Sarper Gũven is in the United States and happily married to his longtime girlfriend, Shekinah Garner. It’s been a long time coming, and there was almost a point where this relationship fell apart entirely, but now they’re together and working on living the American dream. For Sarper, that means being a stand-up comedian, and I’m legitimately shocked to report it seems to be going well for him!
I had doubts Sarper would fulfill his dream of a successful career in comedy, especially given past moments on 90 Day Fiancé where he seemed to lack a sense of humor. I’m happy to report, however, that it seems like things are going well for him, which I think most fans would be shocked by after hearing a recent update on his current tour.
Sarper Announced He’s Sold Out An Upcoming Comedy Show
I learned Asuelu Pulaa joined the military, Sarper is having some success on his stand-up comedy tour. The Istanbul native, who is occasionally the butt of jokes for other 90 Day cast members, is getting quite a response at the box office for his tour. He also recently announced on Instagram that he had to open up a second show in Washington D.C.:
website for Sarper’s upcoming comedy show confirmed tickets are on sale for a second show, though the showtime is listed at 9:45 p.m. ET. That aside, I’m glad to see this career path working out for him, and he’s come a long way from thinking he may not even make it to the United States when 90 Day Fiancé was filming.
Sarper’s Stand Up Routine On 90 Day Fiancé Needed Serious Work
Those who watched the latest season of 90 Day Fiancé may remember Sarper’s first stand-up comedy performance and how quickly it went off the rails. He largely abandoned his script midway through the segment in an effort to start roasting Shekinah’s old fling, Dan. What started off as mildly funny jabs quickly turned into pointed insults that half the audience didn’t understand the context of.
Dan and Sarper did have issues going into the show, after some heated conversations that took place between them at social events in previous 90 Day Fiancé episodes. It really led to him bombing the initial comedy show, and seemed to put him in the dog house with Shekinah’s friend group more than when he revealed that wild weight clause he had for their pre-nuptials.
Apparently, with some practice and no Dan in the crowd, Sarper is pulling in crowds wanting to see his stand-up comedy. That said, I’m sure there are people who also want to be in the same room as a legacy star of 90 Day Fiancé, as it’s not like these cast members go on tours all that often. If a 90 Day cast member were headed to my town, I’d feel compelled to see them, which is to say, Sarper, please book more comedy shows.
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Sarper and Shekinah are out of the 90 Day Fiancé franchise currently, but readers can revisit their past seasons over on HBO Max. I guess also keep an eye peeled for Sarper on the comedy circuit in a town near you as well, as he’s moving tickets and probably considering a few more dates.
The first trailer for “The Conjuring: Last Rites” confirmed that the Warrens’ final case would involve the infamous Smurl family haunting, a shocking bit of real-world folklore that remains contentious to this day. There, it was implied that Ed and Lorraine have encountered over a “thousand” individual cases over the course of their careers … only a fraction of which we’ve actually seen over the course of the films, of course. Well, the final trailer released today (which you can watch above) adds yet another crucial piece of the puzzle. Indeed, one key reveal brings the entire franchise full circle in a way we may not have expected — and, in the process, retcons a major piece of lore in “The Conjuring” as a whole.
For those who’d rather go in completely spoiler-free, consider this your last warning to turn back now. For everyone else, join us down below. As that one creepy demon child snarls in the footage: “We’ve been waiting so patiently for you.”
The demon in The Conjuring: Last Rites ties back to the Warrens’ very first case
Warner Bros.
Man, if only I had a nickel for every time the past managed to catch up to us in the most dramatically ironic of ways. After decades of surviving the most harrowing paranormal events that the supernatural world could possibly (ahem) conjure up, the Warrens may have finally met their match in “The Conjuring: Last Rites.” It’s the year 1986, and Ed and Lorraine appear ready to finally wind down their life’s work. Of course, anyone who’s ever watched a single piece of narrative fiction before can likely guess what happens next. Sure enough, they’re roped into one last case (very loosely based on a true story) … and it apparently involves a demonic presence they’re well familiar with.
“There’s an evil here … something I’ve felt before. This thing in your house is a demon. It’s the first one that we ever encountered,” a distraught Lorraine slowly comes to realize early on in the footage. What better way to bring things to a satisfying end than by forcing the couple to contend with the demonic entity that apparently set them on their investigative path in the first place? It doesn’t sound like things went very well the first time, as Lorraine explains that she and her husband were young and frightened all those years ago. To emphasize that point, we see imagery of actors Madison Lawlor and Orion Smith, respectively, as younger versions of Lorraine and Ed, with the former caught in a terrifying vision, dream sequence, or flashback of herself stuck in a room of mirrors as one of her reflections comes knocking — literally and sinisterly.
Based on the first footage we saw from that early teaser, which foregrounded all the various trophies and possessed artifacts collected by our characters over the years, could the upcoming sequel have some more twists up its sleeve regarding franchise lore? Given how close we came to an “Avengers: Endgame”-style crossover for this movie, nothing can be considered off the table.
“The Conjuring: Last Rites” scares its way into theaters September 5, 2025.
In an alternate universe, the 2025 movie triumph known as Superman may have been overseen by Marvel Studios mastermind Kevin Feige. However, we live in the world where writer/director James Gunn is running the show, providing an adaptation that only the Guardians of the Galaxy helmer could.
Though Feige’s attempted DC hiring never went through, the man does have some notes on what he’s hoping to see in a potential sequel. Reading through what he has in mind, I’d swear the man was reading my notes.
EW, Mr. Gunn was able to chat about the similarities between the Superman clone Ultraman (both played by David Corenswet) and another, very specific DC villain. As it turns out, this baddie is exactly who Kevin Feige is hoping to see in the hypothetical future – with James Gunn revealing that information thusly:
It’s funny, [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige wrote me yesterday, He says he hopes his old pal Bizarro… [Laughs] He wants to see Bizarro.
To think that Mr. Feige and myself shared some similar thoughts walking away from Superman’s climactic ending is kinda cool. Then again, how can anyone not want Bizarro to show up in an entry of this franchise’s latest reboot, when James Gunn is at the wheel? He clearly loves working with characters people might see as “freaks,” and turning them into greater narrative foils.
That point in particular is something that shines in further remarks the Superman director provided in connection to some interesting details. You might be surprised with what we saw, and didn’t see, in Ultraman’s big screen debut.
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)
James Gunn Cut Some Of Ultraman’s ‘Sadder’ Story Beats, And I’m Kind Of Bummed
I must preface the next remarks from James Gunn with the caveat that we don’t know that Ultraman will become Bizarro. That’s a pet theory of mine, and there’s compelling evidence to look over in Superman; especially for folks looking to revisit it in theaters, or through the eventual HBO Max subscription debut. With that in mind, here’s more from Mr. Gunn on how Ultraman’s role changed:
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There used to be some sadder stuff in there at some point that I got from the script that I really liked. I didn’t have time for everything. … I don’t know if you noticed…David’s got prosthetics on [as Ultraman]. He’s got a chin that’s jutting out, his ears poke out, he’s got one eye kind of going in a little direction. [Luthor] took him out of the oven a little too quickly or something.
I know we’ve already got Creature Commandos’ complicated Eric Frankenstein representing Mary Shelley’s tale of bioethics and hubris. Which, if we’re being honest, already seems to be shaping up as a driving narrative for DCU Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters.
Having acknowledged that, I wouldn’t be opposed to a Superman story that explores Ultraman’s potential transformation into Bizarro, reckoning with his tragic status as a “defective” copy of Kal-El. It’d also be the ultimate test of Superman’s powers and kindness, watching how he handles his alternate self’s potential new identity.
We still saw some of that story play out in Superman, but these notes have me thinking that this could be the main thread of the more immediate sequels to follow. Kevin Feige is probably thinking the same thing about now, so can you really argue with this pitch? If you want to re-examine Ultraman’s storyline through these new remarks, you can still travel up, up, and away with Clark Kent at a theater near you.
After HBO announced it was working on a 7-season TV remake of the Harry Potter movies, buzz around casting the new Potter characters was rampant. Fan castings felt like they had more weight than ever, especially when famous dramatic actors like John Lithgow and Janet McTeer were added to the cast. Now another actor is throwing his hat in the ring to play Sirius Black in upcoming episodes of Harry Potter, and he comes from the Bridgerton universe.
In a recent interview with Esquire, Queen Charlotte star Corey Mylchreest opened up about his upcoming film with Sofia Carson, My Oxford Year, as well as dreams he has for his acting career going forward. The actor admitted that one of his dream roles was Sirius Black in Harry Potter, a man accused of aiding the murder of Harry Potter’s parents but later is revealed to be a hero. He is one of the most complex characters in the Potterverse, so it’s easy to see what the draw would be for a young actor. Mylchreest explained his attraction to the character, saying:
In the Harry Potter books, all of the adults are so much younger than they are in the film. It’d be such a dream to play… (whispers) Sirius Black. But that would mean stepping into Gary Oldman’s shoes, and I’m not quite sure I’d want to do that any time soon. It would be so amazing, though. His arch is so tragic.
Gary Oldman was when he played Sirius at 44. Still, it’s admittedly still an ambitious role, as Mylchreest points out, and Oldman was already a very established and well-respected actor when he took on the role in Potter.
GQ also noted Kit Harrington should be in consideration, as the Game of Thrones star bears a striking resemblance to the book description of the character. It will be a highly sought after bit of casting, and we will all just have to wait and see how things shake out when the Prisoner of Azkaban season goes into production.
Corey Mylchreest has yet to be in Harry Potter; however, fans can currently see him in the film My Oxford Year, which streams with a Netflix subscription on August 1st, 2025. You can also look forward to the Harry Potter series coming soon, as those with an HBO Max subscription will be able to stream the show in 2027.
Right before he reteamed with Dennis Lehane for the miniseries Smoke, Taron Egerton produced an independent passion project known as She Rides Shotgun.
Adapted from Jordan Harper’s book of the same name, Egerton also stars in the Nick Rowland-directed crime drama as an ex-con named Nate McClusky. Fresh out of prison, Nate — who’s been absent for the majority of his 10-year-old daughter Polly’s life — catches her off guard when he arrives at her school to pick her up in place of her mom. In a revelatory performance by Ana Sophia Heger, Polly quickly deduces that something has gone terribly wrong, forcing the estranged father and daughter to hit the road and fend off danger at every turn.
To prepare for the modern-day tale — albeit one with shades of Westerns and thrillers from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s — Egerton opened up his Rolodex and asked a few decorated actors for film recommendations that might aid or inspire his character work in She Rides Shotgun. Gary Oldman suggested he watch Dustin Hoffman’s Straight Time (1978) and Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974), while Adolescence star Stephen Graham urged him to check out Oldman’s turn in State of Grace (1990). Joaquin Phoenix then sent the Welsh actor a list of 20 titles that fit the bill.
“[She Rides Shotgun] is a very old-school movie. I wanted to imbibe the brilliance of some actors that are older than I am. So I picked those guys because they’re actors who I really admire, and they’re actors who I’ve met and have some contact with,” Egerton tells The Hollywood Reporter in support of She Rides Shotgun’s Aug. 1 theatrical release.
When the trailer for the Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski-written film premiered, a glimpse of Egerton’s muscular physique reignited the yearslong fancasting campaign for him to take over the role of Wolverine from his Eddie the Eagle co-star Hugh Jackman, in the event that Jackman does not want to play the role till he’s 90. However, Egerton continues to throw cold water on such a notion.
“The Wolverine thing is almost like a joke at this point. Every time I have a project come out, there’s a moment where people talk about it, and I’m the one person who is not qualified to talk about it,” Egerton says. “It’s quite strange, but it’s flattering. It’s always lovely to think that anybody would want you to play a beloved role, but I also think no one is ever going to accept anyone in that role other than Hugh Jackman. He’s completely synonymous with it.”
Last year, Egerton played heroic TSA agent Ethan Kopek in Jaume Collet-Serra’s Carry-On, which is now Netflix’s second-most popular film of all time. Naturally, there’s been questions about whether a sequel is in order, and while he’d love to reteam with Collet-Serra again, Egerton has doubts about the believability of a second chapter.
“Carry-On 2 is really hard. It’s a celebration of Christmas and a celebration of people who work at Christmas. It then needs to have this huge plot that needs to be foiled and maybe the earwig component,” Egerton shares. “All of that is quite hard to achieve in a sequel without it feeling contrived and to the point of defying credulity. So I have not heard anything, but who knows, stranger things have happened.”
Below, during a recent conversation with THR, Egerton also discusses the decision to root She Rides Shotgun in the perspective of Heger’s 10-year-old character, before addressing the manner in which TSA agents now receive him at airports.
***
When I was watching Smoke a few months ago, I wondered if Dave Gudsen was a response to all the twisted “fun” that Paul Walter Hauser got to have opposite you on Black Bird. And I heard you say that it was in fact a factor in your decision-making. Thus, when you committed to She Rides Shotgun, was that a response to anything you’d recently done at the time?
Not really. I’m just out here trying to make things that mean something to me, and I’m not really trying to second-guess the perception of them too much. It’s funny, when you have these brief interludes where you speak with [reporters], you have to confront a perception of you. And it’s a weird thing because you don’t really think in those terms. You just follow the thing that you’re inclined towards creatively. So I try as far as possible to separate myself from the perception of why I’m doing what I’m doing and just do what I’m doing.
Taron Egerton’s Nate and Ana Sophia Heger’s Polly in She Rides Shotgun
Courtesy of Lionsgate
You asked Gary Oldman, Stephen Graham and Joaquin Phoenix for movie recommendations that had a similar spirit to She Rides Shotgun, and out of all three, I never would’ve guessed that Joaquin would offer a list of 20-some-odd films. Did you expect him to be that much of a cinephile? I’m not sure I did.
Yeah, absolutely. He’s such a master of his craft. He’s clearly somebody who has such honed instincts, and he’s worked with so many incredible filmmakers. I am more surprised that you think he wouldn’t be such a cinephile.
I suppose I’m basing it on one of his contemporaries, Christian Bale. He’s not a cinephile whatsoever, and while it’s easy to assume he would be, you just never really know.
I didn’t know that about [Bale]. But there was something about the timelessness of [She Rides Shotgun] and the fact that, in some respects, it felt like a story from 30, 40, 50 years ago. It’s a very old-school movie. It’s got a strong Western leaning to it, and I wanted to imbibe the brilliance of some actors that are older than I am. So I picked those guys because they’re actors who I really admire, and they’re actors who I’ve met and have some contact with.
Like the book, She Rides Shotgun begins with Polly (Ana Sophia Heger) being picked up at school, and she and the audience have to catch up to speed as the movie goes along. Was there ever a discussion about showing the violent domino effect that set this story in motion?
Yes, it was in a previous iteration of the script, but the more we went along in the process, the more it became apparent that our resources were limited. So we had to make decisions, and Nick [Rowland] was very committed to the idea that we’d be inside the perspective of Polly until her and Nate part ways [for a period of time]. That decision freed us the most, and it meant that we were able to reconfigure the storytelling in ways that were both more focused and economical.
Taron Egerton’s Nate and Ana Sophia Heger’s Polly in She Rides Shotgun
Courtesy of Lionsgate
If Nate hadn’t put a target on his and Polly’s backs, do you think he still would’ve put the same effort toward being her dad upon his release from prison?
He probably would have never reappeared otherwise, not because he’s not interested in his daughter, but because he thinks, “Why would I impose myself on her? I’m not worthy of being her father.” That is the thought that plagues him. But he doesn’t have time to really revel in that thought because if he doesn’t act [under the movie’s actual circumstances], she’s going to die. So he’d be there if he knew she was in jeopardy, but if he had no reason to believe that, I don’t think he would’ve shown up.
Taron, I hate to say it, but you made a huge mistake in this film. You got in such good shape that the Wolverine talk has started up again. Has this renewed clamor reached your doorstep yet?
No, but I feel like it happens every time I take my shirt off in a film. The truth of the matter is I don’t look like that when I take my shirt off, unless it’s in a film where the part needs me to look that way. (Laughs.) The Wolverine thing is almost like a joke at this point. Every time I have a project come out, there’s a moment where people talk about it, and I’m the one person who is not qualified to talk about it. It’s quite strange, but it’s flattering. It’s always lovely to think that anybody would want you to play a beloved role, but I also think no one is ever going to accept anyone in that role other than Hugh Jackman. He’s completely synonymous with it.
Taron Egerton’s Ethan Kopek in Carry-On.
Courtesy of Netflix
I had such a great experience watching Carry-On last year. When you make your way through airports now, do TSA agents salute you and give you the royal treatment?
(Laughs.) Not really. I took a photo with a TSA agent at the Dallas airport a couple days ago when I was traveling here to New York, and that was a really nice bit of symmetry. But it’s not like it’s made travel impossible or anything. Generally, I get by pretty unnoticed. So I certainly don’t feel that, but I also try not to think about it. If someone comes up and asks for a photo, that’s a nice thing, and if I’m able to, I’ll do it. But I am so proud of that movie, and I’m really glad you liked it. It’s a nice way to celebrate an otherwise slightly thankless role.
Yeah, they’re not used to seeing themselves as heroes on screen; they’re usually a source of aggravation for main characters.
Yeah, exactly. That’s what made the movie cool in many respects, and it was a fun thing to be a part of.
Jaume Collet-Serra just signed a new deal with Netflix. Is there a reality where you’d consider Carry-On 2?
Jaume and I definitely want to do more together. I love Jaume. It’s so about the journey as well as the movies you make, and I really like being with Jaume. I saw him last week in L.A., and we had a nice dinner together. Carry-On 2 is really hard. It’s a celebration of Christmas and a celebration of people who work at Christmas. It then needs to have this huge plot that needs to be foiled and maybe the earwig component. All of that is quite hard to achieve in a sequel without it feeling contrived and to the point of defying credulity. So I have not heard anything, but who knows, stranger things have happened.
Taron Egerton’s Dave Gudsen and Jurnee Smollett’s Michelle Calderone in Dennis Lehane’s Smoke
Apple TV+
As I referenced earlier, I devoured all ten episodes of Smoke a few months ago, and I especially love the title. You initially think it’s just some generic reference to fire, but it really stands for smoke and mirrors, doesn’t it?
Yeah, like most things with [creator] Dennis [Lehane], he’s thinking on a number of different levels. He’s such an incredible person to work with in terms of his ingenuity and his imagination and the things he’s trying to say and the uncomfortable space he occupies. His stuff is dark. It’s challenging, it’s uncomfortable and I love that stuff. But I just hope he keeps my number in his phonebook and we keep at it, because the roles of Dave Gudsen in Smoke and Jimmy Keene in Black Bird are two of the best roles I’ve played.
*** She Rides Shotgun opens in movie theaters on August 1.
