The Fantastic Four: First Steps is making big strides at the box office as the latest MCU entry on the 2025 movie schedule (the last one for the year), and while I wouldn’t call it my favorite, it does get closer to something I’ve been clamoring for: smaller stories.
For the first decade of the MCU, starting with Iron Man and ending with Avengers: Endgame, the universe, like our own, just kept expanding. It was fantastic. But, I hit a wall with it, and I started to get frustrated. I think they should have brought things back down to earth with more “human-sized” superheroes and villains after hitting a crescendo with Endgame. The new Fantastic Four movie almost gives me what I crave, but not quite.
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
The Story Is Both In And Out Of The MCU — In A Good Way
personal favorite of mine, Iron Man 2, did in the early days of the franchise. This is the approach that Daredevil: Born Again took earlier this year, and I loved watching with my Disney+ subscription. In fact, I wrote at the time that the MCU could take a lesson from that.
Because First Steps is its own self-contained story, and is serving as a soft-reset for the MCU as the first movie of Phase 6, it succeeds, at least in my eyes. It shows that not every single movie or story has to be interconnected with the ever-expanding, all-consuming multiverse. I might have blown a gasket had Dr. Strange suddenly appeared to send Galactis to another world. Instead, the main heroes figured out the problem on their own.
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
I Said It ‘Almost Gets There’
I sarcastically joked a few months ago, before I knew who the villain in First Steps would be, that I was sick of every villain in the MCU being someone who could “eat a planet.” So, Galactis, who literally eats planets, wasn’t exactly my idea of bringing the MCU back to earth, so to speak. If I were ranking the MCU movies based on story alone, this one would be somewhere in the bottom half.
A Galactis-level villain should be saved for team-ups, like an Avengers movie. In the meantime, give me some less powerful villains who can’t just destroy all life on earth with the snap of a finger (sorry, Thanos). Mole Man, or Red Ghost (who was supposed to at least make an appearance in this movie), or any other of a number of the Four’s rogues gallery, would have fit the bill perfectly here.
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In the end, I really did like The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and I think it succeeds in a lot of ways, both in kicking off Phase Six of the MCU and as a soft reboot. It’s not a perfect movie, but it is a great one. I love the vibe of the movie, and it sets up their family dynamic wonderfully. It’s just still a little too much. I hope Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which hits theaters as part of the 2026 movie schedule, keeps moving in this direction.
When 20th Century Fox was absorbed into Disney in 2019, that brought the original X-Men film series to an end since Marvel Studios finally had the film rights to the mutant superheroes and villains. And while incarnations of these original cinematic X-Men continue to pop up in the MCU, the plan is to eventually release an X-Men reboot and start fresh with this property. That upcoming Marvel movie has been taking some big steps forward over the last 12 months, and now there’s apparently a plan in place to help keep the production cost down that I 100% support.
Although Marvel is coming off a strong opening weekend for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, it’s no secret that the company has had its fair share of misses amidst the hits since Phase 4 began in 2021. An unnamed agent who spoke with Variety said they don’t the studio “consistently hitting $1 billion as before — without China, with Disney+ exposure, post-COVID, without megastars.” So with regard to the X-Men reboot, another insider claimed that it will be looking at “younger talent” rather than A-list actors to recruit as a cost-saving measure.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ Michael Lesslie was tapped to write the X-Men reboot, and then Thunderbolts*’ Jake Schreier is now attached to direct. The reboot doesn’t have a release date yet, though Variety has heard from sources that it won’t fill the July 23, 2027 slot that Marvel has blocked off as its first post-Multiverse Saga movie.
Luckily for those of you craving X-Men cinematic action, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Rebeca Romijn, Kelsey Grammer, Alan Cumming, James Marsden and Channing Tatum are all reprising their mutant roles for Avengers: Doomsday, which comes out on December 16, 2026. It’s also reasonable to assume the X-Men in whatever form will factor into 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars as well.
Legal dramas, thrillers, and comedies have been part of Hollywood since the very beginning. Whether it’s classic shows like L.A. Law and Ally McBeal, or movies like A Time To Kill and To Kill A Mockingbird, there is every kind of movie about the law, and the lawyers who practice it.
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L.A. Law
Admit it, you can hear that saxophone intro as the trunk slams on the Mercedes that opened every episode of L.A. Law for eight seasons from 1986 until 1994. It was one of the anchors of NBC’s legendary Thursday nights in that era. It was the only drama in the lineup, and for those of us who grew up at the time, it was the perfect way to end the evening.
Matthew McConaughey’s first movie role came as a cast member of the legendary Dazed and Confused, where he was responsible for some classic lines. He really became a more rounded movie star with his starring turn in A Time To Kill, with Samuel L. Jackson. McConaughey plays a lawyer defending Jackson’s character for what audiences see as a justified murder.
Clint Eastwood. Nicholas Hoult plays a juror who quickly learns he may actually be responsible for the death of the person the man on trial is accused of murdering. It’s an intense movie, to say the least.
Aaron Sorkin-penned, Rob Reiner-directed classic A Few Good Men brought audiences into the world of military political thrillers. Tom Cruise plays a cocky but inexperienced officer defending two Marines accused of murder in this amazing movie with amazing performances all around, especially Jack Nicholson.
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Joe Pesci as a New York lawyer…well, almost lawyer… who travels to a small town in Alabama to defend his nephew and his nephews friend, who are charged with murder. It’s a hilarious classic.
Legally Blonde on this list. It’s the movie that really made Reese Witherspoon an A-list star and spawned multiple sequels, a musical, and a streaming TV show on Prime. The law in it may be dubious, but the comedy is not.
Chadwick Boseman as Marshall, tells the story of an early case in the legend’s career when he defended an innocent man, played by Sterling K. Brown, accused of murder. It’s a movie that doesn’t often get mentioned, but it should because it’s as powerful as it sounds.
spawned a spinoff, Suits LA, on the streamer.
role of former President John Quincy Adams, who helped defend the men in this true story.
spinoff meeting and maybe exceeding its predecessor.
never won an Emmy, which is bonkers.
spawned a reboot recently on CBS.
can only watch once because it is so heavy, is Philadelphia, starring Denzel Washington as a lawyer suing on behalf of another lawyer who was let go from his law firm after contracting AIDS. It was one of the first movies to ever confront the epidemic and its effects directly, and it’s an amazing and heartbreaking legal drama.
appeared in episodes of The Good Wife is long and distinguished, but that isn’t all the show is remembered for. Unlike most legal TV shows, the show often had long story arcs over multiple episodes. It made the show unique and insanely bingeable.
actor who died tragically before turning 40, plays the boy in a scene-stealing performance.
Adam Sandler is known for his hilarious films, goofy personality, and untraditional acting talents, but lately he has also become a fashion icon. The TikTok girls once declared 2023 “Adam Sandler summer” as their desire to imitate his slouchy street style went viral. Sandler has been dressing in this unconventional way for years, choosing to rock basketball shorts and Hawaiian shirts on late night talk shows, and even showing up to the Oscars in loungewear. Now Sandler is explaining why he dresses the way he does, and how far this goes back.
In a recent interview with the Barstool Sports podcast Pardon My Take, Sandler talked about his now trademark sense of style, and why he decides to dress in very casual, extremely baggy clothes no matter what the occasion. Apparently, it started off as a bit of a gag, to impress people at the beach when he was in his young, early SNL days. He explained:
The baggy stuff for the young Adam Sandler started for a reason. I used to be very – and this is not a lie – I was jacked. I had a beautiful body. So I’d hide it and then surprise you at the beach when the stuff came off. It would be like, ‘The Sandman’s ripped? I didn’t know that.’
challenging other celebs on the court. However, it isn’t always appropriate for big events like premieres or award shows or talk show appearances. The actor explained that the baggy clothes that once hid a jacked Adam Sandler serves a different purpose now. He said:
Now, I go loose because it should be hidden.
The comedian is probably joking here, and just has likely become more comfortable in baggy shorts and old T-shirts than in a suit. But I will point out that Sandler did suit up to play a tribute song at SNL’s starry 50th Anniversary special, so there are a few occasions the Uncut Gems actor will get dressed up for, even if the Oscars isn’t one of them. At this point Sandler has become so synonymous with his streetwear, that it wouldn’t make sense to abandon it now. It’s kind of endearing that no matter how famous he gets or how much money he has, he still has a very humble wardrobe, and fans love him for it.
You can see Adam Sandler rocking a very Sandler-esque outfit in his new film, Happy Gilmore 2, which is currently streaming with a Netflix subscription. Fans will also see him take on more serious-fare in Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, which is set to be released on November 14th, 2025. For more information on other exciting titles heading to cinemas and streaming this year, make sure to consult our 2025 movie release schedule.
Given its near-universal acclaim and reputation as an awards darling, to call Breaking Bad my all-time favorite TV show may sound like an obvious choice, but it is the truth. As such, I would follow its creator, Vince Gilligan, anywhere he goes, which is why I am aching to see his next project, Pluribus.
I would not even need to know anything else about this upcoming Apple TV+ series for it to pique my interest, knowing that the Emmy-winning writer and producer is involved. In fact, there is not too much else that anyone knows about Pluribus, but that only makes it more alluring to me. However, let’s focus on what has been revealed about this new show in the following guide.
What Is The Pluribus Premiere Date?
(Image credit: Apple)
Pluribus is set to premiere on Apple TV+ on November 7, 2025. That is certainly a spot on the 2025 TV premiere schedule to be thankful for, as far as I am concerned.
Variety the following:
The world changes very abruptly in the first episode, and then it is quite different. It’s the modern world — the world we live in — but it changes very abruptly. And the consequences that that reaps hopefully provide drama for many, many episodes after that.
Variety back in October 2023 that he describes the series as “mild science fiction,” adding that the story contains “no crime, and no methamphetamine.” This further illustrates that this is his first project in years to not exist in the Breaking Bad universe, following the prequel spinoff Better Call Saul, which provided Saul Goodman’s (Bob Odenkirk) origin, and the feature-length sequel, El Camino, which provided a fitting end to Jesse Pinkman’s (Aaron Paul) story.
The Pluribus Teasers Have Been Gross And Enticing
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Also, effectively keeping Pluribus intriguingly shrouded in mystery is the series’ promotional material. See for yourself by checking out the first official teaser and premiere date announcement clip below. Fair warning: some viewers may find it disgusting, and it has even led CinemaBlend’s Mike Reyes to suspect that there may be a plague afoot in this story:
Pluribus — Date Announcement | Apple TV+ – YouTube
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A couple of days after that unsettling clip of a woman inexplicably licking donuts dropped online, an even more cryptic, second Pluribus teaser was released. It depicts an unbroken shot of a phone receiver that a woman, seen out of focus and watching a White House broadcast on her TV, walks toward with a gold club in hand before nervously reaching for it.
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During the clip, three captions also appear that read, “Hello, Carol” (which some YouTube commenters suspect is a reference to Walter White’s neighbor on Breaking Bad), “Call us,” and “No pressure,” before it cuts to a black background with the phone number (202) 808-3981 across the screen. I recommend calling the number to experience what is on the other line for yourself, but I will say that the recorded greeting I hear has me suspecting that, if not a plague, the plot of Pluribus might involve a cult. Hell, it might even involve both topics, which is undoubtedly a concerning combination.
The Pluribus Cast
(Image credit: Sony Pictures Television)
With how little we still know about the plot of this new series, we cannot tell you much at all about its main characters. So, for now, let’s talk about who has been confirmed to appear in the Pluribus cast and what else you may know them from.
Rhea Seehorn
(Image credit: AMC)
Leading the Pluribus cast as the woman we supposedly saw in the second teaser, and whose name might be Carol, is Rhea Seehorn in her second collaboration with Vince Gilligan, following her three-time Emmy-nominated role as Kim Wexler on Better Call Saul. She previously had a recurring role on another legal dramedy (Franklin & Bash), a starring role on the short-lived sitcom Whitney, and has since starred in titles like Bad Boys: Ride or Die and Amazon Prime’s Invincible.
Karolina Wydra
(Image credit: ABC)
Pluribus is Karolina Wydra’s first collaboration with Gilligan, but she is known for a TV show similar to Breaking Bad called Sneaky Pete, in addition to other acclaimed series like True Blood, Justified, Quantico, and, most recently, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. She made her acting debut in Michel Gondry’s 2008 comedy Be Kind Rewind, and her other notable feature-length credits include the beloved rom-com Crazy, Stupid, Love, and the cosmic found footage thriller, Europa Report.
Carlos-Manuel Vesga
(Image credit: Netflix)
Carlos-Manuel Vesga made his English-language acting debut with the 2025 movie, The Luckiest Man in America. Some viewers may also recognize him from his role in the Spanish-language Netflix miniseries, The Hijacking of Flight 601, from 2024.
Miriam Shor
(Image credit: TV Land)
Billed as a Pluribus guest star is Miriam Shor, who recently appeared in an Apple TV+ original TV show called Before, but is best known on the small screen in the Younger cast as Diana Trout. She has shown up on the big screen most notably in films like the classic drag movie Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and the Oscar-winning American Fiction.
Samba Schutte
(Image credit: FremantleMedia North America)
Also guest-starring on Pluribus is Samba Schutte of Our Flag Means Death fame. He is also known for the short-lived comedy Sunnyside and lending his voice to series like The Legend of Vox Machina and video games like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Pluribus Comes From Breaking Bad Creator Vince Gilligan
(Image credit: Conaco)
As previously established, Pluribus comes from the mind of Vince Gilligan, best known as the creator of the Breaking Bad universe. He first came to prominence in Hollywood as a writer for The X-Files, and even created the spinoff series, The Lone Gunmen, which unfortunately lasted just one season. He also wrote films like Home Fries and Hancock and co-created the short-lived cop dramedy Battle Creek for CBS with David Shore.
Also signed on as executive producers for Pluribus are Emmy-nominated Better Call Saul writers Gordon Smith and Alison Tatlock, Diane Mercer (who has produced every installment of the Breaking Bad universe), The L Word: Generation Q producer Allyce Ozarski, and Jeff Frost. Credited as co-executive producers are Saul and El Camino producer Jenn Carroll and Trina Siopy, an actor who has also worked on Saul and served as a co-executive producer on House of the Dragon.
How To Watch Pluribus
(Image credit: Apple)
Also established early on, Pluribus will be available with an Apple TV+ subscription upon release. However, a Netflix subscription is the most common way to catch up on or revisit Vince Gilligan’s previous creations, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and El Camino – the last of which is exclusive to the platform.
We shall see just how contagious happiness really is when Pluribus premieres.
Tracker has made some big cast changes ahead of returning for Season 3 in the fall of the 2025 TV schedule, with the departures of Abby McEnany and Eric Graise leaving Justin Hartley and Fiona Rene as the only two series regulars left. Fortunately, cast cuts don’t mean familiar faces can’t return, and Countdown‘s Jensen Ackles has confirmed that he’ll be back as Russell Shaw for Season 3. With that good news, I can’t help but think it’d be great to see Hartley as a guest star on Ackles’ Countdown if it returns for Season 2 on Prime Video.
Jensen Ackles’ Return To Countdown
Jensen Ackles will reprise his role as Russell Shaw opposite Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw, as the Supernatural vet recently shared what it’s like working with the This Is Us alum. No details are available about Russell’s next appearance other than that filming so early likely means he’ll appear sooner rather than later in Season 3… and Russell will still have a beard, based on the fun video. Check out Ackles’ announcement:
Well, credit to Jensen Ackles for mastering the art of dropping news without giving away any spoilers, because he didn’t even say the word “Tracker” in his video! Any eagle-eyed viewer can be left with no doubt, however. Even if we considered the possibility that Ackles would somehow have taken on a totally different character on a different show who just also happens to be named Russell, the actor does slightly pan the camera over to see Hartley’s “Colter” trailer.
Prime Video subscription. While the action-packed drama has yet to be renewed for Season 2, I think Justin Hartley needs to make a guest appearance if it does.
Could Justin Hartley Appear On Countdown Season 2?
Considering that Countdown kicked off by introducing and then killing a character played by Milo Ventimiglia, the This Is Us connection alone would make an appearance by Justin Hartley pretty fun. That’s not to say he’d need to be killed off, but even a cameo might be enough. Plus, Ackles and Hartley are both alums of long-running shows on The WB/The CW. Hartley played Oliver Queen on Smallville, while Ackles had stints on Dawson’s Creek and Smallville before landing his beloved role as Dean Winchester on Supernatural.
Clearly, the two have both come a long way from their days as CW stars, and with Jensen Ackles appearing on Tracker, why not Hartley on Countdown? Ackles seemingly has a packed schedule with Countdown, his The Boys spinoff, and now dropping in and out of Tracker from time to time. Surely Hartley could have a break in his Tracker calendar for even a tiny cameo, right?
Well, I can always hope! For now, fans of Jensen Ackles can just cross their fingers that Countdown is renewed for a second season, while Tracker viewers can keep counting down the days until the CBS drama returns in October.
