Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode “A Space Adventure Hour.” Stream it with a Paramount+ subscription and read at your own risk!
La’an Noonien-Singh was able to put the Gorn behind her in the Season 3 premiere of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and it didn’t take long for the Paramount+ series to find her a new storyline. The lieutenant seems to have entered a spicy new romance with one of her colleagues on the ship, though I’m not sure how I feel about it.
As one of the new best characters in Star Trek, I think Strange New Worlds is at its peak when La’an is in the story. That said, I have some mixed feelings about her entering a relationship so quickly, especially after seeing who it was with.
she was cheating on him.
(Image credit: The CW)
It Feels Strange To Have La’an Have A Romance With Kirk And Spock
I’m not against La’an having another romance, but did it have to be Spock? We now have a character who has carried on some sort of romance with both him and Captain Kirk, though I guess the latter was erased due to alternate timelines and whatnot. However, that’s beside the point.
I mean, Kirk was a known womanizer, so I’m not the least bit surprised she fell for his charm. However, the Spock thing I’m less sure of.
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From my standpoint, it almost feels like giving Spock yet another romance is trying to Kirk-ify the character into something I’m not sure he was. Granted, TOS and The Next Generation weren’t really keen on diving into Spock’s sex life, but it’s getting to a point where it seems he’s the only one hooking up on the Enterprise these days.
I also fear that La’an’s relationship with Spock may lead to a weird love triangle situation with Kirk, though again, that never actually happened in this timeline and only she has the memory of it. It remains to be seen if this romance will last through Seasons 4 and the already confirmed final Season 5, but if it is, you’d think there will be some tension involving the three.
In terms of the actual pairing itself, I get why Star Trek: Strange New Worlds would do it. Christina Chong and Ethan Peck have great chemistry, and the fans love both characters. I’m sure there are people who love the potential this has, even if we know the relationship is going to fail. I guess I should hold my full opinion until we see how it goes, but for now, I’m very much on the fence about the whole thing.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams new episodes on Paramount+ on Thursdays. With not many upcoming Trek shows on the horizon, enjoy this season while you can, because it’ll be a long wait for Starfleet Academy in 2026.
Spoilers ahead for the new I Know What You Did Last Summer.
It’s a great time to be a horror fan, as the genre’s renaissance is showing no signs of slowing down. Its popularity has resulted in some of the best horror movies returning to theaters, including the new I Know What You Did Last Summer. The movie featured a number of surprise cameos, and it turns out that Sarah Michelle Gellar’s scene was so top secret that not even her co-star knew it was happening.
SMG lied about I Know What You Did Last Summer for months ahead of its release, where her character Helen appeared in a dream sequence. OG fans were hyped about seeing her back… despite dying back in the first movie. Director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson spoke to EW about just how tight security was when filming this sequence, offering:
iconic scream queen Sarah Michelle Gellar.
In the new I Know What You Did Last Summer, Helen appears to the new protagonist, Danica Richards (Madelyn Cline), during a dream sequence, where she’s haunted and mocked ahead of waking up. This was a clever way to bring Gellar back without having to retcon her death. Clearly, Robinson was keeping this scene under wraps, as she said in the same interview:
It was one of those things where it was kind of lock and key. It was never even in any of the pages. They were kind of pages unto themselves, and we really tried to do it as secretively as we could, so that it didn’t get out that she was in the movie. I think we succeeded.
In the end, I Know What You Did Last Summer hit theaters without any of its cameos being spoiled. So even though Sarah Michelle Gellar posted from the set, her role in the new sequel still hit. And it was nice to have 3/4 of the original stars back for the latest sequel.
Of course, this wasn’t the only major cameo. Brandy also appeared in the mid-credits scene, after her character Karla survived the first sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. While she didn’t get into the action, hopefully another slasher is ordered.
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I Know What You Did Last Summer is in theaters now as part of the 2025 movie release list. Sarah Michelle Gellar is currently filming the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot pilot, so there’s a lot of nostalgic goodness surrounding the actress.
For a number of filmmakers, making Stephen King adaptations is like eating potato chips: they can’t just stop at one. Mike Flanagan is presently the most active, as he is working on Carrie and Dark Tower shows to follow his films Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep and The Life Of Chuck, but this is a trend that goes back to the beginning of the author’s relationship with Hollywood – the list of directors including George A. Romero, Lewis Teague, Frank Darabont, Tobe Hooper, and Mick Garris. Of course, one of the most significant names in the legacy is Rob Reiner, who has helmed two of the greatest King movies of all time in Stand By Me and Misery… and it is because of this stature that I am disappointed to report his thoughts about potentially making a third.
For this week’s edition of The King Beat, Reiner’s thoughts about making a new Stephen King adaptation is the lead story, but it’s one of multiple treats, as I also have some wonderful trivia for you about the making of the modern classic The Shawshank Redemption and how it very nearly had Tom Cruise in the lead role. There’s a lot to discuss, so let’s dig in!
(Image credit: Columbia Pictures)
Rob Reiner Declines The Idea Of Completing A Stephen King Trilogy Following Stand By Me And Misery, And I Would Love For Him To Change His Mind
Rob Reiner will someday direct a third Stephen King movie, you may want to let that dream die.
the upcoming Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, I sent him into the interview with a special request that he raise the subject of Stephen King. Specifically, I wanted to know if any of the author’s other books or stories might appeal to him as a project to take on – but that’s evidently something that the filmmaker is not interested in pursuing at this point in his career. Said Reiner,
Well, our company has done I think seven Stephen King movies. I’ve done two; I did Stand By Me and then Misery. At this point, no. I mean, I’ve done them. But listen, he’s a great writer, and like I say, we’ve done seven of his movies.
Said company is Castle Rock Entertainment – which is actually named for the fictional town that frequently serves as a setting for Stephen King’s stories – and there is no denying that the studio has made massive contributions to King’s legacy on the big screen. Reiner and his colleagues are responsible for making some of the best adaptations ever, and that doesn’t even include Stand By Me, which was made before Castle Rock was founded. The list of seven includes:
Misery
Needful Things
The Shawshank Redemption
Dolores Claiborne
The Green Mile
Hearts In Atlantis
Dreamcatcher
Admittedly, it’s not a case of finishing out on top, as Dreamcatcher was notoriously panned by critics and was a bomb at the box office when it was released in 2003 (for what it’s worth, the book it’s based on isn’t very good either). Still, I can’t help but feel a touch disappointed that there isn’t another Stephen King story that has personally piqued Rob Reiner’s interest. His output as a director has slowed in recent years, with Spinal Tap II being his first narrative feature since 2017, but I have kept my fingers crossed for a long time wishing that he would make a personal follow-up to Stand By Me and Misery, and I’m sad to hear that door is apparently closed.
The good news: while there won’t be a third Rob Reiner Stephen King movie, his previous efforts are classics that can be watched an infinite number of times without getting old, and they are terrifically easy to watch. In addition to physical media releases and digital rental/purchase options for both, Stand By Me is presently available instantly with a Paramount+ subscription (including the Showtime add-on).
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how Frank Darabont came to direct The Shawshank Redemption, it’s actually a pretty cool tale. The filmmaker first caught the attention of Stephen King in the early 1980s when he made a Dollar Baby based on the short story “The Woman In The Room.” King was so impressed by the work that he granted Darabont the option to his novella “Rita Hayworth And Shawshank Redemption” a few years later upon request, and the filmmaker’s script ended up earning him a fantastic offer from Castle Rock Entertainment: as reported by the Los Angeles Times in 1994, he could have sold the script for $2.4 million and let Rob Reiner direct, or he could direct it himself and make $750,000 plus a percentage of future profits. He chose the latter, and he ended up making one of the most beloved movies ever made.
There is, however, another wrinkle to the story that you might not know: Darabont’s determination to direct was challenge a second time in development when Tom Cruise expressed an interest in making the movie with Rob Reiner, and the young writer/director stuck to his guns.
At San Diego Comic-Con, Reiner told the full story to CinemaBlend. According to the filmmaker, the script for The Shawshank Redemption ended up in the hands of theA-lister after it had gone through a bit of development at Castle Rock Entertainment, and he liked it enough that he inquired about taking on the lead role. As genuine as his interest was, however, he apparently balked at the idea of the Stephen King story being in the hands of a first time director. Said Reiner,
Here’s what happened with that. It was interesting. Frank Darabont brought the project to us. We did some work on it. We helped him develop it a little further, and we thought that… we had sent it to Tom Cruise and he was interested to play the Andy Dufresne character that Tim Robbins plays in it. But he said, ‘Well, who’s directing?’ And we said, ‘Frank.’ And he said, ‘Well, I…’ [Frank Darabont] was a first time, basically a first time director at that point. And [Tom Cruise] said, ‘If you direct it, I’ll do it.’
I don’t really have to explain that this was a big deal, right? Tom Cruise obviously has no shortage of star power today between the success of Top Gun: Maverick and the Mission: Impossible franchise, but the mid-90s was the golden era for the actor – with movies like The Firm, Interview With A Vampire, and the original Mission: Impossible (and he also worked with Reiner on the 1992 critically acclaimed hit A Few Good Men).
Thus, the developing feature found itself with a sizable conundrum. Hiring Tom Cruise would have been a massive deal that could have perhaps saved The Shawshank Redemption from its ultimate fate of being a flop at the box office… but Castle Rock Entertainment had made a commitment to Darabont and the studio ethos regarding relationships with directors was kept at front of mind. Reiner continued,
And we thought, ‘Hmm, wow. I mean, that would be a real chance to…’ you know. And he was the number one star in America. He’s still a huge star, but I mean, he was big star at the point. And so I said, ‘Okay.’ And we went to Frank, because we at Castle Rock, we’ve always said, we give you your head, we told you we will let you direct, and that was the whole idea that the lighthouse was a safe harbor for creative people to come.
So what could be done? The answer was ultimately pretty simple: the studio heads had a conversation with Frank Darabont and let him determine what would be the best course of action for the project:
We said, ‘Look, we got an opportunity for Tom Cruise, but he wants [me to direct].’ And he says, ‘No, I want to direct.’ And he said, ‘Okay,’ and we said, ‘Okay,’ And we let him do it. And we wound up with Tim Robbins, who’s great, and Morgan Freeman. And it’s a great movie and we’re very proud of it. And some people consider it, you know, top 10 movies of all time.
As alluded to, the decision didn’t yield great short-term results, as The Shawshank Redemption failed to do any business at the box office, and while it was nominated for seven Academy Awards, it failed to take home a single trophy. But as noted by Rob Reiner, it is now considered by many to be one of the greatest cinematic achievements in history… even though it doesn’t star Tom Cruise.
That wraps up this week’s edition of The King Beat, but I’ll be back next Thursday with another new column examining all of the latest happenings in the world of Stephen King, so be sure to head back here to CinemaBlend!
When Avatar: Fire and Ash is released on the 2025 movie schedule on December 19, it will be 16 years since the original Avatar debuted and became the highest-grossing movie ever made. If the final two Avatar movies are released on schedule, which is by no means guaranteed, it will be another six years before the franchise is done. Considering James Cameron would be 76 by the time that happens, it’s worth asking the question: Will he actually direct the final Avatar movies?
That question was recently asked of Cameron directly by Empire, and the now 70-year-old director confirmed that at this point, he certainly has no plans not to direct the final two films himself. The Titanic director said…
I mean, there’s no reason not to. I’m healthy, I’m good to go.
upcoming Avatar 4 and 5 himself right now, he’s aware that things might change over the next half-decade, and he might not ultimately be able to do so. The director says that if he doesn’t have the energy to direct the films in the way that he feels he needs to, he won’t do it. He continued…
take over directing the Avatar franchise.
Cameron doesn’t think there will necessarily be a problem finding a director who will execute on his vision, as that’s already happened once recently. He explained…
I had a great working relationship – and I’m using this as an example, not as an answer – with Robert Rodriguez on Alita. He honoured what I had written. We worked very collaboratively.
Of course, the actual process of directing the last two Avatar movies will be a little different than most movies. That’s partially because production on both films is expected to take place concurrently. Filming for both projects will start sometime after the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash, so no earlier than 2026.
It’s possible Cameron will be able to do all of the on-set direction for both movies, and if he feels he needs to take a step back later, it will be during the lengthy post-production process of the two films. However, The Terminator director clearly isn’t even thinking about that right now, saying simply…
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If I can, I’ll just do it.
Considering how often the Avatar sequels have seen delays, there’s every reason to believe that the last two films will take longer than currently planned. However, James Cameron clearly wants to finish out this project, which, if nothing else, might give him the motivation to keep things on track.
Spoilers for Matt Damon and Ken Jennings run on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire are ahead!
Well, they did it. Ken Jennings and Matt Damon won Who Wants to Be a Millionaire; however, I can’t say I’m shocked. As these episodes aired on the 2025 TV schedule, I fully expected Jeopardy’s host and Jimmy Kimmel’s faux nemesis to win, and they did. However, when asked about the challenges of playing on this game show, the Jeopardy legend didn’t mince his words as he said it felt like “teetering over an Indiana Jones death pit.”
Jeopardy’s biggest winners became the third team of celebrities to win the million dollars. However, it wasn’t all easy work. They had to use their lifelines – Jennings brilliantly called out of its traps last week, by the way – and they had to talk through their options. It wasn’t a total walk in the park, and the Jeopardy! host opened up about that while comparing the game show he hosts with the one he just won, telling TV Insider:
Jimmy Kimmel’s hilarious chagrin.
To that point, much like how Matt Damon complimented his partner’s intelligence, Jennings spoke highly of the Good Will Hunting star. He said that having a partner on the show really did make it better, explaining:
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Absolutely easier with a partner. It turned out to be easier that Jimmy knew the one we didn’t know. We had a lot of good Millionaire luck.
Well, teamwork, luck and experience playing some of the best game shows certainly paid off big time, as Jennings and Damon ultimately won the million for the actor’s charity water.org.
Meanwhile, we got a good show out of it, too. The episodes, which you can now stream both with a Hulu subscription, were wickedly entertaining. We got to see Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon’s rivalry on full blast, we got to witness the actor and Jennings kick butt at trivia, and in the end, we got to see them win a bunch of money that’s going to a great cause. So, it was a win-win all around, even though it made the Jeopardy! icon feel like he was “teetering over an Indiana Jones death pit” at times.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial captured a lot of attention, but if you thought that it coming to an end was the end of the story, get ready, because that’s not the case. While Combs avoided conviction on the most serious charges against him, his lawyers have now moved to have the convictions he received overturned, or at the very least, get Diddy a new trial on the charges.
The issue at hand is a century-old law called the Mann Act. Both of Diddy’s convictions for transporting people across state lines for the purposes of sex are related to the law that’s been in effect since 1910. But his lawyers say, according to TMZ, the law shouldn’t have been applied in this case, as Diddy hasn’t actually violated it.
What is The Mann Act?
legal cases against R. Kelly as well as the conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell.
Why Diddy’s Lawyers Say The Mann Act Doesn’t Apply
The Mann Act deals with the transportation of people for the purposes of prostitution. However, the new filing from Diddy’s legal team says it shouldn’t have been applied in his case because he technically didn’t do any of the things required to be convicted under the Mann Act.
As had been discussed at length during the trial, Diddy reportedly only watched the prostitutes who were hired have sex with other people. He never engaged in sex with them himself. There is apparently a legal precedent that voyeurism is not considered prostitution.
What’s more, it’s claimed that Diddy did not make any money from the prostitution, and he also never arranged for the transportation of the people himself, with the women who were involved, like Cassie Ventura, being the ones who handled the logistics of transportation.
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Since Diddy didn’t have sex with the prostitutes, didn’t profit from the prostitution, and didn’t arrange transportation, it’s being argued that he didn’t actually violate the Mann Act. Finally, it’s also argued that the “freak-off” events that were recounted during the trial constitute “amateur pornography,” and thus should receive First Amendment protections.
Depending on how the language of the Mann Act is written, it’s certainly possible that one might be able to interpret it this way. If so, the judge might decide to overturn the convictions. Barring that, a new trial would only be on the two counts that Diddy was convicted of, and thus some of the most sensational evidence of the original trial, such as the video of Diddy beating Cassie Ventura, likely wouldn’t be admissible.
How long it may take the judge to rule on this is unclear. Diddy remains in jail awaiting sentencing, which is currently scheduled for October.
