael Key And Jordan Peele

The duo of Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, who first became recognizable during their time on MadTV, eventually went on to their own acclaimed sketch comedy series, Key and Peele. But, while making names for themselves on other series and in a number of movies, they continue to work with one another on projects like Keanu, Toy Story 4 and Wendell & Wild.

Awkwafina And Simu Liu

It was the MCU that first brought Awkwafina and Simu Liu together in the hit film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and while we’re still waiting to see when that franchise will bring them back together, 2024 saw them team up again for the action comedy, Jackpot!.

Jane Fonda And Robert Redford

Dedicated film fans probably know that legends Jane Fonda and Robert Redford starred together in Barefoot in the Park and The Electric Horseman, but their joint movie appearances do go beyond that. They also starred in The Chase in ‘66 and reunited for Our Souls at Night in 2017, and both had their film debuts in 1960’s Tall Story.

As you can see, film history is packed with acting duos who’ve worked together more than once, and that will probably always be the case.

Per what we know about Avatar: Fire and Ash and the other upcoming sequels in the franchise, director James Cameron has assembled a massive cast filled with talented stars. The Way of Water introduced new characters played by Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis and Edie Falco, and there are more to come. Another star who was previously announced to be joining the franchise was the legendary Michelle Yeoh. It was expected that Yeoh would make her debut as Dr. Karina Mogue in the series’ first sequel in 2022, though that didn’t turn out to be the case. Cameron has now provided some clarity regarding Yeoh’s role, and I’m honestly a little bummed.

James Cameron recently unveiled the title for the previously mentioned Avatar threequel during the D23 Expo. While there, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker later answered some questions about what fans can expect from the third movie. Cameron was eventually asked about whether or not Michelle Yeoh would appear in Fire and Ash (which is on the 2025 movie schedule). And, unfortunately, it sounds like those eager to see the actress enter the world of Pandora are going to have to wait a little while:

I certainly appreciate that the Terminator director just flat out told EW that the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon icon won’t appear in Fire and Ash. Otherwise, some franchise devotees would’ve surely continued to anticipate an appearance from the actress. The news of her absence, however, is still somewhat disappointing. Not only that, but fans should remember that the fifth film in the Avatar saga isn’t set to hit theaters until December 21, 2029. So that means we have a little more than four years before we get to see Dr. Mogue make her formal debut. Sure, it’s comforting that she will eventually appear, but that wait is going to be tough.

One can certainly understand why James Cameron would seek out Michelle Yeoh for his franchise, as she’s one of the most prolific actors in the history of cinema. The Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once actress has remained mum on her role for the most part. However, Yeoh did previously hype up her role and, while speaking with CinemaBlend, she explained that she had a firm desire to join Cameron’s sequels. As a fan of Yeoh’s, I’m hoping that Dr. Mogue plays an integral role.

While the Tomorrow Never Dies won’t be showing up in the highly anticipated sci-fi threequel, a few other fresh faces will. Harry Potter and Enola Holmes 2 alum David Thewlis is set to appear, and that we know for sure. A while ago, Thewlis clarified that he’d appear in the next three Avatar movies and, as of right now, his exact role remains unknown. Joining him will be fellow franchise newcomer Oona Chaplin, who’s arguably best known for playing Talisa Maegyr on Game of Thrones.

There surely won’t be a shortage of characters in James Cameron’s upcoming movie, as the ensemble is quite massive. Nevertheless, I’ll still be waiting intently for the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings actress to make her first appearance in Cameron’s ongoing, box office-breaking franchise. Here’s hoping Dr. Karina Mogue’s entrance in the fourth flick will be well worth the wait.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is set to open in theaters on December 19, 2025 and, in the meantime, you can stream the first two films using a Disney+ subscription. You can also catch Michelle Yeoh in Wicked, which opens on November 22 as part of the 2024 movie schedule.

It only took one trailer for the movie Star Trek: Section 31 to become the most-anticipated upcoming Trek project on my list. This action-packed trailer for the movie that will eventually be available with a Paramount+ subscription holds nothing back and is jam-packed with lots of characters and species that will make any diehard fan's head spin. That said, the biggest question I have following this mind-blowing trailer is: Why isn't it coming to theaters?

I think many Trekkies out there will be asking the same, so while I'm not saying we should be raising pitchforks, the question should be asked. In part because of what we see in this trailer and how brilliant it is. Let's talk it out, and hope there are enough people at the top of Paramount wondering the same thing once they see how it's received.

This Looks Unlike Any Previous Trek Project We've Seen, Which Totally Makes Sense

From the jump, we've known Terran Emperor Georgiou wasn't exactly the model representation of what Starfleet represents. What we didn't know is that there are others like her within Starfleet, operating in the shadows of Section 31 and doing what needs to be done.

Of course, there are restrictions, which is why Kacey Rohl's Rachel Garrett from The Next Generation is along for the ride. Given what we know about her, I think she'll do her best to keep this ragtag team in check. Her presence makes this feel like Star Trek's version of The Suicide Squad, and I kind of love that.

Section 31 is not supposed to operate like Starfleet, so to have it look more or less the same would be inaccurate. They're allowed to get their hands dirty, make shady dealings, and maybe even break protocol, provided the end justifies the means. Sometimes, there's just no other way of doing it, which is where they come in.

With An Oscar Winner And A Great Cast, There's A Strong Case For A Theatrical Release

For as good as this trailer looks, I'm still stunned by the fact this movie does not have a theatrical release. Michelle Yeoh recently won an Oscar, and Sam Richardson won an Emmy. Omari Hardwick was well-loved in Power, and Olatunde Osunsanmi directed The Fourth Kind and other movies that got theatrical releases.

Considering it's been a very long time since we've seen a Star Trek movie in theaters, this would be a perfect way to kick off a new era for the franchise after a long delay. That said, we already know Paramount is prepping a Trek origin movie for theaters, so maybe there was a fear of oversaturating the market.

I can also see the perspective that there's a definite risk in bringing a movie to theaters that's tied to Star Trek: Discovery. The series posted solid numbers in streaming rankings in its final season, but the general mainstream audience likely doesn't have the foreknowledge about Georgiou to dive right into this feature. That said, I'd imagine since we're getting some of her origin story and a younger portrayal by actress Miku Martineau, that would cover the basis for what casuals would need to know.

My hope is that when we get closer to release, Paramount will eventually announce a limited theatrical run for the movie for Star Trek fans who want to see this adventure on the big screen. It's been eight years since we've had a chance to see our favorite franchise in cinemas, so I'm begging someone at the top to consider it and make it available for people to see in all its glory.

Star Trek: Section 31 is due early on the 2025 movie schedule, and will stream on Paramount+. I am absolutely thrilled to be seeing it, though as I keep saying, let's get this one on the big screen!

Just like crazy gadgets and classic villains are important to James Bond movies, so-called "Bond girls" have been crucial to the franchise's success. Obviously society has changed quite a bit since Dr. No was released in 1962, and so have the roles these women have played in the adventures. They aren't just a love interest to Bond anymore, though some are, of course, nor do all of them have ridiculous names though some definitely do. Really, it's just all the women who have played important roles,  throughout the years, like the 32 on this list. 

Ursula Andress (Honey Ryder)

The O.G. Bond girl is Honey Ryder, played by Ursula Andress. Bond (Sean Connery) famously meets her as she strolls out of the ocean in a bikini on a small island owned by the titular Dr. No. It's not only one of the most iconic moments of the Bond series, it's one of the most famous in Hollywood history. 

Michelle Yeoh (Wai Lin)

Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh first came to Western cinema acclaim as a Bond girl. After years of success in Hong Kong, Yeoh's Hollywood breakthrough came as Wai Lin in Tomorrow Never Dies, starring Pierce Brosnan as Bond. 

Barbara Bach (Anya Amasova)

Actor Barbara Bach is famous for playing a Bond girl in one of the best Roger Moore movies. Bach, who is the wife of Ringo Starr, played a Russian spy named Anya Amasova in The Spy Who Loved Me. Bach was, in fact, the spy who loved Bond. Or Bond was the spy who loved her. Both ways work. The same movie also features one of the best henchmen in Bond history, Jaws. 

Shirley Eaton (Jill Masterson)

The third movie of the Bond franchise, Goldfinger, is pretty almost universally praised as the best of the series. It's certainly the best of the Connery era, despite what some critics claim. Shirley Eaton plays Jill Masterson who meets her demise in one of the most famous scenes in the series when Bond finds her covered in gold paint after her death. 

Tanya Roberts (Stacey Sutton)

Roger Moore's final appearance as James Bond came in 1985's A View To A Kill opposite Tanya Roberts who starred as Stacey Sutton. The late Roberts had a fairly short-lived career in the mid-80s before reviving it as a regular on That '70s Show in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She'll be forever remembered for her moments as a Bond girl. 

Carey Lowell (Pam Bouvier)

Carey Lowell is best known for her two-season run as ADA Jamie Ross on Law & Order in the '90s, but years before that, she was a Bond girl. Lowell played Pam Bouvier, a capable ex-army officer-turned-informant on the cartels Bond is chasing in the Timothy Dalton-as-Bond flick Licence To Kill. 

Teri Hatcher (Paris Carver)

In 1997 Teri Hatcher was coming off an incredibly successful run as Lois Lane in the TV show Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. She parlayed that in a role as James Bond's love interest in Tomorrow Never Dies, named Paris Carver. 

Jane Seymour (Solitaire)

In the United States, Jane Seymour is probably best known as Dr. Michaela Quinn in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. About 20 years early, she starred as one of the best Bond girls ever, Solitaire, in the first Roger Moore-era Bond movie, Live and Let Die. 

Léa Seydoux (Madeleine Swann)

Léa Seydoux actually starred in two James Bond movies, both featuring Daniel Craig as 007. In both Spectre and No Time To Die, she played Madeleine Swann. She also holds the distinction of being the only actress to play the mother of a James Bond child, which is revealed in the final movie of the Craig era, No Time To Die. 

Halle Berry (Giacinta "Jinx" Johnson)

Before the 21st Century, the producers of the Bond series rarely picked huge stars as Bond girls. That wasn't the case in 2002 when Halle Berry starred as Jinx Johnson in Die Another Day. Berry had just won an Academy Award and was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood when she played Jinx, who was every bit Bond's equal in all ways. 

Maud Adams (Andrea Anders And Octopussy)

Maud Adams is one of two women who have starred in two James Bond movies as Bond girls. Her first, Andrea Anders came in 1974's The Man with the Golden Gun. Her second, and larger role, came as the titular Octopussy in the movie of the same name. Adams also holds the distinction of being the only one to have the same name as the movie. Pretty cool. 

Famke Janssen (Xenia Onatopp)

While she's best known these days for playing Jean Grey/Phoenix in the X-Men movies, Famke Janssen also starred in one Bond movie, GoldenEye, as the ridiculously named assassin Xenia Onatopp. It's one of the sillier names, but the character is all business. 

Diana Rigg (Teresa di Vicenzo/Tracy Bond)

For many Brits, Diana Rigg is known for playing Emma Peel in the '60s spy show The Avengers (no relation to the MCU). For many Americans, she's best known as Olenna Tyrell on Game of Thrones. For Bond fans, she'll always be Tracy Bond, James' first wife, who he married in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the lone film starring George Lazenby as 007. 

Gemma Arterton (Strawberry Fields)

While Quantum of Solace usually ranks pretty low overall among Bond aficionados, Gemma Arterton deserves a lot of praise for his work as Strawberry Fields. While Strawberry Fields is one of the silliest names in the canon, at least it's not an innuendo. 

Daniela Bianchi (Tatiana Romanova)

Daniela Bianchi is an Italian actress who brilliantly played a Soviet spy in From Russia With Love. Tatiana Romanova, the character Bianchi, set the standard for the capable foil to Bond, rather than a damsel in distress as Honey Ryder was in Dr. No.

Maryam D'Abo (Kara Milovy)

Timothy Dalton only got to play Bond in two films, but in one of him, he got to star opposite Maryam D'Abo, who played the classical musician Kara Milovy. The Living Daylights is, like the other Dalton movie, Licence To Kill is underrated, and along with that, D'Abo's excellent performance. 

Kim Basinger (Domino Petachi)

Okay, okay, so Never Say Never Again isn't an official James Bond movie, but it does feature one of the biggest stars to ever play a Bond girl. Kim Basinger was already a big deal when she signed on to join Sean Connery in his return as 007 in the remake of Thunderball. 

Denise Richards (Christmas Jones)

The producers of The World Is Not Enough took a lot of grief for casting Denise Richards as Dr. Christmas Jones. Critics complained that she couldn't be taken seriously as a doctor, or something. It was pure sexism because Richards was fine in the role and fit the mold of a Bond girl perfectly. Her stupid character name wasn't her fault, either. 

Eva Green (Vesper Lynd)

Vesper Lynd is one of two Bond girls who actually married the super spy. Eva Green plays Lynd in Casino Royale and like the other woman who married Bond, Tracy, in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Lynd doesn't make it to the end of the movie. She is killed in front of Bond in Venice in one of the most tragic endings to any Bond movie. 

Grace Jones (May Day)

Without question, May Day, played by Grace Jones, in A View To A Kill is one of the most intimidating Bond girls. She's bold and built like a truck. She's a woman of few words, but she can intimidate with nothing more than a look. Grace Jones wasn't in a ton of movies over her unique career, but maybe she should have been more based on this. 

Jill St. John (Tiffany Case)

Jill St. John, who plays Tiffany Case in Diamonds Are Forever has had a long career, going back to the 1950s. In 1971, she starred alongside Sean Connery in his return to the role of 007 and she holds the distinction of being the first American Bond girl. 

Sophie Marceau (Elektra King)

Elektra King, played by Sophie Marceau, is a quintessential Bond girl. She's both Bond's lover and his enemy in The World Is Not Enough. As such, Marceau plays both vulnerable and vicious and the French actress nails both. 

Bérénice Marlohe (Sévérine)

Skyfall is consistently ranked as one of the fans' favorites and that's in no small part to Bérénice Marlohe, who plays Sévérine. Marlohe hasn't starred in many English-language films, in fact, Skyfall was her first, but you'd never know if from the French actor's performance in the Bond universe. 

Mie Hamna (Kissy Suzuki)

Let's be honest, Kissy Suzuki has to be the silliest name ever. It's just ridiculous. That doesn't mean that actress Mie Hamna's performance as the Japanese ninja/spy in You Only Live Twice was silly. The Japanese actress didn't speak much English, but she left an impression on moviegoers, despite her lines being overdubbed. 

Izabella Scorupco (Natalya Simonova)

Natalya Simonova, played by Polish actress Izabella Scorupco, is a stereotypical Bond girl who is a bit of a damsel in distress but turns out to be very capable when teamed with Bond. Scorupco. The multi-talent Scorupco is also a singer and even hosted one season of Sweden's version of Top Model. 

Ana De Armas (Palona)

We couldn't have this list without Ana de Armas, but she doesn't play a typical Bond girl. The character, Palona, is not Bond's lover, nor is she his enemy. She's his equal in many ways, as a green CIA agent sent to help Bond. De Armas is pretty darn awesome in the role, fighting side-by-side with 007. Of course, even before starring here, she was already a pretty big star. 

Carole Bouquet (Melina Havelock)

At the end of The Spy Who Loved Me, the words "James Bond Will Return in For Your Eyes Only, but after the success of Star Wars, the producers of the franchise pivoted and made Moonraker instead to add some sci-fi to the series. Actress Carole Bouquet auditioned to be the Bond girl in that movie but lost out on the part. Luckily, she landed the role of Bond's ally, Melina Havelock, in For Your Eyes Only when it was finally made. 

Lois Chiles (Holly Goodhead)

Moonraker is... not James Bonds' finest hour, but it's not that bad either. One thing that no one can argue, Dr. Holly Goodhead is the dumbest name in the history of the franchise. Sure, there's always been some sophomoric humor to Bond girl names, but actor Lois Chiles has the unfortunate luck of starring as the character with this over-the-top name. 

Claudine Auger (Domino Derval)

French actress and model Claudine Auger played one of the most famous Bond girls in Thunderball. Her sultry performance set a new standard for the archetype. Auger, who played Domino in the movie, wasn't in a lot of movies American audiences would recognize, but she did represent her native France in the Miss World pageant in the 1950s. 

Lana Wood (Plenty O'Toole)

While she's in the running for the silliest name, Plenty O'Toole doesn't have plenty of screen time, lasting only a few minutes before being thrown out of a window of Bond's hotel room in Diamonds Are Forever. She's played by Lana Wood, sister of the late Natalie Wood. 

Britt Ekland (Mary Goodnight)

Britt Ekland, who was once married to Peter Sellers, stars as Mary Goodnight in The Man With The Golden Gun. Let's be honest here, the writers of the movie were not kind to the character as the British agent isn't a very smart or capable spy. That's on the writers, not Ekland. 

Cassandra Harris (Countess Lisl von Schlaf)

Australian actress Cassandra Harris had an interesting and tragic life. When she starred as Lisl von Schlaf in For Your Eyes Only, he husband in real life was none other than Pierce Brosnan. How's that for meta? Sadly, Harris died of ovarian cancer at just age 43 in 1991. Her mother AND her daughter both died of the same disease in their 40s as well. 

Michelle Yeoh has been nothing short of an icon in the years since she broke out in Supercop opposite Jackie Chan and wowed audiences with her performance in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. However, following her Best Actress Academy Award win for leading the Best Picture Oscar winner, 2022’s Everything Everywhere All At Once, she is busier now than ever. There is plenty more for fans to look forward to, as you can see in our guide to the upcoming Michelle Yeoh movies and other projects, below.

Wicked: Part Two (November 26, 2025)

While one could consider some of the stunts she has performed from her resume of action movie classics as balletic, the musical is one of the few film genres that long we absent on Michelle Yeoh's resume. However, that would change when she appeared in the new 2024 movie, Wicked, which hits theaters in the fall.

Director John M. Chu film only told the first half of the tale – based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit which was inspired by Gregory McGuire’s 1995 novel – and the epic conclusion to the powerful, otherworldly story will be presented in Wicked: Part Two, which is set for a fall release on our upcoming 2025 movies schedule. According to the film’s official website, the story will see Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda’s (Ariana Grande) relationship put to the ultimate test following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), which leads each of them on vastly different paths. Yeoh is also still involved as Madame Morrible, who transitions from her job as Shiz University headmaster to becoming the press secretary for The Wizard.

Avatar: Fire And Ash (December 19, 2025)

It was in 2019 when we discovered that Michell Yeoh would be entering the world of Pandora as part of James Cameron’s planned sequels to his record-breaking, Oscar-winning 2009 epic, Avatar. While she was nowhere to be seen in 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water, an Instagram photo posted by producer Jon Landau suggests that we can expect to see her in the upcoming third movie, Avatar: Fire and Ash, which is set for a late winter 2025 release.

According to a post shared by the Avatar franchise’s official X account (when it was still called Twitter), Yeoh is playing a scientist named Dr. Karina Minogue but further details regarding the role have yet to be revealed. We also have yet to learn if Dr. Minogue will appear in Avatar 4 and Avatar 5.

The Mother (TBD)

In the aforementioned Netflix original TV show, The Brothers Sun, Michelle Yeoh stars as a woman whose two adult sons each become involved in the criminal lifestyle in vastly different ways — with one being an experienced assassin, while the other suddenly needs his older sibling’s protection. The actor appears to be taking on a similar role as the lead of an upcoming, feature-length thriller called The Mother, with a large difference being that she is the one coming to her children’s aid.

Yeoh’s character, Ann, is an immigrant and businesswoman living in Boston whose two sons fall into trouble with a corrupt cop and a local mob, which forces her to revive old instincts in order to rescue them. According to Variety, Mélanie Laurent (who played Shosanna Dreyfus in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds cast) is writing and directing the film (based on a screenplay by P.G. Cuschieri), which is set to start production in the summer of 2024 with Thunder Road producing.

Other Upcoming Michelle Yeoh Projects

There is more to see from Michelle Yeoh outside of the world of cinema.

Blade Runner 2099 (2025)

Michelle Yeoh’s forthcoming contributions to the sci-fi genre do not just include feature-length projects. The actor is also returning to the small screen for an upcoming Amazon Prime original TV show that will mark her debut in another widely celebrated franchise: the Blade Runner universe.

In May 2024, it was reported by Variety that the actor was announced as the first major addition to the cast of Blade Runner 2099 — a new series from showrunner Silka Luisa and producer Ridley Scott that is set years after the events of 2017’s Blade Runner 2049. She will star in the role of Olwen, who is described as a replicant who is nearing the end of her lifespan.

Michelle Yeoh has played so many unique characters throughout her career, but it looks like the most fascinating roles yet are just starting to come into the fold.

It’s been over two years since the Season 2 finale of Euphoria, and if it seems like these days the main cast are doing everything but shooting the next season, you’d be right. Earlier this year, it was reported that while Sam Levinson is hammering away on the scripts for return of the hit series, the “in-demand cast” has been encouraged to “pursue other opportunities,” per HBO. Many of its stars are very much doing that, including Hunter Schafer, who just earned a role in an upcoming series.

Schafer, who famously made her acting debut by playing Jules in Euphoria, has been cast in Amazon’s Blade Runner 2099 series, per Deadline. The actor joins Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, who we learned was leading the show in May. The streaming project will serve as a sequel to Blade Runner 2049, which starred Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford and was helmed by Dune’s Denis Villeneuve. Schafer’s role in the science fiction show has not been revealed.

The limited series will go further into the dystopia, imagining Philip K. Dick’s world at a time where it’s nearly impossible to tell who is human and who is replicant. Yeoh is set to star as Olwen, a replicant who is about to expire. Ridley Scott, who of course made the original Blade Runner film, is producing the sequel series.

Reportedly, the production for Blade Runner 2099 is already underway. Considering Euphoria Season 3 may not roll cameras until later this year or 2025, Schafer has picked a great time to keep herself immersed in another project. Even so, it feels like the Euphoria delays could be never-ending as more and more of the cast line up new roles while they wait.

Thankfully, HBO boss Casey Bloys confirmed this week to Variety that Euphoria will no longer be set in high school for the next season. This definitely gives more leg room for its main cast, who are primarily in their mid to late 20s nowadays.

Hunter Schafer has been staying busy during the wait for Euphoria Season 3, including getting to be part of the latest Hunger Games movie, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Schafer has also already shot David Lowery’s latest movie, Mother Mary with Anne Hathaway.

She is set to star next in two 2024 movies. First off, you can see her in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness later this month with Emma Stone, Jesse Plemens, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, and Mamoudou Athie. Then in August, Schafer will be the star of the Neon horror movie Cuckoo alongside Dan Stevens and Jessica Henwick.

Schafer is also the current fan favorite for the live-action Legend of Zelda movie. Following the massive success of Euphoria, it’s awesome to see actors like Hunter Schafer getting recognition outside the series, but when will we get to press play on the highly-anticipated new season? For now we know this to be true: it’s gonna be awhile!

One thing I love with my full heart is women who kick ass. Whether it’s Furiosa, Ripley, or Samus from my beloved Metroid series, there's nothing I adore more than a woman who cleans house (and I don't mean in a “wash the dishes, fold the laundry” sort of way, but rather, in a Drowning Pool, “Let the bodies hit the floor” sort of way). 

So, with that in mind, I thought I would focus on Asian women who kick ass. But, I'm not going super far back, like Lady Snowblood in the ‘70s, or Michelle Yeoh in Police Story 3: Supercop from the ‘90s, or even Yeoh in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon from 2000 (though, she does definitely make this list). 

No, I'm only focusing on Asian women who kick butt in modern day times. So, with that said, here are six Asian female characters who kick ass in recent movies and TV shows. 

Jubilation Lee (X-Men '97) 

I've gone on and on about how much I love X-Men ‘97 to the point that it's almost redundant. But, I do love it! And I think the live-action MCU could learn a thing or two from it. 

One such thing it could learn is how to create an amazing Jubilee. Because yes, there have been live-action versions of the character in some of the X-Men movies, but they all felt more like an afterthought, unfortunately, whereas this Jubilee has a whole storyline centered around her and her boyfriend, Roberto, in the segment, “Motendo.” 

Voiced by Holly Chou, this Jubilee kicks ass with her pyrotechnic energy plasmoids (you know, her fireworks), but what's coolest about this version is that she knows what she wants, she stands up for what she believes in, and she fights alongside the other X-Men. How cool is that? 

Toda Mariko (Shogun) 

I mostly loved everything about the Shogun miniseries, but there were a couple issues that I had with it. That said, one of those issues certainly wasn't Toda Mariko, portrayed by the wonderful Anna Sawai. 

As somebody who loves the Shogun novel, I already knew what a badass Lady Mariko was. But, Anna Sawai brought a really interesting aspect to her character, showcasing somebody who was just as skilled at composing a masterful poem as she was with wielding a naginata. 

No spoilers, but the fact that she was able to live her life the way that she wanted to is just further proof that she was a badass for the ages.  

Ria Khan (Polite Society) 

Ria Khan, a.k.a. The Fury (played by Priya Kansara), wants to be a stuntwoman. She also dearly loves her sister, Lena (played by Ritu Arya). Their parents aren’t happy with their life decisions, but they’re at least happy. That is, until Lena gets set up on a date with a guy Ria doesn’t like. 

In that way, Lena becomes happy, but Ria becomes unhappy. And, you wouldn’t like Ria when she’s unhappy, because that’s when she starts punching and kicking. That’s just what badasses do.

Ria is more than just a slap happy version of Kung Fu Panda’s Po, though. She’s also intensely loyal to her sister, and is willing to master the reverse spinning kick in order to save her from what turns out to be a pretty zany plot involving clones. If you haven’t already figured it out yet, Polite Society is a really weird (And wonderful!) movie. 

Evelyn Quan Wang (Everything Everywhere All At Once) 

It still blows my mind that Everything Everywhere All At Once won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. I mean, I love it (I was even raving about it before it garnered the gold), but it's still pretty shocking to me that a movie that has so much kung fu in it was still awarded with the Academy’s highest honor. 

Even though I love pretty much everything about this movie, my favorite thing about it is the character of Evelyn, portrayed by Michelle Yeoh (who has been whooping ass for quite some time now). 

Evelyn’s character is inspirational in many ways. Because even though her life may appear mundane on the surface, somewhere, there’s a version of her who is a movie star, and a version of her with hot dog fingers, and even a version of her who can master several martial arts disciplines in a matter of seconds. 

Sure, there’s a much deeper narrative in this movie about the immigrant’s story, and generational differences, and a whole manner of philosophical topics, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that my favorite part was when Evelyn fought off several people with a police shield. 

Fennec Shand (The Book of Boba Fett/The Mandalorian) 

Oh, man. I could probably do a whole list about Ming-Na Wen kicking ass. She’s the actress who plays Fennec Shand on The Book of Boba Fett/The Mandalorian, but she also played Chun-Li in Street Fighter, voiced Mulan, and was Agent Melinda May on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 

But, I digress. Let me focus on Fennec again. As a mercenary and assassin, she can handle her own, and only aligns with the likes of Boba Fett or The Mandalorian when she finds that it would be advantageous to her. 

That said, you definitely don’t want to get on her bad side, since she’s a master with a rifle, but also highly proficient in hand to hand combat. She’s the kind of woman who even the Mandalorian owes his life to. But, it’s all in a day’s work for her. 

Nicky Shen (Kung Fu) 

Many years ago, in a decade far, far away known as the ‘70s, there was a television show called Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, starring David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine. He walked the earth, and practiced martial arts. Tarantino, an obvious fan, got Carradine to play the titular Bill in his Kill Bill series. It was a whole vibe. 

Flash forward to modern times, and we have an adaptation of Kung Fu that ran for three seasons on The CW, and this time, instead of hiring a white dude to wander the earth, they hired an Asian woman named Olivia Liang. In the series, she plays a college student named Nicky Shen who leaves school and goes off to learn martial arts, only to return to San Francisco and find that the Triads have taken over. 

Throughout the series, Nicky kicks ass, but also tries to stop the person who killed her mentor. Much like the original, this version of Kung Fu is also a vibe. Too bad we won’t get a fourth season. 

How many of these shows and movies have you watched? For more news on other women who kick ass, make sure to swing by here often! 

Star Trek: Discovery is in its final season and, as I'm enjoying tuning in for the final episodes (accessible with a Paramount+ subscription), I'm also looking back on the series' overall journey. Through various web searches I've seen lots of takes on the series that I've been aware of as well as a few I haven't seen before. While checking everything out, I was actually forced to confront a criticism that I admittedly don't have a clear answer for. And it's the fact that the series had a weird way of handling Michelle Yeoh's "Mirror Georgiou." 

It's a topic I feel is worth revisiting, given Michelle Yeoh will reprise her role for the an upcoming Trek movie, the highly anticpated Star Trek: Section 31, which recently wrapped filming. Mirror Georgiou had a heavy presence in the first three seasons of the series, living publicly as the deceased Philippa Georgiou, and she was surprisingly treated as such. It was something I never thought was weird until now, and I have some thoughts on it. 

What's The Issue Wth Star Trek: Discovery's Mirror Georgiou?

As an empress in the Terran universe, "Mirror Georgiou" enslaved and oversaw the murder of thousands of individuals if not more. Fans literally see her eat Kelpien, Saru's species, in Season 1. She's not a great person but, after being transferred to the Prime Universe and given a chance to be an asset in the Klingon war, she's given a chance to live a second life officially as her deceased counterpart. 

While the character was officially re-introduced by Starfleet as Phillipa Georgiou and everyone in the know sworn to secrecy about the truth of her background, clues have slipped out in following seasons that more people know. Yet people tend to laugh off her threats and anger, as if she wasn't originally a murderous tyrant. Should we assume the characters set for the Section 31 film will act the same, or will operatives be a little colder than her Discovery shipmates? 

Is Forgiving Georgiou More True To Star Trek Than Shunning Her?

Was Star Trek: Discovery wrong to write the crew's reaction to Georgiou the way it was? I don't have an answer for that, but it's worth noting that Starfleet regularly has to deal with species with laws and customs deemed unsavory by human standards. Hell, the Klingons are some of Starfleet's closest allies, and very little that they do when it comes to war would be considered humane. 

Competent Starfleet officers must build up a resistance to judgment of things they don't understand, which could lend itself to more tolerance in dealing with Mirror Georgiou. Sure, she was a monster, but that monster is now a vital piece of the crew and helping Starfleet. Not everyone has to be happy with it, but they can perhaps compartmentalize it for the betterment of the regime. 

Is Georgiou Redeemed Via Her Commitment To Starfleet? 

As we prepare for Star Trek: Section 31, which is confirmed to have a younger version of a Next Generation character, I can't help but wonder if the subject of Georgiou's redemption will come up. With Rachel Garrett in the mix, it seems unlikely that Georgiou will appear at a time when many of those who were previously aware of her Starfleet situation are still around. As such, her top-secret recorded record and true history may force her to prove she's worthy of a role in Section 31 and not better served with a life sentence in a penal colony. 

As someone who argues Darth Vader was never redeemed in Star Wars, I see a lot of parallels between him and Mirror Georgiou. Both were tyrants who had good acts but, for the most part, there's a real question on whether any of that negates the vast number of horrific deeds they committed. Hopefully, we'll get some real answers about this in the upcoming movie, and not just more of people treating her with kid gloves. 

Star Trek: Discovery's final season streams new episodes on Thursdays on Paramount+ as part of the 2024 TV schedule. Georgiou is not in the mix in the final season thus far but, even if we don't see her there, we can all look forward to a re-introduction in Star Trek: Section 31.

I don’t know what I expected from CinemaCon 2024’s Wicked presentation, but Universal pulled out all the stops for a movie that fans were clearly already very excited about, judging by the response in the room. Blocking off nearly a fourth of their allotted time, the studio brought out Director Jon M. Chu, as well as a large swathe of the cast including Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey and, of course, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. 

There was a literal light show. The Wicked cast spoke out more freely about their experiences making the movie with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo opening up about "speaking publicly" for the first time. To be clear, Ariana has talked a little about becoming Glenda for the movie and Erivo has spoken about the movie being split in two, but as Erivo said, those were just little "hints." Now they're able to talk in depth and they did.

We learned new details and perspectives from the cast and crew. If you weren't excited already, I hope you will be after. 

New Footage Shows Off More Moments With Glinda and Elphaba Bonding At Shiz University And More

You’ve seen the Wicked trailer. Seeing that on a big screen was all color and light and darkness swirling into one stunning visual spectacle. Some of the moments were repeated from the Super Bowl trailer, like the “you’re green” comment from Glinda, but a lot of the women's relationship was expanded out. We got to see Glinda and Elphaba being forced to share a room, we got to see as Elphaba’s powers grew and started to manifest in myriad ways. We got to see the small cracks in Glinda’s perfect facade as Elphaba gained attention. And most gloriously, we got to see them visit Oz. 

We also got snippets of “Popular” and “Defying Gravity” as well. Naturally, people lost their s–t.

John Chu Says Families Will “Cherish These Performances”  For Years

When speaking about the goal of why he wanted to adapt Wicked for the movies, Chu opened up about seeing Wicked in San Francisco decades ago and how that lit the fuse for him to want to make the film. His goal when creating it was as follows:  

They really are bulllish. Producer Marc Platt also spoke out about finding Erivo and Grande for the movie. They looked at what seems to have been a very large swathe of applicants before landing on their two leading ladies, and the team feels both Wicked movies are going to be very important for a long time. 

Cynthia Erivo And Ariana Grande Bonded Over “So Many Pairs Of Lashes.” And Brooms. Don’t Forget Brooms. 

In one of the sweetest moments, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande headed onto the stage in the complementary green and pink shades favored by their two characters. This was a Wicked fashion strategy Grande and Erivo also used at the 2024 Oscars. Once they were onstage they spoke about their fandom for the musical, how Grande's started at 15 and Cynthia's journey started at 25 when she took herself on a "date" to see the show. 

Once they landed the roles, they ultimately ended up sharing a lot of experiences together, and a cute moment came when Grande shared some of those.

Erivo shared the two are "bonded for life," and from what everyone was saying the last year of creating these two films for the big screen was intense but also led to a lot of cool experiences.  

Jeff Goldblum Was Very Impressed He Got To Work On A Practical Set

As a man coming off Jurassic World: Dominion, Thor: Ragnarok, and more many of Jeff Goldblum’s big set piece movies have had a lot of green screen lately. Which is why he was so impressed with the way that Wicked was shot, an experience he says was largely practical and was notable for that reason, even though he's gotten to do some "colorful" pictures, like "being chased by dinosaurs" and flying "into the belly of a humongous alien spaceship that was hovering over our sweet planet" before. Why was Wicked special? 

Goldblum also got to "wear a delicious long green coat" and "do some acting" so he was happy as a clam to be signed on to play the Wizard. 

Michelle Yeoh Called Singing In Wicked "Terrifying" 

Michelle Yeoh and Jon M. Chu got into a little bit of back-and-forth onstage as Yeoh asked the Wicked and Crazy Rich Asians director why he always seems to be casting her in somewhat unlikable rolls. Chu joked they are roles that "have facets." Yeoh also mentioned singing was "terrifying" for her in Wicked but she did it anyway, to which the director also had a fun retort.

Yeoh:  "John even got me to sing in this movie! It was terrifying." 

Chu: "There’s nothing you can’t do. You played a literal rock in a movie."

He was speaking about Yeoh's turn in Everything Everywhere All At Once in which she and her onscreen daughter Stephanie Hsu do play rocks in one memorable scene. 

All in all, the panel didn't disappoint. There were light up tulips in every corner of the venue. There was new footage. There were a lot of crowd shouts and cheers! There was just enough new info from the cast and creative team to whet our palates. And there will doubtless be more coming from Wicked as we continue moving through the 2024 movie release schedule. After all, the flick will be out at Thanksgiving this year. 

Star Trek: Section 31, the first original movie from the franchise that will be available exclusively to stream with a Paramount+ subscription, has wrapped filming in Toronto. This is exciting not only because we're one step closer to seeing Michelle Yeoh back in Trek, but also because she might not be the only familiar face we'll see. Strange New Worlds actors crashed the wrap party for the movie, and it only bolstered my theory positing that some of those characters will appear in the movie. 

Rob Kazinsky, a member of the Section 31 cast, shared a story on his Instagram account that featured the film's known stars at the wrap party. Strange New Worlds actors Melissa Navia and Christina Chong also popped up in the video, which may or may not be telling. While it's true that SNW Season 3 was sharing production space with the upcoming Trek project, making it easy for the actors to cross paths in such a way, could this actually be a hint that either actress (or both) could be part of the movie? I certainly think so and have some reasons why it would make sense. 

Section 31 Is Seemingly Set In The Strange New Worlds Time Period

We don't know when Star Trek: Section 31 takes place officially, but Rob Kazinsky through longtime fans a bone in that department with a recent social media post. His original wrap photo included the logo for the movie title, which is the same Delta design Section 31 agents wore in Season 1 of Discovery. As readers might remember, that season took place years before the start of the original series, which leads to the assumption this movie will happen at some point during the same timeline as Strange New Worlds. 

This would make it possible for characters to appear, assuming Georgiou was sent back to a time before Strange New Worlds' Season 2 finale. It also doesn't feel as though the cameos would be too hard to coordinate, given that Section 31 was splitting set time with the Paramount+ series while filming. It would be easy to get a character or two for a scene, or maybe even the whole ensemble, to play a role in the adventure. 

Strange New Worlds Is One Of The Most Popular Star Trek Shows

While you wouldn't think viewers need more than an Oscar-winning actress at the lead to tune in, it's worth noting that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is one of the most popular Trek shows of the modern era. Even Discovery reportedly emulated its episodic storytelling for its final season, so it's not hard to believe there'd be insistence or at least a general desire to incorporate some of the cast into the adventure. 

That said, can we assume that Melissa Navia and Christina Chong attending Section 31's wrap party guarantees that La'an and Ortegas are in the movie? Not at all, but I love the idea of it happening, and if this is our first hint they're involved, I'm as pumped as can be about being spoiled on it. Georgiou could use a strong fighter like La'an, and Ortegas could use a larger spotlight on her character than the one she's often given on Strange New Worlds. I'm keeping my fingers crossed we see them in the movie because it would be so cool.

Star Trek: Section 31 doesn't have a release date yet, but the fact that filming is done has to bring us one step closer to finally getting that news. At least we have the final season of Discovery to watch while we wait, so be sure to tune in on Thursday, April 4th, for the two-episode premiere. 

There’s a decent amount we know about Star Trek: Section 31, the upcoming movie heading to Paramount+ subscribers. For one thing, the project, originally conceived as a TV spinoff to Star Trek: Discovery, will see Michelle Yeoh reprising the Mirror Universe incarnation of Philippa Georgiou, who hasn’t been seen since Discovery Season 3. Now, thanks to a cast member revealing that Section 31 has finished filming, another key detail about the movie has finally been confirmed that had been the subject of much fan speculation.

First off, Robert Kazinsky, who has been cast in an undisclosed role in Section 31, broke the news on his Instagram page that the movie had finished rolling cameras. Read what the EastEnders and True Blood actor had to say about his experience on the production, and then take a close look at what’s on the screen in the picture:

It’s good to hear that Kazinsky had such a great time on Star Trek: Section 31, particularly being directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, who’s also helmed multiple Discovery episodes and two episodes of Star Trek: Short Treks. However, what’s really intriguing is the Starfleet delta on that screen positioned next to the Section 31 logo. As pointed out by Trek Central, this is the same delta used by the secret division in the 23rd century, i.e. during the time period when Star Trek: Discovery’s first two seasons and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds take place. Or, to be even more specific, just a handful of years before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series.

So now we know that the Section 31 movie will take place sometime post-Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, meaning in the 23rd century after the crew of the title ship traveled to the 32nd century. Discovery viewers will remember that although Philippa Georgiou traveled with them to the future, she began deteriorating because her body couldn’t handle being in another universe and centuries ahead of her original time period at the same time. As such, at the end of the two-parter “Terra Firma,” the Guardian of Forever opened a portal to a time where the Prime and Mirror Universes were more aligned so she could continue living.

While there was always the possibility that Georgiou could have been sent to a different time period when Section 31 was operating, like in the era of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager, or perhaps even earlier in its existence around the time of Enterprise, the delta in Robert Kazinsky’s photo shows that won’t be the case. He and Yeoh are joined in Star Trek: Section 31’s cast by Omari Hardwick, Kacey Roll, Sam Richardson, Sven Ruygrok, Humbly Gonzalez and James Hiroyuki Liao, but Shazad Latif will not reprise Ash Tyler. This will be the first Paramount+ exclusive Star Trek movie, and 14th in the overall film series.

So that’s one mystery that’s been solved about Star Trek: Section 31, but there are still plenty of questions left to be answered, including when it will be released. We’ll let you know about that and more once those details trickle in, and remember to also keep track of our coverage of the upcoming Star Trek TV shows.

At this point, it’s understandable if everybody in the world is just a little gunshy when it comes to starting a new series with one's Netflix subscription. There seems to be no way to know just what shows will be successful enough to continue and which will not, and with the sheer volume of new streaming shows, it’s clear most of them won’t survive. Despite a lot of positive buzz, Byron Wu and Brad Falchuk's Netflix drama The Brothers Sun was canceled after a single season, the latest in a line of similar decisions, and fans are understandably frustrated.

The series about two brothers debuted only a few days into 2024, focusing on one sibling who became the chief enforcer of his father, the leader of a Taiwanese triad, and another sibling leading a normal life in the U.S. as a college student, with no ideas what the family business is actually about. The two siblings would then be reunited when a battle for the triad ensued, leading to both action and comedy in equal measure. 

It's a fun premise, and the show was well received by critics and audiences who saw it. But apparently that wasn't enough people to convince Netflix to continue with the story, and fans are lamenting its loss in a big way.

The Brothers Sun wasn’t a show that had a lot of buzz leading to its release, which can often be the case for the streaming giant's originals, but once the series hit Netflix, it seemed to gain a lot of traction. People who discovered it were quick to get vocal on social media in an attempt to spread the word, since fans know that if shows don’t get enough eyeballs early, that can spell doom. 

Artist BossLogic created something of a eulogy piece, hoping that perhaps another platform could pick up the show. 

That’s at least a possibility. Netflix has saved numerous canceled shows in the past, while shows Netflix canceled found life elsewhere. We’ll have to wait and see if there is a fan campaign to bring back the show. Such things have seemingly worked in the past. The biggest downside, however, is that, now that we know the show isn’t moving forward, one wonders how many more views The Brothers Sun will see since many may just skip it knowing there won’t be more.

For what it’s worth, while The Brothers Sun certainly leaves itself open to a future season, and has a post-credits scene tease for just that, the first season does complete its story, so if you’ve never seen the series before, you won’t walk away from the one existing season unfulfilled if you watch it now. Michelle Yeoh is amazing in it as the family matriarch, and Sam Song Li and Justin Chien have shown they are stars in the making. As one fan pointed out…

The Brothers Sun is just the latest in a long line of canceled streaming projects, with Apple TV+ joining the one-and-done cancellation train as it seemingly becomes the rule rather than the exception. Considering the sheer volume of new content being produced, that’s maybe not surprising, but considering that both critical and fan response was so positive, The Brothers Sun looked like it might survive. Now it won’t matter if the show finds an audience later.

Michelle Yeoh certainly will have plenty to keep her busy as the Oscar winner is, finally, one of more recognized names in Hollywood. Hopefully, The Brothers Sun will be enough to get the film’s two young stars noticed, so that if fans won’t see them is Season 2, they will at least see them again in even bigger and better projects. Head to our 2024 TV premiere schedule to see what'll be hitting the streamer and beyond later this year.

It’s been a long time coming, but Star Trek: Section 31 has finally, really gotten off the ground after being announced in the dawn of 2019. Originally planned as yet another exciting new upcoming Star Trek series for those with a Paramount+ subscription, the project was turned into a film for the streamer by early 2023, and we’re finally getting a lot more information about the Michelle Yeoh-starring movie.

The film will, of course, follow Mirror Universe Philippa Georgiou as she adventures through space with Starfleet’s uber-secret, unofficial black ops unit, Section 31, so let’s get into exactly what we know about the movie right now!

What Is The Section 31 Release Date?

Hold your shootin', stabbin' and struttin' sci-fi horses there, partner! As of mid-July 2024, we have no release date or even a release window for Star Trek: Section 31. We got word that the movie had finally started filming at the end of January 2024, when the official Paramount+ Instagram account announced that production was under way, and gave us our first look:

While news about the project is starting to filter its way out of the super secret spy organization, those involved are likely to keep mum on a release until sometime during the post-production process. And, that could leave us waiting for a date for a while, as this action-packed, and probably special effects heavy film is going to be worked on for quite a bit. However, just because we are without a firm release date, that doesn’t mean we’re in the dark on all things Section 31!

Michelle Yeoh Returned For The Star Trek: Section 31 Cast

As confirmed previously and by the social media post above, Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh has returned to the role of Philippa Georgiou for the film. Aside from principal photography being finished (which we'll get more into later), this is perhaps the best news that we could have gotten about the sure-to-be-thrilling upcoming Star Trek movie. Why? Well, because Yeoh is a well-known and beloved badass who brought all of her badassitude to both the warm and dedicated Prime Universe Georgiou, and the dastardly Terran Emperor Georgiou, who is the one we’ll be following in this new saga.

Other Cast Members In Star Trek: Section 31

At the same time Paramount announced that filming had begun, it also revealed the names of several of the cast members who are joining Yeoh for Georgiou’s covert mission.

Sam Richardson

Sam Richardson is definitely a star who’s been on the rise over the past several years. He might be best known now for his three-episode guest role on Ted Lasso as arrogant businessman Edwin Akufo (for which he won an Emmy in 2023), the actor/comedian has also starred in The Afterparty on Apple TV+ and The Detroiters. Richardson is also known for notable appearances on shows like Veep, New Girl and The Office, and in films such as Promising Young Woman and Good Boys.

Kacey Rohl

Kacey Rohl is known for her work as Marina on The Magicians and Alena on Arrow, but she’s also appeared on shows like Wayward Pines, Hannibal and The Killing, and in the Hallmark movie, The Wedding Veil Inspiration. 

Omari Hardwick

If you checked out the Starz series, Power, you definitely know Omari Hardwick, as he starred as James “Ghost” St. Patrick. However you may have also seen him in movies like The Mother, Army of the Dead, Sorry to Bother You and Shot Caller.

Robert Kazinsky

You might recognize Robert Kazinsky from his parts on shows like True Blood, or movies such as Pacific Rim, Warcraft, Captain Marvel and The Gray Man.

James Hiroyuki Liao

James Hiroyuki Liao has been seen recently on Orphan Black: Echoes, Barry, Blue Bloods and The Dropout, along with appearing in shows like Manifest, SEAL Team, Unforgettable, and the film, Snake Eyes.

Humberly González

Fans will probably know Humberly González for her role as Sophie on the Netflix hit, Ginny & Georgia, but the actress has also played important parts in In the Dark, Utopia Falls and Jupiter’s Legacy, and has been in films like Nobody and Hallmark’s Friends & Family Christmas.

Sven Ruygrok

Sven Ruygrok portrayed Cabaji in One Piece, and has also been seen in shows like Pulse, Around the World in 80 Days and Warrior.

We don’t know who any of these actors will be playing right now, but we can likely expect some of that information to come along over the next several months.

What Is Star Trek: Section 31 About?

So, now that we know Star Trek: Section 31 has filmed and who will be starring alongside Michelle Yeoh, but what exactly will the story entail? As also revealed by Paramount+ when casting and filming details were released, here are the basics of the plot:

Alright, I know that’s not a whole lot to go on, but if there’s one thing we know, it’s that the former emperor has a past positively filled with sins, so any number of devious deeds could be coming back to haunt her and make her new life an even more dangerous living hell.

What We Know About Philippa Georgiou’s Story From Star Trek: Discovery

Fans were first introduced to Terran Emperor Philippa Georgiou from the Mirror Universe in Star Trek: Discovery Season 1, and the character has both caused a lot of trouble and been through a lot to earn herself a semi-redemption arc.

Obviously, as a Terran ruler, she did a lot of murdering, scheming, warring and subjugating to earn the title she had by the time we met her. So far, we’ve seen Georgiou battle Captain Gabriel Lorca for control of her empire, leading to his death and her escape with the crew of the Discovery. She’s then granted asylum by the Federation in the Prime Universe and allowed to impersonate that universe’s Georgiou, who had been killed battling the Klingons.

After coming up with an extremely hostile plan to stop war with the Klingons, having those plans foiled, and leaving Discovery, she was recruited into Section 31. The second season saw her save Klingon leader L’Rell, former Klingon Ash Tyler and their secret child, and bring Tyler into the Section 31 fold. Georgiou also helped Michael Burnham save her brother, Spock, and assisted the Discovery crew in their fight against the evil A.I., Control. She went with the crew as they traveled over 900 years into the future, but her presence in the far future and in a different universe from her own caused her to begin to deteriorate.

When we meet Georgiou in Star Trek: Section 31, it will be after the Guardian of Forever saved her by sending her to a time and universe where she could survive.

What We Know About Section 31

Well, this one’s easy, because the answer is, not much! The secretive organization has only been featured or referred to in 23 episodes across five Star Trek series, and in one film (2013’s Into Darkness). The covert group is said to work without the guidance of official Starfleet Intelligence leadership, though seeing as how a big part of being in Section 31 is denying that you even know what it is, it’s hard to know how many things we’ve heard about how it operates and who knows what about the group is actually true.

What we absolutely do know is that they do whatever dirty work is deemed necessary for everyone else in the Federation to live in a utopian society, unaware of how difficult it truly is to keep them safe. And, we also know that a still-morally dubious character like Mirror Philippa Georgiou is perfect for its ranks.

Star Trek: Discovery’s Shazad Latif Won’t Appear

This last tidbit provides quite the head-scratcher for those of us who watched the first three seasons of Discovery, and know where we left actor Shazad Latif’s character, Ash Tyler. As noted earlier, Georgiou saved him and recruited the one-time Klingon for Section 31. When she went into the far future with Discovery’s crew (after the black ops group’s leader and most of its operatives had been killed) Tyler was given command of Section 31.

Latif said in May 2023 that he hadn’t heard anything about whether or not his character was going to be needed for the upcoming film, but considering where we left him, it was still surprising to hear, in late January 2024, confirmation that Latif wouldn’t appear in the film.

So, either something happened to Tyler while Georgiou was away in the future, or she was sent to a time/universe where he either doesn’t exist or isn’t involved with their covert dealings.

Star Trek: Section 31 Wrapped Filming In March 2024

As mentioned earlier, filming for Star Trek: Section 31 has finished! It was on March 20 that actor Robert Kazinsky took to Instagram and shared the wrap gift he'd gotten from the production, as well as a lovely note about working on the movie. Take a look!

It's good to see that he so enjoyed the process of making this hotly anticipated new addition to the Star Trek franchise. We’ll find out more about Star Trek: Section 31 as the year goes on, but I’m certainly already very excited for what’s to come!

After months of teases regarding a start date, one of the most anticipated upcoming Star Trek projects is finally rolling film. Paramount+ announced that Section 31, the Discovery spinoff movie starring Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, is finally commencing with production, and that's not all. Additional actors were added to the cast, and the newest members include stars from Ted Lasso and other high-profile shows. 

With principal photography officially underway on Star Trek: Section 31, it's exciting to finally know the names of some actors who are joining the cast led by Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou. While there are no familiar faces from other Trek shows to highlight at this time, the lineup of people listed so far is quite impressive, and it bodes well for one of Starfleet's most secretive and morally gray organizations.

Ted Lasso's Sam Richardson And More Join Star Trek: Section 31

It was officially announced that Sam Richardson, Kacey Rohl, Omari Hardwick, Sven Ruygrok, Robert Kazinsky, Humberly Gonzalez and James Hiroyuki Liao have all been cast in undisclosed roles. It's a bummer we don't know about the characters they'll play at this time or whether they'll align with or be against Michelle Yeoh's Georgiou. Nevertheless, it'll be exciting to see this cast together when the movie is streamable for those with Paramount+ subscriptions.

Among the standouts in this cast lineup is Sam Richardson, who won an Emmy in 2023 for Guest Actor In A Comedy Series for his role in Ted Lasso. Richardson is well known for his comedic chops, as he's played key roles in the Netflix series I Think You Should Leave and Hulu's The Afterparty. He's also done sci-fi, and his experience with time travel-centered storytelling in The Tomorrow War might come in handy for this project. (I'd imagine that the sci-fi bits of Georgiou returning to the past may need to be explained to other actors.) 

Omari Hardwick is greatly known for his starring role as James "Ghost" St. Patrick in Power but was also featured in the cast of The Mother,  the latest action flick from Jennifer Lopez. He was also part of the ensemble of Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead. With a multitude of acting credits in film and TV under his belt, he brings a veteran's presence to this production.

Kacey Rohl might be familiar to Arrow fans, as she played Alena from Seasons 5 through 7 and also played Marina on The Magicians. Meanwhile, Sven Ruygrok is coming on fresh off his work with the cast of One Piece and was also on the BET series Pulse. 

Robert Kazinsky comes into Star Trek: Section 31 with a fair bit of experience, having been part of many projects, from EastEnders to Pacific Rim.  The same is true of Humberly Gonzalez, who was in Netflix's Ginny & Georgia. Rounding out the casting announcement is James Hiroyuki Liao, who has worked on shows like Prison Break, Barry, and Netflix's ill-fated Cowboy Bebop adaptation. 

That's all we know so far about Star Trek: Section 31, aside from the fact its production is happening alongside that of Strange New Worlds Season 3. That series was one day away from filming when the strikes hit in 2023, but the word so far is that the two will commence with production simultaneously without any logistical issues. Let's hope more information on the film arrives soon, including some additional plot details.

Though Star Trek: Section 31 is in production, Paramount+ has yet to announce a release date. While you wait for more information, catch up on all there is to know about Michelle Yeoh's Georgiou in the meantime by revisiting old episodes of Discovery.

After over a year of production, the Wicked movies just wrapped filming in England and part one of two of the musical adaptation is set to drop on the 2024 movie schedule at the end of the year. Along with Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum and many other big names being part of the Wicked cast, the film will see director Jon M. Chu reuniting with his Crazy Rich Asians star Michelle Yeoh. As the Oscar winner recently admitted, she needed some convincing to play the role, and that’s where Ariana Grande came in. 

As Yeoh recently shared on The Tonight Show, she was eager to work with Chu again after starring in the 2018 hit rom-com, but she had some reservations about the role. In her words: 

Michelle Yeoh was cast as Madame Morrible back in 2022, but before she signed the dotted line she was concerned about her lack of singing experience. In the smash Broadway hit Wicked is based on, Madame Morrible is the headmistress of a school where Glinda and Elphaba (aka the Wicked Witch of the West) meet and become friends prior to becoming enemies. Morrible lends her vocals to two songs in the musical, “The Wizard And I” and “Thank Goodness.” 

But as Yeoh shared, when Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo (who play the Good Witch and Wicked Witch in the movies) recorded a video especially for her to convince her why it was “imperative” for her to be on the film, it sounded like she said no more, and decided to take the leap. When describing her experience working with the two stars, she said this: 

When asked whether being next to two incredible vocalists in Wicked added “pressure” to Yeoh, she said “hell no,” explaining that there was no way she was going to “outdo” them in that sense. Check out the YouTube video where Yeoh shared with Jimmy Fallon her Wicked experience along with details on recently becoming a grandma and starring in Netflix’s The Brothers’ Sun: 

Yeoh’s recent interview about Wicked comes as the entire cast wrapped filming this week. On Friday, Erivo shared a BTS photo of herself on a broom in celebration of wrapping the films and her co-stars Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande celebrated with their own posts of their characters. Wicked: Part 1 heads to theaters on November 27, and that's when we'll get to see this whole cast, including Michelle Yeoh, singing and dancing through life. 

Whether it's doing stunts or just freak accidents, even the biggest Hollywood stars aren't immune to getting injured on set. While we mostly think of stars chilling in their posh trailers while their stunt people take the biggest risks, sometimes it's the celebrities themselves who get the worst of things. Here is our list of big stars who have been injured while filming, and what happened after. 

Daniel Craig 

You can't just pick one of the James Bond movies that Daniel Craig was injured during the filming of, because the truth is, he's been injured a lot. In No Time To Die, it was his ankle, which required surgery and he was off-set for a couple of weeks recovering. In Casino Royale, he knocked out two teeth filming a fight scene. In Quantum of Solace, he injured his shoulder, and in Spectre, it was his knee. It's easy to see why Craig has retired from the role, filming James Bond movies can be dangerous. 

Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise famously does many of his most intense and dangerous stunts himself. It's become his brand, but it doesn't mean he doesn't get hurt. In fact, while filming Mission: Impossible – Fallout, it was one of his more innocent stunts, jumping from building to building, that caused an injury when Cruise broke his leg landing the jump. Filming halted for a few months while Cruise recovered, but the footage was included in the movie. 

Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford has a long history of getting injured on movie sets. Maybe the most high-profile time was when a door fell on his leg while shooting Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He broke his leg and director JJ Abrams injured his back helping pull the door off the Han Solo actor. 

Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone is one of the premiere action stars of the last 50 years, and as such, he's been injured a few times on set doing stunts. The worst, according to Stallone, came while filming the boxing match with Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) in Rocky IV. Lundgren hit him so hard in the chest at one point that it caused his heart to swell and he ended up in intensive care for eight days. 

Isla Fisher 

One of the best scenes in Now You See Me is when Isla Fisher's character performs the underwater escape trick. It wasn't so great for the actress though, as she nearly drowned during the filming. Luckily a stuntman was there to flip the safety switch and save her. 

Leonardo DiCaprio

One of the most intense scenes in Django Unchained is Leonardo DiCaprio's speech after dinner. He bangs his hand on the table and slices his hand on a glass. DiCaprio, ever the pro, kept going without missing a beat. It's so good, director Quentin Tarantino left that take in the final cut. 

Kristin Chenoweth

TV stars aren't safe either. Kristin Chenoweth was almost killed on the set of The Good Wife when part of the lighting rig fell on her. According to the actress, she had a "skull fracture and a rib issue and a hip issue" as a result. 

Bruce Willis

Like a lot of action stars, Bruce Willis has had his fair share of injuries in stunts gone wrong. In Live Free or Die Hard, the Hollywood legend suffered a serious cut above his eye that required stitches, after Maggie Q's stunt doubled kick him with high heels on. 

Mariska Hargitay

Sometimes, the extent of the injury isn't immediately understood, as was the case with Mariska Hargitay after a fall on the set of Law & Order: SVU. Hargitay performed a stunt that required her to land on some pads, but, in her words, something went wrong. She shook off the injury at first, but a few months later, she felt a sharp stabbing pain and ended up in the hospital with a collapsed lung. She recovered after surgery, though a second surgery was needed later. 

Charlize Theron

Æon Flux is not one of Charlize Theron's best movies, and it did almost leave her paralyzed. The actor fell on her neck performing a stunt and had she not been lucky and fallen just a centimeter differently, according to her, it could have been very bad. 

Malcolm McDowell

One of the more terrifying scenes in A Clockwork Orange is when Malcolm McDowell's character is "rehabilitated" by being forced to watch violent videos while his eyes are held open. For McDowell, it was even worse, as the setup caused his corneas to be scratched and he was blinded temporarily as a result. 

Brad Pitt

In the weirdest of coincidences, there is Brad Pitt in Troy. In the film, Pitt plays the Greek hero Achilles. Achilles is famous for one thing, his armor not covering that one tendon in a person's heel... Well, it just so happens that while filming Troy, Pitt tore his Achilles Tendon. 

Uma Thurman

During the filming of the Kill Bill movies, Uma Thurman crashed a car she was driving into a palm tree in Mexico and suffered injuries to her knees and a concussion. Years later she exposed what she claimed was a cover-up by the film's producers in an Instagram post. 

Orson Welles

The great Orson Welles really gave everything he had to make Citizen Kane. That includes chipping a bone in his ankle that forced him to use a wheelchair on set for two weeks while he directed. The injury occurred when he fell down some stairs while filming, and the scene made it into the final cut. 

Linda Blair

During the iconic scene in The Exorcist when Linda Blair's character, Regan, thrashes around as the bed levitates, the scream queen injured her back due to a mechanical default. The injury caused scoliosis, which still causes her problems today, though she's found ways to make it less painful. 

Jim Caviezel

The list of injuries that Jim Caviezel suffered while filming The Passion of the Christ has become the stuff of internet legend. Some injuries are hard to verify, but others aren't, the most notable of which is that as Caviezel prepared for the Sermon on the Mount scene, he was actually struck by lightning. That's got to be some sign, right?

George Clooney

The head injuries George Clooney sustained while filming the torture scene in Syriana were so debilitating that the actor says he even contemplated suicide. Eventually, doctors were able to alleviate the headaches after surgery, but in the meantime, Clooney called it "the most unbearable pain I've ever been through."

Orlando Bloom

There were a few injuries on the set of the Lord of the Rings movies, and one notable one was Orlando Bloom. Bloom broke some ribs when he fell from a horse while filming LOTR: The Two Towers. His fellow cast members gave Bloom a little...uh... ribbing in a behind-the-scenes video as well. 

Martin Sheen

There may be no more infamous Hollywood production than Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. No one had it worse than the film's star, Martin Sheen. As told in the documentary about the filming, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, Sheen not only suffered a near-fatal heart attack during production, but he also suffered a nasty cut on his hand. In the famous opening scene, Sheen punched a mirror and sliced his hand open and it bled badly. If you've seen the movie, you know what it looked like, because Sheen continued the scene and all the blood is very real.  

Michelle Yeoh

As an actor known for doing her own stunts, it's no surprise that Michelle Yeoh has been injured a few times on set. The most notable came when Yeoh tore her ACL during the production of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She was flown from China to Baltimore where surgery was performed to fix the injury at Johns Hopkins. 

Tom Hanks

Sometimes the most innocent-sounding injuries can be the worst. Such is the case for Tom Hanks, who cut his leg filming Cast Away. While a cut doesn't seem all that serious, it caused sepsis and landed Hanks in the hospital, who almost died as a result of the blood poisoning. 

Buddy Ebsen

The Beverly Hillbillies star Buddy Ebsen could claim one of the weirder injuries on this list. Ebsen was the original actor cast to play the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz and as part of the role, he was painted silver. The aluminum powder in the paint caused a reaction that landed Ebsen in the hospital due to breathing problems and he was recast by actor Jack Haley in the role. 

Winona Ryder

Accidents happen, even on movie sets of comedies, not action movies. Such was the case for Winona Ryder while filming Mr. Deeds with Adam Sandler. While filming the scene on the bike in Central Park, Ryder took a tumble off it and broke her arm in three different places. Ouch. 

Matt LeBlanc

Injuries even happen on sitcoms. Even the biggest ones. While filming a scene for Friends, Matt LeBlanc fell into a chair and dislocated his shoulder. Production was delayed briefly, but the evidence is still on the screen, as LeBlanc was seen wearing a sling for a couple of episodes as his shoulder healed. 

Michael J. Fox

One of the scariest injuries didn't happen during a proper stunt. In Back To The Future III, Michael J. Fox almost died in the scene where his character, Marty McFly, is hanged. A mishap meant that he was actually getting choked and at first no one noticed. He passed out before he was lowered to the ground. 

Ed Harris

Ed Harris was almost killed while filming The Abyss. In one of the many underwater scenes in the movie, Harris ran out of oxygen and no one else on set realized he'd signaled that he did. He passed out from a lack of oxygen, but luckily someone finally noticed and they got him some air. 

Vincent D'Onofrio

Marine boot camp is intense, even for actors just playing Marines. Vincent D'Onofrio, who played Private Pyle in Full Metal Jacket, injured his knee so badly during filming one of the training scenes that he ended up needing surgery to fix it. 

Melanie Griffith

One of the most notoriously dangerous movies ever shot is Roar by director Noel Marshall. In the 1970s, Marshall was married to Tippi Hedren, which also made him Melanie Griffith's stepfather. The movie filmed Hedren and Griffith (who was a kid at the time) living with lions. Real lions. According to legend, at least 70 people were injured by the big cats, including Griffith, who was "mauled near the eye" and needed plastic surgery to fix it. 

Jackie Chan

One actor you won't be surprised to see on this list is Jackie Chan. The martial artist and stuntman has pulled off some of the most insane stunts in film history, so it's no surprised he's been injured along the way. One notable time was while shooting Police Story. In one scene, Chan slides down a metal pole, which he did so quickly he suffered third degree burns on his hands. The shot was used in the movie. 

Al Pacino

Injuries can occur when actors don't quite make the best decisions. Take, for example the great Al Pacino. While filming a scene in Scarface, Pacino grabbed the business end of a gun that had just been fired and severely burned his hands. According to Brian De Palma, the actor was off for the next two weeks. 

Matthew Fox

Every now and then, one actor will injure another one, as is the case with Terry O'Quinn and Matthew Fox on the set of Lost. In a fight scene, O'Quinn stabbed Fox with a knife, which O'Quinn thought, incorrectly, was a prop knife, but it was very real. Thankfully, Fox was wearing a protective Kevlar vest that saved him from actually being stabbed. 

Dylan O'Brien

Dylan O'Brien was almost killed while shooting The Maze Runner: The Death Cure. While shooting a scene, the star of the movie was struck by a car. According to Vulture, O'Brien had a "concussion, facial fracture, and brain trauma among his injuries." Production on the movie was halted as he recovered, which, according to O'Brien, was one of the worst periods in his life. 

Dominic Purcell

Even without stunts and other action, injuries happen. Prison Break star Dominic Purcell broke his nose and had other facial injuries while filming for the show in Morocco. It was a freak accident as a lighting truss fell from the set and hit him. It could've been very scary, as those kinds of accidents have killed people, but luckily for Purcell, his injuries healed quickly and production on the show wasn't impacted.

Most of the time, when actors are injured on set, the injuries are minor, thankfully. Of course, that isn't always the case, and though deaths on movie sets are rare, they happen, so anytime someone is injured seriously, production is usually halted. Just looking through this list, you can see just how close some of these big names came to serious injury, and in a way, they're lucky (and we're lucky) that they are still around.   

Fame is a tricky thing, and sometimes the biggest stars in the world can lose it all. Personal problems, changing times, and other factors can lead to a once-promising career disappearing almost over night. These stars, however, reversed their trajectories and came out on top after enduring rough times, in this list of actors who made remarkable career comebacks. 

Robert Downey, Jr.

Robert Downey, Jr was one of the most promising young actors in Hollywood in the 1980s, starring in films like Less Than Zero, Chaplin, and Natural Born Killers. In the mid-90s his life went infamously went off the rails with substance abuse problems. When it looked like he'd thrown it all away, he cleaned up and his fame exploded as he became one of the highest-paid actors in the MCU.

Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda has had a few ups and downs in her career. After breaking out as a star in the '60s, she was later shunned by many for her notorious trip to North Vietnam during the war. She rebounded and starred in hits like 9 to 5 and On Golden Pond. In 1991, Fonda married Ted Turner and completely stepped back from acting. She didn't appear in anything at all until after their divorce in 2001, but roared back to prominence in the 21st Century. 

Rob Lowe

As a member of the "Brat Pack" in the 1980s, Rob Lowe was on top of the world. That all came crashing down when a videotape of Lowe in a compromising situation was leaked. His hard partying had caught up to him, and though he got sober in 1992, he would spend much of the decade playing smaller roles or in direct-to-video movies. In 1999 he landed the role of Sam Seaborn in The West Wing and was once again on top, where he's stayed ever since. 

John Travolta

In the late '70s, there was no bigger star than John Travolta. From Welcome Back, Kotter to Grease and Saturday Night Fever, Travolta was in some of the biggest pop culture touchstones of all time. Then the '80s came and his career hit a serious lull. While he was in the hit Look Who's Talking and its sequels, it was 1994's Pulp Fiction that vaulted Travolta back to the top. 

Natasha Lyonne

In the late '90s, Natasha Lyonne was one of a group of budding stars in American Pie and other movies like Slums Of Beverly Hills before health and addiction problems derailed her career. Thankfully for all of us she came out of those those stronger and has since starred in fantastic shows like Orange is the New Black and Russian Doll. 

Brendan Fraser

Brendan Fraser winning the Oscar for 2022 The Whale capped off one of the greatest comeback stories in Hollywood history. His work had all but completely dried up in the late '00s and 2010s, but his career has had the most incredible resurgence in the 2020s. 

Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder defined "movie star" for late Gen Xers in the '90s, but after her infamous arrest for shoplifting in 2001, her career nosedived and she didn't appear in a movie for about three years after. For the next decade or so, she worked steadily but didn't regain her star power from early in her career. That changed when she starred in Stranger Things, starting in 2016, and she once again became a huge star. 

Dave Chappelle

In 2003 Dave Chappelle debuted Chappelle's Show on Comedy Central and it became a massive hit. Despite the network throwing tens of millions of dollars at the comedian to keep the show going, he turned it down and walked away. Chappelle stayed away for most of the next decade before reviving his standup career, and while Chappelle continues to garner controversy, it's safe to say he's as big as ever. 

Betty White

When Betty White died in 2021 she was mourned by millions. The beloved actress had been a television star since the 1940s, but not all of those years were in the spotlight. After early success in the '50s in Life with Elizabeth and other sitcoms, White's career hit a lull for more than a decade. She returned to the big time with her role on The Mary Tyler Moore Show in the '70s, The Golden Girls in the '80s, and then later with Hot in Cleveland in the 2010s.

Ke Huy Quan

There is no more heartwarming story than that of Ke Huy Quan's resurgence. the actor, who first found fame as a child in The Goonies and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, completely disappeared from Hollywood. For twenty years, he appeared in not one TV show or movie, before returning in 2021 with a role in Finding ʻOhana, and then winning an Oscar for his performance in 2022's Everything Everywhere All At Once. 

Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton was a controversial choice when he was cast as Batman in Tim Burton's Batman in 1989, but it shows just how famous he was at that time. After Batman Returns, Keaton's star faded and he starred in a run of films to mixed reviews. In 2014 Keaton starred in the very meta Birdman, as a former superhero star looking to regain his fame. It worked, at least for Keaton. 

Katharine Hepburn

Anyone with a career as long as Katharine Hepburn's is bound to have some slow periods. The most amazing fact of the legendary actress' career was the 34-year span between Best Actress Oscars. She won in 1934 for Morning Glory and then again in 1968 and 1969 for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and The Lion in Winter, respectively. She would win her fourth 13 years later in 1982 for On Golden Pond. 

Mickey Rourke

In the 1980s Mickey Rourke starred in a string of hits. Eventually, though, his reputation as being difficult to work with overshadowed his performances and he was left in the Hollywood wilderness until triumphantly returning to his past glory in 2008 with The Wrestler.

Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier was one of the biggest stars of the '50s, '60s, and '70s. Then came the '80s, when he stepped away from acting and concentrated on directing, to mixed reviews. In 1988 he turned back to acting and had a wonderful late career resurgence with films like Shoot To Kill and Sneakers. 

Jason Bateman

In the 1980s it looked like Jason Bateman was a surefire bet to be a huge star. Then the '90s came and his career pretty much dried up. He had some guest spots on TV shows, but little else. He was all but forgotten. In 2003, Fox debut a show you may have heard of, Arrested Development, with Bateman as the star, and he's been huge ever since. 

Keanu Reeves

It's hard to remember a time when Keanu Reeves wasn't one of the biggest stars in the world, but after his success in the '90s and early '00s with The Matrix and Speed and more, he starred in a slew of commercial and critical failures. Thankfully for Reeves fans everywhere, John Wick came along and Reeves was back on top of the mountain, where he still is. 

Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore almost became a Hollywood child star casualty after her string of hits as a kid in the 1980s. She had a rough childhood that led to substance abuse problems as a teenager. Against the odds, she got through it all and became an even bigger star on the other end. 

Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris first got famous as a child prodigy playing a prodigy on Doogie Howser, MD. After the sitcom ended in 1993, he struggled to regain that popularity. That is, until he played a fictionalized version of himself in Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle in 2004. Soon after he landed the role he's best known for, Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother. 

Matthew McConaughey

Most of Matthew McConaughey's early career was made up of starring roles in rom-coms. In 2009 the Lincoln Lawyer star took a two-year acting hiatus to re-evaluate his career. He emerged in 2011 by taking on more serious roles and leaving his rom-com leading man reputation behind. Since the so-called "McConaissance," McConaughey's become on of the most acclaimed actors of the 21st century. 

Nicolas Cage

By 2009 Cage was one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood, and one of the highest-paid actors in the business, but it seems he couldn't curb his spending and ended up in debt to the IRS and other creditors. As a result, Cage seemingly took every job offered to him, and he put out an immense catalog of straight-to-video movies that few people have ever watched. Finally, in 2022, Cage revealed he was finally debt-free and started being more selective with his roles. this led to acclaimed roles in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and 2023's Dream Scenario.

Mandy Moore

Mandy Moore's career started like a comet as a singer in the late '90s which she parlayed into an acting career. That career slowed way down in the early 2010s, only to be revived in a massive way with her starring role on the NBC hit This Is Us. 

Christian Slater

With starring roles in Heathers, Pump Up The Volume, and Gleaming The Cube, Christian Slater became a Gen X icon. He scored a number of high-profile roles in big-budget movies in the '90s, before work started drying up in the early 2000s. He returned to Hollywood prominence with his award-winning role in Mr. Robot and has maintained it ever since. 

Luke Perry

Luke Perry was one of the biggest television stars of the 1990s as part of the cast of Beverly Hills, 90210. After the show ended though, his star faded some. That is, until he was cast in the CW's Riverdale and he was discovered by a whole new generation of fans. Tragically, Perry died in 2019 at age 52. 

Christina Ricci

Childhood success for Christina Ricci didn't immediately translate to success as an adult. She's always worked steadily, but her fame never quite reached the heights of her early career in The Addams Family. That changed in 2021 with Showtime's Yellowjackets. 

Michelle Yeoh

Michelle Yeoh first found international fame with her roles in the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies and Crouch Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She maintained a level of success, but she exploded to new heights with her Oscar-winning turn in 2022's Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. 

Neve Campbell

Neve Campbell was huge in the '90s with her starring role in the show Party Of Five and movies like The Craft and Wild Things. In the early 2000s, she starred in the Scream franchise, but hit a lull after that. Recently, she's been back on top with roles in The Lincoln Lawyer and Twisted Metal. 

Channing Tatum

Fans might not think that Channing Tatum has never had a career lull, but he has actually had a couple. He's always had to fight the idea that he's all looks and little substance (which is far from accurate), and that has affected his career at different points. He's always rebounded with strong performances like the one in Foxcatcher, however. 

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence's career hasn't really had a financial downturn, her lull was completely her choice. After a couple of poorly reviewed films and becoming the most famous victim of the iPhone hacking scandal, Lawrence stepped away from acting for two years in 2019. She triumphantly returned in the great movie Don't Look Up in 2021. 

Patrick Dempsey

Patrick Dempsey was first famous for starring in teen comedies like Loverboy and Can't Buy Me Love. He bounced around for a few years after that, working steadily but hardly a star. That changed in a big way when he landed the role of Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd in 2005 on Grey's Anatomy. 

Marlon Brando

The 1960s weren't kind to Marlon Brando. After establishing himself as a bonafide star and one of the finest actors of the 20th century in the '50s, his mercurial nature earned him a reputation as difficult to work with. A string of box office failures didn't help. Famously, he pushed hard to get the role of Vito Corleone in The Godfather, and wow, was that the right move! He won an Academy Award and reminded everyone how great an actor he was. 

David Carradine

Leave it to Quentin Tarantino to help revive a star's career like he did with John Travolta. David Carradine was huge in the 1970s as the star of Kung Fu, and while he always found work, it took until Kill Bill in 2003 that he found that same level of fame again. 

Kiefer Sutherland

After becoming one of the biggest teen idols of the '80s, Kiefer Sutherland spent most of the '90s in smaller, supporting roles. In 2001, however, he landed the role of Jack Bauer in 24 and it became the part he's most known for, becoming a television icon over the run of the show. 

Fame, as they say, is fleeting, and these actors prove there can always be a second act in Hollywood. 

She's one of the most formidable leading ladies in global cinema—and with beloved Michelle Yeoh movies like Tomorrow Never Dies, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Crazy Rich Asians, it's not hard to see why. However, her already iconic career got an even bigger boost when she became the first Asian woman to win an Academy Award in the lead actress category last year for Everything Everywhere All at Once.

The legendary actress — who you can currently see onscreen in the new Netflix series The Brothers Sun with a Netflix subscription — recently reflected on her historic Oscar win with Forbes and how she feels that coveted trophy has affected her stance in Hollywood in the year since: 

Yeoh followed her big Best Actress win — she also won in that category at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards last year — with several high-profile projects, including the aforementioned The Brothers Sun, the Disney+ series American Born Chinese, which Ke Huy Quan also starred in, and the positively reviewed A Haunting in Venice. She is also set to star as Madame Morrible in the cast of Wicked, the upcoming two-part film adaptation of the famed stage musical, reuniting Yeoh with her Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu. 

And given how monumental that Oscar was in film history, Yeoh must keep it in a special place, right? Well actually, it looks like that little movie man, which Michelle has jokingly dubbed "Baby O," has been on a bit of a traveling tour with its famous owner:

As for the much-welcome spotlight her success has shined on Asian and Asian-American communities in film — and the prevalence of Asian stories in this year's awards chatter, from TV series like Beef to drama films like Past Lives — the 61-year-old performer says it's "about time!" 

As for the Malaysian actress's upcoming projects, keep an eye out on both the 2024 movie schedule and 2024 TV schedule, because it's clear that the indomitable Michelle Yeoh isn't stopping anytime soon. 

The year 2024 is here and with it comes a some great streaming TV and movies. The first of each month is already a big day for streaming platforms, as it’s usually a major day of transition, but this year is looking even better and bolder -- and full of shows leaving platforms. Licensing deals begin and end at the start of the month, so Netflix subscribers, for example, lose a lot of content but gain a lot more to replace it.

This means that this year there’s a ton of content that, while it might not be strictly new to you, may be new to your streamer of choice. There are certainly some highlights in the library, but there’s also plenty of original content out right now.

What's New On Netflix

The Brothers Sun - January 4

There is no such thing as too much Michelle Yeoh. Following her Oscar-winning turn in Everything Everywhere All At Once the actress has been nearly everywhere, and she makes everything she’s in better. That may also be the case with The Brothers Sun. The new series sees Yeoh as the matriarch of a Taiwanese Triad with two sons, one has become key to the family business, and the other has no idea what his family truly is. The show looks to blend incredible action with a significant amount of humor.

Society Of The Snow - January 4

Based on the book of the same name, Society of the Snow is the story of the 1972 plane flight disaster in the Andes mountains that led to 16 survivors, members of the Uruguayan Rugby Team, to struggle for survival. Directed by J. A. Bayona, the film has already won several awards and is shortlisted for multiple Oscars. 

Good Grief - January 5

Most people know Dan Levy from his work on the hilarious Schitt’s Creek (which ran for six seasons), but they’ll see a very different side of him in the drama Good Grief. The movie, written and directed by Levy as well as starring him, tells the story of a man dealing with the loss of his husband, who takes his best friends to Paris, but perhaps doesn’t find the peace there he was looking for. The Good Grief trailer shows a compelling movie that anybody who has dealt with the loss of a loved one can understand.  

What's On Disney+

Percy Jackson Episode 4 - January 2

The best Disney+ TV show in a long time continues into the new year with the series' fourth episode. Having now begun his quest for the Master Bolt with Grover and Annabeth, Percy continues to run from the forces trying to take him out, while also dealing with the repercussions that come from antagonizing the gods. The episode arrives at 6:00 PM Pacific time on Tuesday evening.  

X-Men - January 5

Based on the mid-credits scene of The Marvels and the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in Deadpool 3, it’s clear that the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe runs through past Marvel franchises, specifically the Fox X-Men series. The various films have dropped on and off the streaming service over the last couple of years, making it hard for Disney+ subscribers to even know what they can watch, but the original X-Men movie returns to the service this week, so if you haven’t seen it, or just haven’t seen it in a while, it’s likely worth checking out. 

What's On Max

All Classic Star Trek Movies - January 1

Star Trek is part of Paramount, and so of course, Paramount+ is usually the place to find not just upcoming Star Trek TV shows but all the classic stuff as well. But if you’re a Trek fan who hasn’t pulled the trigger on that service, but you do have Max, you’ll be in good shape as all the Star Trek movies covering the Original Series and Next Generation era are set to come to max on New Year’s Day. 

Man With No Name Trilogy - January 1

If there’s a downside to streaming services, while they have so much available, a lot of them don’t have a great deal in their libraries that’s more than about 40 years old. Max, which covers the TCM library, is one of the exceptions. It’s always worth celebrating when some great classic movies become available to stream. All three of the Man With No Name movies, A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, hit Max on January first. Sounds like the perfect New Year’s Day marathon. 

What's On Paramount+

The Changemakers - January 1

The Paramount Content For Change Initiative is a program from the studio to try and combat racism by creating program that will help inform and educate its audience. One of the projects that has come from the initiative, will debut January 1 on Paramount Plus. The Changemakers follows four activists partner with community leaders in different parts of the world to better understand their situation. Topics from mental health to LGBTQ+ rights and the environment will be explored. 

What's On Prime Video

Reacher - Episode 6 - January 5

If you’re not watching Season 2 of Reacher I question what else you could possibly be doing that’s more worth your time. The new season has continued to be excellent and as the series moves towards its finale in just a couple of weeks the tension is increasing and the bone-shattering action only gets more satisfying.  

These are, of course, just the highlights. Be sure to check out everything new coming to Netflix and everything new coming to Hulu for a complete look at what will be arriving in January on those streaming services. We also have a look at what’s coming to Disney+ in January. 

Every A-list actor had to start somewhere and all you have to do to find out what your favorite celebrity’s very first gig was is take a look at their profile on The Internet Movie Database. We sifted through the much celebrated site and found the first IMDb credit of some of today’s biggest stars. 

Tom Cruise (Endless Love)

As is often the case with many actors, Tom Cruise’s very first role is nothing like Maverick from the Top Gun movies, Ethan Hunt from the Mission: Impossible movies, or nearly anything else the Oscar nominee is known for for. He appears in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1981 romance, Endless Love — starring Brooke Shields and Martin Hewitt — as a student named Billy who describes the time he attempted arson at just 8 years old. 

Jennifer Lawrence (Monk)

While appearing on Conan to promote the film that earned her her first Oscar — 2012’s Silver Linings Playbook — Jennifer Lawrence recalled the embarrassing story behind her screen acting debut in an episode of Monk from the crime drama's fifth season called “Mr. Monk and the Big Game.” She thought she was playing a member of a high school basketball team that Tony Shalhoub’s title character helps take over, but would discover a little too late that she was playing their mascot.

Robert Downey Jr. (Pound)

It’s no wonder Robert Downey Jr. is such a confident and charismatic onscreen presence when you learn he has been in the game since he was 5, having debuted in 1970’s Pound. Written and directed by his late father, Robert Downey Sr., the bizarre, X-rated, avant garde drama stars a cast of characters who appear human, but are really dogs waiting to be adopted, including the future Academy Award nominee and Iron Man actor as a puppy. 

Zoe Saldaña (Law & Order) 

Years before she became one of the highest-grossing actors of all time, Zoe Saldaña’s career started when she appeared in the second half of a two-part Law & Order episode called “Refuge,” alongside Orange is the New Black cast member, Selenis Leyva, as her sister. Coincidentally, Saldaña would also appear in a Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode in a different role years later.

Leonardo DiCaprio (Romper Room)

As he revealed to David Letterman in 1995, Leonardo DiCaprio made his show business debut at 3 on the children’s program Romper Room, but was so excited to be on camera, he had to be removed for disruptive behavior. He later appeared on shows like 1989's The New Lassie (pictured) or Growing Pains, paving the way for him to reach A-list status in the Titanic cast and win his overdue Oscar for The Revenant. His wild success today desperately makes us wish we could see his Romper Room footage, which may remain a lost relic, unfortunately.

Jenna Ortega (Rob)

At just 10 years old, Jenna Ortega proved she was destined to be a top Scream Queen when she made her debut on an episode of the short-lived CBS sitcom, Rob, called “The Baby Bug.” The future Emmy-nominated Wednesday cast member gets in (and wins) a fight against the title character — played by former SNL star, Rob Schneider — over a baby doll.

Nicolas Cage (The Best Of Times)

When his name was still Nicolas Coppola, the man who would be Nicolas Cage starred in a failed pilot for a coming-of-age ABC sitcom from 1981 called The Best of Times. The future Oscar winner’s scenes are a precursor to the iconic manic energy he would exhibit in movies like Vampire’s Kiss or Face/Off that every Cage fan should seek out if they can.

Margot Robbie (Neighbours)

Just like many other A-list Australian actors, Oscar nominee Margot Robbie got her start on a long-running soap opera called Neighbours when she was 17. The lead Barbie cast member actually appeared in one episode from 2022 to reprise her role as Donna Freedman.

Denzel Washington (Wilma)

Two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington is a living legend of the big screen, but made a name for himself on the small one. His very first gig was Wilma — a made-for-TV biopic about Wilma Rudolph that aired on NBC in 1977 — as the Olympic track sprinter’s then husband, Robert Eldridge.

Meryl Streep (Everybody Rides The Carousel)

Three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep has done some great voice acting over the years, including an episode of The Simpsons, a Wes Anderson movie called Fantastic Mr. Fox, and her first job: Everybody Rides the Carousel. Originally airing on CBS in 1976, the animated film is inspired by psychoanalyst Erik H. Erikson’s “Eight Stages of Development” and Streep lends her voice to the “Stage 6” segment, which covers intimacy. 

Harrison Ford (Dead Heat On A Merry-Go-Round)

We’ve seen Harrison Ford play an intergalactic pilot in the Star Wars movies, a daredevil archaeologist in the Indiana Jones movies, and other intimidating professions, but it all started when he played a bellboy. He appears in one scene from writer and director Bernard Girard’s 1966 crime thriller, Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round, delivering a message to a “Mr. Ellis,” which is really an alias for the con man protagonist, Eli Kotch, played by James Coburn.

Scarlett Johansson (Late Night With Conan O'Brien)

When Scarlett Johansson appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien to promote one of the best 2000s movies, Lost in Translation, the host recalls that the future Marvel star’s first paid gig was a bit on his show from a decade earlier. She played a Spelling Bee champion who turns out to have a habit of missing a letter or two, as exposed by Andy Richter.

Robert De Niro (Three Rooms In Manhattan)

New York just happens to have been the setting for many great Robert De Niro movies, such as Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, and his very first gig — as an extra — called Three Rooms in Manhattan. You can very clearly see the two-time Oscar-winner in the background during a scene from the 1965 French drama about an actor’s romantic encounter with a woman in the Big Apple.

Amy Adams (Drop Dead Gorgeous)

The first time you saw Amy Adams might have been on The Office or in 2007's Enchanted or even in one of her many Academy Award-nominated performances — such as from Doubt or Arrival. However, her true introduction to the world was in an underrated ‘90s movie called Drop Dead Gorgeous — a mockumentary-style dark comedy in which she plays a contestant for a beauty pageant plagued by a murderous plot.

Brad Pitt (Hunk)

Fittingly, one of Hollywood’s most iconic “hunks” debuted in a movie called Hunk, in which a computer nerd’s deal with the devil makes him a looker. However, Brad Pitt is not the titular hunk of this 1987 comedy, but an extra who can be seen in the top right hand corner of the frame, enjoying some sun on the beach, for one scene.

Tom Hanks (He Knows You’re Alone)

In 2023, two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks spoke to Jess Eagle about getting his SAG card for starring in a low budget slasher called He Knows You’re Alone as a psych student who befriends an engaged woman stalked by a killer. The Forrest Gump star would make a few other contributions to the horror genre, such as Joe Dante’s The Burbs, an episode of Tales from the Crypt, the Halloween special Toy Story of Terror, and as one of his best SNL characters, David S. Pumpkins.

Sandra Bullock (Hangmen)

The movie that skyrocketed Sandra Bullock to the A-list was one of the best action movies of all time, Speed. The Academy Award winner’s very first movie (and acting gig in general) was also an action flick from 1987 called Hangmen, in which she plays the girlfriend of a teen whose father must stay one step ahead of a terrorist organization that has infiltrated the CIA.

Ryan Gosling (The All New Mickey Mouse Club)

When he was 13, Ryan Gosling entered show business as a Mousketeer on Disney Channel’s variety series, The All New Mickey Mouse Club, where he introduced the world to his skills as an actor, singer, dancer, and comedian. He would later utilize these skills to much acclaim in the likes of La La Land and Barbie, but where he learned to be a stoic, intimidating action hero in other great Gosling movies like Drive and Blade Runner 2049 remains a mystery.

Julia Roberts (Crime Story)

Julia Roberts became America’s Sweetheart in the 1990s, but what officially launched her career was Crime Story — an Emmy-nominated 1960s-set detective drama that aired in 1980s, starring Dennis Farina and produced by Michael Mann. The Oscar winner appears in Season 1’s “The Survivor” — which you can check out with a Peacock subscription — as the teenager daughter of Farina’s character’s love interest, who is discovered to have survived a harrowing assault.

Ben Affleck (The Dark End Of The Street)

Ben Affleck’s career began when he played a young boy named Tommy in the 1981 drama The Dark End of the Street, which follows a teen couple whose information about a murder could save an innocent man’s life. That sounds like the kind of thriller that the Oscar-winning star and director of Argo could handle from behind the camera, too.

Michelle Yeoh (The Owl Vs. Bumbo)

Before becoming a martial arts movie legend, Everything Everywhere All At Once star Michelle Yeoh made her acting debut alongside martial arts legend Sammo Hung in this Hong Kong-based action-comedy. Kung also directed The Owl vs. Bumbo, in which two former thieves are forced to become mentors at a youth center.

Zendaya (Shake It Up)

Zendaya became an Emmy-winning actor for her role in the Euphoria cast as a troubled teen. However, when she was actually a teen, she got her start as a Disney Channel star on Shake It Up, in which Rocky Blue (Zendaya) and her best friend, CeCe Jones (Bella Thorne), land gigs as professional dancers on a hit variety show.

Jake Gyllenhaal (City Slickers)

Jake Gyllenhaal earned his first Academy Award nomination for playing a cowboy in one of his best movies, Brokeback Mountain. Somewhat coincidentally, the Spider-Man movie villain actor made his debut as the son of an aspiring cowboy (played by Billy Crystal) in the classic ‘90s comedy, City Slickers. 

Florence Pugh (The Falling)

Even before landing her Oscar-nominated role in 2019’s Little Women cast, Florence Pugh became an awards darling right out the gate with 2014’s The Falling. In fact, both she and Game of Thrones cast member Maisie Williams were nominated for Young British/Irish Performer of the Year at the London Critics Circle Film Awards for their performances in the coming-of-age period thriller.

Matt Damon (Mystic Pizza)

Years before reuniting with her in the Ocean’s Eleven cast, Matt Damon made his acting debut alongside Julia Roberts in Mystic Pizza. The future Jason Bourne movies star appears in a small role from a memorable dinner scene in the 1988 romantic dramedy.

Jamie Lee Curtis (Quincy M.E.)

Three years before landing her big screen debut in the first Halloween movie, Jamie Lee Curtis tried screen acting for the first time in a Season 2 episode of Quincy M.E.  Her small, but still memorable, role is a woman whom the titular medical examiner (played by Jack Klugman) accidentally walks in on at a department store changing room. This prompts her to tell him that he won’t find what he is looking for here with a level of spunk that would become signature for the Academy Award winner.

Johnny Depp (A Nightmare On Elm Street)

Wes Craven’s 1984 supernatural slasher not only saw the debut of classic horror villain, Freddy Krueger (Robert England), but also of one of the biggest celebrities of all time. Johnny Depp’s career began when he joined the A Nightmare on Elm Street cast as Glen Lantz, who, arguably, has the best death scene in the film at the hands of the razor-clawed, dream-infiltrating boogeyman.

Brie Larson (The Tonight Show With Jay Leno)

Eight-year-old Brie Larson launched her career by starring in a series of faux ads for The Tonight Show during its Jay Leno era. The now Academy Award winner for Room and Captain Marvel actor recalled the experience on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show before showing a clip of her in a sketch called “Road Kill Easy Bake Oven.”

Ryan Reynolds (Fifteen)

Despite being known best today for his brazen sense of humor, Deadpool movies star Ryan Reynolds started his career in a most earnest way. He starred in 18 episodes of the Canadian coming-of-age drama Fifteen — which was also known was Hillside — in the role of Billy. 

Anne Hathaway (Get Real)

While her breakthrough role was the lead of Disney’s The Princess Diaries cast, Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway broke out in 1999 on a TV show called Get Real. The short-lived dramedy was also the debut of Hathaway’s Rio co-star, Jesse Eisenberg, and was an early gig for NCIS’s Eric Christian Olsen as well.

Jackie Chan (Big And Little Wong Tin Bar)

Fitting how one of the most quintessential kung fu movie actors, Jackie Chan, got his start in a movie from 1962 about the art itself called Big and Little Wong Tin Bar. You almost feel like you are watching the birth of a martial arts master as the future Rush Hour star plays a student of martial arts.

How does your first job compare to these?

Through over six decades of James Bond movies, there has been a wide assortment of notable actors that have played heroes, villains, and roles in-between in the long running saga. As there’s 25 movies to keep track of, you might still be surprised by who shows up in a 007 adventure upon rewatching the series. With that in mind, here’s a huge list of people you may have forgotten teamed up with Commander Bond on the big screen.

Jack Lord - Dr. No

Before playing the original Steve McGarrett in Hawaii Five-O, actor Jack Lord got to originate another pop culture landmark. As the first actor to play Felix Leiter in Sean Connery’s James Bond movies, Dr. No saw Lord helping foil SPECTRE before instructing Danno to book anyone in another tropical crime fighting epic.

Robert Shaw - From Russia With Love

A good number of moviegoers would remember Robert Shaw best as the iconic sailor Quint, one of Jaws’ intrepid shark hunters. Before he got to put his hunting skills to the test against a Great White, Shaw played Red Grant: a SPECTRE hitman sent to kill James Bond. Unfortunately for Grant, a good thrashing on the Orient Express prevented him from completing his mission; all thanks to a wine based faux pas.

Donald Pleasence - You Only Live Twice

Halloween’s Michael Myers employed a mask to instill his own brand of chilling villainy. But years prior to tangling with that evil himself, Donald Pleasence became the first actor to show off Blofeld’s heinous visage in You Only Live Twice. Admit it, you probably remember Mike Myers’ parody of this character from Austin Powers more than the OG; which is ok.

Charles Gray - You Only Live Twice

Speaking of actors that have played Ernst Stavro Blofeld, The Rocky Horror Picture Show vet Charles Gray is also in that boat himself. However, the James Bond role people may have forgotten he played was that of 007’s ally Henderson in You Only Live Twice. Kind of fitting, as his Blofeld would be Sean Connery’s second tangle with the iconic nemesis.

Telly Savalas - On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

What’s one more Blofeld for old times? As he’d go on to tear up World War II in Kelly’s Heroes, as well as fight crime with a lollipop addiction in Kojack, Telly Savalas got to be the big bad of James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service which is George Lazenby’s solo outing as 007. Savalas is arguably the best Blofeld of the bunch, exuding both charm and menace.

Joanna Lumley - On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

Joanna Lumley shot to stardom through roles in series like Sapphire and Steel and Absolutely Fabulous, as well as another British spy staple The Avengers. Much like her fellow alums Honor Blackman and Diana Rigg, Lumley found herself cast early on in the 007 legacy, as one of Blofeld’s “Angels of Death” in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

Yaphet Kotto - Live And Let Die

Yaphet Kotto made a name for himself throughout all sorts of genres, thanks to roles in Alien, The Running Man, and NBC’s Homicide: Life on the Streets. And among all of those valued credits was the dual role of Dr. Kananga / Mr. Big in the debut of Roger Moore’s James Bond, Live and Let Die. Both sides of this coin fit the veteran performer to a tee, making for one of the most intriguing Bond villains of all time.

Charles Dance - For Your Eyes Only

Believe it or not, Tywin Lannister once tried to kill James Bond on a ski slope! Game of Thrones’ icon Charles Dance played a heavy trying to ice Roger Moore’s 007. Dance was even courted as a potential James Bond, but he graciously turned down the opportunity to audition as he didn’t feel he was a good fit for the role. 

Patrick Macnee - A View To A Kill

The British spy series The Avengers was another cultural icon that made many an actor into memorable agents of chaos and/or order. Patrick Macnee is one such icon, as he played series lead John Steed with a couple Bond girls joining in on the fun. So when Macnee was cast to assist Roger Moore in his final James Bond adventure, A View to a Kill, it felt like an ambitious crossover that was years in the making.

Dolph Lundgren - A View To A Kill

1985 was the year to have Dolph Lundgren playing your anti-capitalist villain. Not only did he square off against Sylvester Stallone in Rocky IV, but he also found time to play a KGB agent tasked with keeping Max Zorin (Christopher Walken) in line in A View to a Kill. And if Grace Jones wasn’t Walken’s hired muscle, he may have stood a chance.

Joe Don Baker - The Living Daylights

Even die hard James Bond fans have had moments where they forget that Joe Don Baker actually played a 007 villain before he rejoined the series. Later playing Pierce Brosnan’s American counterpart Jack Wade of the CIA, Baker first appeared in the series as The Living Daylights’ big bad Brad Whitaker. A madman fixated on military history, Whitaker would meet his Waterloo after Timothy Dalton’s James Bond sends him crashing into a model of that very same battle.

Carey Lowell - License To Kill

James Bond has always had a strong sense of law and order; so it’s only fitting that Law and Order cast member Carey Lowell got to play one of his partners in License to Kill. As Pam Bouvier, Lowell was involved in one of James Bond’s most personal vendettas ever recorded. She even showed off her jealous streak in the end, romancing 007 by confessing her feelings in a swimming pool scene out of a rom-com.

Benicio del Toro - License To Kill

A young and hungry Benicio del Toro went toe to toe with both Carey Lowell and Timothy Dalton in License to Kill. Playing henchman Dario, his skills were employed by drug dealer/business magnate Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi). It’s just a shame that 007 got the drop on this young buck, which resulted in a demise so brutal that it’s cut in some versions of the film.

Wayne Newton - License To Kill

Legendary crooner and enemy of Clark Griswold, Wayne Newton is also quite an actor. Nowhere did he show that than in License to Kill, where he played the sleazy preacher Professor Joe Butcher. The perfect nexus of ‘80s influences, Newton’s character was part of how Franz Sanchez’s cartel would send secret messages to its network of buyers and sellers; through the power of televangelism.

Alan Cumming - Goldeneye

Boris Grishenko is one of the most memorable presences in 007 history, making quite an impression in Goldeneye. But many probably forget that the chameleon behind this performance is none other than the insanely talented Alan Cumming. Though he may not have been as invincible as he thought, Cumming’s nasty nerd is hard to stay mad at, even when he gets frozen in liquid nitrogen.

Minnie Driver - Goldeneye

There’s a fine line between cameo appearances and secondary roles that appear as a brief blip in the James Bond world. Otherwise, we’d be able to claim people like Gerard Butler and Hugh Bonneville as entries on this list. While their appearances were too brief to mention, Minnie Driver’s brief but beautiful role in Goldeneye sees her almost get Pierce Brosnan killed, while also sassing back her on-screen sugar daddy Robbie Coltrane.

Robbie Coltrane - Goldeneye/The World Is Not Enough

Here’s another pop culture intersection that’s hard to believe: Hagrid was a sworn frenemy of James Bond! Appearing in both Goldeneye and The World is Not Enough, the late great Robbie Coltrane played Valentin Zukovsky, an ex-KGB player who loved and loathed 007. Coltrane’s patter with Pierce Brosnan is invaluable, which probably led to Zukovsky returning for a meatier role in The World is Not Enough.

Michelle Yeoh - Tomorrow Never Dies

Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh has been Everything Everywhere All At Once, but early on in her career she was paired up with Pierce Brosnan’s Commander Bond to stop a madman. Tomorrow Never Dies saw the action star playing Wai Lin, a Chinese military officer who wants to prevent World War III as much as 007 does. If only she'd returned as supposedly planned in Die Another Day.

Teri Hatcher - Tomorrow Never Dies

While not quite a desperate housewife at this phase in her career, Teri Hatcher was still a popular actor that managed to land a Bond film with her clout. Playing 007’s ex-flame Paris Carver, her marriage to media mogul/villain Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) put her in the crosshairs of fate.

Vincent Schiavelli - Tomorrow Never Dies

Character acting legend Vincent Schiavelli has been in everything from One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest to Death to Smoochy. And thanks to being cast in Tomorrow Never Dies as the diabolical Dr. Kaufman, Schiavelli was able to cross off being a Bond baddie from his to-do list.

Denise Richards - The World Is Not Enough

Denise Richards has gotten a lot of unfair criticism for her role as The World is Not Enough’s Dr. Christmas Jones. But that hasn’t stopped her from defending her part in 007 history, and rightfully so. You may have forgotten her snappy patter with Pierce Brosnan, but it’s not hard to fall back into the rhythm between these two well matched co-stars.

Robert Carlyle - The World Is Not Enough

One of the best red herrings in James Bond history, Robert Carlyle expertly played the role of terrorist Renard in The World is Not Enough. With his own motivations overshadowing the true villain of the piece, the Full Monty and Once Upon A Time star may have slipped your mind in the world of 007, but he was indeed a pretty fantastic part of it all.

Rosamund Pike - Die Another Day

Secret villain Miranda Frost was the perfect warm up for future Gone Girl star Rosamund Pike. Playing who seemed to be an MI6 ally in Die Another Day, Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond eventually outed her as a colder player than she initially let on. The results were quite heated, especially as she would have to face off against true Bond ally Jinx (Halle Berry) in the big third act showdown.

Michael Madsen - Die Another Day

We’re never going to get that Pierce Brosnan/Quentin Tarantino James Bond movie that could have adapted Casino Royale. That being said, we may have gotten a taste of what a QT Bond character might have been like in Damian Falco, the CIA officer played by Tarantino vet Michael Madsen in Die Another Day. Which is enough to spark the FOMO all over again.

Tobias Menzies - Casino Royale

Before he terrorized Sam Heughan in Outlander, Tobias Menzies was a heroic party that assisted Daniel Craig’s James Bond in Casino Royale. Playing Villers, the right hand man to M (Judi Dench) before Tanner was revived in the post-reboot climate, Menzies saw some pretty harrowing action in the Bond franchise. Like that time James almost died due to a malfunctioning defibrillator. 

David Harbour - Quantum of Solace

An early career win for Violent Night’s David Harbour, the actor’s appearance as an antagonist in Quantum of Solace is another reason people shouldn’t sleep on this movie. As the morally corrupt Gregg Beam, Harbour is a delight in all of his scummy brilliance, just before the world would see him in a much more heroic light in Stranger Things.

Stana Katic - Quantum of Solace

Solving crimes alongside Nathan Fillion on Castle is Stana Katic’s major claim to fame. And just before she started babysitting a mystery author turned sleuth, she was a crucial part to Daniel Craig’s James Bond gaining closure over Vesper Lynd’s death; thanks to her appearance at the end of Quantum of Solace.

Helen McCrory - Skyfall

If you ever wanted to see Narscissa Malfoy and Voldemort battle it out, minus the wands and makeup, Skyfall should be added to your watch list at once. The late Helen McCrory and Ralph Fiennes face off during a hearing that questions the effectiveness of M’s leadership, which sees sparks fly in some heated verbal battle.

Albert Finney - Skyfall

There was once a time where Sean Connery was considered for a role in Skyfall. Instead, cooler heads prevailed, and Kincade, the groundskeeper of the old Bond estate, was cast as the legendary Albert Finney. I dare anyone else to say “Welcome to Skyfall” and make it sound as awesome.

Andrew Scott - Spectre

Though the world knows him as Sherlock’s Moriarty, actor Andrew Scott was also a thorn in the side of James Bond and his MI6 family. Popping up at exactly the wrong time in Spectre, Scott’s character Max Denbigh posed a great threat to the 00 program and all it stood for. 

Monica Bellucci - Spectre

Out of the extensive legacy of James Bond women, Monica Bellucci’s arrival in Spectre is one that was possibly the most hard fought. After Bellucci missed out on two Pierce Brosnan outings, seeing her romanced by Daniel Craig’s 007 was a triumph to behold.

Jimmy Dean - Diamonds Are Forever

The world at large will always remember actor/country singer/breakfast meat magnate Jimmy Dean for those various facets of his talent. But what most may not recall is the fact that he was also Willard White, the reclusive millionaire that Blofeld used as a cover for his grand schemes in Diamonds Are Forever.

With over 60 years under its belt, the James Bond legacy has certainly seen a lot of people come and go. As the next age of 007 dawns, who knows what the future will bring, and what major stars will appear only to be periodical surprises when revisiting the Bond adventures?

The latest Poirot murder mystery has come to theaters, and the cast of A Haunting in Venice is full of stars that you’ve surely seen before. 

Many of the best mystery movies are told from the perspective of Hercule Poirot, created by famed mystery author, Agatha Christie. From Murder on the Orient Express to Death on the Nile, these stories have captured audiences everywhere, and they made people that much more interested in the world of murder mysteries, where everyone is a suspect until proven innocent. 

Now, the latest film in this world has arrived in theaters, A Haunting in Venice, based on the book Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie. Today, we are going to talk about the whodunnit's star-studded cast and where you might have seen them before, including Kenneth Branagh. Let's get into it. 

Kenneth Branagh (Hercule Poirot)

First off on this list is Kenneth Branagh, an actor who has been in the business for a long time and has continued to reprise his role of Hercule Poirot in A Haunting in Venice, whom he played in Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. The actor also directed the film. 

Branagh has been in many movies, which have brought him critical acclaim. These include but aren't limited to Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, As You Like It, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, My Week With Marilyn, Tenet, and the acclaimed Belfast, which he also directed. 

He was also a part of the Dunkirk cast and was recently featured in the Oppenheimer cast since he frequently collaborates with Christopher Nolan. 

Branagh has appeared in TV shows too, including Shackleton, Warm Spring, Fortunes of War, and more. 

Kyle Allen

Next up is Kyle Allen from A Haunting in Venice cast, and he's relatively new to Hollywood. He's appeared in movies such as One Night, XX, All My Life, Rosaline, and The Greatest Beer Run Ever on Apple TV+. He also played a Jet in the West Side Story cast. 

Camille Cottin

Moving on, we take a look at Camille Cottin. The actress is primarily known in France, having appeared in many French films such as Les gazelles, Les Gorilles and even did the French dubbing for the emotional Pixar film Soul, among other titles. She did have a role in House of Gucci, where she began to show off her talents to America. 

Cottin has also been active in French television, appearing in Scènes de ménages, Connasse, Call My Agent! and more. She also had a significant role in the hit TV series Killing Eve. 

Jamie Dornan

Next up is Jamie Dornan, a man who has been making his name known the last decade in the world of Hollywood and who is also a part of the main cast of A Haunting in Venice. Dornan is primarily known for his co-starring role in the risqué movie series Fifty Shades of Grey, where he played Christian Grey.

Aside from that, he has appeared in films such as Belfast, Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar, Heart of Stone, Trolls World Tour, Marie Antoinette, and more. The actor also had a recurring guest role on Once Upon A Time and parts on the shows The Fall and The Tourist.

Tina Fey

Tina Fey has some great movies and TV shows under her belt, and it makes sense she would be in a film like A Haunting in Venice with her resume. The comedian is known for her iconic prominent role on Saturday Night Live, but she has since moved on to bigger and better things, including her iconic TV show, 30 Rock, where she was the lead of the 30 Rock cast. 

Aside from that, Fey has appeared in movies such as Mean Girls (which she also co-wrote), Baby Mama, Date Night, Megamind, Sisters, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, and Wine Country. She was one of the leading voice talents of the cast of Soul too. The actress also has had a recurring guest role on Only Murders in the Building, a great Hulu TV show, and she created and guest starred on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. 

Jude Hill

Jude Hill is a young actor, so his part in A Haunting in Venice is going to be one of his first significant movie appearances. However, he's also appeared in Branagh's Belfast, as well as held a minimal role in Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (which was honestly great). Hill also appeared in the British TV series Magpie Murders.

Ali Khan

Ali Khan, another part of the main cast of A Haunting in Venice. The actor appeared in a few films before this, namely Pin Cushion, 6 Underground, and the Netflix movie The School for Good and Evil. He also had roles in the television shows Red Rose, Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything, Halo, and Everyone Else Burns.

Emma Laird

A Haunting in Venice will be Emma Laird's first major movie appearance. However, she was a part of the Mayor of Kingstown cast, and she had a prominent role on the Apple TV+ show The Crowded Room. 

Kelly Reilly

Along with A Haunting in Venice, Kelly Reilly has appeared in films such as Dead Bodies, Pride & Prejudice, Eden Lake, Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Bastille Day, Flight, Russian Dolls, and more. 

Reilly also had a prominent role in the British series Above Suspicion, and she held a primary role in both Black Box and Britannia. These days, she's probably best known for playing Beth Dutton on Yellowstone.

Riccardo Scamarcio

Riccardo Scamarcio is an Italian actor primarily known for many movies in the Italian film industry, but he's also appeared in a decent amount of American films. These include the John Wick franchise and To Rome with Love. 

Michelle Yeoh

Last but certainly not least, we need to talk about Michelle Yeoh, the last person in the main cast of A Haunting in Venice. The actress made headlines for her Academy Award-winning performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once in 2022 (which her mother was very emotional about), but she has also done so much in the film industry that we must discuss it. 

In terms of movies, she's had roles in films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Heroic Trio, Holy Weapon, Tomorrow Never Dies, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Lady, and more. She also held a supporting role in the modern-day Christmas film Last Christmas, and she played a significant role in Crazy Rich Asians. 

Yeoh has stepped into television more lately, with a central role in The Witcher: Blood Origin, and she appeared in the Disney+ series American Born Chinese. She also held a recurring part on Star Trek: Discovery and was a part of Season 2 of Marco Polo (which is a great show to watch if you love Benedict Wong). 

There are so many amazing actors here who have done so much. So, if you see A Haunting in Venice, and you want to stay up to date with these performers, be sure to check out these films and television shows.

Halloween is just around the corner and, while Hercule Poirot probably isn’t the first name you think of when spooky season hits, Kenneth Branagh is throwing his hat into the supernatural ring with his third turn as the uber-observant detective. A Haunting in Venice is set to premiere on Friday, September 15, and the book-to-screen adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party boasts a solid cast for the latest murder mystery, with Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey and Kelly Reilly amongst the key players to be scrutinized during Poirot’s investigation.

First reactions to the Hercule Poirot movie were promising, with many who attended an early screening calling it the best yet of the three adaptations that Kenneth Branagh has directed and starred in. Our own Mike Reyes praises the effort in CinemaBlend’s review of A Haunting in Venice, calling Branagh’s turn at horror “both riveting and disturbing.” It can also be enjoyed without having seen Murder on the Orient Express or Death on the Nile, Reyes notes, rating it 4 out of 5 stars and writing: 

Neil Smith of GamesRadar also rates A Haunting in Venice 4 stars out of 5, writing that there are both tingles and laughs, as Kenneth Branagh weaves an old-school whodunnit out of an eerie Halloween spook-fest. In Smith’s words: 

Siddhant Adlakha of IGN says the movie flips back and forth between humor and horror, with its doom and gloom complemented by “some of the most wackadoo horror filmmaking from any major contemporary director.” The critic rates A Haunting in Venice a “Great” 8/10, writing: 

Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting calls Kenneth Branagh’s latest adaptation a “stylish Halloween whodunnit,” rating the movie 3 out of 5 skulls. Navarro says this may be the mustachioed detective’s least-engaging mystery yet, but that critique is offset by the spooky, claustrophobic atmosphere. The critic continues: 

Not all of the critics share such positive opinions, however. Christian Zilko of IndieWire grades the movie a B-, saying that it’s getting harder to ignore what Rian Johnson is doing to the genre with his Knives Out movies — particularly because Kenneth Branagh’s co-stars don’t seem to be having much fun. Zilko continues: 

Overall, the critics seem to say that the actor/director has done it again, delivering a fun murder mystery from Agatha Christie’s collection, albeit with an appropriate twist for the Halloween season. A Haunting in Venice has accrued an 88% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 26 critics so far, and those who want to check out Hercule Poirot’s latest case can do so starting Friday, September 15. Be sure to also check out our schedule of 2023 new movie releases to see what else is headed to the theater soon. 

Kenneth Branagh has provided some of the best mystery movies in recent years with his adaptations of Agatha Christie classics, and now he’s back for a third time with A Haunting in Venice. Branagh again will direct and star as Hercule Poirot, with the murder this time being committed in the midst of a séance. It sounds like the perfect time for one of the most beloved fictional detectives' adventures to take a spooky turn, with Halloween just around the corner, and now that A Haunting in Venice has screened, people are hitting social media to share their first reactions.

In addition to Kenneth Branagh as the mustachioed sleuth, A Haunting in Venice boasts a stacked cast that includes Jamie Dornan, Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey and Kelly Reilly, to name just a few. The movie is an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1969 novel Hallowe'en Party, and those who attended a screening seem to be in agreement that this is Branagh’s best Hercule Poirot film yet. CinemaBlend’s own Mike Reyes calls the “gorgeously claustrophobic” mystery a perfect kickoff to the spooky season: 

Jessica Rawden of CinemaBlend reminds us that this is a Hercule Poirot movie first and foremost fits right in with the creepy offerings we’re accustomed to this time of year. She tweets: 

Carson Timar of the Clapper podcast says A Haunting in Venice is “easily” the best of Kenneth Branagh’s Agatha Christie trilogy. With any murder mystery, how the story wraps up is of utmost importance, and this movie lover calls the conclusion “satisfying,” with the potential to become an annual Halloween tradition. In Timar’s words: 

Critic Manning Franks echoes that sentiment, as he calls this third offering not just Kenneth Branagh’s best effort in front of the camera, but behind it as well. He writes: 

While many are singing the praises of the movie’s star and director, other members of the cast have gotten shout-outs too, with Variety’s Katcy Stephan writing that Tina Fey adds a needed playfulness. She tweets:

Michelle Yeoh also gets a mention, with critic Ashley Saunders praising the Academy Award winner’s turn as the medium in A Haunting in Venice: 

With many who have seen A Haunting in Venice calling this the best of director and star Kenneth Branagh’s adaptations, fans of the previous two movies will likely want to head to the theaters when this hits the big screen on Friday, September 15. In the meantime, if you need to watch or rewatch the first two Hercule Poirot mysteries, Murder on the Orient Express is available to rent or purchase on Amazon’s Prime Video, while Death on the Nile can be streamed with a Hulu subscription. Be sure to also check out our 2023 movie schedule to see what other new releases are coming soon. 

The concept of a long engagement isn’t too surprising, and Michelle Yeoh’s 19-year engagement to fiancé Jean Todt is further proof that it hasn’t gone out of style. However, there comes a time when a big leap needs to be taken, and for this couple, that time has apparently arrived. And not only did Yeoh and Todt finally tie the knot, the 2023 Oscar winner for Everything Everywhere All At Once brought her trophy along for the ride as well.

People reported that the happy couple was married in Geneva, “surrounded by loving family and friends.” As Jean Todt was once the CEO of Ferrari, that meant the guest list also included folks like Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa, a former member of the car maker’s team. 

Through Massa's social media presence, the confirmation of Michelle Yeoh’s Oscar being present can be seen. There's also a handful of beautiful photos from throughout the day, including the program which tells the story of how Yeoh and Todt first met. You can see it all for yourself in the post included below:

Michelle Yeoh has plenty of reason to celebrate this year, both personally and professionally. On top of her Academy Award win earlier this year, she was also heard as part of the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts cast; which impressed fans and critics alike with its adventurous tale. 

Not to mention, Yeoh’s long-awaited Star Trek: Section 31 was turned into a film event, rather than a spinoff series as originally planned. Both projects should be available at some point with a Paramount+ subscription for fans who are eagerly anticipating such thrills.

However, at the current moment, all eyes are on Michelle Yeoh and Jean Todt’s beautiful love story. Nineteen years is a long time to be with someone, especially outside of being married to them. Seeing the couple so happy after finally uniting their lives together as one only makes the news sweeter. 

We here at CinemaBlend would like to extend our congratulations to the happy couple, as well as wishes for nothing but happiness in the next chapter of their lives together. This story is far from over, and it's going to be a wonderful treat to see where things go next for Yeoh and Todt. 

In the meantime, with what we know about A Haunting in Venice, it seems like it could be another career win for Michelle Yeoh, as she's part of the cast of the next Hercule Poirot mystery. And as luck would have it, that's a title on the 2023 movie schedule that everyone can look forward to seeing in the near future. If you want a taste of what's to come, you can see Ms. Yeoh and her cast mates in the Haunting in Venice trailer.

As a longtime fan of Jennifer Lawrence’s work, I’ve always been in awe of all her films, of course, between The Hunger Games, The Silver Linings Playbook and the X-Men prequels. However, there’s always been the funny duality of her also being an absolutely hilarious person in real life who frequently goes viral for interview moments where her personality seems quite the opposite of a deep and dark dramatic actress. So, when No Hard Feelings hit theaters earlier this summer, I ran to my local cinema, and I was absolutely living for J-Law bringing out her comedy chops in a movie that I thought was equally raunchy, silly and very heartfelt. In honor of this, I was thinking about a host of Oscar-winning actresses who need to lead their own comedy next.

Why must there be lines drawn between who can be funny and who is a serious actress in Hollywood? Real talk, but I see male actors slide between movies with ridiculous concepts to award-buzzy ones all the dang time. I mean, just look at Seth Rogen, Adam Sandler or Owen Wilson. Why does Hollywood put so many talented (and already funny) women in boxes? Let’s look at more actresses with a golden trophy who fall in this serious trap who I’d love to see in their very own comedy, stat, especially because they have the power to give a ridiculous concept more gravitas. 

Olivia Colman 

One of my absolute favorite Oscar moments happened when Olivia Colman’s Best Actress win became the biggest bombshell of the 2019 awards show. At the time when Colman won, I wasn’t personally very familiar with the actress outside of The Favourite, in which she played a moody queen without the vibrant personality of the British actress. 

Colman has a really interesting career right now, between being part of more critically-acclaimed dramas like Empire of Light and The Lost Daughter, along with being part of the Secret Invasion cast, Heartstopper and Wonka this holiday season. But, I’d honestly love to see her fully bring out her truly hilarious natural comedic timing. I’m picturing her playing a socially-awkward British woman who travels cross-country through Europe to reconnect with a high-school crush or something random and endearing like that. 

Cate Blanchett

The same goes for absolute Oscar darling Cate Blanchett, who has been turning out dramatic performance after dramatic performance for years, between roles like Tár, Carol and Blue Jasmine. I’m a massive fan of her work, but if you’ve ever seen her in interviews, she looks like a super fun and interesting person, who deserves to totally let loose in a future role. 

Some offbeat highlights here are when she played the wicked stepmother in Cinderella and a monkey named Spazzatura in Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, but what I would give to see her play a silly character that just goes off the rails. Hey, even if she were the star of a Judd Apatow movie, I don’t doubt she would earn an Oscar nomination for that, too. 

Michelle Yeoh 

Then there’s our most recent Oscar winner, Michelle Yeoh, who took home Best Actress for her trippy role in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Yeoh is known primarily for being an action star in epics like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but she's also made stoic turns in movies like Crazy Rich Asians. After dancing with hot dog hands and so forth in her Oscar-winning role, I hope she follows that thread and leads a comedy of her own. Look, no matter what she does, I’ll follow her anywhere. 

Viola Davis 

Then there’s EGOT winner Viola Davis, who is beloved for nailing a host of powerhouse performances in movies like The Woman King, The Help, Fences and in the DCU. So many of Davis’ roles have her character pushing through some serious struggles, so I absolutely love the idea of her starring in a romantic comedy or musical comedy. 

I’m not sure it will ever happen, but I definitely think she deserves to emulate some more joy on screen at some point, and I’m sure she’d have a blast doing it. Since she’s frequently compared to Meryl Streep, perhaps she needs her own version of something like The Devil Wears Prada or Mamma Mia, ya know? 

Halle Berry

Then there’s Halle Berry, who became the first (and only) Black woman to win Best Actress for her role in Monster’s Ball. In recent years, she has primarily done action or science fiction movies like Moonfall, Bruised, and her incredible role in the third John Wick movie, but I’d love to see her take on another comedy where she has top billing (she has 1997's B.A.P.S. under her belt, of course). 

Berry is a really talented actress who I feel is underutilized. She’s always been very charming, thinking back to her role as Jinx in Die Another Day or even her breakthrough rom-com with Eddie Murphy, Boomerang, back in 1992. Give her a new silly comedy – perhaps of the action variety!!   

Brie Larson

And, what about Brie Larson? The actress who won for her emotional performance in Room is, of course, also Captain Marvel in the MCU, and recently lived her dream of being in the Fast and the Furious franchise, it’s not like Larson is constantly in a super realistic dramatic space. That being said, I find her to be a really genuine personality, who would absolutely thrive in a big Hollywood comedy of her own to lead. I could see her doing well in a buddy comedy, in particular, or a rom-com like 30 Going on 30. She already directed herself in the underrated film, Unicorn Store, but I’d love to see her in even more roles like it. 

Angelina Jolie 

Finally, Angelina Jolie desperately needs to be in a future comedy, in my humble opinion. She’s obviously an incredible talent and we’ll never forget her bringing out the funny in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Her career has certainly showcased that she’s more interested in the real meaty and emotional roles, but there must be the right one out there for her to explore the lighter side of life someday. Maybe after all that divorce drama with Brad Pitt is over? 

What can I say, Jennifer Lawrence’s No Hard Feelings really made me happy and reminded me how the comedy space is still vastly male-driven. Hollywood, how about you call up these talented women for your next big silly movie? 

Just when you thought you could trust any street vehicle or mechanical device to not come alive before your eyes, the Transformers movies are back with a seventh installment that takes us into the 1990s. Director Steven Caple Jr.’s prequel (which hits theaters today) not only brings back a couple of your favorite Autobots (including Bumblebee), but also introduces some other “robots in disguise,” as well as some new human friends into the cinematic franchise. Let’s talk about all the characters (new and old), the actors in the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts cast who portray them, and what else you may recognize the performers from.

Anthony Ramos (Noah Diaz) 

The cast’s lead human character, struggling New Yorker Noah Diaz, is played by Anthony Ramos, who broke out as a theater performer by playing Usnavi in a 2012 production of In the Heights — which he reprised in the 2021 film adaptation — before reuniting with Lin-Manuel Miranda to originate the roles of John Laurens and Phillip Hamilton in the Hamilton cast. Some of his most notable screen acting credits include the crime drama, Monsters and Men, and Oscar-winning romance A Star is Born from 2018, and his next major gigs include the upcoming Marvel TV show, Ironheart, a Twister “sequel” called Twisters, and a sci-fi drama currently on the 2024 movies schedule called Distant.

Dominique Fishback (Elena Wallace) 

Joining Noah on his adventure with the Transformers, where her archeological expertise comes in handy, is Elena Wallace — arguably the biggest role to date for Dominique Fishback, outside of her BAFTA-nominated role in the Judas and the Black Messiah cast as Deborah Johnson. Before then, she led the 2018 drama, Night Comes On, appearing in The Hate U Give the same year, starred in the Netflix original sci-fi movie, Project Power, in 2020, starred opposite Samuel L. Jackson in Apple TV+’s The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey in 2022, and led Amazon Prime’s Swarm cast the following year.

Dean Scott Vazquez (Kris Diaz)

As Noah’s younger brother, Kris, we have Dean Soctt Vazquez, who last worked with Ramos when he made his feature film debut in the In the Heights cast as Sedo, following small guest roles in hit TV shows like Manifest and Mr. Robot. In 2022, the up-and-comer starred in a crime thriller called 9 Bullets and began voicing the title role of Nickelodeon’s Santiago of the Seas before starring in the feature-length comedy, Theater Camp, which comes out July 2023.

Luna Lauren Velez (Mrs. Diaz)

Starring as Noah and Kris’ mother is Luna Lauren Velez, who has previous experience playing the mother of a blockbuster's heroic lead character, having voiced Rio Morales in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its 2023 sequel, Across the Spider-Verse. The actor is even better known for her TV roles, such as Maria LaGuerta in the Dexter cast, Dr. Gloria Nathan on Oz, and her recurring stint on How to Get Away with Murder as Soraya Hargrove. 

Tobe Nwigwe (Reek)

As Noah’s friend, Reek — a character inspired by Caple Jr.’s late friend, according to the director’s Instagram post — is Tobe Nwigwe in his feature film debut. The rapper’s previous acting credits include four episodes of the hit Netflix dramedy, Mo, and a role on creator Issa Rae’s funny Max original TV show, Rap Sh!t.

Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime)

Continuing his long-standing tenure as the voice of Optimus Prime is Peter Cullen, who is, undoubtedly, best known for playing the leader of the Autobots. However, the legendary voice actor has plenty more iconic roles to his name, having done vocal work for creatures like King Kong in the 1976 remake of the monster movie classic, the Predator in the 1987 original, and the Gremlins in the holiday horror movie classic from 1984, as well as the voice of Eeyore in countless Winnie the Pooh titles.

Ron Perlman (Optimus Primal)

Someone also known for lending his deep, distinct voice to many animated projects — most often as comic book villains like Clayface or Deathstroke — is Ron Perlman, who voices the gorilla-like leader of the Maximals, Optimus Primal. Some of the veteran actor’s best-known live-action roles include the title hero of Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy movies, Clay Morrow in FX’s Sons of Anarchy cast, and Sterling Frost, Sr. in Peacock’s Poker Face cast more recently, to name a few.

Pete Davidson (Mirage)

Voicing a scrappy, sometimes rebellious Autobot named Mirage is Pete Davidson, who already has some notable voice acting roles on his impressive resume, including security guard Jerry in The Angry Birds Movie 2 and the titular Great Dane from Netflix’s Marmaduke movie. Some of his biggest roles include making his comic book movie debut as Blackguard in 2021’s The Suicide Squad, as a victim of a party game gone horribly wrong in Bodies Bodies Bodies, and fictionalized versions of himself in both The King of Staten Island and the Bupkis cast.

Peter Dinklage (Scourge)

Voicing Scourge — the leader of the Terrorcons — is Peter Dinklage, who has also lent his voice to the Angry Birds Movie franchise as Mighty Eagle, as well as the Ice Age movies franchise as Captain Gutt, and The Croods: A New Age voice cast as Phil Betterman. 

The four-time Emmy winner (all for his Game of Thrones cast stint as Tyrion Lannister) previously starred in live-action blockbusters like X-Men: Days of Future Past (in which he played the designer of a group of villainous robots) and Avengers: Infinity War (as a giant named Eitri), as well as giving memorable performances in smaller films like 2017’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Cyrano, as the title character, in 2021.

Michelle Yeoh (Airazor)

Voicing a winged Maximal named Airazor is Michelle Yeoh, whose previous blockbuster roles include two different MCU characters (Aleta Ogord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Ying Nan in the Shang-Chi cast), while her voice acting roles include the Soothsayer in Kung Fu Panda 2 and Yuki in the Paws of Fury cast, more recently. 

The Malaysian-born Academy Award winner (for the Best Picture Oscar winner, Everything Everywhere All At Once) rose to fame by kicking butt in great action movies like Supercop and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon before stealing the show in the Crazy Rich Asians cast and the Disney+ original TV show, American Born Chinese.

Liza Koshy (Arcee)

As a loyal Autobot named Arcee, we have accomplished dancer and Internet personality Liza Koshy, who last played a movie character based on a popular toyline when she voiced Zipp Storm in 2021’s My Little Pony: A New Generation, in addition to voicing herself on Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? As for her live-action roles, her first major big screen credit was 2016’s Boo! A Madea Halloween before being cast on Hulu’s horror TV show, Freakish, landing her own YouTube original TV show (Liza on Demand), starring in Netflix’s 2020 dance movie, Work It, and judging contestants on NBC’s Dancing with Myself. 

Cristo Fernández (Wheeljack)

Wheeljack — an Autobot with ace mechanical skills — is voiced by Cristo Fernández, who is best known from Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso cast as Dani Rojas. Previously, he had a small role in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home mid-credit scene as a bartender serving an out-of-place Eddie “venom” Brock (Tom Hardy) and, that same year, played a human taking on some very volatile aliens in the sci-fi comedy Creatures.

John DiMaggio (Stratosphere)

Stratosphere — an autobot disguised as a rickety military transport jet — is only the latest of many Transformers (on the big or small screen) played by accomplished voice actor John DiMaggio. He has far too many iconic roles to list here, but among the most notable include another haywire robot named Bender from Futurama (formerly), various DC characters (including one chilling depiction of the Joker), and Jake the Dog from Adventure Time, to name few. 

Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Nightbird)

One of Scourge’s most fearsome and skilled Terrorcons is Nightbird, who is voiced by Michaela Jaé Rodriguez — the first transgender actor to be a part of the Transformers franchise and first to be nominated for a Lead Actress Emmy for playing Bianca Rodriguez on Ryan Murphy’s ballroom culture-inspired drama, Pose. The successful stage actress also starred in Netflix’s  tick, tick… BOOM! cast and later starred in Apple TV+’s Loot opposite Maya Rudolph in 2022.

Colman Domingo (Unicron)

As Unicron — the huge, planet-eating Transformer the Terrorcons answer to — we have Colman Domingo, who has never played such a frightening character before, but has starred in some frightening titles with his starring role in the Fear the Walking Dead cast and supporting role in the Candyman cast from 2021. The Emmy winner (for his guest spot in HBO’s Euphoria cast) has also starred in quite a few fact-based titles (such as Lincoln, 42, Selma, The Birth of a Nation, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Zola), previously worked with Euphoria creator Sam Levinson for 2018’s Assassination Nation, and starred opposite Michael B. Jordan in the Amazon Prime original movie, Without Remorse.

Now that we have uncovered who plays the “robots in disguise” and their human allies/enemies, you are prepared to see Transformers: Rise of the Beast in theaters now!

The opportunity to grace the stage at Studio 8H as a headliner for NBC’s premier sketch comedy series is a surefire sign that a celebrity has truly made it. However, the 32 A-listers we have named below stand out as an exception to the rule, having never hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live before.

Beyoncé

The pop superstar (an understatement here, really) has proven herself as a worthy actor and even showed solid comedic chops in her two SNL cameos, but Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has never headlined an episode before. Maybe, if and when she returns for her fifth musical guest appearance, she could do double-duty as host – for which an appearance alongside her frequent impersonator, Maya Rudolph, would be a necessity.

Angela Bassett

Thanks to her stint as a frequent American Horror Story cast member and her Academy Award nomination for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Angela Bassett is bigger than ever these days. Therefore, it would certainly be about time for the showbiz vet to finally grace the stage at studio 8H.

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp is one of the most recognizable and critically acclaimed celebrities of his time, if not all time. Considering that and his decades in the industry – including the Pirates of the Caribbean movies – it’s surprising that he hasn’t ever hosted the long-running sketch comedy series. 

Angelina Jolie

Some might swear that they have seen Angelina Jolie on SNL before, but that could have been Abby Elliot’s pretty convincing impersonation. The Academy Award winner – last seen in Marvel’s Eternals cast – has never hosted the show, nor made any brief appearances.

James Marsden

With his charming wit and a successful career that includes blockbusters like the X-Men movies and the iconic romance drama, The Notebook, you would think James Marsden would have been on SNL by now, but not yet. Maybe his funny, self-effacive performance on the reality prank show, Jury Duty, will convince Lorne and co. he could lead a good show.

Zendaya

With her dual Emmy wins for leading HBO’s Euphoria cast and major roles in blockbusters like the Spider-Man movies and the Denis Villeneuve's Dune films, Zendaya is on top of the world and an established resident of it for sometime now. Maybe she has just been too busy to make time for an SNL hosting gig or her invitation got lost in the shuffle of her many other invitations to special events or casting calls.

Mark Hamill

Even though he was the top-billed star of one of the biggest movie franchises in the world, Mark Hamill's only appearance on SNL so far is a cameo in a sketch about a Star Wars-themed home shopping network program. The Luke Skywalker actor recently told Esquire that he suspects he has never been asked to host because he agreed to host an episode of rival sketch comedy series, Friday, in 1981.

Christian Bale

One of the few great live-action Batman actors to never host a Saturday Night Live episode is Christian Bale, who has worked with former series writer Adam McKay on acclaimed satirical films The Big Short and Vice, however. Intriguingly, the Academy Award winner was once impersonated on the show by his future American Hustle co-star, Bradley Cooper.

Sandra Bullock

Oscar winner Sandra Bullock has brought her killer acting skills and sharp sense of humor to many of her best movies, such as Miss Congeniality, or, more recently, The Lost City. However, she still has yet to utilize her comedic talents on an SNL episode, but did make headlines when former cast member Pete Davidson crashed a party of hers with her Bird Box co-star, Colson “Machine Gun Kelly” Baker, as the actor and musician revealed on The Tonight Show in 2022.

Carol Burnett

Few people are more beloved and influential in the world of sketch comedy as Carol Burnett, which is why it is shocking that none of the many great performances she has given in her long career include an SNL gig. That is, until you learn that the prospect of hosting the show she is said to have paved the way for does not interest her, as she told Fox News in April 2023.

Tom Cruise

As the lead of monster hits like the Mission: Impossible movies, among others, Tom Cruise is practically synonymous with the term “movie star,” but has never lit up Studio 8H. The closest we may ever get to seeing him in such a light is his bombastic performance as Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder alongside SNL vets Bill Hader and Ben Stiller — the latter of which also impersonated the Top Gun: Maverick star in a funny Celebrity Jeopardy! sketch in 1998.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Perhaps the reason behind Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio’s lack of hosting gigs is due to a lack of comedy for much of his career, unless you count The Wolf of Wall Street or Don’t Look Up. However, when his co-star from both of those films, Jonah Hill, hosted in 2017, DiCaprio made one of the most surprising SNL cameos in the monologue, in which they recreated a famous scene from Titanic.

Vin Diesel

Many Fast and Furious actors — including Dwayne Johnson and Gal Gadot — have hosted Saturday Night Live, but the franchise’s leading star, Vin Diesel, is not one of them. Yet, he has been impersonated on the show to hilarious effect a number of times, such as by Taran Killam in one of the most popular videos on SNL’s YouTube channel, which reimagines Bambi as an action movie.

Chris Evans

Out of the many actors who have poked fun at their own Marvel movies in great superhero sketches when hosting SNL — such as Scarlett Johansson and Chris Hemsworth — Chris Evans is not one of them. This is particularly surprising since the MCU’s former Captain America has proven his comedic chops plenty of times, such as in the underrated Not Another Teen Movie and, more recently, Apple TV+’s action-packed rom-com, Ghosted.

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman appeared on a 2010 edition of “What Up With That?” as himself, being interrupted by Diondre Cole (Kenan Thompson) as he dishes on what modern education is lacking. That marks the renowned Academy Award winner’s sole SNL appearance so far, having never been on the show as a host.

Harrison Ford

Saturday Night Live might really benefit from having someone known for such remarkable, dry wit as Harrison Ford on as a host. However, the closest we have seen to the star of the Indiana Jones movies and Star Wars’ original Han Solo actor making an appearance was an impersonation by Fred Armisen in a fake movie trailer.

Al Pacino

One of cinema’s all-time greatest living legends, Al Pacino, has been impersonated several times on SNL and by multiple actors — including Bill Hader and Alec Baldwin. Yet, the Academy Award-winning star of The Godfather and Heat has never hosted the show, let alone made an appearance of his own.

Jordan Peele

Keegan-Michael Key hosted a great SNL episode in 2021, but fellow sketch comedy performer Jordan Peele — whom he met as part of the MADtv cast before starting their own hit series together — cannot say the same. However, according to THR, the Academy Award-winning horror movie maestro could have been a cast member if MADtv had relieved him of his contract and allowed him the opportunity.

Michelle Pfeiffer

Kate McKinnon dressed in Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman suit alongside Zoë Kravitz when The Batman’s Selena Kyle actor hosted Saturday Night Live in 2022. However, the real star of Batman Returns and countless other classics throughout the decades has never set foot on Studio 8H's stage.

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt has appeared in two SNL cold opens: first in 1998 as David Spade’s therapist when the former cast member came back to host, and secondly as Dr. Anthony Fauci in a pre-taped, Covid-era show. The Oscar-winning star of Fight Club and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood even introduced that latter episode’s musical performance by Miley Cyrus, but that still does not count as an official hosting gig.

Keanu Reeves

I think it would be hilarious to see Keanu Reeves cameo as himself going John Wick on the SNL cast out of revenge for the show’s many unflattering impersonations of him over the years. That would make up for the fact that we have never seen the beloved action movie star host an episode.

Julia Roberts

In an interview with Mario Lopez for Extra, Julia Roberts revealed that she once turned down the chance to host SNL out of fear that she would “blow it.” However, she later told Jess Cagle that she would do it if Alec Baldwin was involved.

Mark Ruffalo

Idris Elba once starred in an SNL sketch called “The Impossible Hulk,” in which his anger transforms him into an entitled white lady. How much funnier might that sketch have been if it was the MCU’s Bruce Banner himself, Mark Ruffalo, in the role? Hopefully, the Oscar nominee gets the chance to poke fun at his own superhero character as a host one day.

Zoe Saldaña

We know that Zoe Saldaña is funny from her roles in comedies like Guess Who and 2010’s Death at a Funeral, but hosting SNL would be the ultimate chance to prove her chops to the world. At least she can say that she is one of the top 10 highest grossing actors of all time with blockbuster credits like the Avatar movies and several MCU titles.

Susan Sarandon

Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon has been a movie star for as long as Saturday Night Live has been around, having made her breakthrough in 1975 with the musical horror comedy movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. However, her only contribution to the series so far is starring in Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake’s follow-up to “Dick in a Box,” called “Motherlover.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

After years of being imitated and idolized by Kevin Nealon and Dana Carvey as Hans and Franz, Arnold Schwarzenegger would appear alongside the fictional Austrian bodybuilders in a couple of iconic SNL cameos. That is the extent of appearances by the Terminator movies star for now. 

Will Smith

It is surprising that a performer of such radiant fame as Will Smith has never hosted SNL, nor made a cameo appearance a single time during his remarkable, versatile career, but it looks like he will never get the chance. According to RadarOnline, the Men in Black star was reportedly banned from the show after slapping series veteran Chris Rock for a joke he made at the Oscars on the same night Smith won his Academy Award for King Richard.

Meryl Streep

For someone like me, it is a real “Sophie’s Choice” to decide which is the greater honor in pop culture: winning an Oscar or hosting Saturday Night Live. Well, at the moment, Meryl Streep has three of the former (for Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie’s Choice, and The Iron Lady), but zero of the latter.

Stanley Tucci

In 2018, SNL paid tribute to Stanley Tucci with a rap parody called “Tucci Gang,” performed by Pete Davidson and featuring host Sam Rockwell impersonating the actor, whom he worked with in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. However, while the Oscar nominee and restaurateur also made a brief cameo in the video himself, it remains his only appearance on the show to date.

Mark Wahlberg

Two weeks after Andy Samberg played Mark Wahlberg in a sketch called “Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals,” the actor himself appeared on the show in a cameo-heavy episode pretending to be very unamused by the imitation. Because of this, I would love to see the one-time rapper and Oscar nominee host an SNL episode of his own.

Denzel Washington

Former SNL cast member Jay Pharaoh does an impression of Denzel Washington so spot-on that you might be easily convinced that you have seen him on the show before. In reality, the Oscar-winning star of Glory and Training Day has never even made a cameo, let alone appeared as a host.

Michelle Yeoh

Only a handful of Asian actors have hosted SNL (such as Jackie Chan, Awkwafina, and Simu Liu, for instance), but it is hard to believe that Michelle Yeoh is not included in that bunch, given her exceptional action star reputation over the last few decades. Perhaps her recent boost in popularity following her historic Oscar win for Everything Everywhere All At Once could change that.

I wonder if we will ever see any of these celebs finally get the call from Lorne Michaels (or agree to it) and, perhaps, go on to earn a spot among the greatest SNL hosts of all time or join the Five-Timers Club, even. I mean, considering all the non-actors who have made great hosts on Saturday Night Live, these high-profile performers could absolutely rock 30 Rock to its core.  

It wasn’t too long ago that Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan blew our minds as the stars of Everything Everywhere All At Once, before each of them became first-time Oscar winners for their roles in the multiverse epic. In their latest roles, the actors share the same project once more for new Disney+ release, called American Born Chinese, but funny enough, it wasn’t the Best Picture winner that brought them together this time around. 

When CinemaBlend spoke to producer Melvin Mar about putting together the cast and crew for American Born Chinese, which is now streaming in its entirety with a Disney+ subscription, he shared that it was Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton who served as the connection to bring Michelle Yeoh on board of the book-to-screen adaptation. In his words: 

Cretton of course worked with Yeoh on the 2021 Marvel film before they both came on board for American Born Chinese. Yeoh plays Guanyin, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy, who enters the human world during the series’ mythical quest. The new series revolves around a teen American-born Chinese 10th grader named Jin Wang, whose life changes when he befriends an exchange student who is secretly the son of the Monkey King, and they're both thrust into a battle between Chinese mythical gods. Mar also spoke to how Ke Huy Quan joined the project as well, saying this: 

Key Huy Quan has always been an Asian-American icon for his childhood roles in the ‘80s working with Steven Spielberg, but Everything Everywhere All At Once was the role that allowed him to make a comeback in his adulthood after not getting roles for 20 years prior, and contemplating giving up acting for good. In American Born Chinese, Quan plays Jamie Yao, a former actor and star of an old sitcom in the series called Beyond Repair, where his character was always the butt of the joke. 

Jamie is key to the show’s discussions around Asian-American stereotypes and finds connections to the series’ protagonist when he is compared to his Beyond Repair at school. Additionally, Everything Everywhere’s Stephanie Hsu and James Hong make appearances in the film along with Ronny Chieng, Rosalie Chiang, and Poppy Liu as part of the massive guest cast. Mar continued to share how he got together the series incredible cast. 

Daniel Wu, who has worked in Hong Kong films and Hollywood (notably including Into The Badlands), has been friends with Michelle Yeoh for the past 20 years, but never had the chance to work with her until American Born Chinese came around. During our interview with the actor, who plays the Monkey King in the series, he shared that he even tried to get the actress on Into The Badlands but because she was working on Star Trek: Discovery, she could not be part of it at the time. 

American Born Chinese is a rare series that showcases Chinese mythology, floats between English and Mandarin Chinese languages, and speaks to the Asian-American immigrant experience. We’re so happy it exists and it truly has an “Asian-American All-Star Game” of a cast. 

Among May’s Disney+ releases is the fantastical coming-of-age series American Born Chinese. The latest TV series from the streaming service stars the likes of Oscar winners Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan, amongst a predominantly Asian cast and crew. American Born Chinese had to start somewhere and that place was the mind of Gene Luen Yang. As the graphic novel writer and cartoonist recalled to CinemaBlend, when he first created panels for the story inspired by Chinese folklore, he was just ”making it for my friends” without an ambition in the world that it would become the series it is today. 

Yang shared that American Born Chinese started at a self-published comic that he’d draw and send off to Kinkos to print up copies and staple by hand before it was published in 2006 and went on to win an Eisner Award. During our interview with the author, he shared that he had no idea it could ever be among Hollywood’s upcoming book adaptations and why it took a decade to agree to hand it over to showrunners. In Yang’s words: 

American Born Chinese notably tackles themes of American stereotypes for Chinese and other Asian people. The story also follows teen protagonist Jin Wang, who is a Chinese-American who just wants to fit in with the other students in his school when he meets a Wei-Chen Sun, a Taiwanese immigrant who he reluctantly becomes friends with. 

The person who ultimately convinced Gene Luen Yang to turn his graphic novel into an imaginative TV series is producer Melvin Mar, who worked on the recent Jumanji movies, Fresh Off the Boat, and fellow Disney+ series Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. Mar shared with us what it took to make the series a reality: 

Kelvin Yu is a writer on Bob’s Burgers, who worked with Mar and his brother Charles Yu, who is the author of 2020 award-winning novel Interior Chinatown. While the project took so long to come about, American Born Chinese got together an incredible team including Destin Daniel Cretton, who helped break barriers for Asian representation in film with his movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings alongside Michelle Yeoh. The actress was one of the talents Cretton called up for the series and plays the “Goddess of Mercy,” Guanyin in the series. 

You can see the graphic novel come to life with all eight episodes of American Born Chinese, now streaming for those with a Disney+ subscription.  

Star Trek is a series that has, since its beginning, celebrated diversity. "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations" is a cornerstone of Vulcan ideology and one the franchise has always embraced. In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islanders Month, we decided to revisit the notable Asian characters and actors who contribute to the franchise's diversity and served as an inspiration to others who came after them. 

From George Takei's Hikaru Sulu to Michelle Yeoh's Phillipa Georgiou, Asians have held notable roles in Star Trek throughout its run. Here are a few of the standouts over the years and a little on the actors who have made them so special. 

Hikaru Sulu (George Takei)

Hikaru Sulu was born in San Francisco, California, and rose to prominence in Starfleet during his time on the USS Enterprise with Captain James Kirk. He later would go on to Captain the Excelsior and would lead such a successful career that Starfleet named a ship after him decades later. 

George Takei, the actor behind Sulu, was a trailblazer for Asian actors in science fiction and someone who has been open about his own experiences and why diversity is so important. Takei grew up in a Japanese internment camp, and when he's not feuding with former co-star William Shatner, he's spending these days promoting his musical, Allegiance, which is centered on a Japanese-American family uprooted from their home and relocated following the attacks on Pearl Harbor. 

Phillipa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh)

Phillipa Georgiou was the Malaysian-born captain of the Shenzhou, but perished after engaging in hand-to-hand combat with a Klingon. Her former officer, Michael Burnham, later came into contact with another Georgiou from the Mirror Universe, who was then sucked into the Prime timeline. Though she once lived as a fierce Terran Empress, Georgiou eventually acclimated to the identity of her Prime universe doppelgänger and became a force for good in Starfleet. 

Actress Michelle Yeoh is someone who needs no introduction these days. Yeoh chased her exit on Star Trek: Discovery with the film Everything Everywhere All At Once, which earned her the honor of the first Asian actress to win a Best Actress Oscar. Now, Yeoh will return as Georgiou for a Star Trek: Section 31 movie that those with a Parmount+ subscription will enjoy later this year. 

Harry Kim (Garrett Wang)

Ensign Harry Kim was vital to the successful return of the USS Voyager in Star Trek: Voyager, though he never received the same level of acclaim his crewmates did. Frankly, Voyager did Harry Kim dirty, but those who watch the series will see plenty of great episodes with the ensign performing in even the toughest of circumstances and succeeding. 

Actor Garrett Wang was born in California and has advocated for justice for Harry Kim over the years. Apparently, he almost got an opportunity to reprise the role in Star Trek: Picard Season 3 (via Slashfilm) but things fell through. Hopefully, Wang will get a chance to reprise the role in a future Trek series and finally get the justice for Harry Kim that he should've gotten on Voyager. 

Hoshi Sato (Linda Park)

Japanese-born linguist Hoshi Sato became one of the first humans to explore space on the Enterprise alongside Captain Jonathan Archer on Star Trek: Enterprise. Among her various achievements as part of that mission, Sato ultimately developed the linguacode universal linguistics matrix that would help future generations of explorers communicate with more ease than in her early years. 

Actress Linda Park was born in South Korea but was raised in California. She seemed to enjoy her time on Enterprise overall, but did mention in an interview with StarTrek.com that she felt most of Hoshi's stories were isolated from the rest of the crew. Park wished that Hoshi would've had more inter-character interaction with the other actors, but did enjoy the scenes that she did have with other characters such as John Billingsley's Dr. Phlox. 

Keiko O'Brien (Rosalind Chao)

Miles O'Brien is the unsung hero of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, and behind every strong man is an even stronger woman. Keiko O'Brien served as a botanist on the Enterprise D, but when she realized she didn't need to be one on Deep Space Nine, she transitioned to a primary school teacher. Keiko was admittedly not thrilled about the change of scenery but remained a supportive partner and even helped save her husband's skin a few times. 

Actress Rosalind Chao was born in Anaheim, California, and almost portrayed a completely different character in the Star Trek universe. According to an unearthed casting memo from TNG, Chao was the original favorite for the role of Tasha Yar (via TrekToday.com). That role ultimately went to actress Denise Crosby, and one could argue Chao got the better role in the end, given Yar's short run before being killed off. 

Samanthan Rutherford (Eugene Cordero)

Ensign Samanthan "Sam" Rutherford serves on the USS Cerritos on Star Trek: Lower Decks. Sam is a character that seems to excel in whatever role he's given in Starfleet, but never lets it go to his head. That's a great trait to have on the Cerritos, as the crew often gets into some hairy situations that needs people like him to keep the ship functional. 

Detroit's own Eugene Cordero serves as the voice of Sam Rutherford, who is also of Filipino descent. Cordero is also known for his live-action roles in shows like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Good Place, and Silicon Valley. 

Nurse Alyssa Ogawa (Patti Yasutake)

Nurse Alyssa Ogawa was often seen around Star Trek: The Next Generation. On the Enterprise D, she was one of the head nurses, and later a senior sickbay staff member. In the event that Crusher was away, Ogawa would make reports to senior staff in her absence.

Actress Patti Yasutake might be someone currently in the limelight for her role in the Beef cast for hit Netflix series. Of course, she has had a wonderful career in Hollywood with many roles in television and film. 

La'an Noonien Singh (Christina Chong)

La'an Noonien Singh is the chief security officer on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and a character with a direct link to one of the franchise's greatest villains. La'an is a distant descendant of Khan Noonien Singh, who was one of the main players in the Eugenics wars. La'an is very different from her ancestor, however, and has spent her time in Starfleet doing good for others around the universe. 

La'an is from space, but British actress Christina Chong is of Chinese descent on her father's side. Chong has made a huge impact with Star Trek fans in her limited time in the franchise, and viewers will know her from her roles in 24: Live Another Day and Doctor Who.  

Those looking to watch a whole lot of Star Trek will need a Paramount+ subscription to enjoy a wide variety of it. With that said, Pluto TV also has some Star Trek content available to its subscribers, provided they are fine with watching a rotating playlist. 

Michelle Yeoh is returning to Star Trek for a Section 31 movie, but beyond that bit of knowledge and that we'll be watching this return with a Paramount+ subscription, we don't know much else. Fans might have a little more insight on what to expect, however, thanks to a recent conversation with actor Shazad Latif, who was once connected to the Section 31 spinoff. Latif recently gave an update on his involvement in the project and provided some insight on whether or not Ash Tyler/Voq will make an appearance. 

Shazad Latif was a guest on the Nerds of Color podcast, and among other things, he gave an update on his status for the upcoming Section 31 movie. Here's what Latif had to say in regard to being involved in the project (via TrekMovie):

Shazad Latif noted that while he'd love to work with Michelle Yeoh again, he isn't sure if he's going to be involved in the Section 31 movie or not. He also added the key bit of information that it would all come down to "timelines," which could be suggesting that there's no guarantee that Georgiou was sent back to the same time period when Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1 and 2 took place. He could have also meant it was about his personal availability as an actor, so there are a lot of possibilities here. 

At the end of Season 2 of Discovery, Ash Tyler joined up with Section 31, feeling like he had no place on a normal starship or amongst the Klingons with his permanent human form. When Discovery sent Michelle Yeoh's Georgiou back to another time in which the Mirror Universe and Prime Universe were closely connected, it was assumed she'd return to around the same time as where Season 2 left off. 

Production on Star Trek: Section 31 is supposed to happen later this year. Discovery executive producer and director Olatunde Osunsanmi will helm the upcoming movie, so it isn't hard to imagine t will have some further ties to stories first told in Discovery. We also haven't heard much in the way of casting for any actors beyond Michelle Yeoh, so the fact that Shazad Latif allegedly hasn't spoken to someone isn't a clear indication of whether or not he'll be in it at this point. 

A minor question here is if Star Trek: Section 31 isn't set in the early Discovery timeline, then where else would it take place? The hype surrounding Season 3 of Picard and calls for Star Trek: Legacy could encourage writers to set the movie during that era. Then again, I'd think that the original plan would be another attractive option, especially now that characters from Strange New Worlds could also appear in the movie. 

Michelle Yeoh's upcoming Star Trek movie on Paramount+ feels like a massive moment for the franchise, which has seen a lot of success since its 2017 television revival. This success of this movie could lead to a lot of Trek films on Paramount+, as well as other positive things for other actors tied to the franchise. Of course, perhaps we should wait until the end of the WGA writers strike to see if and when this movie makes it into production and then go from there. 

Star Trek shows are on a brief break before the premiere of Strange New Worlds Season 2 Thursday, June 15th, on Paramount+. With that said, there are still plenty of Trek shows to watch on the streaming platform, especially if you're behind on some of the newer offerings that have come out. 

Michelle Yeoh is coming back to Star Trek, and it's about the best news fans of hers have heard since she won the Oscar for Best Actress. It's also something that wasn't expected, and a move that I believe could have a huge impact on the franchise as a whole in the future. At the risk of sounding a tad dramatic, this could literally change everything. 

And when I say everything, I'm mainly talking about the trajectory of where things are headed for Star Trek in the coming years. Let's talk about the potential impact of this decision on both a large and small scale, and what it might mean going forward.  

A Section 31 Movie Removes One TV Show From The Development Schedule

Not only is it more feasible for Michelle Yeoh to commit to a Star Trek: Section 31 movie, it also scrubs a big upcoming entry from an already loaded Trek development calendar. This project originally existed as a series and was waiting in the wings for years to be made as Trek had five shows running at different points of the year. 

Of course, now that Picard is over, Discovery is ending and Section 31 is a movie, it feels like there's some space cleared for a fresh idea in Star Trek to possibly make its way into development. I don't think it's any secret as of late what show Trek fans would love to see given all the chatter around about a Picard follow-up. 

Now, it's worth noting that a recent report from THR that part of the reason for making Section 31 into a movie was insiders fearing they were over-saturating the market with Star Trek content. If that is indeed the case, it may take more shows ending before a new one is even considered. Who knows what show might be up next to leave in order to make another one happen? 

Michelle Yeoh's Movie Will Show The Potential Of Paramount+ Trek Films

Jonathan Frakes once said that the future of Star Trek is in television, and while I mainly agree with that statement, film still very much still has a seat at the table. While modern streaming shows can sometimes have the same look and feel of a motion picture, they're also longer. As such, the stories need to be more involved, and we're robbed of the opportunity to tell more self-contained stories. 

Sure, shows like Star Trek: Discovery thrived on serialized storytelling, but that doesn't mean that one-off adventures are out of the question. My hope is that the Section 31 movie will showcase that and prove to Paramount+ that it's a worthy investment to push out movies for Trek adventures that, story-wise, are a bit smaller in scale than a full-fledged series. 

And if folks get excited about a Georgiou Star Trek movie, imagine how pumped they'd get seeing one greenlit for Voyager or Deep Space Nine? Look, all I'm saying is that Kate Mulgrew has expressed an interest in returning to live-action, and considering she's already preoccupied with her voice work on Prodigy, a movie might be an easier commitment for her than a series. I'm really excited to see what other movies may spring up after this one and who they might focus on. 

Star Trek: Section 31 Contributes Further To Discovery's Legacy

Ever since it was announced that Star Trek: Discovery is ending, I've been a little concerned. Don't get me wrong, I love the other Trek shows, but they're very much about retreading nostalgia, whereas Discovery was the only recent series to forge new territory in the franchise. Following the news of its forthcoming conclusion, I was legitimately worried that Trek was quietly trying to scrub it from the lore or minimize its importance. 

Of course, the fact that we now have both a Starfleet Academy series and a Star Trek: Section 31 movie is proof positive that the franchise isn't trying to retcon any bit of Discovery. In fact, one could certainly make the case that it's now more heavily entrenched in the new shows than more classic entries like Enterprise and Deep Space Nine. Those shows are totally worthy of more meaningful inclusion too, but they aren't quite as polarizing as Discovery these days. 

The Section 31 Movie Shows That Star Trek Is Still Going Strong Despite Some Setbacks 

The first half of 2023 has featured some downer news for Star Trek fans. First, we learned that the official convention destined for Seattle was canceled. Then, Discovery was revealed to be ending when it seemed like the cast and crew expected the series to continue for another season. Finally, First Contact Day, a holiday which Trek hyped up the past couple of years with announcements and panels with franchise actors, came and went without much consequence. 

And really, that's just what's happening on the television side. I don't think anyone needs a reminder that we're still waiting on a concrete idea for Star Trek 4 to make it into production. It's hard to celebrate this golden era of the franchise without some films to celebrate as well, so it's good to see Paramount+ filling this need and giving fans films to appreciate. Sure, the shows "feel like movies," but they aren't movies. We need more one-off adventures for Trek!

Michelle Yeoh May Encourage Other Big Names To Join Star Trek

I don't think it can be stated enough how Michelle Yeoh returning to Star Trek after her Oscar win puts a magnifying glass on the franchise. It has me excited about the possibility of other prominent Hollywood stars considering a stint in the revered franchise, assuming the Section 31 movie makes some noise. Hey, if we're still adamant on waiting on Chris Pine and the other Kelvin crew actors to reprise their roles on the big screen, celebrities will need somewhere to go, right? 

That's my hope anyway, especially with Star Wars snagging some high-profile celebrity cameos in the latest season of The Mandalorian. Star Trek can and should be getting that same kind of attention, and maybe after Yeoh's movie, it will.  

Michelle Yeoh's Star Trek: Section 31 movie is slated to start production sometime at the end of the year. Pick up a Paramount+ subscription in the meantime to catch up on Georgiou's story via Discovery, and check out the other upcoming Star Trek shows that will be available on the platform.

When Michelle Yeoh won the Oscar for Best Actress at the 2023 Academy Awards, many in the Star Trek fandom were excited to see the icon earning her just rewards. Of course, it was a slightly bittersweet feeling, since it's seemed as though the odds were slim regarding her ever returning to the franchise to reprise her beloved role as Philippa Georgiou in a previously announced Section 31 spinoff series  Well, the stars have aligned, and while maybe not in the way we expected, Yeoh will indeed return to Star Trek for a Section 31 feature event.

That's right, Star Trek: Section 31 is coming to fans in the form of a full-length movie produced for streaming, and will be available for those with Paramount+ subscriptions. Michelle Yeoh is back in the lead as the mirror version of Philippa Georgiou, and the movie is slated to go into production later this year, with Discovery and The 4400 writer Craig Sweeny handling the script. Discovery executive producer and director Olatunde Osunsanmi will direct the upcoming project, which will reportedly see Georgiou go up against the "sins of her past." Dun-dun-dunnn.

Michelle Yeoh had the following to say about the project: 

Star Trek: Discovery fans will remember that Philippa Georgiou was unable to physically exist alongside the rest of the crew in the future. Thanks to the efforts of the Guardian of Forever, Georgiou was sent back in time to a period when the mirror universe and prime universe were more closely aligned, which would allow her to exist in the prime universe without her body breaking down. 

We don't know much about this upcoming movie beyond the fact that Philippa Georgiou will join the secret Starfleet division Section 31. Section 31 acts as a shadow organization to do the jobs Starfleet officially won't, all in the name of protecting the galaxy. What threat could the past Section 31 need Georgiou to help solve? 

At this time, it's unknown who else will appear in the upcoming Star Trek: Section 31 movie. Actor Shazad Latif was at one point connected to the series to reprise his Discovery role as Ash Tyler. It's possible we may also see actress Mary Chieffo, who played Klingon leader L'Rell in Seasons 1 and 2, as well. Hell, if the movie is set in the Discovery era, there's also a chance of seeing some of the characters from Strange New Worlds. 

Michelle Yeoh will follow in the footsteps of actress Whoopi Goldberg, who signed on for Star Trek: The Next Generation after winning her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Ghost. (And later returned for Picard.) Star Trek: Section 31 existing as a movie is perhaps a more realistic commitment for Yeoh, whose star power in Hollywood has shot up tremendously since she appeared in the first three seasons of Discovery. 

Another interesting thing to note is that if Star Trek: Section 31 will now be a standalone movie, it would feasibly open the door for another series to slide in the spot previously held by what would've been a series. That's a very interesting thought with the increased buzz about Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard and the calls from fans for a spinoff. For now, we can only say that we're excited to see Yeoh coming back to Trek, especially after it seemed like it wouldn't happen. 

As mentioned, Star Trek: Section 31 will go into production later this year. Be sure to snag a  to see the movie when it releases and to catch up on all the things relevant to Georgiou in Discovery!

Before Michelle Yeoh was among the big 2023 Oscar winners for her incredible leading performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once, the legendary actress actually joined the MCU to play the aunt of the first Asian-led superhero movie in its lineup, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Following Yeoh getting her much-deserved flowers from the Academy, Shang-Chi actor Simu Liu is gushing about the first time he met his co-star. 

Liu, who is set to play one of the many Kens in the Barbie movie this summer and will reprise his heroic role in the upcoming Marvel movies at some point, recently shared his experience meeting Michelle Yeoh for the first time on the set of Shang-Chi. In his words:   

Yeoh is a beloved actress who has had an incredible career over the years, especially when it comes to action movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Police Story 3: Supercop. As Liu remembered it while speaking to BuzzFeed, he was nervous to meet her and decided to splurge on a bottle of wine to make a good first impression. Here is what her response was, per Liu: 

As Liu recalled, he had this idea of Yeoh as a “larger-than-life” person, so when he met her, he wasn’t expecting her to extend the kind of “warmth.” It made his experience so much better knowing that she wasn’t this intimidating presence with whom he couldn’t get on the same level. It sounds like Yeoh was everything he wanted and more, from not only a “hero” of his, but a co-star on Liu’s biggest role yet at the time. 

Michelle Yeoh played a supporting role in the 2021 Marvel hit as Ying Nan, Shang-Chi’s aunt, whom he meets in Ta Lo. While we know another Shang-Chi movie is on the way, the title hasn’t officially been added to the Marvel lineup. We also imagine Shang-Chi will be part of the upcoming Avengers films, especially considering his Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton is helming 2025’s Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. 

In the interim of seeing Simu Liu as Shang-Chi once again, and perhaps him and Michelle Yeoh reuniting on screen, Liu just dropped his first single this week and he’ll be part of a major summer release with Barbie, coming to theaters on July 21. Yeoh’s next project is American Born Chinese, arriving to Disney+ on May 24. 

Unfortunately, it’s well-documented that Hollywood has a tendency to be sexist and ageist as told by various women in the industry over the years. As we continue to observe Women’s History Month this year, we’re looking at the actresses across movies and television currently working today that have carved out a place for themselves despite the status quo favoring younger actresses, whilst it's the norm for the male actors to enjoy careers well into their 60s, 70s and beyond. 

It was reported a few years back by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media that while characters over 50 make up a fifth of characters on television, only a fourth of them are played by women (via Buzzfeed). With that in mind, there’s a gender gap with opportunities being favored for older men much more than women. Thankfully, these actresses have found a way to thrive in Hollywood after turning 50.  

Michelle Yeoh 

Recently, at the 2023 Oscars, the ceremony actually celebrated numerous actresses that are thriving after 50, including Best Actress winner, Michelle Yeoh. The Everything Everywhere All At Once lead accepted the award not only as the first Asian actress to win in the category, but as a “beacon” of hope for more women her age to be seen in major roles. As she accepted the trophy, she said: "Ladies, don't let anybody tell you you are past your prime." 

Yeoh has been over 50 in Hollywood for over a decade now, and is enjoying an exciting era in her career by finding key roles in successful movies like Crazy Rich Asians and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, or finding empowering roles in recent TV series like Star Trek: Discovery and The Witcher: Blood Origin. 

Jamie Lee Curtis

Yeoh’s Everything Everywhere co-star Jamie Lee Curtis also took home an Oscar for the movie in the Best Supporting Actress category after over 45 years working in Hollywood. Curtis was a teenager when she found her breakout role in Halloween, but decade after decade she has continued to be cast in exciting roles, especially after turning 50. In Curtis’ fifties and sixties the actress has revived her role as Laurie Strode in a new Halloween trilogy, starred in Knives Out and has a wealth of roles on the horizon, including Borderlands and Haunted Mansion. 

Angela Bassett 

Curtis’ fellow nominee in the Best Supporting Actress category in 2023 was Angela Bassett, for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, who also remains a working icon into her mid-sixties. Aside from starring as Queen Ramonda in the Marvel franchise, the actress continues to lead the network series 9-1-1 along with appearing in multiple seasons of American Horror Story and recently being part of the Mission: Impossible franchise.

Helen Mirren

One of the most iconic actresses to consistently nab interesting roles for herself following turning 50 is Helen Mirren. The British talent hit the milestone in 1995, before she’d made some of her most beloved and best movies, like 2001’s Gosford Park, 2003’s Calendar Girls or her 2006 Oscar-winning performance in The Queen. Mirren has continued to play leading roles in the past decade, such as starring in the Red films, her incredible role in the Fast and the Furious movies along with leading 1923 and Shazam! Fury of the Gods within the past year. 

Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin

While I could certainly talk about Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in their own right, the fact that this pair got themselves their own hit comedy series, Grace and Frankie, in their late seventies (across seven seasons, no less) deserves to be celebrated. These two have modeled, brought life to and joked about the lives of older women who are best friends, and we’re so blessed it exists. The pair hit 50 in the late ‘80s and thrived, remaining booked and busy. Among the 2023 new movie releases, they are in back-to-back movies together, too, 80 For Brady and Moving On. 

Rita Moreno

One of Rita Moreno’s first roles was in 1952’s Singin’ in the Rain. Seventy years later her career is still very much popping, between starring in Netflix’s sitcom, One Day At A Time, and voicing the role of Carmen Sandiego for the original animated series. This year, Moreno also starred in 80 For Brady and has joined the Fast and the Furious franchise as Dominic Toretto’s grandma. 

Sally Field

Speaking of 80 For Brady leads, Sally Field has continued to remain relevant and very much respected in Hollywood at the age of 76. From being nominated for an Oscar for her role in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln to bringing new life to Aunt May in The Amazing Spider-Man movies, or starring in critically acclaimed movies like Hello, My Name Is Doris and Spoiler Alert, Field has continued to impress after a massive first half of her career. 

Emma Thompson

In the nearly 15 years that Emma Thompson has been over 50, she has accomplished a lot. She gave a powerful performance as P.L. Travers in the sweet Saving Mr. Banks' movie alongside Tom Hanks, she gave Cruella a formidable foe of her own in the titular 2021 Disney prequel, and tackled the usually taboo topic of exploring sexuality past one’s “prime” and filmed nude scenes for Good Luck To You, Leo Grande. 

Ming-Na Wen

When Ming-Na Wen turned 50 back in 2013, she was just getting her start playing Melinda May on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, a badass and highly-skilled operative she continued to play for over 100 episodes. Since finding success with that series, which is now her most famous role outside Mulan, Wen has joined the Star Wars universe as Fennec Shand, a female bounty hunter and master assassin. 

Catherine O’Hara

Catherine O’Hara is well-known to an entirely new generation than those who grew up seeing her in movies like Best In Show, Beetlejuice or Home Alone, thanks to her beloved role in Schitt’s Creek as Moira Rose. O’Hara will go down in history as playing one of the funniest TV characters in a big role she found well after 50. 

Jane Lynch

Jane Lynch booked her most popular role of Sue Sylvester on Glee right as she was turning 50 and played the character for six seasons before finding all sorts of work in showbiz otherwise. She notably voices the role of Calhoun in the Wreck-It Ralph movies, along with having major roles in the hit shows The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Party Down and with hosting 75 episodes of the original celebrity game show, Celebrity Game Night. 

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

The Seinfeld star not only found herself a whole other well-loved TV show to lead and produce after 50 with HBO’s Veep, which she also won nine consecutive Emmy awards for, but she’s a major player in the Marvel universe now. Julia Louis-Dreyfus has been consistently quick on her feet on the comedy front and proved to be an impressive dramatic actress as well, with roles in films like Enough Said. 

Jennifer Coolidge

Then, there’s Jennifer Coolidge’s recent comeback for The White Lotus that has the actress literally everywhere right now. Along with the 61-year-old recently winning her first Emmy for her hilarious role as Tanya McQuoid, Coolidge has had loads of projects she has stolen the show in, in the past couple of years in particular, like Promising Young Woman, The Watcher and Shotgun Wedding alongside Jennifer Lopez.

Jessica Lange 

Four decades after Jessica Lange became a star for roles like her Oscar-nominated work in Tootsie and Frances, she is still a huge name, particularly thanks to her move to TV in collaboration with Ryan Murphy on his numerous shows. Lange always provides strong performances in her ever-changing American Horror Story roles, along with portraying Joan Crawford in Feud. 

Allison Janney 

Allison Janney is another actress who got wide recognition for being in one of the best-regarded TV shows of all time, The West Wing. After starring in 155 episodes of the drama, Janney has continued to explore all sorts of interesting characters across her career, especially after 50, whether it be in the sitcom Mom, winning an Oscar for her chilling mother role in I, Tonya or her booked 2022 that put an additional three movies under her belt. Janney is even more famous now than she was when she was a younger actress. 

Julianne Moore 

A new role from Julianne Moore is never too far away these days. The 62-year-old actress has accomplished a lot over 50 and has even been in with the kids because of her key role in the Hunger Games franchise or starring alongside Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard in the recent indie, When You Finish Saving the World. Moore has starred in so many great movies just within the past decade that it can be hard to recall she’s also the same actress from Boogie Nights and Far From Heaven. 

Tilda Swinton 

We don’t have enough female character actors in the world, but Tilda Swinton embodies someone new so frequently that we can barely imagine what she’s like in real life. The majority of Swinton’s best roles have occurred since she turned 50, such as We Need To Talk About Kevin, or her numerous times working with Wes Anderson and Bong Joon-Ho. 

Viola Davis

Viola Davis is one of the most acclaimed actors of our time right now and it feels like she’s also just getting started. Recently, the actress did just about every stunt as a warrior and leader in The Woman King and has become the most-nominated Black actress in Academy Awards history. 

Meryl Streep 

I mean, it’s Meryl. What else do we have to say? The 73-year-old actress has always been magnificent on screen no matter her age and has proven her great talent and ability to be a chameleon on the screen again and again. Since turning 50, Streep has starred in all-time great movies like The Devil Wears Prada, Mamma Mia, and Iron Lady, and looking forward, she's about to guest star in Only Murders In the Building. 

It’s great to see so many women have broken through and found roles for themselves after 50 in the industry. It really comes down to great roles being written for women of all ages for their opportunities to exist.