Jennifer Aniston‘s new relationship is already causing tongues to wag, and the latest whispers are coming from her own circle.

Her romance with Jim Curtis has attracted plenty of attention, but reports that some friends aren’t fully sold on him add a surprising twist. More than a year into the romance, Curtis has become an increasingly visible part of her life, making the latest concerns about their relationship even more intriguing.

Jennifer Aniston and Jim Curtis first sparked romance rumors in July 2025 after being photographed together in Mallorca, Spain, before Aniston made their relationship Instagram-official in November of that year.

Jennifer Aniston’s romance with Jim Curtis may be going well for the couple, but some of the people closest to her are reportedly still taking a wait-and-see approach.

“Some of Jen’s friends aren’t totally sold on Jim yet,” according to a source, adding that “they worry he could be an opportunist” and sometimes comes across as “a bit performative.” Still, the hesitation does not appear to come from a lack of love for Aniston.

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As another insider put it, “Everybody adores Jen and just wants the best for her because she absolutely deserves the world,” making the reported concerns sound less like an attack on Curtis and more like friends simply wanting to protect someone they care about.

The Verdict On This Romance Is Far From Unanimous

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Interestingly, not everyone in Jennifer Aniston’s world shares the doubts. Other people in her inner circle reportedly have a completely different opinion of Curtis and have embraced the relationship.

Sources told Page Six that some friends “absolutely adore Jim” and feel he fits seamlessly into their circle. They also reportedly believe the couple complements each other on several levels, making the split opinions around the romance even more striking.

Those supporters reportedly see something especially positive in the relationship, saying they “haven’t seen Jen this happy in a long time.” With some friends raising concerns while others could not be happier for the pair, the romance is clearly inspiring very different reactions behind the scenes.

More From The Blast

Jim Curtis Says He Feels ‘Blessed’ To Be With Jennifer Aniston

While some of Jennifer Aniston’s friends are reportedly still watching Jim Curtis with a little skepticism, Curtis has been offering a much warmer account of where he stands with the actress.

Rather than talking only about their romance, he recently opened up about the people around Aniston and the welcome he says he’s received from them.

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As reported by The Blast, Curtis described Aniston’s longtime friends as a “group of best friends that are like family,” saying he feels “incredibly blessed” to have become part of that tight-knit circle.

He also praised the community around her as “such a beautiful community and group of people,” suggesting that being accepted into her world has become an important part of their relationship.

Curtis was just as complimentary when he spoke about Aniston herself, saying their relationship was “going really well” and describing her as “open and caring and kind and loving.”

He ultimately said he feels “blessed to be in a relationship with someone that is so open-hearted and kind and loving,” giving his version of the romance a notably sincere tone as questions about his intentions continue to swirl around the couple.

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Behind The Confidence Is A ‘Deep, Deep Fear’ 

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Behind the polished public image, Jennifer Aniston recently admitted that she is still working through a fear that has followed her for years. The revelation came during an appearance alongside Jim Curtis, turning what was supposed to be a conversation about his new book into a surprisingly personal moment for the actress.

During a fan Q&A, Aniston was asked about a possibility she was choosing in her own life. She revealed that she was “choosing to overcome a very deep, deep fear of public speaking,” despite having just spent the evening onstage interviewing Curtis in front of a packed audience.

The Blast reported that Aniston also opened up about how she handles pressure, saying she relies on meditation and “five deep, deep breaths” to stay grounded.

The candid admission offered a rare glimpse behind the confidence fans usually see, especially as the actress continues navigating a relationship that is drawing increasing attention.

Jennifer Aniston’s Past Relationships Make This Romance Even More Intriguing

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Jennifer Aniston’s relationship with Jim Curtis is unfolding against a long history of high-profile romances, making the actress’s current approach to love especially interesting. After years of attention surrounding her personal life, this chapter appears to be taking a very different shape.

Her marriage to Justin Theroux lasted only three years before they filed for divorce, although the former couple has remained friends. The Blast also noted that Aniston’s relationship history includes her highly publicized marriage to Brad Pitt, as well as several earlier romances that kept her love life firmly in the spotlight.

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Now, with Curtis repeatedly describing how secure and happy their relationship feels, the contrast with Aniston’s past makes the romance even more compelling.

The Young and the Restless indicates that Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) is fixated on the new man in her life, Matt Clark (Roger Howarth). But he just considered running away because of his dark side. So, Phyllis is now cooking up one of her harebrained schemes. It’s sure to blow up in her face, and it could actually get somebody hurt.

She promised Matt that she was going to make him the most respected person in Genoa City. But Phyllis’ big plan could get Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) hurt. Today we’re going to talk about Phyllis’ scheme. And all the ways this could blow up in her and Matt’s faces.

Young and the Restless: Phyllis Panicking over Matt

So, this week, Phyllis was freaking out. She was worried about Matt. And when he called Phyllis in tears, of course, she went running to the Riverside Motel. To pet and cuddle Matt after he had that terrible visit with Patty Williams. It made Matt feel like he is doomed to fall back into darkness. And we saw before he called, Phyllis was asking everybody, “Where’s Matt? What did the Newmans do?”

But now that she knows, she’s not letting on that she found him. So, it sounds like Phyllis may want people to think Matt took off and left Genoa City. Of course, while they do some plotting. And Phyllis was telling Matt that they just need a plan to redeem him. And that way, Phyllis and Matt can prove to everybody in town that he is truly a changed man.

Of course, Phyllis comes up with cockamamie schemes because that’s what Phyllis does. She comes up with wild plans that rarely ever work out. Her plan to trick Danny Romalotti to (Michael Damian) thinking he was Daniel Romalotti’s (Michael Graziadei) dad blew up in her face. The stuff with Summer Newman’s (Allison Lanier) paternity and when she was cheating on Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) with Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) and lying all went bad.

Phyllis Never Learns on Y&R

But I think the worst Phyllis scheme in recent years was when she faked her own death with help from Jeremy Stark (James Hyde). Because if you remember, Phyllis wound up killing him, her husband. Because she had married him. Then Daniel and Summer hated Phyllis for a long time for this sketchy move because they were grieving her death.

And even more recently, we had Phyllis scheming with Cane Ashby (Billy Flynn) and the whole AI thing that wound up blowing up in her face also. And now Phyllis is scheming again. I think we all know it’s not going to end well. But despite all her past failures with insane plots, Phyllis has not learned her lesson. And this time, she has roped Matt Clark into it. And of course, he has no idea how badly that all of Phyllis’s past schemes have backfired on her because he doesn’t know her history.

But at the same time, Matt doesn’t want to be a town pariah. So, he’s going to try Phyllis’s plan. She’s falling in love with Matt. She thinks he’s totally changed. So, Phyllis thinks she and Matt need to target Sharon to prove it. Not to harm her. But Phyllis wants to set up a situation to put Sharon at some sort of fake risk, and then Matt saves her. So the question is how will they do it?

Young and Restless: Phyllis Traps Sharon

Well, first of all, Phyllis could redo a blast from the past. Remember a few years back, Adam caused a blackout at Chance.com while plotting against Billy and the elevator got locked down with Chelsea Lawson (Melissa Claire Egan) inside of it. She tried to climb out. She conked her head and it led to a bunch of messy stuff. So, Phyllis could make sure that Sharon is in an elevator, maybe at Newman Towers, maybe the GCAC. And then she rigs the elevator.

And if Phyllis traps Sharon, it might actually trigger some of her trauma from the whole Martin Laurent (Christopher Cousins) kidnap stuff. Then Matt could swoop in, pry the doors open, and pull her out. And Sharon would be really grateful and would probably tell everybody Matt saved her. Phyllis could spread the word of his daring deed. Matt could pretend to even risk his own safety to save Sharon to make it look even more believable. Like as soon as Matt pulls her out, the elevator could plummet.

Young and the Restless: Phyllis & Matt Rig Sharon’s Car

Another thing that we could see is Matt and Phyllis could stage a car accident with Sharon. They could rig her car, maybe loosen a tire so it falls off or mess with the brakes when Phyllis knows that Sharon’s driving home to the Newman Ranch or something. Not on like a dangerous windy cliff road. And Phyllis could make sure that Matt is following in his car. So when Sharon has her crash, then he can save her. Phyllis could even tamper with things so that maybe there’s a fire in the wreck and that Matt saved Sharon from something that seems really scary and dire but was actually cleverly orchestrated.

Another idea is they could stage a mugging or an attempted kidnapping. Phyllis could hire somebody to go after Sharon. I mean, heck, it could even be Phyllis in a mask because she’s pretty tall and she or somebody else pretends to attack Sharon and steal her purse and then Matt swoops in and saves Sharon.

You know, Phyllis could also hire some thug to target Sharon for a mugging or a kidnapping and then Matt saves her, punches the guy who runs off and somehow gets away. Phyllis can afford to pay somebody to do this and that way she would have an alibi, and Matt would look super heroic.

Phyllis Stages a Fall for Sharon on Y&R

So another option for this scheme based on what Phyllis says to Matt this week is we could see something more perilous. It was a bit of a red flag when Phyllis said at one point she’d have been happy to see Sharon dangling off the top of Newman Towers. So maybe dangling is going to be part of this terrible plan.

You know, Phyllis could lure Sharon out somewhere and stage a fall or a near-fall. You know, maybe Phyllis gets Sharon to meet her at the Chancellor Overlook and sets it up for her to trip and be dangling by her fingertips and then Matt’s conveniently there to pull Sharon up from the brink of death or serious injury. That would be out in public so lots of people could see Matt saving Sharon because the more public eyes on Matt playing hero, the better for Phyllis scheme to redeem Matt in everybody’s eyes.

But there are so many things that can go wrong with any and all of these plans. So, another thing that she might consider similar to the kidnapping or mugging plot is Phyllis could hire somebody to stage a fake armed robbery at Crimson Lights. So, Matt could be in there having a latte and Phyllis sends in a hired henchman with a fake gun or a gun that’s not supposed to be loaded to make Sharon think she’s being robbed.

And then Matt could pounce on the gunman, punch him, and the guy, you know, runs off out of the coffee shop while Matt comforts Sharon and calls 911 to report this fake robbery. That way, it would be a matter of public record that Matt almost took a bullet to save Sharon. It could be impressive on Young and the Restless.

Phyllis & Matt Doomed Young and the Restless

But no matter what scheme Phyllis chooses, I don’t see any of it working because first of all, her plots always end up blowing up in the end. Second, Sharon may smell a rat and realize the dangerous event with some sort of setup because she knows what a schemer that Phyllis is and things just seem off. And third, it might not work because Phyllis’ plan goes awry and Sharon actually gets hurt when she’s not supposed to. Like the robber accidentally left a bullet chambered in his gun and a shot is fired and maybe Sharon is grazed.

Or the mugger Phyllis hires decided to be opportunistic and really mug Sharon and she winds up harmed. Or in a dangling scenario, if Matt doesn’t get to her and grab her in time, Sharon could take an actual tumble and break an arm or a leg or somebody else runs over and saves her and then Matt’s implicated because he was nearby and blamed for shoving her or something. I absolutely think this is going to blow up in Phyllis and Matt’s faces and they’ll wind up looking even worse because honestly it’s classic Phyllis to wind up a complete disaster.

Roomies, the legal situation surrounding Kroy Biermann Jr., the eldest son of reality TV stars Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann, is reportedly getting more serious as the case continues to make its way through the Georgia court system. New court filings are shedding more light on what prosecutors are alleging — and the latest development means Kroy Jr. is now facing multiple charges stemming from accusations made by a female classmate.

RELATED: Kim Zolciak Claps Back Amid Reports Of Temporarily Losing Custody Of Her Kids With Kroy Biermann (UPDATE)

Kroy Jr. Faces Seven Charges In New Indictment

According to court documents, a Georgia grand jury reportedly indicted Kroy Jr. on Thursday in connection with allegations involving a female classmate. The indictment reportedly contains seven charges tied to an alleged incident that took place inside a gym changing room. The charges reportedly include aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, three counts of aggravated sexual battery involving a child under 16, and false imprisonment.

One of the aggravated sexual battery allegations reportedly accuses Kroy Jr. of making unwanted physical contact with the alleged victim. It’s important to note that these are allegations contained in the indictment. Kroy Jr. is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court. The latest development comes after Kroy Jr. was arrested last month following a months-long investigation into the allegations. His mother, Kim Zolciak, has publicly denied that her son did anything wrong and has continued to stand by him as the legal process unfolds.

Kroy Jr. Previously Appeared In Court Seeking Bond

Before the indictment was reportedly issued, Kroy Jr. appeared before a judge as his attorneys sought bond while the case moved forward. His legal team reportedly highlighted several factors they believe should weigh in the court’s decision, including Kroy Jr.’s academic record, scholarship opportunities, and ties to the community. His attorney also reportedly told the court that Kroy Jr. had taken a polygraph examination and answered two questions related to the allegations.

However, the specific questions asked during the examination were not disclosed. The reported results were also not made public. The bond request is part of the broader legal process now underway. Attorneys on both sides are preparing for the case to continue through the Georgia court system. A bond decision would determine the conditions under which Kroy Jr. could remain out of custody while the case continues.

Kim Zolciak Has Spoken Out

The case has also drawn attention because of Kroy Jr.’s well-known family background. His parents, Kim Zolciak and former NFL player Kroy Biermann, have spent years in the public eye through reality television and their highly publicized family life. Kim has previously spoken out in defense of her son and denied that he committed the alleged conduct. Her comments come as the family continues to deal with the legal situation privately while the case remains pending.

Kim Zolciak has previously spoken out about the matter, sharing in a statement: “The allegations being made against my son are nothing short of reckless and deeply troubling. He categorically denies ever being involved with this woman or engaging in the conduct she has alleged.”

What Happens Next?

The next stages of the case are expected to play out in a Georgia court. With the reported indictment now in place, Kroy Jr.’s attorneys can continue working on his defense. Meanwhile, prosecutors are expected to move forward with the case. Additional hearings could provide more information about the bond, potential restrictions placed on Kroy Jr., and other procedural matters. If the case ultimately goes to trial, prosecutors would be required to prove the charges against him. They would have to establish his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

For now, Kroy Jr. remains legally presumed innocent, and the allegations have not been proven in court. Any future court rulings or filings could provide additional insight into the case. They could also shed light on what comes next for the reality TV family’s eldest son.

RELATED: Kim Zolciak Temporarily Loses Custody Of Children With Estranged Husband Kroy Biermann Amid Ongoing Divorce

Former Dancing With the Stars host Brooke Burke was initially caught off guard when she was let go from the ballroom competition show.

“My times in the ballroom were epic and amazing. I have such great memories and relationships. It’s really the industry,” Burke, 54, recalled on the Thursday, September 3, episode of Tamsen Fadal’s eponymous podcast. “I mean, my contract was up. It was being renegotiated, but it was happening; my dressing room was being painted. It wasn’t, like, we were waiting for a negotiation.”

Suddenly, Burke received a call from production that “they were making a change” and she “wouldn’t be returning.”

After competing and winning DWTS season 7 in 2008, Burke joined longtime cohost Tom Bergeron in the skybox for eight seasons from 2010 to 2014. (Burke was replaced by fellow former contestant Erin Andrews, who was ousted alongside Bergeron, 71, in 2020 due to ABC going in a “new creative direction” before Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough took over hosting duties.)

Related: Brooke Burke Recalls ‘Really Disappointing’ Exit as ‘DWTS’ Cohost

Brooke Burke did not hold back while sharing her true feelings about her exit from cohosting Dancing With the Stars. When asked whether she “had enough” of her hosting gig, Burke, 52, replied on the Sunday, July 7, episode of the “Getting Grilled With Curtis Stone” podcast, “I probably had enough, but then when you […]

As for Burke, she was plagued with self-doubt after being axed from the ABC competition series.

“There was a change that was taking place, and I did go through that inner dialogue … ‘Was it me? Nobody that loves you breaks up with you,’” she admitted. “I was like, ‘If they really loved me so much, was I good enough? What kind of work was I really bringing to the ballroom? Was it my age? Are they looking for a change? Was it culture? Was it ethnicity?’ There’s all kinds of things that happened.”

Burke continued, “Because I had such a great experience, that makes it even more complicated. So, I had to chalk it up as, ‘That’s the industry and sometimes it’s time for change.’ Maybe there was a bigger reason, unknown to me, which is the hard part of navigating the industry.”

For Burke, she acknowledged that she’s a person who will “accept whatever’s coming [her] way” and propel herself forward.

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Related: Former ‘DWTS’ Host Brooke Burke Won’t Attend Show’s 20th Birthday Special

Former Dancing With the Stars host Brooke Burke won’t be making a return to the ballroom for the show’s 20th birthday special after her 2014 exit. Burke, 54, explained why she won’t be attending the highly anticipated event during the Tuesday, November 4, episode of Jennie Garth’s “I Choose Me” podcast. “A redo is hard […]

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“In [the] best case scenario, I was sort of like, ‘Ooh, I’ve been here for eight years. I won Dancing with the Stars somehow, [which was] amazing. I had the privilege and the blessing to host the show, now what am I going to do?’” the TV personality recalled. “‘Am I going to New York? Am I going to go do talk [shows]? What’s my next step?’ I had four children at home … and my commitment as a mother, I wasn’t gonna really explore a lot of the opportunities because I wanted to be home, first and foremost. My priority was to be a mother.”

Burke, who shares Neriah and Sierra with Garth Fisher and Heaven and Shaya with David Charvet, further claimed that she never got a definitive reason about why she was cut from the ballroom.

“There really wasn’t an answer other than that they wanted to make a change,” she said. “I think the host that they chose was very relevant at the time … with Erin, she did an absolutely fine job. Change is hard though in an industry [and], kind of, being a princess of the ballroom and having the trophy and hosting and having great relationships and loving the pros.”

James Gunn is back on social media once again, doing what he does best — interacting with fans. The DC filmmaker takes time out of his busy schedule to reply to comments, while also addressing rumors and speculation about upcoming DC projects, including this recent one involving the Blue Beetle animated series.

Recently, DC announced it would be scrapping some projects, some of which were initially announced when Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC in 2023 and announced “Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters”. So it comes as no surprise that people started speculating another DC project was added to that list of shelved projects, despite the filmmaker confirming in the past that it was still in the works.

On social media, a fan asked Gunn whether Blue Beetle was scrapped after a video by another content creator reacted to news that the animated show was cancelled. In response, Gunn reminded people that he had previously addressed Blue Beetle‘s status and that the cancellation rumors were not true. Responding to rumors has been a common thread in Gunn’s social media activity; in the past, he had to address misinformation about the upcoming Batman project, The Brave and the Bold, as well as rumors about a Teen Titans adaptation.

What Is ‘Blue Beetle’ About?

Blue Beetle is an upcoming DC animated superhero series that follows Jamie Reyes, aka Blue Beetle. In 2023, a live-action adaptation of the superhero’s origin story was released, starring Xolo Maridueña (Cobra Kai), and also featured Bruna Marquezine as Jenny Kord, Raoul Trujillo (Dutton Ranch) as Ignacio Carapax, Susan Sarandon (Rick and Morty) as Victoria Kord, and Becky G as the voice of Khaji-Da, the sentient entity that controls the Scarab that gives Jamie his powers. Blue Beetle made over $130.8 million worldwide and received a 78% critics’ score and a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The plot for the animated series has yet to be revealed, as well as a full cast list, but Maridueña will reprise his role in the show. Additionally, Maridueña will return as Blue Beetle in the upcoming DC film Man of Tomorrow, which features a team-up between Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) and Superman (David Corenswet) as they face a bigger threat: Brainiac, played by Lars Eidinger.

The Blue Beetle animated series has not yet announced a release date. You can stream the live-action adaptation on HBO Max. Follow Collider for more updates.​​​​​​​

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Release Date

August 18, 2023

Runtime

128 minutes

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Director

Ángel Manuel Soto

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Writers

Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer

Producers

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John Rickard, Zev Foreman

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Tammy Rivera had a full-on mommy moment in the comment section of her daughter Charlie Rivera’s last social media post. Charlie shared some cute snapshots from her summer, but Tammy wasted NO time bringing a lil’ parental energy right on over to the pics.

RELATED: All Me, For Real! 5 Facts About Tammy Rivera That’ll Have You Saying “She Really Did That”

Not Mama In The Comments! Tammy Rivera Had A Lil’ Reminder For Charlie Rivera

Recently, Charlie Rivera dropped a lil’ summer recap on Instagram, sharing snapshots of moments with her friends, her mom Tammy Rivera, and Tammy’s boo, Kosher Oasis. One flick shows Charlie chucking up two peace signs while Tammy and Kosher look like they’re putting in work in the background during an event. Tammy slid into Charlie’s comment section with a lil’ joke of her own, writing, “Look at me and my man looking like help… oh we was my bad lol.” Charlie clearly got a kick out of her mom’s comment, responding with four laughing emojis.

Besties For Life! Charlie Doesn’t Play About Her Mom

Outside of their funny family moments, fans also love seeing Tammy and Charlie show each other some mother-daughter love on social media. Back in July, Charlie shared the sweetest post to celebrate Tammy’s 40th birthday on July 30. Charlie dropped a carousel filled with sweet snapshots, including a few throwbacks, and paired the pics with a heartfelt message calling her mom her best friend and thanking Tammy for standing by her through every chapter of her life.

“Happy Birthday to the woman who gave me life, my biggest supporter, and my best friend. 🤍 Thank you for always loving me, believing in me, and being there through every chapter of my life. I wouldn’t be who I am without you. I pray this year brings you as much happiness, peace, love, and success as you bring to everyone around you. You deserve the world and so much more. I love you forever. Happy Birthday, Mom! 🎂🎉✨”  Charlie captioned the post.

Forever Her Baby! Tammy Doesn’t Play About Charlie

Tammy doesn’t play about Charlie either! At the beginning of July, she celebrated Charlie’s birthday with a heartfelt post of her own. Tammy told fans that she and Charlie planned to be outside celebrating their birthdays together since her own big day was coming up on July 30. She also reminded Charlie that no matter how old she gets, she’ll always be her baby.

“Thank you for making me a mama. No matter how grown you get, you’ll always be my baby.” Tammy continued, “Keep chasing your dreams, keep being exactly who you are, and never forget that I’ll be cheering for you every single step of the way. I’m so blessed that God chose me to be your mom.
I love you forever, bookie.” 

RELATED: Tammy Rivera Doesn’t “Recognize” Herself After Lifestyle Change, But She & Her Man Are “Really Happy” (PICS + VIDEOS) 

Paramount Pictures and Legendary Entertainment have unleashed a new trailer for Street Fighter, giving fans another action-packed look at the upcoming live-action adaptation of Capcom’s legendary fighting franchise.

The trailer debuted as Paramount and Legendary kicked off the film’s global World Warrior Tour in Tokyo, bringing the movie back to the country where the Street Fighter franchise was born.

Street Fighter [legendary pictures]

Set in 1993, Street Fighter follows former friends and fighters Ryu and Ken Masters, played by Andrew Koji and Noah Centineo. After growing apart, the two are pulled back into the fight when Chun-Li, played by Callina Liang, recruits them to compete in the World Warrior Tournament.

What initially appears to be a battle to determine the world’s greatest fighter soon becomes something much more dangerous, with a conspiracy lurking behind the tournament and Ryu and Ken eventually forced to confront both each other and their pasts.

The latest footage continues to embrace the wild personality of the games, mixing martial arts action with the colorful characters and larger-than-life style that have defined Street Fighter for decades.

Cody Rhodes as Guile [paramount]

And there are plenty of familiar faces joining the fight.

The massive cast includes Jason Momoa as Blanka, David Dastmalchian as M. Bison, Cody Rhodes as Guile, Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i as Akuma, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as Balrog, Vidyut Jammwal as Dhalsim, Orville Peck as Vega, Olivier Richters as Zangief, Hirooki Goto as E. Honda and Mel Jarnson as Cammy. Eric André also appears as tournament announcer Don Sauvage.

Kitao Sakurai directs the film, which is produced by Legendary Pictures in association with Capcom. Sakurai recently explained that his goal was to avoid making an “off-the-shelf” video game movie, instead leaning into martial arts cinema, comedy and the distinct personality of the games.

Street Fighter hits theaters on October 16, 2026.

Recently, Collider spoke with Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot about Prime Video’s new action-packed thriller, The Runner, from director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland). In the movie, Gadot plays a high-powered London attorney, Maia, whose morning jog is cut short by a cryptic phone call informing her that her son has been abducted. This anonymous caller explains that Maia must race through London and carefully follow a series of instructions — and that her son’s life depends on her participation in this sick game.

In this interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, which you can watch above, Gadot discusses Macdonald’s “cerebral and methodical” filmmaking, the whirlwind shooting experience in London, how Tom Cruise inspired her, and why she’s more interested in starring in “The Foodie” than The Runner 2. Gadot also comments on the upcoming final installment of the Fast & Furious franchise, and what it was like on the set of Doug Liman’s (Edge of Tomorrow) Bitcoin, working opposite Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea) and Pete Davidson (Saturday Night Live).

Gal Gadot Reveals What She Wants To See in the Final Fast & Furious Movie

Gadot plays Gisele Yashar in the franchise.

Image via Universal Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

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COLLIDER: The Fast & Furious franchise is about to end. It has a release date. I’m still not sure it’s getting made, but what do you hope happens in the final Fast & Furious movie?

GAL GADOT: Everybody come together and… I don’t know. I think part of the reason why it’s taking so long is to make sure that the script is being completely figured out in a perfect way, and I think it takes time. But I know there’s so many people involved who love this franchise — I’m one of them — and I hope we will finish on a very, very high, great note.

I do as well. And I do hope it comes back to LA full circle with the first film.

GADOT: That’s a great idea. You see. Why are you asking me? You have all the answers.

That’s what I would like.

Gal Gadot Channeled Tom Cruise for ‘The Runner’

The Mission: Impossible star kept her motivated throughout the shoot.

Image via Paramount

After making this movie, what is your current relationship with running? Is it love it, hate it, or never again?

GADOT: I have a love-hate relationship with running, but it’s better because before I simply hated running. So now it’s like, I love it, I know it’s good for me. It’s like eating broccoli: I know it’s good for me, it’s not my favorite, but after I choose to eat broccoli, I know I’ve made the right decision. It’s kind of the same thing. I didn’t fall in love with running, and that was my hope. But also, to be fair, it kind of abused the way we used the running. How can one expect to love running after I run an entire film all the time nonstop?

I think you did more running in this movie than Tom Cruise in all the Mission: Impossibles, because he’s always running. There’s the famous montage of him running. But in all seriousness, when you signed on for this, were you like, “Oh, I can do this,” and at what point in the shoot were you like, “What did I sign on for?”

GADOT: It’s funny you mentioned Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise was the one person I kept thinking about whenever it got really, really difficult. I was like, “You can do it. Tom Cruise does it. You can try and do it as well.”

I think it’s one of those things that you just take a big leap of faith and trust the process. None of us knew how exactly we were going to be able to film it and to capture everything. We weren’t able to lock down all of London. We had to have the camera guy on a skateboard or on rollerblades capturing everything, holding the camera at me, hardly being able to see.

It was like everything about making this film was challenging, and I like it. I like the idea of one overcoming a challenge, and also, as much as in my life I like certainty, I like to let the path reveal itself when you’re doing something creative like this. So, I just trusted the process, and I became as ready as I could. I trained for nine months, and that’s it. And we have a great movie.

Image via Prime Video

There are a lot of shots where you are clearly running through real people in London. How many takes were actually ruined because people recognized who you are while you’re filming? Because they must see a camera. They see you.

GADOT: Not many, because they wouldn’t approach while we were shooting. People were very respectful. They had the double take and stuff, but they only approached me after we cut, which was great, because then not a lot of the shots were ruined.

But I can tell you a funny story. We were very limited when we were filming in the tube, and at one point I had to go, just me, my security guy, and the camera guy, to the tube to a different station, get on the thing, and just the both of us were filming it, and it was just me there. I had this, like, bloody cut on my forehead, and I was so worried that people would come, worried about me, and actually people didn’t mind it too much. I was telling the camera guy, “Wow, I thought people would be like, ‘Is everything okay? You have something. What’s going on?’” But that wasn’t the case. It was interesting. It was a social experiment that was very interesting to do.

If Kevin calls you tomorrow and says The Runner 2 takes place on a treadmill, are you taking his call or hanging up on it?

GADOT: So I told him that I think the sequence, if we had The Runner, the next one should be The Foodie. The one after it should be The Spa, or something like that, I think. I think the running kind of… It was a lot; let’s just put it this way.

Gal Gadot Teases Her New Doug Liman Thriller ‘Bitcoin’

She stars opposite Pete Davidson and Casey Affleck.

Image via YouTube

Before I run out of time with you, I’m a big fan of Doug Liman, and you did that movie with him called Bitcoin. What can you tell people about this film? Is it based on anything real, or is it a Hollywood take on it?

GADOT: I think it’s everything all together, and it’s crazy. We finished filming it a few months ago. It was a crazy experience. It was amazing to be able to work with Doug Liman and Pete Davidson and Casey Affleck. But the tone of the film is like Bitcoin — it’s real, but it’s not real at the same time type of thing.

One of the things about Doug that’s very unique is he will redo things like he’s a very unique filmmaker. So what was your experience working with Doug as compared to, say, Kevin on, on The Runner?

GADOT: Doug is so wonderful. He would try different things at different times. He’s very associative. He’ll have different ideas. He’ll have us reshooting a scene we already shot because he wants to play with it. He’s very that type of director.

And Kevin was amazing on this film. I feel like he’s more cerebral. He’s very methodical with the way that he films and the way that he thinks. He kind of knows what he wants to get from the very first moment.

The Runner is available to stream on Prime Video.

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Release Date

September 2, 2026

Runtime

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84 Minutes

Director

Kevin Macdonald

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The Sergio Leone movie you’re probably most likely to have seen is The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. That one might well be the best, or at least you can understand why it’s the most iconic. The Sergio Leone movie you’re second most likely to have seen… uh, that’s a bit harder to guess. It’s something that isn’t The Colossus of Rhodes, which was his directorial debut. That movie came out in 1961, and it’s kind of understandable why few people know about it. It’s not very good, and Sergio Leone’s style doesn’t really shine through. It took until the Dollars trilogy for him to become recognized as a director, with the aforementioned The Good, the Bad and the Ugly being the final movie in that trilogy, even if it’s possible that it takes place before A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More chronologically.

Those movies didn’t make Sergio Leone legendary in his time, because spaghetti Westerns weren’t always taken seriously, and it feels like more people have come to recognize how good they are in the years since. Sergio Leone directed another loose trilogy after the Dollars films, and these ones also weren’t fully appreciated to the extent they should’ve been. Like, the Academy Awards aren’t everything, even when they get more things right, but none of Leone’s movies ever got a single Oscar nomination, which is kind of absurd, frankly, just for how they look and sound alone (Ennio Morricone’s scores are always a highlight). The second Leone trilogy has been more appreciated as time has gone on, too. It’s admittedly more of a thematic trilogy than the already loose Dollars trilogy, but the films share a “Once Upon a Time” motif in their titles, so that’s how they’re linked, and that’s why they’re being ranked. Well, one movie only kind of has “Once Upon a Time” in one of its titles. It’s complicated. Speaking of complications…

3

‘Once Upon a Time… the Revolution,’ AKA ‘Duck, You Sucker!’ (1971)

Image via United Artists

This is the complicated movie, when it comes to titles. It’s hard to know what to call this movie, which is the second of the Once Upon a Time trilogy, but isn’t often referred to by its “Once Upon a Time” title. The best title would be Once Upon a Time… the Revolution, though, because that links it with the other two movies, and it also sounds the best. Like, the most popular title is probably Duck, You Sucker!, which is the worst of the bunch. You’ll also sometimes see this movie called A Fistful of Dynamite, which is a tiny bit better, but still not as good as Once Upon a Time… the Revolution. A Fistful of Dynamite just feels like an attempt to link it to A Fistful of Dollars, and that’s misleading, because this is a considerably longer, bleaker, and more challenging Western than A Fistful of Dollars. Actually, it’s bleaker and more challenging than all the Westerns Leone directed (the genre for which he’s best known, since his only non-Westerns were The Colossus of Rhodes and his final film… but more on that final film a little further down).

Anyway, it’s Once Upon a Time… the Revolution. That’s the best title. Using it here might well help further the idea that it should be called that, over the other titles. Once Upon a Time… the Revolution is one of the most underrated movies of its era, or maybe even of all time, and it’s fantastic, to the point where having to rank it last here hurts. But it’s the kind of film that might get, like, an A-, if you were grading it, while the other two Once Upon a Time movies are both well and truly A-grade, or possibly even worthy of an A+. Once Upon a Time… the Revolution does indeed play out against the backdrop of the 1910s Mexican Revolution, only just scraping by into the period of time that most Westerns take place in. It functions as a war movie at the same time, and then it’s also intensely tragic at points, being maybe the most drama-heavy of any Sergio Leone film. It’s offbeat and potentially not for everyone, but it’s got a lot to offer, and it’s extremely well-made, all the while having an admirably unique tone, too.

2

‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (1968)

Unambiguously called Once Upon a Time in the West, this one is the first in the Once Upon a Time trilogy, and it’s pretty much a coin flip between this and the other movie, if you’re trying to determine the best of the bunch. Once Upon a Time in the West is also the Sergio Leone Western that you might well find people placing above The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and it’s hard to be envious of the people making such a decision, because it’s very hard to pick a favorite of the two. Leone just knew how to make a Western, and Once Upon a Time in the West is perfect while being very different tonally and pacing-wise from the also pretty much perfect The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. There are four main characters here, and the plot mostly involves a bloody dispute over a piece of land that’s highly desirable. That’s simplifying things a bit. Once Upon a Time in the West isn’t really too narrative-focused.

What it does dramatically is still interesting, and there is eventually a ton of emotion here, once certain things come to light in the film’s final act. Once Upon a Time in the West does draw things out before then, miraculously without ever feeling boring. That’s especially apparent in the long opening scene, which has a trio of people waiting at a remote train station for another person to arrive. That’s it. You’re watching people wait, and Leone makes it entertaining. The same goes for a good many other sequences that can’t really be called set pieces, because they’re not particularly explosive or action-packed, but they’re riveting in unexpected ways. The whole movie is kind of like that, and it’s hard to put into words just what works so well about Once Upon a Time in the West. You also can only go so far in trying to rave about how good this film looks and sounds, too. Everyone brought their A-game, and it really does feel like Sergio Leone’s ambitious vision for the whole epic was well and truly realized.

1

‘Once Upon a Time in America’ (1984)

Image via Warner Bros.

Once Upon a Time in America shook things up, as an entry in Sergio Leone’s filmography, by being his sole gangster movie, and also being the only one based on a book. It’s not super accurate to say it’s the only Sergio Leone movie based on a pre-existing story, since A Fistful of Dollars was rather infamously an unofficial remake of Yojimbo, but yeah, still not a book. The source material here, a novel called The Hoods, by Harry Grey, is fairly obscure. And it was published in 1952, while Once Upon a Time in America spans decades and ends up in the 1960s, so it’s not a direct adaptation or anything. To keep the focus on the film, it doesn’t really start in the 1910s and end in the 1960s, because it’s told in a non-chronological way… but the earliest events in the movie take place during the former decade, and the final events (chronologically speaking) of the movie take place in the latter decade.

So, to call Once Upon a Time in America an epic would be an understatement, because it’s about a long stretch of time, and then it’s also about four hours long, too. Or it’s a bit longer, if you watch the most complete cut. It’s only the severely cut-down original U.S. cut that has to be avoided, because it was chopped down to 139 minutes, and the storytelling was made chronological. It ruined the film, or that’s what the people who saw that cut say, and you have to go by their opinions because that’s not a widely available cut nowadays. Once Upon a Time in America probably stood the best chance of being properly appreciated in its time, since it was clearly a labor of love, and epic gangster movies had done well in the previous decade, what with The Godfather and its sequel coming out then and all. Honestly, Once Upon a Time in America is about at their level, quality-wise. It’s a more brutal and despairing gangster movie than even The Godfather Part II, and goes to some incredibly dark places, but with reason, and it’s powerfully done as a stark look at crime and a group of genuinely irredeemable gangsters. On a technical front, it matches how impressive Leone’s previous several movies had been, too. It’s unfortunate that Once Upon a Time in America ended up being a swansong, since it was Sergio Leone’s final film, and he wasn’t old when he passed away in 1929 (at 60 years of age). Still, what a legacy he ultimately left behind, and the three Once Upon a Time movies are all essential in strengthening said cinematic legacy.

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Once Upon a Time in America

Release Date

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June 1, 1984

Runtime

229 Minutes

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Writers

Harry Grey, Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi, Enrico Medioli, Franco Arcalli, Franco Ferrini, Stuart Kaminsky, Sergio Leone

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Counting On alum Joy-Anna Duggar decided to wait to publicly announce her pregnancy — and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Thank you all so much for the love on our pregnancy announcement,” Duggar, 28, wrote via her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, September 2. “We are over the moon and cannot wait.”

Duggar and her husband, Austin Forsyth, announced on Tuesday, September 1, that they are expecting another baby. The couple already share sons Gideon, 8, and Gunner, 2, as well as daughter Evelyn, 6. (Duggar suffered a stillbirth in 2019 and named her late daughter Annabell.)

“It’s [definitely] been challenging keeping it under wraps b/c [because] I feel like, with each pregnancy, I show sooner,” she noted on Wednesday. “But, having a lil time for us to soak this in quietly as a family has been so special.”

To share her pregnancy news, Duggar asked Gideon and Evelyn to snap maternity portraits in their family’s living room. In the images, Duggar cuddled up to Forsyth, 32, as they looked over sonogram photos.

“Decided to have the kids take these photos for us on a whim,” the former TLC personality wrote in a follow-up upload on Wednesday. “They turned out to be so cute.”

Joy-Anna is one of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s 19 children. She received a flurry of support from her siblings amid her pregnancy.

“Sooooo excited to meet this baby!!” Jinger Duggar replied, while sister-in-law Maddie Duggar added, “Sooooo excited to meet baby!!!! You look amazing ♥️.”

Related: How Joy-Anna Duggar Supports Sisters’ Pregnancies in Wake of Miscarriage

Joy-Anna Forsyth (née Duggar) is there for her sisters during their pregnancies, despite suffering a miscarriage in June. “I thought it was going to be a lot harder being around [Kendra Duggar (née Caldwell), Abbie Duggar (née Burnett) , Lauren Duggar (née Swanson), and Anna Duggar (née Keller) … because there are three sisters that […]

While raising her growing family, Joy-Anna has continued to honor Annabell, who died at 20 weeks.

“That was extremely hard. I felt like, at first, I was like, ‘I’m going to be strong and I’m going to push through this,’” Joy-Anna recalled of her loss on the Wednesday episode of Jinger’s podcast. “But after the dust settled and, like, a new normal had to start happening, it was really hard.”

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She continued at the time, “I really had to work through a lot of hard things and … I guess in a lot of ways, I didn’t know how to handle it. I was like, ‘I don’t want to turn into this bitter person that just can’t move on from the past, like, I want to be able to work through this.’ It felt like I would never see light at the end of the tunnel.”

According to the influencer, the fog from her grief slowly began to lift after six months.

“True joy comes from the Lord, and I think my kids help me have a little bit of happiness here and there in the dark moments,” she recalled. “It is really hard to find joy in those hard moments.”