Will Dr. Ben Song Return Home? - Quantum Leap Canceled By NBC

By Brandon T. McClure

“Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home.”

So ends the final episode of Quantum Leap in 1993. One of the most heartbreaking endings in television history as the entire premise of the show was built around the hope that Dr. Beckett (Scott Bakula) would find a way home. It is apparently the fate of all Leapers to never find their way home as, more than thirty years later, Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee) will suffer the same fate. As Quantum Leap fans found out on April 5, 2024, the sequel series of the same name has been canceled by NBC.

Originally created by Donald P. Bellisario in 1989, Quantum Leap aired for five seasons on NBC and followed the time traveling trials of Dr. Sam Beckett as he attempted to put events right that originally went wrong. Thirty years after the show's cancellation in 1993, Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt revived the show with a new cast of characters and a new leaper, Dr. Ben Song. Together with his friends in the present, including his hologram and fiancé Addison Augustine (Caitlin Bassett), he attempts to put right what once went wrong, all the while trying to discover the larger mysteries surrounding the Quantum Leap program.

There have been talks of a new Quantum Leap series for decades and at one point Bellisario had suggested a movie could come to fruition. Ever since the finale's title card, fans had been hoping that someday Sam Beckett could return home. Practically every convention or public appearance made by the cast or Bellisario had them saying “maybe”. But that changed after the death of Dean Stockwell who played Sam’s best friend and hologram Al. It was Bakula’s belief that there was no Quantum Leap without Stockwell’s Al. But shortly after Stockwell’s death, NBC ordered a revival of the cult classic series centered around a new Leaper. Fans had wondered if Bakula would return but he set the record straight just before the new series began airing. Before the series aired Scott Bakula confirmed that he would not be returning, leaving the new show with a large shadow hanging over it. But the show prevailed and was able to find a dedicated audience, admittedly not a large one. While the first season wasn’t the smash success that NBC was surely hoping for, it was successful enough to get a second season.

Unlike the original show, this new Quantum Leap leaned on serialized storytelling, in order for it to compete in age of streaming television. The first season centered around the mystery surrounding his fiancé, Addison’s future death. Ben had somehow manipulated his leaps to arrive at the point where he could save her life. The second season found Ben at the whim of Ziggy, the supercomputer that seemingly controlled the leaps through time. Through the season Ben unknowingly manipulated the life of a a young woman named Hannah Carson (Eliza Taylor ).

Quantum Leap quite brilliantly began to implement a story that was reminiscent of the Doctor and River Song’s story from Doctor Who. Ben had told her who he was and she would help him through his leaps. All the while, Hannah was working on something in the background as her knowledge in quantum physics grew. She appears in many of the episodes of the second season, and audiences began to wonder if she would discover how to bring Ben back to his own time. As it turns out, she had created a code that would help Ben in the future, but it didn’t bring him home,. Instead, it brought Addison to him in the past. The finale of the second season set up a third season where Addison and Ben would be reunited, leaping through time putting right what once went wrong. Interestingly enough this is not the first time this idea was presented.

In May of 2019 a video was uploaded to Reddit which confirmed that there was a filmed alternate ending, should the show be renewed for a sixth season. This alternate ending was going to send Al through the quantum accelerator to find Sam, who was now leaping through time as himself, rather than in the bodies of other people. This suggests that the sixth season would have Sam and Al leaping together through time, working as a team without the limitations of the hologram idea. Even though Bellisario is only an executive producer and not a creative voice on the show, his original idea (which he denies he had even, though there’s proof) still found its way into the new Quantum Leap writers room. This means that both shows were cancelled before this exciting idea could come to life.

But now the excitement has been replaced by disappointment as NBC has seen fit to cut its losses. The show struggled during its second season, like many shows, due to the studios’ greed driving the writers and actors of Hollywood to go on strike. Quantum Leap struggled in the ratings and will probably never receive the same cult-like fandom the original has, but it had fans and they deserved better. So like Dr. Sam Beckett before him, Dr. Ben Song never returned home.

Star Trek Needs Star Trek: Legacy

By Brandon T. McClure (@btmcclure @fakenerdpodcast)

It’s a crazy time to be a Star Trek fan right now. Five shows have been released since 2017’s Star Trek: Discovery with a sixth one on the way. Currently Star Trek: Picard is airing its third and final season which sees the return of the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This season has been better received than the previous two seasons and that’s got the fans begging for more. Turns out the showrunner for this season of Star Trek: Picard has plans to continue the story, should Paramount be interested, through a show called Star Trek: Legacy.

When Star Trek: Picard first aired on CBS All Access (Which became Paramount+) in 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the series saw an older retired Jean-Luc Picard now living in his family's vineyard, content with making wine for the rest of his life. But a young being, who claimed to be Data’s daughter, sought him out and set him off on a new journey that took him to new worlds with a new crew. This season was ran by Michael Chabon, who would leave during the production of season 2 due to a massive contract he signed to develop more in the world of Star Trek. This, however, has yet to come of anything. Terry Matalas took over the show and season 2 was released in 2022. That season saw Q return to help Picard come to terms with the death of his mother. As ambitious as those two seasons were, they were generally not loved by the fandom at large. But season 3 had a lot of promise.

After being contacted by Beverly Crusher, Picard reconnects with Captain William Riker to help him find her. While this is going on, Raffi, a character introduced in the first season, is uncovering a plot to destroy the Federation. This is all connected and sets the stage for a story that would be filled with nostalgic callbacks, returning cast, and exciting new characters. Terry Matalas and his crew of writers, production designers, directors, and more, crafted a season that harkened back to the 90s era of Trek, which is commonly referred to as the golden age. Star Trek: Picard season 3 is capable of standing on its own without the support of the first two seasons and operates as a legacy sequel to not just Star Trek: The Next Generation, but Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. 

William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) in Star Trek: Picard

With any legacy sequel, there need to be characters to pick up the mantle from the older generation. That’s where Star Trek: Picard truly shines. While some characters already had kids, like Worf’s long-forgotten son Alexander, or Riker and Troi’s daughter Kestra, this season introduces Jack Crusher as the son of Picard and Beverly. What’s more, this season also introduces Geordi’s children in the form of Alandra and Sydney LaForge. The frustrating thing about these characters is that fans like them. They like them a lot and there are not that many episodes left with them (1 at the time of this writing). It’s a good problem to have, certainly, but many fans are wondering if these characters will ever be seen again.

Lt. Commander La Forge (LeVar Burton) and Alandra La Forge (Mica Burton) in Star Trek: Picard

This is where Star Trek: Legacy comes in. Terry Matalas’ proposed spin-off of Star Trek: Picard would pick up after the events of the series and seemingly feature these characters that fans have fallen in love with. Matalas is talking to everyone about this show (except for me) in the hopes of gaining interest in it. When speaking with TrekMovie.com he spoke about how he feels the 25th century, the year that Star Trek: Picard is set, is the present day of the Star Trek universe, and that he would love to explore what the century looks like around the galaxy. “Boy, wouldn’t you want to check in with the Klingon Empire? Wouldn’t you want to check in with Deep Space Nine and The Doctor [from Voyager] and everything that went on with the Berman-verse?” He adds that he would like to “explore the galaxy and sort of get back to the Next Gen roots of storytelling” and that that is the “kind of version of Star Trek I’d like to see, with this group of characters that we’re seeing”.

Strangely enough, this is not new territory for fans. When Star Trek: Discovery aired its second season, it introduced Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, the second captain of the USS Enterprise. Captain Pike took command of the USS Discovery for a mission to search for Spock, whose disappearance was related to a mission that threatened the galaxy. Anson Mount’s Captain Pike and the other two returning characters Spock and Number One were so well received that fans began demanding a series focused on them. Eventually, Paramount+ gave in to fan demand and greenlit Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in May of 2020. When it was released in 2022, it was an instant hit with new and old fans alike. Now, Trek fans are being called on once again to campaign for Star Trek: Legacy. 

Paramount+ has already announced a new show in the form of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, but that’ll most likely be set in the future of Star Trek: Discovery, which leaves a gap of time not being explored by the franchise. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is set in the mid-23rd century, just before Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: Lower Decks and Prodigy are set in the early 2380s, which technically makes every Star Trek show on the air a prequel series. There’s still plenty of room for a series set in the early 25th century, the “present” of the Star Trek timeline as Terry Matalas said. The show could continue to explore strange new worlds and pick up characters that fans haven’t seen in ages. Characters from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine like Ezrie Dax, Bashir, or even Miles O’Brien (who let's face it, should have been in this season of Star Trek: Picard). There is plenty of room for a show that deals with nostalgia while also paving the way for the “next generation”.

There is a legitimate fear with Star Trek: Legacy that is worth bringing up. Star Trek has never been a nostalgia machine. It’s always been a franchise that’s more concerned with moving forward than backward. In fairness, this changed with the 2009 film Star Trek, and the current era has been struggling with that ever since. Both the first seasons of Star Trek: Discovery and Picard were less concerned with nostalgia than doing something new and the fans were not receptive to that. Sure, it probably had more to do with creative choices, but studios often take the wrong lessons from these things. Star Trek: Lower Decks is a show built upon reference jokes to past Trek and was very well received when it launched. So Star Trek: Legacy could be more interested in looking backward than forwards. Ideally, that wouldn’t be the case. The show would hopefully not center around nostalgia and only sprinkle it in when the story called for it. For the most part, that is how season 3 of Star Trek: Picard has been structured so there’s no reason to think that Star Trek: Legacy would be any different.

Following a story about the kids of the crew of Enterprise D is incredibly appealing because they’re good characters that fans have enjoyed. Perhaps Kestra Troi-Riker joins the USS Titan with Sydney LaForge at the helm and her sister Alandra in Engineering. Captain Seven of Nine and her first officer/girlfriend Commander Raffi Musiker at the conn. The cast is already there and waiting to explore the final frontier of the 25th century. Hell, maybe they’ll finally remember Alexander. One thing is for sure, if this is the last time we see these new characters, it’ll be a shame.

Will Willow Return From Beyond The Shattered Sea?

By Brandon T. McClure (@btmcclure @fakenerdpodcast)

In 1988 Lucasfilm released a new fantasy epic directed by Ron Howard called Willow. The film starred Warwick Davis and Val Kilmer and followed their journey to protect a baby, named Elora Dannon, who was prophesied to save the world. Warwick Davis played the titular character of Willow, a Nelwyn who yearns to be a sorcerer. The movie was a moderate success but didn’t kickstart a new fantasy franchise. But discussions for a sequel TV series picked up in 2005 with the series going into official pre-production in 2019. Finally, Willow was released on Disney+ in 2022 only to be canceled a few months later.

Acting as a legacy sequel to the 1988 film, Willow sees the return of Warwick Davis as Willow Ufgood. He’s called upon when Queen Sorsha’s son is taken by an evil witch known as the Crone. The series introduces new characters to the franchise such as Boorman, Graydon, and Kit and reintroduces Elora Dannon as a young girl with no knowledge of who she was meant to be. During their quest, Willow has to train Elora to fight the Crone and learn the secrets of the new villains, The Order of the Wyrm.

Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) in Willow.

For a number of weeks after its release, Willow was one of the top 10 most streamed shows and its critic score on Rotten Tomatoes was a respectable 86%. The show received plenty of praise for its humor, action, and queer romance at the center. It’s not often that family fantasy shows center around a lesbian romance. It consisted of likable characters and respected the world of the movie in ways that allowed it to grow and expand. The final episode ended with a tease that this story would span three seasons, which proved that there was confidence and a plan. So it came as a blow when Deadline reported that Willow had been canceled by Disney+.

Willow isn’t the first show to get that axe from Disney+. With the streaming bubble looking like it’s about to burst, many streaming services are cutting down on the amount of shows they produce exclusively. Long gone are the days when streaming shows would grow an audiences, but now the days of content overload might be behind us. Shows like Big Shot and Mighty Ducks: Game Changers (another legacy sequel) were canceled shortly before this news about Willow dropped. But, according to showrunner Jonathan Kasden (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), hope is not lost.

Kasden went to Twitter after this news dropped to explain the circumstances surrounding Willow’s future. According to the showrunner, Disney and Lucasfilm are still interested in the show but season 2 wasn’t going to film in 2023. The decision was made to release the cast and crew from their contracts so that they may pursue other opportunities while the writing staff polishes the scripts for the next season. He compared the wait for season 2 to the 34-year wait between the movie and the show, which didn’t give the confidence he was likely hoping it would. If this was just a case of letting contracts laps, then no one told the actors. Throughout the day when the news of its cancelation dropped, the actors took to social media to console each other and fans about the disappointing news. If Kasden was truly confident that there would another season, perhaps he should have told his cast first.

Jade (Erin Kellyman) and Princess Tanthalos (Ruby Cruz) in Willow.

A rumor came out recently that Bob Iger, who was recently reinstated as head of Disney, mandated that Lucasfilm focus on developing Star Wars projects and not any others. What the general public at large may not be aware of, is that Lucasfilm has three original IP’s that belong to their company: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Willow. While Disney+ has become home to many successful Star Wars shows and a new Indiana Jones movie is being released this year, Lucasfilm has struggled when it comes to where they want to take Star Wars on the big screen. Every few months, a director and writer are hired to develop a new film only for them to leave months later. Perhaps the cancelation of Willow is a casualty of that. Should this rumored mandate be true, then Lucasfilm would only be allowed to make and produce Star Wars related films and shows, and their other IP would just go back on the shelf collecting dust. There’s no room for three seasons of Willow when there’s a Star Wars movie to be made.

There are a lot of potential reasons for why Willow could have been canceled. There’s also the hopeful possibility that it hasn’t been, and besides, plenty of shows have been saved from cancelation before. A show like Willow doesn’t come along every day. Its cancelation follows a concerning trend of sapphic-centered TV shows being canceled (this news dropped days after it was reported that A League of Their Own was “canceled”). But with a writers strike on the horizon and streaming services hemorrhaging money, Willow is just very likely to be just another casualty of the end of the golden age of streaming.

A New Dawn For DC

By Brandon T. McClure

The new Co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn promised to tell audiences what his plans are for this new era of DC in January of 2023. True to his word, on the last day of January, Gunn revealed part of the first chapter of his and Peter Safran’s new plan. This new plan is separated into chapters with the first one titled “Gods and Monsters” and looks to revitalize the DC slate with a combination of prestige television shows, animated television shows, and of course big budget blockbuster films. This new first chapter for DC’s cinematic universe is the most ambitious one yet and potentially the most exciting.

To kick things off, James Gunn talked about the remaining DC films that are releasing in 2023. Gunn and Safran had inherited four films that are meant to release this year, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and finally Blue Beatle. These films can be considered a prelude to the upcoming chapter one but Gunn was clear that they do fit in with his new vision. The Flash was always meant to reboot the DC film franchise anyway. The actors from these movies are also likely to return, especially Momoa who Safran stated is working on Aquaman 3. Gunn also put to rest the rumors that Jason Momoa would be playing Lobo.

While many characters are being recast, many are not. Gunn made it clear that The Flash would not lead to a complete reboot. The door is open for the likes of Zachary Levi, Gal Gadot, and even Ezra Miller to return. In the case of Miller, the new heads of DC Studios are willing to keep conversations open with the actor while they go through their recovery. Miller became a very controversial figure lately, so it makes sense that they would be more cautious with them going forward.

The Flash (Ezra Miller) and Supergirl (Sasha Calle) in The Flash.

Then Gunn began to talk about what the initial projects of his first chapter are going to be. He started with a new animated series called Creature Commandos. This new animated series will be written by Gunn and will feature Amanda Waller creating a team of supernatural heroes which include Frankenstein, the Bride of Frankenstein, Rick Flag Sr, Doctor Phosphorus, Weasel, and more. When it comes to the cast of this series, the hope is to cast actors who will be able to play the same characters in live-action. Marvel attempted the same thing with What If…? but had to settle for sound-a-likes for some parts. Gunn made it clear that the hope is that the actors will remain consistent through film, television, animation, and video games.

Film, TV, and animation connected is old hat at this point. While Marvel hasn’t committed to connecting their animated shows, including the upcoming Spider-Man: Freshman Year, they are slowly developing a multimedia franchise through theatrical and streaming distribution. Connecting video games is the big question mark here. When Insomniac was developing Spider-Man for the PlayStation 4, they were not required to make sure that it was the same Spider-Man that Tom Holland played. So the question of how much these video games will connect remain. It’s possible that the output of games that Gunn wants to connect to his new franchise would be separate from “Elseworlds” games. Because DC Studios is now controlling everything DC-related, video games would just be developed through their vision and not necessarily connected to their shared universe.

James Gunn mentioned that his goal for the new DC cinematic universe was to make sure that anything not a part of the same universe, is specifically labeled as an Elseworlds. Movie franchises like The Batman and Joker were explicitly mentioned, as well as Teen Titans Go. It’s interesting that he specifically felt that Teen Titans Go needed to be mentioned since it’s very unlikely audiences think the show takes place in the same world as Peacemaker. But with so many DC shows ending, such as Doom Patrol and the entire Arrowverse, perhaps there will be fewer shows developed that will take place outside of the new “aligned continuity” that James Gunn and Peter Safran are developing. 

While they may have inherited the Elseworlds films and shows, they seem to be willing to embrace them. This could attract filmmakers uninterested in being part of a shared universe and allow them to develop moves outside of “Gods and Monsters”. Gunn and Safran are already willing to have two different actors play Batman so who’s to say how far that will go. The sky is, potentially, the limit. The same is true for the relatively popular DC original animated films that WB has been putting out for over a decade. Unlike the previous regime, everything now falls under DC Studios. This includes shows and direct to BluRay animated movies. With Gunn and Safran overseeing everything in a way that Walter Hamada was not, only time will tell how long these films continue. They don’t make a lot of money for the company and it may not be worth it to keep them up after a while.

The rest of Gunn’s plan includes a new Superman film called Superman: Legacy, a series based on Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller called Waller, a horror film centered around Swamp Thing, and many more. These projects are already exciting, and when they are paired with a live-action Green Lantern TV series centered around John Stewart and Hal Jordan, titled Lanterns, and a movie based on Tom Kings Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow mini-series, it’s clear this is a line-up of projects developed by a long time fan of comic books. James Gunn clearly reads comic books and keeps up with them. His inclusion as the head of DC Studios is every comic book fan's dream. He has the power to read a comic book and immediately green-lights a movie based on that same comic. 

Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) in Suicide Squad.

The Brave and the Bold is another movie that was announced. This film will introduce the new Batman of this continuity. Robin has been absent from Batman adaptations since 1997’s Batman and Robin and it’s time to change that. This film will introduce Damian Wayne, the biological son of Batman and the current Robin in the comics. While that is certainly exciting for fans of Grant Morrison’s seminal run on Batman, Safran went on to say that this film will also introduce characters from the Bat-Family. Batman adaptations have kept him alone for decades and it’s wonderful that there will be a Batman film that will touch on the thing that has made his comic book counterpart so endearing, his family. It’s too early to say which of his family will turn up, but at this point, they’re all on the table.

Back in the early days of Marvel Studios, there was a story group that helped develop the franchise and doctor scripts. This story group was disbanded after the very public falling out that happened when Edgar Wright left Ant-Man. Similar to those old Marvel Studios days, Gunn and Safran brought on writers to help develop chapter one including Drew Goddard (The Martian), Jeremy Slater (Moon Knight), Christina Hobson (The Flash), Christal Henry (Watchmen 2019), and Tom King (Mister Miracle). Gunn indicated that some of these writers would continue working on projects, including Henry, who is co-showrunning Waller with Jeremy Carver, who was the creator behind the recently canceled Doom Patrol series.

Damian Wayne from Grant Morrison’s Batman (illustrated by Andy Kubert).

Something that was very important for Gunn and Safran to reiterate was that the goal of all these projects is to make sure that story comes first. Gunn called out other superhero films as not having third acts written by the time they’re shooting. A problem that many fans have picked up on through the years. In Gunn’s new regime, he vows to not let this be the case. It’s telling that only Superman: Legacy has a release date in this regard. Not committing to a release date, allows them to take their time and not put pressure on writers to finish the script in time to make a date that’s only two years away. Gunn was not pulling any punches during his interviews, clearly calling out Marvel when he made his story comments. 

Gunn might have ruffled some feathers, however. Not only did he throw thinly veiled comments towards Marvel, but also the previous regime. “As everyone here probably knows, the history of DC is pretty messed up, it was fucked up,” he said. While Walter Hamada made sure that the films he produced were the visions of the filmmakers, Gunn feels that DC was just handing out IP to anyone who would smile at them. He specifically mentions Birds of Prey and Black Adam but also his own The Suicide Squad. “No one was minding the mint, they were just giving away IP like they were party favors to any creators that smiled at them,” he said. Many of the films he’s referring to are well-liked and the filmmakers put a lot of effort into making them work, so it might not have been the smartest move to throw shade their way. This is especially apparent when referring to the canceled Batgirl film as something that would “hurt the DC brand.” While that’s a little hard to believe, perhaps it’s time to let the filmmakers, who worked hard on the movie, move on.

It’s unclear what kind of shows could be coming next from DC, but Gunn mentioned the Arrowverse as part of the “messed up” history of DC. Frankly, this was an unfair jab at a series of shows that created a beloved universe for many years. But with that coming to an end, and Superman & Lois only having one or two more seasons left (according to Gunn and Safran), there are not many DC shows left (Harley Quinn remains the lone survivor from the DC Universe days) Clearly, prestige TV shows are going to be very important to Chapter 1 going forward, but could we see more unrelated shows? Besides the Penguin series, it sounds like DC shows won’t be as frequent as they used to be. Perhaps it’s fitting the Arrowverse is ending, since it could mark the end of an era of DC television, the likes of which we might not see again. For every Pennyworth: The Origins of Batman’s Butler, there was a Doom Patrol, so it wasn’t all bad, after all, many of the Arrowverse stars are iconic. Time will tell when the next Elsworlds TV series will be, but the frequency will be drastically reduced.

Robotman (Brendan Fraser), Negative Man (MattBomer), Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero), Cyborg (Joivan Wade), Elasti-Girl (April Bowlby) and Chief (Timothy Dalton) in Doom Patrol.

Something that should be apparent at this point is that Gunn is taking all the lessons he learned from the Guardians of the Galaxy films and incorporating them on a bigger scale. Marvel, for all their success, remains somewhat controversial with some of their choices of creative talent. Not in the way that they’re bad or problematic, but their insistence to hire inexperienced writers to develop their shows and sometimes movies have begun to weigh on their fanbase. This looks to be something Gunn isn’t too keen to repeat. While the creative teams behind most of the projects have not been revealed, the creative talent for Waller indicates that Gunn is looking to hire experienced creatives and not first-time showrunners.

This desire is one of the ways he’s hoping to avoid superhero fatigue, which he believes to be a real thing. Recently, studios have been more interested in making release dates that are set before creative teams have been assembled. It’s something that Marvel has become pretty adept at, but Gunn, who is primarily a writer, wants to be sure that no movie will be made before a screenplay is finished. “I’ve seen it happen again and again — it’s a mess, it’s the primary reason for the deterioration in the quality of films today, versus 20-30 years ago,” he said referring to studios being more concerned with hitting release dates. Gunn and Safran believe that if more care was put into the writing process, then they can avoid superhero fatigue, or as Safran put it “bad movie fatigue.”

This “Gods and Monsters” lineup is a dream come true for comic book fans no doubt, but it’s also DC’s last shot. This will be the third time they have set up the pieces to build a shared universe and if this doesn’t work then it’ll be very difficult to convince the general audience to care. As it stands, DC Studios already has an uphill battle ahead of them. With each regime change, the hill gets higher. Gunn and Safran are clearly very passionate about this lineup of films and believe that this is going to be the winning formula. Time will tell if that’s true, but there are a lot of big promises being made that could very well prove to be empty.

Here’s a list of the titles:

Creature Commandoes

Waller

Superman: Legacy

Lanterns

The Authority

Paradise Lost

The Brave and the Bold

Booster Gold

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

Swamp Thing

DC Has Found Their Kevin Feige’s

By Brandon T. McClure

For a number of months now, there have been numerous reports about how Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav was looking for a “Kevin Feige-like” figure to spearhead a new direction for the DC films. The thinking was that, despite their success, DC has been floundering without a singular voice guiding a specific direction, in the vein of Marvel Studios. THR has recently reported that that figure has finally been found in the form of James Gunn and Peter Safran. The two of them will work together as co-CEOs at DC Studios, effectively replacing former head Walter Hamada who departed the company earlier this month.

Reports of this search have been going on since the early days of the merger with WarnerMedia and Discovery. Initially, it was reported that Zaslav was looking at offering the job to the likes of Joker director Todd Phillips and even Kevin Feige himself. No formal offer was made to either man but it looked like Zaslav was barking up the wrong tree with, at least Feige. It’s difficult to imagine anyone pulling Kevin Feige away from Marvel Studios at this point or in the near future. While Joker made lots of money for WarnerMedia (Or was it TimeWarner at the time?), Phillips isn’t a comic book fan and he didn’t seem like the right fit. So the search continued. 

Fast forward a number of months when it was revealed that Walter Hamada was given the offer to stay on board the new company. Hamada, for all his faults, oversaw very successful DC films including Aquaman and Shazam. Walter Hamada had a very filmmaker-first attitude when it came to the DC films he produced. He was adamant that every DC film would be able to stand on its own as the sole vision of the director. This was a deliberate contrast to how Marvel Studios produced their films. His strategy seemed very chaotic, however, with Michael Keaton returning and replacing Ben Affleck as Batman, a film centered on Static Shock, multiple Superman projects, and many spin-off shows for HBO Max that were in various stages of pre-production. Hamada was very interested in making big-budget shows and movies for HBO Max, which Zaslav is reportedly very opposed to. When Zaslav canceled Batgirl during its post-production, Hamada decided it was time to leave the company and he declined the offer. It’s possible more of his projects were canceled than the public knows at this point (Does anyone know what happened to Static Shock?). He had his strengths, but he had also been a controversial figure in the eyes of the public thanks to his actions during the abuse investigation of the 2017 film Justice League, so perhaps his leaving was for the best.

The search appeared to be over at last when a report came out that producer Dan Lin was being considered for the role. Once again, no formal offer was made but it appeared that Warner Bros. Discovery was putting all they had into getting him onboard. Lin had a relationship with Warner Bros. after producing many films for them, including The Lego Movie and Godzilla vs. Kong. However, he has many projects in the works right now through his production company Rideback, such as Lilo & Stitch with Disney and the long-awaited third Sherlock Holmes film. In order to take on this role in DC Studios, Lin would have to leave Rideback and any projects he was associated with as well as a first-look deal with Universal Studios. By all accounts, he seems like a good man, a decent producer, and a fan of DC Comics, but it wasn’t meant to be. He denied the offer when it came, likely due to the controversial cuts David Zaslav had been making throughout the company.

After an extensive search, Warner Bros. Discovery finally announced that James Gunn and Peter Safran had signed a deal to be Co-CEOs of DC Studios, which appears to be a new division within Warner Bros. Discovery and in the same vein as Marvel Studios. Most people will know James Gunn as the director of Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, but may be unfamiliar with Peter Safran. Safran has been a producer on many Warner Bros. franchises, including the Conjuring movies and DC films, including Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad, which he did with James Gunn. In fact, Gunn and Safran’s working relationship goes even further as THR reports that Safran began his time in the film industry as a manager where James Gunn was one of his clients. 

It appears that Zaslav turned his attention to building a structure at DC Studios similar to how Pixar is run, rather than Marvel Studios. A notion corroborated by THR themselves when they say “Even though Zaslav talked about finding a Kevin Feige-style executive, over the summer the team started looking at emulating the Pixar model, in which you have producers and filmmakers working as executives. That has never been tried in the live-action space”. This could be an experiment that pays off and, if it does, could lead to an industry shift where more creative voices are put behind the scenes. Gunn, for his part, will focus more on the creative side of everything while Safran will focus on the business and production side. The two of them will oversee all of DC’s film, television, and animation endeavors, which likely means picking up the pieces that hurricane Zaslav has left them with. 

“We look forward to collaborating with the most talented writers, directors, and actors in the world to create an integrated, multilayered universe that still allows for the individual expression of the artists involved.” Gunn and Safran said in a joint statement. Since so many fans have resonated with DC’s filmmaker-first approach to their films, it sounds as though Gunn and Safran want to keep that intact while also honing in on the chaotic approach left by Hamada. While Zaslav likes to boast a new ten-year plan for DC films, Gunn and Safran’s contract is only for four years, with the likely option to sign a new contract when it’s up. For reference, Hamada was only at Warner Bros. for four years as well, so there’s certainly a lot that can be done in that time. During this time, Gunn will be exclusive to DC, which puts to bed any speculation of him directing a Marvel film after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. While he obviously has Peacemaker season 2 in the works, he will be able to also direct other DC films while he’s operating as co-CEO, something that has only been done at Pixar.

Up until now, the post-production of upcoming DC films like Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, and The Flash have been overseen by the heads of Warner’s film division Micheal De Luca and Pamela Abdy. But effective November 1st, Gunn and Safran will take over those duties and every future DC film with the exception of Joker: Folie à Deux and possibly The Batman, due to them existing in separate universes. It’s unclear at this time who will produce the sequel to The Batman and its spin-off shows on HBO Max but De Luca and Abdy will produce the upcoming sequel to Joker. That all said, Gunn and Safran will work directly with De Luca and Abdy, and other various department heads while answering directly to David Zaslav himself. By all accounts, the two of them are kind people, who know how to make good movies and are fans of the source material, so this sounds like news that should be celebrated. While this is just speculation, it would be nice if this meant the remaining DC projects in development were safe from being unceremoniously canceled by Zaslav's need to recoup his dept.

Kevin Feige is a tough act to follow. Studios have been trying to replicate what he’s done for more than a decade now to no success. Warner’s has gone through many people trying to find their own, such as Zack Snyder, Geoff Johns, and the aforementioned Walter Hamada but none have found the secret sauce that makes Feige’s approach so successful. Truthfully, DC’s most successful when they aren’t trying to replicate what Marvel has done. DC’s films have found financial and critical success despite the constant changes behind the scenes. Time will tell what a more consistent voice will do for the films. A Pixar-type structure for a live-action studio is an interesting idea, one that could pave the way for more creative voices behind the scenes of major studios. While the news is surprising, considering Gunn has never expressed interest in being in this position, it’s great to have good news come out of Warner Bros. Discovery for once.

CW / The End of the ARROWVERSE

By Brandon T. McClure

In the midst of massive restructuring in Warner Bros. and the CW channel, the CW recently announced that the planned ninth season of The Flash will be the end of the long-running (pun intended) Arrowverse show. After it was revealed that Superman & Lois did not take place in the Arrowverse (despite conflicting reports in the first season), The Flash became the last show standing. At its height, the Arrowverse consisted of six shows, and one by one the expansive universe dwindled into one. The exciting New Era promised after the “Crisis On Infinite Earths'' crossover seems to be ending with a whimper, rather than a bang.

Flash (Grant Gustin) in CW’s The Flash

After Arrow’s successful first season, the second season looked to expand the world and introduced Bary Allen. His episode was meant to be a backdoor pilot for a series based on the DC character, The Flash. The Flash began airing in 2014 and quickly became popular with viewers. It was instrumental in expanding the Arrowverse and the relationship between Oliver and Bary became a crucial linchpin in the franchise. What started as a world without superheroes, developed into an exciting and expansive world that would go on to include many superheroes. 

Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, and Batwoman would soon follow, as the world and the multiverse expanded. Dozens of DC Comics heroes and villains big and small would be introduced like Firestorm, Martian Manhunter, and even Superman. Eventually, the shows felt just as alive as the comics they were based on. Crossovers became annual events that would delight audiences as the universe grew bigger and, often, more ridiculous. Eventually, the crossovers grew so large that they adapted the biggest crossover in DC comics history, Crisis on Infinite Earths. The end of the massive five-part crossover promised a bright future for the Arrowverse. Green Arrow was gone, Supergirl and Black Lightning were merged into the same Earth and Superman was about to get his own show, an assumed spin-off of Supergirl, the stage was set for even bigger events and even a Justice League.

Mon-El (Chris Wood) and Supergirl Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist) in CW’s Supergirl

Then the pandemic happened and the bright future was cut off. The pandemic was a struggle for the entire entertainment industry the longer it went on. Shows and movies were able to film but the restrictions made scheduling very difficult. Restrictions on how many actors could be on set, not to mention actors getting sick from the COVID-19 virus made the job of writing the shows much harder. Proposed crossovers weren’t able to happen due to various scheduling issues and a desire to keep every set isolated in the hopes of quelling the virus. Keeping a shared universe together requires a lot of planning, and the pandemic made planning and structure almost impossible.

Ruby Rose, who headlined Batwoman, was going to be positioned as one of the new faces of the Arrowverse due to her natural chemistry with Melisa Benoist, who had played Supergirl for many years now. Rose left the Arrowverse show, however, for many reasons, most notably the abuse she suffered on set from producers. Rather than replacing Rose in the lead, the showrunners created a new character to be played by Javicia Leslie, in the second season, in the hopes of saving the show from cancellation. Benoist herself decided to leave the Arrowverse, which put an end to Supergirl due to her becoming pregnant and wanting to focus on her family. The end of Supergirl would follow the premature end of Black Lightning, although a spin-off of the latter was developed but never greenlit.

Ryan Wilder/Batwoman (Javicia Leslie) in CW’s Batwoman

After Superman & Lois, the Arrowverse struggled to launch new shows set within the “Earth-Prime” continuity. A spin-off of Arrow was developed centered around Oliver Queen’s daughter taking up the mantle of the Green Arrow in the Star City of the near future. Tentatively titled Green Arrow and the Canaries, the show would languish in development hell until The CW decided not to move forward with the series. Fan favorite character John Diggle currently has a series in development called Justice U, but it remains to be seen if that series will ever make it to air.

Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow ended earlier this year, leaving The Flash as the final Arrowverse series. As each show began to fall, it became increasingly bizarre that The Flash was still going. Every time the series was renewed for a new season, many would wonder how long this show could continue. Finally, the announcement came that the upcoming ninth season would be its last. While there are other DC shows on the CW like Stargirl, the upcoming Gotham Knights, and the aforementioned Superman & Lois, there are no more that share the continuity established in 2012 with Arrow. 

With so many shows set in one continuity, it can be difficult to sustain them, and the ambitious plans for the future of the Arrowverse might not have been sustainable anyway. The shows were incredibly popular, and perhaps their popularity was always going to wain after “Crisis on Infinite Earths”, but it’s hard not to lament the way the Arrowverse is going out. The Arrowverse deserved to go out with a big bang, something even bigger than their biggest crossover. But sadly, all it will get is a few episodes of The Flash season 9 and that will be it. These were popular characters and actors that audiences loved and it just feels like they deserved more.

QUANTUM LEAP 2022 / Scott Bakula not returning...

By Brandon T. McClure

Quantum Leap is returns to the small screen on September 12th. The reboot of the 1989 sci-fi drama series about Dr. Sam Beckett leaping through time, trying to put right what once went wrong. This time, it will follow a new scientist (Dr. Ben Strong played by Raymond Lee) and his team as they restart the Quantum Leap program and begin their own journey. Since the new series is billed as a sequel to the original, many fans were hopeful that it would finally give Sam Beckett the happy ending he was denied in the original show. But Dr. Beckett himself, Scott Bakula, took to Twitter to set the record straight.

The original show began airing in March of 1989 and became a success due to its good-natured storytelling. It was anchored by the chemistry between Dean Stockwell and Scott Bakula, whose friendship was at the heart of every season. Since the infamous ending title card read “Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home,” fans have been left wondering what ever happened to the intrepid time traveler. Donald P. Bellisario, the shows creator, had been working for a number of years to bring the further adventures of Sam and Al back, first with a television movie on the SciFi Channel and then as a big screen feature-length film. Now that universe is finally returning and, even though Bellisario is involved in the new series, everyone has been pretty quiet on whether or not Bakula will be involved.

Scott Bakula posted a Twitter thread that explained his involvement in the new show. In short, he’s not involved at all. “I have no connection with the new show” he tweeted, which immediately dashed the hopes of long-time fans. Apparently, he was sent a script for the pilot of the new show, because the Sam Beckett character was initially included, but decided to pass on it. He went on to say “‘How could you do [Quantum Leap] without Sam?’(or Al, for that matter)  Well, I guess we’re about to find out.” He did mention that it was a difficult decision to make and that he hopes for nothing but the best for the new team, but he will not be making an appearance.

This kind of cuts the new show off at the knees a bit. Fans were hopeful that the new series would pick up on some of the threads from the original show, especially considering Ernie Hudson’s returning character. The original announcement for the 2022 reboot told audiences that the new Quantum Leap project was being restarted to find out what happened to Sam. Since Dean Stockwell has passed away, it was clear that Al couldn’t be a part of the series but knowing that Sam won’t be either is a tough pill to swallow.

This is not to say that the new show won’t be able to stand on its own of course. Certain expectations come with sequel shows, and it’s good that Scott Bakula quelled those expectations before the show aired. While some legacy actors try to keep their returning roles a secret, Scott Bakula didn’t mince words over him not returning. His language makes it sound pretty definitive that he’s not looking to guest star on the show at any point. Perhaps if Quantum Leap does get a second season, the writers could reach out again to see if he has changed his mind. 

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Casts The First Captain Of The Enterprise

By Brandon T. McClure

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is upon us! The fifth Star Trek series to air in this era will reintroduce fans to the characters of Captain Christopher Pike, Number One, and Spock, as well as a number of new and old characters alike. Now that the show is close, Paramount+ has announced another captain of the Enterprise will be appearing in the show. Robert April has been revealed to be making his live-action debut in the upcoming series and Adrian Holmes has been cast as the character.

For long-time fans, this name is familiar, but might not be familiar to new ones. Robert April first debuted in the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode The Counter-Clock Incident where it was revealed that he commanded the Enterprise on her first five-year mission, which began in 2245. The events of The Counter-Clock Incident see the Enterprise escorting Commodore Robert April to the planet Babel where Federation ambassadors await. The purpose of the mission is to forcefully retire April, who’s grown to retirement age. When the Enterprise enters a negative universe, everyone on board begins to get younger. Since April is much older than the rest of the crew, he’s able to take command and save the ship and her crew. Since this one appearance, the character of April has only appeared a number of times, most notably in books and comics. 

Star Trek: The Animated Series exists in a strange place in the canon of Star Trek. In the 1980s, Gene Roddenberry himself disowned the series and didn’t consider it to be a canonical part of his franchise. It’s not too clear why he did this, though. Some sources have stated that he was just never happy with the finished product. But his request to strike the series from the official canon coincided with him losing control of Star Trek: The Next Generation, so it could have been in retaliation to that. Over the years, however, elements from the series would be considered canon, even if the show itself wasn’t. Things like the Caitian alien species, Kirk’s middle name being Tiberius, the aforementioned Robert April, and a few other things have been incorporated into canon over the years.

This is a very deep-cut character for anyone who isn’t familiar with the in-universe history of the Enterprise. April was a highly decorated captain before his promotion. After the completion of his five-year mission, he received the said promotion, and his first officer, Christopher Pike, took command of the Enterprise. Pike would go on to command the famous ship in three five-year missions before his own promotion sometime before 2265. It was at this point that command of the ship was given to Captain Kirk, where he would go on his own five-year mission (the events of Star Trek: The Original Series) before accepting a promotion of his own. 

Robert April (Adrian Holmes) in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

The casting of Robert April has proven to be a hot topic around the internet. Adrian Holmes, a black actor, is playing a character who first appeared to be white. But it’s important to note that since Star Trek: The Animated Series is not considered to be canon, the only thing that audiences have ever been told about Robert April is his name, and that’s it. If canon is so important to those who are outraged about this, then let the record be put straight right now.

Adrian Holmes has been wowing critics with his turn as Uncle Phil in Bel-Air and it’s truly exciting to see him as Robert April in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Now all three Enterprise captains can share the screen together for the first time ever. It’s doubtful April will have a significant role in the series, but surely with the casting of Paul Wesley as James T. Kirk, the destined captain of the Enterprise, it would seem a missed opportunity to not get them all together.

What The Baby-Sitters Club’s Cancellation Can Tell Us About Netflix

By Brandon T. McClure

Back in March of this year (2022), Netflix surprisingly canceled one of its most well-received series, The Baby-Sitters Club. The Netflix original series about a group of young girls who form a Baby-Sitters Club in their hometown exceeded Netflix's expectations and even won a few awards. So why was it canceled? Rachel Shukert, the creator of the Netflix adaptation, may have the answer to this and other mysterious cancellations. In an interview with Vulture.com, she speculated that “For whatever reason, the right people didn’t watch it at the right time for Netflix right now.”

The Baby-Sitters Club was an adaptation of the long-running Ann M. Martin book series of the same name. Both seasons currently sit at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and some reports claim it was a hit with the internal viewing numbers. Once upon a time, Netflix used to let shows last 5-6 seasons but then it was 3 and now a show is lucky to get to 2 seasons. While Shukert doesn’t know the exact reason for the changes in Netflix’s model, she speculates that viewers only have one weekend to secure a show's future. “Completion rates are a big deal,” she begins to say “and our show takes longer to complete because it’s for a younger audience. Parents don’t necessarily let kids sit and watch six hours of television at a time — probably rightly!” A show like The Baby-Sitters Club doesn’t reach the kind of audience that is able or willing to binge an entire season in a weekend. It appeals more to a younger audience than something like The Witcher or Locke & Key. “They want people to watch it a certain way, and they want shows that people will watch that way — not shows that people want to watch in their own way,” she continues, noting a stark change from their “wait and see approach” from years past. 

This is a problem unique to Netflix as well. Most of the major streaming services have found huge success with the weekly release model. Take Peacemaker or WandaVision for example. The weekly releases of these shows created appointment TV that allowed the shows to grow and build an audience. Perhaps it’s not in the cards for Netflix to adopt that type of model right now, but a case could be made that it’s doing more harm than good at this point. “I think we had the bad luck to come out at about the same time as Squid Game, which showed them how crazy numbers could get. Numbers that were totally respectable and successful last year were suddenly seen in a different way,” she said, while also adding that The Baby-Sitters Club had better numbers than a show like Succession on HBO.

Another issue that Shukert cites is how Netflix does things internationally. “The truth is that when your show does very well in North America, as ours does, as far as Netflix is concerned, pretty much everybody who’s going to have Netflix [in North America] has it. They’re looking to drive subscriber growth in other parts of the world where this IP doesn’t have much recognition,” she continues. Basically confirming what most have theorized at this point, which is that Netflix isn’t getting new subscribers in North America and are looking for opportunities to grow in other parts of the world.

It’s really a shame that Netflix did this to The Baby-Sitters Club since it fills a specific role in entertainment that rarely gets touched on. When she was asked about whether or not it’s easier to dismiss shows about young girls, specifically citing the discussions around Pixar’s Turning Red, Shukert responded by saying “Girls are expected to go straight from Doc McStuffins to Euphoria.” She went on to note that “People are extremely uncomfortable with this period in girls’ lives,” specifically referring to the time when they aren’t a child but also not an adult. “The Baby-Sitters Club speaks to so many girls because it meets them where they are. It’s not about adults telling them who they are. It’s not really about boys, although they have crushes, which is a realistic part of life at that age.” She went on to say “There’s something about stories geared to this age that always felt like hindsight from adults, as opposed to what it actually feels like to be that age. What we could do with The Baby-Sitters Club was make the girls as smart and interesting and mature as girls are without making it all about how other people see them. It’s about how they see themselves.”

From an outside perspective, Netflix’s practices seem erratic. Where once stood a place for creatives to make the projects they want with the idea that Netflix will let the audience find them, now stands a slaughterhouse where two-season critical darlings go to die. Due to some weird numbers in the algorithm, many didn’t even know a second season of the series was released. Having worked on a number of Netflix projects, Rachel Shukert can only speculate what practice Netflix is using now. But with Netflix looking to lose two million subscribers and other streaming services finding great success with their original programming, perhaps it's time for Netflix to overhaul its model.

NEWS / Captain Kirk is Coming to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

By Brandon T. McClure

Leaked photos of Paul Wesley on the set of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 are now out there. The internet was interested in who this new character could be. Trek Culture even speculated that this could be Matt Decker, the character made famous by the late William Windom in the original Star Trek season 2 episode The Doomsday Machine. But Paramount+ has now gone ahead and exclusively revealed that Vampire Diaries’ Paul Wesley is playing none other than Captain James T. Kirk. 

Wesley is the third actor to play Captain Kirk after William Shatner’s iconic character and Chris Pine in the later rebooted franchise. Curiously, his uniform suggests that he’s already been promoted to Captain. There’s been no canonical reference to when Kirk was promoted, but it’s been assumed for some time that it was when he took command of the Enterprise. Since it’s unlikely he’s taking over the Enterprise from Captain Pike this early, could they be introducing him as the captain of the USS Farragut? The set images show him with a different badge than the ones worn by the Enterprise crew. This could indicate they’re returning to a scrapped Star Trek: The Original Series idea where each ship had its own special badge.

At any rate, it's unlikely Paramount+ would have announced this role so early, before season 1 has even aired, if the photos hadn’t been leaked. Surely Captain Kirk was so far from everyone's minds, that they could have kept this a secret a little longer. It’s not like many people were going to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in the hopes of seeing Captain Kirk. The benefits of a show like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is that there has been so little in canon about Captain Pike, and this was the chance for audiences to see what adventures he went on before his accident.

In Star Trek, few characters are as famous as Captain James T. Kirk. Between William Shatner and Chris Pine, the character has starred in two TV shows (Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Animated Series) and ten movies (Star Trek: The Motion Picture to Star Trek: Generations and the three reboot movies). So for a new Star Trek series to return to the Captain Kirk character, even briefly, on the surface feels unnecessary. After all, are fans really that hungry for the early adventures of James T. Kirk?

Captain Kirk is such a powerful figure in Star Trek, that his presence could overshadow Pike and his crew, in the same way that Anson Mount overshadowed the cast of Star Trek: Discovery. Questions still remain, though, since Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is said to be more episodic than the other current Star Trek shows, how much of a role will Paul Wesley play in the series? It’s unclear how long the show-runners envision the show lasting, but if this is them introducing Kirk to replace Pike, then it would be a shame.

FOUR EYES REVIEW / The Book of Boba Fett - Season 1

Welcome back to another “Four Eyes” review. We take this moment to share 2 opinions on a single geek topic.

Below both Justin and Jenny will each dive into what they thought about Season 1 of The Book of Boba Fett. Join us for an interesting recap.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on social media using #foureyesreview

SHOW: The Book of Boba Fett

STARRING: Temuera Morrison, Ming-Na Wen, Jennifer Beals, Sophie Thatcher, Timothy Olyphant, Pedro Pascal, Amy Sedaris

RELEASE DATE: December 29th, 2021

WHERE TO WATCH: Disney+

FROM JUSTIN POMERVILLE (2 Broke Geeks):

So we have come to a close on the first season of The Book of Boba Fett and this series has been polarizing among Star Wars fans. I am in the camp that the series was not very good. I believe the pacing was off and the writing was a mess. I think if given more time and some tweaks, this series could have been even better than The Mandalorian series that came before it.

Personally, I believe that Boba Fett is an overhyped character in Star Wars. He was just the bounty hunter that got shot by a blind Han Solo and fell into the Sarlacc. That was it. Granted, I do acknowledge that he has an elaborate backstory outside of the films, but I have never read any of those and never ventured out to look into them. However, when Boba Fett showed up in The Mandalorian and actually did stuff, I started to get more invested and excited for The Book of Boba Fett.

Boba Fett (Temura Morrison) in Lucasfilm's THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT, exclusively on Disney+. © 2021 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.

Where did it go wrong for me? The series was lackluster. The first four episodes are split between two stories. One story being Boba’s past, starting from when he escaped the Sarlacc. The other is present-day where Boba has taken over Jabba’s palace and is working to control the criminal underworld on Tatooine. That was the first problem for me. Throughout those episodes, it felt like they focused more on Boba’s past versus the current timeline. They slowly built up to why the past was important, but I was more interested in the current story. I felt like they didn’t have much invested in the current storyline, so forced to heavily lean into how Boba came back, met Fennec Shand, and got his stuff back.

(L-R): Temura Morrison is Boba Fett and Ming-Na Wen is Fennec Shand in Lucasfilm's THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT, exclusively on Disney+. © 2021 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.

Honestly, the next two episodes became the most interesting thing about the show, when we visit the Mandalorian (aka Din Djarin). We follow Mando as he’s missing Grogu, learns to control the dark saber, and is then forced out of the order because he took his helmet off. There wasn’t any jumping of past and present timelines, just a simple story of Din wanting to see Grogu again before he goes to help Boba battle the Pykes for their spice trading.

The finale of this show is also very spiritless as they spend even more time reviewing how they got to their current situation. They have a gunfight, and win the whole thing, forcing the Pykes off-world. They needed more time for this series to make it feel like a big deal. They reintroduced a bounty hunter from the Clone Wars series, and he has one fight scene and then dies by Boba’s hand. Not only that, Boba’s whole character arc just felt wasted. He begins the series with wanting to rule the criminal underworld to keep Tatooine safe, becoming a protector of the people. Being in power for what feels like just a couple of days, he hints that maybe this life was not made for him. He might move back into the life of a bounty hunter because he was told that killing is what he is good for.

Overall, this show just felt very boring and served more as a side story in the big Star Wars universe. It wanted to be the next phase of Boba’s life, but instead fell flat on its face. The episodes involving Din having the only real growth. The unrelated win was by making people excited for the next season of The Mandalorian. I’m sure they will be making a second season, but I don’t foresee it being something Disney will be focusing on, especially with all the other series they have coming down the line. If I had to rate this series on a letter grade, I would give it a C.

FROM JENNY ROBINSON:

Despite the harsh criticism of this show, I actually enjoyed it. I would give it a solid B in the grading system. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of questionable decisions. For some reason, they didn’t bother me as much as they did others. I do wish they would have done it as either a movie or released all episodes at the same time. The weekly release I feel is the main reason it did not connect well with the audience. There were slow character builds that then forced the audience to wait. It slowed the pace down dramatically and may be the reason why some of the audience lost focus. Those first episodes as we follow Boba Fett into power in the current storyline while also recapping where he has been since Return of the Jedi in the flashbacks was a cool take to expand his personality but also plays out pretty slow.

I have always thought Boba Fett was rad. Despite not having many lines and very few scenes in the original movies, you have to admire anyone that Vader also respects. Boba Fett turns heads when he walks into a room, for sure. Those initial episodes this season develops a character that has empathy for those around him. While captive, he offers to help the other capitative. Instead of wreaking havoc on the Tuscans, he chose to learn from them. When a bully shows up, he goes to battle to bring them down. Those flash backs finally gave him a legit character with a moral compass, and I dug it.

Boba Fett (Temura Morrison) in Lucasfilm's THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT, exclusively on Disney+. © 2021 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.

The failure I find in the series was it didn’t know what it wanted to be and tried hard to expand a short story into an extended tale. I loved the idea of Tatooine being ran by crime syndicates. I thought the “old west” take was super cool (especially inspiring the duels with Cad Bane). The show could have wrapped up the flashback/Tuscan Raider thread in half an episode. The final battle could also have been completed in fifteen minutes. I was invested though, so I can deal with the drawn out plot despite going against my “less is best” mantra.

I understand that they needed the Mandalorian in order to persuade Cobb Vanth to join with Boba Fett and Fennec. I was extremely excited (those who know me know why) to see Cobb Vanth’s return. His parts in this series steal the show (in my honest opinion). The showdown between Cad Bane and Cobb Vanth was one of the highlight for me. The Tatooine desert backdrop, assumingely inspired by all those classic Hollywood westerns, sets a great atmosphere. Add in physical expressions of the two gunslingers, you knew you were watching forces to be reckoned with.

Cad Bane in The Book of Boba Fett

I smiled through the entire finale as well. Some of the smiles may have been due to some incredibly ridiculous parts (what was up with biker dude’s spin shot?!?!). I REALLY smiled when Boba Fett came riding in on a freaking Rancor though! Those are the moments in movies/shows that I am a sucker for. So much fun (even though they used the same frame twice)!!! The fight could have been half the time as it was since the shooting became a bit repetitive but again, I still smiled.
AND… the after credits!!!!!!!!!! Sign me up and count me in!!!!

REVIEW / Dexter: New Blood Season Recap

By Patrick Nagy

Wow! Here we are. The year is now 2022 and am I’m actually writing about Dexter? Dexter the serial killer of baddies and other serial killers?! That Dexter??? You heard that right! Showtime, original show runner Clyde Phillips, and star Michael C. Hall decided to give it one more go and right the wrongs of the last season that aired back in 2013.

Let’s be honest (in my honest opinion), the show “Jumped the shark” after season 4. So they decided to give it another try, and jump back into the world of Dexter (based off a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay) and leave us all with a little better taste in our mouths.

We start out with where the original series left us. Dexter has moved to a remote town under an assumed name “Jim Lindsay” which I assume is a nod to the original author. Long gone are the tropical beaches of Miami, instead we find our protagonist deep in the woods working at a sporting goods and supply store. The interesting plot move is he is now dating the town Chief of Police, Angela Bishop played by Julia Jones. I guess Dexter just can’t stay away from his police upbringing. A kind of “keep your enemies closer” type of thing, maybe. Yep, Dexter has the perfect alias and the perfect new life…and he would’ve gotten away with it too if not for that snooping kid.

Kid you ask? That’s right! Dexter’s past catches up to him when his long lost son Harrison (Jack Alcott) tracks him down.

Angela Bishop (played by Julia Jones) and Jim Lindsay (aka Dexter Morgan - played by Michael C. Hall) in Dexter: New Blood

This instantly throws Dexter into a world of confusion as he wants to reconnect with Harrison. He feels regret over abandoning him, but it also brings the return of his “Dark Passenger”. We also see Dexter’s imaginary moral compass (in the form of his late adopted father Harry) has been replaced by his now late sister Deb. Jennifer Carpenter reprises the role she brought to life from the original, only this time she’s in Dexter’s head. She knows what he is, knows what he’s done and that he want’s to do again. Carpenter seems to relish this role screaming in Hall’s ear at close range (her ex-husband in real life).

Deb Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter) in Dexter: New Blood

Soon after Harrison shows up Dexter wastes no time in finding a potential baddy to quench his dark desire. The local rich kid bully, Matt Caldwell (Steve M. Robertson) has a questionable past accident and very little care for the rules or laws. Dexter reluctantly sells Matt a rifle from the store and forces him wait the federally required three days despite Matt’s protest. Later that week, Dexter delivers the weapon to Matt’s house where a disgruntled friend let slip that Matt may have gotten away with murder in said accident thanks to his father’s money and influence. In light of this confession, coupled with Matt illegally shooting a rare white deer on native land (right when Dexter was about to pet it!)…Well. That’s all Jim, I mean Dexter needed to bring back the iconic kill room and dispose of the body via his fire pit. Later he moves the body parts to a local incinerator when the search ends up on his front door.

This brings us to our true baddy of the mini series, Matt’s father: Kurt Caldwell. Kurt is masterfully played by the legendary Clancy Brown. Kurt has it all for a big fish in a small town. Money, influence, and some dark secrets of his own. Kurt believes Dexter has something to do with Matt’s disappearance and he makes sure he’s a thorn in his side throughout the series.

Kurt Caldwell (played by Clancy Brown) in Dexter: New Blood

Another outside character interfering with Dexter’s quiet hidden life is true crime blogger Molly Park played by Jamie Chung. Her podcast “Merry, F*cking, Kill” explores serial killers. She even had episodes on the Trinity Killer and the Bay Harbor Butcher! She comes to town trying to break the case on a string of missing women in the area over the past twenty or so years.

Podcaster Molly Park (played by Jamie Chung) in Dexter: New Blood

All of these factors interfere with Jim (aka Dexter) trying to reconnect with Harrison who also appears to have his own “Dark Passenger”. Harrison meanwhile is dealing with his sense of abandonment, memories of his mother’s brutal murder, the first time feeling accepted by classmates and his wrestling coach / police deputy Logan (Alano Miller), and finding love in his new girlfriend Audrey (Johnny Sequoyah). Audrey by the way is the adopted daughter Chief of Police Angela whom is dating Dexter…it’s a lot.

Jim/Dexter (Michael C. Hall) bonding with Harrison (played by Jack Alcott) in Dexter: New Blood

If you’re a fan of the original series I think you’ll really like this one. It has all the elements of the original series and a few call backs including an appearance of the Trinity himself. (John Lithgow). I myself really enjoyed it. Not to talk badly about the final four seasons, but the creators got what I think they finally set out to do, give the fans a little closure.

The full season of Dexter: New Blood is streaming now on Showtime.

Moon Knight: Trailer & Comics

Oscar Isaac as Moon Knight in Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ show

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

We now have the first trailer of what I consider my second most exciting Marvel project: Moon Knight. It has a similar vibe to Netflix’s Daredevil, although it will remain to be seen if Marvel decides to pull the trigger on a darker and slightly more violent show than what Disney+ has released to date. I highly doubt it, but one can dream.

For those of you who are interested in the character, here is a quick 101.

Marc Spector was a mercenary who was left for dead on an assignment in the desert. He was revived by the Egyptian moon god, Khonshu and appointed as Khonshu’s fist and high priest. By night, Spector enacts justice to protect those in trouble by using extreme violence as warning for all criminals. Spector suffers from dissociative identity disorder, and has two other personalities; millionaire Steven Grant and cab driver Jake Lockely. Although he has no super powers, Spector is an expert pilot, detective, marksman, and is an master in many styles of martial arts. 

Here are a couple of comics I highly recommend if you want to dig deeper into the world of Moon Knight. All of these can be found on the Marvel Unlimited app.

Werewolf By Night #32 (1972):

Moon Knight’s first appearance where he hunts down The Werewolf By Night (tentative Disney+ Halloween special in the works).

Moon Knight (2016):

Marc Spector wakes up in an insane asylum with no idea if the life he lived was real or not. He must figure out the truth of his sanity. Had he actually lived the lives of his other personalities, including the Moon Knight?

Moon Knight (2018):

Someone is trafficking Ultron’s robot body through Los Angeles and it is up to Marc to stop the criminals. On his new home turf, his psyche is shattered more as he has new voices in his head; Captain America, Spider-Man, and Wolverine.

Avengers #33-#37 (2020):

In The Age of Khonshu storyline, Moon Knight steals the powers/artifacts of the Avengers for Khonshu to take over the world.

Moon Knight (2021):

In the most recent run of Moon Knight, he opens the Midnight Mission where he protects those who are dealing with the weird and horrifying.