Ordinary people caught up in extraordinarily terrifying events as an otherworldly threat slowly closes in around them is a recognizable formula that Steven Spielberg has practically made his own. Netflix adopted that formula with The Duffer Brothers to create one of its biggest global hits in Stranger Things. Ever since, the streamer has been trying to reproduce that magic, including with the recently ill-fated The Boroughs. Its latest attempt has been critically panned, but despite the poor reviews, it has become yet another ratings success.

The Last House is Netflix’s latest sci-fi thriller film, which premiered on Friday, August 7. The movie stars Greta Lee (Past Lives) and Wagner Moura (Narcos) as a couple living in suburban Seattle who, like the rest of the world, become trapped inside their home with their children after a mysterious disaster strikes across the globe. As the ominous threat looms over them and their resources quickly begin to run out, the family must find a way to survive whatever is happening outside their doors. The film is written by Matthew Robinson and directed by Louis Leterrier, who is set to return to the Fast & Furious franchise to direct its upcoming final installment, Fast Forever.

The Last House debuted atop Netflix’s English-language movie list, but judging by the reviews from both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie was a miss. Critics have given it a rotten 27%, and the audience 28%. Regardless, The Last House benefited from a viral marketing campaign that could give the guys over at NEON a run for their money. The campaign, which saw a man apparently living inside a billboard on Sunset Boulevard, blew up on social media and helped drive curiosity ahead of the movie’s Netflix debut. It clearly paid off, with Netflix reporting that The Last House drew 27.5 million viewers in its opening week, making it the streamer’s fifth-biggest opening of the year.

Will ‘The Last House’ Get a Sequel?

High viewership numbers almost always help a movie’s chances of getting a sequel, as seen with Alan Ritchson‘s War Machine. Despite not being one of Netflix’s most critically acclaimed titles this year, the military robot thriller drew more than 39 million views, leading Netflix to greenlight a follow-up. For The Last House, however, it’s still too early to call. Its viewing performance is certainly commendable, particularly for a reportedly mid-budget movie. The film currently ranks fifth among Netflix’s biggest movie releases of the year, trailing only the aforementioned War Machine, The Rip, Apex, and Thrash, all of which came with bigger budgets and more star power behind them.

The Last House has also outperformed Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, Office Romance, Swapped, and People We Meet on Vacation. However, whether those numbers will be enough to convince Netflix to give The Last House another go remains to be seen, but at least its stars seem ready to return. Moura has told Collider that he is “very curious” to see what happens after the characters leave the house and to learn more about the film’s mysterious creatures, suggesting that even he sees plenty of unexplored territory following that enigmatic ending. Stay tuned for updates.

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Release Date

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August 6, 2026

Runtime

110 minutes

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Director

Louis Leterrier

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Cast

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• 
• 
• 

  Riley Chung

  Ruth (8 Years Old)

• 

  Noah Alexander Sosnowski

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  Graham (12 Years Old)

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Hayden Panettiere’s sudden death has left Hollywood struggling to process the loss of a star many believed was entering a brighter chapter. 

The actress’ final Instagram post, shared only weeks before her death, has now become an emotional gathering place for friends and colleagues mourning her. 

From Selma Blair’s desperate pleas for her friend to come back to Bethany Joy Lenz questioning how the tragedy could be real, the tributes have revealed just how deeply Panettiere was loved. 

The final glimpse Hayden Panettiere shared with her followers was filled with the kind of carefree energy that makes the news of her death even harder for those who knew her to comprehend. 

On July 27, the “Heroes” star took to Instagram with a jubilant black-and-white photograph of herself playfully sticking out her tongue while being embraced by her longtime friend, director and podcaster Randall Slavin. 

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She captioned the image, “Good times and good friends.” After news broke that Panettiere had died at 36, the photograph took on a heartbreaking significance as friends began returning to the post to say goodbye. 

Slavin later reposted the image to his Instagram Stories, writing, “Peace be with you, H,” alongside an animated red heart. 

The post quickly became flooded with condolences from fans and people who had worked with Panettiere throughout her career. 

The timing has also drawn attention because Panettiere had recently been publicly discussing her life and experiences while promoting her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning.”

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Hayden Friend Selma Blair Begs Her To ‘Be Here’

Among the earliest and most emotional reactions came from Selma Blair, who appeared unable to contain her grief after learning that Hayden Panettiere had died. 

Blair went directly to the actress’ final Instagram post, leaving several comments that captured the shock of losing someone she considered a close friend. 

“I love you. Don’t be gone. Don’t be gone. Please. Please,” Blair wrote beneath the photograph. She returned to the post 11 minutes later with another deeply personal message, noting, “I love you whale tail my friend.” 

Blair then commented again, writing, “I’m dying. Please be here.” Blair was not alone in expressing heartbreak over Hayden’s sudden demise

Rosie O’Donnell also took to Instagram to share her heartbreak, writing, “Oh my god – heartbroken #hayden,” alongside a beaming image of Hayden. 

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David Arquette, Hayden’s “Scream 4” costar, similarly commented under Variety’s Instagram post, “I love you Hayden,” while Melissa Barrera wrote on her Instagram story, “Rest in peace sweet Hayden.” 

Hayden Panettiere’s Costars Struggle To Understand Her Death

The grief surrounding Hayden’s death has stretched across generations of performers who knew her at different points in her career. 

Bethany Joy Lenz offered one of the most extensive tributes, admitting that she struggled to reconcile the news with the person she believed she had been watching find her way forward. 

“There is nothing that posting pictures on the internet can do. I avoid it usually in moments like this. But I’m here with my head in my hands and I don’t know what else to do in aside from praying for her soul, which I have done and will continue,” the “One Tree Hill” alum wrote on Instagram. 

Lenz added, “I don’t understand how this is real. Everything seemed to be turning around. She was coming BACK to life, wasn’t she?” 

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She also referenced Hayden’s daughter, writing, “It’s too young and there’s still so much more life. And her daughter…. Hayden, you are surround [sic] by love.” 

Lenz ended by reflecting on the many glimpses of Hayden she had known over 27 years and saying she was praying for her to know peace. 

Hayden’s Legacy Resonates With Friends And Fans

Hayden Panettiere’s death has also prompted people who knew her in different capacities to reflect on the impact she had beyond her best-known performances. 

Jay Shetty, who had recently begun a friendship with the Hollywood star, said the loss was particularly difficult because their connection was still new. 

“I can’t believe it. Our friendship had just begun and I was so moved by the conversation we shared earlier this year. My love and condolences to her family and fans,” he wrote under Variety’s post. 

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Greer Grammer similarly expressed her disbelief, commenting, “Oh my god this is just absolutely devastating. I can’t believe it,” on a post about Hayden’s death. 

For longtime fans, the actress leaves behind a career that began when she was a child and eventually included “Heroes,” “Nashville,” the “Scream” franchise and other film and television projects. 

Hayden Panettiere’s Family Asks For Privacy Amid Investigation

Hayden tragically passed away on August 16, 2026, at the age of 36. Her father, Skip Panettiere, shared a statement through the actress’ representative, describing the loss as unimaginable for the family. 

“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” he said per The Blast, adding, “She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen.” 

Skip also asked for privacy “as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.” Meanwhile, Hayden’s cause of death remains undisclosed. 

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Law enforcement sources confirmed that police had responded to an incident involving the actress, while her publicist said, “There’s an investigation ongoing. We should know more tomorrow.”

Ginny & Georgia’s Brianne Howey and husband Matt Ziering have officially become a family of four.

“Our whole world just got a little more whole 💛🌼,” Howey, 37, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, August 16.

Alongside the message, Howey posted a selfie of her smiling as the little one — who sported a floral-printed outfit — lay on her chest.

Howey previously announced her pregnancy in May, sharing a mirror selfie of the actress wearing a strapless yellow gown while cradling her bump.

Related: Her Peach! Ginny and Georgia’s Brianne Howey Is Pregnant

Her Georgia peach! Ginny & Georgia’s Brianne Howey is pregnant and expecting her first child with husband Matt Ziering. Howey, 33, took to social media on Thursday, March 16, to announce the exciting news. “@boss show with my forever new +1 🥰🤎 thanks for having us! Loved every second of the new collection #hugoboss,” she […]

“Here we grow again 💛,” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “Happy Mother’s Day!”

Howey and Ziering first crossed paths in 2015 while at a bar with friends. After five years together, the pair got engaged and planned to tie the knot in 2020. Howey and Ziering had to postpone their ceremony until the following year due to the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

The couple became parents when they welcomed their first child, a daughter, in 2023. At the time, Howey shared a photo of her smiling in the hospital with the newborn on her chest.

“My whole world just got a whole lot sweeter. And smaller. Welcome my little love 💛,” Howey wrote via Instagram in 2023.

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Related: Brianne Howey Teases the ‘New Sides’ to Ginny and Georgia in Season 3

Get ready, peaches — Ginny & Georgia season 3 will bring an array of twists and turns. “We see entirely new sides of Ginny and Georgia,” star Brianne Howey exclusively told Us Weekly at the 2025 WWD Style Awards on Friday, January 3. “I feel, like, [it’s] surprising ’cause we’ve already seen so many sides […]

Last month, Howey opened up to Us about how her relationship with her husband has evolved over time.

“The first five years we were together, we weren’t married, we didn’t have a child, we didn’t have a dog yet,” she told Us. “I think it’s a really beautiful thing to continue to grow individually, but also together.”

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Howey shared that her bond with Ziering has only deepened since becoming parents. “Watching him step into all of these roles of husband and dad makes you appreciate each other more, because you don’t always know what the future holds,” Howey said. “Getting to watch it unravel in the moment and stay present and grateful for it all has been such a beautiful, reassuring, but also surprising journey to be on. I’m so grateful.”

Howey also noted that it’s “never lost on [her]” that her husband is able to travel with her, especially now that they have a daughter, and that it “means so much.”

“I feel like when I am away working, I’m able to rely on our partnership and our teamwork, and I’m able to focus on work because I know he’s there, doing all the things that I’m not able to do in those moments, whether it’s bathtime, bedtime or drop off,” she said.

Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer has confirmed he is in talks with Johnny Depp about reprising his iconic Jack Sparrow role.

“We’re talking to Johnny, we’re working on a screenplay and hopefully we can get this done,” Bruckhemier, 82, said during a Sunday, August 16, interview with Deadline at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, California.

The outlet also reported that “solid sources” claimed Captain Jack Sparrow, whom Depp, 63, portrayed in the first five Pirates of the Caribbean films, will serve as a “side character” in what will be a sixth installment “evolution” of the franchise.

An all-new protagonist, believed to be portrayed by Margot Robbie, per the outlet, will reportedly star as the new Pirates lead.

Related: Breaking Down Johnny Depp’s Life 2 Years After Amber Heard Trial

It’s been two years since Johnny Depp’s highly publicized defamation trial with ex-wife Amber Heard. On April 15, Depp, 60, stepped onto the red carpet outside the Curzon Mayfair theater in London to promote Jeanne du Barry, his first feature film since 2020. After posing for some photographs, the actor — showing off a new […]

Bruckheimer, who has served as lead producer on the Disney franchise since 2003’s Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, told Entertainment Weekly in August 2025 that he had kicked off discussions about Depp returning for a sixth film. The news came as a surprise to fans at the time after Depp testified during his 2022 defamation trial with ex-wife Amber Heard that Disney had cut ties with him in 2018 following allegations of abuse against Heard, 40.

Depp has repeatedly denied all allegations of abuse made against him. Both Depp and Heard were both found liable by a jury for defamation against each other.

Bruckhemier told Entertainment Weekly last year, “If he likes the way the part’s written, I think he would do it. It’s all about what’s on the page, as we all know.”

More recently, Depp made a surprise appearance at Comic-Con, an event where Disney film and television projects often dominate, in San Diego last month while promoting his upcoming film Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol. (The film, scheduled for a November 13 release, is a Paramount Pictures, not a Disney production.)

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Depp showed up to Comic-Con wearing full makeup and costume while embodying his forthcoming character of Ebenezer Scrooge.

Related: Johnny Depp Morphs into Captain Jack Sparrow for Sweet Hospital Visit

Johnny Depp brought back Captain Jack Sparrow during a recent visit to a children’s hospital. Depp, 61, showed up at the Donostia University Hospital in San Sebastian, Spain on Thursday, September 26. The actor was decked out in full costume as his famous Pirates of the Caribbean character, including the iconic garb and luscious locks. […]

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In April, Depp’s Ebenezer costar Ian McKellen told Variety that Depp was in “spankingly good form” while filming the project. “Effervescent, funny, irreverent, serious — all at the same time. It was a bit of a love fest, really. I fell in love with him. He’s very obliging to his fellow actors. [There was] a wonderful feeling on the set,” McKellen, 87, said to the outlet at the time.

In the film, which is based on Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol, Depp and McKellen are joined by Andrea Riseborough as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Severance’s Tramell Tillman as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Harry Potter star Rupert Grint as Bob Cratchit, and Sam Claflin and Daisy Ridley in unspecified roles.

Nearly 19 months after the deadly Palisades Fire forever changed the Los Angeles community, residents reunited to celebrate a milestone in the town’s ongoing rebuilding efforts.

“The Palisades has been home to me for most of my life, but really all my life. I was brought home to [the Palisades] in 1979, and then I was pregnant with Ryder — my son — and I was able to buy back the house I grew up in and decided to raise my kids in the Palisades,” Kate Hudson shared at the grand reopening of Caruso’s Palisades Village on Saturday, August 15, attended by Us. “This community means everything to me, and this night is deeply personal.”

Before introducing her longtime friend and One Republic member Ryan Tedder to the stage for a special performance, Hudson, 47, shared a powerful message to her neighbors.

“We’ve been through so much. To lose so many places and landmarks that held our memories is devastating, and I think all of us still carry that tonight,” she said. “But we must celebrate. We must celebrate that we are rebuilding.”

Related: Chris Stapleton and Wife Morgane Donate $1 Million to L.A. Wildfire Relief 

Wildfires continue to tear through the Los Angeles area, devastating thousands of acres and forcing even more people to flee their homes. As relief efforts are just getting underway, some of Hollywood’s most prominent stars are coming together to help those in need. The Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires, which are burning concurrently, are already […]

In January 2025, the Palisades Fire burned more than 23,000 acres across L.A. and its surrounding suburbs. According to CalFire, more than 6,500 structures were destroyed, 975 were damaged and at least 27 people lost their lives.

Billy Crystal was one of the many residents who lost a home. Although he couldn’t be in the Pacific Palisades over the weekend, the Oscar winner — a resident of the community since 1979 — joined his wife, Janice Crystal, in a special, pre-taped message.

“Everywhere you look, something great is happening,” he shared. “You can feel it. We’re on our way back folks, and for those of us who sadly lost everything in the fires, like I said in City Slickers, there’s one thing we’ll never lose.”

Janice replied, “Our love for the Palisades.”

The Palisades Village, which did not burn down in the fires, was home to some of the city’s best shopping, dining and entertainment offerings.

On Saturday, new and returning businesses — including Jennifer Meyer, Paige, Alphabet Bar & Grill and more — opened their doors for eager shoppers and diners willing and able to lift up the community by opening their pocket books.

“I have been waiting 19 months to say, ‘Welcome to Palisades Village!’” developer and Pacific Palisades fire victim Rick Caruso wrote via Instagram after the grand reopening. “Two days after the Palisades fires, the Caruso team got together, wiped our tears and started rebuilding the Palisades Village. 19 months later, carried by the love, resilience and strength of this community, we are proud to take this mega-step in the rebuilding of the Palisades.❤️”

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Related: Jamie Lee Curtis Makes $1 Million Donation to L.A. Wildfire Relief Fund

Jamie Lee Curtis is lending a huge helping hand to all those affected by the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires. “My family is donating $1 million today to the relief efforts,” the actress, 66, shared in a Thursday, January 9, Instagram post. “We are in contact with Governor [Gavin] Newsom, Mayor [Karen] Bass, and Senator [Adam] […]

When the stores closed for the day, the Caruso team held a celebratory concert for the community, featuring performances by the Hollywood Film Orchestra, David Foster, Katharine McPhee, American Idol alum Pia Toscano, members of the local high school and more.

Actor Anthony Hopkins also made a special appearance to welcome back Palisades residents.

“August 15th marks a major milestone in our Palisades comeback,” Caruso, 67, said via Instagram. “We didn’t come this far just to come this far ❤️.”

Dutton Ranch has found success on Paramount+ while going through some major changes including cast drama and other surprise shakeups.

The hit Paramount+ franchise started with Taylor Sheridan‘s hit series Yellowstone, which premiered in 2018. Fans got to know Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser’s characters, Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, who had a decades-long relationship enduring peaks and pitfalls. The original show came to an end in 2024, later expanding its universe with Luke Grimes’ CBS show Marshals and Dutton Ranch.

Dutton Ranch quickly found success when it premiered on Paramount+ in 2026. Off screen, there were some changes including a showrunner swap. After the show was renewed, Reilly and Hauser weighed in on where the show could go from here.

“I think we’re taking it one season at a time,” Reilly told The Hollywood Reporter in July 2026 about the spinoff’s future, before Hauser noted, “This has been a beast. We haven’t had any time to even think about it either. We literally filmed [until] the end of March and we’ve been on the road selling the show.”

Related: Is Yellowstone’s ‘Dutton Ranch’ Returning for Season 2 Amid Pregnancy Twist?

Yellowstone‘s spinoff Dutton Ranch ended with some shocking twists — including a pregnancy reveal — but is the show returning for season 2? The hit Paramount+ franchise started with Taylor Sheridan‘s hit series Yellowstone, which premiered in 2018. Fans got to know Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser’s characters, Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, who had […]

Reilly hinted there might be a story line in place — at least for season 2.

“I think we have some ideas about season 2, with where we left season 1,” she shared. “We can’t talk about the ending, but we’re super excited about where it goes and so we already know sort of where the beginning is and that’s exciting.”

Keep scrolling for everything to know about the Dutton Ranch changes:

Showrunner Swap

Weeks before Dutton Ranch’s debut in May 2026, Us confirmed that Chad Feehan will not return as showrunner after completing work on season 1. Puck News reported that Feehan, who created Lawmen: Bass Reeves with Sheridan, stepped away from Dutton Ranch after alleged friction with series stars Hauser and Reilly, among others.

Sheridan and his producing partner, David Glasser, along with the two leads, were allegedly more unhappy with how Feehan ran the production than with the scripts. None of them have publicly addressed the speculation about the drama. Benjamin Cavell was brought in to take over as showrunner for season 2.

“Showrunners change all the time. This business is about adapting,” Hauser told The Hollywood Reporter in June 2026. “We’ve been doing this for a long time. Things change. People move on.”

Reilly had a similar outlook on the shakeup.

“It was a really difficult but really satisfying show to make,” she said. “And so was Yellowstone. So is anything worth making. We’re all creative minds and we all work together and I’m so proud of that.”

Ed Harris’ Reaction to His Season 1 Story Line

Deadline reported that Harris is expected to return in the sophomore season after he previously revealed he has a two-year deal for Dutton Ranch and the outlet noted that there is an option for a third season.

Harris’ issues were allegedly largely related to the creative aspect of the show. After his character, Everett McKinney, was barely featured in season 1, Harris candidly shared he was not happy with how his role began.

“Midway through this first season, I was ready to say, ‘Get me the f**k out of here,’ to tell you the truth,” the actor said in an interview with Variety in July 2026. “I didn’t feel like I was being used. I felt a bit misled.”

Harris shared that he told the Dutton Ranch crew that he felt “underused and inconsequential” and claimed that he was told he “will have a little bit more to do” next season.

“It was just a little frustrating, to tell you the truth. When I watched it, I watched this season, and it’s fine,” he admitted. “I thought it was pretty good. I felt fine about what I did in it and it seemed like I was relatively important to the story. But the doing of it did not feel that way.”

Us reached out to Paramount for comment at the time.

Related: Which ‘Dutton Ranch’ Stars Are, Aren’t Returning After Season 2 Changes?

Dutton Ranch is officially renewed — but not everyone is coming back in season 2. Paramount+’s hit franchise started with Yellowstone, which premiered in 2018 and introduced viewers to the fictional Dutton family. The show came to an end in 2024, expanding its universe with Luke Grimes‘ CBS show Marshals and Dutton Ranch. “As Beth […]

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Character Changes

Jai Courtney likely won’t be back in season 2 after his character was killed off. Other characters who suffered from onscreen deaths include Hart Denton‘s Chet and Ray McKinnon‘s Dwight.

Taylor Sheridan’s Absence

Sheridan began his TV empire with Yellowstone, which aired from 2018 to 2024. He was an executive producer on Dutton Ranch but wasn’t involved in the day to day duties of crafting the show.

Reilly, who plays Beth, reflected on filming season 1 without Sheridan being as active behind the scenes, telling The Hollywood Reporter in July 2026, “I was very uncertain of what this would be without his words. I didn’t know if it was gonna work. I didn’t know if she was going to work. It was like a part of the character had to die in order for me to begin her again.”

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Reilly was grateful for the challenge.

“Everything comes to an end, and his time with these characters as creative leader, it ended. So there was a moment where we were trying to figure out, ‘How do we do this without him?’” she recalled. “That’s what season one of this was, and he’s really proud of us for doing it.”

Reilly continued: “We talk to him now about what the next season could be, and he wants to be involved. So that feels like we earned this second season from all the work we’ve done before, and that’s the thing I’m most proud of.”

Nick Reiner has been denied access to a $1.5 million trust fund set up by his late parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, as he awaits trial for their murders.

Nick, 32, initially sought to access his share of the trust in June, arguing that he should have received half of that sum when he turned 30 in September 2023. The trust was established by Rob and Michele for their son upon his birth in 1993.

Both Nick and the trustees have filed new paperwork with a California Superior Court in recent days as he continues to fight for a payout, according to documents obtained by Us. In early August, lawyers for Nick’s previous and current trustee — Paul Kanin and Jodi Pais Montgomery — sought to block him from receiving any money from the trust due to California’s “Slayer Statute.” (The New York Times was the first to report the news.)

The “Slayer Statute” law states that “a person who feloniously and intentionally kills the decedent is not entitled” to any financial assets or property from the person or people they killed.

Related: L.A. District Attorney Reveals If Nick Reiner Case Is Death Penalty Eligible

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman is sharing an update on Nick Reiner’s case. “This case is a death penalty eligible case. Along those lines, we take the process in which we determine whether or not the death penalty should be sought extremely seriously and it goes through a very rigorous process,” Hochman, 62, […]

Montgomery’s lawyers stressed that Nick’s “urgency is real, but it did not arise in a vacuum.”

“It arises from the deaths of his parents, the very settlors of the Trust at issue, and Nick is presently accused of causing those deaths,” the trustee’s lawyers argued. “While Nick is presumed innocent of that accusation (and nothing in this Response and Objection should be read to suggest otherwise), no one, not this Court, nor the parties, knows how the criminal proceedings against Nick will ultimately resolve.”

Per her lawyers, Montgomery is “bound by the same fiduciary obligations as any trustee” to “reasonably administer the trust by its terms and to preserve and protect the trust property.”

The trustee stated that “no distribution [of money] should be made until the Court resolves whether” the “Slayer Statute” applies in this instance since any such payout would be “irreversible.” (Nick has pleaded not guilty to killing his parents, Rob and Michele.)

“Nick’s status as an incarcerated beneficiary does not convert a discretionary support standard into an on-demand entitlement,” as stated in the docs.

Lawyers argue that Nick’s claim fails because his needs are being met while he’s behind bars, including with legal representation by a public defender, and he’s not entitled to private counsel paid for by the trust.

“Nick is incarcerated and his basic needs — housing, food, medical care — are being met by the State. He is represented in the underlying criminal matter by the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office, appointed counsel to whom Nick has a right and who continues to represent him.

“To the extent Nick’s damages theory rests on the unavailability of private counsel of his choosing, that theory fails as a matter of law: a criminal defendant has no entitlement to the specific private counsel of his choice at the trust’s expense.

“Nick cannot manufacture damages out of a preference for retained rather than appointed counsel where his fundamental needs, including the right to legal representation, are indisputably being met.”

If Nick is denied access to the trust, his siblings, Romy Reiner and Jake Reiner, would become “contingent remainder beneficiaries,” per the trustee.

In his own declaration to the court, Nick acknowledged that he allowed the trustee to hold off distributing his share of the trust at age 30 “until such time as [I] desire[d] to receive distribution.”

“I did not give my consent to any Trustee of my Trust to withhold, defer, or retain my Age-30 Distribution indefinitely as ‘property of the Trust,’” he countered. “I did not ask or authorize my mother to give such consent on my behalf, and I do not recall signing or being asked to sign any document giving that consent.”

Reiner is now seeking one-half of the total $1.5 million in his trust, plus interest, to be released immediately so he can pay legal fees ahead of his double murder trial, as well as add money to his jail commissary. (Nick is being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles as he awaits trial.)

“I have never understood anything I did (or did not do) to constitute giving the Trustee my consent to indefinitely withhold my Age-30 Distribution from me and retain it as property of the Trust even after I have asked for it, and it was not my intention to consent to that,” he wrote. “As I have stated in my Petition and other documents, I would like for my money to be released and I ‘desire to receive’ it, with the accrued interest and income.”

A spokesperson for the trust declined to comment when reached by Us.

Related: What Did Nick Reiner Say to Bill Hader? Inside Their Christmas Party Exchange

Nick Reiner allegedly had a strange encounter with former Saturday Night Live star Bill Hader hours before he allegedly murdered his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner. Multiple media outlets reported that both men attended Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party on December 13, 2025. According to Rolling Stone, the Reiners asked if they could bring […]

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Nick’s attorney, Anita P. Wu, told The New York Times, “The ‘Slayer Statute’ requires a determination, not a mere accusation. Nick is presumed innocent and has been convicted of nothing.”

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On Wednesday, August 12, Nick was formally indicted on first-degree murder charges for allegedly killing his parents on December 14, 2025. He pleaded not guilty to the two murder charges, as well as two counts of murder with the special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder by means of lying in wait once the indictment was unsealed.

“This was a profound betrayal by someone who was loved and trusted by the very people he is accused of killing,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement. “The indictment unsealed today also adds a special circumstance allegation that the defendant committed the murders by means of lying in wait. We hope that by having a grand jury return an indictment in this case, it will bring us one step closer to a trial and achieving justice.”

Us reached out to Nick’s attorney for comment on the legal fight over his trust.

Editor’s note: The below interview contains spoilers for Lanterns Episode 1.

HBO’s Lanterns has finally arrived with a premiere that could have major ramifications for James Gunn‘s wider DCU. Before getting to that, however, the show’s first episode introduces viewers to the characters who will be leading this particular story — and, in terms of the genre, think neo-Western detective drama, only if said detectives had access to a green power ring that could conjure anything within the boundaries of their own imagination.

Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) is globally known as the Green Lantern when the series first introduces him, kicking around as the protector of Earth decades before Superman (David Corenswet) shows up, but by 2016, he’s fully aware of the fact that the Guardians of the Universe, who are in charge of the Green Lantern Corps, are teeing up his potential replacement. John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) is a relatively green (no pun intended) recruit with greater ambitions of wearing the ring himself one day, but his straight-laced demeanor clashes with Hal’s untraditional approach to training.

When the two are unexpectedly thrown into a murder investigation in Rushville, Nebraska — a town that Hal has a personal connection to — it leads them down a path to an even bigger and darker conspiracy with little in the way of reassuring answers. But if you thought that was the entirety of Lanterns‘ plot, think again. The final moments of the premiere jump ahead a decade to 2026, where John is summoned back to Rushville by local sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) and makes a shocking discovery there: Hal Jordan, dead by a single gunshot to the head.

Ahead of the Lanterns premiere, Collider had the opportunity to speak with several members of the show’s cast and creative team, including co-creators Damon Lindelof and Tom King. Below, the co-writers of Episode 1 reveal which comic book runs had the biggest influence on the show and where Lanterns sits in terms of the greater DCU continuity, and also share a message for fans who might be shocked and maybe even a little upset about Hal’s apparent demise.

COLLIDER: This is obviously rooted in a lot of comic book lore, but I think the show itself is telling a really interesting and unique story, and I was curious about whether there were any ways you wanted to intentionally embrace the comic inspirations for the viewers — whether that’s narrative choices, stylistic choices, anything along those lines?

DAMON LINDELOF: I’ll let you dive in because, normally, I’m the most comic booky person in the room, but I have this rare experience to not be.

TOM KING: It was always important to constantly be like, we’re not just making a cop show where they happen to wear rings. This is a show about Green Lanterns in a cop show, with me always going back to the source material and to the thousands of men and women who have made this material and love this material, and what they loved about it and what made it shine, from when Green Lantern’s first concept was created in 1942 to when Hal came on in the early ‘60s, to when John came along in the ‘70s, and then looking back at that stuff. So, you see it running through the whole thing.

John’s origin story is deeply tied to his first appearance by Neal Adams and Dennis O’Neil. I think Kyle [Chandler]’s sort of brilliant, bravura performance is very much tied to that Gil Kane, John Broome, Silver Age, 1960s optimism, but then bringing something new to it, something that only you can do on TV and be like, this is not just a comic book brought to life — this is a TV show that exists to be an incredible TV show.

Part of that’s just personal, working with Chris [Mundy] and Damon, who have grown up in this medium and know how this medium works, and know how, when you turn on a TV show, you’re inviting another family into your room, and they’re sitting on the couch with you, and making that essential to the heart of it, too.

Damon Lindelof and Tom King Explain Where ‘Lanterns’ Sits in the DCU’s Overall Timeline

“We had to accommodate and make sure that everything kind of fit together…”

Image via HBO

[Lanterns] exists in its own space, but there are ties to the greater DC universe here and there, and the show establishes that Hal has been the Green Lantern for a while when we’re first introduced to these characters. What were those conversations like with James [Gunn] about how this fits into the overall timeline that they’re creating?

LINDELOF: I’ll answer it, even though the story starts with Tom. James and Peter [Safran], when they first took over at DC, they brought together a brain trust of comics writers, television writers, film writers, people that they trusted, to kind of begin to iterate what their vision was, and the projects that would relate from that. But all of that was already happening after James had written the Superman script, in which Guy Gardner was Green Lantern. And so, I think in the body of that meeting, Tom first pitched True Detective with Green Lanterns — and, very specifically, Hal and John in some sort of a buddy cop, Training Day, “I’m showing you the ropes” kind of scenario. So, all of that predated me coming in.

But clearly, as soon as I heard it, my question was some version of, I think, yours, which is like, “Well, if Guy is the Green Lantern of Earth, then where is Hal? Why aren’t they talking about him?” And James was like, “What do you think? The sky’s the limit.” And we very quickly started iterating. “Well, Hal’s probably still alive, so maybe he’s retired. Or, wait a minute, is he alive? And what about John? Don’t we want John to be Earth’s Green Lantern? He’s so cool.”

So all of those conversations organically started to kind of come around the spirit of, “How do we understand that in the present day of the DCU, the one that Superman is kind of a backdoor pilot for?” And James really, when he and Peter took over, [was] saying, “We’re not doing origin stories, we’re going to hit the ground running. This is a fully baked world, and Clark and Lois are already a thing, and the Justice Gang, people know who Mister Terrific is and who Guy Gardner is and who Lex Luthor is. And then you have the Peacemaker universe, as well, which was kind of up and running. I think the second season of Peacemaker had already been largely written when we started — at least, you were telling me about it…

KING: Yeah, Creature Commandos, Peacemaker, and Superman.

LINDELOF: …when we were starting in the Lanterns room. So, we had to accommodate and make sure that everything kind of fit together, but I would also say that once James and Peter heard our pitch on how we were going to answer these questions, they were super-duper excited. And to some degree, under Chris’s leadership, we were siloed, but at the same time, DC was constantly reading all of our material, weighing in. Really, a positive creative partnership, but they kind of let us cook, as it related to who was going to end up with the ring at the end of our season.

‘Lanterns’ Co-Creators Want Fans To Keep Watching After Episode 1’s Brutal Cliffhanger

“I think we’re willing to absorb the boos from the audience in the first inning, as long as we still have a shot at winning the game.”

Image via HBO

To bring it back to the Hal of it all, I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up the way the premiere ends, with a moment that I think is going to surprise some viewers. I know we can’t get into how everything is going to wrap up, but what I will ask is whether there’s any reassurance you can offer fans who might be confused, or maybe a little upset, by that particular story choice and how it’s going to play out throughout the season.

LINDELOF: Well, I’ve had no experience with the fans being upset with me or confused by anything that I’ve ever done, so that’ll be a first, and I’ll just have to kind of learn the ropes.

KING: I feel like you just admitted to not opening my emails.

LINDELOF: [Laughs] And you haven’t been through that either.

KING: No, no, no, never.

LINDELOF: In all seriousness, the first thing [is] that Tom and I looked at each other when we were even kicking around the idea of killing Hal, and we were like, “We can’t do that. Everyone’s going to hate us. It feels gimmicky.” But Mundy actually was like, “I don’t think that it does feel gimmicky. I think that it will actually infuse the entire story with a lot of emotionality, especially if the audience understands that John and Hal were not in a good place at the time that Hal died.” Traditionally, in comic books, my understanding is that these characters can’t die. But if we’re doing something that’s supposed to be grounded, maybe this is something that we have to do? Then we’re like, “Yeah, but we’re still going to get blamed for it!”

But we gradually started coming around to it. And I think because we were so reluctant to do it and because we’re fans, and at the same time, we get our turn to run with the baton of these amazing characters, but also just as fans, Hal means something to us, too. So, we basically started reframing the question in terms of, yes, on Sunday night, are we willing to acknowledge that a lot of people are going to be angry, that if we were watching this and not making it, that we would be saying, “I waited this long for another live-action version of Hal, having not gotten him since the Ryan Reynolds film, and then basically 50 minutes after getting me to fall in love with Kyle Chandler, you’re killing him off? Fuck you.”

I guess our feeling is, let’s see how you feel at the end of Episode 8, and if you still feel like it was exploitative or unnecessary, or that it wasn’t exactly what had to happen in order for this story to get told, then we deserve it. But I think we’re willing to absorb the boos from the audience in the first inning, as long as we still have a shot at winning the game.

KING: Yeah. And I’m with the audience here. Like, I love Hal. I adore that character.

LINDELOF: I love Hal, too!

KING: I adored writing him. I don’t know if you’ve met Kyle Chandler. He’s fairly charming.

LINDELOF: He’s very charming.

KING: He’s absolutely wonderful. And I was the guy who turned off the show after the Red Wedding and was like, “Never again!” And so, I have been there. I may have even yelled at the television over Lost once or twice.

LINDELOF: Reasonable.

KING: But yeah, this is a show that we’re trying to make as close to reality, and sometimes you lose the things you love, and sometimes the stakes are that high in reality, and they’re supposed to be that high in our show. So, as much as I love that and making a show that’s about the real world, that’s about our loves and our losses, we have to write about the losses. The love and the loss are both part of this story.

New episodes of Lanterns premiere Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.

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Lanterns

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Release Date

August 16, 2026

Network

HBO

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Hayden Panettiere, the beloved actress who entertained audiences across television and film for over three decades, has died at the age of 36. Over the course of her too-brief career, she played Heroes‘ “save the cheerleader, save the world” Claire Bennett and Kirby Reed in the Scream franchise, and voiced Kairi in the video game series Kingdom Hearts.

Born on August 21, 1989, Panettiere had her first on-screen acting role before she was a year old, in a Playskool TV ad. She landed her first major roles in soap operas, including One Life to Live and Guiding Light, and went on to appear on series like Ally McBeal, Malcolm in the Middle, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and films like Remember the Titans and Racing Stripes. She became a household name when she debuted as Claire Bennett on the superhero serial Heroes, becoming the show’s breakout character.

That fame translated into big-screen roles, including Bring It On: All Or Nothing, I Love You Beth Cooper, and the tomboyish Kirby Reed in the slasher sequel Scream 4, which became one of her most iconic roles. After Heroes‘ conclusion, she starred in the country music drama Nashville as rising star Juliette Barnes. She was also a noted voice actress, playing Princess Dot in Pixar’s A Bug’s Life and lending her voice to the hit video game series Kingdom Hearts and the acclaimed horror game Until Dawn.

Panettiere took a lengthy hiatus from acting following the birth of her daughter, amid struggles with addiction and postpartum depression. In recent years, Panettiere reprised her role as Kirby in Scream and Scream VI. Her final screen role was the thriller Sleepwalker, which was released earlier this year.

Panettiere was a devoted activist for a number of causes, including environmentalism, preventing spousal abuse, and statehood for Washington D.C. Her representatives shared a statement following her death: “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen.” No cause of death has yet been given. Panettiere was predeceased by her brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, who died at age 28 in 2023, and is survived by her daughter. Collider extends our sympathies to Panettiere’s friends and family.