Entertainment

On November 6, known to fans as Stranger Things Day, Netflix gave a peek behind the curtain of Stranger Things: The First Shadow.

The stage production prequel of the streaming series phenomenon opens in previews at London’s Phoenix Theatre before its official opening December 14. 

In the snippet provided by Netflix, show creators Matt and Ross Duffer explain that while they and their writers were working on the fourth season of the show, they realized there was “definitely” more story to tell.

To that end, the show is set in the series’ Hawkins, Indiana, in 1959 and centers on the younger version of some of the show’s main characters. Oscar Lloyd plays the younger version of David Harbour‘s Jim Hopper; Isabella Pappas plays Winona Ryder‘s character Joyce; Patrick Vaill plays the younger version of Matthew Modine‘s Dr. Brenner. 

The brothers go on to explain that the play centers on when Henry Creel — the character who becomes the evil Vecna — moved into the paranormal town. 

Stranger Things: The First Shadow director Stephen Daldry says he was a massive fan of Stranger Things, calling the play a “passion project for me for years.” 

Visual effects designer Jamie Harrison teases, “There are a lot of monsters, lots of blood and gut effects … vanishes and appearances,” and lots of other surprises he doesn’t want to spoil.

“It’s completely mind-blowing,” Vaill expresses.

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Mark Wahlberg plays a suburban dad whose past as an assassin catches up to him in the trailer to Apple TV+’s upcoming action comedy The Family Plan.

When a hitman interrupts a baby-toting Dan Morgan while he’s on a diaper run, he realizes his cover is blown — and takes his wife (Mission: Impossible player Michelle Monaghan) and their kids on the run, under the guise of a family road trip to Vegas.

The streamer teases, “Determined to protect his family — while treating them to the vacation of a lifetime — Dan must put his long-dormant skills into action, without revealing his true identity.”

However, his wife quickly gets wind that her husband is “James Bond in a minivan” as Wahlberg is seen trading blows and gunfire with a team of elite assassins on their trail all the way to Sin City.

“I need to be that guy one more time for us,” he tells her.

The movie hits Apple TV+ December 15.

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Aquaman franchise star Jason Momoa is returning to the Saturday Night Live stage on November 18. 

The sketch show made the announcement Monday morning, adding that Tate McRae will be the musical guest. 

It was previously announced that Momoa’s Dune co-star Timothée Chalamet will host the show on November 11, with musical guest boygenius.

The November 18 show will be Momoa’s second time hosting the show, timed for the release of his Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom on December 20. He previously hosted in 2018, and cameoed in a sketch in 2019 when Chance the Rapper was host and musical guest.

It will be Tate’s first time appearing on the show. 

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FX has announced it is serving up a third helping of its acclaimed Hulu exclusive series The Bear.

With its first season nominated for 13 Emmy Awards, the decision was something of a no-brainer for the network. Its lead, Jeremy Allen White, won the Golden Globe, SAG, and Critics Choice awards for lead actor in a comedy series.

The Bear‘s second season — which was also acclaimed — debuted too late for Emmy consideration this year.

In the announcement, Nick Grad, President of FX Entertainment said that the show, “wowed audiences in its first season only to achieve even greater heights in season two,” and “has become a cultural phenomenon.”

He added, “We’re so proud to partner with [show creator] Christopher Storer, [executive producers] Joanna Calo, Josh Senior, and the rest of the creative team, as well as the brilliant cast led by Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.”

“What they and the crew have done is truly remarkable, and we and our partners at Hulu join fans in looking forward to the next chapter in the story of The Bear,” he said.

The first two seasons of The Bear are currently available to stream on Hulu.

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In the new film Quiz Lady, available to watch on Hulu, Awkwafina and Sandra Oh play estranged sisters who come back together to help cover their mom’s gambling debts.

The film’s director, Jessica Yu, sat down with ABC Audio to chat about the film and its all-star cast. Seeing Awkwafina and Oh work together, Yu says, was like watching two actual sisters interact.

“You could really see there was a true trust and connection between the two of them,” Yu said. “I remember at one-point Awkwafina said … this was the first time she actually felt related to somebody that she’s supposed to be related to on screen. And I think that that really shows.”

This is a different kind of role for Oh, who is often cast as more serious characters. Yu says Oh was more than prepared to take a turn playing the comedic relief.

“Sandra, the way that she works, you know, her process, she wants to know everything,” Yu said. “She was very involved – down to, you know, ‘What are the earrings,’ ‘What’s the eyeshadow that she wears,’ ‘How thick are the lashes.’ So, you know, she came ready to go.”

Oh has even said that Quiz Lady was one of her favorite on-set experiences of her career, which means a lot to Yu.

“It’s like the biggest compliment,” Yu said. “I always feel like having a good time and doing good work shouldn’t be, you know, mutually exclusive. But in this case, I think because we had a lot of time to connect, to talk, to absorb the material beforehand and create those bonds, then when we were out there, it was like we all had confidence and room to play.”

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Following a brief virtual meeting with CEOs on Saturday, November 4, SAG-union leaders continued on Sunday to weigh the studios’ final offer. “We received an offer today from the AMPTP, which they characterized as their “Last, Best, and Final Offer, ” the SAG-AFTRA Theatrical Committee said in a statement obtained by ABC Audio. “We are reviewing it and considering our response within the context of the critical issues addressed in our proposals.” The studios have previously claimed they need to complete a deal no later than the beginning of November to salvage the 2024 TV and movie slate…

Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s live-action take on the animated movie How to Train Your Dragon is the latest casualty of the SAG-AFTRA strike, with the studios revealing the strike has forced them to move the release date from March 14, 2025 to June 13, 2025, according to Deadline. The fantasy series — which includes 2010’s How to Train Your Dragon, 2014’s How to Train Your Dragon 2 and 2019’s How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World — has grossed more than $1.6 billion worldwide and spawned the TV series DreamWorks Dragons, Rescue Riders and The Nine Realms, as well as theme park rides and the live show, How to Train Your Dragon on Ice…

Peter White, the actor best known for his role in The Boys in the Band, as well as a recurring stint in All My Children, died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles of melanoma, his All My Children castmate Kathleen Noone told The Hollywood Reporter. He was 86. White also played Arthur Cates, the attorney for Stephanie Beacham‘s Sable Colby on the first two seasons of the ABC primetime soap The Colbys in 1985-86, recurring as the late father of Swoosie Kurtz, Sela Ward, Patricia Kalember and Julianne Phillips characters on the 1991-96 NBC drama Sisters. White’s other TV credits include Hill Street Blues, The Jeffersons, Dynasty, Knots Landing to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The X-Files and The West Wing. His film appearances include Flubber, Armageddon and First Daughter…

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Matthew Perry was laid to rest on Friday, November 3, with his Friends co-stars — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer all in attendance.

Perry’s former castmates paid their respects, along with family and friends, in a private ceremony at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, not far from Warner Bros. Studios where he filmed Friends, according to Entertainment Tonight.

The 54-year-old actor, known for playing Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom, which ran from 1994-2004, died on the afternoon of October 28 in his Pacific Palisades home.

The Friends cast remained close following the show’s series finale and reunited onscreen in the 2021 special, Friends: The Reunion.

“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” Aniston, Cox, LeBlanc and Schwimmer said in a joint statement obtained by ABC News on October 30. “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”

“In time we will say more, as and when we are able,” the statement continues. “For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”

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Five Nights at Freddy’s held on to the top spot at the domestic box office with an estimated $17.8 million haul — a far cry from its $80 million debut a week ago, but not all that bad considering it’s already available to stream on Peacock.

Second place went to Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which earned an estimated $13.5 million in its fourth outing, for a total of $165 million at the North American box office. The concert film has collected a total of $231 million worldwide.

Martin Scorsese‘s Killers of the Flower Moon pulled up in third place with an estimated $7 million, bringing its three-week domestic tally to $52.3 million. Worldwide the film — starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone and Jesse Plemons — has delivered $119.2 million.

After opening in four theaters last week, Sofia Coppola‘s Priscilla — adapted from Priscilla Presley‘s 1985 memoir Elvis and Me and starring Euphoria‘s Jacob Elordi and Mare of Easttown‘s Cailee Spaeny — debuted in fourth place earning an estimated $5.3 million haul at the domestic box office after expanding to 1,344 screens.

The drama Radical rounded out the top five, delivering an estimated $2.7 million in its opening weekend in the U.S. globally, the film has earned $10.2 million.

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Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker have welcomed a son, a source close to the situation confirmed to ABC News.

The couple, who married in 2022, first announced the pregnancy in June at a Blink-182 concert in Los Angeles, with Kardashian holding up a sign in the audience that read “Travis I’m pregnant.” In a video of the moment Kardashian shared to Instagram, the drummer leaves the stage to give her a celebratory kiss.

On Sept. 1, Blink-182 postponed the band’s European tour dates due to an “urgent family matter” for Barker. Nearly a week later, on Sept. 6, Kardashian revealed on Instagram that she underwent “urgent fetal surgery” to save their baby.

In her post, Kardashian said she had “a whole new understanding and respect for mamas who have had to fight for their babies while pregnant,” adding, “Praise be to God. Walking out of the hospital with my baby boy in my tummy and safe was the truest blessing.”

In an interview with Vogue on Oct. 17, Kardashian credited an ultrasound for catching the issue with her baby that required surgery.

“It was terrifying,” she said of the experience. “After, I learned that insurance typically only covers two ultrasounds when you’re pregnant, I had no idea. I’ve always been lucky enough to do more than what insurance covers, and it’s one of those ultrasounds that saved my baby’s life.”

The couple’s newest arrival comes after a lengthy in vitro fertilization journey.

Kardashian is also mom to three children she shares with former partner Scott Disick: sons Mason and Reign, and daughter Penelope.

Barker shares three children with ex-partner Shanna Moakler: son Landon, daughter Alabama and stepdaughter Atiana, who is Moakler’s child with ex Oscar De La Hoya.

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One of the biggest movies of 2023, the sleeper hit The Sound of Freedom, will find a streaming home on Amazon’s Prime Video, Variety reports.

The anti-child trafficking thriller stars Jim Caviezel as real-life former government agent Tim Ballard, who quit his job busting child pornographers to take on his own mission of rescuing a little girl from sex traffickers in the Colombian jungle. He saved 123 people, including 55 kids, in the process.

To date, the thriller that was produced by independent Angel Studios has made $242 million globally on a production budget of around $14.5 million.

Unlike the usual summer fare, it relied on crowdfunding to raise its shooting budget and a word-of-mouth campaign to drive the movie’s business, instead of a hundred-million-dollar marketing budget.

The Sound of Freedom is already available for purchase or rental on various platforms, including Prime Video, but will stream for free on the platform for subscribers starting December 26.

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