Harrison Ford replacing late Marvel star

And WB's Ezra Miller headache is now a migraine

What to know

• Harrison Ford has entered the Marvel Universe… Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and now Marvel. Ford will take over the role of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, stepping in for the late William Hurt, in the studio’s upcoming Captain America: New World Order. Marvel notably did not announce whether Ford would also appear in the follow-up Thunderbolts film. This is good casting and it will be fascinating to see how Ford plays it differently. Will he be more gruff than Hurt or will he bring more of that signature Harrison Ford glint to the role? 🇺🇸

• Ezra Miller pleads not guilty to Vermont burglary charges, faces up to 26 years in prison… Good thing WB got those Flash reshoots out of the way? Despite the studio’s efforts to clean up the Miller mess, it might be facing a huge marketing and PR problem when it comes time to promote the big budget, superhero tentpole. You already have people like Issa Rae (an employee of WBD through HBO) speaking out against Miller. Those opinions from the public, the press, and other influential people in Hollywood are not going to go away. 😱

• The Academy rejects Linklater’s rotoscoped Apollo 10 1/2 in animated category… Rotoscoping is the process of animating over live-action footage. Apollo, Richard Linklater’s 3rd rotoscoped feature, used 200 animators — but it won’t compete at the Oscars under Best Animated Feature. The Oscars animation committee denied the movie for its “extensive use” of live-action footage. Naturally, Linklater is furious and I can understand why. The movie was animated and is animation. That said, almost all “live action” movies use animation these days (CGI) so a line has to be drawn somewhere as to what is an animated movie. By Linklater’s argument, shouldn’t Avatar Way of Water be considered an animated movie? And what of Jon Favreau’s Jungle Book and The Lion King? The animation category at the Oscars is going to get complicated in the future as the lines between live action and animation blurs. 🖼

• BTS is taking a break for military service, will reconvene in 2025… Things sure are different in South Korea. Could you imagine NSYNC at the peak of popularity suddenly stopping to enlist? No, bands in America break up over interpersonal reasons, like adults. Or so the most talented member can go solo. I’m hopeful for BTS fans though. One Direction might never “reconvene” but the Jonas Brothers did, so there’s hope for the ARMY yet. 🧈

• Halloween Ends brings in $41 million at the box office, short of expectations… As you’ll recall, the trilogy capper was eyeing as much as $55 million for its opening weekend. Horror is still hot at the box office, but this soft launch isn’t a good sign. Why the poor showing? Maybe the simultaneous Peacock release? Or maybe bad buzz, as the movie holds a C+ CinemaScore. 🔪

• Early reviews praise Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion Pinocchio, call it his “best movie in a decade”… Which is really saying something considering his Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water, came out just 5 years ago. I love GDT and was going to watch this anyway (it’s coming to Netflix Dec 9), but now I’m even more encouraged! 🇮🇹

• The Bill Murray myth has finally started to crumble… Pajiba has a good overview of the allegations Murray is facing and how it sits inside the full context of Murray’s mythologized persona of mischief making. It seems like some myth busting is in order. 😮

• Rian Johnson confirms Daniel Craig’s Knives Out character is queer… Now make it textual, Rian, rather than just confirming it at a press conference. 🧅

• Martin Short, David Alan Grier, Shania Twain join ABC’s live Beauty and the Beast… Alongside H.E.R., Josh Groban, Josh Henry, and Rita Moreno. If you can think of a better cast, be my guest. 🕯

• Dan Levy casts Ruth Negga, Himesh Patel, Luke Evans in feature directorial debut… OK that’s a pretty great cast too.

• Fresh Prince brings in its 4th showrunner… Now this is a story all about how this show can’t keep a boss around 📺

• Gaming network G4 is dead again… That was fast. 🕹

• Robbie Coltrane, Harry Potter’s Hagrid, has died at 72

---

What’s new

• Somebody Feed Phil s6 — Oct 18 | Netflix travel and food series | 🍅

• The School for Good and Evil — Oct 19 | Netflix family film | 🍅

• Inside Amy Schumer s5 — Oct 20 | Paramount+ sketch series | 🍅

• The Peripheral — Oct 21 | Amazon sci-fi series | 🍅

• Ticket to Paradise — Oct 21 | Romantic comedy in theaters | 🍅 69%

• Black Adam — Oct 21 | Super hero film in theaters | 🍅

• The Banshees of Inisherin — Oct 21 | Irish dramedy in theaters | 🍅 100%

---

What to watch

TV Trailer: Blockbuster — Nov 3 on Netflix

Created by Vanessa Ramos, starring Randall Park, Melissa Fumero, Tyler Alvarez, Madeleine Arthur, JB Smoove, and Olga Merediz.

Can you tell Vanessa Ramos worked on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Superstore? When Netflix announced it would be making a comedy series about the last Blockbuster store, one imagined something more high concept and cynical — especially considering how Netflix and streaming put physical media out of business. What a nice surprise to see that instead Ramos is giving us a welcome dose of comfort food: a genuine, old school workplace comedy. Blockbuster looks like it would have fit perfectly on NBC anytime between 2005 and 2019. I mean that as a compliment. Ted Lasso, by point of comparison, would have also fit that network mold. Likewise, this show looks funny and heartfelt, and is stuffed with capable and charming single-cam sitcom vets. I’m definitely going to check it out next month.

For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!