Orlando Bloom is sharing his experience filming a threesome scene with Rooney Mara and Kate Mara for a new movie.

Appearing at the San Sebastián Film Festival to promote his new movie Bucking Fastard, Bloom, 49, was asked about an intimate scene involving the actresses, per a Variety article published on Friday, September 18.

According to the outlet, Bloom said there was “such simplicity to the characters and [their] carnal desires, but also an innocence to the sisters.”

He added, “My character, the Bucking Fastard, is sensitive too. And he’s quite quickly out of his depth in some ways. It was a very sincere sort of moment that was created.”

Director Werner Herzog, 84, also recalled the experience filming the scene.

“There are moments when a director has to step back. In the love scene, I said to Orlando: ‘You are in bed, and you have two women in your arms. How you deal with it, I cannot give instructions,’” Herzog said. “It is beautiful because it has such charm and depth.”

Bucking Fastard made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 3.

“Bucking Fastard is about two sisters, Jean and Joan Holbrooke (Kate Mara, Rooney Mara), who are so close to each other that they speak in unison, love the same man, and have the same dreams,” the film’s official synopsis reads. “They even make the same slip of tongue in unison. We cannot see the world as they see it, but we do see how the world reacts to them – through the courts and the press, through those that want to help and those who want to use them, through the eyes of beasts both tame and wild, and even through their own echoes in the core of the earth.”

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Related: Orlando Bloom ‘Understands’ Keira Knightley’s Issues With ‘Pirates’ Films

Orlando Bloom is supporting Keira Knightley after she recently spoke out about her struggles starring in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. “It was such a huge moment in time that is almost like … it feels almost like another lifetime now,” Bloom, 48, told Entertainment Weekly of working on the beloved Disney franchise […]

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Speaking to People in an interview published on Friday, September 17, real-life sisters Rooney and Kate shared what it was like to work on their first movie together.

“To be able to play this role with my sister was just a dream really,” Kate, 43, told People, describing the experience as feeling “totally right.”

“I felt very much when you sort of say it out loud, we really want to make a film together with a filmmaker that we both equally adore with two roles that are equally as interesting, then you’re sent a role to play in unison,” Kate explained. “We’re playing basically the same person. Never in our wildest dreams do we expect that to happen.”

Get a rundown of Us‘ top stories making headlines in celebrity news, sports and entertainment on September 18, 2026. Here are the key takeaways:

• Frankie Muniz opened up about hitting rock bottom over the last six weeks, describing the stretch as “a nightmare I’m praying to wake up from” in a September 18 Instagram post. The former Malcolm in the Middle star said the low point has forced real self-reflection and framed it as “the foundation, not the finish line” as he begins the “uncomfortable, unglamorous, necessary work.”

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• Millie Bobby Brown confirmed she and husband Jake Bongiovi welcomed their second baby, a son, by debuting a diamond “Mom” ring on Instagram on September 17. The couple, who wed in May 2024, previously welcomed a daughter through adoption in August 2025.

• Paris Hilton exclusively told Us she and Nicole Richie are making plans for a new project together following their 2024 reunion series, Paris & Nicole: The Encore. Hilton shared the tease on September 14 at the Blonds’ 20th anniversary fashion show, calling their bond a lifelong friendship dating back to when they were toddlers.

Edited by Samantha Benitz. Story produced with AI assistance

Stranger Things has never really been gone, has it? It’s one of those shows that feels like it’s always just waiting to come back, like it’s perennially there while we anticipate another trip to Hawkins, Indiana. Thankfully, we’ve been proven right as the series prepares to bring us back into the fold, and it’s a special trip with the show’s most terrifying nemesis.

The Demogorgon has been ripping people apart, dragging unsuspecting teenagers into alternate dimensions, and generally making Indiana a considerably worse place to live since 2016. Now, you can bring one into your house. Brilliant idea.

Stranger Things is officially getting two new Demogorgon Funko Pop! releases this fall, including an enormous 10-inch Jumbo Demogorgon currently expected to arrive in October 2026. The monster is joined by a new two-pack recreating Cara Buono’s (Mad Men) Karen Wheeler facing off against a Demogorgon, giving fans another way of celebrating Netflix’s sci-fi phenomenon following its recent return with new episodes.

The second release might be the more interesting one for longtime fans. Funko’s new Karen & Demogorgon 2-Pack recreates the rather unfortunate encounter between Karen and the Upside Down creature, with both figures covered in black sludge and positioned as though they’re about to face off.

Meanwhile, the tiny Karen stands approximately 4.2 inches tall, while the Demogorgon measures around 5.4 inches. Funko has priced the two-pack at $29.99 in the United States and £24 in the U.K., although its official store currently lists the set simply as “Coming Soon.”

It’s also not Funko’s only recent attempt to make one of television’s most horrifying monsters look vaguely adorable. The company has released several Demogorgon variants over the years, including a Rift version and a Premium Demogorgon on Fire, with the latter standing 5.4 inches tall.

Stranger Things Is Back on Netflix

The Stranger Things universe officially returned to Netflix on September 17, with the second season of Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 now available to stream. The animated spin-off heads back to the winter of 1985 for another adventure featuring younger versions of Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max.

The new Stranger Things Jumbo Demogorgon Funko Pop! is expected to arrive in October 2026, while the Karen & Demogorgon two-pack is listed as coming soon.

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Release Date

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2016 – 2025-00-00

Network

Netflix

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Directors

Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz

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Writers

Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock

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Before Mattel began expanding its toy brands into major live-action movies, the company released animated films aimed at children. Many of these movies were released directly onto physical media, while some also aired on television. But thanks to streaming, these movies have found a second life, allowing a new generation of audiences to watch these popular toys come to life.

One major example of this was the Barbie movies, a series of animated films based on the Barbie toy line. Before Greta Gerwig cast Margot Robbie as the iconic doll, Mattel released a plethora of animated films in which Barbie played various princesses, before giving her own story in 2006’s The Barbie Diaries. As Gerwig’s Barbie sequel has yet to be confirmed, due to reports of stalled contract talks, as well as a new animated movie coming out this year, fans began watching the first Barbie movie that started it all.

Barbie in the Nutcracker was a 2001 CGI animated fantasy film that loosely adapted E. T. A. Hoffmann‘s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The film began appearing on the streaming charts on Wednesday, and as of this writing, it’s at #10 on Netflix’s Top 10 Kids Movie Charts in the United States, sitting below Despicable Me 3. One possible reason for Barbie in the Nutcracker‘s streaming resurgence is the announcement that Barbie will remake Barbie in the Nutcracker, scheduled for release this November on Netflix. Another possible reason for the film’s uptick in popularity is that fans are paying tribute to the late icon Tim Curry, who played the Mouse King.

How Many Barbie Animated Movies Are There?

Barbie in the Nutcracker was well received, earning a 60% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 3.5-star rating on Letterboxd. Since then, Mattel has released over 40 animated Barbie movies, starting with Barbie as Rapunzel and, most recently, Barbie & Teresa: Recipe for Friendship, which was released in March 2025. While many Barbie movies have told stories about princesses, fairies, and Barbie herself, Mattel has changed how it tells the iconic doll’s stories over the years.

However, out of all the Barbie movies released, the live-action Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, became the most successful, grossing over $1.448 billion worldwide. The film earned a “Best Picture” nomination at the 2024 Academy Awards and won “Best Original Song” for Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell‘s “What Was I Made For?” Its marketing also became a cultural phenomenon thanks to “Barbenheimer,” a term coined after Barbie and Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer shared the same release date, thus creating a theatrical event that drove many to theaters.

Barbie in the Nutcracker streams on Netflix, while its 2026 remake will be available on November 1, 2026. Follow Collider for more updates.

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Release Date

October 1, 2001

Runtime

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77 Minutes

Director

Owen Hurley

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Bre Tiesi opened up about how challenging it can be to coparent with the other mothers of Nick Cannon’s children.

“There is no we — we don’t balance anything,” the Selling Sunset star, 35, said during an interview with E!’s Hot Goss hosts Eyal Booker and Lonnie Marts IIV published on Thursday, September17. “I try to be nice.”

Tiesi and Cannon, 45, share son Legendary Love, 4. The Masked Singer host has an extensive brood of 12 children. In addition to Legendary, Cannon shares twins Moroccan and Monroe, 15, with ex-wife Mariah Carey; son Golden Sagon, 9, daughter Powerful Queen, 5, and son Rise Messiah, 3, with Brittany Bell; twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir, 5, and daughter Beautiful Zeppelin, 3, with Abby De La Rosa; daughter Halo, 3, with Alyssa Scott and daughter Onyx, 3, with LaNisha Cole. (Cannon and Scott’s eldest child, son Zen, tragically died of brain cancer at 5 months old in December 2021.)

Tiesi added that she is “very aware” of how unusual and complicated her parenting situation is.

“I would love to embrace them more, but the relationships with the mothers are, unfortunately, too difficult to do so,” she explained. “We’ve attempted. I think that I’ve tried every which way and I know how I am, and I’m like, ‘Girl, please don’t take me there because we’ll never come back from here.’”

While Tiesi finds it hard for her to establish connections with the other women in Cannon’s life, she wants her son to have a strong bond with his siblings.

“I’m just going to remove myself so that the children can have the best relationship,” she said. “It’s not my responsibility to be entirely honest. Nick has to step up, and he has to make an environment and support the children.”

Last year, Cannon opened up about how having 12 children was a “trauma” response to his 2016 divorce from Carey.

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“I didn’t get a chance to slow down until I got in therapy,” Cannon said during a September 2025 appearance on The Breakfast Club. “But I was just like, ‘Look, I just got to keep making money. I got to stay hot. I got to stay funny.’ And everything else figured itself out. And I just didn’t do the work. So then I looked up with 12 kids later. Wow, I could have [done] things very differently.”

However, Cannon expressed that he has nothing but love for all his kids and their respective mothers.

“But I stand firm on all of my decisions because I love all my kids. I love my family infrastructure,” he added. “But I know it all started from a place of pain and not really healing properly.”

Tapsee Pannu has become an undisputed face for Bollywood on Netflix. She has starred in around 40 titles, and of that total career filmography, about 12 of her major titles have been hosted on Netflix globally or regionally over the years. This includes her direct-to-OTT Netflix Originals like Haseen Dillruba, Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba, Looop Lapeta, and her latest action thriller that has now raked in 9.6 million views on Netflix within its first two weeks.

Her latest film is helmed by Devashish Makhija and comes from Kanika Dhillo, who has also produced it. The cast, in addition to Pannu, is rounded out with Ishwak Singh, Chhaya Kadam, Swastika Mukherjee, and Mita Vashisht. The premise follows Bani (Taapsee Pannu), a mother who temporarily loses her eyesight during a violent struggle while her five-year-old daughter, Mishty, is abducted at a busy railway station in the fictional town of Joypurra.

The film’s title is Gandhari, and after being released on September 3, 2026, it has collectively been watched for 18.7 million hours. And that puts this film as the #1 Non-English title for Netflix globally, as per its September 7 to September 13 chart. While the viewership seems to be compounding still, over at Rotten Tomatoes, Gandhari hasn’t been able to sit well with critics. Gandhari only has a critics’ score of only 25% at the time of writing.

What Other Non-English Titles Are Trending on Netflix

In addition to Gandhari, there are about 5 more titles hailing from India trending on the same chart. During the same period, there sits The Secret Woman at #2, which has been in the Top 10 for 3 weeks (one week more than Gandhari). Then there’s Vishwanath & Sons at #3 with around 5.5 million views.

Then against a roughly 2 million views jump, at #4 there’s Facing El Chapo, Dhamaal 4 on #5, GDN on #6, Call My Agent! The Movie on #7, Go Team! on #8, Alia Bhatt and Sharvari Wagh-starrer Alpha on #9, and finally Korean Kanakaraju at #10.

Gandhari has a runtime of 1 hour 57 minutes and is currently available to watch on Netflix. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Season 4 of Monster just came out, but showrunner Ian Brennan is already weighing in on whether The Lizzie Borden Story offered a hint at who will be the next focus of the show.

“No [it does not], but we’ve ended up doing that in the past,” Brennan, 48, exclusively told Us before Monster started streaming on Netflix Thursday, September 17.

Brennan recalled several previous teases, saying, “The Ed Gein Easter egg in [Jeffrey] Dahmer, we didn’t know at the time. It’s because these things are always on our minds. Then sometimes you see a little glimpse of that other story and you’re like, ‘That’s really interesting.’”

He continued: “John Wayne Gacy shows up in Dahmer as well in a way to contrast because Dahmer was a very troubled, dark soul, but he wasn’t a sadist. A lot of things he was, but he wasn’t a sadist — and that’s all Gacy was. Gacy was just human garbage.”

Related: Guide to Every Criminal in Ryan Murphy’s ‘Monster’: Menendez Bros, Ed Gein

Ryan Murphy‘s Monster has spotlighted some of the most infamous true crime cases — and sparked backlash along the way. The first season debuted in 2022 and centered around Evan Peters‘ portrayal of Jeffrey Dahmer. Monster, which also starred Niecy Nash, came under fire after the family of Dahmer’s victims revealed they weren’t consulted for […]

Brennan reflected on the show’s journey so far.

“It’s interesting these sequences of murderers. You end up sort of forming an emotional opinion about them when you work on them,” he noted. “That’s the most interesting part of the process of growing to like these people. It’s strange, and that was unexpected.”

Ryan Murphy‘s Monster has spotlighted some of the most infamous true crime cases with the first season centered on Evan Peters‘ portrayal of Dahmer. Peters, 39, later opened up about how his mental health was affected after taking on the complicated role.

“I’m going to take a little break from darker roles and explore the light,” he told Variety in December 2022. “It would be interesting to me to play something that is a little closer to home, a little more mundane and to explore the details of those kinds of experiences.”

The actor subsequently earned a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Dahmer.

Related: Most Anticipated Scripted True Crime TV Shows Coming Out Soon

Getty Images (3); MEGA From the murder of JonBenét Ramsey to convicted killer Ed Gein, there’s several scripted true crime shows coming our way soon. Paramount+ recently announced a limited series that will cover the Ramsey family before and after JonBenet’s murder in 1996. The unnamed JonBenét Ramsey series specifically centers around parents John and […]

“Doing the role, I wanted to give it 120 percent the whole way through, so I brought in a lot of darkness and negativity,” he explained on a panel in November 2022. “It was just having that end goal in sight, knowing when we were going to wrap and finally being able to breathe and let it go and say, ‘OK, now it’s time to bring in the joy and the lightness and watch comedies and romances and go back to St. Louis and see my family and friends and watch Step Brothers.’”

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Season 2 made headlines as well when subject Erik Menendez slammed Murphy’s portrayal of him and brother Lyle Menendez. Murphy, however, stood by his work and even argued that Monsters created renewed support in the Menendez case.

Monster continued on with Charlie Hunnam taking on the role of Gein while Laurie Metcalf was cast as Gein’s mother and Tom Hollander played Alfred Hitchcock. Season 4, meanwhile, centered on Ella Beatty‘s role as Lizzie Borden.

Monster is streaming on Netflix.

Frankie Muniz’s estranged wife, Paige Price Muniz, shared a cryptic message about “perspective” hours after the actor opened up about “hitting rock bottom.”

“Life is all about perspective,” Paige, 33, wrote via her Instagram Story on Friday, September 18. “If you ask the grass, the zebra is the monster and the lion is the protector.”

Paige shared a video of her pouring black wax on a white surface, placing a seal on top and waiting until it dried. She set the clip and message to an acoustic version of the Goo Goo Dolls’ 1998 hit “Iris.”

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Related: Frankie Muniz Says He Is Living a ‘Nightmare’ Amid Personal Struggles

Frankie Muniz got candid about currently struggling with a difficult point in his life. “The last 6 weeks of my life have been a nightmare I’m praying to wake up from,” Muniz, 40, wrote via Instagram on Friday, September 18. “Everything felt heavy, unclear, and like it was falling apart at the same time. I […]

The lyrics in the song were also contemplative, including, “And I don’t want the world to see me / ‘Cause I don’t think that they’d understand / When everything’s made to be broken / I just want you to know who I am.”

Paige’s cryptic post came shortly after her estranged husband, 40, whom she split from in July, opened up about his recent struggles. (Paige and Frankie share one son, Mauz, born in March 2021.)

“The last 6 weeks of my life have been a nightmare I’m praying to wake up from,” Frankie wrote via Instagram alongside a photo of him sitting alone on a couch in deep thought. “Everything felt heavy, unclear, and like it was falling apart at the same time. I wouldn’t wish this season on anyone.” (The picture he chose was taken by Paige when they were still together.)

The Malcolm in the Middle alum noted that even in the darkness, he’s found the “unexpected gift” of having “nowhere to hide.”

“I’ve had time to sit with myself, do real self-reflection, and finally see the areas of my life that need work if I want to become a better version of me,” Frankie mused. “Not the polished version I show the world … the actual one.”

Related: All the Signs Frankie Muniz and Wife Paige Were Headed for Divorce

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The writing was seemingly on the wall before Frankie Muniz and his wife, Paige Price Muniz, called it quits after six years of marriage. The former child star and Paige, who got married in 2019, announced in early July 2026 that they separated. (Frankie and Paige welcomed son Mauz in 2021.) “Following a period of […]

Frankie, who is now a race car driver, explained, “I read that sometimes hitting rock bottom is the thing that wakes you up. It forces the changes you needed to make all along so you can live the best life possible.”

He revealed that idea had been “sitting with me” as of late as he continues to navigate this rocky chapter.

“In five years I believe I’ll look back at this exact low point and feel grateful for it, because the high I’ll be standing on then only exists because I went through this,” Frankie continued.

The former child star vowed, “This isn’t the end of the story. It’s the part where I start doing the work…the uncomfortable, unglamorous, necessary work. I’m choosing to treat this season as the foundation, not the finish line.”

Frankie concluded with a message of hope, writing, “If you’re in a low place right now too, you’re not broken. You’re being rebuilt. Let’s keep going!”

Both Frankie and Paige’s social media uploads come a little over two months after they announced their separation following six years of marriage.

“After 10 beautiful years together, we’ve grown in ways that made us realize our relationship feels most natural and strong as a deep friendship and as co-parents,” their July 1 statement read. “We share an incredible son who remains the center of our world, and we’re both happier, stronger parents because of the love and growth we’ve shared.”

Ahead of their split, Frankie opened up to Us about his desire to better balance his career with his role as a husband and father.

“It is very hard, I won’t lie,” Muniz exclusively revealed in April after returning to acting for Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair. “Honestly, my wife is a saint. She’s sacrificing so much for me to live my dream.”

Frankie noted that while his family does support him on the race track — and was on hand to see his TV return — he didn’t like having to “uproot them” and mess with his son’s “routine” at home.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s been very, very, very tough,” he said of having it all, telling Us that he is “constantly trying to be better at” being present for his loved ones.

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Frankie confessed, “I know I need to be better. I know it’s not easy for her to be basically a single mother a lot of the time, if I’m being honest.”

While Frankie said that he was back to racing to help provide for Paige and their son, he made it clear that their situation wasn’t totally working.

He added, “I’m going to say this right now, I have to be better than I currently am. I know that 100 percent [my family] deserves it.”

In Harlan Coben‘s latest Netflix thriller, a father takes a massive risk for a big reward. David Borroughs (Sam Worthington) has been serving a sentence for the murder of his son. Many believe he’s guilty, but his sister-in-law Rachel (Britt Lower) has never bought that narrative and has been working to prove that her nephew is alive. And when she brings evidence that David’s son might be alive, it lights a fire under the father, who breaks out of prison to find him. David’s journey puts him in the crosshairs of shadowy organizations, and not only must he survive them, but law enforcement is also in tow.

As with many of Coben’s television adaptations, this one also got mixed reviews from critics. They agreed that it wasn’t anything revolutionary. “An average Harlan Coben adaptation that puts its cast to the test and has just the right formula to pass for breezy entertainment,” reads their consensus on Rotten Tomatoes that accompanies a 64% score. Collider’s Taylor Gates said the series I Will Find You “doesn’t break the mold,” adding, “there is ultimately a genericness that permeates, leaning into tropes and archetypes — the persistent reporter, the shady benefactor, the rogue cop, etc. — instead of creating more well-rounded, fleshed-out individuals.

The polarization was evident, with some critics praising the show’s bingeability. While ScreenRant‘s Cher Thompson felt the show burned through its plot, everything worked in the end. “Despite the pitfalls, which are minor at the absolute most, I Will Find You makes a concerted effort to ensure that its mystery makes sense and comes to a satisfying conclusion,” she wrote. Nick Schager of The Daily Beast put it differently, saying the story was “overflowing with the sort of junk-food melodrama that’ll make viewers crave additional servings (no matter how bad they feel afterward).” And viewers are consuming this story.

‘I Will Find You’ Is the Fifth Most-Watched English Netflix Series Ever

Despite the mixed reviews, Harlan Coben has a massive fanbase that turns his shows into hits, but I Will Find You is on another level. The series had the biggest debut of a Netflix series this year, a good sign for things to come. It quickly entered the top ten most-watched English Netflix shows of all time. The thriller has added views weekly, climbing the chart and dethroning other shows. The recent victim of I Will Find You‘s ascent is Wednesday Season 2, which has been dethroned from the fifth position. The series has accumulated 120.4 million views, but the next challenge is tough: it needs over 13.5 million more views to dethrone Stranger Things Season 5. Whether that happens remains to be seen.

All episodes of I Will Find You are streaming on Netflix. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Release Date

2026 – 2026-00-00

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Network

Netflix

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Showrunner

Robert Hull

Directors

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Adam Davidson, Brad Anderson, Maggie Kiley, Maja Vrvilo

Writers

Heather Mitchell, Bryan Wynbrandt, Robert Hull, Steven Lilien

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Popular music competition show “American Idol” is moving production from Los Angeles to Atlanta, Georgia, after more than two decades.

Producers are reportedly in talks with a studio complex in the area, but it remains unclear whether they’ve signed a deal.

Meanwhile, the judges’ lineup has yet to be confirmed following Lionel Richie’s recent health scare.

ABC reality giant “American Idol” is leaving its longtime Hollywood headquarters for Georgia amid a growing wave of reality TV shows exiting Los Angeles.

Fremantle, which produces the iconic singing competition alongside Sony Pictures Television’s 19 Entertainment, confirmed that the series will shift its primary production base to the Atlanta area for its upcoming 25th season, per Deadline.

Reports suggest the company is working to finalize a deal with a studio complex in the area. Filming for the new season, which premieres in the new year, is set to begin soon.

Atlanta is already home to extensive studio infrastructure, having hosted major Marvel Studios blockbusters as well as unscripted TV hits like ABC’s “Press Your Luck” and FOX’s “The 1% Club.”

‘American Idol’ Already Took Hollywood Week Out Of Hollywood

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In hindsight, the series seemed to be testing the waters for operations outside L.A.

For more than two decades, the catchphrase “You’re going to Hollywood!” served as the show’s defining badge of honor. Judges delivered the line to contestants who passed their initial auditions and earned a golden ticket to the next round, Hollywood Week.

However, season 24 looked different, as that round didn’t happen in Hollywood. Instead, it took place in Nashville, Tennessee, and was dubbed the “Music City Takeover.”

That portion of the show usually takes place several months after auditions. Last season, however, production held it immediately afterward to capitalize on the singers’ excitement about advancing.

“The momentum of getting through, getting a golden ticket, making it to Hollywood in the past has been maybe sometimes months,” showrunner Megan Michaels Wolflick explained to Deadline. “There was a momentum that I wanted to experiment with.”

Georgia’s Tax Incentives Appear To Sweeten The Deal

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Meanwhile, rising costs and competitive state tax incentives appear to have pushed the show toward “Y’allywood,” the nickname for Georgia’s booming entertainment sector.

Georgia offers a transferable film and television tax credit of up to 30% for qualifying unscripted productions that spend at least $500,000 within the state.

FOX’s “The Masked Singer” also moved production from L.A. to New Jersey for a similar reason. The state “offers production tax incentives of 30% on qualified expenses with up to 40% on certain studio projects,” including unscripted shows.

California, meanwhile, recently expanded its own film and television tax credit program to include select unscripted projects with a minimum budget of $1 million per episode, a criterion that “American Idol” reportedly doesn’t meet.

L.A.’s Reality TV Production Takes A Steep Hit

The latest development underscores L.A.’s growing struggle to retain unscripted television, with FOX’s “The Masked Singer” also leaving within the same one-year period.

According to data from FilmLA, reality TV production in the city dropped roughly 63% over five years as networks sought more cost-effective filming locations across the country or abroad, per Deadline.

The report also showed that unscripted production in L.A. recorded 40% fewer shoot days than in the second quarter of 2025, even as television production overall rose year over year.

‘American Idol’ Judges Remain Unconfirmed As Auditions Begin

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Virtual auditions for the upcoming 25th season are already underway, with in-person auditions typically taking place in October or November.

According to Deadline, host and Atlanta native Ryan Seacrest, along with judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Carrie Underwood, are “expected” to return for the milestone season.

However, ABC has not yet confirmed the judges’ lineup. The announcement is still pending after Richie’s recent health scare.

The 77-year-old singer underwent cardiac testing in an ICU after checking himself into the hospital late last month, per TMZ.

A source later told PEOPLE that he was back home in L.A. and was “doing great.”