Social Network 2 eyes big stars

And Justin Timberlake reveals diagnosis

Jeremy Allen White, Mikey Madison, and Jeremy Strong are circling The Social Network 2

And I'm definitely more excited than I was yesterday. Jeremy Allen White and Mikey Madison are two of Hollywood's hottest upcoming stars. White has won multiple Emmys for The Bear and has a Bruce Springsteen biopic coming later this year. Madison meanwhile won the Oscar for Anora.

So it's not surprising to hear that they're in talks to lead Aaron Sorkin’s sequel to The Social Network. It's unclear who they'll be playing. But it doesn't sound like White is playing Mark Zuckerberg. As THR is reporting that Jeremy Strong is in talks for the part after Jesse Eisenberg decided not to return.

Sorkin is writing and directing the sequel, which is based on a series of Wall Street Journal articles that “exposed Facebook for its harmful effects on teens and its knowing proliferation of misinformation.” The movie is currently in development at Sony and has not been given a full greenlight yet

But if White, Madison, and Strong are in, I bet it gets one soon. I was definitely skeptical of this project when it was first announced, but this casting news is giving me hope.

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Justin Timberlake just revealed the real reason he’s been phoning in his concerts

In case you missed it, Justin Timberlake has been getting the wrong kind of attention recently as videos from his concerts in Europe have gone viral over the last few weeks showing the singer not making much of an effort at his shows. In one video, he literally puts the mic on the ground and lets the audience sing most of the song.

Well, Timberlake just revealed that he’s been struggling with Lyme disease, writing on Instagram, “Among other things, I’ve been battling some health issues, and was diagnosed with Lyme disease — which I don’t say so you feel bad for me — but to shed some light on what I’ve been up against behind the scenes. Living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically. When I first got the diagnosis I was shocked … But, at least I could understand why I would be onstage and in a massive amount of nerve pain or, just feeling crazy fatigue or sickness.”

Timberlake goes on to thank the fans, his band, and collaborators, writing about how much the tour has meant to him, before saying, “I honestly don’t know what my future is onstage but I'll always cherish this run! And all of them before! It’s been the stuff of LEGEND for me.”

If this is in fact his last tour, that would certainly be tragic for his fans, but hopefully, he gets the care that he needs.

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Happy Gilmore 2 just smashed records on Netflix

And I’m not surprised, but I am disappointed. Ten years ago, Adam Sandler signed a pretty shocking deal to make movies exclusively for Netflix. Netflix was still coming up and seen as less-than compared to theaters, but Sandler stuck by them and renewed his deal in 2020 for $275 million dollars. He’s made nearly a dozen Netflix movies since 2015.

But Happy Gilmore 2 is easily his most successful, as the sequel generated 46.7 million viewers over its first three days, making it the biggest opening weekend for a Netflix movie in the US. And of course, Sandler’s biggest opening on the service. What’s more, it drove viewership to the original film at well, which landed at 3 on the global top 10 with 11.4 million views.

Oh and by the way, K Pop Demon Hunters took second place and is now the most popular Netflix animated film ever.

So why am I disappointed that Happy Gilmore 2 broke records? Because I think this movie should have been in theaters. Clearly there was an audience appetite for it and while I enjoyed watching it at home by myself, I just know it could have been an amazing experience in a theater full of people laughing. Which is why I’m thankful that The Naked Gun reboot is coming out in theaters. Basically, we need more comedies in theaters. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

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Jay Leno is calling out the late night shows for their divisive content

Does he have a point? After Colbert’s cancelation, the future of late night seems bleaker than ever. For example, Seth Meyers recently told Dax Shepard that if his show is canceled “I would worry about myself mental health-wise."

A big reason late night is receding is because broadcast TV as a whole is receding, but former Tonight Show host Jay Leno thinks late night is losing viewers because they’re too political and one-sided. As he said in a recent interview with the Reagan Foundation:

“I love political humor, don’t get me wrong But it’s just what happens when people wind up cozying too much to one side or the other. Why shoot for just half an audience all the time? You know, why not try to get the whole. I mean, I like to bring people into the big picture. To me, I like to think that people come to a comedy show, to kind of get away from things, you know, the pressures of life, whatever it might be. Now you have to be content with half the audience because you have to give your opinion.”

Leno says back in the day he tried to joke about all ends of the political spectrum, “It was funny to me when I got hate letters [that said], ‘You and your Republican friends’ and ‘Well, Mr. Leno, I hope you and your Democratic buddies are happy‘ — over the same joke. And I go, ’Well, that’s good. That’s how you get a whole audience.’”

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Marvel is doing exactly what James Gunn warned against back in June

Fantastic Four is now in theaters, but Disney and Marvel are already shooting the next big MCU adventure. Avengers: Doomsday is in production at Pinewood Studios in England and as we learned from all those chairs, it will include returning X-Men characters, including Rebecca Romijn who plays Mystique.

And so The Hollywood Reporter recently asked her if she was done filming her Doomsday scenes and she said, “[I’m] not quite sure. The script hasn’t — they haven’t finished writing it. It’s been very, very fun, and we don’t know yet. They keep everything very close to the vest.”

Let me repeat that: “They haven’t finished writing it.” Now this isn’t surprising as this is Marvel’s M.O. Starting with Iron Man, the studio has always seen its scripts as a loose blueprints. They shoot what’s written and then put together a rough cut and then they do reshoots to fix whatever story problems there are.

But let me remind you what James Gunn told Rolling Stone in June, “I do believe that the reason why the movie industry is dying is not because of people not wanting to see movies. It’s not because of home screens getting so good. The number-one reason is because people are making movies without a finished screenplay.”

Essentially Gunn believes the script needs to be good enough before cameras start rolling. Avengers Doomsday has an anticipated release date of December 18, 2026.