I haven’t really watched anything new this week, so I’ve got no review for ya. What I am doing is closely following this drama between Disney and fired X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo. What we know is that he was fired, under mysterious circumstances, just before the show debuted. Some folks tried to say it was his social media posts, while others said it was because of his personal OnlyFans account. We don’t know. But it happened. Still, like an ex who just can’t let go, he continued to provide hints and commentary online throughout the first season, despite the fact that he and Disney had reportedly come to an agreement about what he could and couldn’t post. These transgressions came to a head when he announced this week that his credit had been removed from season 2 of the show, despite the fact that he’d completed work on it prior to his firing. Also, one of his season 1 episodes was nominated for an Emmy, yet he’s been unable to secure a seat for the ceremony.
I don’t know what this dude did, but it had to be BAD. I mean, folks love to be like “But X-Men ’97 was SO GOOD! Give him another chance!” That said, look up the allegations against the Dad on Ms. Marvel, and the company continues to employ him. So, I think were gonna have to wait for the dust to settle on this one before we get a better idea of what’s truly going on here.
Trailer Park
The Union (Netflix, August 16)
That’s right – This came out today. I mean, it looks like every other Netflix action comedy, which means it doesn’t look bad, but it also doesn’t look great. They’re sort of “cookie cutter” at this point. I’m not buying the chemistry between Wahlberg and Berry, as in there is none. Plus, let’s be real here: I know his character is from Jersey, but let’s just say Bostonian Wahlberg dating Berry, 35 years ago, would have been verboten, but I’ll try to suspend my disbelief. These Netflix films must be a sweet gig, though. I mean, you can just cash the check and sort of “enjoy the ride”, without having to worry about pesky things like “box office returns” affecting your Q rating. Considering the only person I love here is JK Simmons, I’m not sure I’ll be watching this.
Amber Alert (Select Theaters/On Demand, September 27)
Save The Cheerleader teaming up with Everybody Hates Chris? This is the stuff dreams of 2004 were made of! But this is pretty much what I expect from a modern-day Lionsgate film. My first thought was “Are they not paying this dude enough on Abbott Elementary?” I mean, they probably aren’t, but I just don’t know why he’d do this, especially given it’s something of a comeback vehicle for Hayden. Plus, did anyone else catch that it was HIM behind Hayden when the little girl said “Behind you.”? Was the an editing mistake or did they give away the twist? Anyway, the more I talk crap about this movie, the more I want to see it. Right now, it’s got a better shot of me watching it than The Union.
After Baywatch: Moment In The Sun (Hulu, August 28)
Ya know, something like this comes out every 3 months, where I’m really excited, knowing the whole time I’m never gonna make it a priority to watch it. I still haven’t watched Kid 90, Quiet on Set, or the latest Lou Pearlman documentary. Some day… Anyway, I’m a huge Baywatch fan, as that was my Saturday afternoons in my formative years. I’ve watched the spinoffs, I’ve read the books. I don’t think I need to point out there’s a glaring omission here. Without that person weighing in, I don’t feel like I can really trust this documentary. The thing about a documentary is you’ve got to look at who’s producing it, and what their angle might be. For example, I know from co-creator Gregory J. Bonann’s book, Baywatch: Rescued From Prime Time, that he HATED Traci Bingham. Yet, here she is. So, this feels like it’s less a look at the show as a whole, but rather a gathering of former cast members who might have an ax to grind. That’s not to say it won’t be entertaining, but it’s one-sided if there’s no representation from the creative side of things. And when did Gregory Alan Williams turn into Michael Dorn?! Is he OK?
Will Around The Web
Adam and I bring our “Saved By The Summer” event to a close, over on Remember That Show?, as we cover the 2020 Saved By The Bell “reimagining” that lasted for 2 seasons on Peacock. A lot of the characters may be familiar, but this ain’t the show you remember. Some of that’s good, and some of that’s bad. Take a listen as we cap off what turned out to be a really fun project!
Things You Might Have Missed This Week
- For the first time ever, The Drew Carey Show is available for streaming…on Plex, which is that thing I don’t understand, yet everyone says “Oh, ya gotta get a Plex server.”
- The Prodigal Miley returns to the House of Mouse, as she was named the youngest Disney Legend, in spite of her behavior throughout the entirety of the 2010s
- Speaking of odd awards, it was announced that Katy Perry will receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. Yeah, I think I have a problem with that…
- ABC announced that day trader Grant Ellis will be the next focus of The Bachelor, making him the 2nd Black Bachelor in the franchise. I don’t think the show is as welcoming to diversity as it wants to appear. In fact, I’m more surprised Tyler Perry hasn’t announced something called, like, The Blackchelor simply to court that demographic. ABC thinks it can just plug in a Black guy, and it should work, but it won’t.
- There’s Joaquin Phoenix drama, as he exited a gay detective romance film 5 days before filming was to start, and there are reports the studio may take legal action as the role can’t be recast and projected losses are around 7 figures. It’s rumored he got cold feet regarding the explicit sex scenes (it was slated for an NC-17 rating), yet more confusing was that it was a project he had brought to the producers.
- Camila Mendes, of Riverdale fame, has been cast as Teela in the latest iteration of a Masters of the Universe film that will never see the light of day.
- I guess they’ll be calling him “RGFree…agent”, as Robert Griffin III was fired by ESPN. It turns out his NFL analysis was only slightly better than his on-field performance, which was still “not that amazing”.
- In one of the biggest box office failures in recent memory, Borderlands made roughly $9 million, globally, on a budget of about $110 million. It’s a shame because it looked fun – Netflix Original fun, but fun nonetheless.
- Kit Harrington, of Game of Thrones fame, gave a somewhat smug interview to GQ, where he mentioned he had “walked away” from the Jon Snow spinoff that was in development. Part of his fear was that he’d be typecast, but the man still has a future of nothing but convention signings ahead of him…
- Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol is taking over the Starbucks CEO position from ousted Laxman Narasimhan, so you’re gonna have to keep an eye on those baristas to make sure they give you all the pumps of syrup you requested! Chipotle is built around STINGY.
- It’s the end of an era, as Paramount announced the closing of Paramount Television Studios as a cost-cutting measure. 30 years ago, they were getting ready to launch a network, yet this is where they landed. Sad!
Over the past 2 decades, a phenomenon known as the “Disney Adult” has risen to prominence, and Disney has never been a company to turn down a chance to make a dollar, so they’ve catered to these fans more and more. Once such initiative was the 2009 creation of the D23 Club (“D” for Disney, and “23” for the 1923 founding of the company), which had both a free and Gold tier. For a certain annual fee, these fans would be given access to special events and announcements, as well as receive a slick oversized magazine. One such exclusive event is the biennial D23 Expo, which is now known as D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. Well, it was held last weekend, and there were announcements. A LOT of announcements. Let’s see what we’ve got:
Animation
- Toy Story 5 (Ugh)
- Zootopia 2 (Really?)
- Frozen 3 (Of course!)
- Moana 2 (If ya smellllll…)
- The Incredibles 3 (I mean, if you have to…)
- An Inside Out D+ spinoff series (Way to dilute a strong brand!)
Live Action/MCU
- Ironheart is still coming. Yay? I’ll be honest: I loved RiRi in the comics, but I do NOT love MCU RiRi, so she’s gonna have to win me over.
- Tron: Ares. I know 2 of y’all care about that. I watched the first Tron for the first time not that long ago, and it was one of the most boring experiences I’ve ever endured. But at least we’ve got a Nine Inch Nails soundtrack this time around.
- CGI Stitch announced a 2025 release date for the live action Lilo & Stitch, but no sign of any thicc Hawaiian cast members
- Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is coming, which seems like The Goonies set in that Star Wars Universe?
- Ben Mendelsohn will reprise his role as Krennic in Andor season 2. Because, I guess, someone wanted a season 2.
- The title was announced for the third Avatar film, Avatar: Fire and Ash.
- Do any of y’all care about Freakier Friday? If so, that’s coming, too.
I guess you could say it was a pretty big week for Disney, so I would have to say D23 had the West Week Ever.
Plus if you’re one of those Disney Adults I mentioned, or you just love the company, Vulture just wrapped up the most recent season of their Land of the Giants podcast, which covered the history of Disney. It’s headed up by Vulture West Coast Editor Joe Adalian, who’s not only insightful, but he’s also the only professional television journalist who acknowledges my existence, so that’s always nice. He’s got great content on social media (@TVMoJoe everywhere), and I really learned a lot from this series. Until next time!
