Trouble brewing for Netflix?

And Feige opens up about recasting T'Challa

What to know

• Here’s everything Netflix announced during its Tudum fan event… Netflix held its answer to Disney’s D23 over the weekend, and while not as high profile or exciting as the Mouse’s event, it did include some interesting stuff. For example, we got a Stranger Things blooper reel, a new clip from Glass Onion, a Squid Game deleted scene, and trailers/promos for new seasons of Lupin, Emily in Paris, Shadow and Bone, and Bridgerton. Taking a wide view of this, it’s clear to me that Netflix has a lot of big shows that people love — but aside from Stranger Things, nothing that has crossed over into blockbuster IP level. Maybe because Netflix is still new, but it still lacks brands that rival Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, Disney Animation, Star Trek, Jurassic, DC, Potter, or Lord of the Rings. Most of these Netflix announcements just seem small scale, which might feed a bigger problem. 🍿

• 1 in 4 Netflix users plan to cancel their subscription this year, says new survey… Rising costs of just about everything has consumers reconsidering their spending habits and streaming subscriptions are apparently top of mind. A new survey by Reviews.org found that 25% of Netflix subs might ditch the service, and they’re blaming rising costs and lack of interesting content. This gives Disney and WBD an opening, especially the former with its handful of Tiffany IP brands. 💸

• Kevin Feige says it was “much too soon” to recast T’Challa… In case you’re not aware, there’s a fierce debate in the Marvel fandom world as to whether the character of T’Challa aka Black Panther, as portrayed by the late Chadwick Boseman, should have been killed or recast. Those in favor of recasting stand behind the power of the character and what he represents as the first Black superhero. The Wakanda Forever trailer revealed that rather than recast the role, T’Challa has died in the canon. Marvel chief Kevin Feige is now opening up about that decision and arguing it was too soon, “The world is still processing the loss of Chad.” I think that’s a fair argument and it allows fans to grieve through the movie. Because the movie was coming so soon, it might have felt disrespectful to hand Boseman’s signature role over to someone else. The multiverse is wide, so it’s still possible in the future that T’Challa will return. 🐆

• Hannah Gadsby sets new Netflix special and gender diverse line-up show… Gadsby, who once called Netflix an “amoral algorithm cult,” is heading back to the streamer for a new solo special as well as a variety stand up show that will feature gender diverse comics. Maybe the Nanette comedian figured they could do more good within the system rather than rail against it? I just hope that Netflix takes the right lessons and actions after this, rather than allowing transphobic voices to continue alongside people like Gadsby on its platform. Because that was the exact thing Gadbsy was railing against in the first place. 🎤

• Rihanna is your 2023 Super Bowl Halftime show… And Apple has replaced Pepsi as its sponsor. Rihanna certainly has the hits for the gig, the question is will she time new music to the event? And Sorry Taylor Swift fans, you’ll have to wait another year. 🏈

• Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell’s Christmas Carol musical Spirited coming this November… Apple will release it in theaters Nov. 11 (unclear how many theaters though) and on Apple TV+ Nov. 18. Finally, the movie that birthed 1,000 viral TikToks. 🎶

• Former MoviePass CEOs hit with SEC fraud lawsuit… I’d say unlimited movies for $10 was too good to be true, but MoviePass is back (under new management) so what do I know! 🎟

• George Takei, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Arden Cho, Danny Pudi, Amber Midthunder join cast of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender… Hey, I know those people! Those are some cool people! 💨

• Michael Sheen gives the Welsh World Cup team another rousing speech… Watch both of these clips if you haven’t. Michael Sheen is a treasure. ⚽️

• Billy Eichner grabs Jack Black for another new Billy On the Street segment… Go see Bros! 🚥

• September box office sinks to 25-year low… Some reason to worry, darling. 📉

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What’s new

• Bros — Sept 30 | Comedy film in theaters | 🍅 95%

• Hocus Pocus 2 — Sept 30 | Disney+ comedy film | 🍅

• Ramy s3 — Sept 30 | Hulu comedy series | 🍅

• Saturday Night Live s48 — Oct 1 | NBC sketch series | 🍅

• Interview With the Vampire — Oct 2 | AMC drama series | 🍅 100%

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What to watch

Trailer: The Last of Us — HBO 2023

Created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, starring Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Anna Torv, Storm Reid, Nick Offerman, Gabriel Luna, Merle Dandridge, Nico Parker, Murray Bartlett, Con O’Neill, and Melanie Lynskey.

Do you have apocalypse fatigue? I did when I jumped off The Walking Dead several years ago. While I found some interest in twists on the genre like Station Eleven, Sweet Tooth, and Last Man on Earth, it’s been hard to invest in bleak run and shoot, crumbled buildings, who can you trust, probably zombie shows of late. I want to give The Last of Us the benefit of the doubt. I really do. Craig Mazin and this studded cast deserve that much, but I’m hesitant because this genre can be just so exhausting. Will The Last of Us be different enough? Hopefully the prestige associated with the game series rubs off onto the TV series. I’ll say the monster at the end of this trailer looked cool and is intriguing, but all the other run-and-shoot stuff just isn’t doing it for me. I will give this show a chance but it’s going to be a short leash unless the show proves otherwise.

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