Netflix has secretly filmed several interviews with celebs who are about to die
And it’s just waiting to press publish on them. Famed primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall died on October 1st of this year, just 3 weeks ago. Goodall was 91, so her death wasn’t too shocking.
But what’s crazy is that two days later, on October 3, Netflix put out a brand new long form interview with her. How the hell did that happen?
Well, it’s part of the streamer’s new series: Famous Last Words, which has been quietly conducting “final” interviews with influential people of advanced age and they’re only going to be released once the person has died. Think of it like a newspaper preparing someone’s obituary in advance.
The series is produced by Brad Falchuk, based on the Danish series The Last Word and according to the NY Times, they’ve made 4 episodes so far, and are working on 4 mor. Many of the subjects are in their 90s, but Netflix is not revealing who they are. The celebrities are fully aware that the special won’t air until after they’ve died and they’re explicitly asked to share some departing knowledge.
Goodall’s last words were “I want to make sure that you all understand that each and every one of you has a role to play. You may not know it, you may not find it, but your life matters, and you are here for a reason.”
On the show’s concept - Falchuk explained, ““The idea of this show is, we’re giving you just an extra hour,” and that also, ““It’s a service to these people to deliver their last words.”
These are just guesses, but the following public figures are all in their 90s: Julie Andrews, Clint Eastwood, Rita Moreno, David Attenborough, William Shatner, Mel Brooks, Carol Burnett, Dick Van Dyke, John Williams, Gloria Steinem, Willie Nelson, Buzz Aldrin, Dan Rather, and Berry Gordy. I mean those are the people I’d call if I was making this show.
Adam Driver tried to make a Kylo Ren sequel
But Disney shot it down for the most obvious reason, even though he had a script from an Oscar winning director.
There are a lot of problems with the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but I think one thing it got very right was Kylo Ren aka Ben Solo. Both the character and Driver’s performance were consistently great and it turns out we could have gotten more Kylo, but Disney said no.
In a new interview with the AP, Driver said “I always was interested in doing another Star Wars. I had been talking about doing another one since 2021. Kathleen (Kennedy) had reached out. I loved that character and loved playing him.”
So Driver came up with a sequel concept for Kylo and he got Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh to write a screenplay. Driver said it was “one of the coolest fucking scripts I had ever been a part of.” It was tentatively called The Hunt for Ben Solo.
Drive explained that “We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it.” But “We took it to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman and they said no. They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that.”
As you’ll recall, Solo died at the end of Episode 9 to save the galaxy. I’m guessing Driver and Soderbergh had some explanation as to how Kylo was alive, but either that wasn’t enough for Disney or they just didn’t think people would buy it. I’m sure they were also concerned financially after Episode 9 underperformed.
Anyway, the AP followed up with Steven Soderbergh, who confirmed Driver’s story, saying, “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”
Johnny Depp is making a comeback in a classic Christmas tale
But he’s going to have some stiff competition. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Johnny Depp in a mainstream Hollywood movie. After the Amber Heard situation, Depp was fired from the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Some say the studios didn’t want to work with him, while his fans will tell you that he intentionally stepped back from Hollywood movies.
Anyway, after 7 years, Depp is back. As the trades reported Thursday that he’s going to star in a new version of A Christmas Carol at Paramount. Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol is being directed by horror filmmaker Ti West and will co-star Andrea Riseborough. It’s currently got a Nov 13, 2026 release date.
Now you’ve all heard about Twin Movies, right? That’s where two Hollywood studios start developing similar films at the same time. Things like A Bug’s Life and Antz, Friends With Benefits & No Strings Attached, Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down. You get the idea. Well, Johnny Depp’s Ebenezer has its own twin movie.
Because earlier this year we learned that Nosferatu director Robert Eggers is making his own version of A Christmas Carol at Warner Brothers with Willem Dafoe. It does not have a release date, as Eggers is currently making Werewulf - aimed at Christmas 2026.
And what’s so fascinating here is that Paramount is hoping to buy Warner Brothers. So if that happens are they really going to put out 2 Christmas Carols? Anyway, which would you rather see Ti West and Johnny Depp’s version or one from Robert Eggers and Willem Dafoe?
The NFL is standing up to the Bad Bunny haters
And defending his upcoming Super Bowl performance. But honestly, it’s ridiculous that they even had to do this in the first place. In case you’re not aware, megastar singer Bad Bunny is this year’s Super Bowl halftime show. Bad Bunny is one of the biggest artists on Earth, with 81 million monthly Spotify listeners. So it makes sense that he’d get the gig.
But maybe because of the color of his skin or the fact that his songs are in Spanish, some folks, like Donald Trump, don’t think he should perform at the Super Bowl. In fact, 50,000 people have signed a petition to replace Bad Bunny with George Strait.
But on Wednesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stood by the league’s decision, telling reporters, ““[Bad Bunny is] one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world. That’s what we try to achieve. It’s an important stage for us .. and it’s carefully thought through,”
Goodell went on to say that there’s backlash every year, “I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some blowback and criticism. It’s pretty hard to do.” But they are fully committed to the Puerto Rican superstar, “We’re confident it’s going to be a good show, he understands the platform that he is on, and I think it’s going to be an exciting and uniting moment.”
Goodell also said that there might be surprise guests joining Bad Bunny. I guess we’ll find out when Super Bowl LX kicks off February 8, 2026.
Elizabeth Olsen is putting her foot down regarding streaming.
And honestly, more big actors should do the same. Will the future of movies be at home or in theaters? You see, moviegoing peaked in 2019 and since the pandemic, it still hasn’t fully bounced back. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos thinks movie theaters are “outdated.”
But Elizabeth Olsen is standing up for the theatrical experience, the only way she can, telling InStyle magazine, she will not sign on to a studio movie if it’s going to go straight to streaming.
“If a movie is made independently and only sells to a streamer, then fine. But I don’t want to make something where [streaming is] the end-all. I think it’s important for people to gather as a community, to see other humans, be together in a space. That’s why I like sports. I think it’s really powerful for people to come together for something that they’re excited about. We don’t even audition in person anymore.”
Good for her. Maybe if more A-list actors did the same. We’d get more movies in theaters. Olsen’s last wide release was Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. And later in the interview, she did indicate her desire to revive Scarlet Witch, “It’s good to put her down and then I miss her and I want her back. I’d jump at the opportunity to be in her shoes again.”