Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 84

LEGO Ideas Retro-Style Vending Machine Brings All the Nostalgic Feels

If you’re of a certain age, you probably have fond memories of getting toys and trinkets out of vending machines. For many of us, it recalls summer boardwalk memories, and trips to Chuck. E. Cheese. Now, the folks at LEGO are releasing a 1,343-piece LEGO retro-style vending machine set. One that allows builders to create their very own mechanical working machine that releases mystery capsules. Each one of these capsules contains one of 16 retro-themed minifigures that fans can collect. You can see the first images of this new LEGO Vending Machine set right here:

Click To View Gallery LEGO LEGO LEGO LEGO LEGO LEGO LEGO LEGO LEGO

These new minifigures honor many classic LEGO themes including the iconic astronauts, and the Fabuland costume characters. And, of course, there are some classic LEGO pirates among them too. Perhaps the most fun part of this set? We think it’s the LEGO Ideas Fan Designer who uploaded the product idea to ideas.LEGO.com, who is actually a minifigure. Here’s what that very designer, Rob Vangansewinkel from Belgium, said about his creation becoming an official part of the line:

As a kid, I had a real vending machine at home and loved it – so the idea of creating a working LEGO brick version that dispenses minifigures just clicked. I started with a digital version of the model and posted it on LEGO Ideas. But I wasn’t sure if the dispensing mechanism would really work, so I spent about two months testing and refining the design with actual LEGO bricks. I even took apart my old vending machine to understand the mechanics and make it work, and I’m so proud of the final product.

LEGO

The LEGO Ideas Minifigure Vending Machine set is available for LEGO Insiders early access starting June 1, 2025. It becomes available for everyone else on June 6 via LEGO.com and LEGO Stores. It’ll set you back $179.99.

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KISSING BOOTH Star Joey King In Talks For Major PRACTICAL MAGIC 2 Role

Two of Hollywood’s biggest stars will soon return to make movie magic again. Practical Witch magic, to be specific. Warner Bros. Pictures has announced it’s finally making a movie (not TV) sequel to its beloved 1998 film. And original stars Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman will reprise their roles as the Owens sisters. It is not clear if any other original characters will come back, but we know it’s coming in fall of 2026. We also know it will adapt Alice Hoffman’s The Book of Magic, a sequel novel to her Practical Magic book that inspired the first film.

With the sequel getting closer to the screen, Warner Bros. Pictures is filling out the cast. And that could soon include filling a major role. The Hollywood Reporter says Kissing Booth franchise star Joey King—who played Nicole Kidman’s daughter in A Family Affair—is in negotiations to play Kidman’s daughter again. King will be the one who sends her family into a “crisis” when she “discovers the dark family secrets and her own dark powers.”

NetflixWhen Will Practical Magic 2 Release?

Practical Magic 2 has set is release date for September 18, 2026. A good witchy, autumnal release.

What Will the Movie Be About?

“I think [fans are] going to be very pleased. We’re going to be very faithful. We’re cognizant to how important those characters and that movie are to so many people. We’re not going to reinvent the wheel,” said producer Denise Di Novi to Entertainment Weekly. “We’re going to draw from Alice Hoffman’s books, as the first movie did, and we’re going to be true to the chronology of how many years later it is.”

@warnerbros

Can’t talk, busy summoning Practical Magic 2. 🪄✨

♬ original sound – Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. went to TikTok to announced its producing a long-awaited followup to its beloved witchy drama. Oscar-winner Akiva Goldsmith (A Beautiful Mind) will write the script for Practical Magic 2. More important is the possible involvement of two other Oscar winners. But happily, Kidman confirmed they will both return for Practical Magic 2.

Speaking to People about Practical Magic 2, which we saw via Deadline, Kidman noted, “Yes, I will be in it. And Sandy will be in it. And that’s that. There’s a lot more to tell, which is why we go, ‘OK, this is kind of interesting now to be able to do this.’ [We] found a way in.” That’s that!

Warner Bros.

Could Practical Magic 2 have been successful without them? Maybe, but it will be far more magical now that the duo will be back as the Owens sisters.

Originally published on June 10, 2024.

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Why THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Is the Most Important Sequel Ever

Most fans cite The Empire Strikes Back, which turned 45 on May 21, 2025, as the greatest of the Star Wars films. But even beyond the franchise, the Irvin Kershner-directed chapter changed the world’s perception of what a movie sequel could be. And we don’t just mean what they can make at the box office. It essentially popularized two concepts in mainstream cinema: the movie trilogy arc, and the ongoing film franchise as ever-continuing narrative.

Lucasfilm

Sequels existed in Hollywood well before Empire of course. Universal built their studio on its monster franchise in the ‘30s and ‘40s, after all. By the time Empire hit theaters on May 21, 1980, there had already been a whopping 11 James Bond films. Yes, these earlier films were technically sequels. But their idea of what a sequel was meant to be was totally different than what George Lucas dreamt up. Every new 007 movie presented a fresh slate for its protagonist and audience, barely referencing any past episodes, if at all.

Lucasfilm

The idea of continuing the story from where the previous film left off drew inspiration from the Flash Gordon serials of Lucas’ youth. But even in their day, audiences regarded Flash Gordon and other adventure serials as cheap entertainment. “Real” movies didn’t mimic that format, because to be so akin to lowly Saturday matinee entertainment was beneath them. Lucas’ Indiana Jones also found inspiration in old serials, but it would adhere more to the Bond formula, interestingly enough.

Lucasfilm

Due to this stigma, sequels that were direct continuations of popular films appeared as crass cash grabs by the masses. Planet of the Apes was a huge success for Fox in 1968. But when the studio instantly thought of continuing the story, its lead actor Charlton Heston scoffed at the notion. “I don’t want to do a sequel; that’s like the Andy Hardy series,” Heston once said, referencing the endless Mickey Rooney comedies of the ’40s. He agreed to return for a cameo in the second movie, but his thoughts echoed what most people thought about direct sequels: they were low-rent ideas. When blockbusters like The Exorcist and Jaws received their sequels, moviegoers greeted them as cheap knockoffs that just attempted to replicate the first movies, but less effectively. Many expected “Star Wars 2” to be the same.

Lucasfilm

But Empire changed all of this upon release. Unlike the Bond films, it expected you to walk into the theater having already seen Star Wars, and to be familiar with all the characters and mythology set up in the first film. There was no playing catch-up here, nor a lazy reproduction of its 1977 predecessor. Moreover, Empire‘s cliffhanger ending popularized the idea that the second film was but the middle chapter in a three-part story. Empire was a prestige blockbuster sequel by way of the old serial formula, once considered too juvenile for “grownup” movies.

Movie trilogies became normalized after the massive success of Empire. In its wake, Back to the Future and even the “rival” Star Trek franchise used this formula. (Though in Star Trek’s case, it was movies II, III, and IV that formed the trilogy arc.) Eventually, the Lord of the Rings became the second most popular film trilogy of all time after Star Wars. This was only fitting, as Tolkien’s structure was a big influence on Lucas as a storyteller in the first place.

Marvel Studios

No movie franchise in Hollywood history has headed the lessons of the Empire Strikes Back more than the MCU. This should come as no shock, as Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige is a self-proclaimed huge Star Wars fan. Ever since Nick Fury first appeared in the end credits of Iron Man, the MCU has been building each film on top of the last, always creating an Empire-style tease for what’s coming next in each film. Before the MCU, X2: X-Men United also lifted heavily from Empire. In a larger, sense Infinity War and Endgame were the most obvious films to take a cue from Lucas’ playbook, but truly all of the Marvel films do this.

Fascinatingly, it seems the Star Wars film franchise is looking to lean away from trilogies, focusing on standalone films. Thanks to The Mandalorian, Andor, and other streaming shows, more serialized Star Wars might remain on TV for now. Star Wars has long existed in the shadow of Empire, and it looks like it may finally get out from under it. But as for the rest of the major Hollywood franchises? Don’t expect the impact of The Empire Strikes Back to fade away any time soon.

Originally Published May 21, 2020

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AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER Adds New Cast for Seasons 2 and 3

Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series blew into our lives with season one in 2024. And happily, the cartoon-adaptation series was renewed for season two and a final season three. Avatar: The Last Airbender season two will, of course, bring back all our live-action favorites, including Aang, Sokka, Katara, Zuko, Uncle Iroh, and more. But, new faces and friends, including the highly-anticipated live-action version of Toph will come to join them on their journey. Season one of the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series took us on a journey that we happily really enjoyed. And so, we can’t wait for more.

Recently, Variety announced that seven new actors would join the season two and three cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season two new cast includes Dichen Lachman as Yangchen, Dolly de Leon as Lo and Li, Terry Chen as Jeong Jeong, Lily Gao as Ursa, and Madison Hu as Fei. The following season will add Tantoo Cardinal as Hama and Jon Jon Briones as Piandao.

Netflix

Here’s everything we know about Avatar: The Last Airbender season two.

 Live-Action Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2’s Plot

We don’t know for sure what Avatar: The Last Airbender season two’s plot will bring us. But if season one was any indication, we’ll be following the journey of the Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon’s Book Two: Earth. In Book Two: Earth, the Gaang spent a lot of time in the Earth Kingdom city of Ba Sing Se, where not all was as well as it seemed. In the Earth Kingdom, Team Avatar faced the dangerous Dai Li, encroaching threats from the Fire Nation, and the true threat of all ignorance and fears.

In Book Two of Avatar: The Last Airbender, as will happen in the live-action, Toph also joined Avatar Aang’s group as his Earthbending master. Additionally, Prince Zuko continued his journey toward the side of goodness and redemption, but not without a few setbacks. We can’t wait to see if “Zuko Alone” features in the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender season two.

Netflix

Of course, as with season one, the live-action series is unlikely to deliver a perfect replica of the cartoon but instead will make some changes and additions of its own. We’re excited for that.

Behind the Scenes

Co-executive producers Christine Boylan and Jabbar Raisani will be helming season two of the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series as showrunners. Season one showrunner Albert Kim will remain an executive producer on the show.

Live-Action Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2’s CastNetflix

All the main cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender season one will return in season two. That means we’ll see more of Gordon Cormier as Avatar Aang, Kiawentiio as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka, and Dallas Liu as Zuko. Additionally, Daniel Dae Kim will likely return as the villainous Fire Lord Ozai. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee will be back as the wonderful Uncle Iroh, and Elizabeth Yu will reprise her role as the fiery Princess Azula.

Netflix

Joining the core cast will be Miya Cech, who will play the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s Toph (a master Earthbender) in season two. Additionally, several other Earth Kingdom roles have been cast. Those include the following:

Chin Han (Mortal Kombat, Skyscraper) plays Long Feng Hoa Xuande (The Sympathizer, Top of the Lake: China Girl) as Professor ZeiJustin Chien ( The Brothers Sun , The Great Leap) as King KueiAmanda Zhou (Spinning Out, The Handmaid’s Tale) plays Joo DeeCrystal Yu (Doctor Who, Good Omens) plays Lady BeifongKelemete Misipeka (Sons of Thunder) plays The BoulderLourdes Faberes ( The Sandman , Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre) as General SungRekha Sharma ( Yellowjackets , Battlestar Galactica) as AmitaLive-Action Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2’s Release Date

We do not yet know when Avatar: The Last Airbender season two will release on Netflix.

Originally published December 24, 2024.

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Jason Momoa, Roman Reigns, and More in Talks to Star in Legendary’s STREET FIGHTER Film

A couple of months ago, we learned that Legendary and Sony are teaming up for a live-action Street Fighter movie. The beloved Capcom game feels like a great one to explore at this time, with other games like The Last of Us, Fallout, and Twisted Metal seeing success. Details about the film are still coming together, but Deadline reports that Jason Momoa, Roman Reigns, Andrew Koji, and Noah Centineo are all in talks to star in the Street Fighter film. 

This is not a complete confirmation yet because, well, talks don’t always lead to a deal. It takes some work and probably a dash of magic (and money, obvs) to build a cast. But I already like the idea of this quartet in a Street Fighter movie. There are so many character possibilities and ways to go and all of these guys know how to deliver peak entertainment.

DC Studios/WWE/Cinemax

All of us comic book movie nerds know Jason Momoa, but Roman Reigns is currently a WWE staple who has a very loyal fanbase. Andrew Koji is an amazing martial arts practitioner and was an excellent leading man in the Warrior series who would be a killer Ryu. And, Noah Centineo is a vibrant and funny actor known for playing Atom Smasher in Black Adam. 

We will wait and see how Legendary’s live-action Street Fighter film continues to take shape, and if Jason Momoa, Roman Reigns, Andrew Koji, and Noah Centineo will join its ranks. There isn’t a release date for this film quiet yet but it does have a director, Kitao Sakurai.

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

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Tony Todd’s FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES Monologue Was an Unscripted Farewell to Fans

Final Destination Bloodlines revives the infamous franchise that is all about how we cannot cheat death. Sadly, that truth extends to real life. As surely as we are born, one day we will die… just hopefully not in bizarre, painful, and scary ways. It hurts to lose people we love as well as icons that we adored most of our lives. One of the latter is Tony Todd, who starred in the Candyman franchise, played a key role in the Final Destination franchise, and sadly passed away in 2024. He makes one last appearance in Final Destination Bloodlines and his last speech was an unscripted message to fans. 

We won’t give away any spoilers about the speech, so it will seem a bit out of context. But, many folks on set, including film producer Craig Perry, knew that this Tony Todd monologue was vital. “We all knew that he was obviously quite ill,” Perry revealed to Deadline. “And it was pretty clear that this was going to be the last role he would play in a movie, and the fact that it was one of the Final Destination movies made it that more poignant.”

Warner Bros. Pictures

The directors of Final Destination Bloodlines removed a few scripted lines and told Tony Todd to simply speak to his fans from the heart. Here’s what he said: 

“I intend to enjoy the time I have left. And I suggest you do the same. Life is precious. Enjoy every single second. You never know when… Good luck.”

This hits like a gut punch because he certainly said those lines knowing that he didn’t have long left in this world. Sometimes, death happens unexpectedly and people don’t get a chance to say goodbye. Tony Todd got the chance to give a farewell to millions who loved him, which is comforting yet bittersweet. We will take your advice Tony Todd and enjoy life, even when things feel like they are spiraling.

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Celebrate TOY STORY’s 30th Anniversary With Funko’s New Pop! Line (Exclusive)

It seems impossible for those of us who were Andy’s age when it came out, but this year marks Toy Story‘s 30th anniversary. If you don’t yet know how you’re going to celebrate the iconic animated film’s big birthday don’t worry: you’ve got a friend in Funko. The company is honoring Disney-Pixar’s very first Toy Story film with a new Pop! collection. And Nerdist has your exclusive first-look at the line.

Whether you love friendship, infamous villains, or adorable aliens, Funko went to infinity and beyond for Toy Story fans.

RELATED ARTICLE

Conan O’Brien Joins TOY STORY 5 Cast as New Character Smarty PantsFunko Toy Story 30th Anniversary Collection

Funko’s Toy Story anniversary collection features six Pop! figures. That includes two very different kids (both holding the same toys for very different reasons), a claw-loving alien, and two best buds. The other two celebrate characters introduced in Toy Story 2. They both make for a fitting addition, because even though it’s the original film turning 30, that seminal movie launched a whole animated franchise.

POP! Disney: AndyFunko

The kid whose love for his toys kicked everything off gets a truly delightful Pop! figure for the film’s big anniversary. This collectible shows young Andy sitting in his cowboy hat holding Woody in one hand and Buzz in the other.

POP! Disney: SidFunko

Less adorable but not less “sweet” is Funko’s Sid figure. He’s also holding Woody in Buzz, but in opposite hands. Buzz is also taped up to a rocket, which fortunately did not blow up while he was still attached to it.

POP! Disney: AlienFunko

The claw has chosen, and it chose to come along for the ride with this awed Alien. It hangs upside down as the sacred claw lifts it up to its new owner which can now be you.

POP! Moment: Woody & BuzzFunko

You’ve got two friends with this very sweet Pop! Moment set. It features the franchise’s signature duo Woody and Buzz sitting together.

POP! Rides DLX: Woody with BullseyeFunko

Buzz isn’t the only buddy Woody gets to hang with in Funko’s Toy Story 30th anniversary collection thanks to this very fun Pop! Rides Deluxe piece which shows our favorite sheriff atop his trusty steed, Bullseye.

POP! Disney: AlFunko

The collection’s final piece is also it’s funniest. It shows toy store owner Al McWhiggin in his “Chicken Man” costume.

The collection’s pre-sale starts May 21 and it will hit shelves in July. The Pop! will retail for $14.99 each. The Pop! Ride Deluxe will be available for $34.99. And the Buzz and Woody Pop! Moment is $39.99.

We grew up with these characters, so it’s no surprise we love everything about these Funko Pop! figures. But after 30 years of Toy Story we know you might want to keep your Al collectible away from the other ones. You never know what yours toys might do when you’re not around.

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Is This Our First Look at Spidey’s Costume in SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY?

We know that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is arriving next summer, but we know next to nothing about the plot details, or who is even starring in it. Besides Tom Holland as our titular hero, of course. But sometimes nuggets of information come from the strangest of places. An Instagram user named Chris Higashi was at the recent Disney Blockbuster Consumer Products presentation in Las Vegas, and a large stand showcasing several upcoming Disney films for 2026 was on display. And it appears to show off Peter Parker’s new costume for Brand New Day, which you can see below:

Sony Pictures/Marvel Studios

Although Sony Pictures retains film rights to the Spider-Man franchise, Disney still has all the merchandising rights. So they have a vested interest in the Marvel Studios-produced Brand New Day, even if it’s technically a Sony film. If this is indeed our new Spider-Man costume, it’s one of the most classic, Marvel Comics-accurate versions of the Spider-Man costume we’ve seen in live-action yet. It still looks a lot like the homemade Spidey outfit that Peter makes at the end of No Way Home. Although that costume had brighter blues, and this is a bit darker. But it looks like they’re keeping to the general look of that suit.

Marvel Comics

The original post also said that footage shown at the presentation showed off images of Spider-Man villains Scorpion, Tombstone, and Boomerang. Remember, Better Call Saul actor Michael Mando played Mac Gargan in the post-credits scene for Spider-Man: Homecoming. So it’s long overdue for them to pay off that tease and have him suit up as Scorpion. Tombstone was recently introduced in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which is set in another continuity. But it could indicate how Marvel and Sony plan to tackle the character. As for Boomerang, he’s a relatively minor baddie in Spidey’s rogues’ gallery. But he might make for a fun side villain. If these are indeed the villains, Brand New Day sounds way more “street level” than “Multiversal.” But we’ll just have to wait and see.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters July 31, 2026.

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Eric Kripke Says Anyone Can Die in THE BOYS Season 5

The Boys season five is going to be an explosive ending to a winding and wild ride of a story. Season four left things in a major lurch with the Boys collective broken, Homelander once again having way too much power, and the United States in chaos. What will go down in this final round? Can the Boys team ever forgive Butcher for his betrayal and heinous acts? 

The end of season four did give us a small hint into at least one storyline. We saw Homelander standing over Soldier Boy, who was being kept in stasis in an undisclosed location. In a recent interview with Variety, Eric Krikpe and actor Antony Starr teased that Soldier Boy and Homelander’s contentious relationship will be a big part of The Boys season five and spoke more on what to expect next.

Prime Video

“The more Homelander gets what he wants, the less happy he is. And that really frustrates him,” Kripke said. “You can expect a real ratcheting up of stakes and emotion, and ‘The Boys’ really have their work cut out for them.”

“There’s this intergenerational damage that gets dealt with,” Starr says about his Homelander character and Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy. “That’s a really important thing that we look at those relationships and we built those relationships from a very deep internal perspective.”

Is it possible that one or both of these supes could die. According to Eric Kripke, who spoke to Deadline alongside the cast recently, anything is possible. He said that “there will probably be lots of deaths” and “there’s no guarantee of who’s gonna survive” this final season. Oh boy.

Here’s everything we know about The Boys season five. 

The Boys Season Five’s Plot 

Right now, there’s no information about the show’s plot. But showrunner Eric Kripke promises that there will probably be “lots of deaths” and that he does have an ending already in mind. That makes sense considering that he’s been saying he had a five season arc in mind for a few years. Here’s what he told SlashFilm: 

I’d say we’re squarely in the middle. Every season we know that we want Homelander to get a little more disconnected from reality, and we want Butcher to get a little scarier. The show is, at the end of the day, about these two forces charging towards each other, between Butcher and Homelander. I know that them finally smashing into each other, once and for all, will be a big part of whatever end game we come up with. But beyond that, and beyond knowing where I want Hughie, it’s like I know where I want a lot of the characters to end up. That’s what I would say. I actually don’t even necessarily know the climax of the show, as much as I know that 10 pages that happens at the end, when they say six months later, and you see where everyone is. I know where everyone is. Then my job, as whenever we get to it, my job is to just make sure we can back into that.

Kripke shared the title of the first episode of The Boys season five, which is “Fifteen Inches of Sheer Dynamite.” We don’t know what that means but the thought of fifteen inches of anything in this show is not one we want to entertain.

One. Last. Ride. #DayOne #FinalSeason #TheBoys @TheBoysTV @PrimeVideo pic.twitter.com/3xRxzUoWfm

— Eric Kripke (@therealKripke) November 25, 2024

Behind the Scenes Jasper Savage/The Boys

Of course, Eric Kripke will continue to steer The Boys ship as its showrunner. It remains to be seen who will step in as directors for the episodes. We can assume the writing staff will return for the fifth and final season. 

We will see what happens but in the meantime, we can celebrate the fact that The Boys season five is officially starting production. Laz Alonso, who plays MM, shared a cast photo on his IG that said the crew is back again. The tag suggests that filming is taking place in Toronto, which is still happening through Summer 2025.

The Boys Season Five’s Cast 

All the usual suspects should be coming back, including the Boys collective with Karl Urban (Butcher), Laz Alonso (MM), Tomer Capone (Frenchie), Erin Moriarty (Annie/Starlight), Karen Fukuhara (Kimiko), and Jack Quaid (Hughie Campbell). Jeffrey Dean Morgan will surely reprise his role as Joe Kessler too. For the supes, Antony Starr (Homelander), Valorie Curry (Firecracker), Susan Heyward (Sister Sage), and Chace Crawford (The Deep) will certainly be there. And, sorry to be spoilery, but Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy will be a The Boys season five regular.

We will see if others like Jessie T. Usher (A-Train), Colby Minifie (Ashley Barrett), and Giancarlo Esposito (Stan Edgar) will come back as well considering their rather ambiguous endings in season four.

There’s a familiar face joining the crowd. According to Deadline, The Boys season five is adding Stranger Things star Mason Dye, who played the mean and ill-fated jock Jason Carver in season four, to its cast as a supe named Bombsight. We already know he can play a jerk well, so he should fit right in with Homelander’s crew.

Netflix/Prime Video

He was mentioned briefly in the series before and is one of the oldest supes to exist. There’s also word that Dye’s Bombsight will be in The Boys prequel Vought Rising as a main character. Interesting.

The Boys announced on its social media pages that Daveed Diggs would be a part of the season five cast. That’s all the show is giving us for now but we are already intrigued. 

New S5 crumbs… let’s all welcome Daveed Diggs to The Boys family, shall we? He’ll be playing a character in the show. That’s all ya get for now. pic.twitter.com/rgEf740UNN

— THE BOYS (@TheBoysTV) September 24, 2024

The Boys Season Five’s Release Date 

There is currently not a release date for The Boys season five. The show is expected to start filming in late 2024 through mid-2025, so it is likely that we won’t see new episodes until 2026.

Originally published September 24, 2024.

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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Director Says ‘Fan Service Is Poison’

As someone whose entire career in journalism has been in entertainment, and specifically geek entertainment, I have an interesting relationship to the idea of catering to fans. I am a fan of just about all the stuff we cover here at Nerdist and I’m certainly not immune to films and TV shows pandering directly too me. I welled up the first time I saw Rogue One when Princess Leia said “hope,” and I shouted with glee when Cap summoned Mjolnir in Avengers: Endgame. But just as often, if not more, I roll my eyes at the increasingly esoteric media we imbibe. This is why what Mission: Impossible franchise director Christopher McQuarrie said is both incendiary and refreshing.

“Fan service, and fandom, is poison.”

Paramount Pictures

The quote from McQuarrie isn’t new. It comes from a 2023 episode of The Filmmakers Podcast. (We saw it thanks to THR.) With the eighth and final (presumably) entry in the Mission: Impossible series on the horizon this week, it’s worth noting how remarkably devoid of Easter eggs and fandom winks it has been. It’s a series, sure, but at least as of Dead Reckoning, each entry has built on the last without relying on cutesy insider knowledge.

McQuarrie’s full quote on the subject is as follows:

“Fan service, and fandom, is poison. It’s deadly. It’s great when applied like a very, very strong spice, and judiciously. If you happen to have seen the other movies, great. I don’t count on it. Because what happens [when you add callbacks] — the danger of that — is I’m asking you to leave this narrative, and remember another narrative, and then come back.

“Two things are certain to happen: One, if you know the [previous] movies, you’ve left the narrative and I have to spend precious energy bringing you back [while] I’m trying to immerse you in a story so that you’re not aware the story is happening. Or you haven’t seen that other movie and you’re suddenly aware that everybody around you [in the theater] knows something you don’t. In either case, you’ve disrupted the narrative and broken the chain.”

This feels incredibly pointed at, let’s face it, the MCU and Disney-era Star Wars. And I don’t even think that’s wrong of McQuarrie to call it out. As I said above, I loved those moments the first time I see these films. But they do distract. They do force us all to go “I understand that reference” and others to say “I don’t understand that reference.” We do get pulled out of the narrative for the purposes of, effectively, Member Berries.

Now, I will say, having seen The Final Reckoning, it does contain quite a bit of what young McQuarrie would call fan service. Mostly, I think, in order to make the movie a summation of the entire 30-year franchise. But it does enough explaining to make them tie-ins rather than esoterica. Your mileage, of course, may vary.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning hits theaters May 23.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.

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