Why 'Justice League' fans are tanking 'Godzilla vs Kong' reviews
And 'Obi-Wan' series enlists more 'Star Wars' prequel actors
What to know
Zack Snyder fans are tanking user ratings for Godzilla vs Kong for literally no reason | ComicBook
Warner Bros. opened up quite the can of worms when they caved to fan pressure and greenlit Zack Snyder’s Justice League cut. The studio gave fans what they wanted, but for some it’s not enough. These diehard Snyderheads want WB to “restore the Snyderverse” by putting him in charge of more DC movies — but the studio says his trilogy is done. The disgruntled fans are now taking out their rage by giving the completely unrelated WB movie Godzilla vs Kong bad user reviews on IMDB. Petty campaign or righteous cause? You be the judge.
Kumail Nanjiani, O’Shea Jackson, and more join Obi-Wan series | IGN
Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie are joining Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen in the upcoming Disney+ series. Edgerton and Piesse will presumably reprise their roles of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru from the Star Wars prequels. Additionally, Kumail becomes the latest actor in the rarified air of both Star Wars and Marvel. Who could have predicted that!
OK, the Oscars will allow some Zooms | THR
Remember last week when I wrote how complicated it would be for some international Oscar nominees to attend the awards in person? Turns out the Academy is coming around to their concerns and might be allowing for some virtual appearances. A mostly Zoom show would be pretty boring in my opinion, so hopefully the Academy can get as many nominees to show up as possible.
Food Network is making a weed-infused Chopped spinoff | Deadline
Chopped 420 will be just like the OG series but with cannabis. Comedian and personified-source-of-light-and-joy Ron Funches will host the series, Top Chef alum Sam Talbot will be one of the judges, as will drag performer and cannabis activist Laganja Estranja. The series will debut on Discovery+ April 20, naturally. Every detail of this makes it sound better and better.
The Schitt’s Creek motel can be yours for $1.6 million | EW
Now’s your chance to literally live out the plot of Schitt’s Creek or flip its central location into a boutique vacation destination. Tony Stark’s log cabin from Avengers Endgame goes for $800 a night on Airbnb, so I imagine there’s some money to be made for whoever ends up buying the Rosebud. Fans are already lining up down the block for a chance to visit.
SPOILER joins Thor: Love and Thunder | PCB via Deadline
[REDACTED] has joined the cast of Thor: Love and Thunder. I’m not revealing who it is here because the actor’s appearance is supposed to be a “fun” surprise cameo for fans. You can click through above to find out who will appear in Taika Waititi’s upcoming fourquel and “has been hanging out with the cast across Australia.”
Comic-Con announces in-person event over Thanksgiving, angering some | Uproxx
San Diego Comic-Con is planning to come back for a special IRL event this November, which seems like reason to celebrate (yay, in-person events!), but picking Thanksgiving weekend isn’t sitting well with some artists and others. I see where they’re coming from, Comic-Con is work for many people (vendors, artists, entertainers, journalists) and they might not want to skip an important family gathering for the event.
Also...
Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy join Sorkin’s Lucy and Desi movie … Lucy, they’re home 📺
The Rock and DC’s Black Adam movie will open July 2022 … so don’t go looking for it on HBO Max ⚡️
Sebastian Stan says he’d play Luke Skywalker if he got Mark Hamill’s blessing … may the force be with you and also with you ✨
George R.R. Martin signs 5-year development deal with HBO Max … does it include finishing the books? 📚
Scholastic pulls Captain Underpants book over ‘passive racism’ … cue the conservative outrage 👖
Nickelodeon pulls SpongeBob eps that aren’t ‘kid appropriate’ … or maybe the conservatives will be made about this? 🧽
San Francisco is giving 130 artists $1,000 a month … very good and very on brand for SF 🌉
Amy Poehler and Danny McBride are producing animated movies … one more comedian and it’s a trend 🎨
A Rita Moreno doc is coming to theaters and PBS … legend status 🔥
Amanda Seyfried is replacing Kate McKinnon as Theranos’ Elizabeth Holmes on Hulu … time to practice your husky voice, Seyfried 💉
What to watch
I first watched Padma Lakshmi’s Taste the Nation during peak quarantine last year, when it played as a clear reaction to Trumpian xenophobia. In the passing year, its relevancy has only grown as immigration and anti-Asian racism dominate headlines. The 10-episode Hulu series is Padma’s take on a Bourdain-style travel and food show, but each episode brings added poignancy by focusing on one immigrant or marginalized community in America. For example, did you know there’s a huge Peruvian community in Paterson, New Jersey? Taste the Nation serves up a perfect blend of empathy-driving representation, mouthwatering food, and travel wanderlust. It would be a great amuse bouche for Top Chef, which returns this week.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!
New notables this week:
The Last Cruise (Mar 29) — HBO Max pandemic doc | No RT yet
Godzilla vs. Kong (Mar 30) — HBO Max monster feature | 81% RT
Made for Love (Apr 1) — HBO Max sci-fi series | 86% RT
Top Chef s18 (Apr 1) — Bravo cooking competition | No RT yet
Law & Order: Organized Crime (Apr 1) — NBC, Chris Meloni returns | No RT yet
Concrete Cowboy (Apr 2) — Netflix family drama w Idris Elba | 77% RT
Hysterical (Apr 2) — Hulu doc on women comedians | 100% RT
Gangs of London (Apr 4) — AMC crime series | 88% RT
SAG Awards (Apr 4) — Acting award show on TNT & TBS
Before you go… this fan imagined WandaVision through decades of TV animation 🔥
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About the author: Alex Rabinowitz has led the way on social media and story packaging at media outlets big and small. With his acclaimed Tumblr site PopCultureBrain.com, Alex became a leading figure in emerging social networks and entertainment news. Sourced by many top destinations, including New York Magazine, BuzzFeed, and Videogum, Pop Culture Brain was featured by BuzzFeed and TIME as the best pop culture blog on Tumblr. Alex's writing has appeared on The Huffington Post, GQ.com, Mic, and Time Warner Cable.