Travis Scott is as much of a brand as an artist these days, what with his PlayStation, McDonald’s, Fortnite, and many, many more collabs. His most recent crossover into the commercial space (literally for a commercial) comes via the new trailer for Disney+’s Goosebumps. Moreover, the five-episode show (premiering October 13) will focus on a teacher possessed by an evil force, and the efforts of five teen friends to solve a decades-old murder mystery. For fans of R.L. Stine’s original book series, this is far from the first adaptation rodeo, with the most recent mainstream one being a Jack Black-starring film.
Still, a little boost from Travis Scott’s biggest song ever, the aptly placed “goosebumps,” gave this trailer a unique feel. Well, unique might be generous, as it’s a bit bizarre to get sucked into a horror-style show and then hear trap snares and bass in the background. Regardless, it’s an obvious pick to soundtrack this show’s trailer, and one that’s wild to see actually manifest. When La Flame’s song came out in 2016, few people could’ve predicted the impact and popularity it would achieve.
Travis Scott Gives This Disney+ Trailer “Goosebumps”
What’s more is that Travis Scott might be looking forward to some more collaborations in the future. These ones, though, have nothing to do with another brand or some promotional opportunity to secure a bag. Furthermore, we’re talking about his next musical releases, namely on Offset’s next album and with Playboi Carti. The Opium MC previewed a song with the Houston native at his birthday bash, which have fans begging for another hit from the “FE!N” duo. Of course, considering that he just dropped UTOPIA, we’re happy to just get feature verses for now as he completes his victory lap.
Meanwhile, it’ll be interesting to see if “goosebumps” actually shows up in the Goosebumps series. Did they just pay for the trailer use or are they going to really emphasize the big partnership that much? Either way, it’s an odd placement for a wavy song on a creepy product, but if anyone can make it hype, it’s the Rodeo artist. On that note, check back in with HNHH for more news and the latest updates on Travis Scott.
Loki Season 2 drops in October. The MCU villain turned anti-hero continues his time-traveling, multiverse-bending escapades with the Time Variance Authority. At the end of Season 1, one of Loki’s multiverse variants killed He Who Remains, an alias of Kang the Conqueror. Now, with Kang/He Who Remains spread across the multiverse, Loki must reassemble his team and help restore balance.
However, a bevy of real-world issues have cast a shadow on the premiere of the show. The biggest is the ongoing legal issues faced by Kang/He Who Remains’ actor, Jonathan Majors. Majors is accused of assaulting his then-girlfriend back in March. It is unclear what the plan is for Majors with Disney as Kang is meant to be their next major villain for much of the 2020s. Despite this, Majors does appear in the Loki Season 2 trailer. He is briefly seen as Victor Timely, the Kang variant he emerged as at the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Timely is a long-standing comic alias of Kang who serves as an early 20th Century rival to Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. The full extent of Majors role will be seen when the show drops on October 6.
Majors will be back in court on September 15. He briefly appeared in court in New York on September 6 to receive his new trial date. Majors has been in and out of court for the past few months as prosecutors time and again present a case that the judge finds worthy of trial.
As mentioned, Majors is accused of assaulting Grace Jabbari, whom he was dating at the time. Jabbari says Majors strangled her amid other things while they were clubbing in March. While details have been disputed back and forth, other women have come forward with similar allegations about the actor. Furthermore, an in-depth investigation from Rolling Stone found reports of violent behavior about Majors dating back to his college days. This is a developing story and we’ll have any updates as and when they emerge.
May the Fourth be with you, sweet sweet nerds. Today (May 4) is Star Wars Day. Stemming from the franchise catchphrase “May the force be with you”, May 4 has since become a celebration of all things Star Wars.
Star Wars began as humble, science-fiction epic by George Lucas in 1977. A New Hope was quickly followed by two sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and The Return Of The Jedi, in 1980 and 1983. The films quickly become engrained in the cultural zeitgeist. A prequel trilogy introduced the franchise to a new generation in the 1990s and early 2000s. This eventually led to the purchase of Lucasarts Film by Disney in 2012. There has since been a sequel trilogy, multiple animated and live-action spinoffs, and a theme park at DisneyWorld. With possibly the exception of Marvel, also owned by Disney, there are few pop cultural monoliths as well known as Star Wars.
Disney Celebrates Star Wars Day By Highlighting Extensive Catalog
Intercut with dialogue highlighting the core tenant of the franchise (freedom from tyranny), the video shared by the Disney+ social media accounts highlights just how far the franchise has come since 1977. From small screen to animated, the franchise has become more than George Lucas likely ever imagined. The video contains footage from just about every Star Wars property currently on Disney+, including:
The original trilogy
The prequels
The Rise of Skywalker sequel trilogy
Solo
Rogue One
Andor
The Mandalorian
Visions
The Bad Batch
Rebels
The Clone Wars
In addition to the video, Disney+ has released two new shows to mark May 4. The first is Volume 2 of Star Wars: Visions, a collection of animated shorts from well-known animation studios and directors. The other is Young Jedi Adventures, a new series set before the prequels that is aimed at young children. There will be more properties coming to dominate Disney+ for the rest of 2023, with the release of Ahsoka and The Skeleton Crew. Star Wars is a property that has brought joy to millions of people. Happy May 4th, if you so observe, and may the force be with you.
Season 3 of The Mandalorian has been fairly divisive. Showrunner Jon Favreau inadvertently set the tone when he said that he had no endgame in mind for the Star Wars spinoff. As a result, Season 3 has felt like something of a set-up season – Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) must do a variety of side quests to be reaccepted by his people, the Mandalorians. He does this so that bigger things can happen in future seasons. Meanwhile, the Mandalorians are trying to restore their home planet to its former glory despite the challenges faced by external sources.
The season saw Djarin undergo the trials to be accepted into Mandalorian society, while also focusing on Bo-Katan’s (Katie Sachoff) struggle to once again be named Mandalore’s ruler. Their adventures take them around the local system, including a meeting with Lizzo, before once again returning to Mandalore. There, Bo-Katan is able to unite the desperate tribes and clans ahead of a final confrontation with Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito).
The season finale of The Mandalorian feels like a video game. Djarin and Grogu (Baby Yoda) must fight through increasingly difficult enemies before they can have a showdown with Moff Gideon. Gideon, who essentially wants to be the new Space Emporer, monologues a little bit like a video game boss. Then he proceeds to kick the asses of Djarin and Bo-Katan. However, before he can commit violence against the internet’s favorite puppet, a whole-ass spaceship falls onto the building they are fighting in. Gideon is killed by Grogu is able to protect Djarin and Bo-Katan with his force powers.
Then things get very…show-ending-y. Mandalore is restored, Djarin is reaccepted by his people and then formally adopts Grogu. And then the father-son pair retired to a peaceful homestead while undertaking legal contract work for the New Republic. The direction is a strange one as while it feels like the show is wrapping up, a fourth season is already in development. However, for the time being, Djarin and Grogu finally get a little bit of peace and quiet. How did you feel about the finale of The Mandalorian Season 3?
Twitter Reacts
the mandalorian spoilers . . . “Then i will adopt him. As my own.” “This is the way.” “Let it be written in Song that din djarin is accepting this foundling as his son.” pic.twitter.com/yFjgHVaOJx
Kid Cudi is ready to take audiences on a trip among the stars as Disney released the first trailer for Crater. Credited as Scott Mescudi, Cudi will play a small role in the upcoming sci-fi coming-of-age film. It’s the latest role for Cudi, who has also been involved on both sides of the camera in Ti West’s X trilogy. While his role in Crater is not expected to be major, Cudi’s presence dominates the film’s first trailer.
Crater is the latest from Kyle Patrick (Easier with Practice, C.O.G., The Stanford Prison Experiment). It is set to be a breakout role for young star Isaiah Russell-Bailey. After starring in Family Reunion, it serves as a major step away from television for the 17-year-old. The rest of the cast, besides Cudi, is a collection of young stars. With a few exceptions, it is the first major role for a majority of them.
“Crater” Set To Be A Coming Of Age In Space
Crater is set to follow Caleb (Russell-Bailey), a teenager living in a moon colony in 2257. As Caleb’s late father (Kid Cudi) narrates the importance of road trips, we see Caleb and his friends embark across the lunar surface to visit a distant crater. The trailer spends time building the relationship between father and son before reveling in its futuristic setting. The film is also set to star Mckenna Grace (Fuller House, The Haunting of Hill House), Billy Barratt (Responsible Child), Orson Hong (John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch, Only Murders In The Buildings), and Thomas Boyce (Neuroblast).
The ragtag friend group and various perils, along with Cudi’s narration, invoke classics of the coming-of-age genre. Crater evidently draws on the likes of Stand By Me, but with the novel introduction of its off-world setting. In short, it is a far-future homage to the pivotal 80s films that defined the genre. Variations of the coming-of-age genre have become increasingly common. 2019’s Rim Of The World showcased the potential that science fiction had for the genre. But the message of the film’s first trailer is clear. Regardless of what’s in the crater, the real treasure was the friends we made along the way. Crater will release on Disney+ on May 12.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 2 released on Wednesday on Disney+ and saw Din Djarin, Grogu and company sprinting through the plotlines laid out in the first episode. While Episode 1 was all about bringing the audiences back up to speed, Season 3 Episode 2 was about plunging them (literally) into the deep lore of Mandalore.
Mandalorians are by far the most interesting group of people in Star Wars. They have such a deep, rich and fascinating lore. While Star Wars, and all the species in it, has a deep lore itself, this particular part of the franchise is unique.
For starters, that’s because the only Mandalorian ever seen in the films was Boba Fett. He, for as interesting as he was and is in his spin-off, is nothing like Din Djarin.
Djarin clings to the small religious sect of Mandalore that only a few do, even when he meets others that laugh in the face of it. Bo-Katan, Koska Reeves and others remove their helmets with no repercussions, but Djarin insists on finding the obsolete Living Waters to redeem himself for doing that.
That’s the premise laid out in Episode 1, and it’s almost completely resolved (or at least abandoned) in The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 2.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 2: What happened this time?
Din Djarin visited Peli Motto once again, who’s become almost as much of a recurring character as anyone. He wants to find an IG memory processor to fix his friend and the only droid he trusts, IG-11.
When he’s told that’s basically impossible, he begrudgingly takes an astromech she has to scout the planet. That effectively ends the plotline laid out in the first episode and plunges viewers into the future.
When he does discover that the air isn’t polluted, he goes down into the ruined city of Sundari on Mandalore, which was destroyed in the purge. Upon his arrival below, he begins looking for the mines of Mandalore so he can redeem himself.
He is attacked by a mechanized organism that is able to capture him and appears to be preparing to eat him. Grogu, then, must leap (he literally Force leaps into his chair) into action. He has to go find Bo-Katan, just about the only person who can help Din.
Bo-Katan agrees to help Din, using his fallen Darksaber to slay the organism. It’s worth pointing out that she uses the weapon much more effectively than Djarin does.
She knows the way to the Living Waters and guides the injured Mandalorian there with Grogu. When he begins to recite the Creed he clings to, he’s sucked down into the water. Bo-Katan jumps in after him and finds him knocked out at the bottom of the water.
As she drags him up, she catches a glimpse of a monstrous beast that opens its eye and looks at her. She scrambles to the surface and drags her fallen counterpart to land, clearly shaken to her core by what she’s seen.
That’s where the episode ends, one of the more cliff-hanger-esque endings Jon Favreau and company have cooked up for the show.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 2 suffers from poor lighting. The entire episode, with few exceptions, takes place in the ruins of Mandalore. There’s no light beneath the surface, which makes things difficult to see.
However, it’s not dark enough that it’s impossible to see, though there are curious instances when characters turn off their lights and make it even worse.
It’s dim and mysterious, which could very well be the vibe the crew was going for. It’s a bit of a horror episode, with a few dark themes explored and a couple of jump scares.
Aside from that, there’s really nothing wrong with it from a technical aspect. The plot does quickly abandon the premise of the season, since Din Djarin has technically bathed in the waters and thus redeemed himself now (does anyone really believe he won’t remove his helmet again to save or help Grogu?).
Nevertheless, The Mines of Mandalore is another solid entry into the franchise. It gives viewers a look at how far Grogu has come. In the earlier seasons, he never would have been able to get back into his chair. This time, he flips into it with ease, navigates all the way back to Bo-Katan and gets her to help.
It also continues to explore the depths of the lore. Season 1 pulled in viewers with what felt like a Star Wars-adjacent story. Season 2 connected it to the greater universe. The third season seems to be pulling viewers into the lore like the beast pulled the Mandalorian down under the water.
Fortunately, for those unfamiliar with the depths of Star Wars (which is a lot of people, even dedicated Star Wars nerds), Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau are holding the audience’s hand.
They use the relationship between Mando and Grogu to explain things. Din Djarin gives his “son” the rundown on what’s going on. Bo-Katan explains it to both Djarin and Grogu, who are relatively clueless. So is the audience, so it’s a useful if boring exposition tactic.
This episode isn’t groundbreaking. It’s not even the best of this season. Nevertheless, The Mandalorian continues to prove why it’s must-watch television. What on earth (or Mandalore) will Djarin, Katan and Grogu do next?
Disney+ will be dropping the highly-anticipated third season of The Mandalorianat the beginning of March. However, the show’s creator, Jon Favreau, has confirmed to BFM TV that the scripts for Season 4 are already completed. Disney and Lucasfilm have yet to officially announce a fourth season. Therefore, Favreau and the Mandalorian crew are just waiting for the green light to begin shooting from the studio. Apparently, Favreau wrote the Season 4 scripts during Season 3’s post-production. In doing so, he kept in mind that the series needs to fit into the larger network of the Star Wars universe. There are multiple Star Wars series in the works, including Ahsoka.
When asked about the fourth season of The Mandalorian, Favreau said, “Season 4, yeah I’ve written it already. We have to know where we’re going to tell a fully formed story. We had mapped it out, Dave [Filoni] and I, and slowly you start to write each episode. I was writing it during post-production. All of it has to feel like a continuation and one full story.” Watch the clip below:
Favreau continues on to say that “[Dave’s] doing Ahsoka, which I’m producing with him. He’s the writer and showrunner on that. To understand what’s happening on other shows….Skeleton Crew all take place within the same Star Wars time period. There’s a lot more things that we’ve got to keep in mind and also stuff that we’ve built up to from previous seasons of The Mandalorian as well.”
Rosario Dawson plays the live-action version of Ahsoka. Her character originally debuted in the previous season of The Mandalorian. However, she’s now getting her own series with Disney+. The show will be set in the same time frame as The Mandalorian. Additionally, Jude Law will be starring in a Star Wars seriescalled Skeleton Crew. That show will also take place during the same time period as Disney+’s The Mandalorian. A third Star Wars series, The Acolyte will star Amanda Stenberg. That show will take place many years in the past. Therefore, it will operate on a different schedule from The Mandalorian. Season 4 of The Mandalorian debuts on March 1 on Disney+.
On a croisé 