Entertainment

On Instagram, Hugh Jackman is keeping fans abreast of his progress as he gears up for his face-off/team-up with real-life pal Ryan Reynolds‘ red-masked motormouth in Deadpool 3.

Jackman posted a video in which he’s on the floor of a gym, performing a grueling set of sliding planks with a massive weight plate balanced on his back.

Behind him, a trainer puts him through his paces as he gets back into superhero shape.

“If you’re looking for me. I’m #becomingwolverineagain,” the 54-year-old star captioned the video, which ends with him laughing about his predicament, saying to the camera with an exhausted laugh, “Good afternoon!”

Incidentally, the first comment came from Dafne Keen, who as a newcomer starred as Jackman’s daughter in 2016’s Oscar-nominated film Logan. “Okay, Logan,” she replied, earning cheers from fans.

Deadpool 3, both DP and Wolvie’s first official foray into the Disney-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe, hits theaters November 8, 2024.

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Emmy winner John Mulaney is returning to Netflix on April 25 with a new stand-up special, John Mulaney: Baby J.

It will be the third special on the streaming service for the actor, writer, comedian and new dad.

Mulaney and Olivia Munn welcomed their first child, Malcolm, in 2021.

The special was shot in Boston’s Symphony Hall in February 2023; David Byrne is supplying the music for the special.

Mulaney previously starred in the stand-up specials The Comeback Kid in 2015 and Kid Gorgeous in 2018. He also starred in a variety special for the streamer in 2019 called John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch.

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On Instagram Wednesday, James Gunn revealed that he is directing his script for Superman: Legacy after all.

The Guardians of the Galaxy writer/director-turned-co-CEO of DC Studios broke the news in a very personal caption to a comic picture of Supes sitting on a cloud and smiling.

“Yes, I’m directing Superman: Legacy to be released on July 11, 2025,” he began, noting his brother Matt cried when he heard the date: It was their late father’s birthday.

James explained he once turned down a chance to direct a Superman film “years ago”: “I didn’t have a way in that felt unique and fun and emotional that gave Superman the dignity he deserved.”

“Then a bit less than a year ago I saw a way in, in many ways centering around Superman’s heritage – how both his aristocratic Kryptonian parents and his Kansas farmer parents inform who he is and the choices he makes,” Gunn said, explaining that convinced him to take the job.

“Just because I write something doesn’t mean I feel it in my bones, visually and emotionally, enough to spend over two years directing it,” he expressed, adding, “I love this script, and I’m incredibly excited as we begin this journey.”

As reported, Gunn and Peter Safran‘s tenure as co-CEOs/co-chairmen of DC Studios hit early turbulence with some fans when it was announced Henry Cavill wouldn’t be returning as the Man of Steel after he appeared as such in the after credits of Black Adam.

The former Witcher star had happily told fans late last year that he was indeed back as the hero, only to regretfully inform them weeks later that it wasn’t to be. “This news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life,” he said at the time.

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On Wednesday, Peacock revealed it is reviewing the beloved soap opera Days of Our Lives for two more seasons, meaning it will run through its 60th.

The series, which the NBCUniversal-owned streaming service called “one of television’s most iconic and trailblazing” dramas, made the switch from terrestrial to streaming last September and has continued to be a strong performer for Peacock since.

Days celebrated its 14,000th episode in 2020, making it NBC’s longest-running drama at the time, before it switched to Peacock.

In its run, the Corday Productions/Sony Pictures Television mainstay has earned some 61 Emmy Awards, most recently earning the Outstanding Writing for a Daytime Drama trophy in 2022.

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Willow‘s adventures won’t continue on Disney+. Deadline reports the streaming service owned by ABC News’ parent company has reportedly not renewed the series, which was a continuation of the 1988 Ron Howard film that shared its name.

Warwick Davis reprised the title role as Willow Ufgood in a series set in a world of swords and sorcery. The show also starred Rogue One and Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s Erin Kellyman, as well as Spider-Man franchise vet Tony Revolori and Aladdin live-action movie vet Amar Chadha-Patel.

Although not a hit in terms of streaming numbers, Willow scored an average 83% with critics on the ratings aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, though its audience score sits at 66%. Incidentally, the original film, which also starred Val Kilmer, rated just 46% with critics, but 79% with audiences.

The trade notes that the Willow universe is still “important” to Disney-owned Lucasfilm, and the property may be revisited in the future.

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On Wednesday, Drew Barrymore — with the help of M3GAN, Cocaine Bear and Ghostface from the Scream movies — announced she’ll be hosting the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards.

Well, sure, M3GAN was just Drew dressed up — reprising her getup from her odd daytime interview with the movie’s star Allison Williams — and it wasn’t the REAL Cocaine Bear, or Ghostface, but nonetheless, Drew’s excited.

“I am so honored to be chosen, especially this year, when the show is all about fans. I’m a fan!”

She promised “an epic night: big moments, huge movie stars,” and to prove it, she asked, “Cocaine Bear, are you free on May 7?”

The show will take place live from Los Angeles’ Barker Hangar on Sunday, May 7, at 8 p.m. ET.

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The Last of Us may be on its way to the Video Game Hall of Fame.

The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, released the finalists for their 2023 Video Game Hall of Fame Wednesday morning, and the apocalyptic action-adventure game is on the list.

This follows the game’s spike in popularity after HBO adapted it into a series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. The Strong National Museum of Play said of the game, “Released by Naughty Dog and Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2013, The Last of Us jumped into an oversaturated field of post-apocalyptic zombie games and quickly stood out among the rest with its in-depth storytelling, intimate exploration of humanity, thrilling game jumps and cutscenes, and its memorable characters.”

Other finalists include Age of Empire, Angry Birds, Barbie Fashion Designer, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Computer Space, FIFA International Soccer, GoldenEye 007, NBA 2K, Wii Sports, Quake and Wizardry. Past inductees include Pac-Man, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Super Mario Bros.

The museum chooses which games to include by taking nominations from the public, and determining which are the most influential on popular culture and the gaming industry. They display the Video Game Hall of Fame with other exhibits that capture the history of the act of play; for example, the eGameRevolution exhibit allows people from all generations to play games that span decades, from pinball machines to PlayStation 3.

The Strong Museum of Play usually announces inductees in May.

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While Ryan Reynolds is a Hollywood star, he also moonlights as an entrepreneur, and he now has another mogul-sized deal under his Deadpool belt.

The Ka’ena Corporation, the parent company of Reynolds’ Mint Mobile, has just been acquired by giant T-Mobile, in a deal worth $1.35 billion in cash and stock.

Reynolds, both a minority share owner and pitchman for the company, took to social media with T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert in a hysterical announcement video.

Sievert tells the star he’s “so happy to have you and the whole Mint team join the T-Mobile family,” to which Ryan laughs, deadpanning, “Well, I wouldn’t call it a family, Mike. A family is a place for misdirected hopes and dreams. I’m hoping this will be much better than that.”

To prove T-Mobile won’t sway from Mint’s trademark “incredibly improvised, borderline reckless” marketing, Ryan rapid-fires about the deal: “I’m certain that I’m finally gonna fill whatever hole that I have inside my soul which possesses me to emphasize external success over quieting an inner child futilely craving some sort of illusory acknowledgement from my now deceased father.”

A surprised Sievert asks Reynolds if he’s OK and offers him a hug, which prompts Reynolds to add, “It’s nice
to have a new dad.”

Reynolds also joked in a statement, “We are so happy T-Mobile beat out an aggressive last-minute bid from my mom Tammy Reynolds as we believe the excellence of their 5G network will provide a better strategic fit than my mom’s slightly-above-average mahjong skills.”

In 2020, spirits company Diageo purchased Reynolds’ Aviation American Gin in a more than $600 million deal.

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(SPOILERS) After two episodes of the new season dealt with Pedro Pascal‘s Din Djarin redeeming himself for the sin of taking off his helmet, the just-dropped third episode of The Mandalorian really opens things up. 

The action returns to Coruscant, the capital city planet first seen in the Star Wars prequels and recently seen in Andor. After the fall of the Empire, it’s the home of the New Republic — and viewers learn it’s also the home of an amnesty program for former agents of the Empire. 

Like Project Paperclip did in the U.S. after World War II, when former Nazis were drafted by our country to aid in the space race and military tech, some surprising faces resurface.

Omid Abtahi‘s cloning scientist Dr. Pershing, and Katy O’Brian‘s comms officer who formerly worked for Giancarlo Esposito‘s evil Moff Gideon, are back. We learn her name for the first time: Elia Kane. She plots — illegally — to help Pershing restart his research. 

O’Brian, recently seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, told ABC Audio it was “wild” to join the Star Wars universe. 

“My brother’s a big Star Wars fan, you know, and I wasn’t really that into it. So I guess I didn’t really understand how big of a deal that was. And then I started watching them again. I’m like, ‘OK, you know what? It’s actually pretty great.'”

She explains she was inducted into the fan costuming charity group the 501st Legion, adding, “They’re such a great, great group of people, and they’ve gotten me into a lot more charity work, which is what I want to do.”

She adds, “So it kind of feels like this really cool community. And then you also get to play this awesome character on screen.” 

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Billy Crystal is taking fans back to 1989 with his recent social media post.

In a tweet posted on Tuesday for his 75th birthday, Crystal shared a photo of himself recreating a moment from his beloved film When Harry Met Sally.

In the photo, Crystal is seen crouching as he did in a classic still from the movie in which he co-starred with Meg Ryan, and wears a similar white cable knit sweater, jeans and sneakers as his character did.

“Thank you all,” Crystal wrote in the caption, as a reply to the birthday wishes he received.

When Harry Met Sally is celebrating its 34th anniversary this year.

Crystal played the titular character Harry in the movie to Ryan’s Sally. The romantic comedy, written by Nora Ephron, followed Harry and Sally’s story, from their first time meeting through several chance encounters in New York City — and eventually, their happily ever after.

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