Miles Morales will be swinging into theaters a tad later than previously planned. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse will now bow on June 25, 2027, three weeks later than its previous June 4, 2027 date.
Insiders say the later date will be better for bringing in school-aged kids for summer break, as some schools would still be in session in early June. It’s also seen as a more appealing date internationally.
The Spider-Verse franchise is a crown jewel for Sony. 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse won an Oscar for best animated feature, and earned $393.6 million globally. It is still cited today as a game-changing movie thanks to its inventive, kinetic animation style. 2023’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was a hit, earning $690.5 million globally, in a demonstration of how the franchise had only gained in popularity in the five years between installments.
Beyond the Spider-Verse will arrive four years after Across the Spider-Verse ended on a cliffhanger. Bob Persichetti and Justin K. Thompson direct from a script that franchise masterminds Phil Lord and Chris Miller wrote with David Callaham.
In addition to its Spider-Verse shift, the studio also set the animated feature Buds for March 12, 2027.
Superman — the most humane superhero of them all, a Big Blue Boy Scout who believes in truth and justice— has suddenly the most controversial character in pop culture.
From debates about the Last Son of Krypton’s immigration status to assertions that director James Gunn intended a Superman subplot to be an allegory of Israel’s war in Gaza, social media is abuzz about Superman, played by David Corenswet in the new movie. Even the White House via its official X account couldn’t resist getting in on the action, posting an AI-generated image of President Trump as the Man of Steel.
But this isn’t the first time pundits have tugged on Superman’s cape, attempting to drag him — and comic books — into a culture war.
Before heavy metal was said to incite satanism, before a rise in crime was pinned on hip-hop music, and before video games were blamed for mass shootings, it was comic books that fired the first shot of the Pop Culture Wars.
The most popular comics of the late 1940s and early 1950s didn’t feature Superman, Batman, or Wonder Woman. Instead, they were crime and horror comics from upstart, independent publishers like EC Comics. These cutting-edge comics owed their success to shock value, featuring gory horror, gross-out humor, and raw ripped-from-the-headlines true-crime-inspired stories that drew the ire of parents, pastors, and politicians alike. Comic books were rock ‘n’ roll years before Elvis cut his first record.
Every culture war has its Tipper Gore, and the comic-book moral panic was no different.
Enter: Dr. Fredric Wertham, the psychiatrist and media personality who in 1954 — a year in which the comic book industry sold a staggering 1.2 billion issues — published his anti-comics treatise, Seduction of the Innocent. In it, Wertham railed against comics as a cause of juvenile delinquency, dyslexia, and other childhood behavioral problems that kept anxious parents up at night.
In addition to concerns about imitative violence and instructive depictions on how to commit crimes, Wertham was highly critical of what he perceived to be predatory advertising practices of comic book publishers, especially when it came to selling air-powered pistols, pocket knives and bullwhips to kids. His solution? Prohibit the sale of crime and horror comics to children.
Even Superman wasn’t invulnerable to Wertham’s criticism. As an anti-fascist social psychiatrist, Wertham decried Superman as a genetically superior savior who, through his might-makes-right methods, promoted fascist ideals. He equated the hero’s authoritarian power and vigilante justice with an uncritical glorification of force and saw Superman —and other superheroes — as fostering a sense of learned helplessness in children and contributing to juvenile delinquency by encouraging fantasies of omnipotence and dominance.
Like Nazis who misappropriated Nietzsche’s Übermensch, Wertham deeply misunderstood Superman as fascist; he even went so far as to compare Superman’s “S” shield to the Nazi SS logo. Wertham’s superficial assessment failed to account not only for Superman’s World War II-era Nazi-smashing adventures, but the character’s earliest depictions as an essentially socialist folk-hero.
Wertham’s anti-comics crusade whipped America into a frenzy, culminating in congressional hearings that pressured the industry into adopting the Comics Code Authority — a sort of Hays Code for comics — codifying superhero “do’s and don’ts,” like good triumphing over evil.
While Wertham wasn’t an advocate of the Code, he was ultimately responsible for it and the resulting overnight overhaul of the comic-book industry. Crime and horror publishers were buried. New life was breathed into the concept of superheroes, resurrecting DC Comics and giving birth to The Marvel Age of Comics, forever changing the landscape of American pop culture.
Indeed, the now-discarded Comics Code was instrumental in crystallizing our perception of Superman — as epitomized by Christopher Reeve’s paragon of virtue seen in Richard Donner’s 1978 classic, Superman: The Movie — and standardizing his morality across all superheroes. This back-to-basics take on the superhero is essential to Corenswet’s portrayal of Superman, who Gunn has said embodies “kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old-fashioned.”
To die-hard comic book geeks, Wertham remains Lex Luthor — the ultimate archenemy —and Seduction of the Innocent is comic-book kryptonite. Despite his extensive progressive bona fides, Wertham’s hatred of the comics medium has forever branded him a right-wing zealot in the minds of comic fans.
It’s easy to laugh off Wertham’s criticisms of comic books — especially Superman — as the rantings of an old man shaking his fist at a cloud. But his warnings could still prove prophetic. As both the right and left co-opt popular IP like The Punisher and Super Mario Bros.’ Luigi to advance political agendas, and as some comic fans unironically idealize fascist Superman parodies like The Boys’ Homelander and Invincible’s Overman, it’s not impossible to imagine Superman himself being hijacked by those with ill intentions, especially once the character enters the public domain in 2034.
In an era saturated with protagonists driven by grievance, narcissistic injury, and the authoritarian impulse that only they can restore order, it’s reassuring to know Superman’s humble decency is resonating with moviegoers.
After all, wouldn’t it feel good to prove Wertham wrong?
Vasilis K. Pozios, M.D., is a forensic psychiatrist with a longstanding interest in the intersection of mental health, pop culture, and violence. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Wired, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Daily Beast, where he’s explored how cultural narratives both reflect and shape societal values.
The James Gunn that Mikaela Hoover met 17 years ago is still the same James Gunn she knows today.
In 2008, long before he became the writer-director of Superman and co-CEO of DC Studios, Gunn first auditioned Hoover for his web short Humanzee!. He was quickly won over by her performance, but her insistence on outdoing herself ingratiated herself to the filmmaker even more. Months later, he created another web short specifically for Hoover called Sparky & Mikaela, which chronicled the crime-fighting exploits of her low-rent superhero character and raccoon sidekick. (If the Guardians of the Galaxy roots weren’t already evident, Guardians actors Sean Gunn and Gregg Henry also show up.)
Hoover would go on to appear in Gunn’s second feature film, Super (2010), before working on five more Gunn-associated films. Her friendship with Gunn didn’t preclude her from auditioning, particularly when she landed an opportunity to read for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on her own. Gunn actually doubted her viability for the tragic part of Floor the Rabbit until she proved the casting department otherwise.
Having fulfilled Floor’s voice and mocap work, Hoover’s turn seemingly opened the door to Netflix’s hit manga adaptation, One Piece. In the upcoming second season, she voices and mocaps fan-favorite Tony Tony Chopper. (Hoover has also joined the season two cast of Netflix’s Beef.)
“Playing Floor was such a dream, and playing Chopper is the biggest honor,” Hoover tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I am so excited about season two of OnePiece. Fans are going to absolutely love this season.”
Hoover’s latest collaboration with Gunn on Superman has her in the role of Daily Planet gossip columnist Cat Grant. To unsuspecting eyes, Cat is Lois Lane’s closest co-worker friend, but they aren’t chummy enough to where Cat can sense that Lois (Rachel Brosnahan) is secretly dating fellow journalist Clark Kent (David Corenswet). According to Hoover, the divorced Cat would not take kindly to such a revelation.
“Cat finds Clark to be the dreamiest man ever. So if Cat thought that [Lois and Clark] had a real-life romance going on, she would not be too happy,” Hoover shares. “She just adores him.”
Below, during a recent conversation with THR, Hoover also discusses various behind-the-scenes details from Superman, as well as the backstory that informed her depiction of Cat.
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James Gunn recently wished you a Happy Birthday on Instagram, and he addressed you as “Vomita.” Do I dare ask what that means?
(Laughs.) Oh my God, I’ve known James for a very long time. He’s been one of my dearest friends for over 15 years, and we have a brother-sister relationship. He loves to tease me, and anytime someone says something to him about my looks, James responds with, “Ew, vomit!” So he has now nicknamed me Vomita, which just happened a week ago. So it was funny that he decided to put that in the birthday wish. I’ve been really lucky to have formed this friendship with him and his wife [Jennifer Holland]. We have such incredible times together.
(L To R) Christopher Mcdonald as Ron Troupe, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard and Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen in James Gunn’s Superman
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
You’ve been a part of James’ acting company or troupe for many years now. What’s the origin story?
I auditioned for James 17 years ago for an internet short called Humanzee!, and after I auditioned, I asked to do it again. And he was like, “But that was great.” And I said, “No, I want to do it again.” So I did it again, and then he was like, “That was amazing.” And I was like, “No, I want to do it again.” So I kept doing it over and over again and bossing him around. He found it endearing and funny and charming, and he ended up casting me in Humanzee!.
A few months after that, he called me and said that he and [producer] Peter [Safran] had created a show for me called Sparky & Mikaela. So they asked if I would be interested in playing [the title character] Mikaela, and I, of course, said, “Yes, that sounds like so much fun.” It was me, a raccoon [puppet] and Sean Gunn. After that, he cast me in other shorts and projects that he did.
Film-wise, you worked on his second feature, Super. That led to two Guardians of the Galaxy movies, The Belko Experiment, The Suicide Squad and now Superman. How does he typically present an opportunity to you?
James has me audition for most of his projects. I got the Guardians 3 audition through my agent, and they don’t say what the character is in the breakdown for those kinds of projects. So I texted James, “Is this correct? You didn’t tell me anything about this.” And he said, “Yes, but I don’t think you’re going to get the role because they’re looking for a more mechanical-type voice. I still think it’s really important that casting hears your voice and hears your take on the role.” So I auditioned for Floor [the Rabbit], and lo and behold, I ended up booking it.
And you performed Floor’s motion capture, something you’ve also just done for One Piece’s Tony Tony Chopper. Did you ever plan on making performance capture a calling card of yours?
I didn’t. I feel so blessed that my career has taken me onto this path because I have so much fun playing these characters. Playing Floor was such a dream, and playing Chopper is the biggest honor. So I’ve been really fortunate to be able to voice and live-capture these characters that I really love.
James was a Hollywood punk rocker when you first met him. Now, he’s a Hollywood power broker. Is his career arc pretty shocking to you given where things started?
Not at all! James has such a magnetism and special power to him that I knew there was something different about him when we first met. He commands a room unlike any other person I’ve ever met. He’s so talented and he’s so authentically himself. He has always been the James Gunn that I met 17 years ago. He has never changed, which is such a beautiful quality, and I just feel really grateful to have known him for all of these years.
With Cat Grant in Superman, you’re playing a gossip columnist and Lois’ closest Daily Planet friend outside of Clark. She also seems to have an ex that is not honoring his financial obligations.
He’s toxic!
Is Steve Lombard (Beck Bennett) her ex?
No, but Steve wishes he was Cat’s ex. Cat’s ex is from her old days as a reporter in Hollywood.
Did James give you any other information about Cat that is valid in the movie’s universe?
When I booked Cat, I went back and read all of the comics. I read where she originated from and her backstory. So I knew that she had come from Hollywood and was a great reporter there, but she had fallen for a guy that wasn’t so great. They also have a child together, and she kind of just got sick of the toxicity in Hollywood. So she moved to Metropolis and got a job at the Daily Planet.
So you’re going with the comic backstory until James tells you otherwise?
I am.
Cat asks Lois about the guy she’s dating, but does she already have a suspicion that it’s Clark?
No, because Cat finds Clark to be the dreamiest man ever. So if Cat thought that [Lois and Clark] had a real-life romance going on, she would not be too happy.
Clarks wears “hypno-glasses” so that nobody recognizes him as Superman. Do you know if James ever considered showing what Clarks looks like to Cat and everybody else?
Not to my knowledge, but he’s tall, dark and handsome in Cat’s eyes. He represents goodness, and he’s pure. She just adores him.
Six Daily Planet characters end up in Mister Terrific’s (Edi Gathegi) T-Craft. Were there a lot of high jinks in that confined area for hours upon hours?
Well, when we all got inside the T-Craft, we didn’t know what it could do. So we were all pretty nervous about what was going to happen, and we weren’t really told a lot. We all looked at each other apprehensively, and when James yelled action, we just all held on for dear life. When the gimbal went up and to the side, one of my castmates said, “I think I’m going to be sick.” So all of those reactions inside the T-Craft were very real.
Was there any interesting Daily Planet material that didn’t make the cut for whatever reason?
I don’t know what I’m allowed to say and not say, so I’d just rather not.
We touched on it earlier, but you’ve also got One Piece coming up. Does season two look pretty entertaining from what you’ve seen so far?
I am so excited about season two of OnePiece. Fans are going to absolutely love this season.
Your Netflix good fortune also extends to Beef season two in which you’re partnered with William Fichtner.
Yes.
Of the main couples, can you say whose story you’re tied to the most?
I’m not allowed to say. I’ve been sworn to secrecy on Beef, big time. But it was absolutely incredible. The cast and crew are amazing.
By the way, I thought you did a nice job as Adrienne Barbeau on Duster.
Thank you so much.
It’s a shame that an entertaining show like that didn’t get a longer leash. But Adrienne Barbeau played Alice Cable in Wes Craven’s 1982 DC movie, Swamp Thing. Have you mentioned this piece of trivia to James yet?
I have! The second I booked the role of Adrienne, I researched her like crazy. I listened to her audiobook. I watched all of her movies. I find her so fascinating. She is a powerhouse, and I am so honored I got to play her. And, yeah, James knew that she was in Swamp Thing. She’s had a really incredible life.
I understand you’re a big Wes Craven fan, particularly Scream. With Matthew Lillard returning for Scream 7, do you hope that Stu remains dead and that his appearance is just a dream or delusion?
I am so excited to be completely surprised in that movie theater. I have no expectations when it comes to that franchise. I just go in there and have fun. So I’m not sure what Lillard’s storyline is, but I know that all of the people that are involved in that franchise are going to make it iconic, as they always do. I am such a Scream fan and such a scary movie fan that I just can’t wait.
For years now, I’ve been asking Scream actors and filmmakers if they would ever want to adopt the meta approach of Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. Everybody would play a version of their real-life self while dealing with a real-life Ghostface that starts knocking them off.
Can you imagine how cool that would be if done right? The problem is Wes Craven is not here anymore. Rest in peace. So I don’t know how they would do that justice in the way that it needs to be done, but I’m sure that the right filmmaker could step up to the plate and do something amazing with that.
Well, let’s close on Superman. Decades from now, when you’re reminiscing about the entire experience, what moment from set will you likely recall first?
When I walked into the DailyPlanet for the first time, it felt absolutely surreal. I had chills all over. I remember telling myself: “I am so grateful to be here right now and in this film surrounded by these amazing actors and filmmakers.” I’ll never forget that moment of gratitude that I felt. I am really grateful that all of the cast was so wonderful and that we all got along so well. It felt like summer camp. I am incredibly grateful for all the memories and friendships that we had on set and continue to have off set. James has a knack for bringing together such amazing human beings, and I’m so grateful.
Adrianne Palicki is working from home for her next project.
The star known for Friday Night Lights and John Wick leads Remote, a contained horror thriller from Found Footage 3D director Steven DeGennaro. Palicki will pay Jules, a woman who has been living alone in a 30-ft trailer for the past seven months.
Per the logline: “Her only escape from the drudgery of remote-work video conferences, and missed connections with her busy husband is a website where users share webcam streams of the views from their windows. When she witnesses a murder on one of these cameras, she must rely on her wits and computer skills to discover the identity of the killer before they can find her. A killer that knows someone is watching, and will stop at nothing to protect his secret.”
DeGennaro penned the script and will produce via his The Ubiquitous Studio 42. Cameron Burns, Ashleigh Snead and Aaron B. Koontz of Paper Street Pictures also produce, with Charles Mulford of Impeccible Pictures and Jessica Perrin. Scott Weinberg and Josh Raby co-produce.
Remote has wrapped filming and is in post-production. Its cast also includes Roger Guenveur Smith, Chris Johnson, Josh Cruddas and Jessica Perrin. The feature marks DeGennaro’s second film, following Found Footage 3D, which hit the festival circuit in 2016 and landed at horror streamer Shudder.
Palicki rose to prominence on the classic 2000s football drama Friday Night Lights, and has a varied career that has included Agents of Shield and G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
James Gunn‘s Superman leapt past the $300 million mark at the worldwide box office on Thursday as it heads into its second weekend. That number includes an impressive domestic haul of $177.7 million after enjoying strong midweek business.
The DC Studios and Warner Bros. superhero pic will have no trouble staying atop the chart in its sophomore outing and is trouncing new offerings I Know What You Did Last Summer and Smurfs. Both films are reboots, and are projected to open to less than $13 million domestically.
From Columbia and Screen Gems, the R-rated horror pic I Know What You Did Last Summer earned $2.2 million in Thursday previews. While Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. reprise their roles from the original films, the new installment otherwise introduces a host of newcomers to the series, including Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon and Gabbriette Bechtel.
Set three decades after the 1997 original film of the same name, the storyline — much as the first movie — follows a group of friends who try to cover up an accidental death for which they were responsible. Cut to a year later, when one of them receives a note containing the ominous titular message. Not long after, a killer armed with a metal hook and clad in a fisherman’s slicker and hat begins gruesomely killing them one by one. Soon, they turn to two survivors of the legendary Southport Massacre of 1997, played by Hewitt and Prinze.
Critics haven’t exactly embraced the reboot, which currently has a 33 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score is a somewhat better 68 percent, but I Know What You Did Last Summer could be the latest victim of horror fatigue at the box office (so far, Superman is evading the same fatigue that has plagued the superhero genre).
Smurfs, which Paramount picked up from Sony, didn’t hold Thursday previews and officially opens everywhere Friday. The animated family film likewise hasn’t impressed reviewers, despite an all-star voice cast that includes Rihanna in her first turn as a Smurf. The voice cast also includes Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Alex Winter, Billie Lourd, Maya Erskine, John Goodman, Kurt Russell and Jimmy Kimmel. The critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes is presently at 20 percent (there’s no audience score yet).
Directed by Chris Miller, Smurfs is the first installment in the theatrical franchise in eight years. Thanks to Rihanna, who plays Smurfette, the movie is filled with dance and song. The story follows Smurfette leading a mission to save their leader that takes them into the real world, including Paris, Munich and the Australian Outback, where the Smurfs meet up with small, feathered, Minion-like creatures named Snooterpoots. Their leader is voiced by Lyonne.
All eyes, however, will be on Superman to see how well it holds up in its second weekend. It certainly has every chance of passing up the entire lifetime run of Marvel’s Thunderbolts*, which topped out at $383 million globally earlier this year. Marvel’s other 2025 entry, Captain America: Brave New World, didn’t fare much better in grossing a meek $415 million worldwide.
Marvel hopes to turn its fortunes around when Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters a week from now on July 25. That gives Superman one week to itself before facing direct competition. Both tentpoles are attempting to relaunch their respective franchises.
Kate Beckinsale has confirmed the death of her mother, British actress Judy Loe, at the age of 78.
Loe died Tuesday, two years after the announcement of her Stage 4 cancer diagnosis. She is best known for her TV work on shows like General Hospital, Inspector Morse, Casualty and Holby City.
Beckinsale, the only child of Loe and her first husband, actor Richard Beckinsale, posted Friday on Instagram that she was “paralyzed” by grief.
“I don’t want to post this,” she wrote alongside photos of the pair. “I am only posting this because I have had to register my mother‘s death certificate and it will soon become public record. She died the night of 15 July in my arms after immeasurable suffering.
“I have not picked all the best photos, nor the best videos, because I cannot bear to go through my camera roll yet. I deeply apologize to any of her friends who are finding out this way or through the press, but I cannot go through her phone.”
She continued: “Jude was the compass of my life, the love of my life, my dearest friend. The vastness and huge heart of this tiny woman has touched so many people who love her dearly. She has been brave in so many ways, forgiving sometimes too much, believing in the ultimate good in people and the world is so dim without her that it is nearly impossible to bear.”
Born in 1947, Loe was one of the original castmembers of the musical Hair and later made her TV debut in Ace of Wands in 1970. From 1977-79, she was married to Richard Beckinsale, who played Lennie Godber on the BBC sitcom Porridge and Alan Moore ion the ITV show Rising Damp. He died of a heart attack at age 31 in 1979.
“Mama, I love you so much,” the couple’s 51-year-old daughter continued on Instagram. “This has been my greatest fear since finding my father dead at five and I am here. Oh my Mama … I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I am so sorry.”
Last week, Beckinsale, most familiar to audiences for her roles in Pearl Harbor, The Aviator, Emma, Van Helsing, Serendipity and Jolt, posted video footage of her singing at Loe’s hospital bedside.
