Horror and zombie fans rejoice as All of Us Are Dead has been confirmed for a second season. While they didn’t give any exact details on what’s to come but it does look like the challenge of balancing love, drama and zombies will be back. The first season was a big hit and it’s great to see more international shows get season renewals.
Here’s a video for the renewal:
Source: YouTube
During Geeked Week, the Shadow and Bone cast has shared a video from the cast, as they have wrapped production on the second season. In it, they’ve teased that we’ll get a lot more from the second season but they couldn’t give away any details. Still, there was a long wait on how far they were on the production and the cast is quite excited for everyone to see what they have in store for us with the second season.
Check out the video from the cast here:
Source: YouTube
Jenna Ortega is taking on the task of playing Wednesday Addams in Tim Burton‘s new take on the classic The Addams Family. Instead of family hijinks, we are going to explore her time at an Academy where terrible things are afoot, where she’ll solve mysteries with the help of her friend, the Hand. The first teaser mainly gave us a first look at the actress in the role, but it does seem like a promising new addition to the streaming service.
Geeked Week is kicking off strong with a look at some of Netflix’s upcoming shows. We’ve long expected and hoped to see what the future has in store for fans, and it finally has offered some updates on what to expect. We’re getting a look at some projects that will take a while to release but also a hint at some that are just around the corner, such as the new season of Locke and Key.
During Geeked Week, it was revealed that Locke and Key‘s third season will release on August 10th. It’ll be interesting to see what the new season has to offer. We got our first look at the new season some time ago and it was confirmed that this will end its run. So, we’ll see how it ends in August.
Source: Twitter
WARNING: Spoilers for Stranger Things 4, Volume 1 ahead!
One week has officially passed since the release of Stranger Thing 4’s first volume of episodes, and fans across the world have been getting caught up with the latest installment of the franchise. With that, discussions have begun to circulate on what may transpire in the second volume releasing on July 1. One major topic has been the potential fates of the many characters as they traverse into the intense climaxes of the season. Stranger Things has especially been known to be a show with a low body count of main characters, with Billy Hargrove and Bob Newby essentially being the only two to have definitive deaths amongst the principal cast. However, this season’s ensemble has grown to such a large extent that one would have to think some have to die simply for the sake of being able to manage all the characters heading into the final season. In this article we will take a look into the likelihood of survival for all main characters currently in Stranger Things 4.
Characters with 0% Likelihood to Die: Joyce, Eleven, Dustin, Lucas, Robin, Erica
We will start by quickly going through all of the characters that, for all intents and purposes, will be penciled in to be part of Season 5 of Stranger Things. Joyce Byers still has a story to be told as she is the mother of both Will and Jonathan; there needs to be an explanation as to why she decided to essentially abandon them to rescue Hopper from Russia. It’s also fitting for the show’s original “main” lead character played by Winona Ryder to be part of the show’s endgame. As well, Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven has become too much of a lynchpin for the show to be killed off before its end. As for Dustin and Lucas, the characters are fan favorites and have fertile story opportunities to have an untimely end in the immediate future. And the same can be said as Season 3 standouts Robin and Erica — the latter especially would be too traumatizing of a killing for a young middle-school girl.
Jim Hopper: Likelihood to be Killed – 10%
The individual character being covered will be David Harbour’s Jim Hopper, the former Hawkins Police Chief being held captive in Russia after being presumed dead. Him being the main fake-out death of Season 3 makes him a safe bet to outright survive past the remaining Season 4 episodes. As well, there still has to be the emotional reunion between him and his surrogate daughter, Eleven, at some point in the show’s duration. If he is killed in these last two episodes, it will make the entire C-plot of this season for relative naught.
Will Byers: Likelihood to be Killed – 20%
As the character who has been the core of the show in the first two seasons, Will Byers carries a large amount of internal trauma and grief. That is something that would indeed make him an ideal target for Vecna, and him lacking the requisite information to survive his wrath could make him a prime target. Though he is especially low in percentage as it would be in very poor taste to just instantly kill off a character who is very likely about to come out as gay at the end of the season.
Mike Wheeler: Likelihood to be Killed – 30%
After having been the pure protagonist of the first season, Mike Wheeler’s character has struggled to really find footing in the writing of the show since then. He has essentially become a caricature of a doofy 80s young teen that struggles to connect with his girlfriend and friends. In my opinion, Mike should be killed off this season as it would be the largest twist the show has seen by killing a true main protagonist. As well, his death would hold large ramifications to the relationships amongst the remainder of more interesting lead characters (no shade is intended towards Finn Wolfhard, who is indeed a really strong actor). However, that would probably be too much of a risk for this show to take.
Max Mayfield: Likelihood to be Killed – 30%
One may be curious as to why Max is not in the 0% group after the arc seen in the fourth episode of this season, aka the high-water mark of the show since the first season (and maybe the outright best episode in the entire Stranger Things series). However, the eulogizing letters Max wrote to all her friends remain a smoking gun that has yet to fully go off. The likelihood that she dies in Season 4 is pretty low and this could be the fate she unfortunately meets in the final season, but as long as those letters remain unread by the group, audiences should be on high death alert for young Max Mayfield.
Nancy Wheeler: Likelihood to be Killed – 40%
Following the completion of Stranger Thing 4’s first volume of episodes, my major takeaway is that one of the Nancy/Jonathan/Steve love-triangle has to die by the end of this season. A death would provide dramatic stakes to this dynamic, and could actually just outright end any romance subplot due to the trauma. I’d argue that Nancy is the least likely of this trio to die. Especially as she has become the key to understanding the history of Vecna, something that will be critical towards the end of this season and potentially for the show’s end times.
Eddie Munson: Likelihood to be Killed – 50%
Joseph Quinn’s Eddie Munson has become a massive standout as a new character this season. Very quickly, he has captured the hearts of audiences as the outsider is dealing with being the prime suspect in the string of murders happening across Hawkins. While one would think he’d need to survive to prove his innocence against Vecna, it would be much in line with how Stranger Things operates for the show to develop a popular new character and subsequently kill him off by season’s end. As well, I struggle to see the world where both of Dustin’s surrogate older brothers live to see the final season.
Vecna: Likelihood to be Killed – 50%
Stranger Things has finally found itself a central antagonist from the Upside Down that maintains captivating pathos and can stand on its own as a massive threat in the show. Though with the show seldom leaning towards overtly dark season endings, I’d argue there’s a 50/50 chance the story of Vecna is wrapped up in the next two episodes of the show. Then again, if I had my druthers about me, Vecna would come out relatively victorious this season and create an Empire Strikes Back type scenario for the protagonist ensemble heading into the true final act of the show.
Jonathan Byers: Likelihood to be Killed – 70%
Amongst the love triangle mentioned earlier in this article, I’m of the belief that Jonathan should be the character that dies. While being a compelling character within the first season of the show, there hasn’t been much for the character to do beyond being a romantic partner to Nancy. Separating him entirely from Hawkins has made this concept even more clear. His death would certainly be very emotional, but could also keep more characters around that the Duffer Brothers have active plans for. Also, I think there is a very compelling story with Joyce in having her deal with straying so far from being the over-protective mother in the first season and it now leading to the actual death of one of her sons.
Murray Bauman: Likelihood to be Killed – 80%
If Stranger Things wants to have the Russia plotline this season hold serious stakes beyond returning Hopper into the fold, killing off Murray Bauman would successfully do that. He is exactly the type of the character that this series is known to kill off as someone who has become a regular fixture, but still remains on the periphery of the main ensemble. His comedy style, while appealing to some, might have less of a place in the growing intensity of the Vecna plotline and where the show could in theory head towards in its final season. There is also in theory less trauma for general audiences in killing off the older characters of the show than the larger swath of young adult characters, making Murray’s demise that much more likely.
Brenner and Owens: Likelihood to be Killed – 90%
As we now reach towards the characters with high likelihoods to die, I’ve combined both Martin Brenner and Sam Owens into this one entry as I believe they will share the same fate. These characters have provided Eleven the ability to regain her powers and, in theory, become a more actualized version of herself, and I don’t think there is much more utility for them beyond that now. Especially with such a large cast, it would be reasonable to close off anyone who isn’t absolutely necessary for how the show ends. With the US government now closing in on their secret project and bunker, Matthew Modine and Paul Reiser’s characters will likely meet their untimely end and provide El some more trauma before her return to Hawkins.
Steve Harrington: Likelihood to be Killed – 90%
There is not a character more set up to meet their maker by the end of this season than Steve Harrington. While the hypothetical death of Max was built upon for the first four episodes of this season, Steve’s has been a long-build throughout. Steve’s entire arc this season has been highlighting to him (and the audience) how much he has become beloved by the group around him, serving as the quintessential friend and babysitter. With that in mind, killing him here would provide the most amount of heartbreak and dramatic tension for the season and would showcase that the show is getting serious as it enters its eleventh hour. Losing Joe Keery from the show would be an absolute shame, but it definitely seems most likely that this is the direction we are heading towards.
Come July 1 and the release of Stranger Things 4’s second volume on Netflix, we will find out where exactly the show is heading and the fates of all characters.
There’s been a lot of discussions on where exactly Netflix is heading after its market collapsed due to the first mention of a loss in subscribers. Timings are terrible as many more competitors are entering the market and they are losing some of their biggest streaming offerings that kept binge-watchers subscribed. Now, the studio is looking to take some drastic measures moving forward.
We already saw them take a hammer and drag down their entire animation division, which is a bizarre highlight of how that type of filmmaking always seems to become a scapegoat with the future of that division rather questionable. A new report by The Hollywood Reporter highlights that their biggest re-evaluation is in the form of Scott Stuber‘s feature film division.
They already let 150 employees go, which is 2% of their workforce, but they are still in the middle of re-arranging their projects. Every division was pretty much affected, and Netflix is eyeing to release bigger productions but fewer of them. They had tried to tackle the arthouse genre with some projects from masters from the industry, but are noticing that it’s not quite necessary for these projects to be a hit. Ted Sarandos shared in an April Earnings call that:
Today, we’re releasing some of the most popular and most-watched movies in the world. Just over the last few months, things like Don’t Look Up and Red Notice and Adam Project, as examples of that.” But what this “bigger, better, fewer.
Ted Sarandos
What does that mean for the future? It doesn’t mean they will cut smaller projects but they will refocus more moving forward. They will dial back the number of films they’ll produce and might move away from high-budget projects with a “carte blanche” offer to talent, Martin Scorcese‘s high-budget The Irishman was highlighted as such an example. The wording “vanity projects” was something given by THR, but it doesn’t mean they are gone but more focused on the future.
Netflix is more driven by algorithms than any other studio out there, even if some have made up their mind about what is and isn’t. It seems that they’ve realized that the quantity of films they put out at high production values doesn’t quite offer them what they wanted and are dialing it back as a result. For now, we’ll have to see how many projects that’ll affect moving forward. Here’s hoping they will still offer auteurs a home for their passion projects that might not survive the usual studio system.
Source: THR
It looks like Netflix’s latest release of Stranger Things has been a massive success, as they have just reported on their official Twitter page that the series has become their biggest premiere weekend ever for an English language TV show on the service. It was now reached 286.79 million hours viewed worldwide and has been in the top spot in 83 countries, which is another premiere weekend for the streaming service.
It certainly is one of Netflix’s strongest series and has been one of their most iconic since the introduction of the Netflix Marvel shows, as it came from that same era. Sadly, the show will be ending with its upcoming fifth season and it’ll be interesting to see if they’ll find an English show that can fill the void it’ll leave behind.
They have some high-quality productions on the horizon, such as a live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender and One Piece, which are big enough IPs to potentially take the top spot. So, we’ll see if they potentially will explore some spinoffs from Stranger Things as well once the main cast leaves the show behind to further venture into the Upside-Down.
Source: Twitter
If you haven’t yet had a chance to watch the final episode of the first part of Stranger Things Season 4, only continue at your own risk.
The end of Stranger Things’ latest season, which is only the first part of two, gave us the reveal of the real identity behind the overarching big bad, Vecna. In a creative twin flashback sequence, we meet One, the originator of the experiments that led to the creation of Eleven. Jamie Campbell Bower‘s character explains his history as not only the one that started the program but also as Henry Creel, the son of the man that was convicted for the murder of his children long ago. Two-story arcs came together to give us the reveal of how exactly he became this creature of the Upside-Down.
In an interview, the actor talked about how he created a “mind map” on how he would bring this mysterious character together. He was given “two sides” when he auditioned after being approached from the show them being from 1996’s Primal Fear and Hellraiser.
Christopher Lee was on there as Dracula. I had Pinhead, obviously, on there. I had Freddy Krueger on there. I had the more recent version of Dracula. I had some characters from, god, some of the wild ’80s vampire movies. Voldemort was on there as well. And a lot of fire.
Jamie Campbell Bower
He goes on to highlight how he knew nothing about the character for about a month before the Duffer Brothers revealed that he was Stranger Things‘ latest villain.
I knew very, very little, but somehow managed to piece enough together to be able to formulate the reality of who this person was. So call it fate, luck, intelligence, stupidity – god knows how it happened, but it happened.
Jamie Campbell Bower
He also talked about how he got into the suit at 3 AM and started work at 10 AM for up to twelve hours. It would take him another hour to get out of the suit, but he did say it forced him to push his performance as after some time it wasn’t easy.
On a more practical level, rather than an emotional level, I found that I had to give more. The suit moves with the face quite well, but it’s not as pliable. You’ve got a few centimeters or a centimeter or two between your actual skin and what’s able to be seen, so the idea of the eyebrows particularly, you have to make sure that I was really sort of giving it in the facial expression and not what I would maybe give facially if I was just not in a suit. But I think what was great was that underneath it all is the intention of this real hatred and this real resentment, and that was coming through.
Jamie Campbell Bower
The suit was definitely worth the time as its Freddy Krueger-esque design added a whole new level to the danger that he represented. The Duffer Brothers took the practical route to have actors react to it and it seems that he even ended up terrifying Grace Van Dien, who played Chrissie. Millie Bobby Brown even cried when she saw it. So, it sounds like they definitely got the effect they wanted.
Source: IGN
The live-action One Piece series’ production has been going strong. While we did get a surprising amount of set photos leaked, which is mostly due to just how massive the production is with actual ships being used for the various pirates, we still know very little about the crew and their looks. With only a few more days to go for a first tease during Geeked Week, it seems that McKinley Belcher, who has been cast as Arlong, has officially joined the production.
The actor took to his Instagram account to share a set photo of his chair with his name on it. Sadly, he also isn’t giving us a glimpse at his make-up as the iconic villain from the East Blue, but it’s fun to see the tradition of the chair shot return. It was used by the cast early on when everyone started finding their way to production.
With him officially joining production it means that they are likely filming the iconic Arlong Park currently. Perhaps we get some photos from the cast sharing a look at them hanging out together, which was something we saw early on. We are quite excited to see how they translate the Fishmen to live-action and how close they may stick to his original design. With a budget that could rival a Marvel film, there’s a lot of potentials for this series to establish itself as the platform’s next major release. Perhaps Geeked Week may give us a first look at his design alongside with the Straw Hats in their costume.
Source: Instagram
It’s been a long wait since we got the last season of Stranger Things but it has finally come to an end. We return to our motley crew of rebellious teenagers as they face teenage angst, being accepted in high school, and an interdimensional threat. You know, normal teenager stuff with some 80s flair. Yet, the latest season sees our crew split up across the United States as a new threat arises to haunt the innocent town of Hawkins. Can the story keep up the momentum after almost three years?
Jumping back into the world of Stranger Things took a bit. We catch up with what has happened in the meantime since the events of the original. There’s a lot that happened off-screen which the show tries to make up for with a quick catch-up. One thing that does become a bit of a hindrance for the earlier episodes is that after splitting them up in the last season, most of the time is spent on them once again reuniting. It does feel like the beginning could’ve been shortened at times, but they were at their own mercy from how they ended the last season.
The thing that sticks out this time around is that we have a very clearly defined bad guy early on. While the Upside-Down will always be this malevolent force behind everything, we get introduced to a more humanoid creature, which will later be called Vecna. While visually stunning with the practical suit, it doesn’t quite live up to the Flayed from last season with his more humanoid appearance. He’s still intimidating and the concept of how he uses his abilities to prey on people’s regrets is certainly a nightmarish concept. The way he kills his victims adds to the horrific body horror at play this season.
Yet, as early as we find out who our main threat is this time around, it does feel like it takes a while to get to a point where the conflict arises. We get an entire sequence on Eleven being bullied at school, which was terrible and highlighted the challenges she was facing given her past. It serves a much stronger purpose later on but it does feel like it dragged on a bit. Her reaction towards it also serves as a red herring for a later reveal, which softens the blow on the event a bit. It just depends on if you stick with it until the end.
The issue early on is that there are just way too many characters at this point which leads to some getting left behind along the way. The original cast returns but we also have the new characters of Eduardo Franco as Argyle and Joseph Quinn‘s Eddie Munson–who are both fantastic additions to be fair. We even have the return of Matthew Modine and Paul Reiser as Martin Brener and Sam Owens respectively. While it didn’t grow by too much, we already have a big cast of characters and sadly the one that gets lost in the shuffle is Noah Schnapp‘s Will Byers and Charlie Heaton‘s Jonathan Byers. They have conflicts that tie into the story but it just feels like they got sidelined quite a bit this time around, especially due to them being mostly sidelined to keep the plot moving.
However, while saying that, once the plot of Stranger Things gets going; it really gets going. The first episode ends on quite the cliffhanger, which sadly highlights the drawback of its binge model as that would’ve kept people talking for quite a while. It also highlights that this might be the scariest of the seasons so far, as while we had body horror last time around, it was more gross than scary. This time, there’s actual tension built up as we get inside the heads of the various characters before their eventual fate catches up with them.
An interesting highlight was the deep dive into the era of “Dungeons & Dragons is worshipping satan” and integrating it into the escalation of the plot. We actually get a conflict with their parents, especially as the Upside-Down starts seeping more into their world. The series is at its best when we spend time in Hawkins, where the actual threat is unleashed and it builds up this horror-mystery concept around the events. Yet, we are not only busy spending time in California but also in Russia.
There was no secret that David Harbour‘s Jim Hopper survived the events from last time and it was great to see him take the character down a darker path. Considering what he went through, the elephant moment being an absolute nightmare on screen, and how it ties back to the Cold War plots from the last season. The plot in this does build up some great tension but in the episodes provided it’s unclear how it’ll connect back into the overarching plot. So, we’ll see how the final two might pull it back into the main plot.
The issue the series faces early on is that it needs to set up many different elements to bring it all together by the end. While a bit of a drag early on, the ending is the highlight of the season besides the amazing episode “Dear Billie” with an amazing performance by Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield. Even Eleven’s little side adventure that starts off as this strange setback for her character comes together in the finale in a big way, which had me rewatch the final moments to just see what I may have missed. I am quite excited to see how this lead into the final two episodes and the eventual final season.
The new season doesn’t reinvent the wheel. The iconic music and 80s Amblin-inspired cinematography return at full force. The new characters bring something fun to the table with Eduardo Franco being quite the standout comic relief. There is some effects work that did stick out and highlight how the pandemic has slammed the VFX industry, but with any other show, it doesn’t take away from the overall experience. Stranger Things is something special and continues to be that, it just needed a little this season to get that usual flow going.
It may be a bit of a disjointed start but it pulls it back together by the end. With only two more episodes set to release in July, it’s unclear if the true season finale can pull off the same, especially with the final episode being over two hours long. Still, the setup with Vecna may be of its interesting, and knowing that the fifth will be its final season creates a really interesting atmosphere on how they continue beyond this season. So, be sure to check it out and avoid as many spoilers as possible.
