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The first thing that fans may see when they look at Seungjin Woo’s designs for the Sandworm is their similarity to the visuals in another popular science fiction franchise, «Stranger Things.» With the unfolding flower-type head that is reminiscent of the dreaded Demogorgon in the Netflix series, their gigantic maws are even more disturbing to look at than the final design.

The caption for Woo’s art reads, «Early sandworm concept arts I made for the Dune(2021) back in early 2018 and these were featured in the artbook of [the] film ‘The Art and Soul of Dune.’» While the first piece of art shows the massive open mouth of a Sandworm in relation to the size of a tiny bird in its maw, the second shows other key layers of the creatures.

Here, we see how small a person would be standing in front of a sandworm and also how tiny a rider from Arrakis (or Caladan, as the case may be) would be on its back. Along with the change in design, the size of the Sandworms also looks to be somewhat bigger than they appear in the first film. Of course, we will likely be seeing much larger Sandworms when «Dune: Part Two» arrives on March 15, 2024. In the meantime, art like this will likely make fans even more excited to see the second half of the story.

It only took one person to convince Eddie Murphy to do «Beverly Hills Cop IV.» After he heard that «Beverly Hills Cop» and «Beverly Hills Cop II» producer Jerry Bruckheimer was back on board after sitting out the third movie, Murphy was ready to revisit his iconic role. As a bonus for longtime franchise fans, Murphy and Bruckheimer aren’t the only familiar faces on board the project. The movie also brings back Judge Reinhold’s Billy Rosewood, John Ashton’s John Taggart, and Bronson Pinchot’s Serge from «Beverly Hills Cop III.» As we see in the new teaser trailer, the film also ushers in some newcomers. Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Detective Bobby Abbott and Kevin Bacon’s Captain Grant seem to step in as by-the-book cops who treat Foley’s unconventional methods with suspicion, and Paul Reiser plays Jeffrey Friedman, the protagonist’s friend and colleague.  

For now, it remains to be seen whether the usual things that happen in every «Beverly Hills Cop» movie will recur here. However, the trailer does wheel out a remix of the classic theme song, reveals that Foley is still keeping himself active on the field, and makes it extremely clear that he hasn’t mellowed with age. It seems that «Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F» might be just what the franchise needs to end on a high and hilarious note.

One could argue that Zack Snyder’s high-intensity, mythical approach to storytelling is simply a genre choice. It’s a grimdark, Greco-Roman style with sword-and-sorcery sensibilities. And that’s true, to an extent. But even a genre built on drama needs room to breathe, or the big moments start to falter. You need a foundation on which to deliver your payoffs. Remember that scene in «Man of Steel» where Superman gets beer dumped on him and then impales the guy’s truck with a telephone pole? It’s a moment that screams, «Look how dark this guy can get!» But if a barfight is treated with that much severity, there’s little room for the movie to grow once Zod (Michael Shannon) appears.

To be clear, this problem doesn’t ruin all of Snyder’s movies. Like any director, he has better and worse ones. Patrick Wilson’s Nite Owl II in «Watchmen» is a great example of a character who exists outside the pervasive Snyder melodrama. He doesn’t see himself as a Greek hero, but rather as a regular guy trying desperately to do the right thing. He provides the contrast necessary for Rorschach to go full grimdark. And despite what the comic’s fans may say, the movie succeeds because of that.

Snyder has also made a couple of films that explore less self-serious material, like the wild world of «Sucker Punch» or the family-friendly «Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,» and yet the allure of melodrama still pulls him in from time to time. Even the trailers for «Rebel Moon» show a huge cast of characters all scowling from the very beginning. And when half of your movie moves in slow motion, it just becomes a slow-moving movie.

While «Spider-Man: Homecoming» planted a potential seed for Donald Glover to appear as Aaron Davis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe alongside Miles Morales, if or when the actor may return to the role isn’t known. However, Glover seems keen to make it happen, and he recently portrayed an incarnation of the Prowler in the animated «Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse» film, where a live-action version of Davis can be seen among those captured by the Spider-Society, the protectors of the Multiverse. In the brief scene, Miles encounters the imprisoned Davis, who is wearing his full Prowler suit.

Glover’s roles as Troy Barnes in «Community,» Lando Calrissian in «Solo: A Star Wars Story,» and one of the titular characters in the upcoming «Mr. and Mrs. Smith» television series for Amazon’s Prime Video have established him as an A-List talent. As Childish Gambino, Glover has also seen major success in the music industry as a rapper and singer, so he’s got a pretty busy schedule. However, considering Glover returned as Prowler for «Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,» it seems like a solid chance that he would take on the role again for a Miles Morales Spider-Man-starring film, no matter what his character’s true age may be.

«Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer» has seen its fair share of broadcast edits over its nearly 60-year history, starting as early as its second showing in 1965. In its initial airing, Santa never returned to the Island of Misfit Toys despite promising Rudolph that he would. Confused viewers sent in letters to the network questioning why this crucial moment was never added. The feedback was so overwhelming that a new scene was animated for its 1965 telecast where Santa and his reindeer drop by the island to pick up the toys. It seems all well and good until the section added afterward which sees a tragic end to one of the lovable playthings. 

The original ending of «Rudolph» saw an elf dropping presents to the houses below. For the new version, the elf provides the misfit toys with umbrellas and allows them to guide themselves. He does this for all the toys except for a bird, who he simply throws off the sleigh, with the idea being that it could fly itself down. 

However, anyone who’s seen the special knows that the entire reason the bird was on the island was because he can’t fly, but swims, as explained in the song «The Most Wonderful Day of the Year.» So yeah, unless our little feathered friend suddenly learned how to fly on his way down, that bird likely fell to its death. From Bumbles to birds, it seems only a select few North Pole residents can proclaim that Christmas is a Holly Jolly occasion in «Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.» 

The title of Nomad already has a history in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and in the comics. Originally, it was another heroic moniker that Steve Rogers took on after abandoning the Captain America title in «Captain America» #180. It’s this route that many fans thought would be replicated after the events of «Captain America: Civil War» leading into «Avengers: Infinity War» only for co-director Joe Russo to confirm on the Fantasy Focus Football podcast (via Flickering Myth), «I wouldn’t say that he is exactly Nomad, but he is the spirit of that character. «

Even so, after Chris Evans’ departure, the weighted name of Nomad lingered, reappearing in 2020, when, along with the likes of «Secret Invasion,» «Ironheart,» and «Armor Wars» being trademarked, so too was «Marvel Studios Nomad.» Unlike the rest, the studio never announced this publicly. It was a move from Marvel that never developed but, according to Murphy’s Multiverse, the trademark remains active after three years. This suggests that the studio may still have plans for it and the super soldier previously linked to the title. It also adds more strength to reports in 2021 that Evans would be reprising his role as Cap, regardless of what the star might have said on the matter. More importantly, if he does come back, he might not be alone on his trip through time.

Even in the old Expanded Universe texts like «Darth Plagueis,» it’s never explicitly confirmed that Anakin was created through the Force by Sith schemers. They simply theorize that their experiments brought about this fatherless, Force-attuned individual. Some stories in the Disney canon have added to the legend, including the infamous 2018 comic issue «Darth Vader» #25.

In that comic, Vader journeys through a surreal spiritual nightmare after accessing a mystical Force realm beneath his castle on Mustafar. He sees visions from throughout his life, including one that depicts Darth Sidious with Anakin’s mother, Shmi Skywalker. Many readers at the time interpreted the art as confirmation that the Sith lord created Anakin, as Palpatine appears to be casting some kind of dark spell on a pregnant Shmi from the shadows. Phrases like «Chosen One,» «unnatural,» and «There was no father» echo through the vision.

However, representatives for Lucasfilm later publicly stated that the comic was not intended to confirm the Sith creation theory. Darth Vader’s visions were merely meant as reflections of his own mental state and vague suggestions from the dark side of the Force. So while the comic doesn’t rule out the theory, it also doesn’t make it canon.

The stair moment Timothée Chalamet paid subtle tribute to in «Wonka» is from the iconic «Pure Imagination» scene in «Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.» In the scene, Gene Wilder’s Wonka sings a song to introduce the Golden Ticket winners to his world of wonders — specifically, the Chocolate Room’s wild chocolate river and candy plants as the guests pick up their jaws from the floor. The scene opens with Wonka leading the group down the stairs, skipping down in a highly specific bow-legged fashion while casually doing two little — and, as Chalamet attested, deceptively difficult — backsteps on the way down.  

As Chalamet notes in the interview, «Wonka» also pays subtle homage to another classic Wilder moment — namely, his introduction in the 1971 movie. The scene shows Wilder’s Wonka pretending to be a frail and feeble man, then suddenly leaving his cane to stand by itself and revealing his true limberness with a sudden falling forward roll. Early in «Wonka,» Chalamet’s version of the character uses a similar self-standing cane trick during the «Hoverchocs» scene. 

Looper’s «Wonka» review found that director Paul King and Chalamet stuck the landing of the movie. It’s fun to find out that the actor did so while paying these subtle homages to Wilder’s work. 

Legacy sequels are all the rage these days in Hollywood but don’t expect a «Pretty Woman 2.» While it’s interesting that Julia Roberts has an idea of where her and Richard Gere’s characters end up, the ship seems to have sailed for a second «Pretty Woman» outing. During a 2015 interview on Today (via The Hollywood Reporter) which reunited Roberts, Gere, and director Gary Marshall, the filmmaker candidly discussed why a part two to Vivian and Edwards’ fairytale never manifested. «We made a pact a long time [ago] — when we did it,» Marshall said. «We said, we’re not doing ‘Pretty Woman 2’ unless we all do it together.»

While it would certainly be interesting to see Roberts return to the role of Vivian as a modern-day girl boss embracing Edward’s vast and diverse business empire, the fact that Marshall passed away in 2016 likely means it will never happen. Besides, «Pretty Woman» star Jason Alexander says that a «Pretty Woman» sequel already happened — kind of. «They talked about it for a while. If you ask the inner circle of the people who made it, they look at ‘Runaway Bride’ as the sequel,» Alexander told US Weekly. The actor is, of course, talking about the Marshall-directed «Runaway Bride,» which brought Gere and Roberts back together in 1999. «Even though it’s not same story, they feel like that is the follow-up to ‘Pretty Woman’ because it’s the same group of people, for the most part,» Alexander added.

So, where does Roberts think her and Gere’s «Runaway Bride» characters end up? «They stay together, [Richard Gere] doesn’t die in this one,» Roberts jokingly told CBS Mornings. 

Mark Wahlberg is no stranger to physical transformations. To play the titular role in the faith-based drama «Father Stu,» the actor gained over 30 pounds. And for his portrayal as a bodybuilder in Michael Bay’s «Pain and Gain,» Wahlberg put on 40 pounds of muscle in just two months. For «Uncharted,» it was clearly no different, as the actor had to successfully grow out his facial hair to bring Sully’s iconic look to life. «I spent quite a bit of time growing it because, at one point, we tried to do it with a fake mustache, and, I don’t know,» he told The Direct. Ultimately, Walhberg is glad that fans liked the facial hair. «When I finally got the mustache, people really appreciated it. And it was a nice tag to the end of that film.» 

With Sully confirmed to have a mustache in the sequel, one can’t help but imagine what else a second Uncharted film could entail. The first movie ends with the reveal that Nathan Drake’s brother, Sam (Rudy Pankow), is alive and well, albeit locked in prison. While the sequel will more than likely continue this plot point, Wahlberg is hopeful that «Uncharted 2» will improve upon its predecessor, saying, «So if we can make it better than the first, you know, I’d be open to it, but I only know as much as you do right now.»

As tantalizing as the idea of Natalie Portman returning to «Star Wars» as Padmé Amidala sounds, finding a seamless way to make it work might be difficult, considering that the character is canonically dead within the series. Following a series of dark visions by Anakin throughout «Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith,» the queen-turned-senator dies while giving birth to Luke and Leia at the end of the film. 

Recent «Star Wars» media has been no stranger to resurrecting characters once presumed dead. The end of 2018’s «Solo: A Star Wars Story» revealed that Darth Maul (Ray Park) survived getting cut in half at the end of «The Phantom Menace,» while 2019’s «The Rise of Skywalker» saw Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) make a comeback despite being taken out in «Return of the Jedi.» This approach will require some stretching of the imagination, but if enough thought is put in to not undermine her death in «Revenge of the Sith,» audiences could accept it.

Alternatively, delving deeper into Padmé’s origins could soothe many of these issues. Just as shows such as «Obi-Wan Kenobi» explore bits and pieces of Obi-Wan and Anakin’s time in between the prequel and original trilogies, it’d be fun to traverse different moments within Padmé’s life. Some de-aging work would have to be involved, but it makes for the most believable and viable option. 

As hard as it may be to conceive, there’s certainly something that happens that turns the incredibly charming Wonka we meet in Paul King’s prequel film to the slightly bitter but brilliantly kooky chocolatier we know, love, and are kind of afraid of. If he got the callback, venturing down that path would be all-new territory for the «Paddington» director. Not only would he be filling in gaps that not even Roald Dahl revealed, but it would also mark a tonal switch for King, who typically keeps his characters calm and polite to ensure the world will be right. Should he dare to take on another chapter of Wonka’s world, this could be like Anakin Skywalker becoming Darth Vader, but with a higher sugar intake.

To imagine revisiting Chalamet’s lovable hero, who hasn’t even opened the gates to his factory yet, eventually shutting himself off from the world he’s so keen to feed, is almost unthinkable. Nevertheless, it would undoubtedly make for a compelling watch, particularly with King involved and, hopefully, Chalamet getting the returning support of Hugh Grant as an Oompa-Loompa (even if he hated it). Of course, just like any good chocolate, we’ll have to wait and let this installment settle and see if the studio powers that be decide if «Wonka» is worth another bite in the future.

Andre Braugher’s turn as Darkseid earned him praise from fans. In the comment section of a «Superman/Batman: Apocalypse» clip on YouTube, @JinLee8899 wrote, «Andre Braugher did such an amazing job voicing Darkseid. So deep and powerful.» Whether he used his booming voice for drama or comedy, Braugher always brought his A-game, which is probably why the animated DC movie wasn’t his first time being brought into the superhero fold. 

In 2007, Braugher had a chance to star in a live-action comic book property — «Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.» Similarly to how people may have overlooked his Darkseid role, it’s easy to forget he played General Hager years prior. It makes sense, given how «Fantastic Four 2» wasn’t exactly well-received when it came out, so the less said about it, the better. However, his role probably would’ve stood out more had Braugher played Nick Fury, which was the original plan if a deal could’ve been worked out with Marvel. Instead, Fury came to live-action a year later with Samuel L. Jackson in a post-credits scene for «Iron Man.»

Braugher definitely could’ve brought the intimidation factor to Fury. And given his comedic chops exemplified in «Brooklyn Nine-Nine,» he even could’ve portrayed some of Fury’s sillier moments in various Marvel movies. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, with Braugher having brief excursions into both the worlds of Marvel and DC.

In retrospect, David Ayer is proud of what he achieved with his take on «Scarface,» even though the film didn’t get made. «One of the best scripts I’ve ever written was my Scarface draft,» Ayer told Total Film. «It gets passed around in Hollywood, underground. It’s funny when people talk about the project. ‘Is it the Ayer script?’ ‘No, it’s somebody else.’ ‘Oh, OK.’»

Calling «Scarface» the biggest piece of intellectual property after «Jurassic Park,» Ayer explained to Total Film that the version he was hoping to make with his reboot didn’t quite line up with Universal’s hopes for the film. While the studio wanted to capture as big an audience as they could, that approach didn’t quite sync with his plans. «I f***ing love Universal. Amazing people. I had this really honest conversation about the movie they wish they had, and the movie that I wished to make,» Ayer told Total Film. «There’s a lot of daylight between us. It’s just easier to be like, ‘Let’s park this.’»

Another attempt to reboot «Scarface» happened in 2020, when «Call Me by Your Name» director Luca Guadagnino was brought aboard to helm the film. At the time, Guadagnino said he wanted his «Scarface» remake to be R-rated, shocking, and current. In November of 2023, however, Guadagnino confirmed for The Hindu that he left the «Scarface» remake, which was based on a script by «Fargo» and «No Country for Old Men» Oscar winners Joel and Ethan Coen.

The original version of «Scarface» was released in 1932. Directed by Howard Hawks and Richard Rosson, «Scarface» stars Paul Muni in the title role.

Killing Han Solo is one of the most important decisions ever made in the Star Wars franchise. The character’s death effectively cements Kylo Ren as one of the most despicable villains in the galaxy far, far away. Beyond that, having Han die at the hands of his son shows how he failed at being a good father — something «The Force Awakens» doesn’t shy away from. While the move to kill the smuggler was controversial, it had major ramifications for the rest of the sequel trilogy. In «Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker,» Solo returns as a ghost-like figure to speak to his son, remedying their once-strained relationship.

Han’s death is a pivotal moment, one Ford was desperate to have. Star Wars fans know the actor campaigned for Solo’s demise while making the original trilogy. He wanted George Lucas to kill the character off in 1983’s «Return of the Jedi.»

«As a character … he was not so interesting to me,» Ford told ABC News. «I thought he should have died in the last one just to give it some bottom.» Lucky for him, he got his wish three decades later. «I argued for 30 years for this to happen,» the actor said on «Jimmy Kimmel Live» following the release of «The Force Awakens.» «And finally, I wore ‘em down.»