Entertainment

This is the way … to the couch. Star Wars: Mandalorian and Grogu will be available to watch at home for purchase on digital platforms very soon. It arrives on Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango on July 21, and will be available on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray on Aug. 25. Pedro Pascal stars as the titular bounty hunter in the film that continues the story of the Star Wars TV series The Mandalorian …

Netflix has released the first look at its upcoming series Below. Josh Hartnett stars in the thriller series about a fisherman living in a small Canadian town who is haunted by his father’s mysterious death decades ago. The limited series blends myth, suspense and humor into six 45-minute episodes. Also starring are Mackenzie Davis, Charlie Heaton and Ruby Stokes. It debuts on Oct. 8 …

Robert De Niro stars in the trailer for The Whisper Man. The upcoming Netflix film is based on The New York Times bestselling book by Alex North. It follows what happens to a widowed crime writer when his 8-year-old son is abducted. He looks to a retired former police detective for help only to come across a decadesold case of a convicted serial killer. Adam Scott and Michelle Monaghan also star in the movie, which premieres on Aug. 28 …

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Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham are besties on the run in Ride or Die.

The new series, which premieres on Prime Video Wednesday, follows best friends who think they know everything about each other — until one discovers the other is an international assassin.

The show has it all — action, drama, comedy and romance — but its heart is the friendship between Debbie (Spencer) and Judith (Waddingham).

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to get to play in all of these sandboxes,” Spencer told ABC Audio. “For me personally, horror is my favorite genre and then action … the fact that I’m getting to be in an action, comedy, drama with Hannah and getting to play at this level was amazing.”

Spencer said the characters were “otherworldly to me because we see these women. We are these women in real life.”

She made sure to quickly clarify, “Not the assassin part of it,” right before Waddingham chimed in, “Or am I?”

Spencer laughed and said, “Or maybe she is. Maybe she’s the secret sauce.”

As for what it was like to get to play Spencer’s best friend, Waddingham said, “That is the crux of it all for me.”

“It’s not every day that an Oscar winner gets on a Zoom call and goes, ‘Come and play and do this amazing role, and I’ve got an amazing role, and we’re going to have Bill Nighy playing an amazing role,'” Waddingham said. “It was just almost too much for a girl to listen to and feel like you could step up to the plate with these massive hitters.”

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The closing ceremony for the 2026 FIFA World Cup just got bigger.

FIFA announced in a press release Tuesday that it has added Tom Cruise to its closing ceremony lineup, set to be held Sunday, ahead of the 2026 World Cup Final.

The Top Gun star will make a special appearance, joining a star-studded list of performers.

Also taking the World Cup stage for the closing ceremony are Italian singer-songwriter Laura Pausini, American singer and actress Nicole Scherzinger, English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams and YouTube creator IShowSpeed.

Jennifer Hudson will also help kick off the 2026 World Cup final with a special rendition of the U.S. national anthem.

“Echoing the spirit of the opening ceremonies, which welcomed the world to the greatest stage in Canada, Mexico and the United States, the closing ceremony will bring the FIFA World Cup 2026 full circle through music, culture and football, before we kick off the highly anticipated match that will crown the champions of this groundbreaking tournament,” Heimo Schirgi, chief operating officer for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, said in a statement in the press release.

The closing ceremony will begin 90 minutes before kickoff at 1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.

It will be held at New York New Jersey Stadium (known outside the tournament as MetLife Stadium) in East Rutherford, New Jersey, capping the first men’s World Cup to feature an expanded 48-team field and to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Earlier this month, FIFA announced Justin Bieber as a co-headliner for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Halftime Show alongside Madonna, BTS and Shakira.

The halftime show will also include performances by singer Burna Boy, conductor Gustavo Dudamel, and the PS22 Chorus, which is the acclaimed choir of fourth and fifth graders from a public elementary school in Staten Island, New York. Coldplay will also perform.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin is curating the final halftime show, and it will be produced by Global Citizen.

The tournament kicked off June 11 in Mexico City and included an opening ceremony featuring performances from Shakira, Burna Boy, Maná, J Balvin, Belinda and Tyla.

Separate star-studded opening ceremonies were also held that week in Toronto and Los Angeles before the first whistle was blown.

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A new Hotel Transylvania film is headed to theaters.

Sony Pictures Animation and Amazon MGM Studios are set to release the fifth film in the animated franchise, The Haunting of Hotel Transylvania, in theaters on Oct. 8, 2027.

“Drac has happily settled into retirement while Mavis takes the reins of the legendary monster hotel. But when a series of spooky and unexplained happenings sends chills through the resort, the Drac Pack embarks on its most spellbinding adventure yet: uncovering the mystery behind The Haunting of Hotel Transylvania,” according to the new film’s official description.

Jennifer Kluska and Alan Hawkins are set to direct the film while Lawrence Jonas will produce it. Additionally, Genndy Tartakovsky and Michelle Murdocca are set to executive produce.

“From the beginning, Hotel Transylvania has invited audiences into a world where monsters feel like family,” Kristine Belson and Damien de Froberville, the presidents of Sony Pictures Animation, said. “These films have been a cornerstone of Sony Animation’s storytelling identity, blending a unique visual style with heartfelt, character-driven comedy. With this next installment, we’re honoring that legacy of heart and humor while delivering the unexpected surprises audiences love.”

Courtenay Valenti, the head of film at Amazon MGM Studios, said Hotel Transylvania is “one of those rare franchises that has become a beloved tradition for families around the world.”

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Sony Pictures Animation to bring the Drac Pack back to the big screen and continue this legacy of inventive, character-driven storytelling that audiences have embraced for over a decade,” Valenti continued.

Hotel Transylvania premiered to theaters in 2012. It featured the voices of Selena Gomez, Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg and spawned three previous sequels, two of which debuted in theaters. The fourth installment, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, premiered to Prime Video in 2022.

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It’s a girl!

Barbara Palvin and Dylan Sprouse have announced they are expecting a baby girl. The model and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody star announced the sex of their first child on the second episode of Sprouse’s new podcast, Wildmen.

“We’ve been calling her principessa,” Sprouse said. “It’s Italian for princess.”

He continued, “We are having a baby girl, which I’m very excited about. … I’m excited to be a girl dad, actually.”

“You’re gonna be so stressed about the princess,” Palvin said, before Sprouse joked, “I just also unironically love a tea party.”

The couple announced that Palvin is pregnant with their first child in an Instagram post on May 14. Sprouse and Palvin were married on July 15, 2023, in Palvin’s home country of Hungary.

Later in the podcast, Palvin opened up about having endometriosis.

“We knew we wanted to get pregnant, but we also knew because I have endometriosis, we knew we wanted to get that surgery done before we start trying,” Palvin said.

In August 2025, Palvin revealed she’d had surgery for endometriosis in an Instagram post.

“For some years now I’ve been dealing with the difficulties that can come with my periods. Fatigue, severe pain, heavy and irregular flow, sleepless nights on the bathroom floor. I thought this was just how it works for me,” Palvin wrote. “[The surgery] helped me a lot, and I’m grateful I did it. Early diagnosis and treatment are very important to prevent long-term complications, and now I’m more mindful about my body to act fast if needed.”

Palvin ended her post by saying she is “excited about this new chapter of my life and now ready to get back to work.”

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Tyriq Withers is set for a new rom-com. Deadline reports the Reminders of Him actor will star in and executive produce the upcoming romantic comedy Love Love. He will star alongside Isabel May in the film. Joey Power is set to write and direct the movie, which follows a struggling tennis star who falls for the local ball boy at the US Open …

Monopoly is headed to Netflix. The streaming service has announced that it will bring the board game to life in a brand-new competition series that will find contestants competing for the chance to win $2 million. The show will take place in a life-sized Monopoly town square and find 12 players competing for the grand prize. Casting is open now for the series, which will premiere in 2027 …

Prime Video has shared the first photos from its upcoming series Carrie. The show marks the first TV adaptation of Stephen King’s debut novel. It has been reimagined by horror showrunner Mike Flanagan and stars Summer Howell as the misfit high schooler Carrie White. Carrie is set to debut worldwide this fall …

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Get ready for another Nightmare on Elm Street.

Paramount Pictures has closed a deal for the U.S. rights to adapt the original screenplay for A Nightmare on Elm Street, ABC Audio has learned.

The U.S. rights are being licensed from the Wes Craven estate, which includes Iya Labunka and Jonathan Craven.

This deal marks the first project for Paramount Primal, a new genre label at the company set to be led by J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules.

The currently untitled film is in priority development at the label. While plot details have not been revealed, the movie will be set in the world of A Nightmare on Elm Street and will be based on the original film’s screenplay.

Labunka, Jonathan Craven and Marc Toberoff will produce while Lifshitz and Margules will executive produce for Paramount Primal.

“Jonathan and I are so excited to be partnering with J.D. and Rafi along with the terrific team they’ve assembled at Paramount Primal. We look forward to bringing the world of Wes Craven’s Nightmare on Elm Street to a new and completely engaged generation of fans,” Labunka said. “We know that Wes would have been thrilled to see how horror is taking its long overdue place in the cultural canon. We can’t wait for all of us to sit together in a dark theatre — around the campfire of today — as the next chapter of the Nightmare story unfolds.”

In a statement, Lifshitz and Margules said, “We can’t remember a time before we were fans of Wes Craven. The fact that Iya and Jonathan have entrusted us with this opportunity to help usher a new story into this world is an honor beyond words. We look forward to working alongside them to bring a terrifying new nightmare to audiences everywhere—and to welcome Freddy home.”

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Ted Lasso star Cristo Fernández made his professional soccer debut in the U.S. over the weekend.

Fernández made his debut for El Paso Locomotive FC in the team’s match against New Mexico United at Southwest University Park in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday. The actor played fan-favorite Dani Rojas in the Apple TV+ series.

As Fernández entered the game, a broadcaster calling the match described the moment as “what everybody came to see tonight … the long anticipated debut.”

“Cristo Fernández: ‘Fútbol is life!'” another chimed in, referencing Dani’s famous catchphrase in Ted Lasso.

Fernández came on in the 79th minute of the game, which his club ultimately lost 2-0. Fernández recorded a yellow card in the 87th minute, according to the game statistics.

Fernández, 35, joined the USL Championship side after completing what the club described as an “extensive” two-month trial.

During that stretch, the Mexican actor and forward trained regularly with the team and appeared in a preseason match against New Mexico United.

“Yes, it’s really him,” Fernández’s player biography on the El Paso Locomotive FC website states.

Long before his acting career took off, Fernández began a promising soccer career, playing youth soccer for Mexican club Guadalajara Estudiantes Tecos Club and Puerto Rico’s Guayama FC before injuries ultimately sidelined him, according to ESPN.

He later decided to pursue acting while attending university in Mexico, and eventually moved to England, where he graduated from the Guildford School of Acting at the University of Surrey.

In recent years, Fernández has shared his journey back to soccer on social media, posting videos of himself training with professional clubs across the country, including teams connected to Major League Soccer organizations.

In an interview posted to social media back in May, Fernández opened up about the opportunity to play for El Paso Locomotive FC.

“I love the city. I love the team. It’s a dream come true,” he said at the time.

He added, “Since day one they welcomed me, they let me compete, and they treated me like another player, and it’s a great team.”

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Can’t beat it! The Michael Jackson movie has hit another milestone.

Michael has surpassed the $1 billion mark at the box office, becoming the first biopic to cross that threshold.

In June it claimed the title of highest-grossing biopic of all time, taking over from the Oscar-winning film Oppenheimer. It’s also the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time, surpassing Bohemian Rhapsody, and the biggest film ever for Lionsgate.

“Audiences have embraced the film from the beginning, turning it into a unique cultural phenomenon in theaters around the world,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said in a statement. “Their passion speaks to the enduring appeal of one of the greatest recording artists of all time, and it underscores the continued strength and vitality of the theatrical moviegoing experience.”

Director Antoine Fuqua called the milestone “a deeply humbling moment.”

“This achievement belongs to everyone who came together with a shared vision to honor one of the greatest artists the world has ever known,” he continued in a statement. “I am profoundly grateful to the audiences around the globe who embraced this film, showed up in theaters, and connected with this story across generations and cultures. This historic milestone is a testament to the enduring power of cinema to bring us together, and it is a chapter in movie history I will never forget.”

The movie, starring the King of Pop’s nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role, debuted in April with an impressive $217 million globally.

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Dig up the official trailer for Tom Cruise’s new film, Digger.

Warner Bros. Pictures released the new trailer for the upcoming film on Monday. It finds Cruise completely transformed into the character Digger Rockwell, a billionaire who has a thick Southern accent, a potbelly and combed-over white hair.

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) director Alejandro González Iñárritu helmed the movie. It is his first English-language feature since The Revenant.

Digger follows “the most powerful man in the world” who “embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything,” according to an official description.

The trailer starts with Cruise’s Digger enjoying a lavish lifestyle inside of his mansion. We soon learn that the company he owns is responsible for an ecological disaster that is likely to cause a nuclear war.

Digger then sets out to try to save the world, despite how unlikely the possibility may seem.

“If we can’t control the course of nature, at lease we can control the narrative,” Digger says. “When all else fails, you hit ’em with the truth. You know, the hard truth. Just bang, bang, bang!”

The film’s ensemble cast includes Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Riz Ahmed, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde and Emma D’Arcy.

Iñárritu also produces the film, which he co-wrote with his Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) co-writers Nicolas Giacobone and Alexander Dinelaris, along with Sabina Berman. Cruise also serves as a producer.

Digger arrives in theaters on Oct. 2.

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