Guy Ritchie has a singular style of filmmaking that combines action, comedy, mystery, and suspense, and he’s essentially become his own genre. Ritchie first exploded on to the British cinema scene with his groundbreaking first two features Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which reinvented the London crime subgenre in the post-Quentin Tarantino era where genre thrillers were expected to be propulsive and quippy. His career only got more fascinating from then on out; although Ritchie spent several years making major blockbusters with more significant budgets, he eventually returned to his roots by making smaller, darkly humorous gangster and crime films.

Ritchie certainly has an interest in action filmmaking, but he hasn’t typically been associated with war cinema in the same way that filmmakers like Steven Spielberg or Ridley Scott are. Although Ritchie tends to look at the world through his unique point-of-view, he has brushed up against some interesting historical events whilst remaining true to his interests.

5

‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’ (2017)

Image via Warner Bros

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is easily the most underrated film of Ritchie’s career and gets unfortunately stung by the fact that it was a massive money-loser. Since Arthurian mythology technically belongs to the public domain, and thus can be adapted by anyone, Ritchie was free to reinvent the classic story by turning it into a revolutionary adventure film about a street-level hero who was raised in a brothel after being cast out from Camelot. It’s certainly not the most faithful adaption, but there have been enough King Arthur films for a new version to be worth giving a shot; those who wanted a more somber religious epic can seek out Excalibur, and those who appreciate more romance and whimsy can see the underrated First Knight.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword has surprising depth about how leadership is built by experience, which makes Charlie Hunnam’s take on Arthur interesting because he is truly a “man of the people.” The war scenes are some of Ritchie’s most dynamic, as he clearly had more creative say over how the film looked than he did with his live-action remake of Aladdin for Disney. The major drawback with King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is that it was clearly the first chapter in what was intended to be a cinematic universe; it is a little underwhelming to get to the film’s sequel tag and realize that it isn’t building to anything.

4

‘The Covenant’ (2023)

Image via MGM

The Covenant is the most grounded and serious film that Ritchie has ever made, and was a deliberate change of pace from the cheekier, more stylized gangster thrillers he had been making in the same decade. While not directly inspired by a true story, The Covenant is based on the relationships formed between United States soldiers and their Afghan translators, who risked their lives during the war effort. Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the film as an Army Sergeant who befriends a translator, played by Dar Salim, who goes missing after saving one anothers’ lives.

Ritchie is able to appropriately scale back his indulgent tendencies by making a close-quarter combat film that also manages to touch upon critical issues relating to post traumatic stress disorder and Islamophobia. Although the protagonist role could have easily been a paycheck role for an action star, Gyllenhaal’s commitment and dramatic intensity make it into a surprisingly compelling character who merits sympathy. There are certainly some moments in which the political messaging can get a bit heavy-handed, but it’s otherwise a fairly interesting experiment that will hopefully lead Ritchie to taking similar chances within the future.

3

‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ (2024)

Image via Lionsgate

The Ministry of Unglentlemanly Warfare is a throwback in the truest sense because it embodies the World War II adventure films from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Although it’s easy to associate World War II cinema with gritty epics like Saving Private Ryan or Dunkirk, it was a conflict that inspired more crowdpleasing “men on a mission” films about espionage and intrigue during the war. Films like The Great Escape or The Guns of Navarone were serious in their intention to show the battle between good and evil, but they also served as populist entertainment, feeling like the superhero movies of their day. It’s oddly the result of so many grittier war films that there has been less incentive to make a World War II story that is more “fun,” which is why Ritchie’s more whimsical approach is so entertaining.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare harkens back to Ritchie’s interest in morally ambiguous characters because it is inspired by the true story of assassins, criminals, and spies who were employed by Winston Churchill (played in the film by Rory Kinnear) to go on undercover missions to usurp the Axis powers during the most pivotal era of the war. There’s a gleefully ridiculous sensibility to the violence at hand, and Ritchie benefits from the fact that everyone wants to see Nazis get killed in all sorts of brutal and creative ways. Ritchie has understood how to use Henry Cavill better than any other director, and gets one of the best performances of his career; Cavill is perfectly suited for the role of a sharp, charming team leader, embodying the same quality that made Steve McQueen and Gregory Peck so cool. Although the plot gets messy in the third act, something that is not unusual for Ritchie, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is great entertainment that shows why Ritchie excels at period pieces.

2

‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’ (2011)

Image via Warner Bros.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is one of Ritchie’s more interesting films because he had the challenge of following up the first Sherlock Holmes, a surprise hit that had taken advantage of the fact that Robert Downey Jr. had just had a major comeback the previous year with both Iron Man and Tropic Thunder. Despite the fact that it retained a period setting, Sherlock Holmes was able to capture the same comedic sensibility as Ritchie’s other films because of the playful back-and-forth between Holmes and his dutiful best friend, Dr. John Watson (Jude Law). While not a traditional war film, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows picks up at the end of the 19th century, where the evil Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris) plans to initiate a conspiracy that will initiate a global conflict.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a much bigger, sillier, and more-action packed film than its predecessor, and Ritchie is the rare director where the indulgence is part of the charm. The gags involving Holmes’ comedy require a level of craftsmanship and staging that is reminiscent of the work of Charlie Chaplin, which may not be a coincidence when considering that Downey played the beloved silent movie star in an Oscar-nominated performance in the biopic Chaplin. While Downey and Law continue to have great chemistry, the film’s scene-stealer is Harris, who makes for one of the best cinematic depictions of Moriarty. It made sense to include the most iconic villain in the second film, similar to the Joker (Heath Ledger) in The Dark Knight or Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) in Star Trek Into Darkness, and Harris makes for a fitting genius who rivals Holmes. The only disappointment is that, 15 years later, Sherlock Holmes 3 has yet to materialize. While Downey’s busy schedule might be to blame, it’s unfortunate that the third installment in the series hasn’t been made, given that Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was one of the biggest hits of 2011.

1

‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ (2015)

Image via Warner Bros.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is a complete blast that offers a perfect blend of nostalgia and style, and it came at the perfect time for the genre. Although there is brilliance in the way that the James Bond and Mission: Impossible films have adjusted to modern times by using updated technology, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is a throwback to ‘60s spy stories that uses the height of the Cold War as a great setting for adventure. The cutaways, splitscreens, montages, and music cues are lifted straight from the decade, and the old-fashioned cheekiness is self-aware without being obnoxious. Even when looking beyond Ritchie’s typical flourishes for action, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. features great sets, costumes, and makeup choices that encapsulate the older era.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is Ritchie’s most straightforward buddy comedy, and it features what is easily the greatest performance that Cavill has ever given. It’s ironic that Cavill was cast to play a brooding, somber version of Superman when The Man From U.N.C.L.E. shows how effortlessly charming he can be; although he famously got close to playing James Bond, the character of Napoleon Solo is the next best thing. While it’s unfortunate to reflect on how The Man From U.N.C.L.E. did not start a franchise, despite obviously gearing up for one, it remains a hidden gem that will hopefully grow a cult audience.

Shawn Andrews is bringing a little rock and roll energy to the world of The Walking Dead.

In an exclusive interview with Coastal House Media’s Bella Madge, Andrews opened up about joining The Walking Dead: Dead City as Reverend Anthony, his place within the mysterious Death Squad and the unexpected musical inspiration that helped shape his character.

For Andrews, part of the appeal was getting the opportunity to step into a group filled with extreme, larger than life personalities.

“What attracted me to the role is I like the whole Death Squad that I’m a part of, that they’re very extreme people, willing to put themselves in very dangerous situations,” Andrews told Coastal House Media. “I thought it was really exciting because that usually leads to very larger than life type characters that really are exciting to watch.”

Andrews also praised the scale of The Walking Dead universe and the amount of creativity that goes into bringing it to life, from the sets and props to the wardrobe.

That wardrobe ultimately became an important part of finding Reverend Anthony.

“The wardrobe department really helped inform my character,” Andrews said, pointing specifically to details including Anthony’s rings and belt.

One of the most interesting influences came from outside The Walking Dead universe entirely.

Andrews revealed that he listened to Keith Richards’ solo music while developing the character and began watching interviews and footage of the legendary Rolling Stones guitarist.

The Walking Dead: Dead City [amc]

“I was definitely inspired to listen to a lot of Keith Richards’ solo album,” Andrews explained.

The connection became even stronger when Andrews noticed Richards wearing rings similar to those selected for Reverend Anthony’s costume.

But there was one particular Keith Richards moment that made the character click.

Andrews recalled watching footage of Richards onstage when a fan rushed toward Mick Jagger, prompting Richards to remove his guitar and use it to stop the fan.

“I was like, ‘Oh, that’s Reverend Anthony,’” Andrews said. “In a weird, weird way, it just kind of clicked.”

The character’s wardrobe added even more to that rock and roll identity, with Andrews saying Reverend Anthony’s leather and accessories gave him a vibe reminiscent of David Bowie.

“It definitely has a rock and roll vibe,” Andrews said. “It’s spiritual and kind of confusing.”

That confusion is also part of what makes the character interesting.

Despite his religious title and apparent connection to God, Andrews isn’t necessarily convinced viewers should take everything about Reverend Anthony at face value.

“I don’t really know, like, is he really a reverend or is he pretending to be one?” Andrews said.

That uncertainty allowed him to embrace the mystery surrounding the character rather than defining exactly who Anthony is or what he truly believes.

“We’re not quite sure, like, who is this guy?” Andrews explained. “Does he believe what he’s saying? Or is this something he heard and he’s just spouting it off?”

For Andrews, that ambiguity is part of the fun.

Shawn Andrews

“I think that’s kind of the fun of the character,” he said. “You get to know who he is or who he isn’t.”

Of course, getting spoilers out of Andrews proved a little more difficult.

When asked what fans could expect from the Death Squad, Andrews joked that he’d “get like a dart in my throat” if he revealed too much.

He did, however, offer one tease.

“The action is pretty exciting,” Andrews said, pointing toward Episode 5 as the point where viewers begin seeing things ramp up.

Andrews credited director Simone White, showrunner Seth Hoffman and writer Justin Boyd with putting together some “really cool stuff” for the series.

Ultimately, Andrews hopes Reverend Anthony and the rest of the Death Squad bring a fresh burst of energy into the already massive Walking Dead universe.

“We’re definitely sort of an exciting surge of energy as you meet these very larger than life characters,” Andrews said. “I just hope people have a lot of fun enjoying it.”

With Reverend Anthony’s mysterious spirituality, Death Squad allegiance and unexpected dose of Keith Richards inspired rock and roll swagger, Andrews certainly appears to be having plenty of fun adding his own character to The Walking Dead legacy.

There’s something to be said for a potent skincare product that says what it’s going to do. Sometimes, though, it might mean a bit more of an investment, but real users agree that Augustinus Bader is worth every cent. We’re not exaggerating when we say that its Vitamin C Serum could change the way your skin appears.

The magic behind The Vitamin C Serum is Advanced TFC8 technology, a proprietary, next-generation delivery system that blends vitamin C and ergothioneine to offer clinically proven complexion results. Not only is it efficient and fast-acting, it noticeably brightens and firms your skin with consistent use.

Get The Vitamin C Serum at Augustinus Bader!

The Vitamin C Serum includes algae evening complex to reduce dark spots and even skin tone and niacinamide to reduce fine lines and improve skin texture. This anti-aging option will leave you with dewy, fresh-faced skin that’s more hydrated and protected. It works for all skin types, including sensitive skin.

To get the most out of your serum, Augustinus Bader recommends dispensing two pumps into your hands. Smooth it over your face, neck and décolleté using upward motions until it has fully absorbed in the skin. Follow up with eye cream, moisturizer and sunscreen — that’s it!

Real-life shoppers have invested in this serum and are now raving about the results, confirming that it works well under makeup.

“Right now, this is my favourite serum. I have combination skin with an oily T-zone, and this serum feels light, not at all greasy, absorbs really well and leaves my skin feeling fresh and dewy,” one verified buyer said.

“I use this serum every day and have done so for approximately 18 months together with my other Augustinus Bader products. I receive so many compliments about my skin and advice on what I use,” a five-star reviewer shared.

Truth be told, not all expensive skincare is worth it, but in cases like this one where the technology comes together to create something actually unique that works, it makes a big difference.

Get The Vitamin C Serum at Augustinus Bader!

G Herbo‘s reaction to a fan snatching his microphone while he was performing is going viral.

RELATED: Ari Fletcher Shows Off Massive New Ring & Some Internet Users Can’t Stop Mentioning G Herbo & Taina Williams (VIDEOS)

G Herbo Reacts To Fan Snatching His Mic While He Was Performing

Over the weekend, an Instagram user with the handle @lil1dte took to the platform to share a clip from a recent G Herbo performance. The clip appeared to be set in a club and showed Herbo performing his hit single ‘Went Legit’ as he stood by fiancée, Taina Williams.

As he began rapping his first verse, an ecstatic fan standing behind him grabbed the mic, and Herb was visibly confused.

“ERBODY GOT DAT ONE POTNA WHO WISH DEY WAS THE ARTIST😂😂😂😂😂 @tjmoney_4l @nolimitherbo #MOBBRAISEDLIKESOSA👼,” the clip was captioned.

G Herbo’s Reaction To Fan Snatching His Mic While He Was Performing Is Going Viral

Social media users reacted to the fan who snatched G Herbo’s mic and to his hilarious reaction in TSR’s comment section.

The Rapper Recently Made Headlines Amid Another Video

As The Shade Room previously reported, G Herbo recently made headlines amid another video. Earlier this month, a clip surfaced of an AI-generated Herbo dancing to Grateful’s ‘Bad B****h Anthem.’ Ultimately, the clip had G Herbo, Sexyy Red, and internet users in tears.

RELATED: AI-Generated Clip Of G Herbo Dancing Has Sexyy Red & Other Internet Users Crackin’ UP (WATCH)

There are a lot of things I never expected to say about Pokémon, but “this might be the perfect replacement for Game of Thrones” was pretty high on the list. And yet, after getting a closer look at Aardman Animation and The Pokémon Company International’s upcoming stop-motion series, Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu, I’m convinced that anyone already missing A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms should probably start paying attention. No, Pokémon is not suddenly getting into bloody succession wars, political marriages, or the occasional beheading. What Pokémon Tales does have, however, is a deeply earnest knight wandering around with his much smaller companion, determined to prove himself while getting into increasingly ridiculous situations along the way. Sound familiar?

The comparison becomes even harder to ignore once you know what Aardman is actually doing with Sirfetch’d and Pichu. Sirfetch’d wants to become a “great knight,” while Pichu effectively serves as his squire. Together, they head out into the Galar region on an adventure built around that relationship, and suddenly Pokémon has its own very tiny, very adorable Dunk and Egg.

‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Works Because Dunk and Egg Aren’t Typical Westeros Heroes

Image via HBO

The brilliance of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is that it takes a world we associate with enormous wars and even bigger personalities and looks at it from ground level. Dunk is a hedge knight trying very hard to live up to his idea of what a knight should be, even when reality keeps making that considerably more complicated. Egg, meanwhile, is the smaller and considerably more surprising half of the partnership. Their dynamic works because neither character is quite what the other expects, and because the series gets to explore Westeros through two people who are essentially wandering into one problem after another.

That is exactly what makes Sirfetch’d and Pichu such a promising pair. During a roundtable attended by Collider at Pokémon XP, the Aardman team described Sirfetch’d as a character who genuinely wants to become a great knight. Pichu is his squire, joining him on that journey despite being a considerably less obvious choice for a medieval fantasy sidekick. Put them together, and you have the same wonderfully lopsided silhouette that makes Dunk and Egg instantly charming: one proud aspiring knight and one tiny companion following him into whatever terrible idea comes next. Obviously, Sirfetch’d already looks the part. The Pokémon has always been designed around the image of a knight, carrying its enormous leek like a lance and using a bundle of leaves as a shield. But giving Sirfetch’d the actual ambition of becoming a great knight turns that visual joke into a character arc. He isn’t just knight-shaped, he has an idea of the hero he wants to become. And this is Aardman, which means things are going to go wrong.

Sirfetch’d and Pichu Could Be Pokémon’s Dunk and Egg

That last part may actually be the most important connection between the two shows. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms works because Dunk’s earnestness is allowed to be funny without making him a joke. He wants to do the right thing. He wants to be the kind of knight all those songs and stories promised existed. Unfortunately for him, Westeros has other plans. Sirfetch’d is perfect for that kind of story. Aardman’s best characters are often incredibly sincere people, chickens, sheep, or occasionally pieces of clay whose plans go spectacularly wrong, but even when the comedy becomes absurd, the characters themselves remain completely committed to whatever they are trying to accomplish. Give that storytelling sensibility to a Pokémon who has decided he is going to become a great knight, hand him a tiny Pichu squire, and send them across Galar. That’s a show.

Galar makes the comparison even better. The region already draws heavily from the United Kingdom, and Pokémon Sword and Shield filled it with castles, ruins, rolling countryside, ancient legends, and Pokémon that practically demand a fantasy story. Aardman isn’t trying to turn Pokémon into Westeros, but it doesn’t need to. The ingredients for a much sweeter version of the wandering-knight adventure were already sitting there. More importantly, Pokémon Tales appears willing to let the journey itself be the story. Sirfetch’d and Pichu don’t need to save the entire Pokémon world every seven minutes. They can meet strange Pokémon, stumble into local problems, misunderstand each other, fail spectacularly, and continue down the road. That’s part of what makes Dunk and Egg such a refreshing corner of George R.R. Martin‘s universe in the first place. There is also something inherently funny about both partnerships being built around a character who desperately wants to embody the romantic ideal of knighthood while traveling with a tiny companion who can completely disrupt that fantasy. Egg isn’t merely Dunk’s obedient little squire, and I have a feeling Pichu isn’t going to spend 21 episodes politely carrying Sirfetch’d’s metaphorical luggage either.

Pokémon Doesn’t Need Its Own ‘Game of Thrones,’ but This Is Even Better

Calling The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu a Game of Thrones replacement is obviously ridiculous on paper. One is part of a famously violent fantasy franchise about power, family, and political conflict. The other stars an adorable electric mouse and a duck carrying a leek. That’s exactly why I can’t stop thinking about it. What A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms proved is that the appeal of Westeros was never limited to dragons, battles, and people fighting over a chair. Sometimes all you need is a knight, a squire, a road ahead of them, and the promise that something is about to go terribly wrong. Pokémon apparently looked at that formula and accidentally found its own version. If the result gives us even half the warmth, comedy, and unlikely companionship that makes Dunk and Egg work, Pokémon fans have a real treat ahead.

Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu will debut exclusively on Disney+ in 2027 with 21 seven-minute episodes.

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Release Date

1997 – 2023-00-00

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Network

TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC

Directors

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Shigeru Omachi, Koji Ogawa, Fumihiro Ueno, Hideki Hiroshima, Maki Kodaira, Makoto Ooga, Ayumi Moriyama, Keitaro Motonaga, Shigeru Ueda, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Minoru Ohara, Yoshitaka Makino, Kiyoshi Egami, Makoto Sokuza, Bjarne Heuser, Naoki Murata, Kenichi Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano

Writers

Junki Takegami, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hideki Sonoda, Yukiyoshi Ôhashi, Yuka Miyata, Takeshi Shudo, Shouji Yonemura, Shinzo Fujita, Michihiro Tsuchiya, Deko Akao, Reiko Yoshida, Aya Matsui, Junichi Fujisaku

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Franchise(s)

Pokemon

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• 

  Rica Matsumoto

  Satoshi (voice)

• 

  Ikue Otani

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  Pikachu (voice)

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Days of Thunder actor Randy Quaid took aim at Anne Hathaway after she was cast alongside Tom Cruise in the film’s just-announced sequel.

“Anne Hathaway is a leftist, woke, horrible choice for Days of Thunder[‘s] NASCAR audience who are MAGA. The sexy older chick for Tom in this film needs to be Nicole [Kidman]. That’s the casting that would sell the idea,” Quaid, 75, wrote via X on Saturday, August 29.

A separate X post from the actor stated that “Anne isn’t sexy, because and if you haven’t noticed, she’s pregnant.” (Hathaway, 43, is expecting her third child with husband Adam Shulman.)

Quaid, who played racing team owner Tim Daland opposite real-life exes Cruise, 64, and Kidman, 59, in 1990’s Days of Thunder, also directed his criticism of the casting decision toward the Top Gun star himself. “We need Nicole back. Don’t be a p****, @TomCruise. You need the original girl. It’s not personal; it’s filmmaking,” the National Lampoon’s Vacation star wrote. (Cruise and Kidman finalized their divorce in 2001 after 10 years of marriage.)

Us has reached out to a representative for Hathaway for comment.

Related: Seth Rogen Says Anne Hathaway Quit ‘Knocked Up’ Over Graphic Birthing Scene

Seth Rogen revealed the real reason he believes Anne Hathaway‘s decision to drop out of his 2007 rom-com Knocked Up. “It was Anne Hathaway who quit the movie,” the Studio star, 44, said during a Wednesday, July 1, appearance on “The A24 Podcast” alongside his The Invite director and costar Olivia Wilde. Wilde, 42, asked […]

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Quaid, who has also appeared in Independence Day, Kingpin and Brokeback Mountain, further commented on the sequel’s extended lead time of almost two years. “It’s interesting because when we made the first one there was also a rush to get it out; editors slept in the cutting room on shifts. This is a weird thing, like they want it to come out and tank,” Quaid wrote. (The Days of Thunder sequel is slated for theatrical release in June 2028.)

The posts attracted a mixed response via X, with one social media user commenting, “Pregnant or not, Anne Hathaway is sexy as hell.” Another person wrote, “Anne Hathaway is the last person that should be in this movie.”

Quaid, who is the older brother of Dennis Quaid, took to X following Saturday’s announcement of a second Days of Thunder installment. Cruise, who is set to produce and star in the project with Jerry Bruckheimer reprising his producer role and Jonathan Levine directing, was seen in a video alongside Hathaway to mark the news.

“I think it’s on,” Cruise said into the camera via his Instagram video before introducing Hathaway into the mix. “Annie? It looks ‘on’ to me, don’t you think?”

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Dressed in a white cowboy hat and motorcycle jacket, Hathaway proceeded to wave to the camera before the pair stepped back to reveal a neon car with the script “Days of Thunder: Summer 2028” adorning one side.

“I’m going to have this baby and then we’re going to make this movie,” Hathaway said with a laugh.

“That’s a good idea,” Cruise responded. “You have the baby and then we’ll go make the movie.”

Congratulations are in order for Angela Yee, who is now engaged to her partner, a man who goes by the name “Meeks.”

RELATED: Angela Yee Reacts To Jess Hilarious Becoming New Co-Host Of ‘The Breakfast Club’ (WATCH)

Angela Yee Is Now Engaged

On Sunday, August 30, Meeks, who goes by @meeks_floyd on Instagram, took to the platform to share a reel featuring a carousel of photos. Furthermore, the photos showed him and Yee alongside a group of friends during an apparent trip to Saint Maarten. As the photos rolled, Meeks was seen getting down on one knee and proposing to Yee.

“Locked it in with my best friend @angelayee ♥️ ❤️  As individuals we’re great, together we’re unstoppable… Love You!!” he captioned the clip.

Check it out below.

Social Media Reacts

Social media users reacted to Angela Yee and Meeks Floyd being engaged in TSR’s comment section.

Before Angela Yee Was Engaged, She Faced The Loss Of Her Brother

As The Shade Room previously reported, Angela Yee made headlines in December 2025 after her brother suddenly passed away. At the time, she revealed that he was 51 years old and had experienced an aneurysm. Additionally, in the days leading up to his passing, Yee shared that he had experienced severe headaches.

“When you feel pain like that, and it feels out of the ordinary, it is important to see a doctor – You never know what could happen. It’s also not something I would’ve thought either. I’ve had headaches before, and I don’t get them a lot. I probably would’ve did what he did,” she said at the time.

RELATED: Prayers Up! Angela Yee Opens Up About Brother’s Sudden Death And Shares Wake-Up Call To Listeners (VIDEO)

Editor’s note: The below interview contains spoilers for Lanterns Episode 3.

HBO’s Lanterns is in full swing after dropping quite a few twists that could have massive ramifications James Gunn‘s DCU. This week’s “OutKast,” though, rather than continuing to lean into the 2016 mystery in Rushville, Nebraska — or even what happens to Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) there ten years later — pivots in favor of exploring the origins of John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). While being interviewed by one of the mysterious Guardians of the Universe (Laura Linney), with the expectation of replacing Hal as Green Lantern, it’s even revealed that John’s own father, John Sr. (J. Alphonse Nicholson), was considered by the ring but failed the test when it was given to him. As it turns out, it’s not the first time a Stewart family member gets passed over in favor of Hal, and “OutKast” confirms why John might be carrying more than a little personal resentment toward the man he’s supposed to both learn from and supplant one day.

Ahead of premiere, Collider spoke with Lanterns writer and co-executive producer Vanessa Baden Kelly about some of the most pivotal scenes and themes in “OutKast,” including tackling its non-linear storytelling structure, the significance of that recurring bird imagery for John, why she drew comparisons between Lanterns‘ Stewart family dynamics and King Richard in the writers’ room, what that final exchange between John and Hal sets up heading into the show’s main storyline next week, and more.

COLLIDER: In approaching something that is very much a character spotlight for John Stewart, which aspects of his backstory did you know you wanted to make sure you included, and what did you feel you had more freedom to play with or change?

VANESSA BADEN KELLY: I’ll start by saying that by having Tom King and Damon Lindelof in the room, with Tom King offering so many Green Lantern books, those conversations are really robust because many of us were more casual Green Lantern fans. Some didn’t know anything about Green Lantern. So getting that in-time reaction to, “Oh, no, that doesn’t change. That is who John Stewart is,” was really important because sometimes things might feel up for grabs that aren’t up for grabs. You have to have people who have been reading the comics since the 1970s to be able to say, “No matter what, every iteration has that.”

So we knew, obviously, that he was always going to be a serviceman. We knew that we wanted to continue to make him an architect, because we felt like it was really important to show that he was this 360-degree human being — he could be this very precise Marine sniper while also simultaneously being this incredibly precise artist. We really thought it was very important to keep him from Detroit, because we felt like him growing up in a majority-Black city actually speaks a lot for the character and what he saw, what he grew up seeing, who his parents were, what he experienced.

Then after that, it kind of felt like, “Let’s just see.” So we would throw things at the wall and kind of see what stuck. Sometimes, Tom would be like, “Hey, that’s pretty good,” and other times he’d be like, “It’s just not going to happen. Sorry, that’s never going to work.” I think where we ended up with John was a place that all of us felt was both respectful to the canon while simultaneously being a fresh take and a more human, grounded version of who this character would be in a modern time. Tom seemed pretty pleased with that, and I felt like, for me, that was the barometer for where we should hit John’s backstory as it pertains to comic book fans.

There’s a really distinct non-linear structure in this episode. It’s set within the conceit of John’s interview with the Guardian, but it jumps around through formative experiences in his childhood, as well as his time as a sniper and his time at art school. Did that present a challenge in how the script came together, or was it fun to piece together how all those beats would line up?

KELLY: We knew that we… not even wanted, we had to show the backstory that we had crafted for John. It was not going to be done any justice if we just talked about it. You were going to have to see it. But a childhood spans a really long time, so we knew in some way we were going to have a backstory episode. We knew in some way we were going to have an episode that was entirely dedicated to how John got here, but we weren’t exactly sure how we were going to string all of it together.

First, we knew that we were going to show those parts of his childhood, and then we were working through what parts we felt were the most important, considering we had 30 years of childhood to cover. Then we had the idea to string those stories together using the bookends, and throughout, of Laura Linney interviewing him for this job, which also gave us the backstory of how he was not chosen by the ring, but instead was kind of chosen at birth and prepared for this. We were working through a lot of that.

Damon, Chris [Mundy], and I sat in what we call The Garage. It actually is a garage, but it’s like the back area of our writing room where we put everything on the board. We were just talking about how we felt like something needed to buoy the story, not necessarily just so there would be an action sequence, but something where we could just get into John’s internal in a way that didn’t feel like it was going to be a lot of exposition, but almost the inciting incident. What is the thing that just started this shit? And we came up with the idea of the sniper story, of Hal taking the opportunity for John to have one of the greatest feats of his Marine sniper career.

Once we had those three lines, braiding it became very easy, because you’re like, “How do they all line up? How do they all fit together?” And then we went back in and kind of reworked how and what Laura was talking to him about. Essentially, what’s under the Guardian’s questions, what she ultimately says at the end is, “Would you be comfortable replacing Hal Jordan?” But what she’s poking at prior is, “Do you respect him? Do you like him?” And she’s thinking in her mind that because Hal became the Green Lantern, that is the reason that John would be so willing, emotionally, to replace him. That was the creation of John as a trainee of the Green Lantern program from childhood, but really, John’s frustration happens as an adult when it’s like, “You keep doing this to us. Maybe the first time wasn’t your fault, but the second time is.”

‘Lanterns’ Writer Vanessa Baden Kelly Explains the Meaning Behind Bernadette’s Kitchen Speech

“What Bernadette was pointing out to them is, ‘You guys don’t take any care in learning the differences of the people that you’re asking for this.’”

Image via HBO

One thing this episode emphasizes is that the Green Lantern selection process has the potential to be traumatic for any prospective candidate, and the Guardians, as extraterrestrial beings, don’t really know how to handle it. There are a lot of great scenes between Jasmine [Cephas Jones] and Laura in this episode, and the one that really hit for me is the conversation after Laura’s character reveals herself in her true form, in the kitchen. I was curious about what you wanted to hammer home via that exchange, because Bernadette has to be the one to point out to the Guardian that asking a Black man in America if he’s afraid is a very different question than it would be for someone of a different race.

KELLY: The thing that I would always say in the room is that if the ring wasn’t sexist, Bernadette would have been chosen, because she really is just the most fearless of everybody. For me personally, as a writer, and I feel like most of the writers’ room would probably agree, this idea of willpower and overcoming fear is so different depending on where you stand. You can be terrified walking in your neighborhood every single day, and yet still you walk. And then somebody else can come in and have no fear whatsoever because they don’t know what your neighborhood is like. So the Green Lanterns, it’s not that they don’t have to be afraid; it’s that they have to have the ability to overcome fear, but that is a trauma thing. If I have seen somebody get robbed on the same block every week, it’s hard to overcome fear of that block because I have a different perspective on it than somebody new here.

What John Stewart represents and what he’s represented since he made his debut in the DCU in the ‘70s is an extraordinary bravery that I personally, and maybe biasedly, feel is more brave than any other Green Lantern, because every single thing in his world, both intergalactic and terrestrial, is fucking terrifying! It is terrifying, and he is able to overcome that fear and wield that ring.

So, what Bernadette was pointing out to them is, “You guys don’t take any care in learning the differences of the people that you’re asking for this. So, yes, you got a shit face for this job, and it’s clear you don’t like him, but here’s why you don’t like who you got — because you’re actually not picking the bravest people. You’re not picking the people with the sharpest moral compass or with the most valor. You’re picking the people dumb enough to not be scared.”

What me and my family are doing, what Black people are doing all over the nation, what people of color are doing all over this world are showing what fearlessness really looks like. It was really important for me to show her, tell Laura that, but it was also important for me for that to land on Laura. Laura doesn’t kick back. The Guardians don’t say, “You’re wrong. We know everything.” They’re just like, “We had no idea. Earth’s kind of a shitty planet that we don’t really pay that much attention to. Now that we know, let’s try to do things a little bit differently.” And so in some ways, these two women, as we do, come together and are just like, “Let’s try to correct what this program is inherently getting wrong.”

Bernadette is the one who really takes charge of what she refers to as “conditioning,” but in the same vein, John Sr. says he’s worried their son could grow up to hate them. It feels like subtle foreshadowing. What did you want to emphasize about John’s relationship with his parents, and by the time that he sits down for the interview, what did you want to come across about how he really feels about them, years removed from when this training began?

KELLY: You will see how their relationship plays out throughout his adult years, but one of the things that I would keep harkening back to in the room is the film King Richard. It was really interesting because I have an almost 11-year-old, and when that film came out, I thought it was a really beautiful tribute by two daughters to their father. Regardless of how I felt about anything, those daughters hold their father up here, and they believe that they would not have been where they were had it not been for him, and they made a film to highlight that. So many people, I would read, and especially in mom groups and mom chats and things of that nature, were just like, “There’s two superstar daughters, and we’re focusing on the dad? We’re focusing on the man?” And it was really interesting to me because I don’t know if it’s cultural, I don’t know if it’s socioeconomics, but there is a tradition, especially for Black folks, to really honor the things that are our parents, in quotations, “had to put us through” to be able to get to a certain place or a certain level of success in our lives.

As a millennial, as somebody who lives in the Instagram therapy space, obviously I’m not doing the exact same things that happened with me with my son, because we’ve learned and we’ve evolved, and we understand that there are things that probably were a little more dramatic than needed to be. But I do still recognize that the spaces that my son has been allotted because of my career or his dad’s career do require him to show up differently than his peers do. There are things that we have to discuss, and ways that we have to be, and rules that we have in our house that his peers think are too harsh. Putting that up against a John Stewart of the late ‘80s, early ‘90s, who’s just been born and his parents are still at that time, what I really wanted to press on was this idea that although what they did, I wouldn’t do, and I think many of us would not do, given where they were growing up, much like Richard Williams, given what they had seen, given this crazy traumatic event that they had just been through, they were like, “Even if my son hates me for doing what I’ve done to him, he will grow up to have a different outcome than I will, and he can go use all that money from that outcome to pay for therapy, because at least he’s not stuck on this block. At least he’s not stuck in these streets.”

And again, there’s a lot of other things he could have done. He could have been a barber and been just fine, but for them in that moment, given what had just happened, that’s what they deemed best. It’s not my job to really judge characters. That’s what those characters decided to do, and that’s what they did. We can judge them if we want to, but as a writer, I’m not going to judge them. In writing them and in the conceptualization of who they are and what that family was doing, we just wanted to present this idea, like Earl Woods, like Richard Williams, like Jalen Brunson’s dad, like all of these people who, in the beginning, did things that we would be like, “Are you fucking insane?” Did it work? And what about it worked? And how did that make them more exceptional than the people around them?

Vanessa Baden Kelly Discusses the Significance of ‘Lanterns’ Recurring Bird Theme for John Stewart

“That is incredibly powerful, which we see on Hal’s face in Episode 2, but we learn here that it’s powerful.”

Image via HBO

The bird imagery comes back as a sort of throughline in this episode. It starts with John’s parents telling him that birds are what the Guardians are using to track his progress, and later, his mom admits they lied about that. But it stands out even more in the wake of the previous episode, in which John uses the ring to create the bird and preserves the bird with sheer fortitude. How did you want to use that running current through the episode to give new dimension to what we saw last week?

KELLY: So in some ways, the bird of Santa Claus, right? We tell our kids, “You have to be really good because Santa is watching.” Or even any religious dogma. “You can’t do that because Jesus is watching.” It’s like that. Hal doesn’t have that growing up. None of the other Green Lanterns have that growing up. They just get to approach the world in whatever ways they were raised, and that’s what they do. But John subconsciously has always had to believe that whatever he’s doing is being watched, and he always has to be great, and he always has to be perfect, and there always has to be precision.

So in many ways, although it was kind of messed up, his parents having told him that lie and him having believed that birds were watching him everywhere he went is what made him the powerful Green Lantern that he is, because he has this ability to have his subconscious going at all times. It probably is also going to send him to therapy, but he has that there constantly. So, without a ring, in some cases being knocked out cold, he is able to keep in the back of his subconscious that there is a fucking job to do. That is incredibly powerful, which we see on Hal’s face in Episode 2, but we learn here that it’s powerful. That’s what they read up about. They learned how to train him to be a Green Lantern by learning how to keep the subconscious in control.

Where did the idea come from to set John’s interview in the abandoned mall? Did you consider any other locations before landing on that one?

KELLY: We did not consider any other locations, but we did talk a lot about where we thought it could be. For us, we were just trying to think of a place, and it’s going to sound so terrestrial and silly and easy, but we were just trying to think of a place where people could be coming and going, and it’s a little weird, but not crazy weird. However, nobody else would be there to see what was going on or to hear what was happening.

For me, I’m a huge shoe person, like I have a kajillion sneakers, and so I was like, “An old Foot Locker!” and it just kind of stuck. But really, it was just more of a function of the story. You see people skateboarding, teaching their kids to drive, doing all kinds of silly stuff around abandoned malls, and so it wouldn’t necessarily be the weirdest thing if you saw a car parked outside of an old mall, but there’s not going to be a ton of people in there wondering what this very strange group of people are doing in some back room.

‘Lanterns’ Episode 3 Officially Explains the Root of the Tension Between John Stewart and Hal Jordan

“For John, there’s a deep anger more than anything, and I think that anger is probably not just pointed at Hal, but at the entirety of it all.”

Image via HBO

John’s dishonorable discharge is directly tied to Hal intervening in the Gray Wolf mission, because the government needs a fall guy. How did you want that part of John’s backstory and any feelings that he might still have around it to play into the dynamic that we’re getting in 2016? Regardless of what John tells the Guardian, there’s no way that isn’t going to inform that relationship.

KELLY: I think the Guardians know that, as well, even though he’s not saying it. The thing about that mission is that John got hurt. John got abandoned. John was isolated. He’s always been isolated, but in a way that he’s never been isolated before. And he really had his John Sr. moment, which is, “I did everything fucking right, and he still swooped in.” On the one hand, you know your dad, and you understand that your dad’s great love for his family and his worry about what would happen to his family kept him out of the running for Green Lantern before. So now we’ve devised this plan to make sure that would never happen again, that nobody could steal this from you — and Hal did. He managed to do it, and it’s all because of his frivolous hubris. Like, “He just swoops in with no regard for anything else, but I have to be buttoned up. I can’t be with my brothers. I can’t go to school like everybody else does. I can’t do anything to get the job that you get to do mindlessly.”

For John, there’s a deep anger more than anything, and I think that anger is probably not just pointed at Hal, but at the entirety of it all. Like, “I lost so much to do what he’s never going to have to do. I’m mad at parents, I’m mad at systems,” but it’s all being pointed at Hal.

I think the scene we wrote for John and Bernadette in the bedroom, when she hands him the art school acceptance letter, is the first time that we hear John be like, “Fucking Hal Jordan.” It’s like the first time that he’s kind of letting out some of his own frustration. And I think one of the beautiful things in that is the way that Jasmine plays the other side of it, which is, “We’ve been being disappointed by the Guardians and Hal Jordan for so long that we are at the point where we’re a little flippant. We know it’s going to be you eventually, and when that time comes, we’ll lock back in. But right now, go be happy, because this motherfucker is going to do this until they say he doesn’t.” But John is just coming to the personal realization now. It’s no longer this tale of what happened to his father on the night when he was six months old. Now it’s a thing that has personally happened to him, and he’s like, “Fuck this noise.”

The very last scene of the episode does close the loop on the interview, but Hal is already at John’s parents’ house before he can tell them the good news. Their interaction in the driveway takes a very sharp turn because Hal just drops his facade and tells John he doesn’t need a sidekick or a backup. How did you want that exchange to set the tone for viewers heading into next week’s episode, back with the mystery in Rushville?

KELLY: When we pick up on the mystery in Rushville after Episode 3, the last thing that Hal will have just heard is that John Stewart is the biggest threat to him. And so the whole purpose of this episode is to explain how and why, and the most direct answer is that John is, in fact, Hal’s replacement, which we kind of already know at this point. What it sets up for us emotionally is that he’s Hal’s replacement who also doesn’t like him, and for very astute reasons.

Now, we’re returning to this kind of buddy-cop drama where we have a very deep understanding of why these two guys don’t necessarily care for each other. Hal is so vocal that we know why he doesn’t like John, but now we have how deeply ingrained John’s distaste for Hal is, and now we’re thrusting them back into this 48-hour mission where they have to trust each other completely, or basically an entire city will be wiped off the face of the earth. We now have this setup for how intense their distrust is, and we’re going to be asking the question: what do they do to build on it? That’s exactly what the episode is about. How do they fall in love when they actually don’t like each other? It’s very How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

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

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Release Date

August 16, 2026

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Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing like my go-to jeans-and-tee combo. But lately, I’ve been craving the kind of tops you’d spot in a cute boutique — think romantic ruffles, intricate embroidery, statement sleeves and pretty prints that make an outfit feel a little more special. They have so much more personality than a basic tee, while still being just as easy to wear.

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17 Boutique-Style Tops That Make Jeans Look Instantly More Chic

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Related: Lace Everything! These 17 Romantic Amazon Finds Are ‘What’s Hot’

Lace is officially ‘What’s Hot’ on Amazon, and one look at these fashion finds make it easy to see why. Romantic eyelet designs, delicate trims and intricate floral patterns are giving everyday pieces a prettier, more feminine feel. Better yet, the trend works just as well on breezy late-summer styles as it does on moodier […]

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Related: I’m in My Soft Girl Era — 13 Amazon Dresses I’m Wearing Into Fall

My fall wardrobe usually revolves arfound denim, knits and darker colors, but this year I’m taking a much prettier approach. I’m officially in my soft girl era, which means romantic florals, swishy skirts, feminine ruffles and dreamy shades of pink are staying firmly in rotation. Thankfully, Amazon is making it surprisingly easy to keep the […]

The best movies designed to thrill and horrify you tap into the most primal of fears, even if they’re fears you didn’t know you had. Fall accomplished exactly that in 2022, making us suffer as it stranded two climbers 2,000 feet above the ground on an abandoned television tower and then spent the rest of its runtime finding increasingly horrible ways to show us that if you thought the fall would be bad, staying up there might be worse. Now, the franchise is going considerably bigger — and, as part of Collider’s Fall Exclusive Preview, we can reveal a brand-new look at the sequel.

Fall 2: Deadpoint is directed by Peter Spierig and Michael Spierig, the creative minds behind the likes of Jigsaw, Daybreakers and Predestination, and this time, we’re moving from a giant tower in the desert to one big-ass mountain in Thailand. The sequel follows two climbers who become trapped thousands of feet above the ground during a dangerous climb, where sheer exposure and impossible odds transform their journey into a fight for survival. Fall 2: Deadpoint stars Harriet Slater (Outlander: Blood of My Blood) as Jax Hunter, Arsema Thomas (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story) as Luce and Tom Brittney (Grantchester) as Jon Platt.

Speaking exclusively with Collider about taking over the franchise, the Spierig Brothers explained that making the sequel bigger was never about making its central premise more complicated:

“For us, the key was to keep the survival story very simple at its core. You have characters who are trapped in an incredibly dangerous environment, and the audience immediately understands what they are trying to do and what is standing in their way. We wanted to make the world around them bigger, but without making the story itself unnecessarily complicated. The height, the isolation and the physical danger are still the heart of the movie. The challenge was finding a new situation that had that same simple, instantly understandable danger as the first film, but felt completely different.”

The different situation of which they speak was taking part on a plank walk high around the ground, which was inspired by the immensely dangerous Huashan Plank Walk in China. Our exclusive images, which have made us feel a bit weak at the knees and wobbly in the belly, glimpse at the precarious wooden pathway and the sheer rock face surrounding it, with seemingly very little separating the climbers from the enormous drop beneath them. Great stuff.

Moving the action to Thailand also meant the directors were able to change the visual identity that was first established in Fall, because rather than simply transplanting the same concept into another location, they were able to make it altogether more dramatic. They explained, “Thailand gave us an incredible opportunity to completely change the visual language of the film. We didn’t want to simply recreate the first movie in a different location. We wanted the environment to feel like a character in its own right.”

“It had to be different and not feel like a repeat of the first film. The plank walk was something we all immediately gravitated towards after Michael and I pitched a number of different ideas to the producers. It felt like it was in the spirit of the first film, but brought something completely different at the same time.”

The pair also revealed that they were already fans of Fall before becoming involved in the sequel. After pitching several potential directions for the follow-up, it was the plank walk that ultimately became the foundation of the movie. “Firstly, we were big fans of the first film, so we were excited to be part of the next chapter. We pitched a number of different ideas, but the one we all landed on was a plank walk inspired by the Huashan Plank Walk in China. It’s considered one of the most dangerous hikes in the world, and once we saw it, we knew we had the foundation for a really intense and cinematic story.”

How Did the Spierig Brothers Make ‘Fall 2’ Look So Terrifying?

For the original Fall, director Scott Mann used practical filmmaking and clever visual effects to create the illusion that its stars were genuinely stranded thousands of feet in the air. The Spierig Brothers wanted to retain that feeling of physical danger, and the sequel was filmed in a Thai rock quarry to provide real rock faces and textures while keeping the production at a manageable height.

“The goal was to shoot as much as we could practically. However, for logistical reasons, there was no way we could film at 4,000 feet, so we shot in a rock quarry in Thailand instead. That gave us the natural rock walls and textures we needed to make the film feel tactile and grounded. We also shot with almost no blue screen, which was really important to us. We wanted the actors out in the sun, exposed to the heat and harsh environment; that authenticity really helps sell the danger and realism of the film.”

That meant putting the actors into some genuinely uncomfortable situations. Although they weren’t actually suspended thousands of feet above the ground, the cast spent extensive periods harnessed roughly 40 feet in the air. “The shoot was tough, but for all the right reasons,” they explained. “The actors had to be harnessed for almost every scene on the plank walk, and they were elevated around 40 feet in the air for long periods of time, which often made communication difficult. But everyone worked incredibly hard and pushed through some very demanding days, and we think that commitment really comes across on screen.”

The directors also encouraged the cast to perform their own stunts where possible, something they believe gave the finished sequences considerably more material to work with.

“Any time the actors did their own stunts, it brought so much to the sequences and gave us a huge amount to work with in the editing room, so those days were always especially exciting.”

There is also a fundamental difference between creating fear through heights and the more conventional horror filmmaking the brothers employed on movies such as Jigsaw. Rather than concealing a monster or threat, Fall 2: Deadpoint can simply show audiences the drop.

“I think the big difference is that with traditional horror, you can often hide the threat and then reveal it,” said Spierig. “With heights, the audience can see the danger very clearly. There’s something very primal about looking down and imagining what would happen if you fell. For us, it was really important to put the audience into the characters’ perspective. We used a lot of point-of-view shots and cameras attached to the actors, so you get that almost GoPro-like feeling of actually being there with them. We also tried to shoot as much as possible for real. We were actually shooting on the side of a rock wall and avoided green screen completely wherever we could. Having the actors physically exposed to the height, the heat, the rain and the wind gives the performances a reality that you can hopefully feel as an audience member.”

The Spierig Brothers Wanted ‘Fall 2’ to Be Their Own Movie

Lionsgate

Mann remains heavily involved in the franchise as a writer and producer, with Jonathan Frank co-writing the screenplay. For the Spierig Brothers, taking over as directors meant finding a balance between retaining the brutally effective simplicity of Mann’s original and putting their own stamp on the sequel. The film is produced by James Harris, Mark Lane, Mann, David Haring and Christian Mercuri. They explained:

“We had a huge amount of respect for what Scott achieved with the first film. The simplicity of the concept and the way he created tension from the environment were things we absolutely wanted to preserve. At the same time, we didn’t want to simply copy the first movie. We wanted Fall 2 to feel like its own film and bring our own sensibility to it. We’ve always loved genre filmmaking, and we’re interested in taking a simple premise and pushing it as far as we can visually and physically. So we wanted to increase the scale and spectacle while still keeping the story very simple and character-driven.”

The pair ultimately want audiences to experience the same physical reaction that made the original such an effective exercise in anxiety, and believe the sequel has been designed specifically to benefit from being seen on the biggest screen possible:

“Hopefully audiences feel the same vertigo and fear they experienced watching the first film. We know a lot of movies say you need to see them in a theater but FALL 2: DEADPOINT really is designed as an immersive, vertigo-inducing ride that is heightened by the theatrical experience. So we hope audiences have a great time — and maybe decide not to climb a mountain anytime soon.”

‘Fall 3’ Is Already Part of the Plan

The filmmakers are also looking beyond Deadpoint. A third Fall movie has already been planned, although the Spierig Brothers stressed that they didn’t want the sequel to exist merely as connective tissue between franchise installments. Fall 2: Deadpoint has instead been designed to tell a complete story while leaving the concept open to further exploration. “It was very important to us that Fall 2 work as its own complete movie,” said the Spierigs.

“We didn’t want the audience to feel like they were watching a two-hour setup for another film. At the same time, because the world and the concept have the potential to continue, there are certainly opportunities to take things further,” they continued. “We were conscious of that, but we wanted to make sure the story we were telling in Fall 2 had its own beginning, middle and end. Hopefully, if audiences respond to the movie and want to see more, there’s a very interesting world to explore in a third film. But our priority was always to make Fall 2 satisfying on its own.”

Fall 2: Deadpoint opens exclusively in theaters on September 2, 2026.

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Release Date

September 2, 2026

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Runtime

97 Minutes

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Cast

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  Juju Journey Brener

  Young Jax

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