A number of those on the set of The Brothers Grimsby with Rebel Wilson and Sacha Baron Cohen are denying the former’s claims.

The discrepancies between Rebel Wilson and Sacha Baron Cohen just got hairier, as details have emerged in what exactly the actress was referring to when she alleged that he was responsible for inappropriate behavior on the set of The Brothers Grimsby. In an excerpt from her new memoir, “Rebel Rising”, Wilson claims that Cohen tried to coax her into onscreen nudity and go method in a rather crude way.

One excerpt (via People; the book is due out next week) reads: “It felt like every time I’d speak to SBC, he’d mention that he wanted me to go naked in a future scene. I was like, ‘Ha, I don’t do nudity, Sacha.’” Another, which is far more descriptive, adds: “SBC summons me via a production assistant saying that I’m needed to film an additional scene. ‘Okay, well, we’re gonna film this extra scene,’ SBC says. Then he pulls his pants down … SBC says very matter-of-factly: ‘Okay, now I want you to stick your finger up my ass.’ And I’m like, ‘What?? … No!!’…I was now scared. I wanted to get out of there, so I finally compromised: I slapped him on the ass and improvised a few lines as the character.” Wilson would maintain that even after the supposed incident, she had to do a reshoot of a sex scene with Cohen. Of note, Sacha Baron Cohen’s wife, Isla Fisher, was also in the movie.

The real-finger-in-the-arse scenario ever happening has been denied by numerous parties, with a producer on The Brothers Grimsby defending Sacha Baron Cohen by saying, “As per the script, which Rebel had read and approved in advance, her character was attempting to put a finger in Sacha’s character’s butt. At no point did Sacha actually ask her to put a finger in his butt…Throughout this entire period, she was treated with the utmost respect and empowerment and was welcomed as a collaborator in all creative areas.”

The Brothers Grimsby would tank, unable to fully capitalize on either one of its stars’ fanbases, opening at #8 and taking in less than $7 million domestically.

Sacha Baron Cohen is actively denying every one of Rebel Wilson’s claims, previously stating, “While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence, including contemporaneous documents, film footage and eyewitness accounts from those present before, during and after the production of The Brothers Grimsby.”

Do you believe the claims by Rebel Wilson on Sacha Baron Cohen’s behavior or do you think liberties have been taken with the story?

Reacher’s Alan Ritchson will star in War Machine, an action sci-fi movie set to be directed by Patrick Hughes for Netflix.

Deadline reports that Alan Ritchson (Reacher) is set to star in War Machine, an action sci-fi movie from Lionsgate which will debut on Netflix.

Patrick Hughes (The Hitman’s Bodyguard) will direct War Machine and also co-wrote the script with James Beaufort (Machine). The logline reads: “In the final 24 Hours of the world’s toughest selection process, a team of Army Rangers encounter a threat beyond their imagination.“

Before Alan Ritchson suits up for War Machine, he’s got a few more projects to get through. The actor is currently in production on Playdate with Kevin James. The action comedy follows Brian (James), a down-on-his-luck man and stay-at-home dad who accepts a playdate invitation from Jeff (Ritchson), who turns out to be an unexpected loose cannon. Once production wraps, Ritchson will be back to work on the third season of Reacher. The new season is based on Persuader, the seventh book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. “Jack Reacher lives for the moment. Without a home. Without commitment. And with a burning desire to right wrongs – and rewrite his own agonizing past,” reads the synopsis of Persuader. “DEA Susan Duffy is living for the future, knowing that she has made a terrible mistake by putting one of her own female agents into a death trap within a heavily guarded Maine mansion. Staging a brilliant ruse, Reacher hurtles into the dark heart of a vast criminal enterprise. Trying to rescue an agent whose time is running out, Reacher enters a crime lord’s waterfront fortress. There, he will find a world of secrecy and violence – and confront some unfinished business from his own past.“

Ritchson will next be seen starring alongside Henry Cavill in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, a World War II movie directed by Guy Ritchie. Inspired by true events, the film tells the story of the first-ever special forces organization formed during WWII by Winston Churchill. “The top-secret combat unit, composed of a motley crew of rogues and mavericks, goes on a daring mission against the Nazis using entirely unconventional and utterly ‘ungentlemanly’ fighting techniques,” reads the synopsis. “Ultimately, their audacious approach changed the course of the war and laid the foundation for the British SAS and modern Black Ops warfare.” The film will hit theaters on April 19th.

Michelle Yeoh featured in first look at Star Trek: Section 31, plus the return of a character who hasn’t been seen in over 30 years.

Star Trek: Section 31 recently wrapped production, and Variety has the first look at Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou in the upcoming Paramount+ movie. The sprawling cover story (which is well worth a read) also spills on the surprising return of a character who hasn’t been seen in over thirty years.

The Star Trek: Section 31 first look features Michelle Yeoh as the morally dubious Georgiou having a word with someone with a few cybernetic enhancements. The last we saw of the character was on Star Trek: Discovery when she stepped through a portal to somewhere in the past. The exact timeframe remains unknown, but thanks to the addition of one particular Star Trek character, we may have a much better idea.

Section 31 will include a younger version of Rachel Garrett, the future captain of the USS Enterprise C, who was introduced in Yesterday’s Enterprise, one of the best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The character was briefly seen as a statue in Star Trek: Picard but hasn’t been seen in the flesh since that TNG episode. She’ll be played by Kacey Rohl (Hannibal) in Section 31. The addition of Rachel Garrett puts the timeframe of Section 31 somewhere between the TOS movies and the beginning of TNG, an era which hasn’t been explored all that much.

The inclusion of a character like Garrett might not mean much to newcomers, but franchise producer Alex Kurtzman knows they can’t forget about long-time fans. “You cannot create new fans to the exclusion of old fans,” Kurtzman said. “You must serve your primary fan base first and you must keep them happy. That is one of the most important steps to building new fans.“

Section 31 screenwriter Craig Sweeny knows that the black-ops organization has been controversial with fans since its introduction in Deep Space Nine. “The concept is almost antagonistic to some of the values of Star Trek,” Sweeny said. “Famously, there’s a spot for everybody in Roddenberry’s utopia, so I was like, ‘Well, who would be the people who don’t quite fit in?’ I didn’t want to make the John le Carré version, where you’re in the headquarters and it’s backbiting and shades of gray. I wanted to do the people who were at the edges, out in the field. These are not people who necessarily work together the way you would see on a ‘Star Trek’ bridge.“

Should the movie prove to be a success, Michelle Yeoh has said that she’d be down for a sequel, but its success could mean more streaming movies in the franchise, including a possible follow-up to Star Trek: Picard.

Don Mancini is in the early stages of developing a new Chucky movie which would exist alongside the TV series.

You really can’t keep Chucky down. The murderous doll has been slicin’ and dicin’ for over thirty-five years, and creator Don Mancini revealed that he’s working on another new Chucky movie.

While speaking on the Scream Dreams podcast, Mancini said, “I’m actually in the early stages of working on a new Chucky movie.” In an interview earlier in the week with DJ Suss One, Mancini said that the new project “is designed to work in tandem with the TV show. You know, the ongoing attempt to try to conquer the universe with Chucky.“

Since the release of the first Child’s Play movie in 1988, the franchise has gone to some weird and wonderful places across the six sequels. So, where could this new Chucky movie take us? Some fans are hoping it will bring Chucky to where Jason Voorhees, Pinhead, and Lephrechaun have gone before him — space. The idea of Chucky in space has been kicking around for a number of years, but Mancini keeps getting asked about it. The subject was brought up yet again at the Saturn Awards earlier this year. “Everyone’s asking me that question!” Mancini said. “So, MY question is, ‘Do you want him to go to space? Do you personally want him to go? If there’s enough of a demand for that, eventually — I don’t know how quickly — I have an idea for that.“

With the exception of the Child’s Play remake, it’s somewhat remarkable that the franchise has kept going for so many years with its original continuity, all while reinventing itself along the way. What will the future bring?

As Mancini mentioned, the potential new movie is still in the early stages, but in the meantime, fans have the Chucky TV series to keep them occupied. The second half of the third season will debut on April 10th, and the recent trailer looks pretty outrageous. The third season has seen Chucky set up shop at the White House with America’s First Family. You can check out a review from our own Alex Maidy right here.

What would you like to see in the new Chucky movie? Do you really want to see him go to space, or would you prefer something more grounded?

Florence Pugh shares a video from the set of Marvel’s Thunderbolts, which is currently in production in Atlanta.

Marvel’s Thunderbolts movie is now in production in Atlanta, and Florence Pugh has shared a sneaky little set video on Instagram, which honestly shows off more than I would have expected. Those Marvel snipers must have been on break.

The Thunderbolts set video begins with Pugh exiting her trailer in full costume, with her hair looking shorter than it was in Black Widow. As she moves into the Atlanta studio, we see pieces of large sets before she comes across director Jake Schreier. You can see the Thunderbolts logo on the back of a chair as well as a brief snippet of footage on the monitor, which shows Yelena pointing a gun at someone. With any other movie, this might not seem particularly revealing, but for a Marvel movie… well, I’d be putting my will in order.

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Everything We Know About Thunderbolts

In addition to Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Thunderbolts also stars Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Wyatt Russell as US Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster. Geraldine Viswanathan will also make an appearance, replacing Ayo Edebiri, who was originally attached. Lewis Pullman is also on board, taking over for Steven Yeun, who was said to be playing The Sentry before he had to leave. Production was originally slated to kick off last summer but was delayed due to the Hollywood strikes.

Marvel is still recovering from several misfires, with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels underperforming. However, the studio is taking action to get things back on track, including reducing the number of projects they release. Captain America: Brave New World, which is slated to hit theaters a few months before Thunderbolts, is also undergoing some fairly extensive reshoots after poor test screenings.

Florence Pugh has had an eventful year. She appeared alongside Cillian Murphy in Christoper Nolan’s Oppenheimer and played Princess Irulan in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two, which is currently in theaters. Thunderbolts is currently slated to hit theaters on May 2, 2025, as the last movie of Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The mega-producer of many kids shows on Nickelodeon has spoken up on one aspect of the allegations made against him from his time on the network.

In the past two months, accusations of the former Nickelodeon producer, Dan Schneider, were made in a bombshell docu-series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV when the trailer was released, then in the show’s premiere. The two-night event chronicled the accounts of former employees who worked with Schneider on the network as he produced his slate of successful children’s programming, which include All That, Kenan & Kel, Drake & Josh, iCarly, Zoey 101 and more. Allegations were also made against the acting coach, Brian Peck, who would spend long hours with the child stars. Drake & Josh star Drake Bell became a surprise whistleblower for the show as he came forward with his accounts.

As part of the accusations, the ID show emphasizes how much Schneider played up the young actors’ looks as they were presented in an inappropriate manner. According to Variety, Schneider has now responded to the accusations made that he had aimed to sexualize young stars like Ariana Grande, Jamie Lynn Spears and Victoria Justice on his shows. A representative for Schneider said in a statement, “Everything that happened on the shows Dan ran was carefully scrutinized by dozens of involved adults, and approved by the network. If there was an actual problem with the scenes that some people, now years later are ‘sexualizing,’ they would be taken down, but they are not, they are aired constantly all over the world today still, enjoyed by both kids and parents.”

The statement continues, “Remember, all stories, dialogue, costumes, and makeup were fully approved by network executives on two coasts. A standards and practices group read and ultimately approved every script, and programming executives reviewed and approved all episodes. In addition, every day on every set, there were always parents and caregivers and their friends watching filming and rehearsals. Had there been any scenes or outfits that were inappropriate in any way, they would have been flagged and blocked by this multilayered scrutiny. Unfortunately, some adults project their adult minds onto kids’ shows, drawing false conclusions about them.”

A spokesperson for Nickelodeon would tell Variety, “Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct. Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience.”

A trailer has been released for the upcoming Disney+ series Star Wars: The Acolyte, which is told from a villainous perspective

Yesterday, the Disney+ streaming service announced that the latest Star Wars series, Star Wars: The Acolyte, is set to premiere (with two episodes) on June 4th – and with that announcement came the promise that a trailer for the show would arrive online today. True to their word, Disney+ has now dropped a trailer for Star Wars: The Acolyte online, and you can check it out in the embed above!

Set hundreds of years before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte takes place during the High Republic era of the franchise. The series stars Amandla Stenberg (Bodies Bodies Bodies), Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place), Dafne Keen (Logan), Charlie Barnett (You), Jodie Turner-Smith (Anne Boleyn), Rebecca Henderson (Russian Doll), Dean-Charles Chapman (Game of Thrones), Joonas Suotamon (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker), and Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix Resurrections).

Here’s the logline: An investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems.

The Acolyte creator Lesyle Headland has said that the series will flip the script from other Star Wars stories as it won’t always be told from the perspective of the Jedi. “I think that what makes this show different and interesting is that it’s from the perspective of the villains of Star Wars. These are people who are using the Force in their own way, dipping into the darker sides of the Force and are doing it without being sanctioned by the larger institution, which, in this case, is the Jedi.” Headland added that the series will feature “more Jedi than you’ve seen in any of the Star Wars content,” but also more “morally ambiguous characters” as well.

Star Wars: The Acolyte will run for eight episodes, and the first two will be available to watch as of June 4th. Will you be watching the show? What did you think of the trailer? Let us know by leaving a comment below.