Kathy Bates shared a surprising story about “The Waterboy,” admitting that she initially tossed the script and had no idea who Adam Sandler was. The Oscar-winning actress nearly passed on the hit comedy before reconsidering and joining the project. The two ultimately formed a genuine bond, with Bates reflecting warmly on her experience working with Sandler.

Kathy Bates is considered one of the most versatile actresses in Hollywood, and she has built a versatile career stepping into diverse roles across different genres. When she received the script for “The Waterboy,” which Adam Sandler co-wrote, she gave it a chance but threw it out after reading a few pages.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actress said, “I didn’t know who Adam Sandler was, and I got a script. It was a football script, and I was like, ‘Oh, let’s give me a football.’ Twelve pages I read and I thought, ‘Oh, man, I can’t do this thing. This is ridiculous.”

“The Waterboy” follows Bobby Boucher (Sandler), a socially awkward 31-year-old working as a waterboy for a college football team, who discovers an unexpected talent for tackling.

Bates tossed the script in the trash and her niece, who worked with her, found it. Thankfully, her niece knew of Sandler. “So I took another look at it, and I thought, well, I’ll do this for Linda,” Bates said.

The Actress Had The ‘Most Fun’ On Set

Bates agreed to play Helen “Mama” Boucher, Bobby’s devoutly Christian, overprotective, and domineering mother who keeps him sheltered.

“Turns out we have the most fun. He’s brilliant. He’s a genius,” Bates said about Sandler. “I dove in the deep end and just had a great time. Just screwed around. And I loved working with him,” she continued.

Bates recalled Sandler’s reaction after the movie’s release in 1998. “‘We made 34 million dollars in one weekend.’ He was so taken aback. It was a lot of fun,” the actress said.

“The Waterboy” was a success, earning $185 million at the worldwide box office on a budget of $23 million.

Adam Sandler Knew Kathie Bates Tossed His Script

At the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February, Sandler recalled how Bates almost passed on the role of Mama Boucher. “I remember we sent Kathy Bates the script for ‘The Waterboy’ to play my Mama. I don’t know if I have the story 100% right, but apparently she kind of read the first page and threw it in the garbage,” Sandler said.

After Bates agreed to take part in the movie, she met up with Sandler to talk about the film. The latter said he enjoyed spending time with the award-winning actress, adding that they forged a genuine friendship. Sandler also revealed that when he has a serious role, Bates calls him to give support and encouragement. “We’re very close. I love her very much,” Sandler said.

What The Actress Said To Adam Sandler About His Critics

Sandler knew that not everyone would appreciate the movies that he did. When “The Waterboy” came out, he had already done other films, such as “Billy Madison” and “Happy Gilmore,” and he read the negative reviews.

On the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast in 2022, Sandler told host Josh Horowitz that after shooting movies, people would tell him how critics would like the film. “And I’d be like, ‘Oh no, no, they’re going to say bad things, and they’re probably going to say bad things about you being in it’,” Sandler said.

The “SNL” alum then recalled talking about it with Bates, telling her that she probably shouldn’t read the “bad stuff” about “The Waterboy.” “She’s like, ‘I liked it, so that’s all that matters,’ or something like that. She was cool,” Sandler said about Bates.

Kathy Bates And Adam Sandler Support Each Other

Bates and Sandler have remained close over the years. In 2020, there was buzz around Sandler after he was snubbed at the Academy Awards. Many believed he deserved a Best Actor nomination for his role in “Uncut Gems.” That same year, Bates was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Richard Jewell.”

Sandler tweeted that he got “no love from the Academy,” but congratulated the other nominees and gave a special shoutout to Mama Boucher.

In response, Bates wrote, “I love you my Bobby Boucher!!! You was robbed!! But Mama loves you!!! I learned a new urban slang word for you! You da GOAT!! Not the one we eat at home, Son.”

Meghan Trainor‘s husband, Daryl Sabara, is mourning the loss of his estranged father, Roland Sabara. The “Spy Kids” star, who has previously spoken candidly about growing up without a father, shared the heartbreaking news with fans in an emotional social media post on Friday. Sabara revealed that his father had passed away, despite the pair having only spent limited time together throughout his life.

The actor announced Roland’s death on Instagram alongside a rare photo of the two together.

“My Dad, Roland Sabara, passed away last night,” Sabara wrote. “We only saw each other a couple of times, and I will cherish those memories forever. I know he did the best he could, and I know he’s in a better place now.”

The touching tribute reflected the complicated nature of their relationship, which was marked by years of separation after Roland left the family when Sabara was still an infant.

The ‘Spy Kids’ Star Grew Up Without His Father

According to previous interviews, Sabara was just one year old when his father walked out, leaving his mother, Sandra “Sandy” Sabara, to raise him and his twin sibling as a single parent.

Despite the challenges, Sabara found success at an early age, landing the role of Juni Cortez in the blockbuster “Spy Kids” franchise alongside Alexa PenaVega. The films launched him into international stardom and helped establish him as one of Hollywood’s most recognizable child actors.

Over the years, Sabara has remained open about how his father’s absence shaped his outlook on family and parenthood.

Fatherhood Helped Daryl Sabara Heal

Long before Roland’s passing, Sabara spoke about how becoming a father helped him process his own childhood experiences. After welcoming his first son, Riley, with wife Meghan Trainor, the actor shared a heartfelt message reflecting on what parenthood meant to him.

“Growing up without a Dad…I didn’t know what starting a family would mean to me,” Sabara wrote in a social media post while Trainor was expecting their second child. “But I get to be the Dad I always wanted, and I’m loving every second [of] it.”

He later described fatherhood as both “cathartic” and an “existential experience,” explaining that raising his children gave him a new perspective after growing up without a father figure.

Today, Sabara and Trainor share three children together: Riley, 5, Barry, 2, and baby Mikey, who was born earlier this year via surrogate. “It wasn’t our first choice, but we had endless conversations with our doctors on this journey, and this was the safest way for us to be able to continue growing our family,” Trainor told PEOPLE regarding the decision to move forward with a surrogate. “We are forever grateful for that option.”

Meghan Trainor Recently Opened Up About Welcoming Daughter Mikey Via Surrogate

The Grammy winner also used the opportunity to speak out in support of surrogacy, encouraging people to view it as another valid way to build a family. “I want people to know that surrogacy is just another beautiful way to build a family. It’s not something to whisper about or judge. It’s rooted in trust, science, love, and teamwork,” she said. “Every family’s journey looks different, and all of them are extremely valid.”

Trainor went on to praise the woman who carried Mikey, describing her surrogate as “one of the most selfless, strong and loving people I’ve ever met.” “Our surrogate is one of the most selfless, strong and loving people I’ve ever met. We felt so connected throughout the entire journey, and I’ll always be grateful for the care and love she showed our daughter,” Trainor added. “She gave us the greatest gift of our lives.”

Family Loss Comes Months After Meghan Trainor Canceled Her Tour

The heartbreaking family news arrives just months after Trainor made the difficult decision to cancel her planned summer tour in order to focus on her family. At the time, the Grammy-winning singer explained that balancing a new album, a nationwide tour, and life with a newborn had become overwhelming.

“Balancing the release of a new album, preparing for a nationwide tour, and welcoming our new baby girl to our growing family of five has just been more than I can take on right now,” Trainor said. “I need to be home and present for each and all of them at this time.”

If you have plans to go out this weekend, you should probably cancel them.

There’s a good reason why – Netflix, HBO Max and other streamers just dropped hours and hours of high-quality shows.

Watch With Us are huge fans of George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones books, so it’s no surprise our top pick is House of the Dragon, which returns for season 3 on Sunday.

If you need a good spy show to watch, we have two we can recommend: Paramount+’s The Agency, starring Michael Fassbender and Richard Gere, and The Capture, a British TV series about deepfake technology gone wrong.

Last but not least, Netflix just premiered its latest Harlan Coben adaptation, I Will Find You, and it’s just as bingeworthy as the author’s previous crime thrillers.

‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 – HBO Max

It’s been way too long since we’ve seen epic dragon fights and devious royal backstabbing that only the citizens of Westeros can dish out. After a two-year absence, House of the Dragon returns for a third season filled with feuding siblings, illicit affairs and brutal battle sequences.

Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and her Team Black squad continue their quest to take back the Iron Throne from half-brother Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) and his ruthless Team Green supporters, which include his mother – and Rhaenyra’s former bestie – Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke). The season premiere chronicles the infamous Battle of the Gullet, which changes the course of the war and sets up the final endgame for all involved. In addition to the returning cast member, new faces join this season, including former Grantchester vicar James Norton as Ormund Hightower, who helps Team Green fight back against their deadly usurpers.

‘The Agency’ Season 2 – Paramount+

In 2024, Paramount+ debuted the excellent spy series The Agency, which starred Michael Fassbender as a CIA agent who risks his career and life to help the woman he loves. The show was enough of a success to bring it back for a second season, which drops all of its 10 episodes on June 21. It’s a good thing they’ll all be available at once because you probably can’t stop yourself from watching more than one episode at a time.

After last season’s events, Brandon Colby (Fassbender) is now a double agent working for MI6. His No. 1 priority, however, hasn’t changed – to get back his lover, Samia (Jodie Turner-Smith), at any cost. That’s going to be difficult as she’s a political prisoner in Sudan. To free her, Colby will have to take on Viking (Clayne Crawford), a powerful mercenary who is as smart as he is ruthless. How far will Colby go to get what he wants? After season 2 is over, we can safely say the answer is pretty damn far.

‘The Capture’ Season 3 – Peacock

Peacock is also getting into the spy game this weekend with the return of the British series, The Capture. After exposing her corrupt employers in season 2, Rachel Carey (Holliday Grainger) is now the head of a Counter Terrorism Command unit and oversees the launch of a new mass surveillance program, Operation Veritas. When a mass shooting occurs in London, Rachel sees the shooter in real-time – but it’s not the same person identified by Veritas. Who is manipulating the surveillance system to hide in plain sight? And what do they want with Rachel?

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The Capture blends standard-issue spy thrills (expect lots of fancy gadgets and tech talk) with a not-so-subtle commentary about the dangers of technology in the age of Big Brother. All six episodes of The Capture season are available to stream right now.

‘I Will Find You’ Season 1 – Netflix

Another season, another Harlan Coben Netflix mystery series for you to binge. After hits like Fool Me Once and Missing You, the streamer just premiered another Coben mystery series that’s sure to be its most popular one yet. I Will Find You stars Sam Worthington as David Burroughs, who is in prison for the murder of his 3-year-old son, Matthew. He claims he didn’t commit the crime and that the real killer is still out there. After five years have passed, his whole world is turned upside down when his ex-wife shows him a photo of an 8-year-old boy who looks exactly like Matt. David knows that’s his son, but the only way to prove it is by breaking out of jail and finding Matt himself.

That’s a hell of a premise, but it’s also a classic Coben setup that sets the stage for an array of red herrings, crazy plot twists and a shocking ending. Hey, if the formula works, why not use it again and again? Like previous adaptations, I Will Find You boasts an impressive cast that includes Madeleine Stowe, Milo Ventimiglia and Britt Lower as Rachel, who helps David find out who is behind Matt’s disappearance. All eight episodes of I Will Find You are available to stream right now.

Matt LeBlanc made a rare return to social media this week to honor legendary television director James Burrows following his death at age 85. The beloved director, whose career spanned some of television’s most iconic sitcoms, helped shape “Friends,” “Cheers,” “Will & Grace,” “Frasier,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and countless other hit series. For Matt LeBlanc, James Burrows’ death marked only the second time in years that the actor has shared a personal post on Instagram.

LeBlanc took to Instagram on Friday to remember the television icon, who directed the pilot episode of Friends and several additional episodes throughout the show’s run.

“Jimmy,” LeBlanc began. “Words cannot describe the impact and influence you had on us and everyone who was lucky enough to have known you.”

The actor continued: “You, sir, are a true icon on so many levels. Well wishes in your next act. You will be missed. God Bless.”

The tribute was particularly notable given how rarely LeBlanc posts on social media. Outside of a promotional post tied to a Dunkin’ campaign, the actor’s last personal Instagram tribute came in 2023 following the death of his “Friends” co-star Matthew Perry.

Lisa Kudrow And Danny DeVito Also Honor The Late Director

LeBlanc wasn’t the only star paying tribute. His former “Friends” co-star Lisa Kudrow shared a photo from the set of “The Comeback,” where Burrows made one of his final onscreen appearances playing a fictionalized version of himself.

Meanwhile, Danny DeVito released a heartfelt statement remembering the director’s impact on both his career and his family. “Rhea and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Jimmy Burrows. The entire DeVito family feels the loss of such an exceptional man,” DeVito told Entertainment Weekly.

“Jimmy guided Rhea and me through 16 seasons of television. He was the very best at his craft. His positive spirit, boundless energy, and tireless work defined what it takes to run a show and keep people laughing. He will always be in our hearts.”

James Burrows Helped Shape ‘Friends’ Into A Television Phenomenon

While Burrows built an impressive résumé across countless sitcoms, “Friends” remains one of the most beloved projects of his career. In his 2022 memoir, “Directed by James Burrows,” the legendary director recalled his initial reaction after reading the pilot script. “I had a good sense about ‘Friends’ and knew two things immediately: one, I didn’t have time to direct it, and two, I had to direct it,” Burrows wrote. “It became the last pilot shot that year.”

The veteran director said he was instantly drawn to the show’s central cast and the chemistry between the six main characters. “I fell in love with these six kids on the page immediately,” he added. “Ninety-five percent of the original pilot script made it to air.”

Burrows became known for his ability to transform ensemble casts into believable groups of friends, helping actors develop the chemistry that audiences would later fall in love with. According to television lore, he even took the cast of “Friends” to Las Vegas before the show premiered, giving each of the six stars $200 to gamble with while encouraging them to enjoy their final moments of anonymity before fame changed their lives forever.

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The gamble paid off. “Friends” went on to become one of the most successful sitcoms in television history, helping launch the careers of Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer.

Burrows’ Family Confirms TV Legend’s Death At 85

Burrows’ family confirmed that the acclaimed television director passed away peacefully on June 19 at the age of 85. “We celebrate the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of James ‘Jimmy’ Burrows, who passed away peacefully today surrounded by his loving family,” his family said in a statement to PEOPLE.

The statement highlighted Burrows’ remarkable impact on television, noting that he directed more than 1,000 episodes throughout a career that spanned over five decades. His credits included iconic series such as “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Taxi,” “Cheers,” “Frasier,” “Friends,” “Will & Grace,” and “The Big Bang Theory.”

“For more than five decades, Burrows was one of the most influential and beloved directors in television history,” the family said. “As a legendary director, mentor, and creative force, he helped shape generations of comedy and brought immeasurable joy to audiences around the world.”

Family Says James Burrows’ Greatest Impact Was Off Camera

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Burrows’ loved ones said he would be remembered for his generosity and the way he treated those around him.

“He possessed a rare ability to make everyone better and was known for remembering every person he met by name, making colleagues at every level feel seen, valued, and appreciated,” the statement continued.

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The family added that Burrows believed great comedy was about more than laughs, calling it “humanity, connection, and truth,” and said his influence would continue through the countless artists he inspired and the stories he helped bring to life.

Burrows is survived by his wife, Debbie, four daughters, and seven grandchildren.

At the time of writing, the most interesting movies of 2026 so far have belonged to the horror genre… and, technically, one noteworthy release often gets called a 2025 film (Obsession), since that’s when it premiered. Still, most people saw it in 2026, and it came out pretty close to Backrooms, with both getting attention for doing a lot with modest budgets, and raising the profiles of the two up-and-coming directors behind them: Curry Barker for Obsession, and Kane Parsons for Backrooms. Both had made videos online, though, before directing these highly successful theatrical releases, with Parsons having most of his pre-Backrooms (2026) work also related to Backrooms, since that’s the name of the web series he created and directed, with most of its episodes being released in 2022.

Backrooms, both the movie and the series, are about The Backrooms, which is a concept that originated from a post on 4chan. Someone posted a photo of an unsettling image, and then someone else commented about it being “The Backrooms,” which is – to quote this anonymous person – “approximately six hundred million square miles of randomly segmented empty rooms to be trapped in.” People ran with it, and built certain mythological concepts to go in it, with Parsons finding the most success, in this regard. The horror of this concept is fresh, but also not entirely unheard of, since there are other works of horror that have played around with the idea of liminal and unknown spaces, and House of Leaves, a novel from 2000 written by Mark Z. Danielewski, might well exemplify it the best.

The Plots of ‘House of Leaves’ and ‘Backrooms’

The world of Backrooms is complex, but the premise of the 2026 film (as it currently exists, without follow-ups/sequels) is quite simple. There isn’t much of a plot there, because a man (Chiwetel Ejiofor) discovers an entrance to the titular Backrooms, and is then driven mad by how enormous, eerie, and otherworldly it is. His therapist (Renate Reinsve) eventually sets out to find him and discovers the realm herself. That’s about it, plus some other side characters who are brought in to document an exploration of the Backrooms, which is where the movie gets to become a found footage film, and it’s that stretch of Backrooms that is probably the strongest. It’s worth mentioning the found footage part, because House of Leaves incorporates something like that, too.

Also, House of Leaves is much more complex to try to break down. At its center, there is a documentary that was made about a house that appears to be bigger on the inside than on the outside, while also containing the entrance to some sort of impossibly limitless realm. A man named Zampanò spent the last stage of his life looking into and analyzing this documentary, with another man, Johnny Truant, documenting and analyzing Zampanò’s analysis. There are a couple more layers beyond this, so it’s all quite dizzying to break down and process in its entirety. But, the in-universe documentary, “The Navidson Record” (which might not even actually exist within the main universe of House of Leaves, whatever that universe is), is the part that’s reminiscent of Backrooms, so it’s best to focus on that for now.

How ‘House of Leaves’ Manages To Be So Scary

Image via A24

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Even if you don’t find liminal spaces particularly scary (somehow), the madness of House of Leaves – and the madness it aims to inspire – will likely prove unsettling. There are things it does with its formatting and overall style that make you feel like you’re part of that chain of people mentioned before; like you’ve stumbled upon an analysis of an analysis of a documentary, and that you might also lose your grip on reality like all those people before you did. It does all come back to the house and what’s somehow contained in it, though. It’s hard to describe, and that’s part of what makes various people who don’t actually perish within the horrific maze (that it more or less is) go kind of mad, in the end. Capturing it all with filming/recording equipment is not enough, and proves challenging in unforeseen ways.

There’s no reality there, and it would be scary enough to have the story just be the events of The Navidson Record, but it’s the layering that helps. The layering makes it feel like waking up from a nightmare, and then still being in another nightmare that you subsequently wake up from, and then you’re not sure if you’re really awake, or if the nightmares are still going. In this sense, the horror hits a little harder, or cuts a little deeper, than what you get in Backrooms (2026). Then again, that is just one movie, and not a particularly long one at that, while House of Leaves is dense, lengthy, and something that’ll likely take most people a good deal of time to get through and properly digest.

The Ways ‘House of Leaves’ Can Only Work as a Book

Image via Doubleday

This is all scratching the surface of House of Leaves, but that’s hopefully forgivable, because there is so much here that can only be appreciated if you sit down and read the thing. Also, you really have to literally sit down and read it, because the formatting, (sometimes trippy) footnotes, and some of the unusual creative choices throughout House of Leaves make the idea of an audiobook version (at least of the entire text) pretty much impossible. There are even things in the book that make the idea of a Kindle/digital version hard to imagine, at least one that captures everything in the physical version.

It’s the ambition and borderline-insanity of it all that really makes it a special book, though. House of Leaves is easy to recommend, if you liked the Backrooms movie or the sort of horror that Backrooms (2026) explores. House of Leaves goes a bit beyond “just” liminal horror in some surprising and inventive ways, but those things are best left up to each individual person to explore. Even if you’re not wild about reading, and find the idea of a 700+ page-long book intimidating, House of Leaves is well worth giving a shot and getting (so very) lost in.

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Backrooms

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Release Date

May 27, 2026

Runtime

110 minutes

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Director

Kane Parsons

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Writers

Will Soodik

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In a rather controversial move this past week, Netflix canceled a high-profile new sci-fi series executive-produced by the Duffer Brothers just a month after its release. During this month, the series in question accumulated more than 20 million views on the platform, which typically waits at least three months before deciding whether to push ahead with a given title. This time, however, four weeks was enough. Not long after the shock cancellation, a report illustrated the many reasons why Netflix made the decision. One of the reasons offered was the Duffers’ exiting Netflix and beginning a creative partnership at Paramount, where they’ll be able to make theatrical movies in addition to linear television and streaming shows. Netflix’s decision, according to the report, came mere days after the deadline to extend deals with the series’ cast ended, and days before Emmy voting closed.

It was also reported that the show cost more than $10 million per episode, which puts the price tag for the eight-episode season at under $100 million. The cancellation happened shortly after Netflix shared its latest batch of viewership data, where the show in question pulled 2 million views. It garnered 5.6 million views in its first week, 9.5 million views in its second week, and 3.7 million views in its third. The most surprising piece of information, however, came a day after the show’s cancellation, when Nielsen reported viewership numbers from a month ago. Nielsen typically shares streaming data a few weeks after the fact, and the latest report tracks the week of May 18 to May 24. The Duffers’ sci-fi show premiered on May 21.

Netflix’s Abruptly Canceled Series Garnered Millions of Viewers and Received Critical Acclaim

According to Nielsen, it accumulated 1.2 billion minutes watched during its premiere week, finishing second on the top 10 list behind Netflix’s own Nemesis, which garnered 1.3 billion minutes viewed. We’re talking, of course, about The Boroughs. The series stars Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Clarke Peters, and Jena Malone. In addition to these strong viewership figures, the show also received high critical acclaim. It now holds a “Certified Fresh” 97% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “The Boroughs exudes excellence through its wonderfully plotted sci-fi trappings, star-studded cast, heartfelt narrative, and genuine ingenuity; a new classic through-and-through.” The Duffers have more projects in development at Netflix, and their mysterious event movie at Paramount was recently dated for November 2028. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Release Date

May 21, 2026

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Network

Netflix

Showrunner

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Jeffrey Addiss, Will Matthews

Directors

Augustine Frizzell, Kyle Patrick Alvarez

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Writers

James Schamus, Jose Molina, Julie Siege, Tom Hanada

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