Check out the latest odds and ends of entertainment news.
Iron Man
Marvel is giving us an Iron Man series, but not in the way we might have thought. Disney Jr. is bringing us Marvel’s Iron Man and his Awesome Friends, “the first preschool Iron Man series which will feature a young Tony Stark (Iron Man) and his world-saving besties, Riri Williams (Ironheart) and Amadeus Cho (Iron Hulk). The young trio work together to make the world a better place, protecting their city and each other.”
This Iron Man series will release in summer 2025 on Disney Jr. and Disney+. “The new series is part of Disney and Marvel’s expanded strategy to introduce these iconic Avengers characters and stories to a new generation of fans.”
Invincible
Invincible season three has set its release date and shared a new trailer. Invincible will return on February 6, 2025. It will release its first three episodes on that date and then have episodic drops until March 13. In exciting news for fans, Invincible season three will also not have a large pause for a mid-season break. You can check out the Invincible season three teaser trailer above.
Gladiator 2
The Gladiator 2 popcorn bucket is here for your viewing pleasure.
Velma
You probably haven’t thought about Mindy Kaling’s Velma in a while, and that’s good because HBO has canceled season three of the series. Yesterday, Davey Cummings, a background artist on the series shared on his Instagram in a now-deleted post, “Backgrounds I painted for Velma Halloween Special,” he wrote alongside a carousel post of different spooky backdrops. “So fun working with this crew. There will not be a season 3, but I hope I get to work with these amazing talented people again one day. GO WATCH ‘VELMA’ HALLOWEEN SPECIAL ON MAX!!”
The post was since been taken down, but he seemed pretty sure… And today, yes, Max has confirmed that Velma is officially canceled. In a statement, Max confirmed the Velma cancellation noting, “Over the past two seasons, Mindy [Kaling] and Charlie [Grandy] have created an incredibly fun and fresh world within the iconic whodunit franchise. While we won’t be moving forward with another season of the series, we thank them for their compelling coming-of-age storytelling, unrivaled clues, and hilarious hijinks.”
Deadpool & Wolverine
Alas, Daniel Radcliffe was never going to appear as a Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine. Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick reveal the following about rumors of Daniel Radcliffe cameoing as a Wolverine variant in the Deadpool movie, “No, I don’t think that ever came up. It was a rumor that flew all over, but I don’t think Daniel Radcliffe was ever considered.”
However, Wernick notes, “We had pitched the idea of Danny DeVito… And ultimately it was thought it was just funnier to see Hugh. A short version of Hugh was funnier.” Reese concludes, “And that was inspired, obviously, other than by the comics that was inspired by Tim Conway’s Dorf on Golf.”
Voltron: Legendary Defender
Netflix’s Voltron: Legendary Defender has experienced many ups and downs during the course of its existence. But now reports indicate it could leave Netflix in December of 2024. That would be a blow to fans because the series was created for Netflix. However, as always with TV series, there are many cooks in the kitchen and complicated contractual nuances in play.
Official accounts have weighed in the question of whether Voltron will be removed from Netflix, noting “Discussions are ongoing. When we know, you’ll know.”
Mike Flanagan’s The Exorcist
Horror maestro Mike Flanagan has quietly become one of the busiest filmmakers in Hollywood. He just released The Life of Chuck, his third Stephen King adaptation, and he’s got a fourth, the Prime Video series The Dark Tower, on the horizon. But in betwixt, Flanagan also signed with Blumhouse for a new Exorcist film. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Flanagan calls that movie the “scariest film I’ve ever made.” Bold statement!
Speaking about the project, he said:
I’ve always felt that there’s no point in going into a franchise or into a property that monolithic unless there’s something new you can bring. I chased The Exorcist very aggressively because I was convinced I had something that I could add. This is an opportunity to do something that I believe has never been done within the franchise — something that honors what came before it but isn’t built on nostalgia. I really just saw an opportunity to make the scariest movie I’ve ever made. I know expectations are high. No one’s more intimidated than I am.
Mr. Crocket
Get ready for a creepy children’s show to come to life, complete with an eerie jingle. Mr. Crockett is here to snatch children and kill parents. Yikes!
YouTube
YouTube will soon allow creators to organize their contents by “season” and “episode” on its platform. YouTube Chief Product Officer Johanna Voolich shares in a blog post, “To help our creators’ content shine on TVs, they will soon be able to organize their content into seasons and episodes, making it easy for viewers to tune into the new must see TV… We’re making other improvements to the TV experience with immersive content that plays directly from a creator’s channel, streamlined subscription options and easier access to links in descriptions.” This update will arrive in 2025.
Time Bandits
Alas, although fans were excited about the Time Bandits series reboot/adaptation of Terry Gilliam’s cult favorite movie and seemed to like it overall, it was not meant to be. Joining a pile of other Apple TV+ series that somehow didn’t manage to make a big mark despite a big budget and a good amount of star power, Time Bandits has been canceled after one season. It seems like Time Bandits just didn’t garner a large enough audience. And so, to the canceled heap it goes. We barely knew you!
For the interested, The Time Bandits season one synopsis shared:
Guided by Lisa Kudrow, the eccentric crew of bandits embark on epic adventures while evil forces threaten their conquests, and life as they know it. As the group transports through time and space, the gang stumbles upon fascinating worlds of the distant past while seeking out treasure, depending on Kevin to shed light on each situation. The “Time Bandits” witness the creation of Stonehenge, see the Trojan Horse in action, escape dinosaurs in the prehistoric ages, wreak havoc during medieval times, experience the Ice Age, ancient civilizations and the Harlem Renaissance, and much more along the way.
Spirit Halloween
Spirit Halloween is here to make Halloween miracles come true. Now you can dress like a Cinnabon Box or an Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Nuggets Cup. Isn’t that what every little kid dreams of? We just have to wonder if these costumes also include a Cinnabon and Auntie Anne perfume spray to really set the scene.
The Lord of the Rings
Wētā Workshop can’t recall how many Hobbit feet its made, but does recall Elijah Wood looking for his perfect fit.
MCU – Beast
Kelsey Grammer surprise reprised his role as the X-Men’s Beast in The Marvels. But Grammer can’t say much about whether his Beast will return to the MCU in the future. He notes that there have been “some conversations” about Beast returning to the Marvel franchise. These, he seems to imply, are bolstered by the “overwhelming” response to his cameo. In full, Grammer shares, “There’s nothing I can talk about. What I do know is that there was a huge sort of outburst when I showed up at the end of The Marvels; I guess it was. The response was really almost… it wasn’t unexpected. There’d be some response, but it was pretty overwhelming, and so there are some conversations.”
MCU – Scarlet Witch
Elizabeth Olsen recently gave voice to what some MCU fans of the character have themselves felt. She noted, “It’s a character that I love going back to when there’s a way to use her well, and I think I have been lucky that when I started I was used well. I think people didn’t know what to do with me for a second there… if there’s a good way to use her I’m always happy to come back.”
She seems to imply Marvel wasn’t super sure what to do with her character for a time, but the good news is Olsen is always happy to return as Scarlet Witch… If there’s a reason.
MCU – RDJ’s Return
We were shocked when it was announced Robert Downey Jr. would return to the MCU as Doctor Doom. And we weren’t the only ones. MCU co-star Don Cheadle shared his reaction was about the same. He revealed, “I was like, ‘What the f*ck?’ I think that’s exactly what I said,”
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom almost had a much more spoilery name. Producer Eiji Aonuma shared more about the title in Tears of the Kingdom‘s art book. In it, Aonuma notes, “One of the candidates for the title that made it to [the] end [of development] was ‘Tears of the Dragon,'”But it would be a bad idea to have the keyword ‘Dragon’ in the title, and we wanted to have dragon patterns in the logo, but decided otherwise. It’d emphasize the Light Dragon, after all.”
The game’s development team didn’t want to emphasize the Light Dragon too heavily in the title because it would have pointed to a huge game spoiler. The Light Dragon is, of course, Princess Zelda herself. To save her kingdom and restore the Master Sword to its full power, Zelda sacrifices her humanity and becomes the dragon. In this way, Tears of the Kingdom also makes perfect sense but doesn’t draw too much attention to The Light Dragon and her identity.
