Until very recently, I wasn't sure if I was going to see Masters of the Universe in theaters, however the decision has now been made. The ticket has been purchased, and I want to talk about a couple of reasons why I'm planning to see the He-Man film, which arrives soon on the 2026 movie schedule.

While nostalgia is a factor, it wasn't enough to make Masters of the Universe a must-see-in-theaters for me. My sisters and I were '80s kids and the prime age for He-Man and the Masters of the Universe when the animated series aired on TV. We loved that show, and the She-Ra spinoff that followed. Of course, we had some of the toys, and we saw the 1987 live-action film starring Dolph Lundgren and a pre-Friends Courteney Cox.

When I learned that they were making a new Masters of the Universe movie, I recall feeling a spark of nostalgia, but otherwise, I was fairly neutral. As fondly as I remember watching the original show as a kid, I can't say that I've been clamoring for a reboot. Still, I was curious enough to keep an eye on the promotions for Travis Knight's movie, and that brings us to the things that sold me on seeing it sooner rather than later...

The Trailers Really Look Fun

The story centers on Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) returning to his home world of Eternia after spending more than a decade living on Earth. With the Sword of Power and the help of his friends Teela (Camila Mendes) and Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), he's tasked with trying to save his world and fight Skeletor (Jared Leto).

I like the mix of humor and fantastical action featured in the trailers for the new movie. The footage has given us a good glimpse of the cast and the journey Adam is on. Also, I need to admit that I forgot just how much I loved Cringer/Battle Cat. As a kid, I remember liking that he could be brave even though he was also sometimes terrified. The sight of him roaring inside the MGM logo in the trailer made me smile.

Nicholas Galitzine Is Great -- The Whole Cast Is, Really

Though I'd seen him in The Craft: Legacy and the Amazon's 2021 Cinderella, Nicholas Galitzine won me over with two specific performances: the ridiculous, cheating-boyfriend Jeff in Bottoms, and the warm, charming, deserves-so-much-love Prince Henry in Red, White and Royal Blue (I can't wait for Red, White and Royal Blue 2 to come out!). These characters couldn't be more different if they tried, and yet, Galitzine played both so memorably and perfectly. For all the humor he brought to Bottoms, he brought as much warmth and depth to his Red, White and Royal Blue character.

Learning that he'd play Prince Adam had me curious, but also much more optimistic about the quality of the movie they were putting together. For Masters of the Universe, they picked an actor with genuine range to play the part of Adam (and from the sound of it, he put in a lot of work to bulk up for the role).

There's even more talent among the cast, which – in addition to Galitzine, Mendes, Elba and Leto – includes Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, and Charlotte Riley.

The cast and trailers had me mostly sold on buying a ticket, but there's one more thing to talk about...

Reviews Aren't In Yet, But Early Reactions Sound Positive

I don't rely solely on critics' reactions to determine if I'll see a movie, but if I hear it's good, that's certainly going to factor into my decision. In the case of Masters of the Universe, as of this writing, actual reviews aren't out yet, but early reactions on social media sound positive, with the words "fun" and "funny" being used to describe it. This isn't a property that I need to see taking itself super seriously. If what we're in for is popcorn fun where the heroes fight the bad guys and there are some bits of humor sprinkled throughout, that works for me.

Masters of the Universe arrives in theaters on June 5, 2026, but luckily, I was able to grab a ticket for an early access screening on June 3rd at my local theater, so if you're planning to watch it sooner rather than later, check the listings to see what's available near you.

We’ve reached the point in the 2026 TV schedule where final calls are being made about renewing or canceling network shows. However, for viewers of various CBS projects, they didn’t have to worry at all this season. That’s because the network picked up two shows in late 2025 and ten more at the start of this year. Ultimately, only a few series got axed. So, with all that in mind, I asked Sheriff Country’s Matt Lauria about not having to worry about the future of his show, because he knew he was getting Season 2.

While network TV shows provide great job security for a given season, seeing as they constitute months of work, it’s not guaranteed year-to-year. It’s always possible that a show could wind up on the list of series ending in 2026. However, in Sheriff Country’s case, they got a Season 2 pickup a couple of months into Season 1. So, they knew they were coming back very, very early. When I asked Matt Lauria, who plays Boone on the Fire Country spinoff, how that felt, he told me:

I’d be screaming too. Under any circumstances, news like this would be marvelous. However, Sheriff Country’s situation is truly ideal. The show was picked up for Season 2 on December 3, 2025. That was less than two months after its premiere, signifying the confidence CBS has in it.

So, now the cast and crew of this series can go into their next season on a very high note. They also got to finish out their first season riding this high, too. Lauria made it very clear to me that they really do love working on this series, so knowing they’d get to come back for their sophomore season was wonderful:

Well, I’m very happy that Lauria and Morena Baccarin, who leads Sheriff Country as Mikey Fox, get along so well, because they’ll be working together again very soon. I’d also guess that the series stands a good chance of going on past Season 2, too. That’s because its franchise’s flagship program, Fire Country, is in its fourth season, and a fifth is on the way. It’s never shown signs of slowing down, and it would seem that the spinoff is doing the same thing.

Now, obviously, with good news comes bad news. While CBS renewed a ton of its programs fairly early this year, sadly, DMV and Watson were canceled. Although it is wonderful that the network ultimately renewed the majority of its scripted programming.

So, with all that said, Sheriff Country and a lot of shows get to celebrate now, as they finish out one season and head into another. Meanwhile, you can catch new episodes of the Fire Country spinoff every Friday at 8 p.m. ET or with a Paramount+ subscription the next day.

Spoiler Warning: The following article contains some major spoilers for the Greenland 2: Migration ending. If you haven’t watched the riveting disaster film, please go back to the bunker.

After what feels like an eternity, Greenland 2: Migration is finally out on the 2026 movie schedule. The new disaster movie, which picks up five years after the events of Greenland, follows the Garrity family as they attempt to find a better life in Europe after spending years wasting away in a bunker north of the Arctic Circle. One of the major questions I’m sure many of you are having right now is, “Do they reach safety, and if so, does everyone make it?”

Well, I’m here to answer that question, talk about the surprising Greenland 2 ending, and break down why star Morena Baccarin was shocked about everything that went down in the final moments of the new Gerard Butler movie. There’s a lot to unpack, so let’s get started.

What Happens At The End Of Greenland 2

Again, major spoilers for Greenland 2: Migration follow…

With all the spoiler warnings out of the way, let’s get into the Greenland 2: Migration ending. As shown in the various trailers, Ric Roman Waugh’s new action drama follows John Garrity (Gerard Butler), his wife Allison (Morena Baccarin), and son Nathan (Roman Griffin Davis) as they make their way from Greenland to the European mainland in hopes of finding a valley that’s believed to be inhabitable five years after the asteroid turned much of Earth into a wasteland.

There’s just one major obstacle: John is diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer after being subjected to radiation poisoning from his constant trips into the wasteland. I initially thought the family patriarch would find a way to pull through, but it becomes abundantly clear that he has one mission: get his family to safety. However, it’s not the cancer that gets him.

In a big action sequence near the end of the movie, John is shot while the family is being pursued and bleeds out in the embrace of his wife and son just as the family reaches the promised land. He achieved his goal, but lost his life in the process.

What Morena Baccarin Said About John’s Shocking Death

After watching Greenland 2: Migration and coming to terms with the fact that the franchise star was killed off in such a dramatic fashion, I caught up with Morena Baccarin, and we discussed how she initially felt about John’s shocking and heartbreaking death. Though she was shocked when she first found out the plan, she thinks it makes total sense:

As is the case in so many other great Gerard Butler movies, John Garrity is not only a badass throughout the franchise’s second installment, but he’s also a great hero, as Baccarin noted. While I would have loved to have seen him ripping heaters like Big Nick in Den of Thieves 2, he went out like a champ in Greenland 2.

There Was An Earlier Scene That Baccarin Originally Fought Against

Before the Garrity family leaves for Europe, there’s an intensely emotional scene where John tells Allison that he has cancer and that he only has six to eight weeks to live. This is hands down one of the most emotional moments in the movie, and a scene that I haven’t forgotten. However, when I was discussing it with Baccarin, she told me that she initially tried to stop a major disaster movie trope from happening:

Despite her initial hesitation, the Sheriff Country star said she eventually came around and now sees why it was so important to the story. In her view, the revelation sets up the second half of the movie and raises the stakes even more. If anything, it helps the family get motivated to reach their destination and achieve their goal.

Where The Franchise Could Go From Here

So, where do the surviving Garrity family members go from here? Though the fate of the franchise hasn’t been decided yet, the movie ends with Allison and Nathan starting their rebirth. When I asked Baccarin about what’s next for the Garritys and life on Earth, she gave me a very hopeful answer:

If there does end up being a third Greenland, the Migration ending does a perfect job of setting up another story, one where the survivors can help with the regrowth Baccarin alluded to in our conversation. They could carry on John Garrity’s legacy as they set out to make his dream come true.

While Greenland 2: Migration does end on a somber note with Gerard Butler’s character dying just as he and his family reach the promised land, it’s not hard to see the hope in the franchise’s core. Let’s just hope this isn’t the end of the world as we know it…

Spoilers for Season 1, Episode 9 of Sheriff Country are ahead! If you haven’t seen it yet, you can stream it with a Paramount+ subscription.

It’s safe to say that the characters of Sheriff Country were left in a dire situation as the show closed out its run on the 2025 TV schedule. The building Mickey works in is under attack, and Travis has been shot. Those two things alone are very bad. However, they get worse because all this happened right after the sheriff's ex declared that he’d fight for her and their relationship. So, considering all this, I asked the Fire Country spinoff’s showrunner about how this will impact Travis and Mickey's relationship, and his response about the choice she'll make gave me a theory.

What Sheriff Country’s Showrunner Told Me About Mickey And Travis

As Barlow’s followers are attacking the sheriff’s department, Mickey learns that Travis has been shot. We’re left wondering what will happen to them all as this terrifying and violent situation continues, and Matt Lopez, Sheriff Country’s showrunner, told me that it’s all heightened specifically because of the state of Mickey and Travis’ relationship. He explained:

Mickey and Travis’ history alone makes this situation ten times scarier. However, the conversations they had in this episode make what’s going on a hundred times worse. That’s because they reconciled, shared a romantic moment, and Travis decided to fight for her. Then he got shot.

So, going into the second half of Season 1, she’ll have to reckon with her ex-husband’s confession and the fact that he could maybe die. To that point, Lopez said:

When Travis left, Mickey hadn’t made a decision. However, now we know that she will when Sheriff Country returns on the 2026 TV schedule. Now, when it comes to what the decision will be and what will happen after that, I have a theory.

My Theory About Where Mickey And Travis’ Relationship Will Go From Here

Now, I’m all for Mickey and Travis getting back together. I love that he’s fighting for her, and I thought the last moment in her office together was incredibly romantic. So, with that in mind, I do think the sheriff will choose to try a relationship with her ex when the show returns (if he survives).

I think the situation at hand will remind her how precious life is, it will amplify her emotions, and make her realize how much she loves Travis.

However, while I believe they’ll get together after this (again, assuming Travis lives), I don’t think they’ll stay together for a super long time. Considering Sheriff Country was renewed alongside Boston Blue, we know Season 2 will come. To be frank, I think it’s too early in this show’s life for Mickey and Travis to be together forever. Plus, their history is rocky, and I think that them rekindling their relationship will take a lot of work and maybe a few starts and stops.

So, after this, I think we’ll be on a real on-again/off-again path. That’s my theory. Mickey will choose to get back together with Travis in the aftermath of the violent mid-season finale, but it won’t last forever. Maybe one day it will, but not this time.

Now, to see if that theory proves to be true, you can tune back into Sheriff Country on Friday, February 27, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

In an era where superhero movies are the most important films being released in theaters, the Deadpool movies are among the top tier of superhero franchises. The three Deadpool films have each been massive blockbusters, with Deadpool & Wolverine clearing $1 billion at the global box office at a time when fewer films are having massive box office success. It’s hard to believe the series has come so far and one person who can’t believe it is co-star Morena Baccarin.

Baccarin, who also stars in the series Sherriff Country, recently spoke with Variety and said that she really can’t believe how successful the series has been. Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the first Deadpool movie, and the actress admits she can’t believe that this many years later the film would become what it is today. She said…

It is pretty hard to believe that Deadpool is as massive a franchise as it is, especially considering how close it came to not being anything. Reynolds had been trying to get a Deadpool movie made for some time, ultimately getting the ok to film some test footage. Fox reportedly passed on making a full movie based on the footage, but that’s when the story really takes off.

The Deadpool test footage leaked online, exactly who is responsible has never been fully clear, though Ryan Reynolds himself is the prime suspect. When fans saw the footage, everybody flipped out, and it became so popular that ultimately the movie was given the greenlight.

Deadpool would be a huge success, one of the highest grossing R-rated movies ever made. It would in turn spawn two sequels. Deadpool & Wolverine (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription) would outdo the previous Deadpool movies at the box office, but if there was a downside to it was that Morena Baccarin wasn’t in it much. While she understands why, she’s certainly hopeful that nay potential future for the franchise might have a bigger place for her. She explained…

While it’s unclear what, if any, future that Deadpool will have the MCU (Why was Thor crying?), I’m certainly hopeful that there’s a bigger place for Morena Baccarin too. Her relationship with Wade has always been core to the movies, and the lack of it was one of the few things missing in Deadpool & Wolverine.

There are plenty of cop shows on TV, and many of them take place in big cities – think Blue Bloods, Law & Order, Chicago PD, and so on. However, when CBS’s 2025-2026 prime time lineup kicks into high gear on the 2025 TV schedule, we’ll be getting a new small-town cop show with Sheriff Country. So, now, the star of this Fire Country spinoff, Morena Baccarin, has opened up about the cool way she prepared to play the sheriff of a small town.

For a couple of years now, there’s been talk about Fire Country expanding into a franchise, and it’s doing just that by introducing us to Edgewater, California’s sheriff’s department, in the first spinoff, Sheriff Country. While speaking to TV Insider about leading this new series, Morena Baccarin also shared how she’s been preparing to play Sheriff Mickey. And that includes riding along with officers who work in Upstate New York, as she explained:

As someone from a small town, I know this to be true. Some days, some weeks, in fact, not a lot happens in terms of news. However, in the blink of an eye, that can change dramatically, and before you know it, a whole bunch of people from one community can be involved in an intense situation.

That’s also proven to be the case on Fire Country, where Mickey was introduced in Season 2. So, I expect we’ll see more of the same on her show.

However, back to how she prepared. Baccarin dove into the questions she wanted to ask the cops she was riding along with. She said she was extra “fascinated” in the “little things” about their lives, especially when they didn’t have much going on, she said:

I love that she was thinking about all these questions for a few reasons. One is that I had never thought about this before. When I think about law enforcement, I’m not considering the mundane part of the job; I’m thinking about the action-packed part. And that leads me into my second reason, which is the fact that she has thought about this, which tells me we’re in for a good time when Sheriff Country premieres.

Clearly, she’s fascinated by this world she’s going to dive into in Fire Country’s spinoff, and that makes me even more excited to watch the show.

Now, I really can’t wait for Sheriff Country’s Season 1 premiere on CBS. We aren’t that far off from it either, as it’ll make its debut on Friday, October 17 at 9 p.m. ET. If you want to stream it, you’ll be able to do so the day after episodes air with a Paramount+ subscription, which is also the service you can use right now to go back and watch Morena Baccarin’s introduction to Edgewater in Fire Country.

Last year, the long-in-development Deadpool & Wolverine was the only Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to be released, and it, of course, was continuing the narrative thread of the first two Deadpool movies from the 20th Century Fox days. Morena Baccarin was among the many familiar faces who returned for the threequel, and she said in a recent interview that she had a “lovely” time working on it. However, there was also an aspect of Deadpool & Wolverine she found to be “unfortunate” that was held over from Deadpool 2.

Why Morena Baccarin Enjoyed Working On Deadpool & Wolverine

Let’s start with the positives first. In addition to explaining why it was a “big time tough” decision agreeing to star in CBS’s Sheriff Country, Morena Baccarin spent some time on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum reflecting on her Deadpool & Wolverine experience. Despite not spending much time on set, the actress enjoyed getting to reunite with her co-stars from the previous movies, as well as getting to meet Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman. In her words:

Although Deadpool 2 saw Vanessa (who has yet to become Copycat) being killed off early on, Morena Baccarin’s character came back to the land of the living thanks to Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson using Cable's time travel device to go back and save her. Sadly though, the two were broken up by the time Deadpool & Wolverine began, and she didn’t accompany her ex-fiancé’s on his journey through the multiverse with the Wolverine from another universe. Still, it’s good to hear that Baccarin experience this third time around, albeit still short, was pleasant, and at least the threequel ended with Vanessa and Wade reconciling.

The Issue Morena Baccarin Had With Deadpool & Wolverine

That brings us to why Morena Baccarin was slightly disappointed with Deadpool & Wolverine, and it had to do once again with her reduced screen time compared to the first Deadpool movie. She started off by saying:

Wade Wilson embarked to save the multiverse because of the loved ones in his life, but at the end of the movie, he told Vanessa that he did especially did it for her. So Morena Baccarin is correct that her character serves at this emotional core in Deadpool & Wolverine, which makes it all the more frustrating for her that Vanessa was pushed to the side again. She continued:

Vanessa was sidelined in Deadpool & Wolverine alongside Blind Al, Dopinder, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Yukio and Colossus, but I see Morena Baccarin’s point. Her character is arguably the person Wade cherishes most, even though they’d broken up, yet we barely see her during the events of this movie. That’s not to say Vanessa needed to tag along with Deadpool and Wolverine on their adventure, but it sounds like Baccarin wishes that the 34th MCU movie had been written in a way where Vanessa could have been more present.

Here’s hoping that if the Deadpool/X-Men team-up movie Ryan Reynolds is putting together is greenlit, there’s a way that Vanessa can be included and better utilized. For now, The Fantastic Four: First Steps will introduce MCU fans to a new version of Earth this weekend, and the franchise’s multiversal exploration will hit a tipping point next year with the release of Avengers: Doomsday.

It’s finally happening! Talks about Fire Country expanding have been happening for over two years, and now, we're finally getting a spinoff. Sheriff Country will premiere on the 2025 TV schedule this fall, and Morena Baccarin will lead the series all about Edgewater’s law enforcement. However, while the spinoff feels like a natural expansion, it wasn’t an easy choice for the actress when it came to saying yes to the show, and she explained why.

This whole conversation began when Morena Baccarin told Michael Rosenbaum on Inside of You that she was about to go film 20 episodes of Sheriff Country. That led to the host, who is no stranger to network TV, asking if saying yes to the project was a “tough decision.” In response, the actress said:

Without reasoning, I totally get it. A 20-episode season of television is no small feat, and saying yes to a network TV series is a big choice, because you could wind up working on it for a very long time. That, and one other big reason, are why this wasn’t an easy choice for Baccarin, as the actress explained:

Before diving into what that conversation entailed, the Deadpool actress explained that she loved Sheriff Country’s premise. She was a big fan of the complex family storyline involving her daughter in rehab and her father, who sells illegal weed. So, that kind of dramatic story was right up the actress’s alley.

However, filming in Vancouver when her family was on the other side of the continent in New York was not OK, as she explained:

This makes perfect sense. Morena Baccarin is married to her Gotham co-star Ben McKenzie, and they are raising three kids. She has an 11-year-old whom she shares with her ex-husband, and she and McKenzie have two kids who are 9 and 4. Moving them, especially at such a formative and developmental time, would be hard. So, I get why she didn’t want to. However, that’s no longer a concern, because Sheriff Country moved its production.

To that point, the actress and Rosenbaum talked about how the flight from New York to Toronto is under two hours, and she will spend her weekends with her family and the weeks filming. She couldn’t believe they agreed to that either. Now, Baccarin is “cautiously optimistic” about it all, explaining:

I’m sure they will figure it out, and it seems like they have already been thinking about this in a nuanced and thoughtful way that looks out for Baccarin and her whole family.

So, with that all situated and with the actress fully on board and leading Sheriff Country, I can’t wait for it to appear in CBS’s 2025-2026 lineup. It’s been a long time coming. Mickey was introduced on Fire Country back in Season 2, and we’ve been waiting for her show for a couple of years now.

Overall, Morena Baccarin and co. have clearly put a lot of thought into this. And if she’s willing to say yes, and they’re willing to move the production for her, it’ll likely be well worth their time and ours. So, make sure to tune into Sheriff Country starting Friday, October 17 at 8 p.m. on CBS.

After over a decade and a half languishing in development hell, the Masters of the Universe reboot is finally rolling cameras. Principal photography began last month, with Nicholas Galitzine leading the charge playing Prince Adam/He-Man. Another round of casting information has come in for Amazon MGM Studios’ “quite different” Masters of the Universe, and while it’s good so see that all these people will be taking part in the 2026 release, I can’t help but remain curious about how one particular character from the He-Man mythology will be handled.

Who’s Been Added To The Masters Of The Universe Cast?

The first casting update comes to us from Deadline, which shared that Morena Baccarin and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson have been tapped to play The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull and Fisto, respectively. As her title suggests, The Sorceress protects the power contained with Castle Grayskull, which is what allows Prince Adam to turn into He-Man. The tradeoff is she can’t use her special abilities outside of the castle’s walls, and when she is outside the castle, she becomes a telepathic falcon named Zoar. As for Fisto, he’s a super-strong guy with a metal hand who originally works for Skeletor, but later becomes one of He-Man’s allies.

Then, THR passed along that we can also expect to see James Purefoy and Charlotte Riley as Prince Adam’s parents, King Randor and Queen Marlena. Neither of them are aware of their son’s secret life as He-Man, but while Randor is completely clueless about this, Marlena frequently suspects there’s more going on with Adam than it seems. These four new actors join a cast that also consists of Jared Leto as Skeletor, Camila Mendes as Teela (who, in some versions of the canon, is The Sorceress’ daughter), Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms, Sam C. Wilson as Trap Jaw, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Goat Man and Kojo Attah as Tri-Klops.

How Will Orko Be Handled In Masters Of The Universe?

This is a solid lineup of talent, but you’ll notice that all the Masters of the Universe characters that have been cast so far are humanoid in one form or another. There are a handful that don’t fall within this scope, like Orko, a magician from the world of Trolla whose spells frequently backfire or don’t work as intended when he’s trying to help out He-Man. Needless to say Orko is frequently depicted as comic relief, although Masters of the Universe: Revelation, which can be streamed with a Netflix subscription, did effectively add more dimension to the character.

Now to be fair, we don’t know for certain that Orko will appear in the Masters of the Universe reboot. However, we’ve also come a long way from 1987’s Masters of the Universe, which did not include him due to his designs being too complex to effectively realize off the movie’s limited budget, and Gwildor was created to replace him. Now we live in a time where Orko can be brought to “life” with CGI and performance capture technology, but exactly how would a “live-action” version of him look?

My gut says to maintain Orko’s animated appearance as closely as possible, but I also don’t want him appearing too cartoonish in a movie that I suspect will be handling its source material in a more serious manner. At the same time, if Orko is made to look too realistic, I worry we could end up with something similar to Sonic the Hedgehog’s original cinematic design. If done improperly, those glowing yellow eyes and obscured face could end up creeping out kids.

Masters of the Universe doesn’t come out until June 5, 2026, but I’m eager to see what the team led by director Travis Knight come up with for Orko. Hopefully a good happy-medium can be achieved, like what’s being done for Toothless in the live-action How to Train Your Dragon. Meanwhile, CinemaBlend will keep passing along casting updates and other big news about the reboot.

Ever since Morena Baccarin joined Fire Country as Sheriff Mickey, I’ve been dying to see more of her. In her first episode – Season 2, Episode 6 – it was revealed that she’s actually related to Bode’s mom Sharon, and it became clear their stories were deeply intertwined. Now that we know the spinoff Sheriff Country is coming, I asked Diane Farr about Sharon’s relationship with her sister, and she revealed why she’s excited to explore it more.

During this Season 2 episode that aired on the 2024 TV schedule, it was quickly established that Mickey is Sharon’s step-sister and they have an incredibly complicated past. When we meet the sheriff, she hasn’t spoken to her sibling in a while, it’s apparent that their relationship is strained, and when they do talk, they really don’t hold anything back. Farr loves that about these two characters, and she’s excited to perform with Baccarin again, as she told me:

For a bit of a history lesson, Mickey was involved in Bode’s arrest when he was younger, and it’s clear as day that she and Sharon don’t always get along. Plus, they are both parents who have kids who faced major adversity, and their struggle to help them has been at the forefront of their stories.

They challenge each other and juxtapose one another really well, and Farr told me that this dynamic is what excites her most about this expanding storyline:

At work and with her husband and son, Sharon is almost always very self-assured. She’s good at controlling a situation and staying collected during an emergency. When it comes to her sister though, things are different. So, now, as Fire Country spins off into Sheriff Country, like Diane Farr, I’m hoping we can explore this dynamic more.

Sadly, we will have to wait a while, because the sister-series won’t premiere until the 2025-26 season. However, the flagship show’s showrunner Tia Napolitano told me that they “definitely want to have [Mikey] come play on Fire Country.” So, hopefully, we’ll see more of Sharon and Mickey in the current season of the CBS drama, because Farr’s comments have me all sorts of excited.

However, while we wait for that, you can go back and stream Season 2, Episode 6 of Fire Country (along with all its other episodes) with a Paramount+ subscription to see this sibling dynamic the Sharon actress loves so much.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a penchant for consistently releasing new content, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The latest movie release was Shawn Levy's Deadpool & Wolverine, which broke records at the box office and proved that fans were still invested in the shared universe. Fans are expecting another sequel to follow, with some still holding out hope that Morena Baccarin's Vanessa will finally become the hero Copycat. And now the actress has spoken out about that possibly happening in an upcoming Marvel movie, saying "I'm not getting any younger." Let's break it all down.

The original Deadpool movie made Vanessa not a mutant, but comic book enthusiasts know that the character is best known as the hero Copycat. Baccarin spoke to ComicBook about that possibility in a fourth movie, offering:

Touche. It sounds like Baccarin has been chomping at the bit to get into Deadpool's action as Copycat. But as she says, she needs Ryan Reynolds and company to hurry up and move that story forward sooner rather than later. After all, she and the rest of the cast are aging as time passes by.

It's currently unclear what's coming next for Deadpool, but given the wild success of the threequel, fans assume that he and Wolverine will factor heavily into upcoming Marvel movies. If a fourth movie is indeed green lit, it might be the perfect time to finally turn Vanessa into Copycat.

While Wade Wilson's true love was in the main storyline and final battle of the OG Deadpool, she's mostly been put on the side lines throughout the franchise's sequels. The died early on in the second one, but was able to be saved later thanks to Deadpool 2's time-traveling ending. The third movie revealed they had broken up, and all of Wade's loved ones only really appeared in the very beginning and end of the blockbuster.

Marvel security is notoriously tight, but it seems like a no-brainer to put Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman's faux feud back on the big screen for the shared universe. While fans would love to see them in a crossover movie like Avengers: Doomsday, it feels inevitable that a fourth Deadpool movie will eventually be announced by the studio. But whether or not Morena Baccarin actually gets to suit up and kick ass remains unclear.

Getting into superhero shape is a unique part of working in the comic book industry, with stars like Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Chris Pratt, and more getting ripped to play their roles. Baccarin seems to have concerns about this process as the years go by, so they better make Copycat soon!

Deadpool & Wolverine will hit Disney+ on November 12th. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates.

Mild spoilers below for HBO’s The Penguin, so be warned if you haven’t yet watched or streamed with a Max subscription.

With its first four episodes, The Penguin has not only lived up to the esteemed reputation of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, but it’s also become a bastion of pride and hope for DC fans disenfranchised by the box office rejection of Joker: Folie à Deux. It’s arguably already in the Top 10 tier out of everything that’s hit the 2024 TV schedule so far. But you know what could possibly make it even better? Gotham characters.

I know, I know, this is as much of an exercise in Bat-futility as fighting for Gotham to survive beyond its five seasons. But while Robert Pattinson’s solo Caped Crusder feature was often a bit too dour for Gotham’s over-the-top shenanigans, Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb and his underworld could provide a more perfect union between the two universes, if only in my well-intentioned headcanon.

It’d be one thing if we knew for a fact that The Penguin wasn’t introducing any other major Batman characters from comics and other lore beyond the Falcones and Maronis, but the fourth episode surprisingly introduced, and brutally dispatched, a lesser-utilized villain who informed Sofia’s time in Arkham Asylum. (And one who also popped up in Gotham, non-coincidentally enough.) So let’s look at the actors and characters I think would work best within showrunner Lauren LeFranc’s G.C.

Donal Logue's Harvey Bullock

Donal Logue is the kind of actor that makes everything better, and rarely takes parts in subjectively terrible projects, so he’s a best-case scenario for entertainment hounds. He can bring both comedic and dramatic chops to whatever part he’s playing, and commands attention while doing it. So he wouldn’t be in danger of being out-acted alongside the lofty talents of Farrell, Cristin Milioti, and others.

And that’s just talking about Logue himself. It’s been two and a half years since The Batman came out, and I’m still fooling myself into thinking Harvey Bullock existed in that film, because he’s such a classic foil and enforcer within the GCPD in just about every iteration of Gotham City’s law enforcement rankings. But no, he wasn’t in there at all.

There’s no need for The Penguin’s creative team to think-tank up a brand new version of the character, either. Just go with a version we all know and love who isn’t so much of a dirty-dealing douchebag, but also isn’t a costume-glorifying sycophant. He’s been right there waiting the whole time, and he looks a lot like Donal Logue.

Morena Boccarin's Dr. Lee Thompkins

For anyone who was a bit bummed out that Morena Baccarin didn’t have more of a hefty role within Shawn Levy’s madcap Deadpool & Wolverine, you’re not alone. And that was hardly the first time the actress got mixed up with characters who lead deadly and sordid lives. Only in Gotham, Baccarin’s Dr. Lee Thompkins wasn’t on the outside of the story; she was fully invested in batshit, action-packed arcs that turned her from romantic interest to a villainous partner for Ed Nygma.

Even when the story seemed wonky, Baccarin is the kind of pro that made it all work, and I think she would bring the same gravitas to The Penguin, where a character like Lee Thompkins could provide a lot of help (or harm). Though neither the Waynes nor James Gordon is part of Oz’s TV world, this is a show with an already established (if entirely questionable) psychologist in Theo Rossi’s Dr. Julian Rush.

Depending on where Rush’s story goes, and whether or not he remains a helpful and living presence to Sofia throughout the season, I could easily see the series bringing in Leslie Thompkins to either investigate the other doctor’s practices or to potentially sway Sofia to her own teachings.

Drew Powell's Butch Gilzean

As it went with so many of Gotham’s cast members, Drew Powell could turn any scene from a snore into a riot as the boss-flipping enforcer Butch Gilzean. The actor is a big and intimidating dude, which helps to sell the role since he’s also quite a brainy and intelligent charmer. Honestly, if Butch entered the world of The Penguin, he’d probably be a made man before the end of his first episode.

By the end of Gotham’s run, Butch was revealed to be the alter ego of zombie-man Solomon Grundy, which turned into a whole stockpile of bonkers in and of itself. But I think we can all agree that The Penguin should and would bypass that whole Slaughter Swamp-related arc and just keep it to Powell’s more distinctly human performance. And it would be awesome.

Surprise Fourth Entry! Cameron Monaghan's Jeremiah Valeska

Yeahhhh, okay, so as a Gotham fanatic, I would have trouble making it through life with my sanity intact if didn’t continuously preach for Cameron Monaghan’s return to the DC universe as some version of The Joker. His performances on Gotham as both Jerome and Jeremiah (and eventually just “J”) were rather iconic at times, and understandably could only happen in bursts rather than as an ongoing arc across 20+ episodes.

A show like The Penguin, with its shortened season length, would be a perfect spot for either a similar mini-arc, or even just a one-episode appearance, from Monaghan in an outlandish capacity. Obviously this is a more grounded crime drama that has spawned myriad comparisons to The Sopranos, but Jeremiah Valeska is far calmer and quieter than his brother was, and with fewer scars.

Granted, Barry Keoghan’s brief appearance in The Batman is presumably setting up a bigger Joker arc in The Batman: Part II, which would make Cameron Monaghan’s proto-Clown Prince somewhat redundant. As if such a word could be applied to the gloriousness of Gotham’s Valeska brothers. So I guess it’s the least likely of any of these pipe dreams, but in chaos, we trust.

The Penguin airs Sunday nights on HBO at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Years ago, when Dave Bautista pitched a movie co-starring himself and Jason Momoa, some people may have doubted that the project would actually come to fruition. Ultimately, though, it was confirmed in 2023 that the film – titled The Wrecking Crew – was in the works. This past year has seen a number of developments on the upcoming action movie, specifically in regard to the cast. It seems that Momoa and Bautista are going to be joined by some truly talented stars. It now looks like the massive movie has tapped a Deadpool & Wolverine star for a role, and I’m getting even more pumped for this film!

Fresh off her appearance in Marvel Studios’ latest blockbuster behemoth, Morena Baccarin is reportedly joining The Wrecking Crew. News of the fan-favorite actress’ casting comes by way of The Hollywood Reporter, which revealed details on the star’s role. Per the report, she’ll play the girlfriend of Jason Momoa’s character. Apparently, Baccarin’s character takes issue with her partner’s array of wild antics. Neither the actress herself nor Amazon MGM Studios have commented on her hiring.

Morena Baccarin certainly has plenty of experience when it comes to big-budget, Hollywood productions. Greenland, Serenity and Spy are just a few of the notable films she’s been a part of over the years. And, of course, she’s starred in all three Deadpool movies as Vanessa Carlysle – Wade Wilson’s love interest. It’s interesting that Baccarin’s newly landed movie once again puts her in the shoes of a woman dealing with a boyfriend who has a wild lifestyle.

The Son of Batman alum joins a cast that includes a few other familiar faces. Star Wars icon Temuera Morrison, Spider-Man alum Jacob Batalon, Get Out’s Stephen Root and The Northman’s Claes Bang are among those who are part of the ensemble. Rounding out the group are The Expanse’s Frankie Adams and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’s Miyavi. And directing the film is Ángel Manuel Soto, who most recently directed 2023’s Blue Beetle.

As previously mentioned, the idea for the film was sparked by Dave Bautista who took to X (which was Twitter at the time) to share an idea for a film led by him and Jason Momoa. Bautista imagined a Lethal Weapon-esque, buddy cop film. The Wrecking Crew, which was written by Jonathan Tropper, sees the two leading men playing half brothers. One is a by-the-book Navy SEAL (Bautista), and the other is an off-the-wall cop (Momoa). In the film, the two must cast aside their decades of issues and work together to solve the mystery of their father’s murder.

Both of the co-leads have expressed excitement over the production, and that’s especially been true when it comes to Jason Momoa. The Aquaman alum previously explained how the buddy cop romp came together, crediting the Guardians of the Galaxy star for getting it going. This past spring, Momoa also posted about getting back into the gym in preparation for the film, saying that he’s “gotta get ready for Bautista!”

The notion of the two action stars sharing the screen together is a fun notion on its own. However, I’m also glad that Ángel Manuel Soto is filling out his ensemble with other talented stars, including Morena Baccarin. I’m hoping that she receives some time to shine amid the explosive proceedings.

A release date has yet to be announced for The Wrecking Crew, though one would hope that it’ll be released amid the 2025 movie schedule. What’s likely, though, is that at some point down the road, it’ll be available for those with a Prime Video subscription to enjoy.

Not long after Fire Country’s first season, CBS expressed enthusiasm about making a franchise out of Max Thieriot’s drama. They really wasted no time when it came to expanding the world of Edgewater, and now we know that Sheriff Country will happen during the 2025-2026 season. So, with that in mind, I asked the flagship drama’s showrunner about the upcoming spinoff and how Season 3 of Fire Country could help introduce the series that will be led by Sheriff Mickey.

While Season 3 of Fire Country will premiere in the fall on the 2024 TV schedule, we’ll have to wait another year before we see Mickey leading her own show. When I spoke with Fire Country’s showrunner Tia Napolitano about the Season 2 finale, we also talked about the upcoming spinoff and how it could be introduced in the junior season of her show. While she didn’t reveal much, she did say Sheriff Mickey and her team will be seen again before Sheriff Country starts, she said:

There you have it, we should see more of Morena Baccarin’s Sheriff Mickey in Fire Country’s third season in the lead-up to her show’s premiere. We’ve already seen it happen once before – she played a major role in Season 2’s sixth episode – and it only feels natural that she’ll be back sooner than later.

When Mickey made her debut on Fire Country, it was quickly established that she's deeply connected to the core crew of characters. She’s Sharon’s sister and Bode’s uncle, plus she’s an important part of the Sheriff’s department. If she didn’t appear in Season 3 of the show it would honestly be odd considering all her personal and professional connections to Station 42.

Her episode of Fire Country perfectly set up the spinoff too. We learned about her relationships with Sharon, Vince and Bode, and we got other vital details about her and the department. Mickey has a complex past with her father specifically, and her daughter is in rehab. Plus, her episode of the CBS hit involved her boss getting killed and a dirty cop working within the department, setting up a dramatic starting point for Mickey and her crew.

Hopefully, we’ll learn more about Edgewater’s sheriff’s department in Season 3 of Fire Country, and according to Napolitano, we will.

With over a year to wait for Sheriff Country, it feels important to feature Mickey in the flagship series so viewers can get to know her and those around her before fully diving into her spinoff. If they do that, which it sounds like they will, we’ll have a deep investment in the characters on the show long before the pilot airs, and that will make everything even more exciting.

As the showrunner said, they want to expand the world of Edgewater in a natural way. So far, they’ve done exactly that! I’m already invested in Mickey’s arc, and we’ve only seen her once. So, I know I’ll be even more stoked for Sheriff Country after we see its characters on Fire Country a few more times.

The wait for Sheriff Country feels long, but luckily Season 3 of Fire Country will premiere this fall and you can always go back and watch the original drama’s first two seasons with a Paramount+ subscription.

Eternity is calling! After about four decades of starts and stops. A new Master Of The Universe movie is finally part of the 2026 movie schedule. Fans of the franchise know all too well that the promise of a live-action movie based on the toy line from Mattel (and the cartoon that was also born from the action figures) has been in and out of production hell for a long, long time.

With the release of the movie just a couple of weeks away, here's everything we know about the Amazon MGM Studios release.

What Is The Masters Of The Universe Release Date?

By the power of Grayskull (and Amazon MGM Studios, and Mattel Films), Masters of the Universe is set to hit theaters everywhere on Friday, June 5, 2026. This date is a long time coming. The project has been all over the place for years, including a point when it found a home at Netflix, only to be scrapped.

The film was later revived with plans to start shooting in mid-2022, and those were abruptly cancelled not long after. Principal photography finally got underway in January of 2025, and star Nicholas Galitzine confirmed in an Instagram post in July of ‘25 that production had wrapped. Now it's hitting the big screen this summer.

The Master Of The Universe Trailer

In March 2026, Amazon MGM dropped the first full trailer for the movie.

After releasing a teaser a couple of months ago, Amazon MGM dropped the first trailer on the last day of March 2026. It looks amazing, even on the small screen; it should look really cool on the big one.

What Masters Of The Universe Is About

From the trailers, it looks like we're definitely getting an origin story. I don't always love origin stories, but I think it's critical here. He-Man isn't, say, Superman. Everyone knows Kal-El's history; fewer know Prince Adam/He-Man's backstory. Introducing all the key characters and, from the looks of it, creating a new backstory (the old show never went too deep here), is a smart way to build the foundation of a potential franchise.

The Masters Of The Universe Cast

The cast of Masters of the Universe is, in a word, stacked. There will be a ton of everyone's favorite characters, many of whom are played by A-list stars and familiar faces.

Nicholas Galitzine (He-Man/Prince Adam)

The new He-Man will be played by Nicholas Galitzine, who has starred in numerous Amazon Prime original movies already, including 2023’s Red, White & Royal Blue (which is returning soon), and The Idea of You from early 2024. The English actor’s casting followed two previous announcements that the lead Masters of the Universe role was filled – first by Noah Centineo, who dropped out as Covid-19 continued to hold the project back, and then by Kyle Allen, who was brought in until it hit another snag.

Jared Leto (Keldor/Skeletor)

Jared Leto had a rough 2025 with the release of Tron: Ares, which was a huge box office letdown. Leto is no stranger to big franchises, however. The Suicide Squad vet is playing He-Man's chief villain, Skeletor. The reveal of the villain is one of the real highlights of the trailer.

Camila Mendes (Teela)

Teela – the Captain of the Royal Guard at the palace of Eternos, who serves as Prince Adam’s trainer and protector – will be played by Camila Mendes. The character – who also fights battles with He-Man while unaware he is Adam’s alter ego – marks a major departure for the former Riverdale cast member, who is otherwise best known for rom-com films like the funny Palm Springs (one of the best movies on Hulu) or Amazon’s Upgraded. Then again, she also starred in a crime thriller called Coyote Lake from 2019 and led Netflix’s Dangerous Lies the following year.

Alison Brie (Evil-Lyn)

You could probably guess by her name alone that Evil-Lyn – the only female member of the Evil Warriors and second-in-command to Skeletor – is a villain. She will be played by Alison Brie. We only get a brief glimpse of her in both trailers, but she definitely looks badass.

Idris Elba (Duncan / Man-At-Arms)

Duncan, whose title, “Man-At-Arms,” is a central figure for Eternia’s ruling monarchy and the Royal Guard, will be played by Idris Elba, who played the somewhat similar role of Heimdall in the Thor movies. In fact, Masters of the Universe will be only the latest of many franchise films the six-time Emmy nominee has participated in, also including two DC films (The Losers and 2021’s The Suicide Squad) and the non-MCU Marvel flick, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.

Kristen Wiig (Roboto)

The great Kristen Wiig will star as a Roboto, a robot warrior built by Man-At-Arms in the cartoon, and introduced later in the original cartoon's run. Traditionally, Roboto has been male, so this is an intriguing casting, one that could be very cool.

Morena Baccarin (Sorceress Of Castle Grayskull)

Playing Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, who guards the fortress’ secrets with magic, is Morena Baccarin, who is also no stranger to franchise adaptations, having voiced Talia Al Ghul in some animated Batman movies, playing Leslie Thompkins in the Gotham cast, and starring in the Deadpool movies as Wade's girlfriend, Vanessa. She had previously earned her “Geek Goddess” status as part of the Firefly cast in the role of Inara Serra.

James Purefoy (King Randor Grayskull)

James Purefoy – starring as Adam’s father, King Randor – has one previous comic book adaptation under his belt called Pennyworth (following Bruce Wayne’s butler’s early days in espionage). Highlights of the English actor’s resume also include A Knight’s Tale, HBO’s Rome, Disney’s John Carter, and creator Kevin Williamson’s crime drama, The Following.

Sam C. Wilson (Trap Jaw)

Skeletor’s cybernetic henchperson, Trap Jaw, who gets his name for his deadly bite, will be played by Sam C. Wilson of BBC’s Dodger fame. He is also known for appearing in a couple of episodes of House of the Dragon as Blood and is also set to star in the upcoming series, Blade Runner 2099, for Amazon MGM.

Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (Fisto)

A fierce, heroic warrior named Fisto, known for having a large metal fist for a right hand, is being portrayed by Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, who is no stranger to fantasy epics, having appeared in the Game of Thrones cast as Lem Lemoncloak, in Vikings: Valhalla as Olaf Haraldsson, and more. The Icelandic actor more recently appeared in Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World as Copperhead.

Kojo Attah (Tri-Klops)

As Tri-Klops, one of Skeletor’s top warriors, we have Kojo Attah, whose last major “warrior” role was in the 2020 video game Total War Saga: Troy as the voice of Memnon. The actor would later work with Jason Statham in Wrath of Man and The Beekeeper. They also appeared in Netflix’s sci-fi series, Supacell.

John Xue Zhang (Ram Man)

Ram Man, who was literally described by Mattel as a “human battering ram,” is being played by John Xue Zhang, who has performed stunts for such films as Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw and Eternals. He has also scored acting roles in shows like Netflix’s The Brothers Son and movies like Kraven the Hunter.

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (Goat Man)

Playing a minor villain named Goat Man – who debuted in the 1985 Golden Book, Secret of the Dragon’s Egg, before appearing in the Masters of the Universe: Revelation episode “Hope, for a Destination” – is Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson. The Icelandic strongman made his acting debut as one of multiple actors in the TV role of The Mountain on Game of Thrones and later starred in 2022’s The Northman, most notably.

Charlotte Riley (Queen Marlena)

As Marlena – King Randor’s wife and Adam’s mother – we have Charlotte Riley, who met her husband, Tom Hardy, while playing the romantic leads of Masterpiece’s two-part adaptation of Wuthering Heights. She is also known for films like Edge of Tomorrow and London Has Fallen, plus series like Peaky Blinders.

Sasheer Zamata (Suzie)

Sasheer Zamata has joined the Masters of the Universe cast as a new character named Suzie, but it will not mark the first time the SNL alum has branched out beyond comedy. She starred in a Blumhouse thriller called Sleight, was in the 2020 found footage horror movie Spree, appeared in Showtime’s Waco: The Aftermath, and joined the MCU in Agatha: All Along.

Christian Vunipola (Hussein)

Also starring in an original role, named Hussein, is Christian Vunipola. Some of his previous acting roles include 2022’s Not Okay and Hulu’s Miguel Wants to Fight.

Travis Knight Is Directing

Helming Masters of the Universe is Travis Knight, who already has experience with movies about toys, having made his live-action directorial debut with 2018’s Transformers movies spin-off, Bumblebee. His first directing credit was 2016’s Academy Award-winning Kubo and the Two Strings from Laika — the stop-motion animation studio he co-founded to produce acclaimed films like ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls.

Handling screenwriting duties, following a previous draft by David Callaham and Adam Nee, is fellow Laika veteran Chris Butler, who penned the likes of ParaNorman and Missing Link, in addition to working on the storyboarding for stop-motion classics Corpse Bride and Coraline.

Masters Of The Universe Is One Of Many Upcoming Mattel Productions

It would not be too much of a stretch to assume that the Masters of the Universe production got a healthy boost following the success of Barbie. However, He-Man is not the only toy hitting the big screen with help from the pink lady, as there are several other films based on Mattel products currently in the works.

The film studio (and toy company) is reported to be developing projects based on the popular American Girl dolls, a Hot Wheels movie, and a different one based on Matchbox toy cars, and even flicks about the View-Master and the Magic 8 Ball. There are plenty more where those came from on the way.

Previous Adaptations Of The Masters Of The Universe Toys

The Masters of the Universe toy line was first launched by Mattel in 1982. A popular after-school cartoon soon followed, and a notorious live-action box office bomb starring Dolph Lundgren (who reportedly has a cameo in the new movie) as He-Man was released in 1987. The adventures of He-Man and other characters from the franchise were also chronicled in accompanying minicomics, which were followed by a run in DC Comics as well.

The franchise’s first-ever movie, however, was 1985’s He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword, which was later televised as a mini-series. The adventures continued to expand on the small screen in later years with 1990’s The New Adventures of He-Man, another remake from 2002.

Two animated reboot series on Netflix in 2021, including the Kevin Smith-produced Masters of the Universe: Revelation, and a 2024 miniseries called Masters of the Universe: Revolution. There were also two spin-off series centered on He-Man's sister, with Netflix's more recent hit She-Ra: Princesses of Power being an update of the characters' '80s spin-off.

Will this new interpretation of Masters of the Universe “have the POWERRRRRRR!” to win audiences over? We will just have to see when He-Man returns to the big screen in 2026.

Following Fire Country’s episode all about Sheriff Mickey that perfectly set up a spinoff, said sequel series has officially been picked up by CBS after months of speculation. That’s right, Sheriff Country has been greenlighted, and come 2025, we’ll be seeing Morena Baccarin’s sheriff in her own show. So, now that the countdown has begun for his highly anticipated series, I need to talk about the one storyline I desperately want them to focus on. 

Fire Country Is Officially Getting A Spinoff About Sheriff Mickey

There have been rumblings about a Fire Country spinoff since last year when CBS expressed enthusiasm about expanding Max Thieriot's series into a franchise. So, the fact that Sheriff Country got picked up isn’t surprising. Variety reported that the series that will be centered around Morena Baccarin’s Sheriff Mickey will be held for the 2025-2026 TV season, and it will follow her as she: 

The series has Fire Country’s team behind it, with the flagship show’s co-creators Tony Phelan and Joan Rater slated to write the first episode. These two and Max Thieriot also developed the story for Sheriff Country, and are executive producing it alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and KristieAnne Reed. 

Now, we are going to get Season 3 of Fire Country before Sheriff Country premieres, but CBS is playing the long game. When the show was announced CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach said they’re picking it up early so they have “plenty of time” to cast, produce, schedule and market it.

This time also gives us fans a full season of Fire Country to theorize about Sheriff Mickey’s show. Plus, it will give the franchise opportunities to slowly introduce us to the Sheriff’s Department and their stories through crossovers with Fire Country.

With all that in mind, my gears are already turning, and after seeing Mickey’s introduction into the world of Edgewater, there’s one specific storyline I really need this show to prioritize. 

I Need Sheriff Country To Prioritize Mickey And Her Daughter Sky's Story

So, now that we officially know Sheriff Country is on its way, all I can think about is the storylines that were introduced in Fire Country’s backdoor pilot for the show. Here’s a brief breakdown of the vital information we have about our new lead Mickey:

• Mickey has a daughter named Sky.
• Mickey’s dad was a criminal.
• Mickey’s sister is Bode’s mom, Sharon.
• The sheriff in Edgewater died in this episode of Fire Country.
• Clearly, there’s a lot of corruption in Edgewater.

To me, Mickey’s relationship with her daughter Sky is what needs to be focused on in Sheriff Country. My favorite stories in Fire Country surround Bode and his parents, Vince and Sharon. Watching them work to repair their relationship and take care of one another is the heart of the series to me, and it adds major stakes to Bode’s situation.

We learned that Mickey and her daughter have a similar turbulent past, like Bode and his parents, because Sky was in rehab, and it’s clear that Baccarin’s character is really struggling with this. What’s also clear is her love for her daughter. 

Seeing them come together and face adversity hopefully as a team will likely be the heart of Sheriff Country, and I really need them to focus in on it when the show comes out. 

Sadly, we’ll have to wait a while to see if this storyline is prioritized in Sheriff Country.  However, luckily, the rest of Season 2 and the upcoming Season 3 of Fire Country will play a big role in the 2024 TV schedule. Hopefully, we’ll learn more about Mickey and Sky through that, and when the spinoff finally premieres we’ll get a spinoff driven by this mother-daughter relationship. 

Spoilers for Season 2, Episode 6 of Fire Country are ahead. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can stream it with a Paramount+ subscription, and you can catch new episodes as they air on the 2024 TV schedule every Friday at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

Before Fire Country Season 3 was confirmed, and even before Season 2 started airing, there’s been chatter about the potential to create a franchise out of Max Thieriot’s drama. Then, things started getting interesting when the show cast a sheriff, and it was reported that she could get her own series. Well, now we’ve officially met Morena Baccarin’s Deputy Sheriff Mickey, and her introduction on the CBS drama set up a potential spinoff perfectly. 

To recap, Morena Baccarin’s deputy sheriff was introduced when an inmate at Three Rock escaped the camp and a bunch of drug money was dumped out of a helicopter into an area where the firefighters were working. It was quickly revealed that Mickey was deeply connected to Bode and his family, and the death of her boss led to a major shake-up in the sheriff’s department. Overall, the stakes were set for a potential spinoff, they’re deeply connected to Fire Country, and I’m really hoping a show about it all happens. So, let’s talk about why.

Morena Baccarin’s Mickey Is Meaningfully Connected To Fire Country

While this sheriff could have really been anyone, I’m so happy Fire Country connected Mickey to the Leone family. Morena Baccarin’s character was fully introduced when she called Billy Burke’s Vince, and he told Diane Farr’s Sharon she should pick it up because it was her sister. Yep, you read that right, Mickey is Sharon’s step-sister. 

She’s in the weeds of the Leone family drama, and she was involved with Bode’s arrest when he was younger. All of that is fascinating, and it creates a fabulous dramatic dynamic that could easily cross between two shows. 

On top of the sisters of it all, it was also revealed that Mickey’s dad was apparently a drug dealer, and she has a daughter. All of that involves the Leones too, and I desperately need to learn more about their shared past and see more of Morena Baccarin, Diane Farr and the Fire Country cast together. 

The Death Of The Sheriff Sets Up A Great Story For A Spinoff

This episode of Fire Country also set up big drama outside of the fire department. I’ve always been here for a spinoff about the sheriff's department, however, the way they were introduced really opens the door for a wild new show.

After the death of the sheriff and the reveal that there was a dirty cop working for them, it leaves a vacant position and questions about whether there are more corrupt employees in the department. 

A show all about the dynamic in that crew and the repercussions of this episode would be fascinating. I’d love to see if Mickey takes over as sheriff. I want to see how this traumatic event impacts her and her career. More than anything, I want to see how the crimes in Edgewater intersect with the issues the fire department has to deal with. The potential for drama is high, and the death of the sheriff has left a big door open for more of it. 

There’s An Aspect Of Mickey’s Personal Life That Needs To Be Explored More

Along with learning a bit about Mickey’s job and her relationship with Sharon, we also found out that she has a daughter, Sky. Her girl seems to be a few years younger than Bode and Riley, and Mickey was taking notes of how her sister’s kids’ lives turned out, and applied them to raising her daughter. 

However, despite trying to learn from the mistakes the Leones made and the tragedy they faced, Mickey and Sky have their own adversity face. In the episode, it was revealed that Mickey’s daughter is in rehab, and it’s unclear what kind of role her dad plays in her life. That family dynamic is something I really want to explore more. 

Fire Country thrives because of the family story at the center of it, and if Mickey gets a spinoff her family dynamic has the same potential to hit audiences right in the heart. 

At the time of this writing, a spinoff is not confirmed, however, considering Fire Country’s swift Season 3 renewal it seems likely. I know I’m hoping it happens, and as we learn more about Mickey and her story, we’ll be sure to keep you posted.  

Ladies and gents, there’s a new sheriff in Edgewater, and it’s a very big deal. After news broke that Fire Country was casting a sheriff, and that this character could get their own spinoff, we’ve been waiting to see who’d get the role before Season 2 premieres on the 2024 TV schedule. Now, we know that Deadpool’s Morena Baccarin will be joining Fire Country Season 2 as Sheriff Mickey, and this is a very big deal. 

So, not only will Baccarin be joining the Deadpool 3 cast this year, she’ll also be playing a potentially huge role in the Fire Country ensemble, and that’s super exciting. Variety confirmed the actress’s casting in the CBS hit drama, noting that she’ll be playing Sheriff Mickey.

Mickey has been a sheriff’s deputy in Edgewater for 15 years, the outlet’s report of the episode description said. She knows the town, and is very protective of it. Therefore, she's likely very involved with Three Rock, the town's fire camp.

For now, Morena Baccarin will be joining Fire Country as a guest star. However, she has the potential to become a regular. Plus, based on previous reports as well as CBS’s enthusiasm about expanding Fire Country’s world, it seems highly likely that Sheriff Mickey might get her own show. 

I think that casting Morena Baccarin in this role shows the confidence Fire Country and CBS have in this character and her potential. Along with playing Vanessa in all three Deadpool movies, this actress has a fantastic career in television, and she would lead a show brilliantly. Over the last 15 years, Baccarin has starred in 36 episodes of Homeland, 82 episodes of Gotham and 27 episodes of The Flash. Along with that, she has tons of other credits to her name, and if Fire Country is hiring her, I doubt it would be for a one-off role. 

Based on where Bode is going into Season 2 of Fire Country, it’s possible that Mickey could play a big role in his journey. The massive question right now is: How will Bode get out of prison? To get him back to Edgewater, and to solve the crime that he pled guilty for (even though he’s innocent), I imagine they’ll need law enforcement in his hometown to get involved. Enter Sheriff Mickey.

Also, when it comes to a potential spinoff, it makes sense that the Sheriff’s Department would be the point of focus for one. Fire Country operates at the intersection of the fire department and law enforcement, so it makes sense that the natural way to expand this would be through a sheriff or cop. 

Other than her name and a brief description, there isn’t much we know about Morena Baccarin's Fire Country character. However, what I do know is that it is a very big deal that she was cast, and I think she’s poised to play a massive role in Edgewater.

Luckily, we won’t have to wait long to meet Sheriff Mickey because Fire Country premieres on Friday, February 16 at 9 p.m. on CBS, and you can stream Season 1 with a Paramount+ subscription. 

Superhero movies have been a constant in the world of modern Hollywood, and the genre reached its peak popularity with the explosion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With such a storied history, there are obviously going to be stories of actors who didn’t make the cut. But believe us when we tell you the actors on this list who almost played major superhero roles are quite the collection of characters.

Burt Reynolds - Superman - Superman (1977)

A bunch of big name actors turned down the role of Clark Kent/Superman when it came time to make 1977’s Superman feature film. Among those who skipped this early era of cape action is the legendary Burt Reynolds. The decision seemed to work out in the end, as that same year saw Smokey and the Bandit become one of his most iconic hits.

Demi Moore - Supergirl - Supergirl (1984)

Early in her career, Demi Moore had a chance to become a part of the Superman franchise. She auditioned alongside Brooke Shields for the lead in Supergirl, though Helen Slater would eventually win the part. Moore then almost played the supporting role of Lucy Lane but passed, as she was about to go from being on General Hospital to starring in the Brat Pack era of films, including About Last Night…

Pierce Brosnan - Batman - Batman (1989)

There are quite a few actors that have done the dance of fate with both superhero movies and the James Bond movies. One of the most surprising, besides Burt Reynolds turning down 007, was Pierce Brosnan testing for Tim Burton’s Batman. Brosnan admitted he blew it, especially since he criticized the wardrobe choices of Bruce Wayne’s darker alter-ego.

Annette Bening - Catwoman - Batman Returns (1992)

Annette Bening was almost Catwoman, believe it or not. The original choice for that role in Batman Returns, Bening seemed set to be a part of the film. That is until the actress found out she was pregnant and had to bow out of the part. It’s ok though, as Burton found a more than willing successor in Michelle Pfieffer, who practically signed on after reading half of the script. 

Marlon Wayans - Robin - Batman Returns (1992)

Marlon Wayans is the Bobby Bonilla of the superhero movie world. Just as Bobby continues to be paid not to play for the Mets, Wayans still gets royalties for not playing Robin in Batman Returns. Due to the roster of characters in Tim Burton’s 1992 sequel being trimmed, Wayans never took flight as the hero.

Dougray Scott - Wolverine - X-Men (2000)

Out of the 13 actors that almost played Wolverine in X-Men, Dougray Scott was the one that got the closest. Scott was actually cast in the iconic pre-MCU film and was so close to getting to pop those Adamantium claws. If he hadn’t suffered injuries and scheduling conflicts from the tail end of Mission: Impossible II, we would've seen different Logan in action. 

Rachel Leigh Cook - Rogue - X-Men (2000)

Brace yourself for a weird loop of coincidence. She’s All That star Rachel Leigh Cook turned down the role of Rogue in 2000’s X-Men. Who did the role end up going to? Academy Award winner Anna Paquin… the actor who gave Cook's character that memorable makeover in the aforementioned teen comedy. Maybe Paquin has some mutant career powers that nobody’s ever noticed before. As for Cook, she eventually admitted that she totally blew it by passing on this classic adventure.

Leonardo DiCaprio - Spider-Man - Spider-Man (2002)

James Cameron’s unmade Spider-Man movie would have gone in some wild directions. Perhaps what fans discuss most is the fact that if he were to have made the movie, Leonardo DiCaprio would have been his Peter Parker! While that’s not the most shocking aspect, especially if you’ve actually read the script, it’s certainly something that feels pretty interesting considering where Cameron and DiCaprio’s careers would go after that point. 

Kate Winslet - Elektra - Daredevil (2003)

There was a wide net cast when looking to fill the role of Elektra in 2003’s Daredevil. Lucy Liu, Salma Hayek and even Katie Holmes were all considered; as was Titanic alum Kate Winslet. Considering her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio almost played Spider-Man for James Cameron, could Winslet have also been considered for Mary Jane Watson had that movie gotten off the ground? 

Ashley Judd - Catwoman - Catwoman (2004)

Development hell can wreck a movie before it ever shoots a single frame. Michelle Pfieffer's intended Catwoman spinoff, for example, eventually mutated into a standalone film. And somewhere in-between Pfieffer’s variant being iced and Halle Berry’s infamous final product being made, Ashley Judd was meant to play the character in the early aughts. According to the Daily Haggis, Judd dropped out in favor of a stage play; which was probably the better move.

Cillian Murphy - Batman - Batman Begins (2005)

Beginning his stint as one of the actors in the most Christopher Nolan movies, Cillian Murphy played Scarecrow in Batman Begins and was a menacing presence to behold. And yet, the Irish actor initially tried out for the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman; going as far as doing screen tests in and out of the Batsuit. While it was admitted that he wasn’t a good fit for the lead role, Nolan did use Murphy’s audition to cast him as Dr. Jonathan Crane; and the rest was history.

Tom Cruise - Iron Man - Iron Man (2008)

You knew this was coming. When the MCU fired up its arc reactor in 2008, Robert Downey Jr. was there front and center to make Iron Man a mega hit. Of course, the studio needed to be convinced that Downey was the way to go, as there were powers that be who wanted the Mission: Impossible daredevil as the lead. Cruise turned down the part, while at the same time the Tony Stark we knew and loved had enough people in his corner to make it happen. 

Emily Blunt - Black Widow - Iron Man 2 (2010)

It’s time to revisit one of the cruelest villains ever: contractual obligations! Back when Iron Man 2 was getting into gear, the then up-and-coming Emily Blunt was offered the role of Natalie Rushman… who was eventually revealed to be Natasha Romanova, the Black Widow. Unfortunately, this was the first of Blunt’s two Marvel passes; with this part going to Scarlett Johansson after Emily had to fulfill her obligation to star in 2010’s Gulliver’s Travels. 

Daniel Craig - Baldur The Brave - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

The worlds of James Bond and superhero culture have collided before, thanks to Daniel Craig’s rumored Thor casting being debunked. What isn’t as sketchy is the claim that Craig almost played Baldur the Brave in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. And if you need anyone to further firm up this claim, just ask Elizabeth Olsen, who actually saw Craig’s costume after it was designed.

Joe Jonas - Spider-Man - The Amazing Spider-Man (2011)

One of the greatest heartbreaks in Joe Jonas’ career as an actor is still that time he almost landed the lead role in The Amazing Spider-Man. Jonas recalled his Marvel auditions as well as the tragic turn the situation took when Andrew Garfield landed the role, and it’s hard not to feel for the dude. Then again, Jonas may have dodged a bullet, considering where that series went.

John Krasinski - Captain America - Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

One of the hot prospects for the casting of Captain America was appropriately a man who’s clearly cut out for the role of an American boy scout -- John Krasinski. Though The Office star failed to secure the bag as Steve Rogers, he did go on to play the similarly patriotic lead of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. Oh yeah… and he was a Multiversal Reed Richards in Doctor Strange 2 as well. 

Morena Baccarin - Maria Hill - The Avengers (2012)

Joss Whedon sure does have a deep bench of talent he loves to pull from. Firefly alum Morena Baccarin knows that fact, as she auditioned for The Avengers to play the role of Maria Hill. Though she stayed in the extended MCU family through Deadpool, Baccarin admitted she tanked the audition because she didn’t get Hill’s character on the page.

Jamie Dornan - Superman - Man of Steel (2013)

Mr. Kent will see you now. If history shook out a bit differently, maybe Henry Cavill would've played the lead in Fifty Shades of Grey, and Jamie Dornan would have been the Man of Steel lead that kicked off the DC Extended Universe. But that’s not the multiverse we live in, as we’re now wondering if these two will be competing for another massive pop culture role: that of James Bond.

Amanda Seyfried - Gamora - Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

If it wasn’t for Amanda Seyfried questioning whether or not Guardians of the Galaxy would be the first Marvel movie to bomb, she might have accepted the role of Gamora. However, it’s those doubts that kept her out of James Gunn’s 2014 blockbuster; a fact that Seyfried admits she was “very wrong” about.

Glenn Howerton - Star-Lord - Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

It’s more than an implication that It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Glenn Howerton was almost cast as Star-Lord. It’s been pretty much confirmed by James Gunn that Howerton would have been his next choice, had Chris Pratt not signed on. The only thing more interesting is how “the Golden God” himself wasn’t considered to play Adam Warlock.

Lindsay Lohan - Scarlet Witch - Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

Back in the days of her docu-series Lindsay, this Mouse House graduate thought her manager cost her a role in an Avengers movie. Well, if the timing of that 2014 project was any indication, the whispers of Lindsay Lohan being up for the part of Scarlet Witch just may have been true. 

Olga Kurylenko - Wonder Woman - Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

If there are two stars that need to be interviewed together about their careers, it’s Gal Gadot and Olga Kurylenko. Apparently, they both competed for lead roles in Quantum of Solace and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice; with Kurylenko ultimately getting the Bond experience and Gadot snagging the Lasso of Truth.

Asa Butterfield - Spider-Man - Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Remember that time the world was convinced Asa Butterfield was the new Spider-Man? It happened, and the Sex Education lead apparently did test for the role in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. Though his bid was unsuccessful, it’s hard not to admit he’d have made a good candidate had Tom Holland not eventually landed the role.

Emma Roberts - Harley Quinn - Suicide Squad (2016)

Apparently, the world has Fox’s now defunct shriek-com Scream Queens for taking Emma Roberts away from Suicide Squad. Roberts chose that TV gig over becoming the living embodiment of mayhem, leaving the role wide open for Margot Robbie to accept, and own, the role of Harley Quinn for years to come.

Josh Brolin - Batman - Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Ben Affleck had some stiff competition for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice’s Caped Crusader; and Josh Brolin was one of those competitors. But just as those hopes of Bryan Cranston as Lex Luthor and Timothy Dalton as Alfred didn’t pan out, Brolin lost the gig. With that, another major "what if" casting scenario was created.

Ryan Gosling - Doctor Strange - Doctor Strange (2016)

Yes, it’s true: Ryan Gosling took a meeting back in the Phase Three days of the MCU. The Mickey Mouse Club alum was considered to play Dr. Steven Strange himself. It’s hard to tell which missed opportunity is the more intriguing what if: this, or Gosling’s failed attempt to make a Haunted Mansion movie with Guillermo del Toro.

DeWanda Wise - Maria Rambeau - Captain Marvel (2019)

Getting cast in a superhero movie like Captain Marvel, only to have to bow out, has to be a painful feeling. DeWanda Wise is another case of such history in action, as she was supposed to play Maria Rambeau opposite Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers. But then, commitments to Season 2 of Netflix’s She’s Gotta Have It forced Wise to exit, with Lashana Lynch taking her place shortly after.

Sean Young - Catwoman - Batman Returns (1992)

Sean Young really wanted to be Catwoman in Batman Returns. No, seriously, the Blade Runner actor had such a desire to be cast in the role, that details reported via CBR saw a Warner Bros exec talking about how she burst into his office, in a Catwoman costume of her own design, to try and impress him and Michael Keaton. Needless to say, it didn’t work.

David Duchovny - Batman - Batman & Robin (1997)

There was a bit of a holding pattern between the success of Batman Forever and the accelerated timeline to make Batman & Robin. In that chaos, Val Kilmer exited the role, and a new Bats needed to be found. The X-Files' David Duchovny was one of the candidates considered, but the spooky man lost out on the role to George Clooney. A fate that Mr. Clooney still apologizes for, to this very day.

Armie Hammer - Batman - Justice League: Mortal (2007)

Tax rebates! That’s what caused the cancellation of George Miller’s Justice League: Mortal, which was pretty far along in pre-production for a movie to be given the axe. With Armie Hammer cast as Batman for this big blockbuster, the Caped Crusader scored yet another intriguing “what if…” when the curtain fell.

Anne Hathaway - Black Cat - Spider-Man 4 (2011)

If Spider-Man 4 had actually happened, it could have been a hell of a sight. With folks like John Malkovich cast, the next intended Sam Raimi-helmed movie could have been a return to the heights of Spider-Man 2. And in that pocket of alternate reality, Anne Hathaway probably didn’t play Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises, as she would have played a feline of a different stripe: Felicia Hardy herself, Black Cat. 

Christina Aguilera - Invisible Woman - Fantastic Four (2005)

Prepare for quite possibly the most bizarro alternative casting on this list. Amid development on 2005's Fantastic Four, Sean Astin himself wanted to direct the First Family of Superheroes. And as Astin revealed to Collider, he wanted Christina Aguilera to play Sue Storm a.k.a. the Invisible Woman. There’s got to be a “Genie In A Bottle” joke here somewhere, but we just can’t see it.

As you can see, the world of alternate comic castings has led to some stranger than-fiction-possibilities, near misses and truly heartbreaking passes. You can bet that so long as Marvel, DC, and any other comic company is keeping the pedal to the medal to make more superhero movies, there will be even more of these tales to come along in the years to come.

While the big screen X-Men franchise on the whole has mostly been concluded, the Deadpool series is a lone exception. Rather than rebooting the story of the Merc With The Mouth, Marvel Studios has recognized the extreme popularity of the character as he presently exists on the big screen following the adventures in Deadpool and Deadpool 2, and the company has opted not to derail that train. Instead of a Spider-Man: Homecoming-esque direction, Deadpool 3 a.k.a. Deadpool & Wolverine is on in the way and on track to be released this July.

The highly anticipated sequel is being directed by Shawn Levy based on a script by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Ryan Reynolds, Wendy Molyneux, and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin – but who can we expect to see in the cast of the first R-rated Marvel Studios blockbuster? Who will be reprising their parts from the previous movies, and what fresh faces can we expect? It's in aim of answering those questions that we've put together this Deadpool & Wolverine Updated Cast List, which will grow as more actors sign on – and we'll start with the star returning to the titular role:

Ryan Reynolds

He's back! Ryan Reynolds fought for many, many years to get the first Deadpool movie made, knowing its incredible potential, and not only was he right, but the film ended up changing his career. His work with Shawn Levy on Deadpool & Wolverine will mark the third time he has worked with the director after both Free Guy and The Adam Project, and the sequel is one of many massive projects that the Canadian star has in the works – other titles including the sequel to Red Notice and the comedy Boy Band with Will Ferrell.

Hugh Jackman

In the run-up to the release of Logan, Hugh Jackman made it very clear that it was going to be his last time playing Wolverine... but evidently he underestimated the influence of Ryan Reynolds (with whom he has been having a public "feud" for years). In January 2023, Reynolds personally announced that Jackman would be reprising his role as the clawed mutant in Deadpool & Wolverine, and it's been since confirmed that he will be both playing multiple versions of the character in the film and wearing the hero's iconic yellow costume. Since his time starring in X-Men movies, the Australian actor has been very busy, starring in films including political thriller The Front Runner, the based-on-a-true-story dramedy Bad Education, the sci-fi feature Reminiscence, and the family drama The Son.

Morena Baccarin

In the early development of Deadpool & Wolverine, Morena Baccarin was asked about her potential involvement with the film regularly – leading her to reveal her habit of texting Ryan Reynolds trying to get info – but in April 2023 it was finally reported that the actress will definitely be in the sequel. She will once again be playing Vanessa, the sex worker whom Wade Wilson falls in love with prior to his extreme cancer diagnosis/treatment. Fans will remember that Vanessa was killed in the opening scenes of Deadpool 2, but time travel antics at the end of the blockbuster result in her avoiding death and staying alive. She'll be alive and in a new relationship in the third Deadpool movie.

Stefan Kapicic

Prior to the first Deadpool movie, the Marvel Comics character Colossus didn't have much of a history with the titular anti-hero... but that blockbuster wholly changed that. Stefan Kapicic reprised his role as Colossus via performance capture and voice over in Deadpool 2, and his part in Deadpool & Wolverine was confirmed in the same report that announced Morena Baccarin's involvement with the project. Kapicic's other notable credits include the hit series Better Call Saul and the Dracula-centric horror movie Last Voyage Of The Demeter.

Leslie Uggams

Thanks to Deadpool's relationship with Vanessa, the red-suited killer didn't live with Leslie Uggams' Blind Al at the start of Deadpool 2, but she still proved to be a key ally for the protagonist during the adventure, and she'll be back in action in Deadpool & Wolverine. Since the first sequel was released, Uggmas has kept busy starring in films including Nanny and Dotty & Soul, and appearing of episodes of TV shows including Empire and New Amsterdam.  Her part in the project was confirmed in late March 2023 at the same time as...

Karan Soni

Deadpool doesn't seem to be a big fan of driving, which is why his relationship with Karan Soni's Dopinder is key: whenever the mercenary needs a ride, he can call on his favorite taxi driver with homicidal inclinations. Soni was a wonderful standout in Deadpool and Deadpool 2, and he's continued to do great and funny work on both the big and small screens. He has starred in all four seasons of the TBS show Miracle Workers with Daniel Radcliffe, and his feature credits from last year include the Hulu original Not Okay, the Prime Video comedy The People We Hate At The Wedding, and Walt Disney Animation Studios' Strange World.

Emma Corrin

In February 2023, it was reported by Deadline that Emma Corrin has joined the cast of Deadpool & Wolverine and will be playing the principal antagonist in the blockbuster. This will be the most high profile big screen role that Corrin has played, though they previously earned a lot of buzz playing Princess Diana a.k.a. Lady Diana Spencer on the Netflix royal drama series The Crown. It had been rumored that they will be playing the Marvel Comics villain danger in the film, but that chatter was debunked shortly after the casting news was announced. It has since been reported that Corrin will be playing Casandra Nova, a horrific villain from X-Men comics.

Matthew Macfadyen

Joining Emma Corrin playing a character new to the big screen in Deadpool & Wolverine is Matthew Macfadyen. He'll be playing Mr. Paradox, an agent of the Time Variance Authority who has been assigned the duty of introducing the Merc With The Mouth to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The casting news was announced in late March 2023, and the timing certainly works for the actor's career given that his time playing Tom Wambsgans on the hit HBO series Succession has come to an end. On the big screen, Macfadyen's previous credits include Pride & Prejudice, Death at a Funeral, Frost/Nixon, Operation Mincemeat and Ripper Street.

Rob Delaney

Everyone's favorite X-Force member is back! It was reported in early May 2023 that Rob Delaney will be reprising his role as Peter from Deadpool 2 in the upcoming sequel. Fans will remember that Peter stood out from his teammates in that he doesn't have any mutant powers; he's just an ordinary guy trying to make ends meet in a gig economy. He dies in Deadpool 2, but, like Vanessa, he ends up getting saved by the Merc With The Mouth's time traveling. As revealed in the Deadpool & Wolverine footage at CinemaCon 2024, Peter will begin the film working with Wade Wilson at a car dealership.

Brianna Hildebrand

Deadpool & Wolverine isn't leaving Negasonic Teenage Warhead behind. The mutant with the utterly badass name has been a part of the Deadpool movies from the very start, and her adventures will continue as the series becomes a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Brianna Hildebrand first portrayed the sharp-tongued, explosive hero in Deadpool, reprised the role in Deadpool 2, and a May 2023 report has confirmed that she'll be back in Part 3. Since last playing Negasonic, most of Hildebrand's work has been on the small screen with recurring roles on the Netflix series Trinkets and Lucifer.

Shioli Kutsuna

It was in the same trade story about Brianna Hildebrand joining the cast of Deadpool & Wolverine that Shioli Kutsuna was confirmed to be attached to the film as well. Unlike Hildebrand, Kutsuna only first joined the series in Deadpool 2, playing the electric mutant Yukio, but she played a memorable role in the third act of the blockbuster helping Colossus and Negasonic take down Juggernaut. Kutsuna has spent most of her career working in Japan, but American audiences may also recognize her from her supporting role in the Adam Sandler/Jennifer Aniston Netflix comedy Murder Mystery.

Aaron Stanford

One of the many surprises found in the first Deadpool & Wolverine trailer is the fact that Aaron Stanford has made a return to Marvel movies. Fans of the X-Men films will remember that he played John Allerdyce a.k.a Pyro in X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand. It's unclear if the version we'll see is the familiar version of the character or one from a different layer of the multiverse. Since his time in X-Men movies, Stanford has mostly been found on the small screen, starring in shows like Nikita, 12 Monkeys, and Fear The Walking Dead. He most recently appeared in episodes of Westworld and Star Trek: Picard, and he has a supporting role in Brian Helgeland's Paramount+ original thriller Finestkind.

Lewis Tan

Things didn't end so well for Shatterstar in Deadpool 2, as the advanced extraterrestrial was violently killed when he parachuted into a whirling helicopter blade, but Deadpool & Wolverine has evidently given him a happy ending. Just like with Aaron Stanford, the debut trailer for the Marvel movie confirmed that Lewis Tan  is going to be in it, and he will once again be playing X-Force teammember Shatterstar. Beyond Marvel, Tan is best known for starring as Cole Young in the 2021 videogame adaptation Mortal Kombat (and its upcoming sequel) and he also played Tolya Yul-Bataar on the series Shadow and Bone.

Jennifer Garner

We expect that Deadpool & Wolverine will feature a number of surprises that dig deep into the canon of big screen superhero movies, but this is one that has leaked out a bit early. It was reported in mid-July 2023 that Jennifer Garner is part of the MCU project and will be reprising her role as Elektra from both Daredevil and Elektra. Will it be akin to Ryan Reynolds' turn in Deadpool and help rehabilitate her genre legacy a bit? We certainly hope so.

Deadpool & Wolverine will be in theaters everywhere on July 26. For more Marvel-related reading, check out our Upcoming Marvel Movies and Upcoming Marvel TV guides, and plan your next canon rewatch with our Marvel Movies In Order feature.

It's no secret that superhero movies are everywhere, but a few franchises stand out by bringing something wholly unique to the genre. Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool is definitely in that category, which is why the developing threequel is one of the most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movies. Fans have not-so-patiently been waiting for information about that blockbuster, and that's exactly what we got today. Because The MCU's Deadpool 3 has officially confirmed the return of two beloved characters.

While the first two Deadpool movies were filmed and released in quick succession, the wait for the third movie has been longer. This was partly because Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and its properties, allowing Ryan Reynolds' foul-mouthed antihero to finally join the MCU. The cast has been slowly coming together, including the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. And The Wrap has revealed that Morena Baccarin and Stefan Kapicic will be back as Vanessa and Colossus respectively. 

This news is sure to delight Deadpool fans out there, as Vanessa and Colossus are two of the biggest characters in the franchise, aside from Ryan Reynolds' title character. It's hard to imagine what the Merc with the Mouth would be like without them, but luckily we don't have to. And it'll be fascinating to see how Wade Wilson's love interest and superpowered X-Men buddy factor into the mysterious new story. 

The announcement about Baccarin and Kapicic' roles in Deadpool 3 is not the first time that beloved returning characters were confirmed to be appearing in the Shawn Levy's forthcoming sequel. It was previously revealed that Leslie Uggams would be back as Blind Al, while Karan Soni will once again steal scenes as Dopinder. They'll be joining newcomers Emma Corrin and Matthew Macfadyen who have unnamed roles. 

While it's thrilling to learn that Vanessa and Colossus will be back for Deadpool 3, there are a few franchise characters whose fates are still a mystery. Domino actress Zazie Beetz has expressed interest in returning as her lucky mutant character. Then there's Josh Brolin's Cable and Brianna Hildebrand's Negasonic Teenage Warhead, whose fate haven't been revealed just yet. Considering how much stock was put in the Cable/Deadpool relationship, I'm also curious to see if he ends up in the threequel. Although with Hugh Jackman's Wolverine serving as a foil to Wade Wilson, maybe the developing project simply doesn't need Brolin's character anymore. Only time will tell.

I'm especially interested to see how Morena Baccarin's character Vanessa functions within the mysterious story of Deadpool 3. Wade Wilson's love interest has been the reason behind a lot of the last two movies' contents. The 2016 original saw him rescuing Vanessa and revealing the truth about his scared appearance. Meanwhile, her death in the cold open of Deadpool 2 motivated his actions throughout the sequel. Although the wild credits scene brought her back to life via time travel.

Deadpool 3 is currently expected to arrive in theaters on November 8th, 2024. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

We’re coming up on Deadpool 2’s five-year anniversary, but the good news for fans of Ryan Reynolds’ Mere with the Mouth is that his long-awaited third adventure is making steady progress forward. Starting with last September’s announcement of Hugh Jackman reprising Wolverine, various casting updates have been coming in for the upcoming Deadpool 3, but one person whose involvement hasn’t been cleared up yet is Morena Baccarin, who plays Wade’s love interest Vanessa. As the threequel moves closer to beginning production, the actress has provided an update on whether she’ll be back for the upcoming Marvel movie.

So far the only other other actors besides Ryan Reynolds from the first two Deadpool movies who’ve been said to be back for the next installment are Karan Soni and Leslie Uggams, respectively reprising Dopinder and Blind Al. Will Morena Baccarain be the next familiar face to be added? Well, seven months after sharing her last comment on this subject, here’s what she had to say while appearing on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum:

So this isn’t a matter of Morena Baccarin not having been approached to star in Deadpool 3; conversations are happening behind the scenes, but as things currently stand, it’s unclear whether or not an agreement will be worked out. Although Vanessa died at the beginning of Deadpool 2, Wade Wilson used Cable’s repaired time-traveling device to save her. So ideally these two should still be madly in love with one another and carving out a nice live somewhere, but we may have to prepare ourselves for a scenario where Baccarin doesn’t return, thus requiring the movie to explain why Vanessa is absent.

However, even if Vanessa were to come back in Deadpool 3, that doesn’t necessarily mean we’d see a lot of her, as was the case in Deadpool 2. Morena Baccarin pointed out that Wolverine’s prominent role in the story could affect how much screen time get ultimately receives with these words:

Along with the aforementioned names, Deadpool 3’s cast currently includes The Crown’s Emma Corrin as a yet-to-be-identified villain and Succession’s Matthew Macfayden in an undisclosed role. Hugh Jackman has also indicated he’ll play multiple versions of Wolverine, but nothing that happens in the movie will impact how 2017’s Logan ended for that version of the character. Behind the scenes, Shawn Levy is directing the threequel, and writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick returned to pen the script after Bob’s Burgers duo Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin worked on a draft.

Deadpool 3 is slated for release on November 8, 2024, and once word comes whether or not Morena Baccarin will appear in it, we’ll pass that along. Until then, use your Disney+ subscription to stream the previous Deadpool movies or any of the other Marvel movies in order.

It’s no secret that comic book movies are dominating the entertainment industry. But certain projects stand out as fan favorites, and Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool movies are certainly in that category. Fans are eager for any indication about what’s coming with the upcoming Marvel movie, especially since the titular character can now finally join the MCU. But will Deadpool 3 feature Morena Baccarin’s Vanessa? Here’s what she says.

Morena Baccarin played Wade Wilson’s love interest Vanessa in both of Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool movies. While the sequel featured her character being killed off, the wild post-credits scenes showed Wade saving her thanks to a time machine. As such, fans are wondering whether or not the Gotham and Firefly actress will appear in the developing third Deapdool flick. She was recently asked this at DragonCon Atlanta (via The Direct), responding honestly with:

Well, there you have it. It looks like Deadpool cast members like Morena Baccarin are just as confused about the future of the R-rated franchise as the general public. While Ryan Reynolds has been in contact with the powers that be at Disney, the plans for his long-delayed threequel remain very much under wraps.

Morena Baccarin’s comments come as fans are eagerly awaiting any news about Deadpool 3. Her sentiments of not knowing her future in the franchise echo what other actors like Zazie Beetz have said about possibly returning for the threequel. It seems like the cast of the property are being largely kept in the dark until Ryan Reynolds and the studio are ready to finally make some major steps forward for the beloved property.

When Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and its properties it had major effects on the film industry as a whole. But fans were especially interested in how this would influence the superhero genre and MCU, as it opened the door for characters like Deadpool, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men to finally join the cinematic universe. While Ryan Reynolds has been in contact with Disney and seemingly confirmed that the Merc with the Mouth would be joining the proper MCU, the timeline of this re-emergence is currently unclear.

While Deadpool 3 is a total mystery at the time of writing this story, Ryan Reynolds’ signature character did seemingly join the MCU in an unexpected way. Namely through a video short promoting his movie Free Guy, where Deadpool got to hang out with Taika Waitit’s character Korg from the Thor franchise. While this was a fun clip, it only increased fan anticipation and hunger for answers.

The next installment in the MCU is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on November 11th. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

The wait has been long between the release of Deadpool 2 in 2018 and the planned Deadpool 3, but at least the production took a big step forward in its development this month when it was announced that Free Guy and The Adam Project’s Shawn Levy has been hired to direct Deadpool 3. Following the hire, a member of the Deadpool cast has questions (just like us) about whether she’ll return. 

We’re referring to Morena Baccarin, who played Wade Wilson’s love interest Vanessa in both Deadpool movies. Considering the last appearance of Ryan Reynolds’ Marvel hero saw him saving his girlfriend with Cable’s time-jumping device, anything is possible. Here’s what Baccarin recently said regarding the question: 

For the four years Deadpool 3 has technically been in the works, we've learned very little about the project, and per Morena Baccarin’s comments to The Wrap, she knows just as much as we do. The actress shared that she’s been pressing Ryan Reynolds, who also co-writes and produces the Deadpool movies, but she hasn’t been able to penetrate through that steel trap of information from him. 

In Deadpool 2, Morena Baccarin didn’t get much screen time, which the actress admitted to being “disappointed” about following the movie’s release. Also, Vanessa is killed off early in the Deadpool sequel, but perhaps the Deadpool 2 end credit scenes can offer some hope for Vanessa’s future in the franchise. 

When Ryan Reynolds last portrayed the Merc with the Mouth, Disney and Fox were separate studios, but the two studios eventually merged in 2019. Following that, Deadpool is expected to join the MCU somehow, while Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has assured fans that Deadpool 3 will be R-rated just like its predecessors.

Ryan Reynolds is fresh off working with Shawn Levy on two successful (and more family-oriented movies) Free Guy and The Adam Project. Deadpool 3 will mark Levy’s first time directing a movie starring Wade Wilson following Tim Miller tackling the 2016 movie and David Leitch helming Deadpool 2. It sounds like Deadpool 3 is a project that is still being developed behind the scenes, and we’ll have to wait and see whether Morena Baccarin returns with other familiar faces within the cast. 

While we wait, Morena Baccarin has a number of great movies and TV shows to watch, and we can look out for hints about Deadpool’s next appearance in upcoming Marvel movies right here on CinemaBlend. 

It is an absolute joy to see Morena Baccarin back on TV again leading The Endgame cast as criminal mastermind Elena Fedorova. Once again, she proves to be the MVP of just about every project she is associated with, from stealing scenes in Deadpool and its sequel to… well, doing the same thing in several other superhero movies and TV shows.

Of course, the Brazilian native's association with various comic book adaptations is not the only reason she has acquired undisputed status as a “Geek Goddess.” Let’s take a deep dive into more of the best Morena Baccarin movies and TV shows available to stream or digitally rent right now, starting with the series that really made her a star in the first place.

Firefly (Hulu, Tubi)

With government agents hot on their trail, a mismatched crew of outlaws (led by Nathan Fillion’s Cap. Mal Reynolds) find danger, prosperity, and close kinship with one another while traveling the further reaches of the galaxy.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Morena Baccarin: While this inventive, sci-fi twist on the Western genre was not quite the success it deserved to be (Fox cancelled it after 11 episodes in 2003), the series’ subsequent, enduringly loyal cult following made beloved stars out of the Firefly cast, including Morena Baccarin as a lovely escort named Inara Serra.

Stream Firefly on Hulu.
Stream Firefly on Tubi.
Buy Firefly on Amazon.

Serenity (Amazon Rental)

The cat and mouse game between a crew of mismatched outlaws and government agents hot on their trail reaches its peak when an assassin (Chiwetel Ejiofor) invades their ship with ruthless intent to capture its telepathic passenger, River (Summer Glau).

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Morena Baccarin: Morena Baccarin would reprise her role as Inara Serra, along with the rest of the Firefly crew, in this equally action-packed and emotionally impactful feature-length continuation of the short-lived, but much-loved, series’ story that was theatrically released 2005 and is named after Cap. Mal’s ship, Serenity.

Rent/Buy Serenity on Amazon.

V (Tubi)

Earth is shocked by the arrival of an extraterrestrial race that bears a humanoid appearance and relieved by their claims of peaceful intentions, until they begin to show signs of not being quite what they seem.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Morena Baccarin: Years after the cancellation of Firefly, Morena Baccarin would return to sci-fi television, but in a more prominent and also more insidious sort of role, in 2009’s V - ABC’s remake of another short-lived, cult favorite sci-fi TV show that itself was based on an acclaimed limited series

Stream V on Tubi.
Buy V on Amazon.

The Deadpool Movies (Hulu)

After attempts to cure his cancer prove advantageous (immortality) and disastrous (ugliness), a sarcastic mercenary (Ryan Reynolds) with a unique awareness of his fictitious existence seeks to punish the man responsible for his new look (Ed Skrein) and, later, seeks to avenge a young mutant (Julian Dennison) targeted by a vengeful widower (Josh Brolin) from the future.

Why they are worth checking out if you like Morena Baccarin: One of Morena Baccarin’s most notable big screen roles to date is Vanessa Carlysle, the fiancée of the titular Merc with a Mouth in 2016’s hilarious Marvel Comics adaptation Deadpool, whom she would also reprise (with considerably less screen time) in the arguably funnier and more action-packed Deadpool 2 two years later.

Stream Deadpool on Hulu.
Rent/Buy Deadpool on Amazon.

Stream Deadpool 2 on Hulu.
Rent/Buy Deadpool 2 on Amazon.

Gotham (Netflix)

A promising, young cop (Ben McKenzie) arrives in a metropolis overwrought with crime and corruption hoping to make a difference around the same time a wealthy child (David Mazouz) is driven to do the same thing after witnessing his parents’ murder.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Morena Baccarin: Before the Deadpool movies, Morena Baccarin would star in a number of other comic book adaptations - such as when she joined the Gotham cast as Leslie Thompkins, who eventually marries Jim Gordon (the actress’ real-life husband, Ben McKenzie) on this hit series the chronicles how Bruce Wayne became Batman, among other DC character origins.

Stream Gotham on Netflix.
Buy Gotham on Amazon.

Son Of Batman And Batman: Bad Blood (HBO Max)

Bruce Wayne (Jason O’Mara) learns that he has a son (Stuart Allan), who is trained to become the new Robin and, later, must enlist the help of Nightwing (Firefly’s Sean Maher) and newcomers Batwoman (Yvonne Strahovski) and Batwing (Gaius Charles) to locate his missing father.

Why they are worth checking out if you like Morena Baccarin: Leslie Thompkins is not the only Batman-related character played by Morena Baccarin, who also lent her voice to the role of the Dark Knight’s  on and off lover (and mother of his child, Damian), Talia Al Ghul, in two DC animated movies: 2014’s Son of Batman and Batman: Bad Blood in 2016.

Stream Son of Batman on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy Son of Batman on Amazon.

Stream Batman: Bad Blood on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy Batman: Bad Blood on Amazon.

To Your Last Death (Tubi, Vudu, IMDb TV)

A woman faces off against the powerful Gamemaster (Morena Baccarin) and her own sadistic father (Ray Wise) in hopes to rescue her siblings, who have been unwillingly forced to participate in a series of deadly challenges.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Morena Baccarin: In 2019, Morena Baccarin gave one of her more underrated and deliciously wicked voice acting performances in To Your Last Death - a thrilling, animated action-horror hybrid that will certainly appeal to fans of the Saw movies or Squid Game on Netflix.

Stream To Your Last Death on Tubi.
Stream To Your Last Death on Vudu.
Stream To Your Last Death on IMDb TV.
Rent/Buy To Your Last Death on Amazon.

The Flash (Netflix)

A freak accident involving a lightning bolt strike puts a young forensic scientist (Grant Gustin) into a coma, but wakes up with the ability to move faster than anyone else on Earth and uses his power to fight crime.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Morena Baccarin: In the same year that Morena Baccarin first played Talia Al Ghul, she also lent her voice to one of the most beloved DC TV shows, The Flash, in the uncredited role of an AI hidden in STAR Labs named Gideon, whom Barry Allen created in the future, for the first of 24 episodes (so far).

Stream The Flash on Netflix.
Buy The Flash on Amazon.

Homeland (Hulu)

A CIA operative (Emmy winner Claire Danes) will stop at nothing to prove that a recently released, American POW (Emmy winner Damian Lewis) has been brainwashed by his captors and is planning to engage an attack on the United States.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Morena Baccarin: In 2013, Morena Baccarin earned an Emmy nomination for her performance on the Homeland cast as a woman haunted by suspicions that her own husband is a terrorist on this harrowing hit Showtime original political drama inspired by the Israeli series Prisoners of War. 

Stream Homeland on Hulu.
Buy Homeland on Amazon.

Last Looks (Amazon Rental)

A disgraced former LA detective (Charlie Hunnam) is thrown back into the game when he is asked to help investigate the murder of a woman whose prime suspect is her own husband (Mel Gibson) - an alcoholic, British actor who was supposedly too drunk the night of the crime to know if he is guilty or not.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Morena Baccarin: In 2021, Morena Baccarin starred in the quirky crime thriller Last Looks - based on the novel by Howard Michaeld Gould, who also wrote the screenplay - as a private eye, and the former lover of Hunnam’s character, who recruits him into strange the investigation.

Rent/Buy Last Looks on Amazon.

Ode To Joy (Hulu)

A man (Martin Freeman) with a neurological disorder that causes him to faint when overcome with strong emotions, especially happiness, is put in an unfortunate situation when he meets the woman of his dreams. 

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Morena Baccarin: While not quite as well known for starring in romantic comedies, Morena Baccarin absolutely shines as the love interest to Martin Freeman’s luckless in love central character in 2019’s Ode to Joy - a fascinating and unique film loosely inspired by a true story.

Stream Ode To Joy on Hulu.
Rent/Buy Ode To Joy on Amazon.

Greenland (HBO Max)

As the fate of the world is threatened by an impending natural disaster, a man (Gerard Butler), his wife (Morena Baccarin), and their son (Roger Dale Floyd) struggle to survive as they search for sanctuary.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Morena Baccarin: After Ode to Joy, Morena Baccarin shared the screen with another fellow comic book movie star (300’s Butler) in the 2020 disaster movie favorite Greenland as Alison Garrity, whom she is slated to reprise in the upcoming sequel, Greenland: Migration.

Stream Greenland on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy Greenland on Amazon.

Other upcoming Morena Baccarin movies to look out for include another survival thriller called Beast, which will more of a one-woman show for the actress, and the spy thriller Tropico, also starring Pedro Pascal and Willem Dafoe. Fans can also watch the actress on The Endgame Mondays at 10/9 c on NBC or stream it on Peacock the next day.

It’s no secret that superhero movies are currently the most popular genre in the film world. As such, many actors have appeared in multiple franchises, or at least had a number of auditions. Deadpool star Morena Baccarin has revealed her failed MCU audition, and what went wrong.

Actress Morena Baccarin has played a few comic book characters in her career, including in Gotham and her role as Vanessa in the Deadpool franchise. But it turns out that she auditioned to play Maria Hill in the MCU back in the day, a role that ultimately went to actress Cobie Smulders. Baccarin recently opened up about that experience, admitting she didn’t truly understand the vision for the character. As she put it,

Well, there you have it. While Morena Baccarin is an accomplished actress in her own right, even she can sometimes stumble during auditions. That’s what happened when it came to The Avengers, which was directed by her Firefly collaborator Joss Whedon. Although Baccarin would definitely get her chance to shine within the genre.

Morena Baccarin’s story about auditioning for The Avengers comes from her recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. While promoting her new show The Endgame, she also spoke about her life and career over the years. Eventually the conversation turned to audition stories, and why she didn’t feel confident when testing for Maria Hill opposite Cobie Smulders. 

Of course, the timing of this might have actually worked out in Morena Baccarin’s favor. If she was busy playing Maria Hill in the MCU, she might not have been able to join the Deadpool franchise. Her role as Vanessa was vital to the story of the first two movies, and fans still have high hopes for her– especially given that the character eventually becomes the hero Copycat in the comics. Likewise, audiences have really responded to Smulders’ run as Hill, as she’s already appeared in a whopping six movies and three television shows.

It should be interesting to see if/how Morena Baccarin returns to the big screen in Deadpool 3. While the first two movies were massively successful, there’s been no news about the franchise’s future since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox. Ryan Reynolds has been in talks with the studio, but there’s no telling when the threequel will start active development. 

Morena Baccarin can be seen in The Endgame on NBC, while Cobie Smulders will play Maria Hall in Disney+’s Secret Invasion later on in the year. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Not to be confused with a certain record-breaking Marvel movie, NBC’s The Endgame is a unique, mind-binding crime series that is one-part The Blacklist, one part Law Abiding Citizen, a sprinkle of Money Heist, and all high-stakes thrills. It stars Morena Baccarin as a brilliant international arms dealer who meets her match in a top-notch FBI agent (Ryan Michelle Bathe) trying to figure out how she is able to orchestrate several bank robberies while in captivity.

Watching the premiere episode (airing Monday, February 21 at 10/9c on NBC), which was directed by Justin Lin of the Fast and Furious movies fame, we imagine you might be able to recognize the two main leads pretty easily from their previous work. However, we will still start by recalling some of their most notable credits in our breakdown of who plays who on the The Endgame game cast and what else they are known for.

Morena Baccarin (Elena Fedorova)

As criminal mastermind Elena Fedorova, we have Morena Baccarin, whose “Geek Goddess” reign began with her breakout role as Inara Serra on the Firefly cast. It would continue with her lead role on ABC’s 2009 V reboot, playing Vanessa in the Deadpool movies, and numerous other sci-fi series and DC TV shows - such as when she joined the Gotham cast alongside her real-life husband, Ben McKenzie.

She made her acting debut in the 2001 drama Perfume, earned an Emmy nomination in 2013 for her performance as the wife of a terrorist suspect on the Homeland cast, and, in 2019, the Brazilian native was cast in her first Portuguese-language role on the soap opera Sessão de Terapia. Following the premiere season of The Endgame, Baccarin is slated to reprise her role as Alison Garrity in the upcoming disaster movie sequel, Greenland: Migration.

Ryan Michelle Bathe (Agent Valerie Turner)

Playing Elena Fedorova’s rival, Agent Valerie Turner, is Ryan Michelle Bathe, who also has a few things in common with her The Endgame co-star Morena Baccarin. She has also worked with her own real-life spouse, Sterling K. Brown, on the This is Us cast and on Army Wives in recurring roles and made a guest appearance on How I Met Your Mother as Lily Aldrin’s high school friend, Michelle, in Season 3. 

Bathe’s earliest major TV show was Boston Legal, which she followed with a long stretch of impressive recurring and guest spots on hit TV shows like Bones or Empire and, later, a starring role on Lifetime’s series adaptation of First Wives Club, most recently. Her cinematic credits include the 2007 romance All About Us, 2012’s Katherine Heigl-led crime dramedy One for the Money, and the Amazon Prime original period romance Sylvie’s Love in 2020.

Costa Ronin (Sergey Vodianov)

Like his character on The Endgame, Sergey Vodianov, Costa Ronin was born in Russia. He made hisd feature-length screen acting debut in the made-for-TV movie Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America in 2006. Marvel fans might recognize him from an episode of Agent Carter in 2015, although he had already scored his first starring role on a TV series on FX’s Cold War-era drama The Americans as Oleg Burovn by then.

Ronin also has a few credits in common with Morena Baccarin, having appeared on two episodes of Gotham as Luka Volk and 17 episodes of Homeland as Yevgeny Gromov. In 2019, he appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as real-life Polish actor and Manson Family victim Voytek Frykowski.

Jordan Johnson-Hinds (Anthony Flowers)

Starring on The Endgame as Agent Turner’s colleague, Anthony Flowers, is Jordan Johnson-Hinds, whose acting career began in his homeland of Canada on the shows like the teen dramedy Life with Derek or The CW’s The LA Complex. After making his big screen debut in the 2014 RoboCop remake, he landed recurring roles in major hit series like Suits as Oliver Grady and Letterkenny as a hockey player named Fisky.

In 2020, Johnson-Hinds appeared on Amazon Prime’s Upload cast as Robbie Amell’s friend, Jamie, and joined the cast of the Canadian-based medical drama Nurses. You may have also seen him pop up in movies like The Rainbow Kid and the Netflix original family film Yes Day as a security guard.

Kamal Bolden (Elgin Turner)

Elgin Turner on The Endgame is only the latest character on a TV drama to be played by Kamal Bolden. He previously had a recurring role on AMC’s short-lived Low Winter Sun, another on Chicago Fire, a guest spot on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and has a part in producer Michael B. Jordan’s upcoming thriller 61st Street.

His first major movie role was in the 2015 holiday comedy The Night Before, followed by Amazon Prime’s historical comedy Elvis & Nixon the next year. After appearing in the 2018 horror-comedy Ravers, Bolden led the cast of the feature-length political drama Keys to the City (which premiered on BET in 2019) and later joined Hulu’s Vacation Friends cast in 2021.

Noah Bean (Jonathan Doak)

As Jonathan Doak on The Endgame, we have Noah Bean, who made his debut in the 1998 supernatural drama Williamstowne before appearing on the NBC dramedy Ed in a recurring role. This was the first of many notable TV roles that also include a CIA analyst on Nikita, a political strategist on Syfy’s series adaptation of 12 Monkeys, and David Bowie on HBO’s biographical music industry series Vinyl.

He has showed up on the big screen in movies like the 2005 thriller Stay, the 2010 dramedy Morning Glory, and Amazon Prime’s fact-based political thriller The Report in 2019. He starred alongside Academy Award nominee Will Smith in King Richard as a professional tennis player.

Mark Damon Espinoza (Rogelio Réal)

On The Endgame, Rogelio Réal is played by Mark Damon Espinoza, who made his feature film debut in The Fugitive in 1993. That same year, he joined the original Beverly Hills 90210 cast as Jesse Vasquez. 

Outside of numerous guest spots on other notable series like NYPD Blue and Psych, the actor’s biggest claim to fame in the 21st Century has been mostly recurring roles on soap operas, such as The Young and the Restless or The Bold and the Beautiful. More recently, he appeared in the Dane Cook-led crime drama American Exit in 2019, three episodes of the Sons of Anarchy spin-off Mayans M.C., and the hauntingly relevant 2020 movie Paper Tiger.

With talent like this involved, I imagine that audiences will have no trouble deciphering NBC’s The Endgame (which is also available to stream on Peacock) from a certain synonymous comic book movie in no time.

For eight seasons and nearly 100 episodes, Showtime's Homeland was one of the most acclaimed and politically suave shows on television, especially during its first two seasons. Starring Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, Morena Baccarin, and Mandy Patinkin, the multiple Emmy-winning drama series was celebrated for its tense plotting, urgent storytelling, strong characterizations, and some of the most shocking moments in television history 

Now that the show has been off the air for nearly a half-decade, it’s worth taking a look at the Homeland cast to see what everyone has been up to since. Let’s take a look at all the major players…

Claire Danes (Carrie Mathison)

As Carrie Mathison, a CIA case officer assigned to the Counterterrorism Center, Claire Danes gave a two-time Emmy-winning performance as the protagonist of Showtime’s Homeland. The actress best remembered for roles in classic ‘90s movies like Romeo + Juliet, The Rainmaker, and Little Women, has remained quite busy in the years since the Showtime series’ finale. Though Danes hasn’t made any film appearances since 2018’s A Kid Like Jake, she has gone back to her small-screen roots with a trio of limited series in recent years, including The Essex Serpent, Fleishman Is in Trouble, and Full Circle.

Mandy Patinkin (Saul Berenson)

In the role of Saul Berenson, Carrie’s mentor, Mandy Patinkin had a long-standing part on Homeland, receiving four Emmy nominations. Prior to joining the series, he played Jason Gideon on NBC's Criminal Minds, Dr. Jeffrey Geiger in CBS's Chicago Hope, for which he was also Emmy-nominated, and most famously, Inigo Montoya in the beloved ‘80s movie, The Princess Bride. In the years since the Homeland finale, Patinkin has landed roles on TV shows like The Good Fight, Benjamin Franklin, where he played the titular American icon, and Death and Other Details. He also appeared in the 2023 animated film The Magician’s Elephant.

Damian Lewis (Nicholas Brody)

Playing the part of Nicholas Brody, a retired U.S. Marine Gunnery Sergeant who is rescued after being a POW for eight years, Damian Lewis won an Emmy for his career-defining performance in Homeland. Since his character’s shocking death during the Season 3 finale, the Band of Brothers star has remained busy with various small-screen and big-screen projects. 

Lewis’ most notable TV series in the past decade has undoubtedly been Billions, which completed its decorated run on Showtime in 2023, but he has also popped up on Wolf Hall and A Spy Among Friends. The actor also famously played Steve McQueen in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood back in 2019.

Rupert Friend (Peter Quinn)

As Peter Quinn, a CIA operative and assassin, Rupert Friend became a prominent Homeland character starting in Season 2, also receiving an Emmy nomination. Additionally, Friend starred in the Disney+ original series, Obi-Wan Kenobi as The Grand Inquisitor after also appearing on shows like Strange Angel, Dream Corp, LLC, and High Desert on Apple TV+.

Friend’s film work has really taken off in the past seven years, and the actor has given great performances in various Wes Anderson films, The Death of Stalin, and At Eternity’s Gate. He most recently appeared in the 2024 satirical comedy, The American Society of Magical Negroes. 

Maury Sterling (Max Piotrowski)

In the role of Max Piotrowski, a freelance surveillance expert who often works with Carrie, Maury Sterling was a resourceful character. Since the show’s conclusion, Sterling has continued to be a working hand in TV, appearing on shows like The Rookie and NCIS: Hawaii.

F. Murray Abraham (Dar Adal)

Playing the part of Dar Adal, a black ops specialist, F. Murray Abraham gave a two-time Emmy-nominated performance in Homeland. After leaving the series back in 2018, Abraham didn’t waste any time getting back on screen, as he appeared on shows like The Orville, Moon Knight, The White Lotus, and most recently, The White House Plumbers.

Abraham, who famously won an Oscar for his portrayal of Antonio Salieri in Amadeus, has remained a driving force on the big screen as well, appearing in movies like Lady and the Tramp, The Magic Flute, and the upcoming Mother, Couch.

Morena Baccarin (Jessica Brody)

As Jessica Brody, Brody’s strained wife, Morena Baccarin appeared in the first three seasons of Homeland, receiving an Emmy nomination. The actress is known for her role as Inara Serra in Fox’s Firefly and the spinoff film, Serenity. After leaving the show back in 2013, Baccarin popped up on series like The Flash, Gotham, The Twilight Zone, and most recently, The Endgame.

In recent years, Baccarin has also become a major part of the Deadpool franchise and is set to once again play Vanessa Carlyle in the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine film set for a July 2024 release.

David Harewood (David Estes)

In the role of David Estes, Carrie’s boss and the director of the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center, David Harewood appeared in the first two seasons of Homeland. In more recent years, Harewood has landed pivotal roles on shows like Supergirl, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and numerous others.

If you are a fan of the critically acclaimed 2023 video game, Alan Wake 2, then you should definitely recognize Harewood from his portrayal of Warlin Door, a performance that showed off his singing and dancing skills. 

Diego Klattenhoff (Mike Faber)

Playing the part of Mike Faber, Brody’s best friend who begins a relationship with Jessica when they think Brody's dead, Diego Klattenhoff can be seen in the first three seasons of Showtime’s Homeland. After his short run ended, Klattenhoff played Donald Ressler on The Blacklist, and was a part of the series for all 218 episodes. 

Klattenhoff, who played Shane Oman in the original Mean Girls, has continued to appear in films like Pacific Rim and Radius since his departure.

Jackson Pace (Chris Brody)

As Chris Brody, Jackson Pace was a main character in the first three seasons of Homeland. Since then, the actor had recurring roles as Gage in AMC’s The Walking Dead, Luke in Netflix’s Grace and Frankie, and in the Apple TV+ original, The Right Stuff. Most recently, Pace had a recurring role on 9-1-1: Lone Star.

Morgan Saylor (Dana Brody)

In the role of Dana Brody, Morgan Saylor was also a main character in the first three seasons of Homeland. In more recent years, Saylor has shown up in movies like Blow the Man Down, You Mean Everything to Me, and Spoonful of Sugar.

Elizabeth Marvel (President Elizabeth Keane)

As President Elizabeth Keane, a New York junior senator who’s elected into the Oval Office, Elizabeth Marvel joined the main cast in Season 6. Since her time on the show ended back in 2018, Marvel has appeared on shows like Manifest, The Dropout, and Love & Death. She is also set to appear in the upcoming Presumed Innocent adaptation starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

Marvel’s more recent film appearances include movies like Dark Waters, News of the World, and The Color Purple.

If you want to go back and revisit Homeland from the very beginning and remember why these characters (and the actors who played them) are so beloved, you can do just that with a Hulu subscription, where the series is streaming in full.

Stream Homeland on Hulu.

What Smallville did for Superman, Gotham, in many ways, did the for Batman - even if Commissioner Gordon’s origin story was just as, if not more, important than that of Bruce Wayne’s heroic evolution. The series, which ran for five seasons on Fox, also made comic book stars out of its exceptional cast (including Donal Logue, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Robin Lord Taylor, to name a few) and, for some, it would not be the last time.

In fact, for many members of the cast, Gotham was not even their first taste of… well, Gotham or any other fictional city in the DC Universe or other comic book continuities. Of course, the variety that has defined their careers before and after landing a part in the Batman prequel series should also not go unnoticed.

In fact, I intend to take a deeper look into the filmographies of the hit TV show’s most famous faces and find out what is next in store for them. Let’s see what the following 13 Gotham stars have been up to since its 2019 series finale, starting with an actor who got to play one of Batman’s most famous supporting allies, but as the star of the show this time.

Ben McKenzie (James Gordon)

Before playing Gotham’s future commissioner, Ben McKenzie’s debut cop role was on Southland alongside Regina King and The Walking Dead’s Michael Cudlitz, but it was playing troubled teen Ryan Atwood on The O.C. that made him a star. The now 42-year-old Texan (who actually got to play Batman in a 2011 animated adaptation of Frank Miller’s Year One miniseries) has since graduated to playing an FBI agent in Amazon Prime’s The Report, and a terrorist who has it out for a cop, played by The Dark Knight’s Aaron Eckhart, in 2019’s Line of Duty. He's also raising a child with his former Gotham co-star and now wife, Morena Baccarin.

Morena Baccarin (Leslie Tompkins)

Like their Gotham characters (but with far less on-and-off tragedy), Ben McKenzie found love with his Gotham co-star (despite previously meeting on The O.C.) Morena Baccarin - who earned her Geek Goddess status from Firefly, and the feature-length sequel Serenity. She's also played other DC characters in live action series (The Flash), or animated films (DCAU’s Talia Al Ghul), eventually playing Deadpool’s girlfriend, Vanessa. The Brazilian-born beauty played the wife of another comic book movie star, 300’s Gerard Butler, in the 2020 disaster flick Greenland, and will play the lead of the upcoming sci-fi series Home Invasion.

Donal Logue (Harvey Bullock)

We go from Jim Gordon’s partner-in-life to his corrupt partner on Gotham’s police force, played by Donal Logue - a talented character actor whose various credits include cinematic favorites like Jerry Maguire, sitcoms like Grounded for Life, crime dramas like Sons of Anarchy, and fellow comic book adaptations such as Ghost Rider from 2007, and 1998’s Blade. His first cop roles after Harvey Bullock were a sheriff on the Peacock original series Departure, and a P.I. on Stumptown (also based on a graphic novel series), and he also will play a police chief in the highly anticipated reboot of the Resident Evil movie franchise.

David Mazouz (Bruce Wayne)

Of course, we cannot forget who the show is also about: Gotham’s Dark Knight, played by David Mazouz - who previously played another young hero (but with psychic powers) in the short-lived Fox series Touch, also starring Kiefer Sutherland as his widowed father. The now 20-year-old actor will once again star as the younger version of an orphaned central “hero,” opposite the likes of Ewan McGregor and Aldis Hodge, in the upcoming crime thriller The Birthday Cake, which is now in post-production.

Sean Pertwee (Alfred Pennyworth)

At least Bruce Wayne could find a father figure in his family’s live-in servant, Alfred - played on Gotham by Sean Pertwee, who has not only appeared in all kinds of other nerdy things (like sci-fi horror Event Horizon, modern-day Sherlock Holmes retelling Elementary, and video games franchises like Assassin’s Creed), but is also the son of the third actor to play the title role of Doctor Who, Jon Pertwee. The 56-year-old has reunited with Dog Soldiers director Neil Marshall for 2021 period horror flick The Reckoning and stars opposite Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams in the darkly comic British crime series Two Weeks to Live.

Erin Richards (Barbara Kean)

Another UK-born Gotham star (although you wouldn’t know from the show) is Erin Richards, who plays Jim Gordon’s on-and-off criminal ex-fiancée Barbara Kean, and also directed a Season 5 episode of the series after making her own short film, Hot Girl, in 2018. The Welsh actress also directed an episode of the short-lived CBS drama God Friended Me in 2020 and, as for work in front of the camera, will star in a Covid-19 era romance, Grey Elephant, and is now filming a drama, with the plot currently under wraps (although it sounds like it could, too, be a Covid-19 era flick), called Save the Cinema.

Jessica Lucas (Tabitha Galavan)

Another former lover of Barbara Kean is her partner in crime Tabitha Galavan, otherwise known as Tigress, whom Jessica Lucas (of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Melrose Place, and 2013’s Evil Dead fame) portrayed on Gotham until the character's death in the Season 5 premiere. The underrated Scream Queen went on to lead her own crime procedural, The Murders, filmed in her home country of Canada, and is joining the cast of medical drama The Resident. There is no word on if she will be involved in the upcoming direct sequel to Cloverfield, but, considering, we never witnessed her demise in the 2008 found footage hit, it is entirely possible.

Camren Bicondova (Selina Kyle)

Tabitha Galavan also served as a mentor to the young woman who would one day become Catwoman on Gotham - the breakout role of Camren Bicondova (before Banshee star Lili Simmons took over the part for the flash forward finale), whose dancing skills had previously earned her an uncredited spot on Disney Channel’s Shake It Up, and a small part in the film Battlefield America in 2012. The 21-year-old talent is also an active supporter of various philanthropic causes, such as the NOH8 Campaign, and recently starred in and produced the dramatic short film 3 Days Closer, in 2020.

Robin Lord Taylor (Oswald Cobblepot)

Short films, along with a recurring role on the hit Netflix exclusive thriller You, and a small, but memorably interesting, appearance in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, are among the more recent projects for Robin Lord Taylor - who received much acclaim for his performance as the criminal who would one day take on Batman as the Penguin, Oswald Cobblepot. Also known for playing a character aptly named A.D.D. in the 2006 college comedy Accepted, the now 42-year-old will next be seen in director James Franco’s 1940s period piece The Long Home, and his crime drama 10-13, written and directed by former Gotham and Dexter star David Zayas, is now in pre-production.

Jada Pinkett Smith (Fish Mooney)

Seeing Jada Pinkett Smith (life partner to Will) play Maria “Fish” Mooney, a ruthless criminal completely original to Gotham (following her lead role on short-lived medical drama Hawthorne), was a pleasant surprise, considering her big screen stardom from Scream 2, Michael Mann’s Collateral, and lending her voice to Gloria the Hippo in the Madagascar franchise. The host of Red Table Talk (a Facebook Watch exclusive talk show she hosts with her daughter and mother) has since appeared as an FBI agent in Angel Has Fallen and will reprise her role as Niobe in the highly anticipated fourth installment of The Matrix movies - now in post-production.

Cory Michael Smith (Edward Nygma)

As for another classic Batman villain, Cory Michael Smith gave one riddling performance on Gotham as Edward Nygma - his screen acting debut before appearing films like Academy Award-nominated Carol, Neil Armstrong biopic First Man, and the 2018 LGBTQ+ period tragedy 1985, which he also produced. Outside of his starring role on the short-lived Amazon Prime original series Utopia, the actor has since returned to his theater roots (sort of) by participating in virtual performances of stage plays, such as a reading of Christa McAuliffe’s Eyes Were Blue from One Night in Miami scribe Kemp Powers, from February to April 2021.

Maggie Geha (Ivy Pepper)

The Riddler is not the only Batman villain known for wearing green, it's also the signature color for Gotham's Poison Ivy, as played by 2004's Miss Vermont Teen USA, Maggie Geha, in the third and fourth seasons. The redheaded model and former All My Children actress would later the join the cast of the Netflix original sitcom Mr. Iglesias and is set for a role in Mel Rodriguez III's upcoming comedy Benny's Lament, for which she is, unsurprisingly, currently credited as "Femme Fatale."

Cameron Monaghan (Jerome Valeska)

Most Gotham fans, however, would argue that the series' most dazzling interpretation of an iconic DC baddie is Cameron Monaghan's Jerome Valeska - who is not necessarily, but pretty much is, The Joker. The talented 27-year-old's other most identifiable roles are Ian Gallagher on Showtime's Shameless and Cal Kestis in the video game Star Wars: Fallen Order, but be sure to look out for him in the upcoming horror film The White Devil, the action thriller Wake, and the horror crime thriller Deliberation.

Even though he was never explicitly referred to as The Joker on Gotham, some consider Cameron Monaghan's role as their favorite version of the Clown Prince of Crime. Although that was, unfortunately, not always the case for the series' other reinterpretations of classic characters, it is hard to argue against the belief that the cast of the Batman prequel made quite an impact on the world of DC. Wherever there are further updates to find regarding this hit TV series' legacy, CinemaBlend will be there.

For many audiences, How I Met Your Mother was how they met Hunters actor Josh Radnor, MCU heroine Cobie Smulders, and Cristin Milioti of Palms Springs. It is also likely how they became reacquainted with Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast alum Alyson Hannigan, former Freaks and Geeks cast member Jason Segel, and Neil Patrick Harris – formerly known as Doogie Howser. Yet, some fans may not realize that the hit CBS comedy may also be how they met many of today’s biggest celebrities.

As it often happens with long-running TV shows (nine seasons, in this case), the sitcom from creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas turned out to be a big break (or the home of a brief, but fun, appearance) for many you would easily recognize today. In fact, to mention every big name we found in supporting roles alongside the How I Met Your Mother cast list would take longer than the story of Ted Mosby’s life-changing romance (as well as the misadventures of his friends in New York). So, we narrowed the list down to 31 celebrities, starting with one incredibly talented performer who appeared on the series right before he became legen– wait for it… DARY!

Lin-Manuel Miranda (Gus)

Before his hip-hop history lesson, Hamilton, made him the biggest name on Broadway, Lin-Manuel Miranda appeared in an episode of How I Met Your Mother’s final season that is also told entirely in rhyme. He even gets to drop a few sick verses as a bus patron initially annoyed by Marshall’s incessant use of homonyms to put his infant son to sleep while en route to Barney and Robin’s wedding.

Rizwan Manji (Dr. Vikash)

In Season 5’s “Double Date,” we see a glimpse into one of Marshall’s sexual fantasies, which requires him to envision an elaborate scenario in which Lily is diagnosed with a “rare and fatal hiccup disorder.” The doctor in that imagined scenario is played by Rizwan Manji, who would go on to steal scenes from the Schitt’s Creek cast as Ray Butani and star in movies like The Wolf of Wall Street or, more recently, Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Jay Ellis (Sound Guy)

Marshall visits his father’s grave to tell him all about the gang’s New Year’s adventures, such as when Robin steps in to produce, and ultimately, cover the celebration in Times Square in “Tailgate.” The Season 7 holiday episode also features an early sighting of Top Gun: Maverick’s Payback actor, Jay Ellis, as Robin’s audio technician.

Raymond Lee (College Dude)

Ellis is not the only Top Gun: Maverick cast member who had a role in a 2012 HIMYM episode. The following season, Raymond Lee – who also went on to lead the rebooted Quantum Leap cast – appeared as a “sandwich-eating” Wesleyan student whom Ted discovers from an old video gave him the idea for his alter ego, Doctor X.

Matt Walsh (Captain Dearduff)

Fans of Matt Walsh’s work in 2009’s The Hangover and the Veep cast, to name a few, would be forgiven for not noticing his subtle HIMYM cameo in Season 9’s “Sunrise.” In Marshall and LIly’s room at Farhampton hangs a photo of the sailor who supposedly haunts the room, Captain Dearduff, which is really a photo of the actor, who, coincidentally, later appeared on CBS’ supernatural comedy, Ghosts, as the spirit of Elias Woodstone.

Kate Micucci (Registrar)

When the gang heads to Atlantic City to see Marshall and Lily Elope in Season 2, they try to obtain a marriage license from a clerk who continuously gives them false hope by saying “what she would say” if it were true or possible. This frustratingly misleading registrar is played by Kate Micucci in only her second acting gig before she and Riki Lindhome hit it big as musical comedy duo, Garfunkel and Oates, and she starred in one of the best episodes of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, “The Outside.” 

Matthew Moy (Louis)

A HIMYM guest actor who went to become a regular on another hit CBS comedy is Matthew Moy, who appeared in Season 5’s “The Window” as Ted’s student, Louis. Two years later, he was on 2 Broke Girls – which was cancelled in 2017 – as Williamsburg Diner owner, Han Lee.

Jayma Mays (Coat Check Girl)

Before working with Neil Patrick Harris as part of the Glee cast (when he guest-starred in 2010) and playing his wife in the Smurfs movies, Jayma Mays appeared opposite him in one of the best episodes of How I Met Your Mother: Season 1’s “Okay Awesome.” One of Mays’ earliest TV roles was a woman working the coat check counter at a nightclub who impresses Ted by sharing a low opinion of such places.

Anna Camp (Cassie Lowell)

Glee also gave Anna Camp a chance to exhibit her singing skills before doing so in the Pitch Perfect cast in 2012. The following year, the actor appeared in two episodes of HIMYM’s ninth season as an attractive and outgoing guest at Robin and Barney’s wedding whom Ted takes interest in, but with increasingly disastrous results.

Amber Stevens West (Janet McIntyre)

Already well-versed in disastrous romances by How I Met Your Mother’s seventh season, Ted and a beautiful woman he recently met named Janet McIntyre both agree to avoid each other’s social media presence to prevent disappointment on their first date, which becomes a greater challenge than either expected. The woman is Amber Stevens West – best known at the time for Greek, before appearing in 22 Jump Street and landing a starring role opposite comedian Jerrod Carmichael on the short-lived comedy, The Carmichael Show, on NBC.

Morena Baccarin (Chloe)

How I Met Your Mother even put a then-single Marshall in a disastrous romance (which, thankfully, resulted in he and Lily rekindling their relationship in Season 2) with a seemingly well-natured barista (despite Barney’s warning of her “crazy eyes”) played by Morena Baccarin. Baccarin was previously best known from the Firefly cast as Inara Serra and would go on to have a somewhat more successful relationship with Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson in Deadpool.

Ryan Michelle Bathe (Michelle)

Baccarin’s co-star on NBC’s The Endgame cast, Ryan Michelle Bathe, appeared in the Season 3 episode, “Sandcastles in the Sand,” which explores the idea that a certain friend or loved one can bring out a dramatically different personality in someone. Case in point, when Lily suddenly adopts a boisterous, “party girl” attitude during a visit by her friend, Michelle, who is played by Bathe -- best known at the time for a recurring role on Boston Legal and later for the Amazon original romance, Sylvie’s Love.

Robbie Amell (Nate Scooberman)

Baccarin has also appeared in several DC adaptations, such as The Flash – on which Robbie Amell (Stephen’s cousin) played the incendiary Ronnie Raymond. The Canadian star of Upload – which has a third season in the works – also had a pair of HIMYM guest spots in Season 6 as Robin’s new boyfriend, who unwittingly earns the nickname “Scooby” and not just for his last name, but for his canine-esque characteristics, especially after he “eats a sandwich.”

Doug Benson (Cool Customs Guy)

“Eating sandwiches” is a claim to fame for Doug Benson and likely earned him the part of an airport customs agent who allows Marshall through without checking what he brought back from Amsterdam. This “miraculous” flashback moment from HIMYM’s third season is one of the comic’s many appearances as a stoner (or, in other words, himself), such as on Bob’s Burgers and You’re the Worst.

Scoot McNairy (Fast Food Worker)

Also one to appear on How I Met Your Mother in a nameless role is Scoot McNairy, who is now one of the most acclaimed actors of his day for movies like 12 Years a Slave, and TV shows like True Detective. Despite the briefness of the Batman v Superman star’s Season 2 appearance as a cashier from a restaurant visited by a starving Marshall and Lily at their wedding, he is remembered as the first stranger to refer to Lily as Marshall’s wife.

Malin Akerman (Movie Stella)

Speaking of DC movies, Malin Akerman appeared in Zack Snyder’s 2009 Watchmen movie a year before she, supposedly, poked fun at blockbuster stardom on Season 5 of How I Met Your Mother. She plays the female lead of a hit romance flick called The Wedding Bride, which happens to be a highly fictionalized retelling of when Stella (future Rick and Morty star, Sarah Chalke) left Ted at the altar for her ex-husband, Tony (Jason Jones), who also wrote the screenplay.

Jon Heder (Narshall)

In Season 9, we learned there was actually a sequel called The Wedding Bride Too, which the gang watches at Farhampton (the site of Barney and Robin’s nuptials) despite Ted’s forbiddance. One character of the fictional film, who appears to be based off of Marshall, is played by Jon Heder, whose defining role is Napoleon Dynamite in the iconically bizarre 2004 indie comedy of the same name.

Judy Greer (Royce)

Ted actually first sees the original Wedding Bride while on a date with a woman named Royce, played by Judy Greer. As a, sort of, reversal of Malin Akerman’s career trajectory, the Archer actress would find blockbuster stardom years after her HIMYM role as as Bryce Dallas Howard’s sister in Jurassic World, Laurie Strode’s daughter in the more recent Halloween movies, and in the MCU as Ant-Man’s ex-wife, Maggie.

Jon Bernthal (Carlos)

Also connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is The Punisher star Jon Bernthal, who first played a morally questionable comic book character on The Walking Dead for two seasons. Years earlier, the actor – who is also set to reprise Frank Castle on Disney+’s upcoming series, Daredevil: Born Again – appeared in the second-ever episode of How I Met Your Mother as Carlos: a mysterious guest of Ted’s three-night party who almost ruins his increasingly problematic attempts to woo Robin.

Lindsey Morgan (Lauren)

When Barney and Ted board what they refer to as the “Drunk Train” to meet women, they only end up getting drinks thrown in their faces by passengers who very quickly assume they “think they’re better” than them. One of the women is played by Lindsey Morgan, who – just two years later – starred in CW’s The 100 cast as Raven Reyes before playing Micki Ramirez on Walker for the first season of the network’s crime drama reboot.

Rachel Bloom (Wanda)

Another up-and-comer who threw a drink in Ted’s face after feistily asking, “Ya think ya betta than me?!” on the Drunk Train was Rachel Bloom. One of the first high-profile TV appearances by Bloom was on that Season 7 How I Met Your Mother episode, before she went on to win a Golden Globe for playing a lawyer making increasingly problematic attempts to woo a man from her past on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which she also co-created.

Floriana Lima (Haley)

Another HIMYM character who had a drink thrown in his face in Season 3’s “Rebound Bro,” is Barney’s potential replacement for Ted, Randy (Will Forte), after his disastrous attempt to hit on a bar patron named Haley. This role was the second ever for Floriana Lima, who has since starred on two TV series comic book adaptations (Supergirl as Maggie Sawyer and The Punisher Season 2 as the villainous Krista Dumont) and ABC’s hit drama, A Million Little Things.

Kristen Schaal (Laura Girard)

A comedic actress known for her feisty characters is Kristen Schaal, star of movies and TV shows like Bill and Ted Face the Music as the time-traveling Kelly or Bob’s Burgers, for which she lends her unmistakable voice to play Louise Belcher on Bob’s Burgers. In HIMYM’s third season, she played one-half of the Girards – a couple living across from Marshall and Lily, who first seem like the perfect neighbors until the friendship becomes a little invasive.

Larry Wilmore (Dr. Greer)

Kristen Schaal was also a Daily Show commentator for years, much like the news satire’s former “Senior Black Correspondent” Larry Wilmore, who would eventually get his own short-lived Comedy Central show called The Nightly Show. The actor, writer, and talk show host also popped up on Season 3 of HIMYM as a veterinarian who buys Lily’s artwork after discovering its calming effect on dogs.

Matt Jones (Pizza Guy/Arthur)

How I Met Your Mother is also famous for several appearances by Breaking Bad cast members, including Bryan Cranston as Ted's former boss Hammond Druthers, Bob Odenkirk as Marshall's former boss Arthur Hobbs, and Matt Jones as a pizza deliverer in Season 5. Jones, who played Jesse Pinkman's buddy Badger on the phenomenal AMC crime drama, made a second appearance later that season as the same character, whom we then learned was a frequent visitor the gang even knows by name.

Hong Chau (Cook Pu)

Speaking of names, on another Season 5 HIMYM episode, Ted once assumed his architecture class was playing a trick when he found "Cook Pu" written on the attendance sheet and proceeded to mock the name several times. He came to the late, awkward realization that it belonged to a real student of his played by Hong Chau, who would go on to receive a Golden Globe nomination for Downsizing, an Oscar nomination for The Whale as Liz, and also steal the show from the Menu cast as Elsa.

Jimmi Simpson (Pete Durkenson)

In HIMYM's seventh season, we learn that Marshall once went by a funny name (of his own invention), "Beercules," from an embarrassing video uploaded by an old college buddy named Pete Durkenson, who ends up reviving his drunken alter ego after a game of "Edward Fortyhands." This serial drinker (who, apparently, is a surgeon professionally) is one of many notable TV appearances by Jimmi Simspson – best known today for one of the best Black Mirror episodes, "U.S.S. Callister," and as William on Westworld, more recently.

Martin Starr (Kevin)

Jason Segel is just one of a few Freak and Geeks vets who have been on HIMYM. For instance, future Silicon Valley cast member Martin Starr made a guest appearance in the Season 1 episode “The Duel” as a guy who is not quite Robin’s type, but she tries going out with him in protest of Barney’s introduction of a Lemon Law for dating.

Busy Philipps (Rachel)

Martin Starr is not the only Freaks and Geeks alum who, sort of, reunited with Jason Segel on HIMYM as Busy Phillips – who played Kim Kelly on the prematurely cancelled dramedy – appeared in a Season 3 episode. She plays Rachel – a friend of Ted's former one-night stand, Trudy (Danica McKeller), who seems interested in trying again with the newly single architect when Rachel shows signs of wanting to share.

Conan O’Brien (Bar Patron)

After Conan O'Brien won the chance to appear on How I Met Your Mother's seventh season, instead of more formally sharing the screen with the cast, he opted to just blend into the scenery in an uncredited role, according to ScreenRant. Thus, you may not have spotted the living late night legend’s cameo as a guy just hanging out at MacLaren's unless you were paying close attention.

Harvey Fierstein (Lily’s Smoking Voice)

Even more difficult to notice is Harvey Fierstein's purely unseen HIMYM cameo as what Lily's voice becomes after the gang's smoking habits go off the rails in Season 5. However, in retrospect, who else but the Tony-winning Broadway actor, Mrs. Doubtfire star, and BROS cast member could have produced that distinct, gravelly drawl?

I don't know about you, but I have always found these lesser-known or basically hidden cameos on How I Met Your Mother more interesting than their A-list guest stars, such as Britney Spears, John Lithgow, or Maury Povich. I wonder if we will ever see any of these HIMYM characters appear on How I Met Your Father – Hulu’s in-universe spin-off – like Barney, Robin, and others already have. If they do, hopefully this list helps fans recognize them. 

There are scenes in Gerard Butler’s latest disaster drama Greenland that struck me as “impossible to film” now. The scenes had nothing to do with the asteroid fragments that were entering our atmosphere, or the damage done to our planet in the aftermath of such devastation. Special effects will always make scenes like that possible. No, Greenland must have been one of the last films to wrap its production before the pandemic shut our industry down, and there are massive scenes of huge crowds gathered together in a panic as survivors tried to figure out what to do in a panic.

And I kept thinking, “What will the film industry do moving forward?” How will it be possible, in the short term, to film movies like Greenland? Yes, a vaccine is on its way, but it could take the better part of 2021 to restore some form of normalcy. So when given the chance to interview the people responsible for this new film, I posed the question to them, as they speak from experience. Their answers are in the video above.

In Greenland, Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin are parents on the run when society is thrown off kilter by the arrival of asteroid pieces that are breaking through our stratosphere. Only, in the hands of director Ric Roman Waugh, this isn’t Armageddon. There’s a lot of character work included in the dialogue, as real people face real-world problems in the wake of the physical disasters.

Waugh had an optimistic approach to the challenges of filming dramatic stories like this in the wake of a global pandemic. He told CinemaBlend:

Resourcefulness and creativity: two things that are in abundance in Hollywood (when the right people can tap into them). Greenland co-star Morena Baccarin contributed to the group effort of bringing this movie to screens, but she’s more hesitant about the industry’s ability to mount massive productions like this, at least in the short term. Baccarin told CinemaBlend:

You will be able to see the fruits of the Greenland labor when the movie opens on Paid VOD beginning Friday, December 18.

Movies are artifacts of the world in which they are made, and that includes the timing of their release. It may not be fair to judge Ric Roman Waugh's Greenland for being a disaster movie about the potential end of the world for being released during a pandemic – though the planned theatrical release was notably shifted to a VOD one for obvious reasons. The fact that both wildfires and hurricanes were battering different parts of the nation during the films initial release window likely didn't help the situation.

In Greenland, John Garrity (Gerard Butler) is a structural engineer living in Georgia. He’s in the process of moving back in with his wife Allison (Morena Baccarin) and son Nathan (Roger Dale Floyd) after the couple has been having marital troubles, and he returns home on the eve of a party where the plan is to watch a comet dubbed Clarke, which is set to make the closest pass by Earth of any celestial object in history. It's a thing worth celebrating... before everything goes horribly wrong.

Unfortunately, somebody did the math wrong and what is expected to be a harmless splash down of a comet fragment in the ocean turns out to be the first of many continental collisions, causing widespread destruction and panic around the world. Luckily, John has been selected (apparently due to a combination of having valuable skills, and also luck) to take his family to a bunker where it’s believed they’ll be able to wait out the catastrophe. While the location of the bunkers are classified, the rumor is that they’re located in the country of Greenland.

Of course, as one might expect, the path from danger to safety is not a straight line, and John and his family must survive one trial after another in order to make it from their home to the bunker, assuming it even really exists. Everybody at the party finds out that John, Allison, and Nathan are going to be safe via what is obviously the worst planned notification process that anybody could possibly come up with. And the roads are flooded with people who simply don't know what else to do. Try to make it to see family one last time? Look for a miraculous solution that's maybe out there somewhere?

Everything about the first act of Greenland is stupid. Literally everything.

Greenland is a pretty straight forward disaster movie on paper. I spent most of the first act wondering if I’d somehow already seen this movie before, I think I was confusing it with Geostorm, another global disaster movie starring Gerard Butler. It’s fairly easy to get distracted by thoughts like this during the first act, because the first act is pretty dumb. Everything about the initial premise feels like it’s just meant to be the paper-thin excuse necessary to blow shit up with comet fragments for 90 minutes, which would be fine as far as that goes. Though the blowing up of shit isn't all that impressive on its own.

It's because of this that it’s sort of shocking to have the comet be essentially forgotten about for the entire second act of the movie. Instead, we get a remarkably solid character drama where John and Allison have to navigate the world, now gone completely off the rails since everybody is probably about to die anyway. The tension is strong. In some places it’s absolutely heartbreaking. When the movie forgets the comets and gets to be about the people, the good and the bad, it becomes much more relatable.

When Greenland is about characters and not comets, it works surprisingly well.

A lot of it is still fairly predictable to be sure, but it all works. You can finally start to connect with the characters on an emotional level once the danger shrinks from “global extinction” to “other people are basically monsters.” It's all stuff we've seen before, sure, but that's because it tends to work. Nobody's going to win an Oscar for Greenland, but nobody is phoning it in either. Well, maybe Scott Glenn, who makes a brief appearance just to "be Scott Glenn" for 15 minutes; but he's Scott Glenn so we'll let it slide.

All that tension is then resolved... and somehow the movie still has 30 minutes left to run. It honestly feels like ever screenwriter Chris Sparling wasn’t sure what to do with the final act of the movie as the story shifts back to hiding from fiery debris falling from the sky and all the tension from the middle of the movie is lost in the end of the world disaster porn (which I sort of figured was going to be the whole film at the outset). Greenland limps to the finish line with a finale that wouldn’t have been so frustrating if the movie hadn’t shown itself capable of more.

I’m not sure if anybody is the right audience for movies about the end of the world right now – many of us have access to Twitter, after all. And yet, even if an over the top disaster movie is what you feel you want to watch, I’m still not sure Greenland fits the bill. If you’re looking for cities exploding into dust in massive craters, you won’t see as much of that as you might think.

Greenland has some solid stuff at its core, but its bookended by such dumb that it’s hard to believe all the pieces were meant to fit together in the same movie. More importantly, these pieces feel like they were made for such different audiences it’s hard to image anybody actually enjoying the whole thing.

In the harrowing disaster thriller Greenland, Gerard Butler makes a promise to his child, which ends up being very hard to keep. “I swear I’ll get us into those bunkers,” promises the dad. “Because we’re always going to be together.” You can see it in the trailer, which I will include below. The bunkers are a safe haven in the middle of a catastrophic, planet-threatening event. Citizens of the world risk life and limb to get to those bunkers. So when I spoke with the cast of Greenland, I asked them if they knew whether or not those bunkers were real, and their answer can be found in the video above.

The threat in Ric Roman Waugh’s harrowing Greenland is a massive asteroid that is going to breach our planet’s atmosphere. The rock pieces aren’t massive… but they are big enough to create massive headaches for the people on our planet. It’s a wonderful throwback to the days of Armageddon and Deep Impact, only, played much straighter, with special-effects terrors and deep commentary about how we, as a society, might act in the face of such threats.

Once it is made known in Greenland that there are nuclear bunkers under the ground in Greenland, the parents in the movie (played by Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin) move mountains to seek passage on planes that will bring their family unit to safety. So when I asked Butler if he knew about the possible existence of said structures, he told me:

Now that you know, and I know, let’s keep it to ourselves, just in case there ever is a threat from the galaxies that threatens our planet. We can quietly head to Greenland and find the bunkers that used to be hidden beneath the ice. At the very least, we’ll find Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin there, and we can all hang out, in safety.

Here’s that trailer I discussed with you:

Greenland is one of the many movies that was set to come out earlier this year, and then faced numerous delays thanks to movie theaters having to close their doors to audiences. It has been finished, and will speak a lot to how our global community reacts in the face of large threats. While there is plenty of large-scale disasters in Ric Roman Waugh’s movie, the scariest elements might actually be the people standing next to us when the shit hits the fan.

See it for yourself when Greenland opens on PVOD from STX beginning on Friday, December 18.

While we wait for word on the status of Deadpool 3, it's worth taking a look back at the 2018 sequel. The second film in the franchise starring Ryan Reynolds shockingly turned the romance between Wade Wilson and Vanessa Carlysle a bit sour when Morena Baccarin’s character was killed off early in the film.

It was a disappointing aspect of the film for many fans especially considering the standout chemistry between Wade and Vanessa in 2016’s Deadpool. At least, during the post credits sequence, Deadpool uses Cable’s time travel device to save her (and kill his Wolverine Origins self and a pre-Green Lantern Ryan Reynolds), leaving room for her potential return. Here’s what Morena Baccarin thought about her screen time in Deadpool 2:

Now, that’s a classy answer. As Baccarin told ComicBook.com, like the fans, she too was bummed that Vanessa was left on the sidelines in Deadpool 2. However, she also felt it was a necessary sacrifice to be made within the context of the film’s premise. Without Wade Wilson witnessing the death of the love of his life, the events in the film would not have happened, nor would it have been as moving as it turned out to be. And hey, she made it out alive in the end anyways, right?

Still, it is a worthy conversation to get into. The comic book genre has a troubled past with “the superhero’s girlfriend” character, who is often thrown into the mix to bring stakes to the hero’s journey, rather than being given a well-balanced character arc of her own. Think about previous iterations of Superman’s Lois Lane and Spider-Man’s Mary Jane, for example. Deadpool 2 does play into this a bit, but at least the first movie gave us enough reason to feel the sting when she does get killed in the sequel.

In the comic books, Vanessa Carlysle is also a mutant going by the name Copycat, and she has the ability to shapeshift into anyone. If another Deadpool film wanted to give Morena Baccarin more to do, transforming her into Copycat could be interesting. Yet I can already feel some fourth-wall Mystique jokes coming on. Last year, Baccarin showed some hesitation about portraying Copycat since her and Wade’s relationship is at odds within that version. She did go on to say this:

However, the introduction of Copycat would mean there are mutants in the universe, and Deadpool is technically part of the MCU family now since Disney purchased Fox. In that case, the next Deadpool movie may have to wait until after the studio introduces the X-Men for its established universe, which has been hinted at by Marvel Chief Kevin Feige but isn’t officially in the books through a specific release.

Stick with us here on CinemaBlend for updates on Deadpool and the future of Marvel on the big and small screens. Morena Baccarin is starring next with Gerard Butler in the thriller Greenland, which is set to be released on September 25.

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There's almost never a show that gets cancelled and doesn't leave a legion of fans behind who spend significant amounts of time mourning the demise of said show. But, few cancelled shows in recent memory have had the fan-fueled afterlife of Firefly. The sci-fi series only lasted for one, very brief, season on Fox in 2002, but those who had dedicated themselves to watching it weekly still clamor for a reunion, reboot or anything that will give them more of the story. And, star Morena Baccarin believes she knows why.

Firefly's creator, Joss Whedon, was able to reassemble the cast for the film, Serenity, which served to wrap things up with its 2005 release. But, fan desire for more tales featuring the rag tag crew and passengers of the film's namesake spaceship weren't quite sated, as plenty of people still feel a deep connection with the space Western dramedy, and bemoan the loss of the series.

Morena Baccarin (who starred alongside Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Ron Glass, Summer Glau, Jewel Staite, Adam Baldwin and Sean Maher) recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly, and when asked why Firefly is still so beloved, said:

Morena Baccarin made a lot of good points about Firefly, here. I've watched a several sci-fi shows in my day, and I can't think of another series that blended the sensibilities of a Western (which were not in their heyday by the time Firefly began), with that of the idea of colonizing other planets. On top of that, as Baccarin pointed out, while there was, obviously, some amazing technology on the show, most regular people didn't have easy access to much of it, so daily life didn't look too much different from what we knew of frontier life.

Plus, the show was a pretty big leap from what even most hardcore sci-fi fans would usually see, as there were no alien races to deal with or ships that shot giant lasers in battle. Everything on Firefly was very focused on people trying to eke out a living in harsh conditions while trying to stay out of the way of the central government which went to war to control the various planets and moons people were now living on. But this, of course, is one of the many things that attracted a dedicated fan base to the series in such a short time.

As you might imagine, talk quickly turned to whether or not Morena Baccarin would consider a return to Firefly, should an actual opportunity arise. While there don't seem to be any firm plans on that front right now, fans can take heart in the fact that the cast seems to still be good friends, and that they look back on their time on Firefly fondly:

I know we all want more Firefly, but isn't it at least nice to hear that everyone who was on the show still likes and supports each other? Besides, I think we all know that this fandom won't die any time soon, so even if it takes another 18 years for them to come back together on screen, we'll be waiting.

You can stream Firefly on Hulu, and for more to fill out your television viewing time, check out our 2020 Netflix guide and see what's coming to TV this summer!

Gerard Butler has faced a lot of different disasters in his career. Rogue nuclear subs, various armies of invaders trying to do him and his friends/family harm, and of course, a Geostorm have all tried to knock this tower of power down on his rear. But his latest film Greenland is about to use a pretty novel tactic, as not one, but several meteor fragments are falling from the sky, trying to wipe out Butler and his family.

Watch the apocalyptic madness for yourself, in the first trailer for Greenland, shown below:

Yes, dear readers: Greenland is showing the end of the world as we know it, and Gerard Butler is not feeling fine. Thanks to a comet named Clarke streaking past the Earth, some fragments have found their way into out atmosphere. And they aren’t just the cute, tiny type you can collect and wear as a necklace. Nope, Greenland is hurtling pure chunks of massive rock towards the planet’s surface, and at least one of them is a planet killer.

However, instead of letting action hero extraordinaire Butler suit up and try to take the threat down from the inside, Greenland sees his character trying to do something relatively much easier: he wants to escape with his family (which includes Deadpool star Morena Baccarin, and movie legent to a rumored refuge in the country this movie takes its name from. So for those of you who were thinking they’d get to see Gerard Butler kicking some cosmic rock ass, we’re sorry to disappoint.

There’s bound to be some craziness that makes its way into this particular film though, as the Angel Has Fallen star is re-teaming with that particular film’s director, Ric Roman Waugh, for all that Greenland has to offer. And there are definitely explosions on offer in this first look we saw, as everything from suburbia to a military airfield is fair game for the destruction this apocalyptic epic is looking to hammer home.

Some may think that Greenland is coming at us at the wrong time, with the world already in a semi-disastrous state with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in a summer that’s started off on a footing that’s robbed us of a lot of big and loud blockbusters that bring the thunder, seeing something like Gerard Butler trying to protect his wife and child from falling skies is just the sort of distraction that could brighten thing up.

Greenland is scheduled to hit on August 14, 2020; though knowing how this particular year has fared when it comes to theatrical releases, this could change. So be sure to check back with us here at CinemaBlend for further important updates.

Few shows define the term “cult TV favorite” as perfectly as creator Joss Whedon’s Firefly, which follows a group of outlaws traveling through the stars in a colonized solar system. The series is heralded today as one of the best sci-fi TV shows of all time – despite being cancelled in 2003 after airing 11 of its 14 produced episodes – for its unique incorporation of traditional Western elements into a space odyssey.

Luckily, fans would receive some closure in the form of the space movie favorite, Serenity – a feature-length continuation released in theaters in 2005. So, what has the Firefly cast been up to since then? Buckle up and read on to find out.

Nathan Fillion (Capt. Malcolm Reynolds)

To many, Firefly is still the best TV show starring Nathan Fillion – whose performance as Serenity’s no-nonsense captain, “Mal” Reynolds, made him a “Geek God.” He would maintain that reputation by voicing Green Lantern in many animated DC titles and stealing the show as morally corrupt superhero Captain Hammer in Joss Whedon’s musical web series, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, to name a few. 

He would expand his audience as the lead of popular crime series Castle, which ran for eight seasons, and The Rookie, which has its seventh season on the way, as well as memorable recurring roles on Netflix’s Santa Clarita Diet and Big Mouth (the latter of which he voices himself in). He is about to make his live-action debut as Green Lantern (the Guy Gardner version) in James Gunn’s Superman cast, which marks his latest of many collaborations with the filmmaker – including 2006’s horror-comedy movie favorite, Slither, and his two MCU roles in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.

Gina Torres (Zoë Washburne)

Even before playing Serenity’s first mate, Zoë, Gina Torres was already living the cult sci-fi hero lifestyle. She had recurring appearances on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and a main role on the obscure, short-lived dystopian series, Cleopatra 2525, in addition to playing Cas in The Matrix franchise the same year Firefly was cancelled. 

Her career has since been blessed with an intriguing variety of projects – from voicing Wonder Woman in some animated DC ventures, to playing Jessica Pearson in USA’s Suits cast (and later leading her own spin-off in the role), and playing Arnold Weber’s wife, Lauren, on Westworld. Torres would return to network television with a main role on Fox’s 9-1-1: Lone Star, starred in a Netflix rom-com in 2023 called The Perfect Find, and her latest film, The Everything Pot, recently premiered at 2024’s Tribeca Film Festival.

Alan Tudyk (Hoban Washburne)

Another one of Firefly’s undisputed “Geek Gods” is Alan Tudyk, who broke through on the series as “Wash” – Serenity’s pilot and Zoë’s husband. This would lead to a wonderfully eclectic career of voice acting (including many Disney animated movies like the Frozen films), playing numerous DC characters in live-action and animation, and reuniting with almost all of his Firefly co-stars on Con Man – an Emmy-nominated satirical web series he also created.

The Resident Alien star is coming back as Hei Hei for 2024’s upcoming sequel, Moana 2 and is also lending his voice to the upcoming DC TV show, Creature Commandos, as Doctor Phosphorus. Also, based on Tony Gilroy’s comments to Collider, we might be able to expect to see him reprise his role from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, reprogrammed imperial droid K-2SO, in Andor Season 2 for Disney+.

Morena Baccarin (Inara Serra)

Another Firefly alum with extensive experience in things nerds love is Morena Baccarin, whose sex worker role, Inara, had a “will they, won’t they” dynamic with Mal. She would go on to play the love interest to more iconic heroes, such as Talia Al Ghul in several animated Batman movies and Wade Wilson’s beloved Vanessa, whom she is reprising in the MCU’s Deadpool & Wolverine. 

The Brazilian actor has also played her fair share of heroes and villains, such as the voice of Gideon (an A.I. character from The Flash) and her leading role in NBC’s The Endgame cast as expert thief Elena Fedorova. Baccarin has another upcoming 2024 movie called Elevation on its way, as well as Greenland: Migration – a sequel to her 2020 disaster movie hit.

Adam Baldwin (Jayne Cobb)

Before playing Serenity’s trigger-happy mercenary Jayne Cobb, Adam Baldwin was best known for classic ‘80s movies like Full Metal Jacket and ‘90s movie favorites like Independence Day. After Firefly, he found more regular roles on series like Chuck as CIA Agent John Casey and TNT’s The Last Ship, and lent his voice to many video games – including Injustice: Gods Among Us, for which he got to play Green Lantern.

Baldwin starred in the 2021 Kurt Warner biopic, American Underdog, as Coach Allen and has reunited with some of his Firefly co-stars on the likes of Castle and 9-1-1: Lone Star. He also recently starred in the 2024 war history drama, Love, Courage, and the Battle of Bushy Run. 

Jewel Staite (Kaylee Frye)

Before playing Serenity’s young mechanic, Kaylee Frye, Jewel Staite unwittingly found the perfect way to practice for Firefly’s interplanetary environment on Nickelodeon’s teen sci-fi adventure series Space Cases in the late 1990s. Sci-fi television would continue to be her bread and butter in most cases – having been cast in Stargate: Atlantis, guest starring on Legends of Tomorrow, and landing a recurring role on SyFy’s The Magicians in 2019. 

Staite, more recently, found a regular role on a more grounded type of series as a member of a dysfunctional family of lawyers on the Canadian drama, Family Law. She is also starring opposite Bryan Austin Green in an upcoming feature-length thriller called Chasing Midnight. 

Sean Maher (Dr. Simon Tam)

After playing Serenity’s resident doctor, Simon Tam, Sean Maher led a career path similar to his co-stars, in the sense that Firefly would remain one of his better known credits while finding more roles of a nerdy variety. For instance, he has voiced Dick Grayson (a.k.a., Nightwing) in multiple animated DC movies and starred in a couple episodes of Arrow as Shrapnel.

In 2011, Maher came out as gay (via CNN) after playing a closeted man on the short-lived series, The Playboy Club in 2011, reunited with Joss Whedon for the director’s modern retelling of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing the following year, and has also reunited with the likes of Fillion on The Rookie and Tudyk on Con Man. His most recent acting credit is a scripted Stranger Things podcast spin-off called Rebel Robin: Surviving Hawkins, from 2021.

Summer Glau (River Tam)

Being a lifelong ballet dancer helped Summer Glau earn her first job as a dancer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s acclaimed spin-off, Angel. She would be able to use those skills in a different way when Whedon cast her on Firefly as Simon’s intellectually gifted, but socially challenged sister, River. 

The fan-favorite role led her to play more ass-kicking characters – including a cyborg named Cameron on another short-lived, but much-loved TV show, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, a supervillain on Arrow, and a larper who must fight an actual demon in the 2013 fantasy comedy, Knights of Badassdom. Glau’s most recent acting credit is Netflix’s Wu Assassins from 2019, but as she insinuated in a video shared on YouTube by a paparazzi, the mother of two is putting most of her attention into family these days.

Ron Glass (Shepherd Derrial Book)

When Ron Glass got his first acting job as a guest on All In the Family in 1973, some of his Firefly co-stars had not even been born yet. Prior to playing Shepherd Derrial Book – whom you could call Serenity’s resident chaplain – the actor rose to prominence from 1975-1982 in his Emmy-nominated role on the funny, classic TV mystery series, Barney Miller. 

Most modern audiences not familiar with Firefly may recognize his voice as Susie Carmichael’s father in Rugrats and All Grown Up or God’s cousin, Rod, on ABC’s short-lived Teen Angel. His more recent notable roles include the 2010 remake of Death at a Funeral (the original of which starred Tudyk) and a reunion with Whedon on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in 2014, but sadly, Glass has since passed away in 2016, at the age of 71, due to respiratory failure.

There has actually been much talk of a Firefly revival off and on for years, which may not be the same without Shepherd or Washburne (both of whom died in Serenity). However, for fans who wish to see more than the 14 episodes available to stream with a Hulu subscription and Serenity, it would be a dream come true.

At the moment, Deadpool 3 is in a bit of a holding pattern, as the Disney/Fox merger has on-going synchronization kinks that still need to be worked out, and the future of the Merc With The Mouth is a significant part of that discussion. It’s probably a good thing, though, as it will ultimately provide a bit more time to figure out exactly what to do with Morena Baccarin’s character, Vanessa.

While she was rescued from death in Deadpool 2, there’s still a question that has been lingering for years, and it's in regard to the possibility of a future big screen story revealing her as a shape-shifting mutant known as Copycat - a part of the character that has existed for decades, but has been kept out of the movies thus far. This potential future was recently brought up in a conversation between Morena Baccarin and AV Club, and you may find her response to the idea surprising:

It's an issue that Morena Baccarin has indeed had on her mind for just as long as the fans, and it doesn’t feel like the Deadpool star has changed her mind too much. Prior to the release of Deadpool 2 she was just as excited about potentially bringing Copycat into the franchise fold. However, the main stumbling block has been and always will be Vanessa’s relationship with Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson a.k.a. Deadpool himself.

In the comics, Copycat is a mutant who tried to infiltrate the X-Force by kidnapping Domino's and stealing her identity, and introducing such elements to the live-action world would set up some interesting challenges for a couple that’s pretty much settled down. With Deadpool 2 introducing the potential for Wade and Vanessa to start a family, it does feel like the wrong time to spring a surprise revelation. It kind of all ties back to the reason why writers/producers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick didn't want to include the character detail in the first place, fearing that it would ultimately be too confusing for audiences.

Of course, now there’s a Catch 22 in play, because introducing her as a mutant felt too confusing for the audience at the start, and now she's almost too ingrained for her to go through such a change. Still, there is the option of using the Copycat reveal to help cement her return from the dead into the canon as something that doesn’t totally ruin what Deadpool 2 did with Vanessa’s now prevented death.

Deadpool 3 is supposed to happen “soon,” but the more time the writers can take to figure out whether or not Copycat is a good fit in the story, the better. Though fans will really want to see this character, as always the demands of a fictional universe making sense has to be considered before any fan-service inclusions.

In the meantime, you should consider taking a look at our 2019 release schedule, so you can find your next outing of excitement at the movies.

Even though Firefly only lasted for one (truncated) season on Fox in 2002 due to low ratings, the sci-fi series certainly had a dedicated following who have been clamoring for a return to the Joss Whedon show ever since it was cancelled. And, it's rare that a year goes by without one of the stars of the show giving fans a nod to the characters on social media, allude to a possible revival, work together on something else or just meetup in real life and drive everyone crazy.

As you might imagine, the cast (which included Nathon Filiion, Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, Morena Baccarin, Ron Glass, Summer Glau, Jewel Staite, Adam Baldwin and Sean Maher) gets asked about Firefly a lot, with the topic of whether or not they'd want to do a revival, what they'd want to explore with their characters now and much more being broached quite frequently.

Well, Morena Baccarin, who played intergalactic companion (i.e. geisha / mistress) Inara, was asked just these questions recently, and she's definitely got some thoughts on what she'd like to have happen for her character and whether or not it would even be a good idea to go back to the Firefly well at all.

I'd say that this is a pretty good answer. I mean, if you played a character who was a good person, but had some problems being happy, you'd want them to be able to finally find some joy, right? And, Baccarin's Inara was a good person. Her position as a companion actually gave her a very high social standing, and her presence on the ship that Mal (Nathan Fillion) captained gave them a lot of legitimacy, even though their activities were often less-than-above-board.

Inara was compassionate, dignified and civil, but her feelings for Mal (which were very very mutual) never really came to anything, as they figured it was best to stay professional. Of course, had the show gone on for Whedon's planned seven seasons, that probably would have changed at some point.

As far as going back to Inara and Firefly now goes, Morena Baccarin is understandably a little bit hesitant. Being "open but scared" makes a lot of sense when you consider two things. First of all, it's going on 20 years since they originally worked on the show, and as Baccarin noted the group "mojo" might not be able to be revived. Secondly, as I mentioned earlier, fans have wanted this show back since it got cancelled, and that's a lot of audience expectation to try and live up to at any point.

Speaking of fan expectations, the only reason there would be any on a Firefly revival is that folks simply have never forgotten this show or stopped dreaming of what could have been had it not been cut down in its prime. When Morena Baccarin was asked by the AV Club what it's like to have been a part of a project that people still hold dear after so long, she revealed just how surprising it's been:

I can imagine that Baccarin speaks for a lot of the cast, many of whom have gone on to do other things with large fanbases, when she says how amazing and unexpected it's been to have a cancelled show last in people's minds for as long as Firefly has. Most actors never get to have an experience like that, so it's good that it's really made a positive impact on her life and career.

As you probably realize by now, there are no plans for Firefly to come back to TV, especially since Joss Whedon isn't too keen on television reboots, but you can watch much of the cast in a host of other small screen projects. You can keep up with everything coming to TV soon with our fall premiere guide.

Spoilers ahead for Deadpool 2.

Since it arrived in theaters back in May, Deadpool 2 has continued to delight its captive audience. Wade Wilson's second solo film delighted just as much as the first, using a ton of surprising plot turns in the process. This began early in the film, when Morena Baccarin's Vanessa was killed off in the first act, changing the franchise as we knew it by taking away Deadpool's primary motivation. And while the film's post-credits scene essentially retconned it out of existence, Vanessa's death proved Deadpool 2 wasn't playing by the rules. Now Baccarin has shared an awesome behind the scenes video, showing her fatal bullet wound being painted on. Check it out.

Talk about a trigger warning. Vanessa's death is still very fresh, especially after the massive body count in Marvel's Avengers: infinity War. Characters are being killed off in superhero movies, although it's unclear if they'll stay that way. Just look at Vanessa.

Morena Baccarin's Twitter video shows the expert craftsman that goes into each and every bullet wound on set. In a franchise like Deadpool, where bullets are constantly flying, it can be easy for audiences to forget the work that goes into each effect. There are squibs, makeup, and plenty of bloody costumes that make each shot work within the film. While Vanessa wasn't a huge presence during Deadpool 2, her few short scenes required just as much attention to detail as the rest of David Leitch's blockbuster.

While she wasn't alive for much of Deadpool 2, Vanessa still helped move the story forward, giving Wade Wilson a reason to find a new family. That's what starts his forays in the X-Men and X-Force, and he eventually finds a tribe with Domino, Cable, and Firefist. Deadpool's grief also gave the film an emotional core to tug at, and explain why the title character was going through so many changes.

That's part of why Vanessa's resurrection was such a surprising choice. Using the macguffin of time control to keep Morena Baccarin in the franchise somewhat diminished the events of Deadpool 2, and made it clear that the franchise wasn't going to be strict with its canon. Now the possibilities are open for her role in Deadpool 3 and/or X-Force. Fans have been hoping Vanessa would eventually turn into the superheroic Copycat, but so far it's unclear if that'll ever happen.

You can watch Deadpool 2, complete with Vanessa's death and resurrection, on digital now. And Deadpool fans can own their own physical copy on August 21st. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Warning: MASSIVE spoilers ahead for Deadpool 2! Don't read any further if you have not seen Wade Wilson's latest big screen adventure!

With Deadpool 2 now in theaters, the world of Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) has changed quite a bit. No longer a solo act, the red-clad mercenary has found a new family in the form of X-Force, and new friends in the form of Cable (Josh Brolin) and Domino (Zazie Beetz). However, as the credits of Deadpool 2 clearly show, Ryan Reynolds' Wade goes back in time to save Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) before any of that can happen. It's a huge moment for the film, and we think the decision to undo Vanessa's untimely death could be a massive mistake on Deadpool 2's part, and future films will need to do something drastic to earn that decision, particularly as it relates to her villainous persona from the comics.

Right off the bat, it needs to be said that Deadpool 2 is largely a comedy for the bulk of its runtime. The film is chock full of hilarious moments, and it thrives on offbeat humor. Having said that, the film also maintains a rich emotional core built upon the foundation of Vanessa's death at the beginning of the movie. It's no secret that the Deadpool movies like to have fun by sullying dramatic moments with jokes, but Deadpool 2 very clearly wants us to care about the emotional stakes of Vanessa's death. With Wade's decision to save her in Deadpool 2's post-credits scene by using Cable's time travel technology to kill her attacker, the film essentially undoes some of its best dramatic beats.

Is there a way around this error? It's entirely possible. The key here is for future Deadpool-centric movies to not brush off the return of Vanessa in a way that makes Deadpool 2 feel inconsequential. If we have to push forward and continue with her survival as the new canon, then the X-Men franchise will need to establish consequences for Wade's action. One way would be for the film to turn her into her comic book alter ego, known as Copycat, and allow her to fully embrace the villainous persona that some fans expected to see in the original Deadpool.

For those of you who are less familiar with the character, Vanessa Carlysle a.k.a Copycat is a shapeshifting mutant with powers similar to Mystique. She has appeared as a member of X-Force at specific points in her run as a comic book character, but she has also appeared as a villain across numerous X-Men titles over the years as well. The creative team behind 2016's Deadpool has admitted that it initially wanted to bring Copycat into the fold in the burgeoning franchise's initial outing, but with Wade's decision to save her using time travel, this could be a perfect opportunity to shift her to a tragic villain figure for future outings.

Deadpool 2 is currently in theaters and has officially dethroned Avengers: Infinity War as the king of the weekend box office. Make sure to catch The Merc with the Mouth's highly-anticipated sequel on the big screen and take a glance at CinemaBlend's in-depth review of the film to get an in-depth look at our thoughts on the latest X-Men franchise entry!

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It's no secret that comic book movies are everywhere. With three shared universes currently competing for box office dominance, there's no shortage of superhero projects hitting the silver screen. As such, tons of actors have gotten in on the action, with some even appearing in more than one franchise. Just look at Josh Brolin, whose runs as Cable in Deadpool 2 and Thanos in the MCU came one right after the other. Actress Morena Baccarin has already gotten a few comic book characters under her belt, playing Vanessa in the Deadpool franchise and Lee Thompkins in Gotham. Still, rumors have circulated that she might be interesting in playing a villain like Catomwan in the DCEU's movies, and now she's confirmed it, saying:

Well, that's pretty cut and dry. Morena Baccarin is ready to add another superheroic property to her resume, and take on the role of Catwoman in the DCEU. Considering the new version of character will likely make her debut in one of the upcoming DC movies, it's definitely the right tome for Baccarin to make her intentions known.

Morena Baccarin's comment came from her recent Instagram live Q&A. Everyone in the Deadpool team has been doing a ton of press for the highly anticipated sequel, and now it's finally arrived in theaters. Baccarin fielded a ton of questions from fans on social media, with one eventually asking if it was true that she wanted to be the DCEU's Catwoman.

Catwoman is one of the most iconic members of Batman's lore. The enemy/ally/love interest has been portrayed twice on the silver screen already, both to rather successful results. Michelle Pfeiffer famously portrayed Selina Kyle in Batman Returns, while Anne Hathaway played a more toned down version of the thief in The Dark Knight Rises.

The beloved character seems like a likely choice for the DCEU's upcoming Birds of Prey movie. While plenty of projects have been announced by DC, the Sirens movie has acquired a director in Cathy Yan and may start filming as early as early as January 2019. It's currently unclear which characters will be included, but since the titular team of heroes is primarily based in Gotham City, Catwoman seems like a logical choice for a villain. Additionally, Matt Reeves' Batman movie is also being developed, as well as a gaggle of Harley Quinn movies. So really, Selina Kyle could pop up at any point.

We'll just have to wait and see how Morena Baccarin's two current comic book roles pan out, and if her schedule would allow for a contract with DC. Playing a big screen comic book character usually means more than one movie, so playing Catwoman would be a big responsibility.

You can catch Morena Baccarin in Deadpool 2 in theaters now. The next installment in the DCEU is Aquaman on December 21, 2018. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

After spending many, many years in development hell, Deadpool proved itself to be a monster hit. While there were some doubts surrounding the film, specifically the R-rating, it wound up being a big success with critics while also becoming the biggest domestic hit in the X-Men franchise. Naturally, a sequel is on the way, and the Merc With The Mouth is bringing two key characters from to comics to join him in the madness.

So what is Deadpool 2 going to be all about? Who is going to be involved? What characters will be returning? How will it connect to the larger X-Men universe? We're going to go over all of that in this latest edition of our What We Know So Far guides! Read on to learn everything about the highly anticipated sequel.

What Have We Seen From Deadpool 2?

Well, after months of teases we finally have a full trailer for Deadpool 2 that shows off just how nutty the second installment in the franchise is going to be. And, we wouldn't have it any other way! The trailer finally explains the story for the film, along with giving us a good look at some new characters.

What Is Deadpool 2's Release Date?

Deadpool had a crazy amount of success when it was released with what isn't typically considered a blockbuster release date. Arriving for Valentine's Day weekend 2016, it didn't have much in the way of competition, and, as a result, managed to crush at the box office. As it happens, however, Deadpool 2 won't be one of those sequels that gets a release date in the same window as its predecessor. Instead, Fox is giving the follow-up a major spot in their early summer lineup, and are prepared to have the film released on May 18, 2018.

It was set to be an interesting theatrical release for Deadpool 2, partially because it would have been part of 20th Century Fox's first year with three X-Men franchise titles. Josh Boone's The New Mutants was scheduled to hit cinemas a few months earlier, coming out on April 13, 2018, but was recently pushed to February 22, 2019. The Merc With The Mouth sequel will still be followed by X-Men: Dark Phoenix on November 2, 2018.

Of course, the big news with the Deadpool 2 release date is that it puts the film in direct competition with Solo: A Star Wars Story, which drops a week later. We can see in a few months how these two films battle it out in the theaters.

What Is Deadpool 2's Rating

Prior to the start of Deadpool's production, the film's rating was one of the most contentious elements of development. Director Tim Miller, writers/producers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, and star Ryan Reynolds were all insistent on the comic book feature being R-rated, but this approach was met with resistance by the executives at 20th Century Fox. Eventually a deal was struck that allowed the R-rating in exchange for a smaller budget, but it most definitely worked out in the project's favor: It is now ranks as the most successful R-rated movie of all time. And if you think they're changing course for Deadpool 2, you're crazy.

The MPAA doesn't actually assign a rating to a film until there is a cut that is ready to head to theaters, but we already know what the filmmakers will be aiming for in the making of Deadpool 2. There will be plenty of bloody violence, an abundance of cursing, and maybe even a bit of sex and nudity. Count on it.

The Director

It was all the way back in back in April 2011 that director Tim Miller was hired to direct Deadpool - and he was ultimately an integral force in getting the movie made. Because of his background in visual effects (he's the founder of Blur Studio), Miller was able to make the Merc With The Mouth solo film for a fraction of the price of a normal superhero feature, and still give it high production value. Unfortunately, creative differences led Tim Miller to walk away from Deadpool 2 in October 2016, and leave Fox and the producers searching for a new name.

The search didn't take long. Only a few weeks after Tim Miller announced his departure, we started hearing rumors about John Wick co-director David Leitch taking the gig (those stories were confirmed in mid-November 2016). Leitch, an experienced stunt man and stunt coordinator, made his debut as a director alongside Chad Stahelski with John Wick, but since then worked on his own solo feature with summer 2017's Atomic Blonde. Much like how Miller brought an expertise in visual effects to the making of the first Deadpool, it's expected that it was Leitch's gifts in the action department that primarily appealed to the more comedy and character-centric talents of star Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.

The Story

In this day and age, a hero's first solo film is typically dedicated to the origin story. While it's a bit tired at this point, it does make a good degree of sense given that it's the best way to introduce these super characters to a wider audience. This was the approach taken by Deadpool, as the movie told the non-linear tale of how mercenary Wade Wilson went through experimental treatments to cure his cancer and wound up with incredible healing abilities and a revenge mission. Now that that's all out of the way, however, there are an infinite number of possibilities for screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick to explore in Deadpool 2.

Two significant presences were confirmed for the sequel pretty early on: Cable and Domino. Both characters are tightly connected to Deadpool, having played significant roles in the issue where he was first introduced, New Mutants #98. The basics of the plot for Deadpool 2, though, were quite a secret until the late March 2018 debut of the trailer. In it, we were shown that Deadpool will be trying to stop Cable, who's arrived from the future, from killing a child with some awesome mutant powers. In his efforts to keep the kid alive, Deadpool will get help from friends old and new, as he'll be relying on assistance from members of the, newly formed, X-Force.

Deadpool

Thanks to Tim Miller's Deadpool, now all of you know the legendary story of the motor-mouthed, sociopathic Wade Wilson (played by Ryan Reynolds). In hopes of continuing a life with his one true love, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), he chose to undergo experiments that would cure cancer that had spread to every vital organ in his body. Instead, the horrific treatments designed to turn him into a mutant led to the skin all over his body becoming incredibly scarred (making him incredibly self-conscious), and it activated a stunning healing factor that left him both invincible and basically immortal. At the end of the movie we saw him get sweet, bloody vengeance against those who tortured him, and reunite with his love... so what's next?

Having been one of Marvel Comics' most popular characters of the last 26 years, there is plenty of material from which Deadpool 2 can draw -- and some of it is very, very strange. In his time on the page, the Merc With The Mouth has saved the world from aliens that wish to rid the Earth of free will, stopped a horde of zombified former American presidents, and even found occasion to travel around the multiverse to kill every single version of himself in existence (or at least one version of Deadpool did). As Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick confirmed to CinemaBlend, fans shouldn't expect things to get too weird or complex, but given the characters involved, we should at least expect some degree of bizarreness. Case in point:

Cable

Cable is a character who possesses one of the most complicated backstories in all of Marvel Comics. First introduced to the world in 1986, he was retroactively established as the child of Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor (a clone of Jean Grey), and due to machinations involving the villainous Apocalypse and Mister Sinister he was infected with a deadly techno-virus. With no other options available to save the baby (named Nathan Summers), it was agreed that he would be sent to the future where a cure was available. Being a mutant with incredible telekinetic and telepathic abilities, he grew up to be incredibly strong (taking on the name Cable), and eventually time traveled to the past in order to try and right the world and prevent a horrific future. Now that we know he's come back to our time in Deadpool 2 to put a stop to a young mutant, it's possible that the child leads to the very future Cable is desperate to change.

After months of speculation, it was officially announced in April 2017 that Josh Brolin has signed on to play the part of Cable in Deadpool 2. And if the thought of the Oscar nominated-actor being in a comic book movie feels familiar, there's an extremely good reason: he's been in a ridiculous number of them. Not only does his filmography include Jonah Hex, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Men In Black 3, and Oldboy, but he is currently playing the incredibly important role of Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (he already worked on Guardians of the Galaxy, and has been working on his part in The Avengers: Infinity War). Still, Brolin's proven talent has us very excited that he will bring a different energy to Cable that will surprise and delight us all.

The first official image of Cable in Deadpool 2, featured above, was released in August 2017, and has earned wide-spread fan approval. Die-hards were hoping for a metal arm, a cybernetic eye, a gigantic gun, big muscles, and a whole lotta' pouches, and that's exactly what the movie is delivering. We still have some big questions about the teddy bear attached to his hip (as seen in this image), but we'll patiently wait for something this exciting.

Domino

While not quite as complicated as Cable's, Domino has an interesting origin in the comics as well. As a character, she debuted alongside Deadpool in New Mutants #98 - though it was eventually revealed that readers didn't actually meet the REAL Domino at that time. Instead, the public and the heroes in the book series were duped by none other than the shapeshifter Copycat a.k.a. Vanessa (the character played by Morena Baccarin in Deadpool). It was only after that revelation that Marvel fans got to meet the real Domino - and we've been in love with her ever since.

The result of a government breeding program trying to grow the ultimate mutant weapon, Domino has a special gift that on the surface looks like dumb luck. In actuality, she has a special subconscious telekinetic ability that changes things in her environment to best work out in her favor (enemy guns jamming, ricochets hitting perfect angles, heavy stuff falling down, etc.) It's a super power we've never really seen portrayed on the big screen, and it will be actress Zazie Beetz bringing Domino to life.

While you could measure a football field with the list of names mentioned as being up for the part of Domino, Zazie Beetz emerged as the winner in March 2017. The 26-year-old actress doesn't have much of a filmography, with only a few years of professional acting under her belt, but she has already earned some critical acclaim - specifically from her time as Van on the award-winning FX series Atlanta. The most recent trailer seems to indicate that Domino will be helping Wade Wilson protect the mutant child that Cable is after in Deadpool 2, and from the fantastic action sequences we see her in it looks like she's ready to kick ass.

Vanessa

As Deadpool explains to the audience in the opening scene of his movie, his story is entirely driven by love -- specifically his relationship with the lovely prostitute Vanessa (played by Morena Baccarin). His feelings for her drive every element of the plot, from the fact that Wade undergoes experimental procedures to have more time with her, to his revenge plot being compelled by his need to look normal before seeing her again. Fortunately, Deadpool ends on a happy note, with Wade and Vanessa kissing and swooning to WHAM!'s "Careless Whisper."

We can't say exactly where Deadpool and Vanessa's relationship will go in Deadpool 2, but it has been confirmed that she will be back and she and Wade look to be together for at least some of the film. When we spoke to screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, we learned that making the character more like her comic book counterpart -- the aforementioned shapeshifting mutant Copycat -- is still on the table, so it's possible that will come into play.

Weasel

In Deadpool, T.J. Miller played the first big screen adaptation of Weasel, known to fans of the comics as Wade Wilson's best friend and arms dealer. The character was slightly changed for the big screen, as the comic book counterpart is merely a frequent attendee of Sister Margaret's School For Wayward Children, as opposed to the proprietor. Still, Weasel had Deadpool's back and ear right up until the final fight -- which he basically wussed out of to hang with Blind Al.

Weasel will be back in Deadpool 2, ready to provide some guns and harsh insults. We don't know any specifics about his part at this time - he was only briefly featured in the first trailer, and the most recent one only shows him trading jokes with Wade - but if T.J. Miller gets his way, than we will see him get involved in the action a bit more. In an interview, the actor talked about his character's desire for money over bullets in Tim Miller's film, and noted that he'd like to fire off a few rounds in the sequel. We have to wait and see whether or not he gets his wish - though that aforementioned single shot from the debut footage does have him cocking a pistol.

Negasonic Teenage Warhead

Unlike Vanessa, Weasel, Ajax and Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead was actually a late addition to the Deadpool lineup of characters -- specifically included to show off some cool mutant powers. Though she is a psychic in the comics, Brianna Hildebrand's performance changes the mutation and instead has her able to focus and generate explosive forces (which is an ability more in line with her name anyway). At the end of Deadpool, she wound up killing Angel Dust while saving Colossus, and the two walked off at the end to return to Xavier's mansion.

Because she survived the plot, Negasonic Teenage Warhead was always a candidate to return in Deadpool 2, and her part in the sequel has been confirmed. While we don't know anything about the part she will have in the larger narrative, actress Brianna Hildebrand has said that she will be slightly matured while maintaining her punk kid edge (the haircut certainly sells that), and the debut trailer definitely suggests she hasn't lost her attitude. And who knows? While the newest trailer shows her in a traditional costume for one of the X-Men, perhaps she could one day be used as a core member of X-Force.

Blind Al

The relationship between Deadpool and Blind Al was certainly one of the comedic highlights of the 2016 blockbuster. Portraying the mercenary's hostage/roommate, Leslie Uggams put on a fantastic performance and had wonderful back-and-forth with Ryan Reynolds. And while Blind Al isn't a character that has been around for Deadpool's entire run in the comics, she will be back and playing a part in Deadpool 2.

Leslie Uggams has personally confirmed that Blind Al will be back in action in Deadpool 2 - but it's not quite clear what kind of role we can expect her to play. After all, one would guess that Wade Wilson would probably want to live with Vanessa now that they are reunited, and that means he doesn't really need a roommate. Perhaps Vanessa will refuse to kick her to the curb, and they will all just bunk together in Al's place.

Dopinder

To this point we've entirely focused on the characters in Deadpool who originated from the comics, but Deadpool 2 has also made room for one of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick's original creations. While Dopinder, played by Karan Soni, only appeared in a couple scenes, fans instantly grew attached to the feckless cabbie, and that love earned him a place in the sequel. Last time around he basically operated as a wheelman for Deadpool, but the first trailer looks like he will wind up being more involved with the action in the follow-up. Hopefully we will also learn how he wound up avoiding jail time for kidnapping his cousin Bandhu and locking him in the trunk of his taxi.

Julian Dennison's Mystery Character

Deadpool 2 will obviously be introducing a number of interesting characters to the canon of the X-Men universe, but few are more enticing than the role played by young actor Julian Dennison - particularly after the movie's first trailer. The young actor, who delivered his breakthrough performance opposite Sam Neill in Taika Waititi's Hunt For The Wilderpeople, came aboard the film in late June 2017, and while his character has not yet been identified, our first look at him (seen above) is intense. He looked like some kind of demonic villain setting fire to some kind of church, but the second trailer revealed that he's likely a young mutant, and that Cable is absolutely out to get rid of the kid, probably in the hopes of stopping a terrible future from coming to pass. We still don't know the character's name, though, or why Cable is convinced he needs to die.

The Budget

Deadpool was made for a reported $58 million, which is a fraction of what most superhero blockbusters cost these days (The Avengers: Age of Ultron, for example, was a $250 million movie). Because of this, the movie's box office totals are even more significant, as more of the dollars rolling in are pure profit. You'd think that this would inspire 20th Century Fox to throw a whole lot more money at Deadpool 2, but according to the screenwriters/producers, going bigger with the sequel isn't really something in which they're interested. Rhett Reese has said in interviews that the next film won't be chasing a $150 million budget because it doesn't really fit the eponymous anti-hero to put him in a giant blockbuster.

From a creative standpoint, one could also see a more limited budget being a strong tool for the brains behind Deadpool 2. After all, the less money the project has, the less pressure and attention it's going to receive from meddling studio executives who may or may not have what's best for the character and fans in mind. By staying on the smaller side and making smart decisions, Deadpool 2 can remain true to its source material.

X-Force

When Marvel fans think about the team-up of Deadpool, Domino, and Cable, they typically think of them as members of the team known as X-Force. This is in large part due to the fact that it was the New Mutants line of comics in which they were all introduced that eventually became Marvel Comics's first X-Force title. Given that we know 20th Century Fox has an X-Force movie in development, it makes sense that Deadpool 2 would take steps in that direction - but don't expect it to be a two-hour commercial.

When I spoke with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, they told me that they don't have any plans on overloading Deadpool 2 with a lot of future planning - but X-Force most definitely is something that is coming together down the pike in a few years (along with Deadpool 3). Fox has been working on the project since San Diego Comic-Con 2013, when it was announced that Kick-Ass 2 director Jeff Wadlow was putting the team-up movie together. The work has changed a whole lot since then, and now it is Reese and Wernick who are helping design how it all comes together - with Cabin in the Woods director Drew Goddard attached to helm.

Luckily, the most recent trailer for Deadpool 2 revealed that we are, in fact, getting even more members of X-Force in the film, and the fact that Deadpool himself appears to put the team together to try to stop Cable. In addition to Domino and Cable (who, for obvious reasons, won't be a member of X-Force during the main events of this movie), we're also treated to Terry Crews as Jesse Bedlam, Rob Delaney as a potential member named Peter and Bill Skarsgard, who looks to be playing Shatterstar.

Connection To The X-Men Universe

In Deadpool, the fact that there are only two X-Men characters around is openly mocked by the Merc With The Mouth, as he is shocked by just how empty Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters seems to be. Given that the budget for Deadpool 2 is going to stay limited, we don't expect Professor X's full team to show up in the sequel, but we do anticipate that it will continue to have ties to the rest of the X-Men universe. And, the newest trailer does show off a character who appears to be X-Men member Surge, so it's clear that the movie is using its X-Men ties as much as possible.

Deadpool proved to be the X-Men franchise film with both the biggest opening weekend and highest domestic gross, and this fact will surely not be lost on the heads at 20th Century Fox. Though their PG-13/R ratings may clash a bit, the studio will surely want to use all of the positivity surrounding Deadpool and have it more closely associated with the other X-Men titles on which they are working. Exactly how far this will go probably won't be revealed until the film is actually in theaters, but it's not hard to expect a significant connection.

The "No Good Deed" Short Film

While Ryan Reynolds didn't get the opportunity to play Deadpool in any 2017 feature films, he did work with the Deadpool 2 filmmakers to deliver fans a special treat. When Logan opened in theaters nationwide, screenings were preceded by the David Lietch-directed short film "No Good Deed," which features Wade Wilson/Deadpool trying to be a superhero following a not-so-quick costume change in a phone booth. It's not specifically Deadpool 2 related, as it exists as an entirely separate thing, but it is still a hell of a lot of fun!

_Spoilers below for Gotham's "Pieces of a Broken Mirror" are below, so do watch before reading on. _

Now that Gotham has finally returned for the back half of Season 4, fans are THIS close to fully reconnecting with Cameron Monaghan's darkly beloved maniac Jerome, who will become quite familiar with Oswald "Penguin" Cobblepot within the walls of Arkham Asylum. It was firmly confirmed relatively recently that Jerome will definitely not serve as Gotham's version of The Joker, and it's been teased that the big Joker reveal will be one of the craziest moments Gotham has ever delivered. It now appears we have a clue how it might happen, too: dual roles for Cameron Monaghan.

Gotham star Morena Baccarin, whose Lee Thompkins has been more villainous lately, revealed this potentially game-changing twist when speaking with Bustle, though her direct quotes unfortunately weren't shared. She seemingly dropped that info-bomb by claiming Cameron Monaghan will be playing another wholly new character in Season 4, and that this character will be someone within Jerome's family. No clue if that means the Valeksa clan or whatever other family tree branches he's got, but if this new character does indeed end up becoming the Clown Prince of Crime, I seriously doubt we'll learn anything too concrete about his past and his youth.

Before we get into any lineage theories, though, let's first consider the biggest ramification here: our collective disappointment over Jerome not being The Joker might have all been for naught, since there's a more-than-slight chance that Cameron Monaghan could still be the actor portraying the delightfully manic villain. There's no real proof of that yet, of course, but giving the actor double the duties in Season 4 is an easy and brilliant way to build on Monaghan's haunting abilities to bring his villainous persona alive, while also paying tribute to The Joker's non-solidified origins.

Now, we did get to see how Jerome's wrath of madness started back in Season 1, so being a psychotic killer just might run in the family. But where in the family? The easiest and most TV-ready option here would be for Cameron Monaghan to take on a role as a twin brother (maybe separated at birth), which would require little more than turning his hair green and removing Jerome's particular scars; he'll probably have some of his own unique facial features. But Gotham might go in more unpredictable directions here to play up Monaghan's acting chops, and to potentially shatter the glass ceiling for how fucked up its Joker will be.

And wait just a minute here...Gotham's March 15 episode is titled "Reunion." Does that mean we'll get to see this grand introduction sooner than we'd have expected? Or will that refer more to Ed reconnecting with his Riddler persona that's currently engaging in black-ops missions without Ed's consent?

Gotham is all-new every Thursday night on Fox at 8:00 p.m., and we're hoping for the eventual meet-up of a lifetime. While waiting, check out what other Gotham character will become more like his comic iteration, and then head to our 2018 Superhero TV schedule and our midseason premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are on the way.

While some TV shows are only popular while they're airing, there are some small screen adventures that are cult hits, only continuing to grow in populartity in the years following the original run. And director/writer Joss Whedon has the distinction of creating multiple cult hits, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and his massively popular sci-fi adventure, Firefly. While the latter only ran for one season, Firefly has continued to remain in the lexicon of nerd culture and TV history, eventually inspiring Whedon to create the 2005 film Serenity to continue the show's narrative. And the droves of fans should be super happy today, as three of Firefly's leads recently reunited, and there's a picture to commemorate the occasion. Check it out.

How cool is that? Above you can see Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, and the always delightful Nathan Fillion reunited, and it feels so good. Since their brief run on Firefly, they've each gone on to fantastic careers, especially in the past few years.

While the Firefly community would have been happy to enjoy the image Nathan Fillion shared on his personal Instagram, the Castle actor proceeded to tease the fandom with possible reunion talk. While Fillion didn't explicitly confirm this possibility, his caption reads "What do you want to believe we talked about?". Fillion seems all too familiar with how excited the fans would be with the photo, and how the rumors will likely fly regarding a reboot of the popular sci-fi series. And with all three actors enjoying a certain level of notoriety, it certainly seems like good timing for Joss Whedon to produce new Firefly content. Although he's probably a bit too busy making various changes to Zack Snyder's Justice League at the moment.

But with the trend of nostalgia proving extremely effective and lucrative, TV reboots are becoming more and more popular. Netflix went viral with Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, and there will be new episodes of sitcoms Will and Grace and Roseanne coming down the pipeline this year. And considering how adoration for Firefly has only grown in the decade and change since its cancellation, now would be the time to expand the franchise, if ever.

Of course, this venture would be easier said than done considering the cast and Joss Whedon's various schedules. Whedon is currently in bed with the DCEU, finishing Justice League before developing his eventual Batgirl movie.

The three actors pictured in the above reunion pic are also extremely busy. Morena Baccarin is a series regular on FOX's Gotham, while also starring in the Deadpool franchise as the title character's love interest. Alan Tudyk just made waves as the delightful droid K-2SO in Rogue One: A Star War Story, as well as a lead role in NBC's cancelled comedy Powerless. And Nathan Fillion is set to appear in the second season of Netflix's A Series Of Unfortunate Events.

This poll is no longer available.

Deadpool received its R-rating for many reasons, but one of them was the film's extensive early sex scene. Apparently, there was originally a lot more to that scene, but Morena Baccarin is more than happy that not everything made it into the final film. The reason she's happy has nothing to do with anything in the movie being too risque or vulgar. Ultimately, there was just so much shot for that sequence that if it had all been included it just would have gone on way too long. According to Baccarin...

Sex scenes are often described by actors as some of the most difficult, an utterly unsexy, scenes to shoot, and we can imagine that doing so for two days could have been grueling. Based on Morena Baccarin's comments to Conan O'Brien it doesn't sound like things were all that bad, probably because of the variety that was included since every new holiday scene required new costumes and settings.

For the record, the scene that we got in Deadpool covered, Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year, International Women's Day, Lent, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. For the most part, they hit all the major holidays, with a couple extras thrown in specifically for the laughs. There are plenty of other places they could have gone, and apparently did, that we didn't see in the film's final cut.

As great as the sequence is, being both sexy and hilarious, there's a point at which too much sex in a movie can start to feel awkward and there's a point at which a joke ceases to be funny. For those reasons, we tend to agree with Morena Baccarin that the scene is probably the perfect length as it is.

Having said that, we're now still very curious what else was originally filmed. The biggest American holiday that we can think of that wasn't included is probably the Fourth of July. We're hoping they were careful if they filmed that scene. Nudity and fireworks is a recipe for disaster. Maybe something for Easter? Do not think about what they did with the eggs.

What's your favorite holiday that you wish had been included in the Deadpool sex montage? Let us know in the comments.

Spoilers ahead for Gotham. If you're not caught up yet, you may want to check out another story.

Gotham City is a dark place. In FOX's hit show Gotham, the mayhem and heartache never seem to stop, as the City falls deeper and deeper into madness. And with all the chaos and crime constantly interrupting daily life, one has to think: why don't they all just leave, already? This seems like a particularly poignant question for Dr. Leslie Thompkins, as she recently lost her new husband and can barely be in the same room as Jim Gordon. So what's keeping her in the city?

Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak with actress Morena Baccarin about just that. At the Gotham press event in New York City, I asked Baccarin what kept her character in the city limits, and her answer was surprisingly dark.

Well, I didn't see this coming. While Thompkins surely seemed less than happy lately, I didn't think that the character would descend quite so dramatically through the rest of Season 3.

That being said, it looks like Leslie is going to go down a dark road when Gotham return to FOX. Her loathing of Jim Gordon for killing her husband will only continue to burn stronger, and she's apparently out for revenge. This is quite the change for an otherwise very passive and moral character. But the dark side of Gotham seems to corrupt just about everyone, including the GCPD's medical examiner.

Leslie Thompkins' descent into darkness is made even more interesting considering her former love triangle with Barbara and Jim. At the time, she and Barbara seemed like total opposites; Barbara was going batshit crazy and Leslie was the normal stable force in Gordon's life. But if Leslie is letting revenge motivate her actions, perhaps she has more in common with Barbara Kean than she could have anticipated.

As for what exactly Thompkins will do toward the end of Season 3, it's anyone's guess. Gotham has never beens shy about embracing the more ridiculous or comic book-ish evil plots, so I'm hoping for something big. We'll just have to wait and see.

Gotham returns to FOX on Monday, April 24 in what is sure to be a fan favorite episode. For a schedule of summer TV premieres, make sure you check out our full list.

While critics fear super fatigue in Hollywood, there are films like last year's Deadpool, which broke the mold and any expectations for what a superhero movie could be. And with development for Deadpool 2 only continuing through the months, fans are left wondering where their favorite characters will go in the sequel. This includes Morena Baccarin's Vanessa, who was a tough as nails damsel in distress during the original.

I had the opportunity to speak with Morena Baccarin during last night's Gotham Press Event in New York City, where I asked the actress where she'd like her character to go in Deadpool 2. She said,

This makes a great deal of sense. While Vanessa's rescue was the driving force of Deadpool's narrative, we never got to see she and Wade interact much in the present. Given the time and distance between their last relationship and new one, there are sure to be some changes.

Particularly, the fact that Wade Wilson is now full on crazypants. Part of what make Deadpool such a popular character for Marvel fans is how certifiably insane the anti-hero is. In the comics, this leads to his fourth wall breaking antics, as well as regular conversations with himself. So how is he going to have a healthy relationship with Vanessa, given his psychotic trauma? They may just have to start fresh, although hopefully they're still having love making montages. Because they deserve it.

One plot point that the hardcore comic fans are hoping for is Vanessa's transformation into the hero Copycat. With the powers of shape shifting and power mimicry, it would be awesome to see Vanessa start kicking ass after the events of Deadpool. She addressed this possibility, saying:

Well darn.

Development for Deadpool 2 is still very early, although I doubt that Copycat would be used in the first sequel. The movie already has major shoes to fill, and the addition of complicated characters like Cable. Instead, it would be interesting to see Vanessa perhaps discovering her mutant abilities toward the end of the film, even as a tease for the threequel. Since Deadpool's post credits scene set up Cable's introduction, perhaps another robe clad Deadpool will tease his girlfriend's burgeoning abilities in a similar way.

Deadpool 2 is still a long ways off, with no concrete date set for the sequel. For a full schedule of upcoming 2017 releases, be sure to check our list.

Any fan of comic book movies would be hard pressed to pick a favorite sequence from Tim Miller's Deadpool. The film is jam-packed with hilarious moments, but one of the most noteworthy is the entirely NSFW "Calendar Girl" scene in which Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) and Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) celebrate every major national holiday with a hilariously "athletic" sex montage. As many of you already know, yesterday was International Women's Day, and Ms. Baccarin decided to honor the holiday by referencing Deadpool's hilarious calendar joke about the holiday at Ryan Reynolds' expense. Check it out below to see for yourself.

We're sure that picture will either make you cringe or laugh -- or both. Although the image is a bit fuzzy, it's quite obviously a shot from the "Calendar Girl" Deadpool scene in which Vanessa puts on a strap-on to honor International Women's Day. It's a moment that generated a ton of laughs in theaters when the film debuted, but it also seems to have resonated with audiences as well. We're not sure if it was intentional or not, but the International Women's Day joke has taken on a life of its own and become one of the most progressive jokes from the entire film.

Considering the way Ryan Reynolds' already portrays himself on social media, we have a very distinct feeling that he is just fine with the joke. After all, have you seen some of the insults and general mockery that he regularly sends Hugh Jackman's way? What goes around comes around, and he seems like a pretty good sport about it.

We will have to wait and see whether or not we will receive more sex montages like this as the Deadpool franchise presses forward into the future. Morena Baccarin is not officially listed as a member of Deadpool 2's cast on IMDB yet, but it would make plenty of sense for Vanessa to return in the sequel. The recently released teaser for the next installment featured numerous Firefly posters in the background, which seems like a not so subtle hint that she could return -- given the fact that she played a significant role on that short-lived series.

Of course, considering Deadpool's utterly insane fourth wall breaks, this could simply be another Easter egg. Let's hope Vanessa returns, and let's hope that she eventually becomes the X-Men character known as Copycat.

We will bring you more information related to the development, production, and release of Deadpool 2 as more details become available to us. The film is currently slated to hit theaters in 2018.

You look like you could use some more Wade Wilson in your life right now. Check out the recently released Deadpool 2 teaser (which accompanied the debut of Logan) on the next page for a better look at Ryan Reynolds' Merc with the Mouth in action!

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, and many of us out here habitually wait until the last possible moment to do anything of note for our significant others. Fortunately for all of us romantic slackers, we’ve got someone looking out for us. It’s not Cupid or even Hallmark, no, though he does dress all in red. He’s not who you might expect to dole out advice in the love department, but Deadpool is here with some sound tips for what to do on the most romantic of holidays. And only part of it involves buying tickets to see Deadpool.

Whoever is in charge of the marketing for Deadpool has been on point since day one. Not only have the clips and trailers and various promos been engaging and funny, they showcase the sense of humor of the movie and the title character, playing up all of the things that make this different from your average superhero joint. By that I mean the violence and swearing and fourth-wall breaking, among other things. All of which is on full display in this new video.

You normally associate Deadpool, as both a title and a character, more with excessive brutality, profane humor, and things that aren’t particularly romantic in any way, but in reality it’s not that far off the wall. The Merc with the Mouth’s romance with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) is at the center of the movie and is really the primary force that drives him forward. For as much blood and sex and blue language as there is, there’s a heartfelt romantic streak throughout. So maybe we should all listen to what Wade Wilson has to say and buy that special someone flowers, Deadpool tickets, and let them hang around "the King" for a few hours. As he says, after that you will look like the most sensitive person to ever walk the earth.

When former mercenary Wade Wilson’s body is ravaged by cancer, he undergoes and experimental procedure that, while it cures his cancer and gives him the ability to heal his wounds, leaves him horribly scarred and a wee bit touched in the head. When he embarks on a mission to get revenge on the people who did this to him, his former fiancé gets caught in the crossfire and he has to rescue her as well. By now villains should know that pulling stunts like that is just going to piss the hero off. Surely there’s another route they could have taken.

Deadpool is almost here. It opens a week from today, just in time for a romantic evening of sex, violence, and profanity.