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Everything We Know About 28 YEARS LATER

The chaotic world of 28 Days Later is back again after many years with 28 Years Later. What is the world like after nearly three decades of the Rage Virus? We will get the answer to this question as we follow Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s character Jamie from a secure island to the chaotic mainland. Here’s everything we know about 28 Years Later so far. 

Title Sony Pictures

The title of this film is indeed 28 Years Later because, well, it is 28 years after the Rage Virus first spread. 

28 Years Later’s Plot 

Here’s an official synopsis for 28 Years Later: 

It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.

Additionally, the absolutely fantastic trailer for 28 Years Later certainly sets the tone for this sequel: 

It seems that Sony Pictures is very, very confident in this film’s success. There’s already a sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, that is not only filmed but also has a January 2026 release date. 

Behind the Scenes 

Danny Boyle and Alex Garland are the director and writer, respectively, for 28 Years Later. It marks their first return to the franchise since the original film’s release. 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy, who was once rumored to be in the film but will not be, serves as its executive producer. 

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Cillian Murphy Is Not in 28 YEARS LATER But Could Appear Later in New Film Trilogy28 Years Later’s Cast 

28 Years Later stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer as Jamie and Isla, a married couple living with their son Spike (Alfie Williams) on Lindisfarne island in Northumberland. Ralph Fiennes is Dr. Kelson, a survivor who is up to something strange, and Jack O’Connell plays Sir Jimmy Crystal, a cult leader with a dark past. 

RELATED ARTICLE

Ralph Fiennes Opens Up About His 28 YEARS LATER Character Who Will Appear in the Next Sequel, Too28 Years Later’s Release Date 

28 Years Later will hit theaters on June 20.

The post Everything We Know About 28 YEARS LATER appeared first on Nerdist.

The Ecology of Survival: YELLOWJACKETS’ Lessons on Climate and Community

The world is chaos. It always has been. Since the dawn of the natural world necessitated a hierarchy of survival, living things have been… well, fighting for survival. And what rises to meet chaos? Order. Intelligent life finds a way of navigating the perils of what disasters and predators might do to them. Be it by brunt action or philosophical negotiation, we learn to cope with the inexplicable and uncontrollable forces that be—what other choice do we have?

Our day-to-day in the dystopian future that is now is defined by living with chaos of all sorts: personal, political, but especially ecological. That is the truth ever-simmering in the background, between each natural disaster and rising temperature. The climate crisis is the definitional tragedy of our time, a great clock ticking in the proverbial universal corner. For those of us tuned into its taunting frequency, it bleeds into everything we think on and consume, even our pop culture—whether said culture is dealing with it directly or incidentally. 

Yellowjackets is a show that invites this kind of deeper ecological read because it’s a show entrenched in the wilderness. The series, about to enter its third season, is a survivalist horror-drama about a team of New Jersey girls’ soccer players who survive a plane crash on their way to a championship. They don’t know exactly where they are, have no means of communication with the outside world, and have the outdooring skills of any suburban teenage kid, i.e. barely any. But survival kicks in, as is nature’s way, and they become resourceful. They find guns to hunt with, a cabin to make camp in, gather water and other food sources that keep them fed just enough to live another day. 

But because this is a cable drama, of course there’s more going on here. In the tradition of Lost, the story is split between the past (the crash) and the future, where the survivors now contend with what happened to them in the wilderness those years ago. And it’s all set against the backdrop of a mysterious cult formed by some of the girls, and other possibly supernatural-tinged occurrences. Because survival for them meant a troop of desperate young women imposing meaning on the chaos they were forced to face. Cults and factions formed, interpersonal dramas and betrayals played out, and relationships formed whose tendrils still coil into their present, two decades later.  

But beneath the genre undertones of Yellowjackets there is a notable commentary on humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Here, the wilderness is both a provider and a destroyer, a mirror of real-world ecological conflict. Through the characters’ struggles for survival, the show provides lessons on sustainability, community action, and the dangers of ignoring nature’s true purpose. The survivors face starvation, unrelenting (and surprise) winters, and arguments over dwindling resources, just as our real-world climate crisis threatens food security, natural disasters, and cultural and political divide. It’s a window into what happens when we give into the same urges as these girls—we wind up desperate, divided, and at nature’s mercy.

Yellowjackets and the Wilderness as Provider and Destroyer

In the beginning of the series, we watch the basics play out. The girls, bloodied and terrified, feel the panic of circumstance, but slowly shift into “let’s choose to live” mode. Leaders emerge, and not necessarily the leaders you’d expect. Team captain Jackie Taylor is more or less unhelpful in this circumstance without the preselected order of the high school caste system. Her best friend Shauna has an anger inside that presents itself fiercely and necessarily in the woods, where she takes initiate with skinning their food and making tough choices. The other girls like Taissa, Natalie, Lottie, Van, and Misty fall into their various roles, each with inherent skills that together make a strong-enough survivalist team. 

Showtime

For a time, the girls manage to eke out an existence in their new home. They hunt deer, forage berries, and use natural resources for warmth and shelter. In these quieter moments, nature feels benevolent, as if its offering them these means of life. It’s a dynamic recognizable to us in the real world. How our ability to survive as a species is contingent on our ability to harness and make use of natural resources. 

But the same wilderness that sustains them is also their number one threat. Animals start to attack. A frigid winter encases them in the cabin they find buried near the lake. Food runs out and the threat of starvation looms. It’s a reminder that for as much as nature provides, it’s also, ultimately, an indifferent force. An encounter with a bear late in the first season embodies this. The bear arrives like a harbinger of death, but when it’s killed becomes their major food source. 

It aligns with the existential threat we all face in the midst of climate collapse. Like the recent Los Angeles wildfires, which singed large swaths of the city and shadowed the rest in grief, or the uptick catastrophic floods, as the world grows increasingly unstable, we are forced to confront the consequences of our own inaction as a species. Just like the Yellowjackets, we are at nature’s mercy—we rely on it while ping-ponging between its extremes.

Survival, Scarcity, and Social Order

In the Yellowjackets wilderness, food scarcity is a daily threat, and in the absence of regular nutrition, social hierarchies continue to shift. Power struggles emerge over the crumbs left to fight for. Shauna becomes the team butcherer, a role of significance—whoever yields the knife wields influence. It’s a mirror of the real world, where resource location and the ability to excavate it dictates power. 

Showtime

Yellowjackets is perhaps best known to outsiders as “that cannibal show.” And cannibalism is indeed invited into the fold in season two with the death of Jackie. She freezes to death after a stubborn refusal to accept her powerlessness. The girls mean to cremate her, but a snowdrift swoops in and turns Jackie’s frozen body into a roast. It’s a shocking moment when the girls decide to indulge in her flesh, but it isn’t merely a moment of horror.

It shows what happens when the desperation to survive overrides morality. It’s not so dissimilar from deforestation, overfishing, and other measures we take to provide resources as a terrible cost. We are knowingly but also ignorantly assisting our own collapse, letting desperation dictate our scope of humanity. 

The Rise of Ritualism

Yellowjackets isn’t just “that cannibalism show” but is also “that cult show”, an idea teased in the opening minutes of the first episode. We witness what appears to be a ritualistic ceremony, the survivors dressed in hides and furs and masks assembled from animal parts. They watch as another girl runs through the forest barefoot before falling into a trap made of sharpened twigs. Who is this girl? It remains a central mystery, although the pieces are coming together as the show moves forward.

RELATED ARTICLE

YELLOWJACKETS’ First Foray Into Cannibalism Is a Religious Transmutation

We know that Lottie, the most mysterious of the survivors—a young woman from a wealthy family who suffers from schizophrenia—emerges as a major player in the cult. So much so that she takes it out of the wilderness into the real-world in the present day of the second season. But this idea of ritual, which Lottie invites by leaning into the magic of fate they keep encountering, starts getting weird fast. It’s as if they are mentally tapping into some power source they can’t explain. They use this divine headspace to rationalize their circumstances. The why of why they wound up there in the first place.

This is similar to our own human response to natural disaster. The way religion and “God’s plan” is used to explain away suffering. How conspiracy theories run rampant with their denial. It is hard to face down the reality of our ecological situation. It’s much easier to invite fate and purpose into the conversation. And this isn’t just a modern coping mechanism. Ancient civilizations performed human sacrifices to appease gods, hoping for healthy crop and rain. 

Yellowjackets shows that these belief systems can provide structure in a landscape of terrifying wilderness. It’s a balm for the girls who need something to believe in. But it also permits its own kind of suffering as they turn on one another. Their cultish devotion starts to block more rational responses to their circumstances. Sound familiar? 

Kailey Schwerman/Showtime

The ritualism also paves way for an almost authoritarian level of control. Parts of the group become dependent on Lottie for guidance. But Lottie is just as likely grappling with her mental illness as she is receiving supernatural guidance. She doesn’t really know what’s going on, but leads as if she does. It’s similar to what we see in the news. There are inept politicians who exploit disasters for their own greed, downplaying the climate crises along the way. We live in our own kind of cult. A cult of personality similar to what Lottie leads, sure to invite a similar downfall. 

Yellowjackets Gives Us Lessons for Survival 

As much as these comparisons might stoke panic, they should also provide a form of relief. Entertainment can do more than just fill our time—it can be a resource for mapping and understanding the world we live in. There’s much to glean from Yellowjackets, both what to do and what not to do as we face our own ecological threats. 

A big one is learning to respect nature’s balance. The survivors in Yellowjackets make the mistake of mishandling this with their poor resource management skills and struggles with parsing out the food they receive. Sustainability is not just a consideration but a tool of necessity in their conditions. Exploiting nature without considering its limits is what creates these hierarchical and ideological divides that cause longterm harm. 

Yellowjackets also shows the need for collective action and cooperation as tools for survival. When the girls work in tandem, they successfully create irrigation systems, learn to handle laundry, make meals that feed everyone equally. It’s in their fracturing that they invite in violence. If the world could only learn the same lesson—that we’re all in this together—our problems would surely minimize. No individual country or person can face down climate collapse. But unification can at least initiate a process of mutual survival. Greed seems sure to stomp out many of these opportunities. But fighting for environmental justice and investing in community is a way for us to counteract or at least protest what’s being done to us by our leadership. 

Kailey Schwerman/Paramount+ with Showtime

It’s through each other, and humanity as a collective, that we can forge through. It sounds almost simplistic to say, because duh, of course. But it’s a principle we must adhere to now more than ever. If there’s one singular slice of hope in these recent disasters, it’s seeing how quickly people will step in to help one another. During the L.A. wildfires, communities came together to give out free food, create clothing drives, and lend shelter to those who lost their homes. GoFundMes and other grassroots crowdfunding measures provided tiny reliefs to those who lost everything. 

People want to help each other. People want to save each other. But we have to avoid the pitfalls that spring up to tempt us in the other direction. We have to outright, loudly reject distractions: the misinformation that pops up around climate change, the superstitions that might lure us to woo-woo coping instead of real-world action, reflecting inward instead of stepping into the real world, and getting our hands dirty in the muck of it all. Putting our faith in unscientific solutions, be it religion or capitalist lies, will only escalate our suffering and put our losses on speed-dial.   

In this way, Yellowjackets is a cautionary tale. The girls’ struggle for survival is a mirror to our present day woes—our vulnerability to nature’s extremes and our desire to place meaning on its inherent chaos. In the series, we see the consequences of such things. It is baffling how easily our ignorance can lead us into bloody pits or packs of wolves. Without community—not of the cult variety but of the science-forward, reality-facing sort—we are just bear meat awaiting our roast. 

The post The Ecology of Survival: YELLOWJACKETS’ Lessons on Climate and Community appeared first on Nerdist.

We Reveal Two Covers for THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY: PLAN B, the Long-Awaited Sparrow Comic Storyline

Netflix’s live-action hero series The Umbrella Academy is done, and the ending still hurts our hearts. It is highly unlikely that we will get a spinoff series. However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything more to explore with the Hargreeves siblings. As we all know, The Umbrella Academy actually started as a Dark Horse Comics series written by Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Bá. Now, the creative duo is teaming up with Dark Horse again for the long-awaited fourth volume, The Umbrella Academy: Plan B, and we have two awesome covers to reveal as well as more details about this six-issue story. 

RELATED ARTICLE

How Does THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY Season 4 End the Hargreeves Siblings’ Stories?

The Umbrella Academy: Plan B picks up after the events of Volume 3’s Hotel Oblivion arc from 2019. In that volume, we got a rather soft introduction to the mysterious Sparrow Academy. The plans for this volume have been in motion since 2020, and we’re so glad that it’s finally happening! Plan B will focus on the Sparrow Academy, another group of siblings who call Reginald Hargreeves their father. We met the Sparrow Academy in season three of the Netflix show, and, well, things didn’t go well for them. Their existence expanded this bizarre world in so many ways. 

RELATED ARTICLE

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY: Who Are the Sparrows?

The “Plan B” part of the comic title also came up in the TV series’ third season. It refers to Reginald’s plan to reset the timeline to a yet another reality where he could control an outcome. He got into cahoots with Alison, who was really trippin’ hard all season anyway.

Here’s more about what the comic book series will explore: 

After the mass release of The City’s greatest foes and the chaos that followed in Hotel Oblivion, the Umbrella Academy faces their most fearsome challenge to date–their other brothers and sisters. Known only as The Sparrows, they share a different connection to Sir Reginald Hargreeves and Mom. No one knows how to hurt each other more than family, and this powerful, ruthless brood will spare no brutality in favor of their sole objective—control and the obedient glare that comes with it. 

Gabriel Bá shares of The Umbrella Academy: Plan B. “I haven’t felt this excited about our story since the early days of Apocalypse Suite. “This is Umbrella Academy at its finest.”

Meanwhile, Gerard Way notes, “Telling this story with Gabriel would become, as it is today, such a special part of my life. This is not only because we would evolve as artists— but because we had the opportunity to grow up over a pretty crazy adventure together. Each chapter of this story seems to form and coalesce into its own organism— sometimes it’s a screaming baby on a subway car, other times a great big metal bird falling from the sky — and because of this, I am just as excited for Plan B as I was when we went on this trip together with Apocalypse Suite.”

The first of our two cover reveals for The Umbrella Academy: Plan B is illustrated by David Aja. It has, of course, a black umbrella to represent our fave siblings along with a few sparrows sitting on top. There’s a little splatter of poop on one side as a single sparrow tweets a tune. Lovely.

David Aja/Gabriel Bá/Gerard Way/Dark Horse Comics

The second one, by Jill Thompson, has the comic versions of the Hargreeves siblings sitting in a nest as a giant sparrow swoops toward them. Both The Umbrella Academy: Plan B covers certainly hint that this new collective will be a pain in the butt. And, it will be interesting to see what the comics do with this storyline. 

Jill Thompson/Gabriel Bá/Gerard Way/Dark Horse Comics

The Umbrella Academy: Plan B’s first issue will drop on June 11 and you can pre-order it for just $4.99 at a comic shop near you. It should soon hit the web for orders as well.

The post We Reveal Two Covers for THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY: PLAN B, the Long-Awaited Sparrow Comic Storyline appeared first on Nerdist.

A SAILOR MOON Musical Is Setting Sail in the U.S.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live is a new “2.5D” musical entertainment show coming to the United States in March. It is based on the manga of the same name made by Naoko Takeuchi, who also made the anime. The show’s previews start March 12 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The show is in Japanese with English subtitles. Sailor Moon’s musical adaptation follows a recent wave of anime musicals like last year’s Attack on Titan one.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live officially opens March 15 in Austin, Texas, in partnership with South By Southwest. Anime veterans populate the crew of the show. Kaori Miura, known for their work on other anime musical adaptations like Tokyo Revengers The Musical and Musical: The Prince of Tennis, wrote the book and lyrics and directed the production. Go Sakabe and KYOHEI will compose the music for the show. Go Sakabe has provided music for anime like Digimon Adventure tri. in the past.

“At its very basic, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is about five girlfriends banding together to fight for what they believe in… that’s timely,” said writer and director Kaori Miura. “Sailor Moon and her fellow guardians are equipped with powers that help them defeat evil and the characters are imbued with the self-determination to have agency and make their own confident decisions. In short, they are the ultimate example of ‘girl power.'”

“Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live”

Sailor Moon is one of the most popular manga ever. Since starting in 1991, it has sold over 46 million copies and has been translated into over 17 languages. The manga led to the equally popular anime series and a live-action series. Now, the Sailor Moon franchise is reaching new heights with its transition into stage.

The show is currently playing in the United Kingdom before it crosses the pond. Tickets are available for purchase starting January 31. Prices range from $30 to $120, depending on the location of the show. To purchase tickets and for more information on the show, go to the musical’s website.

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Why SEVERANCE’s Seth Milchick Is No Different Than His Severed Employees

Lumon trusts Seth Milchick. They’ve put him in charge of the severed floor and Macrodata Refinement at the company’s headquarters. He not only leads the department working on “Cold Harbor,” he knows his employer’s grand plans and why Mark Scout’s completion of his wife’s file “will be remembered as one of the greatest moments in the history of this planet.” Yet, despite the Board’s confidence in Milchick and the control it has granted him over Innies, he’s no different from severed employees. Severance‘s Seth Milchick is not a person to Lumon. He’s just another tool for the company to use and abuse. And he knows it.

AppleTV+

Seth Milchick never gave viewers a reason to doubt his complete devotion to Lumon during Severance‘s first season. He faithfully executed his many, many duties for the company while wholeheartedly extolling the teachings of Kier Eagan. He was Lumon through and through, something the Board and CEO Jame Eagan certainly believed. During a genuine moment of crisis, the Macrodat Uprising, they entrusted him with taking over for Harmony Cobel. He’s also one of the few people who knows what the “mysterious and important” work of MDR is actually about.

Considering what and who he’s overseeing, Milchick might now have arguably the most important job in the entire global conglomerate. But that promotion also led to the first visible cracks in Seth Milchick’s faith in Lumon. To celebrate his new role, the Board sent him the same offensive, dehumanizing gift they sent Natalie, another trusted Black employee with a high-ranking sensitive position. Lumon gave both “re-canonicalized paintings” of its Kier Cycle. These re-imagined paintings depict a Black man who resembles Milchick himself as the company’s white founder.

Apple TV+

Natalie, the Board’s literal mouthpiece, proxy, and public face said the paintings were meant to help Milchick see himself in Kier. But she clearly had the same misgivings about her own “gift.” A woman who previously who never gave us a reason to doubt her Lumon bonafides either, was visibly uncomfortable as Milchick opened them. Why wouldn’t she be? They’re a grotesque thing to give anyone. They erase a person’s humanity. They tell someone they only have worth when seen through another. “Re-canonicalizing” a Black person as a white messianic cult leader makes a terrible thing that much worse.

Milchick put those paintings in storage, but he couldn’t get them out of his mind. In season two’s fifth episode, “Trojan’s Horse,” he asked Natalie how she feels about them. Once again she let her face say everything she wouldn’t dare utter out loud: she hates them, too. The way Milchick asked her also revealed the two most prominent Black employees at Lumon have long dealt with this kind of degrading treatment. He said, “I’m thinking our experiences here have been similar in some ways. We face similar challenges. And perhaps the paintings and the somewhat complicated feelings they evoke….”

Apple TV+

Lumon’s Board is both too arrogant and too stupid to realize why depicting a Black person as a white man (who is also their employer’s religious figure) is vile. So it’s not a surprise minorities have faced additional challenges while working there. But part of that is because Lumon doesn’t see any employees, severed and non-severed alike, as people. They are merely cogs in the Lumon machine.

You don’t scold a person for putting paperclips backwards. You don’t criticize someone for “using big words” when your Founder produced the most overwrought prose ever printed and someone needs a dictionary to understand you personally. Those are things you do as a form of control to keep someone in their place. That’s what those paintings were meant to do, too. They weren’t meant to let Seth or Natalie see themselves in Kier, to celebrate their promotions, or to show appreciate for their hard work. They were meant to remind Mr. Milchick and Ms. Kalen that they serve Kier, the Eagan family, and Lumon.

Lumon’s blatant disrespect for even its most trusted employees shows that, to the company, there is difference between Innies and the people in charge of them. Mr. Drummond might hide it better, but he views Seth Milchick the same way he views severed employees. They aren’t human beings worthy of respect and autonomy. Severed employees only exist for a “greater purpose.”

Apple TV+

Because they do, Drummond has essentially severing Milchick himself, separating Seth from the kind of boss he’d like to be and the monster he thinks Cobel was. The new severed floor manager, in his own twisted way, was trying to treat Innies like people. He implemented “kindness reforms” and organized the ORTBO. Drummond pushed Milchick to instead “go back to the basics” and “treat them as what they really are.” As far as Lumon is concerned, what they really are is a bunch of biological tools who only exist for Lumon’s purpose.

He might not want to admit it, but Seth Milchick knows all of that. Just as he knows, especially after those paintings made it impossible to ignore the truth any longer, that Lumon doesn’t respect him as an individual, a Black man, or a human being. He’s not “Seth” or even “Mr. Milchick.” He’s just an employee with no more or less work than an office computer or coffee machine.

Until now, the Board was probably right to wholly trust Seth Milchick. For reasons we don’t yet know, he completely believed in Lumon’s plans and the teachings of Kier Eagan. But just as the Innies who work for him rose up against their employer when they realized the company didn’t see them as humans, Seth Milchick might one day realize he shouldn’t put his faith in people who don’t see him as a person.

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Mia Goth Joins Christopher Nolan’s THE ODYSSEY

What is a director, even one of Hollywood’s best, supposed to do after delivering an epic Best Picture winner? For Christopher Nolan, the answer is making one of the most famous epics ever. After some wild speculation and some big name casting news, we finally know exactly what story he will after Oppenheimer. Universal Pictures announced Nolan’s next movie is an adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey.

Christopher Nolan’s next film ‘The Odyssey’ is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology. The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time and opens in theaters everywhere on July 17, 2026.

— Universal Pictures (@UniversalPics) December 23, 2024

The Latest Casting News From Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey

Most recently, Mia Goth came aboard The Odysseys‘s cast, increasing the brightness of an already massively star-powered cast. There is no casting yet for Goth.

A24

Additionally, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Bill Irwin and Samantha Morton have joined The Odyssey. Once again, we don’t know who they will play in this film, but we do have some guesses.

AMC/Netflix

Deadline also revealed that Oppenheimer‘s Benny Safdie will reteam with Christopher Nolan on The Odyssey. In Opphenheimer, Safdie played physicist Edward Teller. But there’s no telling yet who the actor will play in this upcoming adventure.

Christopher Nolan Is Heading to Real-Life Odysseus Stop, Goat Island

Christopher Nolan isn’t known to do anything by halves, and for his latest movie, The Odyssey, he’s taking his crew to the real-life location that Homer supposedly imagined Odysseus visited, Goat Island in Siciliy—also known as Favignana island. Reports indicate the movie will also film in Sicily’s Eolian islands, U.K. and Morocco.

But what could measure up to a real-world location that Odysseus wandered through in his epic tale, cooking goats and gathering supplies? Nothing, if you ask us.

More About Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey

Christopher Nolan is moving on after Oppenheimer by going back. Way back. Described as a “mythic action epic,” his version of the ancient epic poem The Odyssey will rely on cutting edge technology to bring the story to life. Universal Pictures said the longtime IMAX enthusiast will be using “brand new” tech to shoot for the large-scale format.

But how he will shoot the film isn’t nearly as interesting as to what the film is actually about. It’s hard to imagine anyone would have guessed Nolan would adapt The Odyssey even if they had 20 years to figure it out. (If you don’t get that reference, this movie will be very educational for you!) Even then, there’s still so much we don’t know about the project. Will this be a traditional, faithful adaptation? Will it be a modern take on the story? And will Armand Assante and George Clooney appear for a Spider-Man: No Way Home style crossover?

Universal Pictures

While we don’t know any setting or style specifics, we can guess who is playing Odysseus. Matt Damon is set to lead the star-studded film. Nolan’s The Odyssey will also feature Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Jon Bernthal, and Charlize Theron. We also know the movie will arrive in theaters on July 17 2026.

Netflix

That gives us plenty of time to start guessing which legendary characters from Homer’s epic everyone is going to play. (Theron as Circe, Calypso, Penelope, or Athena? She’s perfect for literally all of them.) It also gives us time to wonder just how good this movie will be. No one delivers epics live Christopher Nolan. What’s he going to be capable of when he makes one of the most famous epics ever?

Originally published January 2, 2025.

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Tide Brought Red Hulk to Life in Muddy CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD Screening of Our Dreams

There were some mixed reviews when it came to Captain America: Brave New World, the latest MCU movie to hit theaters. But we feel there’s not a person alive who wouldn’t come around to thinking the newest Captain America movie was a lot of fun after experiencing a Tide Collateral Stains Screening of the film. And what is a Tide Collateral Stains Screening of Captain America: Brave New World, you ask? Well, here’s what went down.

Nerdist

To celebrate Captain America: Brave New World’s release in theaters, Tide hosted a very special screening that revealed why the true hero of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is laundry detergent. The Tide Stain Screening was a fun take on an immersive moviegoing experience, but this time mud was involved. You know, because supervillains likely leave collateral stains behind. It’s your move Regal 4DX.

Wait for it… (and yes, we were invited to record!) pic.twitter.com/b9stKV4JQM

— Rotem Rusak (@Moondancer1626) February 14, 2025

There’s nothing to make you truly appreciate how hard it is to be Captain America than getting actual mud and water flung at you as Red Hulk roars on screen. It really puts you in the action as do the shrieks of surprise that echo all around you. But don’t worry. Your supersuit is safe because Tide is always ready to swoop in and save the day. 

We have to say, the mud really took things to another level. But this Captain America: Brave New World Tide Collateral Stains screening also highlighted dramatic moments by adding in realistic camera flashes, lighting, and other effects. It also brought to life a particular poignant moment that involved Cherry Blossoms in a beautiful way, filling the theater with driving confetti . 

But the point is, things can get dirty when fighting Red Hulk, Leader, or any other number of threats. We bet Sam Wilson has a dry cleaner for his Captain America suit, but what about the rest of us? Tide teamed up with Marvel to interrogate this very important MCU question. And you can check out its collaborative videos with Marvel below. 

So, if you find yourself wanting to enjoy Captain America: Brave New World in a whole new way, we suggest going the immersive route… Er, only when it comes out on digital, though. Please don’t bring mud to the theater. And if you do plan to recreate the experience, make sure you have some good laundry detergent on hand. 

Captain America: Brave New World is in theaters now.

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4 Things to Remember From THE INCREDIBLE HULK Before Watching CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD

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The Incredible Hulk came out in the summer of 2008, the same year as Iron Man. But the Green Goliath didn’t make the same box office splash that Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark did. As a result, there was no direct sequel. Original Bruce Banner actor Edward Norton didn’t return to the role, replaced by Mark Ruffalo for The Avengers. But The Incredible Hulk is still 100% MCU canon. The events of that film factor quite heavily into the events of Captain America: Brave New World. You could even call it a stealth sequel to The Incredible Hulk, some 17 years after the fact. If you haven’t watched it in some time, here are four key things to remember from The Incredible Hulk before watching Captain America: Brave New World:

Marvel Studios/Universal PicturesThaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross Is the “Hulk Hunter”

Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, was introduced as the U.S. Army general obsessed with tracking down Dr. Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk. Oscar-winner William Hurt played him in the film, and four other MCU follow-ups. After Hurt’s passing, Harrison Ford took on the role in Brave New World. As explained in the 2008 film, Ross was obsessed with recreating the World War II-era super-soldier program that gave Steve Rogers his powers. Only this time, using gamma radiation.

Marvel Studios/Universal Pictures

These gamma experiments accidentally turned the scientist working alongside Ross, Bruce Banner (Edward Norton), into the Hulk. Ross then spends years trying to hunt him down, putting a wedge between him and his daughter Betty (Liv Tyler), who had been dating Bruce. Because of the years spent hunting down Banner, the media gives him the nickname “Hulk Hunter.” The “Hulk Hunter” reputation is something that comes up frequently in Captain America: Brave New World. And not in a good way.

The Harlem Incident Marvel Studios/Universal Pictures

The Harlem incident, where the Hulk and the Abomination tore several blocks of the famous New York neighborhood apart in battle, nearly destroyed General Ross’ career. Ultimately, the media blamed Ross for the creation of both the Hulk and the Abomination. When we see Tony Stark meet Ross in a dive bar at the end of the film, Ross is a broken man already. However, the creation of the Hulk ended up being a good thing in the end, as the Jade Giant helped save the world several times over. So Ross’ career clearly made a turnaround, fast. First, to become Secretary of State, and later, to become President of the United States. However, in some circles, the “Harlem Incident” still follows Ross around in a negative light, Oval Office desk or not.

Dr. Samuel Sterns and His Unfortunate AccidentMarvel Studios/Universal Pictures

Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) had a secondary role in The Incredible Hulk, as another brilliant scientist who is in communication with Bruce Banner, during the years he is on the run from the army. At first, they communicate only over emails, with Sterns using the name “Mr. Blue” and Banner using the name “Mr. Green.” Together, they hope to find a cure for Banner’s monstrous condition. They finally meet in person in New York City, however Sterns was not entirely truthful to Banner about what he intended with the antidote. He hoped to create a serum that would make people immune to most genetic diseases.

Sterns tried to cure Bruce Banner, but despite initially looking like it worked, it didn’t take. Not long after, the soldier Emil Blonsky forced Sterns at gunpoint to inject Banner’s blood into him, creating the Abomination. In the ensuing chaos, some of Banner’s blood infected a gash in Stern’s head. We saw his head pulsate as he lay unconscious, but that was the last we saw of him on screen. In the comics, the gamma exposure makes Sterns as smart as Hulk is strong, becoming the villainous Leader. But Marvel Studios has left fans with 17 years of questions as to what became of Sterns after that moment. Those questions now have answers.

Betty Ross and Thaddeus Ross’ Damaged RelationshipMarvel Studios/Universal Pictures

Betty Ross was Bruce Banner’s romantic partner in The Incredible Hulk, played by Liv Tyler. In the film, she was estranged from her father due to his obsession with hunting down her sexy scientist boyfriend. General Ross said he was angry at Banner because Betty was injured in the accident that created the Hulk (which you can see in the film’s opening credits). But ultimately, he blames himself as much as he blames Banner. The events of the film create a bigger emotional gap between father and daughter, and when we see now-President Ross in Brave New World, we learn he has remained estranged from his only child. That estrangement weighs heavily on him, despite winning the Presidency of the United States.

Is The Incredible Hulk a bad film? Honestly, we don’t think so. It was made when Marvel Studios was still figuring itself out, as well as their broader plan for the MCU. So it’s messy, but decent. But if you have thoughts about revisiting it in preparation for Brave New World, there’s no time like the present. The Incredible Hulk is now available to stream on Disney+.

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CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD Has Us Asking: Who’s Even Left to Defend Earth in the MCU?

We knew Captain America: Brave New World would feature at least two superheroes. It’s titular star, Sam Wilson was always going to get help from the new Falcon, Joaquin Torres. But the nature of the story, and the threat the world faced in the film, raises a pretty big question about the current state of the MCU: who’s even left to defend Earth?

[image error]Marvel Studios

Not every MCU superhero on Earth can respond to every threat. Especially not when some of them are also dealing with threats on other planets, like Carol Danvers. Meanwhile, heroes like Doctor Strange are busy trying to stop inter-dimensional incursions, which pose a far bigger threat than anything a single world faces. But when a team of assassins try to simultaneously kill every major world leader during a vital peace summit at the White House, a situation that brought the world to the edge of all-out war, at least a couple leftover Avengers or “enhanced individuals” should show up within a day, right?

That’s how long it took President Thaddeus Ross to leave his bunker after the “failed” assassination attempt. And yet, during that entire time, only Sam Wilson and Joaquin Torres arrived on the scene to help or try and solve the case. Even with Ross’s low approval rating with super people, how is that even possible? Someone tried to kill the leaders of the free world. That definitely qualifies as a massive call to action moment. So why didn’t any MCU heroes beyond Sam and Joaquin answer it and come to help defend the earth?

Maybe it’s because there really aren’t that many heroes left for the MCU’s United States to actually call on.

Marvel Studios

Putting aside the inherent silliness of Bucky Barnes not trying to save the President’s life because he’s on the campaign trail, there aren’t even that many heroes President Ross could have expected to help. Bruce Banner and Colonel James Rhodes would have made sense, as they’re both Americans and former Avengers. Same for Clint Barton, though he might still be semi or even entirely retired. But the list of active heroes who don’t make sense is far, far longer. And for a myriad of reasons.

The members of the MCU’s next film, Thunderbolts*, are either disgraced or foreign agents the U.S wouldn’t trust. The Asgardians living on MCU’s Earth have their own fledgling nation and problems to deal with. Ross himself showed the world has animosity to the Wakandans for not sharing vibranium and their technological advancements, so they’re out. Same for the isolationist living under the ocean in Talokan. The Eternals might as well not exist (both in-world and in Marvel Studios’ plans).

Marvel Studios

Meanwhile, nobody on Earth remembers the MCU’s Peter Parker. Kamala Khan, Kate Bishop, America Chavez, and Riri Williams are still kids. She-Hulk and Matt Murdock have never worked served in that kind of capacity. Vision is an undead machine trying to figure out if he’s a ship. Wanda Maximoff is dead and the government doesn’t exactly call on witches to help with global politics anyway. Blade is still just a voice asking if anyone has written him a decent script. Wong and his sorcerers (and his friend escaped convict friend Abomination) are busy rebuilding their strength at Kamar-Taj. Monica Rambeau is in another dimension hanging out with the X-Men. And Scott Lang and his cohorts are not exactly favorites of the United States government.

Also, Shang-Chi apparently vanished from the franchise entirely into a puff of smoke, never to be heard from again.

When you look at the current state of the MCU and its superheroes, it makes more sense only Captain America and Falcon responded rather than an entire superhero squad. If just a couple of other enhanced individuals like Hulk, the Winter Soldier, and Hawkeye are dealing with other issues or retired in the MCU’s world, there’s not much of a heroic roster left to call into action to defend the Earth.

This raises another obvious question: Who the hell is going to join Sam’s New Avengers team? Thunderbolts* will probably answer some of those questions. The Fantastic Four: First Steps also might clarify things. But it’s clear that after Earth lost its two greatest defenders, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, it also lost many other heroes to different planets and the MCU’s multiverse.

It better find some new ones quickly, though. Because as the Leader told Sam Wilson, others are coming, and Captain America and the Falcon won’t be able to stop them alone.

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YELLOWJACKETS Cannibalism Tracker: Who Gets Eaten in Season 3?

We’re back on our nonsense as Yellowjackets returns to our screens with season three. Last season, we had a blast tracking the cannibalism that occurred in season two. And now, we’re back to keep track of what devious acts of eating take place in Yellowjackets season three. After all, cannibalism is the great “Will they or won’t they?” in this surreal series. As with last time, we’ll be keeping track of all things people eating on Yellowjackets. That includes whether cannibalism has happened in Yellowjackets season three, how likely more cannibalism is to happen, and who might be on the menu.

So, has cannibalism happened yet in Yellowjackets season three? Let’s sit down to dinner together and find out.

Yellowjackets Season 3, Episodes 1 & 2: No Cannibalism in Sight, Just NibblesParamount+ with SHOWTIME

After a very cannibalistic season two finale, Yellowjackets season three brought us a diet a little lighter on human flesh. Although Shauna did bite right into Mari, no actual consumption was involved. We’ll call that just a playful (or, in this case, scornful) nibble. Although, we do feel that this could foreshadow future Yellowjackets season three cannibalism that could see Shauna biting into Mari for real.

At the moment though, it’s largely a diet of bunny rabbits and deer for our favorite team lost in the wilderness. Mari even tells Coach Ben, “We don’t do that anymore.” on the subject of cannibalism. Will such a pronouncement stand? Doubtful. But it’s nice they believe it for now.

More Cannibalism to Come on Yellowjackets Season 3Paramount+ with SHOWTIME

We bet there are many dubious dinners to come on Yellowjackets season three. It’s a crazy fairy tale, after all. And it turns out many fae fantasies involve some kind of consumption. It’s only a matter of time before (human) meat is back on the menu. And we are still waiting to see some cannibalism happen in Yellowjackets‘ present timeline. Well, will they? Or won’t they? We’ll keep you posted on how the cannibalism of Yellowjackets season three plays out.

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