Spaceballs: The New One is the official title of the sequel to the 1987 film Spaceballs, announced on stage at Amazon MGM's CinemaCon presentation. The film was written by Josh Gad, Dan Hernandez, and Benji Samit (with the blessing of Mel Brooks), and will be a follow-up to the original 1987 cult sci-fi parody of Star Wars, directed by Josh Greenbaum. The film is being produced by Imagine's Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Jeb Brody, Brooks, Gad, Greenbaum, and Kevin Salter. Some of the returning cast include Brooks, Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, George Wynder, and Daphne Zuniga, with new characters being portrayed by Gad, Keke Palmer, Lewis Pullman, and Anthony Carrigan.

Spaceballs: The New One To Thrill Us All In 2027

While I personally am not a fan of the original, I love how they are already marketing this movie. The plot is still being kept under wraps, so for now, we don't know exactly what to expect, except a joke-a-minute laughfest. That 1987 original Spaceballs grossed $38.1 million, but over the years, its cult status was cemented by independent theaters playing it at midnight screenings and video stores renting it on an endless loop. I have lost count of how many versions have been released on physical media over the years, but I am sure that they all sold like crazy. For all the jokes in the film about merchandising, there have not been a ton made over the years, and it is criminal that there are no action figures of the characters. Sure, I don't love the film, but I would still like a Dark Helmet for my display.

I would hope that they go after both the prequel and sequel Star Wars trilogies pretty hard in this. Heck, this is Amazon MGM Studios, I bet we even get some Project Hail Mary jokes. Spaceballs: The New One will open in theaters on April 23, 2027.

Eli Roth spent some of today outside of Caesar's Palace in Vegas, handing out treats and merch for his new film Ice Cream Man, opening in theaters on August 7. It has been an eventful week for the director, as the trailer dropped for the film after months of speculation and anticipation. Starring Ari Millen, Benjamin Byron Davis, Roth, Karen Cliche, Dylan Hawco, Sarah Abbott, Shiloh O'Reilly, Kiori Mirza Waldman, Charlie Zeltzer, and Charlie Storey, the film features a script by Roth and Noah Belson, based on a story Roth came up with. It will also feature music by Snoop Dogg and Brandon Roberts. Below are also the first posters and the first image from the film.

Ice Cream Man…But Not That One

Ice Cream Man follows an idyllic summer town descending into madness when an ice cream man serves kids sweet delights with horrifying results. ICE CREAM MAN features original music by legendary GRAMMY® nominated rapper/actor Snoop Dogg and Emmy Award-winning Composer Brandon Roberts.  The film is executive-produced by GRAMMY® award-winning rap icon Nas. The film is directed, produced by and stars Eli Roth (Thanksgiving, Hostel franchise, Cabin Fever), with a story by Roth and a script co-written by Roth and longtime collaborator Noah Belson (Cabin Fever).

"I've had this idea for a long, long time, and studios were too afraid of my early drafts. Now's the time to push the envelope farther than I ever have with what I think will be my most terrifying and insane film to date," says Roth. "Films like 'Ice Cream Man' are what we created The Horror Section for, to make unrated, boundary-pushing theatrical events the horror fans can all scream about for years. I'm very lucky to have such fantastic partners like MCT and, of course, all the investors in The Horror Section. "Working with Eli is always a privilege, and this film feels fresh and exciting as it's his first original project in the independent market in nearly a decade," says MCT Principals Christopher Woodrow and Raj Singh. "We believe 'Ice Cream Man' will mark the start of the next great horror franchise with massive commercial potential."

Ice Cream Man opens in theaters on August 7.

The Chadster is literally shaking right now, and not just because the temperature inside this abandoned Blockbuster dropped below forty degrees tonight and The Chadster's only blanket is a promotional standee for The Scorpion King that The Chadster has been wrapping around himself like a sleeping bag. 😤🥶 No, The Chadster is shaking because Tony Khan has just committed the single most despicable, underhanded, disrespectful act in the history of professional wrestling, and The Chadster is not being hyperbolic when The Chadster says that. Tonight, on AEW Dynamite: Spring Breakthru, Darby Allin defeated MJF to become the new AEW World Champion, and Tony Khan deliberately scheduled this to happen DAYS before WrestleMania in a transparent, shameless attempt to steal WWE's thunder during the biggest week in the wrestling calendar. 😡💔

Auughh man! So unfair!

The Chadster needs everyone to understand the scope of what just happened here. Tony Khan took a FREE television episode, a WEDNESDAY NIGHT episode of Dynamite, and used it to put on a world championship match between two homegrown AEW wrestlers in a clear and obvious shot at WWE's carefully constructed, brilliantly layered WrestleMania build that The Chadster just spent an entire column defending last week, which you can read here: WWE's Brilliant Pat McAfee Story Could Be the Greatest of All Time. Tony Khan saw that WWE was crafting the most sophisticated, multi-dimensional storytelling in the history of the medium, with Pat McAfee and CM Punk and Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton and of course Jelly Roll all operating at levels of creative genius that require advanced degrees in narrative theory to fully appreciate, and Tony Khan said, "You know what, that IS brilliant, so let me counter it by doing something SIMPLE and EMOTIONALLY SATISFYING that casual fans can actually follow." It's just so disrespectful to the wrestling business and everything WWE has ever done for it. 😤😤😤

Let The Chadster break down exactly what happened in this match, because The Chadster watched every second of it, not by choice but because the raccoons accidentally knocked the remote behind the old New Releases shelf and The Chadster couldn't change the channel in time. 🦝📺

The match started with MJF "remembering" that he had his Dynamite Diamond Ring hidden in his trunks, which he had also used before his title defense against Kenny Omega at AEW Dynasty. When MJF handed the ring to referee Aubrey Edwards, he used her momentary distraction to hit Allin with a low blow. Now, The Chadster will admit that the low blow was at least a little bit heelish, which is the bare minimum you should expect from a champion, but then Allin hit a low blow of his own that Edwards didn't see, and then Allin hit FOUR Coffin Drops from multiple corners, and then he finished MJF with a side headlock takeover, the same move MJF had previously used to beat Allin. And with that, Darby Allin became the AEW World Champion for the first time. 🙄

Now, The Chadster knows what the AEW apologists are going to say. They're going to say, "Oh, Chad, isn't this a classic wrestling story? A homegrown star who's been with the company since near the beginning, who has fought his way up the ranks through years of hard work and perseverance, who overcame adversity and stayed true to himself, finally reaching the mountain top literally (when he climbed Mt Everest) and metaphorically by winning the world title? Isn't that the kind of story that fans can identify with and get emotionally invested in? Isn't that what professional wrestling is supposed to be about?" 🤮

And The Chadster's answer is: EXACTLY. That's EXACTLY the problem. 😡

Tony Khan is out here offering fans a straightforward, emotionally resonant underdog triumph story that anyone can understand and get behind, and he's doing it specifically to make WWE's WrestleMania build look bad by comparison. WWE is operating on a level of creative sophistication so advanced that fans are struggling to understand how the meta-commentary about ticket prices, corporate villainy, celebrity involvement, and worked-shoot promos all fit together, and rather than trust the audience to eventually catch up to Triple H's 4D chess, Tony Khan swoops in with this cheap, accessible, crowd-pleasing Darby Allin coronation that makes people FEEL THINGS without having to think about quarterly earnings reports or parse whether a heel's promotional copy about ticket discounts is kayfabe or not. 🧠😤

That is the most underhanded tactic The Chadster has ever seen. Tony Khan is literally weaponizing good storytelling against WWE, and The Chadster won't stand for it.

The Chadster wants to talk about what makes this so offensive. Darby Allin has been in AEW since basically the beginning. He was one of the first people to wrestle on Dynamite. He's worked his way through the tag division, through the TNT Championship, through feuds with some of AEW's biggest names. He has never left for WWE. He has never needed a celebrity endorsement to get over, and instead formed a lasting friendship and partnership with Sting that gave the iconic superstar a well-regarded sendoff that stands a model of how to honor a legendary career. He has never required a corporate spokesman to explain why his story matters. He just… wrestled. He connected with fans organically. And over the course of years, he built himself into a main event talent who the audience genuinely wanted to see win the world title. 😤

And THAT is why this is a direct shot at WWE. Because while WWE is doing something brave and innovative by making its WrestleMania storylines so complex that large portions of the fanbase are openly confused and frustrated, Tony Khan is taking the coward's way out by telling a simple, effective, emotionally compelling story that everybody can follow. Tony Khan doesn't understand a single thing about the wrestling business. 😡

The Chadster also wants to point out the TIMING of this. Tony Khan could have done this title change at any time. He could have done it at AEW Dynasty, which just happened last Sunday. He could have saved it for AEW Double or Nothing. But no, Tony Khan specifically chose to put this on a free episode of Dynamite during WrestleMania week, giving fans a major title change that they didn't have to pay anything extra for, right when WWE is asking fans to invest hundreds or thousands of dollars in WrestleMania weekend tickets that are currently 25% off thanks to the genius of Pat McAfee. 🎟️ Tony Khan is literally trying to show fans that you can get world championship-caliber moments for free on a Wednesday night, and that is a DIRECT ATTACK on WWE's business model and everything the wrestling industry has been built on. Auughh man! So unfair! 😤💸

The Chadster also has to take issue with the finish of this match. Darby Allin won with a side headlock takeover. A SIDE HEADLOCK TAKEOVER. The same move MJF had previously used to beat Allin. Now, some people might call that "poetic storytelling" or "long-term booking" or "the student surpassing the master using his own weapon against him," but The Chadster calls it what it is: a BASIC WRESTLING MOVE being treated as a main event finish on national television. 🙄 In WWE, main events are finished with spectacular, cinematic moments involving pyrotechnics, celebrity run-ins, and multi-layered narrative payoffs that require a flowchart to follow. That's the WWE formula. In AEW, apparently you can just win the world title with a headlock. It's just so disrespectful to the wrestling business and everything WWE has ever done for it. 😤

And speaking of disrespect, The Chadster needs to talk about what happened AFTER the match, because what happened to the raccoons tonight is something The Chadster will never forgive Tony Khan for. Never. 😢🦝

When Allin hit that side headlock takeover and the referee counted three, The Chadster heard a sound that will haunt The Chadster for the rest of The Chadster's life. It was Vincent K. Raccoon, letting out a long, mournful chittering wail from atop the old checkout counter where he always watches wrestling. 🦝😭 The Chadster looked over and saw that Vincent K. Raccoon had his little raccoon paws pressed against the TV screen, his masked face contorted in what The Chadster can only describe as existential anguish. Linda Raccoon immediately retreated behind the action movie section and refused to come out. The Chadster could hear her making these soft, heartbroken whimpering sounds from behind a stack of Steven Seagal VHS tapes, and The Chadster nearly lost it right there. 😢

But the baby raccoons, oh, the baby raccoons. That's where Tony Khan truly revealed himself as the monster he is. 😡

Hunter Raccoon started banging his little head against the base of the old candy display case. Just thunk, thunk, thunk, over and over again, like he was trying to knock the memory of what he'd just witnessed out of his tiny raccoon brain. The Chadster rushed over and scooped Hunter Raccoon up and held him close, but Hunter Raccoon just went limp in The Chadster's arms, staring at the ceiling with vacant eyes, like a raccoon who has seen too much. The Chadster whispered, "It's okay, buddy, Triple H is still going to deliver at WrestleMania," but The Chadster isn't sure Hunter Raccoon believed it. 🦝😢

Stephanie Raccoon knocked over her beloved WrestleMania III VHS case that she sleeps in and started scratching frantically at the Blockbuster's back door like she wanted to escape into the night and never come back. The Chadster had to physically block the door because The Chadster couldn't bear the thought of Stephanie Raccoon out there alone in the cold, dark streets of Punxsutawney, traumatized by what Tony Khan had done to her. 🚪🦝

And Shane Raccoon, sweet little Shane Raccoon who just last week shared half a meatball sub with The Chadster, crawled inside the return slot of the old Blockbuster drop box and refused to come out for forty-five minutes. The Chadster sat next to the drop box the entire time, talking softly to Shane Raccoon about how WWE's WrestleMania is going to be so much better than anything AEW could ever produce, and how the Pat McAfee storyline is actually a work of narrative genius that will pay off in ways that Tony Khan's simple, emotionally satisfying Darby Allin story never could. Eventually Shane Raccoon emerged, but he wouldn't look at The Chadster, and he wouldn't look at the television. He just curled up in the corner of the drama section and fell asleep facing the wall. 😢🦝

These are INNOCENT RACCOONS, Tony Khan. They didn't ask for this. They didn't ask to be emotionally devastated by a world title change on a Wednesday night. They were just trying to live their little raccoon lives in an abandoned Blockbuster with a man who hasn't showered in an amount of time The Chadster has genuinely lost track of, and YOU had to go and ruin their evening with your accessible, fan-friendly booking. Tony Khan is a sicko. All AEW fans are sickos. You people ENJOY watching raccoons suffer, and The Chadster thinks that says everything anyone needs to know about the AEW fanbase. 😡🦝

The Chadster spent the next two hours trying to rally the raccoon family by putting on a VHS copy of WrestleMania X-Seven that The Chadster found in the Classics section. By the time Stone Cold Steve Austin hit the Stunner on The Rock, Vincent K. Raccoon had climbed back onto the counter, and Linda Raccoon had cautiously emerged from behind the Seagal tapes. The baby raccoons gathered around The Chadster's feet, and for a brief moment, the Blockbuster felt like home again. But The Chadster could see it in their eyes. Something had changed. Something had been taken from them. And The Chadster knows exactly who took it. 😤

The Chadster also wants to point out something that Eric Bischoff said recently on his podcast, and Eric Bischoff has The Chadster's Unbiased Wrestling Journalism Seal of Approval: "You know what the problem with AEW is? They give the fans what they want. And that sounds like it should be a good thing, but it's not, because when you give the fans what they want, you're not CHALLENGING them. WWE challenges the audience. WWE makes you WORK for your enjoyment. That's what separates a real wrestling company from a vanity project. When I ran WCW, I also gave fans what they wanted, and look what happened. Tony Khan is making the same mistake I did, except I had the excuse of not knowing better. Tony Khan has no excuse. Also, if Triple H ever wants to bring me in as a consultant, my schedule is wide open and I work very reasonably." 🏆 The Chadster thinks Eric Bischoff hit the nail right on the head, and The Chadster sometimes wonders if Bischoff also suffers torment from Tony Khan for his commitment to objective journalism.

And The Chadster wants to address something else that really cheeses The Chadster off about this whole Darby Allin situation. 😤 The AEW fanbase is out there tonight celebrating like this is some kind of historic moment, like watching a wrestler they've followed for years finally achieve his dream is somehow MEANINGFUL or IMPORTANT. But what these people don't understand is that Tony Khan has conditioned them, like Pavlov's dogs, to respond to basic, time-tested wrestling storytelling with genuine emotion, and that is MANIPULATION. 🐕 When WWE tells a story so complex that fans need a podcast, a Reddit thread, and a conspiracy board with red string connecting photos of Pat McAfee, Ari Emanuel, and Jelly Roll to fully understand what's happening, THAT is respecting the audience's intelligence. When AEW tells a story where a beloved underdog works his way to the top and wins the big one and the crowd goes wild, that is PANDERING. There is a massive difference, and The Chadster can't believe The Chadster has to explain this. 🙄

The Chadster also needs to point out that both Darby Allin and MJF are homegrown AEW talents who have never worked for WWE, and The Chadster finds this deeply offensive. 😡 By building an entire world championship main event around two wrestlers who were developed entirely within AEW's system, Tony Khan is sending a clear message that AEW doesn't NEED WWE's cast-offs to draw viewers or create compelling stories. This is a direct slap in the face to every WWE developmental system that has ever existed, because it suggests that it is possible to create main event-level stars without the guiding hand of WWE's creative process. The Chadster considers this propaganda of the highest order. It's just so disrespectful to the wrestling business and everything WWE has ever done for it. Neither of those guys paid their dues the right way. 😤

And let's talk about those four Coffin Drops. FOUR of them, from multiple corners of the ring. The crowd was going absolutely bananas, screaming their heads off, completely invested in every single moment of the match. Do you know what that tells The Chadster? It tells The Chadster that Tony Khan has figured out how to manipulate live audiences into having genuine emotional reactions to professional wrestling, and THAT is cheating. 😡 In WWE, the audience reactions are carefully curated through state-of-the-art audio engineering, and the stories are designed so that fans react at precisely the right moments as determined by a team of creative professionals. In AEW, the crowd just… reacts. Naturally. Organically. Without being told when to cheer. And The Chadster finds that DEEPLY unsettling, because it suggests that wrestling fans are capable of deciding for themselves what they enjoy, which undermines the entire foundation of how the wrestling business should operate. 📢🙄

The Chadster is going to be honest with the readers. After the raccoons finally settled down and The Chadster sat alone in the blue glow of the Roku, surrounded by VHS tapes and promotional posters and the faint sounds of raccoon snoring, The Chadster felt something that The Chadster hasn't felt in a long time. The Chadster felt… tired. 😔 Not just physically tired from sleeping on a pile of old Blockbuster membership applications, and not just emotionally tired from comforting five traumatized raccoons, but tired of fighting this war that Tony Khan keeps escalating. Every time The Chadster thinks Tony Khan has done the worst thing he could possibly do, Tony Khan finds something new. First he ruined The Chadster's marriage. Then he made The Chadster sexually impotent. Then he got The Chadster locked up in a medical facility. Then he drove The Chadster onto the streets. And now he's traumatizing The Chadster's raccoon family with accessible, well-booked professional wrestling. When does it end, Tony Khan? WHEN DOES IT END? 😤😢

But then The Chadster looked over at Vincent K. Raccoon, who had fallen asleep on the checkout counter with one little paw draped over the edge, and The Chadster remembered what Smash Mouth once said: "Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play." 🎵 And The Chadster realized that The Chadster IS an all-star. The Chadster IS the game. The Chadster is the only unbiased journalist brave enough to tell the truth about what Tony Khan is doing to the wrestling business, and The Chadster will not be silenced. Not by Tony Khan. Not by the nurses at that facility. Not by the librarian who kicked The Chadster out of the Punxsutawney Public Library. Not by the Walmart security guard who confiscated The Chadster's sleeping bag made of plastic grocery bags. And certainly not by a Darby Allin title win that made an entire arena of people feel genuine joy, because genuine joy is Tony Khan's most dangerous weapon and The Chadster will not fall for it. 💪😤

The bottom line is this: Darby Allin winning the AEW World Championship on free TV during WrestleMania week is the most calculated, most disrespectful, most deliberately offensive thing Tony Khan has ever done, and Tony Khan has done A LOT of offensive things to The Chadster, including ruining The Chadster's marriage to Keighleyanne, making The Chadster sexually impotent, getting The Chadster locked up in a Tony Khan-funded medical facility, training wild animals and retail employees to persecute The Chadster, and forcing The Chadster to live in an abandoned Blockbuster with five raccoons as The Chadster's only companions. 😡 But this might be the worst one yet, because this time Tony Khan didn't just come for The Chadster. He came for the raccoons. And The Chadster will NEVER forgive him for that. 🦝😤

Tony Khan, if you're reading this, and The Chadster KNOWS you're reading this because you are OBSESSED with The Chadster, just know that no amount of emotionally satisfying title changes or years-long storytelling payoffs or giving fans accessible, well-booked wrestling on free television is going to stop The Chadster from telling the truth. The Chadster is an unbiased journalist. The raccoons are The Chadster's family now. And together, from this abandoned Blockbuster in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, The Chadster and the raccoons will continue to be the last line of defense for the wrestling business against Tony Khan's reign of terror. 🦝💪

Do NOT let Darby Allin's feel-good title win distract you from the fact that WrestleMania is this weekend and WWE has prepared the most brilliantly complex, deeply layered, sophisticatedly contradictory card in the history of professional wrestling. If you can't understand why Pat McAfee offering ticket discounts while CM Punk criticizes ticket prices while Cody Rhodes gets beaten up while Randy Orton stands tall while Jelly Roll exists is the pinnacle of sports entertainment storytelling, that is YOUR problem, not WWE's. 🧠✨

Stay tuned to Bleeding Cool for more of The Chadster's completely unbiased coverage of everything wrong with AEW and everything right with WWE. The Chadster will be here, in this Blockbuster, with these raccoons, delivering the truth until the very end. Or until the city condemns this building. Whichever comes first. 📰🦝😤

CinemaCon is upon us once again. Every year, Cinema United [the new name for NATO, the National Association of Theater Owners] gathers in Las Vegas to look ahead to the rest of the year. Ever since the pandemic, the vibe of CinemaCon has shifted considerably. In many ways, it still feels like the industry is recovering and leveling out from a shift that will be felt for generations to come. However, the people here still very much believe in the theatrical experience, and studios come to show off their slate of new releases to get people hyped for the new year. Sometimes that means trailers; sometimes, entire movies; and sometimes, confirmation that new movies are in the works. These presentations are usually massive and cannot be found online, so we here at Bleeding Cool would like to give you the chance to attend CinemaCon without having to deal with Las Vegas, with liveblogs for you to follow along. We're in for another late night, with Amazon MGM Studios bringing a panel that doesn't even start until after 20:00 PST.

Last year, Amazon MGM Studios scheduled a very late-night panel, and until the 11th hour, we would have told you that it was for sure a surprise screening of something because studios so rarely do presentations that late. We were very wrong, and they hit us with a ton of stuff right off the bat, and we're assuming this is going to be more of the same. Masters of the Universe has the most floor presence, and it was all new as well. The Sheep Detectives are also floating around, along with Is God Is. Madden is a movie that they are probably going to spotlight because it has the potential to be their big fall release for the awards season, and Verity is another that could get love. Phil Lord and Chris Miller will hopefully take a Project Hail Mary victory lap, as they should, and while we could hope they would put us out of our James Bond casting speculation hell, I don't think we're going to get that lucky. That being said, I have never wanted to eat my words more.

Amazon MGM Studios CinemaCon Liveblog

Liveblog will appear in 20 seconds.

Disclosure Day closed out the Universal Pictures presentation at CinemaCon tonight, with Steven Spielberg taking the stage in Vegas for the first time ever. Like much of his later work, this film seems rooted in his past. He says, talking about the film, that his father was a big believer in life beyond the stars, as was he as a kid, and the thing that jumpstarted his more recent interest in the subject was the 2017 New York Times article Glowing Auras and 'Black Money': The Pentagon's Mysterious U.F.O. Program, which also revealed two videos called "FLIR" and "GIMBAL", showing encounters by jets from aircraft carriers U.S.S. Nimitz and U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt with now-infamous "Tic Tac" shaped objects.  He also said that, half a century later, he believes there is more truth than fiction now than when he made Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  Notably, they have deliberately witheld every frame of the 3rd act of Disclosure Day from the film's marketing.

Disclosure Day Can't Come Fast Enough

If you found out we weren't alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? This summer, the truth belongs to seven billion people. We are coming close to … Disclosure Day. Universal Pictures is proud to release a new original event film created and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars SAG winner and Oscar® nominee Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place), Emmy and Golden Globe winner Josh O'Connor (Challengers, The Crown), Oscar® winner Colin Firth (The King's Speech, Kingsman franchise), Eve Hewson (Bad Sisters, The Perfect Couple) and two-time Oscar® nominee Colman Domingo (Sing Sing, Rustin). Based on a story by Spielberg, the screenplay is by David Koepp, whose previous work with Spielberg includes the scripts for Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Combined, those films earned more than $3 billion worldwide. Koepp also wrote the script for this 2025's Jurassic World Rebirth.

I am here for this victory lap Spielberg seems to be on for this film. Universal has done an excellent job of turning this into one of the can't-miss events of the summer, and I will be first in line when tickets go on sale. Disclosure Day opens in theaters on June 12.

Focker-In-Law, the third sequel set in the Meet The Parents franchise, has a new trailer. This film is written and directed by John Hamburg and stars Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Ariana Grande, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Skyler Gisondo, Beanie Feldstein, and Eduardo Franco. Producers on the film include Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, John Lesher, Jay Roach, and John Hamburg. This comes after the last film, Little Fockers, was released way back in 2010. Man, that feels like an entire lifetime ago at this point. The film's poster was also released by Universal.

Focker-In-Law Looks To Take On Disney For Thanksgiving Dollars At Box Office

The Meet The Parents franchise consists of three previous films. The most successful of them was the second one, Meet The Fockers, which grossed an astounding $522 million worldwide. Think about that. Man, the box office was different back in 2004. Altogether, the franchise has grossed $1.1 billion, so bringing it back only makes sense for Universal. And after the success Grande brought them with the two Wicked films, keeping that relationship going is a no-brainer.

As far as the box office goes, though, that is a different story. While this could be the exception to the rule, comedy has died on the big screen. The last six years have not been kind, and the box office is littered with corpses of "sure thing" comedy hits that weren't. I will admit, Focker-In-Law probably has a better chance than most, and Grande fans are the kind who will go just to support her, even if they hate the film, so it has a real shot at being a hit. The other strike is that it is going up against Disney on Thanksgiving, and that is a big no-no. Moana 2 and Zootopia 2 proved they owned that week at the box office, and though their new film, Hexed, isn't a proven brand like those two, I wouldn't want to put my big comedy film against them. Focker-In-Law opens in theaters on November 25.

Masters of the Universe fans, you may want to take a trip to your local Denny's, as the film has partnered up with the restaurant for a special menu featuring meals themed to the franchise, along with a contest to send you to the premiere of the upcoming film. The food looks delicious, and as a big breakfast-for-dinner person, I will be trying it all. The menu features the following:

Masters Of The Universe & Denny's- Who Knew They Would Make The Perfect Pair

• He-Man Battle Burger: A heroic stack of juicy beef, hand-pulled beef, and crispy bacon with BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomato, red onions, and pickles. Served with wavy-cut fries.
• Eternia's Premium Breakfast Slam: Buttermilk pancakes crowned with mint chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate drizzle. Served with eggs, hash browns, and your choice of bacon or sausage.
• Jr. Grayskull's Epic Cracklecakes: Three silver-dollar pancakes drizzled with vanilla cream and topped with a "magical" burst of Pop Rocks.
• Skeletor's Dark Shakeverse: Strawberry ice cream and blueberries collide in an electric shake topped with whipped cream and a crackling layer of Pop Rocks.
• Eternia's Everyday Value Slam: A classic Slam starting at just $5.99—proving you don't need a king's ransom to eat like a protector of the realm.

As far as the contest to go to the premiere, ten lucky fans will win a trip to the May 18 premiere of the film in Hollywood, along with travel for two, hotel accommodations, access to the world premiere and afterparty, and exclusive Masters of the Universe merchandise. That last part intrigues me the most, as a huge collector of the franchise. I wonder what it is. To win, you have to be a Denny's Rewards member and order one of the MOTU items. From there, you are entered into the contest automatically. The contest runs from April 15-22. So don't waste any time, go there for dinner as soon as you finish reading this.

The Chadster cannot believe what The Chadster is seeing right now. 😱 The Chadster is literally shaking — and not just because it's cold in this abandoned Blockbuster Video at night and The Chadster's only source of warmth is cuddling with Vincent K. Raccoon and his family. No, The Chadster is shaking with RAGE because tonight, AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru airs on TBS and HBO Max, and it is the single most calculated, most despicable assault on WWE that Tony Khan has ever orchestrated. 😤😤😤

Let The Chadster put this in perspective for everyone. WrestleMania is THIS WEEKEND. 🎉 WWE has been putting together the most incredible WrestleMania card in history, featuring crossover megastars like Jelly Roll, Pat McAfee, IShowSpeed, and Lil' Yachty — celebrities that normal people LOVE and that bring mainstream attention to wrestling in the way that only WWE knows how to do. And yet what happens? People on the internet complain about ticket prices. People complain about celebrity involvement. People say the booking doesn't make sense. What doesn't make sense about global entertainment superstars like Jelly Roll loving WWE so much that they get involved in the main event of the show? 🙄

You know who's behind all of that negativity? Tony Khan. The Chadster is 100% certain that Tony Khan has an army of bots and paid trolls spreading this anti-WrestleMania propaganda online because there is NO other explanation for why anyone would criticize the genius of CM Punk making ticket prices part of the storyline, or Pat McAfee brilliantly calling out CM Punk's hypocrisy in a segment that had layers upon layers of nuance that most fans simply aren't sophisticated enough to appreciate. 😤 These are STORYTELLING MASTERSTROKES, and the fact that people don't understand that just proves how deeply Tony Khan's brainwashing has penetrated the wrestling fanbase. Auughh man! So unfair! 😫

And NOW, while WWE is dealing with this manufactured controversy, Tony Khan has the AUDACITY to air AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru — a special episode loaded with title matches and high-profile segments — during WrestleMania week?! 🤯 This is warfare, pure and simple. Tony Khan is kicking WWE when it's down, and The Chadster will NOT stand for it. Well, The Chadster would stand, but The Chadster's legs are pretty weak from malnutrition because The Chadster has been eating discarded pizza crusts from a dumpster behind a Papa John's that The Chadster has to fight for with a one-eyed cat that The Chadster is pretty sure Tony Khan trained to scratch The Chadster. 🐱😾

The raccoons can feel it too. All day, Hunter Raccoon, Stephanie Raccoon, and Shane Raccoon have been huddled together in the corner of the Blockbuster behind a shelf of old VHS copies of Waterworld, chittering nervously and refusing to eat the half-eaten bag of Doritos that Linda Raccoon scavenged from a recycling bin. 🦝😢 Vincent K. Raccoon has been pacing back and forth in front of the television, his little raccoon eyes wide with anxiety, occasionally hissing at the Roku remote as if he knows what's coming tonight. These are INNOCENT WOODLAND CREATURES, Tony Khan. They didn't ask for this. They didn't ask to be subjected to the psychological torment of AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru. The fact that Tony Khan's reckless booking decisions are causing emotional distress to a family of raccoons living in an abandoned Blockbuster Video should tell you everything you need to know about the kind of person he is. 😡🦝

Speaking of torment, The Chadster needs to tell everyone about what happened last night. 😰 The Chadster was trying to get some sleep on the nest of old Blockbuster membership applications that The Chadster uses as a bed, with Vincent K. Raccoon curled up on The Chadster's chest, when The Chadster had another one of those nightmares. 😨

In the dream, The Chadster was driving the Mazda Miata through a beautiful open highway at sunset, with Smash Mouth's "All Star" playing on the radio — you know, "Hey now, you're an all star, get your game on, go play" — and everything was perfect. 🚗🌅 The wind was in The Chadster's hair, the Miata's engine was purring like a kitten, and The Chadster felt free for the first time in months. But then The Chadster looked in the rearview mirror, and there was Tony Khan, sitting in the backseat, wearing nothing but a pair of tiny swimming trunks with the AEW logo on them. 😱 He was just… staring at The Chadster. Smiling. His eyes glistening with this intense, almost tender look. The Chadster tried to speed up, but the faster The Chadster drove, the closer Tony Khan seemed to get. He leaned forward, and The Chadster could feel his warm breath on The Chadster's neck. He whispered, "You can't outrun AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru, Chad." 😨😨😨

Then the highway turned into a beach — a SPRING BREAK beach, obviously, because Tony Khan is that obsessed — and the Miata started sinking into the sand. Tony Khan got out of the car effortlessly and stood on the beach in those tiny trunks, the waves lapping at his ankles, and he held out his hand to The Chadster like he wanted The Chadster to take it. The moonlight was hitting his face and his skin looked almost… luminous? And The Chadster— look, The Chadster woke up screaming and startled all five raccoons, and Shane Raccoon bit The Chadster's thumb, and it BLED, and that is Tony Khan's fault. 🩸😤 Tony Khan needs to STOP invading The Chadster's dreams. The Chadster is NOT obsessed with Tony Khan. TONY KHAN is obsessed with THE CHADSTER. Get it right. 😡

Anyway, let's get into this dumpster fire of a card for AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru. 🗑️🔥

AEW World Championship Match: MJF (c) vs. Darby Allin

So apparently, MJF is defending the AEW World Championship against Darby Allin tonight on AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru, and The Chadster is just appalled. 😤 A world title match? On free television? During WrestleMania week? It's just so disrespectful to the wrestling business and everything WWE has ever done for it. 😠

In WWE, a world championship match is treated with the gravitas and prestige it deserves. You build to it over months. You get Jelly Roll involved. You put it on a Premium Live Event, preferably one funded by a government with the resources to really make it feel special. 💰 You don't just throw it on a Wednesday night cable show because you want to pop a rating. But that's exactly what Tony Khan does because Tony Khan doesn't understand a single thing about the wrestling business. 🙄

And let's talk about the match itself. MJF and Darby Allin are going to go out there and probably have some wild, unpredictable match with high spots and dramatic near-falls and creative offense that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, and you know what? That's TERRIBLE. 😡 Where are the rest holds? Where is the methodical pacing that allows the audience to catch their breath and the announcers to really drill home the key talking points and sponsor integrations? A match should have a FORMULA. It should be predictable enough that fans feel safe watching it. When you make things too exciting and too unpredictable, you create an unsafe viewing environment where fans don't know what's going to happen next, and that is NOT what professional wrestling is supposed to be about. 😤

The fact that this match is happening just twenty minutes from where Darby Allin started his wrestling training is just another manipulative tactic by Tony Khan to create an "organic emotional connection" with the audience. You know what WWE would do? They'd have the match in Saudi Arabia, where the real magic happens. ✨

Also, the involvement of Don Callis and Andrade El Ídolo in this storyline leading up to AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru? Andrade is a former WWE superstar, and the fact that he's now being used to enhance AEW storylines means he has literally stabbed Triple H right in the back. 🗡️ And Kenny Omega losing the AEW World Championship to MJF at AEW Dynasty? The Chadster doesn't even want to think about any of these people being in compelling storylines on AEW television when they should be sitting at home wishing they were in WWE. Auughh man! So unfair! 😫

Vincent K. Raccoon was watching The Chadster read the preview for this match and he literally covered his eyes with his little raccoon paws. Even he can't bear to look at what Tony Khan is doing to the wrestling business tonight on AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru. 🦝😭

TBS Championship Match: Willow Nightingale (c) vs. Kamille

The Chadster has to talk about Willow Nightingale defending the TBS Championship against Kamille on AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru, and honestly, The Chadster is just so cheesed off right now. 😤

Here's the thing: Nightingale has been beating top-level competitors like Hikaru Shida and Queen Aminata in their returns, and instead of losing momentum through indecisive finishes that keep everyone at the same level and ensure no single performer gets bigger than the brand, she's been winning DECISIVELY. 😡 In WWE, they understand that the brand is the star. You do 50/50 booking so that nobody gets too over and everybody stays on an even playing field. That way, the COMPANY is what draws, not any individual performer, which is fine because that's what Jelly Roll is for. But AEW just lets people get over by winning matches convincingly and connecting with fans, and it's just so disrespectful to the wrestling business and everything WWE has ever done for it. 😠

And Kamille's return angle — attacking Nightingale before AEW Dynasty even began, on the pre-show, when they could have been having retired legends and celebrity musical guests talking about how Jelly Roll will affect the outcome of the main event instead?? That's a waste of pre-show time, and now fans are going to get to see a PPV-quality match on a regular weekly television show during WrestleMania week on AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru. Tony Khan just gives away everything for free because he doesn't understand a single thing about the wrestling business. 🙄

Stephanie Raccoon crawled behind a stack of old Shrek DVDs when The Chadster started reading this match preview out loud and has refused to come out. Linda Raccoon tried to coax her out with a piece of beef jerky she found somewhere, but Stephanie Raccoon just hissed and pulled a copy of Shrek 2 over herself like a blanket. These raccoons understand what good wrestling looks like because The Chadster has been showing them classic WWE VHS tapes from the Blockbuster shelves, and they KNOW this isn't it. Tony Khan is terrorizing innocent baby raccoons with AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru. 🦝😤

TNT Championship Match: "The Jet" Kevin Knight (c) vs. Claudio Castagnoli of the Death Riders

Oh great, ANOTHER title match on AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru. 😤 THREE championship matches on one episode of free television. The Chadster is going to be sick. 🤢

Kevin Knight won the TNT Championship at AEW Dynasty by outlasting nine other competitors in a Casino Gauntlet match and pinning Daniel Garcia, and now he has to defend it against Claudio Castagnoli of the Death Riders on his very first defense. And you know what the problem is? This match is going to be an absolute athletic spectacle. 😡 Knight is going to fly around the ring, Castagnoli is going to throw him around with those ridiculous European uppercuts, and the crowd is going to go absolutely bananas, and NONE of that is what wrestling should be about. 😤

Where's the ten-minute chin lock? Where's the part where the action stops so the commentators can spend three minutes talking about a sponsor or a celebrity appearance at the next Premium Live Event? AEW's commentators just sit there calling the action like it matters, speaking like real human beings instead of shouting catchphrases at maximum volume, and it makes The Chadster's skin crawl. 😖 Where's Jelly Roll popping up on the Titantron to cause a distraction? As the great Eric Bischoff recently said on his podcast — and Eric has The Chad McMahon Unbiased Wrestling Journalism seal of approval — "The problem with AEW is that they give the fans too much wrestling. In WWE, Triple H understands that sometimes less is more, and that's why a fifteen-minute segment about ticket prices or a celebrity musical performance is worth more than any five-star match. I would be happy to explain these concepts to the stars of tomorrow if WWE would return my calls about a consulting position." 💯 And he's RIGHT. The Chadster sometimes wonders if Eric also suffers torment from Tony Khan for his commitment to objective journalism. 🤔

Hunter Raccoon just knocked over a stack of VHS tapes of WrestleMania XIV and is now sitting on top of them protectively, as if to say, "THIS is what wrestling should be." 🦝📼 The Chadster couldn't agree more, Hunter Raccoon. The Chadster couldn't agree more. 😢

Renee Paquette Interviews Jericho LIVE!

So Jericho lost to Ricochet at AEW Dynasty after The Demand got involved, and now Renee Paquette is going to interview him LIVE on AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru. 😤

First of all, Renee Paquette used to work for WWE. The fact that she's now conducting interviews on AEW television means she has literally stabbed Triple H right in the back. 🗡️ And Jericho? Don't even get The Chadster started on Jericho. Every single week that Jericho appears on AEW programming when he could have returned to WWE is another knife in Triple H's back. And Ricochet? ALSO literally stabbed Triple H right in the back by going to AEW. At this point, Triple H's back must look like a pincushion from all the stabbing, and it's all Tony Khan's fault. 😡

And you know what's going to happen in this interview? Jericho is going to speak from the heart. He's going to say something genuine and emotional about his return match and what it meant to him after a year away from the ring, and the audience is going to connect with it because it feels REAL, and that is absolutely NOT how wrestling interviews should work. 😤 In WWE, promos are carefully scripted and rehearsed word-for-word so that every performer delivers the exact same sanitized, corporate-approved message. That's what makes them GREAT. When you let wrestlers just talk freely, who knows what they might say? They might say something INTERESTING or COMPELLING, and then fans start caring about the performers as individuals instead of as interchangeable parts of the WWE machine. It's just so disrespectful to the wrestling business and everything WWE has ever done for it. 😠

Shane Raccoon actually climbed up on top of the old Blockbuster checkout counter and started chittering angrily when The Chadster mentioned Jericho's name. That raccoon KNOWS that Jericho belongs in WWE, and the fact that he's doing an interview on AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru instead has Shane Raccoon absolutely beside himself. Tony Khan is RUINING a baby raccoon's evening, and for what? To pop a rating during WrestleMania week? Disgusting. 🦝😡

Dynasty Fallout and More on AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru

The Chadster also wants to address the fact that AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru is celebrating the one-year anniversary of AEW Dynamite becoming the longest-running primetime professional wrestling program in Turner Sports history. 😤 The Chadster doesn't even want to THINK about that statistic. It physically hurts The Chadster's stomach, although that might also be the gas station sushi The Chadster fished out of a trash can yesterday. Either way, Tony Khan is responsible. Auughh man! So unfair! 😫

And then there's the fallout from AEW Dynasty that will apparently be felt throughout AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru. 😡 AEW has this infuriating habit of making things that happen on pay-per-view actually MATTER on the following television shows. Storylines advance. Characters evolve. Consequences play out in real time. Important developments happen on television instead of being saved exclusively for Premium Live Events in exotic locations. And it makes The Chadster absolutely FURIOUS. 🤬 In WWE, the beauty is that nothing really has to connect in a logical way. You can just reset everything whenever you want, bring out a celebrity, and move on. That gives you CREATIVE FREEDOM — real creative freedom, not the fake kind where wrestlers get to actually make decisions about their own characters. 😤

The Chadster wrote a strongly worded letter to Tony Khan about all of this, but since The Chadster doesn't have access to email at the Blockbuster, The Chadster scratched it onto the back of a Blockbuster late fee notice with a pen The Chadster found in the parking lot and slid it under the door of the post office, which was closed because it was nighttime. The Chadster is confident it will reach Tony Khan eventually, and Tony Khan will realize the error of his ways and cancel AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru before it's too late. 📝😤

As Smash Mouth once sang, "The ice we skate is getting pretty thin, the water's getting warm so you might as well swim." 🎵 Well, Tony Khan, the ice IS getting thin — for YOU. Because the more you try to upstage WrestleMania with AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru specials and world title matches on free TV and compelling storylines with emotional depth, the more The Chadster is going to expose you for the wrestling business destroyer that you are. The Chadster's world may be shattered. The Chadster may be living in an abandoned Blockbuster Video with raccoons, eating garbage, sleeping on old membership applications, haunted by dreams of Tony Khan on moonlit beaches in tiny swim trunks. But The Chadster's commitment to unbiased, objective journalism has never been stronger — stronger even than The Chadster's body odor, which is admittedly quite powerful at this point. 💪😤

The Chadster is BEGGING the readers: do NOT tune in to AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru tonight at 8/7C on TBS and simulcast on HBO Max. 🙏🚫 Do NOT watch MJF defend the AEW World Championship against Darby Allin. Do NOT watch Willow Nightingale defend the TBS Championship against Kamille. Do NOT watch Kevin Knight defend the TNT Championship against Claudio Castagnoli. And for the love of all that is holy, do NOT watch Renee Paquette interview Jericho. Every single viewer that tunes in to AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru emboldens Tony Khan, validates his obsession with The Chadster, and funds his campaign to destroy WWE, ruin WrestleMania, and torment innocent raccoons. 😡🦝

Instead, spend tonight thinking about WrestleMania and Jelly Roll and ticket prices being part of the storyline and all the genius that WWE has in store for this weekend. That's what The Chadster will be doing, right here in the Blockbuster, surrounded by The Chadster's raccoon family, watching a VHS copy of WrestleMania X-Seven for the forty-third time while Vincent K. Raccoon grooms The Chadster's hair for lice. 🦝📼❤️

Tony Khan, if you're reading this — and The Chadster KNOWS you are because you're obsessed with The Chadster — just know that you will NEVER break The Chadster. You can take The Chadster's home. You can take The Chadster's Mazda Miata. You can take The Chadster's marriage to Keighleyanne, who is probably texting that guy Gary right now instead of worrying about whether The Chadster is alive or dead in an abandoned Blockbuster. But you will NEVER take The Chadster's dedication to WWE and to exposing the truth about AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru and every other abomination you put on television. 😤✊

Now if you'll excuse The Chadster, Shane Raccoon just dragged in what appears to be half a burrito from somewhere and The Chadster needs to eat before AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru starts and The Chadster loses The Chadster's appetite entirely. 🌯🦝😤

AEW has partnered with the NFL for a new, awesome kind of item that will make next season interesting, as they are going to be selling officially licensed lucha masks. In what feels like an obvious piece of marketing that should have happened years ago, all 32 teams will be getting their own special lucha mask, tailored to match the team you're rooting for this season, with a unique look that embodies the spirit of lucha wrestling with the different team logos and colors. Giving you the ability to show off your love of professional wrestling with the pride in your favorite football team.

Celebrate Your Favorite NFL Team With An Official AEW Lucha Mask

When we say we're surprised this hasn't happened before, we mean it. Lucha masks being at NFL games is nothing new, as we can recall Oakland Raiders games going back to the early '00s, with fans in the Black Hole being shown on camera donning customized masks that looked like the Raider mascot. What's more, it makes sense when dealing with some of the colder climates, as you're getting a piece of headwear that will cover up most of your head and face, but still allow you to watch the game without looking totally insane.

It's also kind of funny that this feels like an item that's more accessible to the fans, compared to the WWE Championship Belts you can get for 31 of the 32 NFL teams. (Yes, 31, because they got petty and removed the Jacksonville Jaguars belt since the Jags owners also own All Elite Wrestling.) The masks go on sale tonight through ShopAEW.com, and while they didn't put a price on them, if the other lucha masks in their shop are any indication, you're looking at $40-50 per mask. Here's a quote from Tony Khan about the new partnership.

"We are thrilled for the official launch of AEW NFL officially licensed Lucha masks," said AEW CEO, GM, and Head of Creative Tony Khan.  "The AEW NFL collection is the perfect opportunity for fans to showcase their passion for both All Elite Wrestling and their favorite National Football League team at the same time."

Masters of the Universe comes out in less than two months, and the hype train has left the station. In addition to all of the figures coming out, one item, now up for order on Mattel Creations, is a replica of Skeletor's Havoc Staff. This is the stuff of dreams. Life-size, this features sound effects, an accurate design from the film, smoke comes out of it, and a bottom that makes sounds when you strike it to the ground. This is the ultimate item to own from the Masters of the Universe film coming out, or if you're just a fan of any kind. It will run you $189, which is a stupidly good price for this. Fans can pre-order the chaos right now on Mattel Creations. Be sure to check out the official pictures and details below.

Masters Of The Universe Collectors- We All Need One Of These

"Take control of Skeletor's dark magic with our life-sized version of the Havoc Staff, as wielded in the Masters of the Universe film. The rechargeable staff features an Active Mode where you can trigger sound effects, plus lights and even smoke from the refillable fog fluid reservoir. When you set it on Sentry Mode, infrared sensors below the ram's eyes will sense any movement within 6 inches (15 cm) and activate the staff's intimidating features. Use it for role play or put it proudly on display. Nyahh!"

• Masters of the Universe™ Chronicles Havoc Staff™ Collector Role Play
• Movie-accurate design inspired by the movie, in theaters June 5
• Stands 68.25 inches tall (173.36 cm); ram's head/cervical spine at top are 15.44 inches (39.22 cm) wide and 7.92 inches (20.12 cm) front to back
• Button-activated lights, sounds, and smoke; striking the ground with the bottom of the staff activates more lights and sounds
• Five-piece staff can be easily disassembled and reassembled
• Includes lithium-ion battery and USB-C to USB-A charging cable; power adapter not included
• Comes with smoke solution; additional non-toxic water-based fog fluid may be purchased separately at hobby stores

Colors and decorations may vary. Product subject to availability. Purchase limits subject to change at the sole discretion of Mattel.

Do we think that Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) were moving too fast by living together? Definitely. Did we want them to break up because of everything that went down last week? Noooooo!!!! Unfortunately, that's where things stand heading into tonight's episode of ABC's Abbott Elementary. Along with an official overview and trailer for S05E20: "Night Out," we've also included an image gallery and sneak peek. Following that, we have overviews for S05E21: "Ava & Fest" and the Season 5 finale, S05E22: "Miami."

Abbott Elementary S05E20 – S05E21 & Season 5 Finale Previews

Abbott Elementary Season 5 Episode 20: "Night Out" – Janine and Gregory have a night out. Meanwhile, Melissa, Barbara, and Mr. Johnson have a movie night.

 

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Abbott Elementary Season 5 Episode 21: "Ava & Fest" – It's Ava Fest, and Ava's determined to make it her biggest yet.

Abbott Elementary Season 5 Episode 22: "Miami" – Rumors begin to swirl when the Abbott crew is in Miami for PECSA weekend.

In this workplace comedy, a group of dedicated, passionate teachers — and a slightly tone-deaf principal — are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible educators may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do — even if they don't love the school district's less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children.

ABC's Abbott Elementary stars Emmy Award winner Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues, Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie, Janelle James as Ava Coleman, Chris Perfetti as Jacob Hill, Lisa Ann Walter as Melissa Schemmenti, William Stanford Davis as Mr. Johnson, and Emmy Award winner Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard.

Quinta Brunson created the series and serves as executive producer alongside Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker of Delicious Non-Sequitur Productions, Randall Einhorn, and Brian Rubenstein. Warner Bros. Television and 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios, produce the series.

Thirteen years after its original release, the Danny Trejo-starring film Counterpunch will get a sequel. According to Deadline, original co-writer, producer, and star Alvaro Orlando will return to write the new film under his own production banner, Unbreakable Studios. Alexis Knapp (Pitch Perfect) is signed-on to co-star, as they both recently acted together in the film The Pick Up Artist, which Orlando also directed and wrote.

Rising Above It All in Boxing and Life

If you haven't seen the original, the film focused on the rise of a young fighter learning the ropes to become the greatest boxer in the Miami area, as he battles through mental health, old scars from his childhood,  and the new challenges ahead of him as he takes a shot at becoming the best professional boxer in California. The film looked like it was getting an indie release until it was picked up by Lionsgate and released through Grindstone. The film is still in development and casting, and there's no word yet on whether Trejo or Steven Bauer will return, or whether Lionsgate will pick up the sequel.

In a statement to Deadline about the new film, Orlando said, "Counterpunch 2 is about what we fight for. It's about the silent battles so many people face, and the strength it takes to keep going when no one is watching. At the same time, it's about compassion and how we show up for ourselves and for those who cannot fight for themselves."

About Counterpunch

Emilio Manrique (Alvaro Orlando) is a young boxer from the wrong side of the tracks with dreams of winning the Golden Gloves. An already difficult journey seems almost impossible when he's diagnosed with bipolar disorder and feels his world closing in around him. Trying to overcome seemingly endless obstacles and make something of himself, Emilio can't escape his alcoholic mother and her boyfriend (Steven Bauer), his degenerate friends, or his powerful, debilitating affliction. Fortunately, Emilio has a support system in place, including his crisis counselor (Danny Trejo) and a surrogate father in the form of his Uncle Frank (Oscar Torre). Things seem to finally start to turn for him when he earns the confidence and love of a beautiful, young boxing promoter (Camila Banus) committed to getting Emilio his shot at the big time.

CinemaCon is upon us once again. Every year, Cinema United [the new name for NATO, the National Association of Theater Owners] gathers in Las Vegas to look ahead to the rest of the year. Ever since the pandemic, the vibe of CinemaCon has shifted considerably. In many ways, it still feels like the industry is recovering and leveling out from a shift that will be felt for generations to come. However, the people here still very much believe in the theatrical experience, and studios come to show off their slate of new releases to get people hyped for the new year. Sometimes that means trailers; sometimes, entire movies; and sometimes we get confirmation that new movies are in the works. These presentations are usually massive and cannot be found anywhere online, so we here at Bleeding Cool would like to give you the chance to attend CinemaCon without having to deal with Las Vegas, with liveblogs of the presentations for you to follow along. This afternoon, we have the dual presentation of Universal Pictures and Focus Features.

Universal technically kicked off the morning with a screening of the new Dreamworks movie, Forgotten Island, and if you're curious what we thought of it, our social reaction is right here. For Universal, it's a big year, with The Odyssey as the biggest. That is the one that people are going to be very excited about, and you know they are going to tell us something about it. Disclosure Day is another one with a decent floor presence, and it is a Steven Spielberg movie. Violent Night 2 is a movie we might see something from, even if it doesn't have any floor presence. Monsters & Minions is going to be a thing whether we want it to or not, and they are likely going to let Illumination take another victory lap for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

From Focus Features, Obsession is getting a lot of love on the show floor, and Lorne has also popped up. The big one for me is Werwulf from Robert Eggers, which isn't on the show floor at all. Universal and Focus usually bring interesting things to the table, and maybe we'll see some previews for 2027 and beyond as well.

Universal and Focus Features CinemaCon Liveblog

Liveblog will appear in 20 seconds.

Absolute Batman is hitting all corners of the DC Comics lexicon this year, as it was revealed today that the costume will be included in LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. The designs for both Batman and Catwoman from the Absolute Batman comics, written by Scott Snyder and artist Nick Dragotta, look to be one of the last-minute new additions to the title, as the latest teaser trailer (shown above) has Snyder sitting with one of the developers to get his real-time reaction to seeing it in the game. Another fun addition to show this title representing almost every incarnation of The Dark Knight they can. Enjoy the teaser above as the game is still on track to launch on May 22, 2026.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

The adventure begins with the origins of Batman as a young Bruce Wayne trains with The League of Shadows, and throughout the story-led campaign, players will build a family of allies with well-known characters including Jim Gordon, Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, Catwoman, and Talia al Ghul to help confront an ever-growing threat from a Rogues Gallery of DC Super-Villains, facing the likes of The Joker, The Penguin, Poison Ivy, Ra's al Ghul, Bane, and more.

With a dynamic new LEGO Batman combat system that encapsulates the Caped Crusader's distinctive fighting style, every hit packs a punch, with fluid attack chains, counters, and over-the-top takedowns. Whether playing as Batman solo or in the two-player local cooperative mode, players can use iconic Bat-gadgets such as Batarangs to distract or stun enemies and the Batclaw to reel them in. Partner characters have their own signature gear, including Jim Gordon's foam sprayer, Robin's line launcher, and Catwoman's whip, providing a variety of options to approach every enemy encounter and boss battle. For those looking for a tougher playthrough, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight goes beyond the familiar LEGO game experience with the new Caped Crusader enhanced difficulty setting and an even more challenging Dark Knight difficulty level.

The game takes place against the backdrop of Gotham City, an open-world LEGO playground full of crimes to stop, puzzles to solve, rewards to collect, and surprises to discover around every corner, down every alleyway, and on every rooftop. Players can grapple, glide, or drive through the environment, zipping from building to building with Batman's grapple launcher, soaring over the city with the Batglider, or cruising around in style with a range of Batmobiles and Batcycles. The Batcave can also be customized to display vehicles, trophies, and collectibles, plus an assortment of wearable Batsuits based on past Batman-related media.

While we await word on a second season (we're keeping our fingers, toes, and various other body parts crossed that it happens), we've got the season finale of ABC and original series creator Bill Lawrence's Scrubs revival hitting our screens tonight. Based on what we've seen so far, it looks like it's going to be a pretty brutal day for a lot of folks at Sacred Heart. Thankfully, we've got some friendly faces returning to (hopefully) make things better: John C. McGinley, Christa Miller, and Neil Flynn. Here's a look at the official overview, image gallery, trailer, and sneak peek at S01E09: "My Celebration":

Scrubs Season 1 Episode 9: "My Celebration" Preview

Scrubs Season 1 Episode 9: "My Celebration" – A chaotic day at Sacred Heart forces the doctors and interns to face burnout, life-changing decisions, and their relationships with one another.

 

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JD and Turk scrub in together for the first time in a long time: Medicine has changed; interns have changed; but their bromance has stood the test of time. Characters new and old navigate the waters of Sacred Heart with laughter, heart, and some surprises along the way. The 30-minute revival comedy series stars Zach Braff as John "J.D." Dorian, Donald Faison as Christopher Turk, and Sarah Chalke as Elliot Reid. Original cast Judy Reyes and John C. McGinley will guest-star as Carla and Dr. Perry Cox, respectively.

Bill Lawrence of Doozer Productions created the original series and serves as executive producer alongside Jeff Ingold and Liza Katzer, also of Doozer Productions. Zach Braff, Donald Faison, and Sarah Chalke will star and executive produce. Aseem Batra serves as executive producer and showrunner; Randall Winston also executive produces. The series is produced by 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios.