To quote the band Queen: “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?” I only ask because not only am I extremely optimistic for the next Mortal Kombat movie, but after seeing the recent casting for Legendary’s upcoming Street Fighter film, I’m also extremely enthusiastic for that movie as well!
And like, how did this happen? I mean, yes, I do have a soft spot for the ‘90s Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat movies, but I’m also perfectly okay with calling them “bad” (I mean, so-bad-they’re good, sure, but still “bad”). So, to think that I might get a really good Mortal Kombat movie, AND a really good Street Fighter movie in the not-too-distant future? Well, like I said before, it just doesn’t seem real.
But, while Mortal Kombat 2 has already screened (and apparently knocked it out of the park), we only really have some of the cast confirmed for this upcoming Street Fighter film. Be that as it may, I still have extremely high hopes, and I think that this might finally be the time when theyget it right when it comes to a Street Fighter movie. Here’s why.
Noah Centineo), Chun-Li (Callina Liang), Blanka (Jason Momoa), Vega (Orville Peck), Balrog (50 Cent), and Akuma (Roman Reigns) were all going to be in this film, I thought, okay, that’s cool. I mean, it all points to the movie featuring several of the series mainstays, and it gives it a Street Fighter II vibe, which makes sense since that’s the most popular game in the long-running series.
However, when news dropped that the comedian, Andrew Schulz, would be portraying the pink gi-wearing Dan Hibiki, my interest level did a Shoryuken! Because even though we have a lot of legendary (pun not intended) characters from the franchise already included, the fact that Dan has already been cast when we still don’t have anybody playing M. Bison, Zangief, or Sagat yet just tells me that the tone for this movie is going to be very interesting.
It also tells me that the movie is going to be pulling from multiple periods of the franchise, which is something that I really wanted to see with this movie. You see, Dan first debuted in the Alpha series (which makes it even clearer to me that Sagat will probably be in this film, given Dan’s history with the character).
But, I love that Dan is going to be in this movie. While he isn’t quite the “deepest cut,” as most fans of the series are familiar with the joke character, the fact that they’re putting him in the film (and that they got such a talented comedian to play him), really makes me feel like any character is fair game now.
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Like, could we possibly get more lesser-known characters (to the general public, anyway), like Sean, Makoto, or Juri? Hell, could we get Final Fight characters like Guy, Cody, or Poison? Honestly, I never would have thought it possible before, but now that Dan has been cast in this film, the sky really is the limit.
he’s also going to be playing Lobo).
Aside from him, the second most notable person in this film is the wrestler, Roman Reigns, who will be playing Akuma (which I’ll speak about soon). That said, the rest of the cast (so far, anyway) consists of up-and-comers like Noah Centineo and actors who’ve yet to reach the fame as some of the other mentioned cast members. But, that just makes me even more confident in this film.
Because I highly doubt that Akuma is going to be the main character in this movie. He might be the main villain, sure, but I’m almost positive that he won’t be the protagonist. That will likely be either Ryu or Chun-Li, who are being played by Andrew Koji and Callina Liang, respectively.
Koji is probably most known for his role as Ah Sahm from the Cinemax series, Warrior. If not there, then probably as Storm Shadow from the G.I. Joe movie, Snake Eyes. He honestly would be an awesome Ryu, and I’m happy that somebody like him was picked for the role rather than some mega celebrity.
Callina Liang is another interesting choice. So far, the Steven Soderbergh movie, Presence, might be the first time people have seen her. Either that, or as the lead role in Bad Genius, both of which came out in 2024. That said, the fact that she was chosen just makes me think that the powers that be feel she is the best choice to play Chun-Li, and if that’s the case, I’m overjoyed that they could be looking to cast people who fit the parts, rather than just going for the big names. Be that as it may…
Reigns as a wrestler, and I really had a hard time trying to envision him as the great demon. That said, what I did like was that Akuma was one of the first characters cast in the film, which tells me that he must be an important character in the story.
And, do you know how happy this made me? So far, we have gotten two live-action Street Fighter movies, and they both feature M. Bison as the main antagonist. I mean, this movie could, too (Shadaloo likely plays a part given that we already have Vega and Balrog in the cast), but the fact that Akuma was cast so early (and with Roman Reigns, no less!) leads me to believe that he’s going to play a pivotal role in the story.
For those who don’t know, Akuma has a history with Ryu and Ken, and he’s constantly trying to get Ryu to embrace his evil side (known as the Satsui no Hado in the story), which creates a wonderful inner conflict for the series protagonist.
Could this be the direction that the movie is heading in? I don’t know, but with Akuma in the story, it’s certainly possible!
the best video game movies. And, do you know what movies DIDN’T make the list? That’s right! Neither 1994’s Street Fighter starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, nor the absolutely abysmal Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li.
And look, even at the time of both of their releases, I wasn’t expecting either of them to be the best video game movies of all time like I’m expecting with this upcoming Elden Ring film. No. All I merely wanted out of either of them was a DECENT representation of one of my favorite video game series. And, while I’ve grown to like the 1994 film over the years, The Legend of Chun-Li is inexcusably bad, and there is literally nothing to like about it.
So, if I have one final reason why I’m looking forward to this movie, it’s that there are already two arguably bad Street Fighter movies, so they should now know what not to do.
I think we’re already seeing that they’ve learned their lesson by the fact that they’re focusing on key characters first (Ryu, Ken, Chun, and Akuma), and aren’t making Guile the main character like in the ‘94 movie, or making this some weird origin story that doesn’t even include most of the series’ mainstays (but somehow features Nash, a.k.a. Charlie).
It’s for all these reasons and more that I think they’re finally going to get this Street Fighter movie right, whereas in the past they’ve failed miserably.
But, what do you think? Do you also believe that this is finally going to be the time for there to be a goodStreet Fighter movie? I’d love to hear your thoughts, fellow World Warriors!
Some actors, no matter how long their career or how great their talent, will forever be first known for one iconic TV role. This isn’t an indictment of their careers at all. In fact, in many ways, it tells the whole story. They were so good at one particular role that no matter what, that’s what people will think of first. To be sure, these are some of the best actors of their generations ,and they deserve praise for all their roles, but especially these.
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Kelsey Grammer – Frasier Crane
For a total of an amazing 20 years, Kelsey Grammer has played Frasier Crane. First on Cheers, then on its spinoff Frasier, and again in the reboot of Frasier in the 2020s. There may be no more obvious actor to include on this list.
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Mariska Hargitay – Olivia Benson
Mariska Hargitay is Hollywood royalty as the daughter of Jayne Mansfield, and she’s carved out on heck out her own career playing Olivia Benson on NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She has played since the end of the 20th Century, more than 25 seasons in total. There is no other character in prime time history with a longer run than Hargitay’s Benson. It’s remarkable.
Arrested Development. She was so hilarious and quotable that it’s easy to see why this is the case.
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Peter Falk – Columbo
Peter Falk completely embodied Detective Columbo on the show that carried that character’s name. He defined a new kind of TV detective, a style that has been often imitated but never duplicated over the years since Columbo debuted. He was funny and wicked smart. A Holmesian-style detective who never found a dry cleaner.
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Tom Selleck – Thomas Magnum
Tom Selleck was a hard one to include here. Thomas Magnum was one of two iconic roles, along with Frank Reagan on Blue Bloods, that Selleck has played in his career. That’s not to mention Jesse Stone, another fan-favorite. But in the end, it’s all about Magnum P.I., one of the best shows ever.
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Lauren Graham – Lorelai Gilmore
Lauren Graham is another tough one here, because Lorelai Gilmore is hardly her only big role on TV, but none of her other shows have been nearly as enduring as Gilmore Girls and that isn’t likely to change in the future. It’ll always be what her fans think of first.
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Lucille Ball – Lucy Ricardo
Lucille Ball was a groundbreaking legend, and that is entirely due to her iconic character Lucy Ricardo on I Love Lucy. The list of what made the show, and the comedic actor, is so long, we could never fill it out here, but she also doesn’t really need any explanation. She’s the queen of early TV for very good reason, and that can never be taken away.
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Peter Dinklage – Tyrion Lannister
Peter Dinklage might not like to hear this… or maybe he would… but Tyrion Lannister is such an amazing role, and Dinklage’s performance is completely worthy of such an iconic literary and TV character. Game of Thrones took over the television watching audience completely, and Dinklage’s Lannister was almost everyone’s favorite. He’s done great work all through his long career, but it will be impossible to top Tyrion.
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Sean Hayes – Jack McFarland
Jack McFarland from Will & Grace is one of the most underappreciated characters in any sitcom in Hollywood history. Sean Hayes is fantastic in the role, and he’ll have people saying “Just Jack!” forever.
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Angela Lansbury – Jessica Fletcher
Angela Lansbury had a storied career that lasted decades, and every time she appeared on screen, she lit it up. Jessica Fletcher on Murder She Wrote was her crowning achievement. She’s one of the best TV detectives of all time, even if there were way too many murders in Cabot Cove than there should have been.
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Henry Winkler – The Fonz
Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli. Fonzie. The Fonz. A character of many names, and one iconic look. Henry Winkler has had a career that most actors can only dream of, but his role on Happy Days will always be what he is first known for. We should all be so cool.
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Sarah Michelle Gellar – Buffy Summers
Sarah Michelle Gellar’s role in the movie Cruel Intentions may be her most iconic movie role, but it doesn’t eclipse her role as Buffy Summers on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Not even close. It’ll always be her most beloved role.
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James Gandolfini – Tony Soprano
On one hand, it’s a shame that James Gandolfini is on this list. His premature death will always have us asking “what if?” On the other hand, he is so freaking GREAT as Tony Soprano in The Sopranos, that its impossible not to include him here. Just watching him in anything else, or old interviews, you quickly realize that he completely disappeared into the gangster. It’s remarkable.
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Gillian Anderson – Dana Scully
Speaking from experience, I can say that many teenagers in the 1990s have a huge crush on Dana Scully on The X-Files. She was smart and capable, but with an air of mystery that really kept viewers guessing, in the best way.
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William Shatner – Captain Kirk
Personally, I think William Shatner’s best role was on Boston Legal. He was also amaing in TJ Hooker. However, even if he had 1000 legendary roles over his career, he would still be most remember for James T. Kirk in Str Trek. That’s how iconic the role, and the show are.
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Matthew Perry – Chandler Bing
It was a real tragedy when the world lost Matthew Perry in late 2023. He was a once-in-a-generation talent and, in many ways, was first among equals on Friends. He was in some other great projects, like The Whole Nine Yards and Fools Rush In, but let’s be honest, he’ll always be Chandler in our hearts.
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Amy Poehler – Leslie Knope
Amy Poehler was a star on SNL and in a ton of great movies. However, she was absolutely born to play Leslie Knope on Parks & Rec. It’s almost hard to believe she isn’t actually Leslie in real life, and that’s meant to be the most sincere of compliments.
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Michael K. Williams – Omar Little
Of all the amazing characters and actors on The Wire, Omar and Michael K. Williams stand out above them all. He was one of the most honest and complex characters in TV history, and the late Williams, another actor we lost way too soon, will be forever remembered for his portrayal of the Baltimore stick-up man.
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George Wendt – Norm Peterson
Cheers had an amazing ensemble of comedic actors, and as a kid, my favorite was always George Wendt and his character Norm. He was the most popular guy in the bar and the most popular with viewers. When Wendt died in 2025, everyone started sharing their favorite moments of his from the show, despite the show ending decades ago.
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Mary Tyler Moore – Mary Richards
Mary Tyler Moore made it after all, and all on her own. Her titular show was the highlight of her long, incredible career, and it’s a good thing the show was named after her, because she deserves to be remembered forever for it.
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Caroll O’Connor – Archie Bunker
Caroll O’Connor’s role as Archie Bunker became one of the most iconic and most important in television history. The groundbreaking sitcom, All In The Family, changed TV forever, and Bunker, with his bigotry and chauvinism, reinvented just how much a simple sitcom could say about society.
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Rainn Wilson – Dwight Schrute
Of all the characters on The Office, Dwight, played by Rainn Wilson, was the one we all loved to hate the most. It must have been such a fun role for Wilson, because he never phoned it in, and he never let us down; we could count on him driving us nuts every week. I mean that in the very best way.
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Wayne Knight – Newman
Wayne Knight has popped up in all kinds of roles in his career. We’ll never forget him for his performance in the original Jurassic Park, for example, but it’s Newman on Seinfeld that we’ll always love him most for. He might not have been a main character, but that is testimony to just how good he was. He’s as remembered as the “big four” despite playing a much more limited role. That takes a great actor and an even better performance, and he did over the entire run of the show.
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Ian McShane – Al Swearengen
Al Swearengen from Deadwood is one of the best characters of the prestige era of TV. Ian McShane has had a long, distinguished career, and at the top of the list of his great performances is as the foul-mouthed, tavern-owning gangster in the HBO Western.
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Danica McKellar – Winnie Cooper
Ask anyone in Gen X about Danica McKellar, and they might mention her Hallmark movies. They might also mention her wonderful guest turn on The West Wing. In the case of both of those, though, they will come after they fondly reminisce about watching her as Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years. They grew up with Winnie and Kevin (Fred Savage). It was her earliest role, but it remains her most iconic.
FX’s The Bear has officially returned for Season 4 in the 2025 TV schedule, continuing the pattern of releasing one season per year. The full season is available now for anybody with a Hulu subscription, and enough time has passed for a binge-watch. That said, I’m not going to drop spoilers here, because we’re not here for the latest trials and tribulations of Jeremy Allen White’s Carmy. We’re here because sitcom vets and St. Denis Medical co-stars Wendi McLendon-Covey and David Alan Grier weighed in on the hottest question each awards season: is The Bear really a comedy?
The series really started its trend of cleaning up at awards show at the 2023 Emmys, when The Bear swept the categories of Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy (Jeremy Allen White), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy (Ayo Edebiri), Outstanding Directing for a Comedy (Christopher Storer), and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy (Christopher Storer).
freshman sitcom scoring two Critics Choice Awards nominations after just four episodes had aired, I noted that it was great to see a network TV show getting some awards love instead of a sweep of streaming and/or cable nominations. They responded by bringing up The Bear themselves:
David Alan Grier: “It’s a big marketplace. I mean, there’s so much great TV. I spend a lot of time going, ‘What’s a comedy, what’s a drama?’ [To Wendi] Like White Lotus is a comedy, you were telling me, right? And then say, Saturday Night Live is like a drama.”
Wendi McLendon-Covey: [laughs] “Yeah, if we’re running this as, you know, ‘Oh, 30 minutes are all considered comedies.’ I don’t know. I’ve never cried harder than I have when watching The Bear. Are we still calling that a comedy?”
David Alan Grier: “I gotta look it up. I do have to look it up sometimes. What is it described as?”
The two actors were laughing throughout and didn’t show any animosity towards The Bear for its success, but it says something that these two questioned its comedy status. Wendi McLendon-Covey was fresh off of more than 200 episodes of ABC’s The Goldbergs when she joined NBC’s St. Denis Medical, which came after more than a hundred episodes of Reno 911 as a very different kind of mockumentary.
As for David Alan Grier, he’s been all over TV comedy throughout his career, including Dad Stop Embarrassing Me! on Netflix with Jamie Foxx, The Cool Kids, The Carmichael Show, and – of course – more than a hundred episodes of In Living Color. These two know their way around cracking jokes that hit on network television!
McLendon-Covey got a bit more serious to share her thoughts on network TV making a bit of a comeback, in light of St. Denis Medical scoring those two Critics Choice nominations for Best Comedy Series and David Alan Grier as Best Actor in a Comedy Series. She said:
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The networks, I think, are coming back in a big way and I love that, especially for other actors that have been out of work for a long time. You know, we’ve been kind of suffering in this industry since the pandemic. So I’m all for, let’s get some more network shows on. Let’s get those big orders so people can make a living.
While St. Denis Medical ultimately didn’t win a CCA, the comedy that proved the mockumentary format is still popular will be back for a second season. The Season 1 finale packed an emotional punch for Alex in particular, but there’s no reason to believe that the full cast won’t be back for Season 2 on NBC.
So, if you want to check out a show that is 100% unambiguously a comedy, you can find Wendi McLendon-Covey and David Alan Grier’s St. Denis Medical streaming with a Peacock subscription now. As for The Bear… well, whether it should be classified as a comedy or not, you can find all four seasons so far streaming on Hulu.
Pedro Pascal’s role in the Star Wars universe is about to take a huge leap, as the 2026 movieThe Mandalorian and Grogu represents the return of his mostly masked marauder. That said, viewers may be surprised by the fact that one notable scene that took full emotional advantage of a helmet removal came from close collaboration between Pascal and The Mandalorian’s executive producer Jon Favreau.
Vanity Fair’s recent interview with the star of the upcoming Marvel movieThe Fantastic Four: First Steps touched on a rather emotional touchstone from Season 2 of that Disney+ subscription driver. Taken from Din Djarin’s goodbye to little Grogu at the end of “Chapter 16: The Rescue,” that helmet reveal was apparently not planned for this installment.
The Mandalorian. Bringing Luke Skywalker back wasn’t the best move, an opinion even some Star Wars fans share, and sending Grogu off to train with him was even worse. What I’ll also admit is that latter half was probably coming from an emotional place, as the journey in this Star Wars spinoff series had led its protagonists to what felt like a huge turning point.
Thinking about this scene without the helmet removal doesn’t make sense to me, and Pedro Pascal’s instincts were clearly feeling The Force of the show’s heartbeat. In further recalling how his collaboration with the executive producer/former MCU director folded that Mandalorian note further into how “The Rescue” worked, The Last of Us veteran also proved just how strong Jon Favreau’s read on the series, and his star, actually were:
My idea was in a different spot, and then Jon ended up making it a much, much better part of the series. But I really felt like, heard, and it was really special for it to become the moment that it became. Because it was somewhat of a collaborative thing.
Sometimes you evidently just need to listen to the moment, especially on the set of a major production like The Mandalorian. With that in mind, the message you need to hear can come from anyone on set, or even the surroundings themselves. Pedro Pascal has been on both sides of that concept, as seen in Walton Goggins’ grounded phone calls whenever his career felt like too much at times.
Those instincts will be on display yet again in the upcoming Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian & Grogu, which is set to finally open in theaters on May 22, 2026. You won’t have to wait that long for your next Pascal-enhanced adventure, as The Fantastic Four: First Steps blasts off into theaters on July 25th.
Back in 2024, Netflix put together a comedy roast for Tom Brady live on the streamer. Hosted by comedian Jeff Ross and Kevin Hart, it was a wild night of the most hilarious jokes, from jabs at the ex-QB’s divorce to Will Ferrell showing up as Anchorman’s Tom Burgundy. Ross made sure to explain why the Netflix special took a while to put together, as well as why Brady “should get a Nobel Prize” for doing it.
On The Howard Stern Show (via Sports Illustrated), Jeff Ross explained that The Roast of Tom Brady (which is streaming on your Netflix subscription) came together after the comedian found out Brady was looking at the stand-up comic’s Instagram account. Ross connected with the former NFL player there and told him he should get a roast going. Brady agreed, which led to their two agents talking. The rest fell into place.
call it off a month later and return to the Buccaneers for the 2022 season. Then, in February 2023, Brady announced his retirement, stating it was “for good” and is now working as a lead color commentator on Fox Sports.
In the midst of all of that, the California native filed for divorce from model Gisele Bündchen in October 2022 after 13 years of marriage. So, you can imagine that all of those life transitions deserve some breathing room before a bunch of celebs bring on the roasts about them.
It takes a very strong person to allow oneself to be subjected to jabs while sitting in the hot seat, live in front of millions. Jeff Ross and I would agree that the ex-QB deserved the highest honor for being put through this:
There’s never been a live roast. So, he should get a Nobel Peace Prize for saying yes to that. He took the hit so we could all forget our problems for three hours.
As football players get hit a lot on the field, Tom Brady was willing to take more hits on Netflix, all in the name of entertainment. That truly deserves a round of applause. The University of Michigan alumnus did indeed make Netflix history with his roast being the first live one on the streamer. Not to mention, The Roast of Tom Brady drew in 2 million views on its debut with head honcho Ted Sarandos learning the “value” of people watching the same special at the same time.
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While many jokes said on The Roast of Tom Brady were hilarious, you can’t deny that plenty were harsh in terms of Tom Brady’s divorce, his appearance, and his retracting retirement plans. When Jeff Ross asked the MVP why he decided to do the roast, here was the answer he revealed to Howard Stern:
I said to Tom right beforehand, ‘Why are you doing this?’ And he goes, ‘I love this kind of humor. People are too snowflakey right now.’
As Tom Brady had seen Jeff Ross’ Instagram account full of hilarious material, it makes sense why he’d want to be the subject of the Roastmaster General’s material, and of many other celebs. He clearly knew how to laugh at himself.
In fact, Jeff Ross joked that comedy material could have been how Tom Brady won his games as a way to unwind. Hey, he helped beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV the day he went on Instagram. So, for football players out there, be like Brady and watch a comedy special before playing a big game.
Tom Brady’s Netflix roast may have taken a long time to come together after many life transitions, but I’d say that he truly does deserve a “Nobel Prize” worthy honor for doing so. Brady faced the fire not only with his sense of humor but with dignity and a wide grin.
