It’s hard to believe it’s been two years since Barbenheimer and Greta Gerwig hit the jackpot with the 2023 Barbie Movie. After its big record-breaking success, people are wondering if a sequel is on the way. While neither Warner Bros. nor Mattel has confirmed anything, a recent chat with an executive at the toy company hinted at the possibility of a Barbie spinoff focused on Ken.
President and Chief Content Officer at Mattel Studios, Robbie Brenner, recently spoke with The Wrap about some cool projects the company has in the works. Besides dishing on their edgy Matchbox movie and a wild take on Hot Wheels coming from Jon M. Chu, Brenner claimed they’re still very much interested in bringing fans more Barbie and her playmates to the big screen:
We all want to make the Barbie sequel. When you have such great success, we certainly talk about it. At some point maybe. I don’t know, we will see. There have definitely been discussions.
Daniel Kaluuya-starring Barney would be a thriller or a horror flick (the answer was a big no) to dishing on who is set to direct the Monster High movie. Brenner’s totally got my Kenergy up again after she added:
Ryan Gosling and really can’t get enough of him as Ken–those dance numbers were unexpected but amazing, am I right?
Honestly, it’s kind of a relief that they’re not rushing into a sequel or spinoff. Taking their time to find the right story and ensure each movie is truly excellent is a nice change for a studio. It’s a smart move. And, as the exec pointed out, it’s all part of raising the bar and making sure their films have a reason to exist. She added:
I feel like if we’re not trying to raise the bar on every single movie that we’re doing, if we’re not doing something that feels unexpected and that has a reason to exist, then we shouldn’t be doing it… We want to set the bar really high. And we’ll take swings, and sometimes maybe they won’t work, but at least we’re taking a swing and we’re making bold choices.
Brenner, who just got promoted to run both film and TV for all of Mattel Studios, is busy putting together a lineup of projects that really focus on the filmmakers and mix things up in terms of tone. They’ve got things going at nearly every major studio in Hollywood. If a Ken spinoff ever happens, I’ll be one of the first in line to buy a ticket. But honestly, if it doesn’t work out, that’s fine too. Mattel seems to know what their fans want, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.
You can revisit Ryan Gosling as Ken in Barbie, which is streaming for anyone with an HBO Max subscription.
On the surface, Nate, played by Taron Egerton in She Rides Shotgun, seems an ideal father. He picks up his 11-year-old daughter, Polly (Ana Sophia Heger), at school. He playfully dyes her hair bright orange. He teaches her the best way to hold a baseball bat. And when they’re driving in his car together, he firmly tells her to put on her seatbelt.
In context, it’s another matter. Newly released from prison, Nate is picking up Polly because her mother and stepfather have just been brutally murdered by people associated with the Aryan gang leader he killed while there. He’s changed her hair color to throw off the criminals and police on his trail. He’s teaching her how to hold the bat not to play ball, but to subdue a potential attacker (hit him in the knees and then, when he falls down, on the top of his head). And the reason he’s telling her to buckle her seatbelt is because he’s engaged in a high-speed car chase.
She Rides Shotgun
The Bottom Line
A gritty thriller with a beating heart.
Release date: Friday, Aug. 1 Cast: Taron Egerton, Ana Sophia Heger, Rob Yang, Odessa A’zion, David Lyons, John Carroll Lynch Director: Nick Rowland Screenwriters: Jordan Harper, Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski
Rated R,
2 hours
Such are the dichotomies of Nick Rowland’s gritty, and I mean gritty, thriller based on Jordan Harper’s award-winning 2017 novel. On one hand, She Rides Shotgun is a New Mexico-set crime drama that makes Breaking Bad look like family entertainment. On the other hand, it’s an ultimately touching portrait of the growing bond between a criminal father and the young daughter he’s barely gotten a chance to know.
To say that the film succeeds more in the latter department is no slight. The director, who handled similar territory in 2020’s Calm with Horses, handles the thriller aspects admirably. But the plot dynamics ultimately feel very familiar, including Nate’s betrayal by an ex-girlfriend (Odessa A’zion); the determined cop (Rob Yang) in pursuit who wants his help in shutting down a massive meth lab operation; and the crooked sheriff (John Carroll Lynch) who gets a kick out torturing and murdering people.
Still, the relationship between the violence-prone Nate and the little girl he’s determined to protect, even as she winds up protecting him at times, proves compelling from first moment to last. Much of the credit goes to the performances by the charismatic Egerton, who displays fierce emotional and physical power, and young Heger, projecting the sort of range that most adult actors would envy. Her Polly, fearing for her father as she accompanies him on a hair-raising series of events — including watching him rob a convenience store and get shot in the process, but not before thoughtfully stealing a Snickers bar for her — is the heart and soul of the film.
There are also vivid supporting turns by Yang, cannily underplaying as the lawman who has no compunction about putting Nate in mortal danger at the meth lab (“It’s Troy, I need a horse,” he explains dispassionately) and Lynch, sporting an impressive horseshoe mustache, who is truly fearsome as the sort of bad guy who has no problem retrieving stolen drugs from a man’s stomach while he’s still alive.
While he could have picked up the film’s pacing a little, Rowland reveals a keen visual sense, especially with a great tracking shot involving Heger running frantically in the foreground as an intense gun battle takes place behind her.
Ridley Scott once claimed the “Alien” franchise went downhill after “Aliens,” and he has a point. Of all properties in the saga where no one can hear you scream, only the first two films are universally regarded as classics. Sure, the others have their defenders (I’ll happily go to war for “Alien: Resurrection” every day of the week), but let’s face the truth: The world wouldn’t be worse off if every sequel and prequel after “Aliens” didn’t exist.
These days, though, it seems that Disney wants to keep milking the Xenomorphs, Facehuggers, Synthetics, and other in-universe creations until they’re completely dry. The latest example, the TV series “Alien: Earth,” takes place two years before the events of Scott’s classic 1979 film and hopes to expand the lore, but for reasons we will get into later, Noah Hawley’s show is yet another property that probably doesn’t need to exist. Still, if this franchise must continue, there are ways to make it interesting again — such as bringing back Predators to spice things up.
Indeed, a new “Alien vs. Predator” movie has been teased for a while now, and it’s about time Disney pulled the trigger on it. With that in mind, let’s discuss why it needs to happen sooner rather than later.
The Predator franchise keeps growing, while Alien keeps stumbling
20th Century Studios
The “Alien” franchise has been in decline for a while, especially with recent efforts. Fede Álvarez’s “Alien: Romulus” is so concerned with playing it safe that it fails to bring any new ideas to the table, so why does it have to exist? Say what you will about movies like “Alien: Resurrection,” “Prometheus,” and “Alien: Covenant,” but at least they boast enough unique ideas to be interesting, even if they are polarizing. No one can blame Alvarez for wanting to make a crowd-pleaser, especially in the wake of a slew of divisive movies, but it’s a forgettable one.
“Alien; Earth,” meanwhile, is a risky project that will either breathe new life into a stagnant franchise or create more polarization among the fans. Early teasers have revealed that the series will add a new form of life to the mix in the form of Hybrids — synthetic beings with human minds. Given that they haven’t factored into the saga until now, though, it begs the questions: Is Noah Hawley’s show going to clutter up the mythology even more? Or will it enrich the canon in a meaningful way? The jury is still out, but like all “Alien” projects made after 1986, the upcoming FX series will probably be divisive.
By contrast, the “Predator” franchise is experiencing a creative renaissance, and it’s a perfect example of how to honor one’s roots while adding enough fresh elements to keep things exciting. “Prey” is a revisionist Western with an incredible young protagonist at the front and center of a survival story. Elsewhere, “Predator: Killer of Killers” marks the franchise’s first animated movie, and while it sticks to a familiar storytelling formula, the non-live-action aesthetic gives it a fresh coat of paint. With the Yautja riding high at the moment, maybe the Xenomorph can get a piece of the action — and do it right this time. If nothing else, another crossover would at least align with current pop culture trends.
Alien vs. Predator could lead to Disney’s next big shared universe
20th Century Studios
Mentioning the “Alien vs. Predators” movies is a sure-fire way to make fans of both franchises balk, but that doesn’t mean the idea should be abandoned moving forward. Pitting Yautja against Xenomorphs is a cool idea in theory, and it’s been executed well in other mediums (especially in Randy Stradley and Chris Warner’s Dark Horse Comics series from the early ’90s, which sees the creatures collide on a remote farming planet).
If handled correctly (by that, I mean not tapping Paul W.S. Anderson to direct again), a new “Alien vs. Predator” could be a return to the action-packed mayhem that both franchises have benefited from in the past — after all, most people agree that James Cameron’s “Aliens” is awesome, and no one goes into a “Predator” flick looking for heady sci-fi. To that end, another “Alien vs. Predator” flick is an opportunity to create something simple, entertaining, and back-to-basics, while also being somewhat refreshing, as it’s been almost 20 years since Predators and Aliens last crossed paths on the screen.
Not only that, but another “Alien vs. Predator” could potentially spawn another lucrative shared cinematic universe — the kind Disney loves. There are some great comic book stories to mine for ideas, as Aliens and Predators have crossed paths with Judge Dredd, The Terminator, Superman, and Batman in the past, resulting in some very entertaining adventures. (The Dredd crossover, in particular, is great fun.) Obviously, getting the rights to those specific properties would be a logistical nightmare, but Disney owns enough interesting IPs to create compelling crossovers. How about “Alien vs. Predator vs. The Guardians of the Galaxy,” or “Alien vs. Predator vs. Moana?” The possibilities are endless, and they’d be more interesting than another underwhelming “Alien” movie or TV series.
“Alien: Earth” premieres August 12, 2025, on FX and FX on Hulu, with “Predator: Badlands” set to open in theaters on November 7, 2025.
Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched Dexter: Resurrection’s excellent fourth episode on Showtime or via Paramount+ subscription, so be warned!
Wowzers and then some, guys. Dexter: Resurrection seemed like it was giving audiences more of a singular storyline hinging entirely on Michael C. Hall’s back-from-retirement vigilante reconnecting with his son after Harrison shot him in New Blood’s finale. (To the point where it sometimes seemed like maybe Harrison should have been the main character.) But Episode 4, “Call me Red,” brought out all the big guest stars and was a glorious reminder of how unpredictable and delightfully weird this horror-soaked universe can be.
Krysten Ritter’s Mia “Lady Vengeance” Lapierre, Eric Stonestreet’s “Rapunzel”-monikered Al, David Dastmalchian’s brooding Gareth, a.k.a. Gemini Killer, and Neil Patrick Harris’ skin-obsessed Lowell, the Tattoo Collector.
2025 TV schedule feature a cabal of killers gathered together by a serial killer-obsessed benefactor, which is probably good, because Leon Prater would likely find a way to take those other groups out of the running. He certainly has a knack for rounding up highly disturbed individuals, as normal as they may seem sitting around a dinner table.
When I asked which of these newly introduced killers was most disturbing to the new cast members, David Dastmalchian teased some extremely dark scenes on the way for Modern Family vet Eric Stonestreet, saying:
They’re all, it’s like this neck-and-neck disturbing, neck-and-neck, disturbing. But there was something for me about getting to watch this gentleman when he brought the dark half of Al to life, and I was just sitting a few feet away from him,. He’s an old friend of mine who’s a deeply kind, loving, generous human being, and I’m watching him go to a place that I never thought I’d get to see him go, and that made my skin crawl, and I love that.
Eric Stonestreet is one of the more affable celebs out there, and often plays characters who exude those same vibes. I can’t say that Al isn’t a genial dude, but the fact that he’s out there killing women and cutting their ponytails off as trophies doesn’t exactly warrant a stamp of approval. I can’t wait to see how sinister his story gets.
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On the flip side of that coin, Stonestreet points to Dastmalchian’s Gareth as being the creepiest. Not because it comes as a surprise, but because it’s exactly what one might expect. As he put it:
Very nice of you. That exemplifies the type of group of people we got the pleasure to work with. Everyone’s so nice and supportive. I think we were all just excited to dip our toes into this so clearly defined world that Clyde and Scott and the others have created over the years – Michael. I would say, probably, I mean, I’m gonna throw it right back at you. Because if it looks like a duck, and walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it might be a duck. So where you may not see me coming from a million miles away, you see him coming from a million miles away, and there’s something really scary about thinking what something is, and then it being that exact thing. So I would put Dave there.
While I doubt Gareth’s Gemini Killer has anything to do with actual ducks, I can’t help but think about him putting on a giant duck suit in order to pull off his murders. There has to be someone like that out there, right?
Krysten Ritter teased her character by glorifying how non-disturbing she found Mia to be, despite her less positive attributes, and it sounds like she had a blast in the role. In Ritter’s words:
I don’t feel disturbed by my character. I just believed it, and I loved playing her. She is very delicious, very confident, very modern, very glamorous, but also a little psychotic and deranged. And it was so much fun to sink into that role, and I would play that character for years. It was like the best time I’ve ever had.
At this point, David Dastmalchian spoke up to say how happy he was to finally be sharing the screen with long-time friend Ritter in such a dark project, which she echoed just as happily.
DAVID DASTMALCHIAN: Can I say, Kristen and I have been friends for a long time, and I’ve always felt like she’s my goth buddy, my goth niece, my goth little sister that I always wanted to get to do something with creatively. And it was really freaking cool to get to go play and be murderers together.
KRYSTEN RITTER: You were the first… I wasn’t gonna say anything yet, but when I found out that he was doing it, I was like, ‘We’re gonna get to work together finally!’
Gotta love how many smiles are being shared on a show where a dude cuts people’s tattoos off of their bodies.
Michael C. Hall Feels Like This Season Was A ‘Bizarro, Twisted Superhero Movie’
(Image credit: Paramount+)
To be expected, Michael C. Hall was just as excited to get to mix it up with such a varied group of personalities, even if he already had to take one of them out by the end of the episode. (We’re really hoping this storyline doesn’t run out too quickly.) When I asked if it was surreal to be standing above a guest star like Neil Patrick Harris strapped down to the kill table, the actor responded with:
It was all surreal. Yeah, that was surreal. I mean, we’re so gratified that we were able to attract an ensemble of actors this season of the caliber that we did. I mean, it’s a dice-roll going back in and revisiting this character and the world, and the fact that all those people joined us was pretty gratifying. We’re like, okay, you know, maybe we’re on to something.
When I mentioned that I wouldn’t have expected Dexter to leave the flirtatious Mia as she showered just to go and find Lowell, Hall got a laugh out of me by pointing to his character’s maturity level rising.
He’s growing up, you know? He’s made mistakes in the past of that nature that have gotten him and those around him in trouble. So yeah, he has a moment of clarity.
On the topic of Leon Prater’s vast collection of serial killer trophies and having that be the new world that Dexter is now trying to traverse alongside Harrison’s story, Michael C. Hall told me:
Yeah, it was awesome. I mean, I feel like this season kind of expands the window. It’s more viscerally human and undeniably sort of rich in that way, in terms of his relationship with his son and his internalized relationship with his father. But it’s also just more wondrous and magical and insane and dreamlike, this world that Leon Prater has facilitated. Shooting that fourth episode, I felt like Dexter had been transported into some sort of bizarro, twisted superhero movie. It was so wild.
Now that he’s mentioned superheroes, I’m wondering how Dexter would fare in the world of The Boys, and who he’d try to target first. Or what if Dexter aimed to take on Colin Farrell’s Penguin? There should at least be a comic book series tackling that crossover.
Find out what Prater’s serial killer club will get into next when new Dexter: Resurrection episodes hit. Paramount+ every Friday, and air on Showtime on Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Celebrity couples have a way of fascinating the public; just look at how many headlines Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have made. Another pair that fans are obsessed with is Tom Holland and Zendaya, who are engaged to be married. Her style architect and Law Roach recently spilled some details about the “secret bride” and I need to know more.
Zendaya and Holland’s engagement became public in January, and the public is eager for any information about their forthcoming nuptials. Law Roach recently spoke to E! News about that mysterious event, and broke the news that not much wedding planning has begun. As he shared:
The process hasn’t even started yet. Zendaya is working on so many movies. She’s now filming the next iteration of Dune, so she’s away doing that. It’s so many movies, so we have time. We have a lot of time.
Zendaya is a popular movie star, one that’s always working on an number of major projects at any point. Right now she’s busy reprising her role as Chani in the third Dune movie.
Dune: Part Three was recently renamed, after previously being called Messiah. Production on that blockbuster is underway, and Zendaya is also set to appear in Euphoria Season 3. So how much time could she have to wedding plan?
Whatever comes together for the wedding, Roach teased that Zendaya will be a “a secret bride.” So don’t expect to know what she’s wearing ahead of time. Later in that same interview, the Legendary judge shared his excitement for the happy couple, offering:
I’m really excited because I know that they really love each other and they have for a really long time. The fact that the world has been able to share in that love story, I think it’s really beautiful.
He’s not wrong. There’s a reason why fans are rooting so hard for this pair of A-listers. We’ve watched as they got closer throughout the years, meeting on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming. Rumors swirled around them for quite some time, before Holland and Zendaya were photographed kissing in a car. They eventually confirmed they were together, although the pair of celebs still keep their relationship pretty private.
As such, we shouldn’t be surprised when Law Roach claims Zendaya will be a “secret bride.” What this entails is a mystery, but it seems like the Greatest Showman star will be keeping her cards close to the chest whenever wedding planning begins. We’ll just have to wait and see when that process actually starts.
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Dune: Part Three is currently expected to arrive December 18, 2026 as part of the 2026 movie release list. As for when Zendaya and Tom Holland’s wedding will occur, that’s anyone’s guess.
