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‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Daniel Ings on What George R.R. Martin Teased About Lyonel Baratheon’s Future

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Daniel Ings as Lyonel Baratheon in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1

After six weeks at the tourney at Ashford Meadow, it’s finally time for Dunk (Peter Claffey) and Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) to move on. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms wrapped up its first season tonight with a funeral and the beginning of a new chapter for our heroes. Coming in after the violent Trial of Seven, which ultimately saw Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett) losing to Dunk, the finale focuses primarily on the aftermath and what happens now that Baelor Targaryen (Bertie Carvel), the crowned prince, is dead. With the tourney winding down, Dunk is offered an opportunity by Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings) to return with him to Storm’s End. The scene not only reveals Dunk’s immense guilt for what happened to Baelor but also Lyonel’s deep disdain for the Targaryens, reminding us of the intrinsic rivalry between the two houses.

We spoke with Daniel Ings about his role in the newest Game of Thrones spin-off. Ings discussed how he harnessed Lyonel’s braggadocious attitude and what it took for him to portray a monumental character like Lyonel Baratheon. He discusses the Trial of Seven and where he thinks Lyonel gets his deep hate for the Targaryens from in the finale. He reveals conversations he had with showrunner Ira Parker about the character, as well as author George R.R. Martin, who teased Lyonel’s potential return in the future. For those who know the story, it’s a hopeful indication that we might see Ings again, though likely in the distant future should the series continue past three seasons.

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Daniel Ings on How He Harnessed Lyonel Baratheon’s Attitude

“Yeah, I feel like there’s definitely a side to me that can be bombastic and in your face.”

Daniel Ings as Lyonel Baratheon in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1
Daniel Ings as Lyonel Baratheon in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1
Image via HBO

COLLIDER: Your character, Lyonel Baratheon, is many things. He’s a singer, he’s a dancer, he’s a fighter, he’s got it all. He’s such a bombastic and bold character. Was that a role that came naturally to you, or was that something that you had to work on? Because his personality is very much in your face when you first meet him.

DANIEL INGS: I guess it did kind of come naturally. Yeah, I feel like there’s definitely a side to me that can be bombastic and in your face. It’s definitely something that I’m comfortable tapping into, and I enjoy that, particularly with dancing. Dancing was something that I used to be very self conscious about. And then when I was younger, that was a sort of choice, like a switch that I made to just choose not to be anymore. And me and my buddies used to do ironic dancing, that was my way in. We’d call it “ironic dancing,” particularly after Zoolander came out; we did dance-offs in the middle of some dance floor somewhere. At a certain point, I was like, actually, maybe I don’t need to do this ironically anymore, maybe I just enjoy this.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Interview | Peter Claffey & Dexter Sol Ansell


‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Stars React to Dunk’s “Cinematic” Trial of 7 and Egg’s Guilt

The season finale for the six-episode series set in Westeros airs on HBO on Sunday, February 22nd.

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I love that.

INGS: Yeah, fine. Fuck it, you know? I feel like I enjoy dance. I can’t sing, unfortunately. I’m a horrible singer. But again, I increasingly don’t really care that I’m not very good at it. You know what I mean?

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To be fair, in the scene where you sing in the show, your character is drunk, so he doesn’t really need to be a great singer in that moment.

INGS: Exactly, I think, to that end, with all of those elements, this is a guy who, in a way, he doesn’t need to be able to do those things. He just needs to not care what anybody thinks, that’s the crucial thing. And that’s kind of liberating, if you can just let it go and to get to play someone who doesn’t really give a shit what people think, it means your focus doesn’t have to be on, technically, whether it’s good, it just has to be fun.

I think that came off perfectly. He definitely has, a sort of “I don’t give a fuck” energy, which I think everybody appreciates.

INGS: [laughs]

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Daniel Ings Reveals a Behind-the-Scenes Moment With Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell

“Everyone was aware to protect this little dude because he is physically little, if more grown up than the rest of us.”

Peter Claffey as Dunk with Daniel Ings as Lyonel Baratheon at a party dancing in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1
Peter Claffey as Dunk with Daniel Ings as Lyonel Baratheon in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1
Image via HBO

When you’re getting into the realm of Game of Thrones, you’re already toeing the line with what is appropriate for a kid to be exposed to. What was it like filming with Dexter [Sol Ansell] and seeing him work as a young actor?

INGS: He’s an incredibly clever and switched-on young guy. It’s really super easy to forget how young he is. He’s much smarter than me and has an incredible work ethic. He would quite happily be like, “Oh, your cup’s in the wrong hand there. You had it in the other hand. You switch it on this line.” It’s so easy to forget how young he is. He’s a really sort of fun and confident young man, incredibly impressive and much smarter than the rest of us, much like his character. So in a way, it was super easy. And also, he’s incredibly experienced, like — I think he’s 11 now — he was nine when we shot it. He’s done more stuff than any of the rest of us put together.

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You’re conscious of it, although a lot of the stuff that I got to do with Dexter was pretty fun, like we were out there doing the tug of war. He did bang his head at one point because we were all doing celebrations, and Peter’s throwing him up in the air. And I remember, there was one day he hurt himself quite badly, I think he banged his head on Peter’s shoulder. And I had no idea that this had happened, and I come running in, ready to, like, jump on the two of them. And Peter, bless him, was like, “No! No! No! No!” So, everyone was aware to protect this little dude because he is physically little, if more grown up than the rest of us.

Daniel Ings Gets Into What It Was Like Filming Those Action Scenes in Armor

“…that sort of energy that you see in the Baratheon tent is replicated out on the field.”

There’s a lot of physicality that comes into playing this character, I can only imagine what it’s like having to wear the armor and that giant crown. What was it like preparing for those action scenes?

INGS: The action stuff, I have to give credit to the stunt guys, because they did so much of it. Once you see that big jousting sequence and the Trial of Seven, it’s so physically demanding, what’s expected of these characters, and the way that they shoot it. It would have been shit if I tried to do a load of that stuff. I did a fair bit of riding in it, and I’d done some riding before, so it was a little bit of training for that. We did some fight training, which, again, I’ve done a bit of before, but it’s always fun to brush up on that. The thing that I wanted to focus on with all of that was the fluidity of it, because this guy is an amazing warrior, but he’s also someone who takes great pleasure in the performance of being in that arena. Do you know what I mean? In the sport of it. He’s obsessed with the sport of it, and so, much like with the dancing, most of the preparation was around trying to make sure that, even with the stunt team, there was a kind of fluid and florid movement style with this character, that sort of energy that you see in the Baratheon tent is replicated out on the field.

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To be honest, it was pretty tough. The helmet, which I wear at the end, which is incredible, and I fucking loved it, but it’s so hard. There was so many sequences where I wanted to show that he is this guy who is so excited and just delighted to be there, where everyone else is shitting themselves. He’s just like, “This is amazing!” This is his 50-year storm, and then to see the switch into mad dog as he pulls the helmet on. We did so many takes of it, because that thing… I’d put it on, and then we’d finish the take with, like, seven of us in a line, and it’s just flopping over to one side.

Peter Dinklage in Game of Thrones


HBO Just Found Its Tyrion Replacement With This ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Character

This character is poised to become a fan-favorite of the new ‘Game of Thrones’ spin-off.

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They should have kept that in. I feel like that would be kind of funny.

INGS: Yeah, he’s the Laughing Storm, like he doesn’t give a shit! So that was a lot of the preparation, and I mean, you can’t really tell, but I tried to kind of hit the weights beforehand, because I knew that this was going to be a physical job…

You were shirtless in one of those scenes. So maybe that helped the confidence levels there if it was intimidating?

INGS: [Laughs] Fuck it, yeah. Exactly. I mean, I’m not massively a gym guy, but, again, the thing about the Laughing Storm is, in the books there’s a big focus on his physicality. He’s a giant, and he’s physically imposing. But I think for for me, and for Ira [Parker], our showrunner, like, I think he would have loved it. He did say to me, at one point, he was like, “Can you just start eating bagels? I just wanted you to get like fat, like big.” But I just lost a ton of weight a year or two before. I was like, that’s not gonna happen.

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But for me — and I think Ira kind of came on board with it — the thing that was more interesting was, there’s not much we can do to alter my height. I’m like 6′, 6’1″. We’re never going to get me up to 6’6″ without some giant platform shoes. But actually, the thing that’s more important is, to your point earlier, the sense of bigness in every other respect. You know what I mean? The voice and the unpredictability and the chaos and energy that he brings; that was more important than getting super jacked.

I can only imagine how turning your head must have been like with that helm on. You’d have to have a radius around you where people can’t stand near, lest you knock them out with the antlers.

INGS: Yeah, and then, plus, once you add in the shield, and then your lance in there. I mean, it’s a big radius.

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Daniel Ings Reveals Where Lyonel Baratheon’s Anti-Targaryen Sentiment Comes From

“He is this party guy, but he does see everything.”

Daniel Ings as Lyonel Baratheon standing next to Paul Murphy as a maester looking down in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Daniel Ings as Lyonel Baratheon in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Image via HBO

Talking about the Trial of Seven, at one point when Dunk goes to Lyonel to ask him to join him, Lyonel is like, “Oh yeah, this is a once in a lifetime situation. Obviously I’m going to take part in it.” And that’s the impression that we get, that he’s there for the glory of it. But I’m wondering if there’s something else in it, because obviously he and Dunk have formed a friendship that’s so unlikely. Is there a bit of that loyalty, of like, “Yeah, I’m gonna stand by you,” or is it more like, “Well, who would say no to this?”

INGS: I mean, I think it’s definitely both, but I think it would take a lot longer for him to let someone into that second part, right? Like he, for sure, is inspired by this young hedge knight, and inspired by his bravery and honor and his naivety, you know? So I think, ultimately, put it this way, I don’t think he could pick to fight on the other side, like for Lyonel Baratheon. And meeting this guy, Dunk, has just opened up the tourney for him. He does this shit all the time, and it’s fun, it’s like Glastonbury for him.

But then he meets this guy who reminds him that it’s about something bigger. I think it kind of kills two birds with one stone. So I think it’s true when he says, like, “There hasn’t been a Trial of Seven for 100 years. I’m not going to miss out. This is fucking awesome,” that I think is true, but it is also a convenient way to mask the inner context of what he’s saying, which is also like, “You’re awesome. You are the greatest thing that’s happened to this tourney. And, for sure, I’ll stand by your side.” When he says, “I knew you’d be trouble,” what he’s really saying is, “I knew you’d be fun.”

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In the finale, we get a little bit deeper into Lyonel’s character, where he really shows a deep disdain for the Targaryens. I’m wondering if you talked with Ira about that? Or if it was in the script about where that dislike, and even hatred comes from?

INGS: Well, I think it’s a good point. We didn’t talk about it too much. I can’t remember if the line is still in it, but at one point, he sort of says, “The only good dragon is a dead dragon.” And, you know, there’s a complicated history between Lyonel’s heritage and the Targaryens, but I suppose it’s a general sort of anti-establishment feeling of animosity towards them, because they’re people in power, but their grip on power is slipping.

Lyonel says, at one point, war is coming, and it’s a little minute before it comes, but I think he can sense that this is a dynasty on the wane, and that tends to create violence and chaos. It’s like a dying dinosaur, the last gasp of a dying dinosaur. So, we actually didn’t talk too much about it, and, as you point out, it exposes a slightly deeper understanding with Lyonel. He is this party guy, but he does see everything. He’s an observer. He sees what these people are about, and the lack of honor in the Targaryens and the distinct sense of honor in Dunk.

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Daniel Ings Reflects on George R.R. Martin’s Tease for Lyonel’s Future

“Us Baratheons, we’re rebellious folk, you know?”

Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings) visits an injured Dunk (Peter Claffey) in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms​​​​​​​
Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings) visits an injured Dunk (Peter Claffey) in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Image via HBO

I know that Season 2 is filming. Are you part of it, or has your chapter with the story ended for now?

INGS: I mean, I couldn’t possibly comment on Series 2, but I would love for audiences to get to see Lyonel Baratheon again. I’d love to play this guy again. He’s not in the second book or the third book.

That’s why I was curious.

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INGS: As with the first, these series will be very faithful to George [R.R. Martin]’s writing. Actually I spoke to George one day on set. He came down and was like, [George R.R. Martin voice] “You know, your character comes back later on down the line.” And I’d done a little deep dive into the Westeros lore online, and you can find so much of the history that’s written even if these books haven’t necessarily been written yet, but, yeah, there’s some interesting story to tell further down the line with Lyonel and Dunk and Egg. But, you know, I have to wait and see if the story catches up to it, and if that story ever gets told, I’d be pumped.

I would love to see you back again, and I know the story he’s talking about.

INGS: Oh, cool! It’s fun, right?

Yeah, definitely. I love George’s world, and I’m always happy to see a version of it on screen.

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INGS: Totally, me too. And us Baratheons, we’re rebellious folk, you know?

All episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 are now available to stream on HBO.


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Release Date

January 18, 2026

Network

HBO

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Showrunner

Ira Parker

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Directors

Owen Harris

Writers
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George R. R. Martin, Ira Parker

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  • Headshot Of Peter Claffey

    Peter Claffey

    Ser Duncan ‘Dunk’ the Tall

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  • Headshot Of Dexter Sol Ansell

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3 Overlooked Movies You Should Stream in April 2026

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If you aren’t eager to see something like The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, can Watch With Us interest you in some movies that you probably haven’t heard of before?

We can admit that mainstream movie offerings can be tiresome, but thankfully, streaming platforms offer an easy way to access movies that otherwise struggled to find an audience.

This April, Watch With Us recommends three overlooked movies that you should stream right now.

Our first pick is Kinds of Kindness, the eccentric anthology film from Yorgos Lanthimos starring Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons and Margaret Qualley.

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Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures/EPK.TV Director Yorgos Lanthimos is back — and he’s bringing some of his favorite performers along with him. The first official trailer for Lanthimos’ upcoming film Kinds of Kindness dropped on Wednesday, May 29, featuring appearances from Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Joe Alwyn, William Dafoe, Hunter Schafer and Margaret Qualley. While the […]

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This absurdist black comedy features three distinct stories, all loosely connected by the brief and seemingly arbitrary inclusion of a man named R.M.F. (Yorgos Stefanakos). The first story centers around an employee named Robert (Jesse Plemons), who is at the perpetual behest of his domineering boss and lover, Raymond (Willem Dafoe). The second story follows police officer Daniel (Plemons), whose missing marine biologist wife, Liz (Emma Stone), returns but does not seem to be herself. And the third story follows Emily (Stone) and Andrew (Plemons), two sex cultists seeking a woman who can reanimate the dead.

Bookended between the critical and awards successes of Poor Things and Bugonia, Kind of Kindness got lost in the shuffle, seen as a lesser inclusion to Yorgos Lanthimos’ filmography. However, the film is nonetheless a unique, biting and hilariously misanthropic triptych of surreal stories featuring not one, but multiple great performances from Stone, Plemons, Dafoe, Hong Chau and Margaret Qualley. The film is an intriguing commentary on the thin line that exists between kindness and cruelty.

In a highly stylized version of 1950s Lower Manhattan, young newlywed couple Arthur (Harry Melling) and Suze (Andrea Riseborough) are accosted by a group of street thugs calling themselves the Young Gents, after the couple witnesses the gang beat another couple to death. After being interrogated by the gang’s leader, Teddy (Karl Glusman), about where they live, the Young Gents eventually vacate the premises. But Suze and Arthur nevertheless find themselves preoccupied by their encounter and the reverberating consequences on both of their gender and sexual identities.

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Please Baby Please is a campy and eccentric gender-bending drama that considers questions of what it really means to be a man or a woman. The maximalist production design, visual inventiveness and handful of musical numbers add to the fantastical and surreal quality of the film, allowing it to feel both refreshing and unique. Helmed by an incredible performance from Riseborough, the supporting cast also includes Demi Moore, Cole Escola and Dana Ashbrook.

Talia Ryder and Jacob Elordi in The Sweet East

Talia Ryder and Jacob Elordi in The Sweet East.
Utopia / Courtesy Everett Collection

While on a field trip to Washington, D.C., South Carolina teenager Lillian Wade (Talia Ryder) gets whisked away on a road trip across New England. After visiting a pizza restaurant that is attacked by an armed man (Andy Milonakis) who believes it houses a covert ring of pedophiles, Lillian finds herself in with a group of anarchist political activists led by Caleb (Earl Cave). After that, she winds up in New Hope, Pennsylvania, with a neo-Nazi named Lawrence (Simon Rex), then New York City, where she is cast in a film off the street, striking up a romance with her famous co-star Ian Reynolds (Jacob Elordi).

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Jesse Plemons in Bugonia


Related: 3 Oscar-Nominated Movies You Should Watch This Weekend: ‘Bugonia’ and More

The 2026 Oscar nominations have finally been announced, which means that Hollywood’s biggest night is just around the corner. 2025 was a banner year for cinema — from the crowd-pleasing Sinners to the gothic horror of Frankenstein and the elegiac beauty of Train Dreams, some of the best movies in recent memory have all come out during […]

Though thematically and ideologically murky, The Sweet East is nevertheless a spirited and riveting satire on the kaleidoscope of Americana that can be found along the Mid-Atlantic and the flailing American Dream we’ve been left with. Directed by cinematographer Sean Price Williams (Good Time, The Moment), The Sweet East draws stylistic cues from 1970s American cinema, yet becomes its own wonderful and weird thing as it explores the self-discovery that occurs when we leave our hometown.

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What Is Dan Levy’s Big Mistakes Show About After Schitt’s Creek?

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Big Mistakes marks creator Dan Levy‘s first show since Schitt’s Creek — but what is it about?

Created by Levy and Rachel Sennott, Big Mistakes is dark crime-comedy series that focuses on two “deeply incapable” siblings. Nicky (Levy) is a suburban New Jersey pastor while and Morgan (Taylor Ortega) is an impulsive teacher, who get embroiled in the criminal underworld after stealing a diamond necklace that belongs to a crime syndicate.

The Netflix series, which premiered in April, also stars Laurie Metcalf, Jack Innanen, Boran Kuzum and Abby Quinn. Big Mistakes is Levy’s second original scripted series after the Emmy-winning sitcom Schitt’s Creek. In the end, Annette (Elizabeth Perkins) is revealed to be the one calling the shots while Morgan and Nicky’s lives are rocked by the experience.

“I’m so excited to be bringing this truly chaotic family story to life with Netflix,” Levy said in a press released when the show was announced. “I’m thrilled with the team we’re building both behind the scenes and in front of the camera. Taylor Ortega is going to become a household name, and it’s been my life’s mission to get to call Laurie Metcalf ‘mother.’ Looking forward to getting to share this with everyone.”

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Simply the best! After the hit show’s iconic television run, the potential for a Schitt’s Creek movie looks brighter than ever. The series originally ran for six seasons starting in 2015, and its finale aired in April 2020. The show was created by father-son duo Eugene Levy and Dan Levy, and it slowly rose to […]

Levy reflected on his vision for the show once it was out.

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“That’s how long it took, really, to get an idea that I felt as strongly about as I did when we started Schitt’s Creek,” he told Tudum. “When I finished Schitt’s, I really thought, like, I don’t know how I can do anything after this.”

Levy continued: “This show really kind of opened this window of possibility, and I realized I am just as excited about this as I was [about Schitt’s Creek].”

Before Big Mistakes, Levy was involved with Schitt’s Creek. The Canadian production, which was originally on CBC, became a hit when the first three seasons started streaming on Netflix. Three more seasons were released, which earned Schitt’s Creek 19 Emmy nominations. Following the 2020 series finale, creators Eugene Levy and Dan have often been asked about a potential revival.

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From sitcoms and game shows to dramas and cartoons, the list of TV reboots and revivals is a long one. Waiting to Exhale and Conan the Barbarian are both films being made into TV shows, while Gilmore Girls was transformed into four seasons for its Netflix revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, which […]

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“My hope is that one day we can all get together. I see these people all the time. We’re in constant contact with each other. So the love is there. The desire to work together is there, and the desire to tell more stories is there,” Dan told People in 2022. “I think it just comes down to making sure that it’s the right story to tell. And I think we’re also proud of the work we did on Schitt’s. And when you end on such a high, it really forces you to think very carefully about what the next step is.”

Dan continued: “I think when you have an audience that’s paid attention to you for 80 episodes of a television show, the last thing you want is to put something out that makes them think this feels like a cash grab. And that’s not what we’re about. So TBD, but a TBD with an exclamation mark on the end.”

The screenwriter has since walked back those plans following Catherine O’Hara‘s shocking death in January at age 71.

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Ryan Seacrest Shares Unusual Stance On Engagement Rings

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Ryan Seacrest at iHeartRadio 102.7 KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2024 - Red Carpet

Ryan Seacrest is laying it all out there. During an episode of his radio show, “On Air With Ryan Seacrest,” the “American Idol” host took an unexpected stance while discussing marriage and engagement rings. While the 51-year-old has never been engaged or married, he was candid about his belief that today’s flashy jewelry pieces are becoming more about public perception than a symbol of love. As he continued, the TV personality said he’d rather spend his resources on memorable experiences with his partner than waste them on material objects.

Ryan Seacrest Shares His Unexpected Stance On Engagement Rings, Says People Are Paying Way Too Much

Ryan Seacrest at iHeartRadio 102.7 KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2024 - Red Carpet
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Seacrest has never been one to stay silent, and on the April 7 episode of his radio show, according to Geo News, the “Wheel of Fortune” host questioned whether engagement rings are worth it in the year 2026.

“A lot of couples are saying, ‘Hey, is the engagement ring really worth it?’” he said before asking the average cost, “$10,000?”

“Average cost of an engagement ring in the U.S., $10,000. Think about what you could do with your partner for $10,000,” Seacrest added.

According to an American Express report from September 2025, the average cost of an engagement ring is about $5,200. However, the financial institution noted that there is no “one-size-fits-all formula” and that buyers should consider their current and projected income, expenses, and savings before making the hefty purchase.

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Ryan Seacrest Questions The Importance Of An Engagement Ring

Ryan Seacrest at the 2024 Disney Upfront
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Seacrest has never been engaged; however, he has been in several high-profile relationships. Most recently, he dated Aubrey Paige, although the pair called it quits in 2024.

On his radio show, Seacrest questioned whether engagement rings were still important, then suggested that couples could use that money to create meaningful memories.

“I honestly think—and I’m gonna say this—because when I meet my human, and it’s that time, we’re gonna have experiences together,” he said. “We’re gonna focus on building our bond. Doing things together.”

Continuing, Seacrest said the “priority” should be on taking risks and working toward creating the life they want.

Ryan Seacrest Previously Joked About Not Getting Married Because He’d ‘Die Soon’

Ryan Seacrest, Kelly Ripa, and Mark Consuelos.
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Seacrest has been open about marriage before, according to TV Insider. In 2025, the former “Live” host stopped by the studio to hang out with Kelly Ripa and her husband, Mark Consuelos. During the episode, Seacrest said he’d given getting married a bit more thought after officiating a friend’s wedding earlier.

However, Seacrest admitted that after even more reflection, he realized getting hitched might not be in the cards for him.

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“Well, at this age now, if I got married, it’s like, I’d die soon, so it’s like, ‘What’s the point?’” he said, prompting Conseulos to joke, “You’ve got a good 17 years left.”

Seacrest Reveals His Red And Green Flags In A Relationship

On an earlier episode of his radio show, Seacrest got candid about what he looks for in a partner before sharing what things might throw him off.

Seacrest went on to share that he normally takes his dates out to exercise with him and uses their interaction to determine whether they’re worth pursuing.

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“When you’re out on a run or a walk or a bike ride, do you say hi to people that pass?” he asked, noting that those who don’t lack manners. “If you don’t, I’m not so sure about you. And if someone says ‘good morning’ to you on the path and you don’t respond, that is a red flag.”

Another red flag for Seacrest would be if his potential partner wasn’t eager to partake in some of his traditions.

“I really look forward to getting up and having my coffee,” he said. “I think if we can’t share that moment together, it’s a red flag. So, ‘I need coffee,’ is a green flag. Don’t have a lot, and please don’t put milks and stuff in it.”

Seacrest’s Father Passed Away

Ryan Seacrest at Tribeca Film Festival Opening Night - 'Halftime' Premiere
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According to a previous report from The Blast, Seacrest opened up about the devastating news that his father, Gary Lee Seacrest, passed away in October 2025, after a years-long battle with cancer.

“It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that my loving father peacefully passed away earlier this week,” he wrote in the caption. “My mom, sister and I have peace knowing he is in a better place and free of any pain or suffering. We are heartbroken.”

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Seacrest recalled his final moments with his father on his radio show, saying the 81-year-old looked over to him and asked him to take care of his mother, sister, and the rest of their family. “And then literally a few seconds later, he closed his eyes and said, ‘I’ve got to go.’ … He knew. He was at peace,” Seacrest said.

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The Superhero Movie That Started a Billion-Dollar Franchise Proves It’s Still One of the Best

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Leslie Bibb as Christine Everhart looking concerned in Iron Man.

This week saw the streaming comeback of two 2008 movies that redefined superhero cinema forever. It seems serendipitous that they were released within weeks of each other, considering how different they were. While one put a dark, gritty spin on the genre and influenced an entire generation of tentpoles, the other launched the highest-grossing film franchise of all time. The franchise in question has generated more than $30 billion at the worldwide box office over the course of nearly two decades, and it all began with an underdog film that surprised everyone by grossing $585 million worldwide. The odds were stacked against it; it was based on a B-tier character, headlined by an unproven box-office draw staging a comeback, and directed by a filmmaker whose experience didn’t exactly align with big-budget superhero spectacles.

The movie we’re talking about, of course, is Iron Man, which debuted mere weeks before Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight. While Nolan’s sequel put a dour spin on the genre and was instantly hailed as a masterpiece, Iron Man was a colorful romp that tipped its hat to ’90s blockbusters and was in the vein of Sam Raimi‘s Spider-Man trilogy. Iron Man was directed by Jon Favreau, who was best known as a comic actor at the time, and it was headlined by Robert Downey Jr. The actor was hardly a box-office draw, and Favreau famously had to go to bat for him with Marvel Studios. His conviction paid off, and Downey Jr. became synonymous with playing Tony Stark, emerging as the highest-paid actor in the world a few years later.

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Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz
Which MCU Hero Are You?
Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap

Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?

🕷️Spider-Man

😈Daredevil

🤖Iron Man

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💀Punisher

Thor

🛡️Cap

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01

What drives you to do what’s right?
Choose the answer that feels most like you.






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02

It’s 2 AM. Where are you?
Your answer says more about you than you’d think.






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03

How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice?
Every hero has a method. What’s yours?






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04

How do you feel about keeping a secret identity?
The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.






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05

You’ve lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that?
Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.






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06

What’s your role when working with a team?
Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.






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07

Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge?
The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.






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08

When you’re not saving the world, what does life look like?
The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.






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09

What keeps you up at night?
Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.






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10

The battle is lost. You’re outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do?
This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.






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Your Hero Has Been Identified
Your MCU Hero Is…

Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.

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Queens, New York

🕷️ Spider-Man
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You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.

  • You do the right thing not because it’s easy, but because no one else will.
  • You understand that responsibility isn’t a burden you choose — it’s one that finds you.
  • Whether it’s a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.
  • Peter Parker’s lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn’t a slogan to you. It’s the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.


Hell’s Kitchen, New York

😈 Daredevil
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You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.

  • You use every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.
  • You’ve looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been easy.
  • Matt Murdock’s duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.
  • Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.


Stark Industries, Malibu

🤖 Iron Man
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Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.

  • You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.
  • You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.
  • Tony Stark’s arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.
  • You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you’re willing to give everything. Because in the end, you’re Iron Man.


New York City

💀 The Punisher
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You’ve been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What’s left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.

  • You don’t ask for forgiveness, and you don’t expect gratitude.
  • You see a corrupt, broken world and you’ve decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.
  • Frank Castle’s war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.
  • Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.


Asgard · Protector of the Nine Realms

⚡ Thor
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Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.

  • You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.
  • You’re larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.
  • Thor’s story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.
  • You bring the storm when it’s needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.


Brooklyn, New York · The Avengers

🛡️ Captain America
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You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.

  • You don’t bully the small guy, and you never stop when it gets hard.
  • Steve Rogers didn’t become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.
  • Your strength isn’t in your fists; it’s in your refusal to compromise what’s right, no matter the cost.
  • In a world full of people taking the easy road, you’re the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.

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Robert Downey Jr. Is Set to Return to the MCU

According to FlixPatrol, Iron Man was among the most-watched movies on the domestic Disney+ chart this week. The movie holds a “Certified Fresh” 94% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “Powered by Robert Downey Jr.’s vibrant charm, Iron Man turbo-charges the superhero genre with a deft intelligence and infectious sense of fun.” Downey Jr. returned to play the character in two Iron Man sequels and four Avengers movies. After bidding farewell to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Endgame, he reversed his decision and is set to star in this year’s Avengers: Doomsday, but as the villainous Doctor Doom. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.


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Release Date

May 2, 2008

Runtime

126 minutes

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Writers

Matt Holloway, Art Marcum, Hawk Ostby, Mark Fergus

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Heidi Klum’s Spring Bomber Jacket Look Is $37 on Amazon

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Us Weekly has affiliate partnerships. We receive compensation when you click on a link and make a purchase. Learn more!

Heidi Klum knows a thing or two about elevated dressing, often slipping into sleek separates that include modern design details, chic tailoring and bold pops of colors. But Klum’s refined taste isn’t just reserved for red carpets — and her recent bomber jacket serves as proof. Better yet? I found a lookalike silhouette for just $37 on Amazon.

Last week, Klum stepped out in New York City wearing a casual-cool look, including Balenciaga sneakers, a Louis Vuitton tote and the star of the show: an Alpha Industries MA-1 top layer. While the original option isn’t completely out of the budget, the Amazon version is currently $112 less.

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Get the Rasujie Satin Bomber Jacket for $37 at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.

The windbreaker isn’t just good for the wallet, either, but it looks strikingly similar to Klum’s. You can look forward to the same buttery satin, micro-ribbed details, side pockets and zippered sleeves. The olive-green hue is also spot-on, making it hard to tell the difference between the two at first glance.

Rihanna is seen going to


Related: Rihanna’s Denim Bomber Jacket Is the Elevated Layer We’re Eyeing

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If anyone can make Us think about spring style in January, it’s Rihanna. The fashion icon stepped out in a denim bomber jacket style that instantly shifted our mindset from heavy winter layers to transitional staples. Her $2,800 version may be out of reach, but we found a $43 alternative that nails the same effortless […]

Spring’s unpredictable weather is yet another reason to snag the lightweight zip-up. The smooth fabric feels light against the skin, offering a transitional dressing solution for bracing against chilly nights and surprise winds.

But perhaps more notable is the outstanding quality. “I’m simply obsessed with this satin bomber jacket,” said a shopper. “It looks way more expensive than what it was!” Another rave reviewer echoed the same sentiment, saying it’s “wayyyyyyy better value than the price indicates…” So, rest assured; you may be getting a deal, but you’re not compromising on quality.

Get ready to fall in love with your new favorite spring bomber jacket. All it took was a Klum sighting and an impressive $37 deal. But I have to warn you: this elevated top layer is sure to go quickly, so snag it while you still can.

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Get the Rasujie Satin Bomber Jacket for $37 at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.

Looking for something else? Explore more spring jackets here and don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!

Jenna Lyons is seen on March 16, 2026 in New York City.


Related: Jenna Lyons’s Relaxed Bomber Jacket Is Spring’s Coolest Throw-On Layer

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Leave it to Jenna Lyons to make spring dressing look easier than ever. The style icon recently stepped out wearing a relaxed bomber jacket, reminding Us that the layer instantly delivers the effortless, thrown-on polish we’re always chasing. Of course, we knew we had to grab a similar style for ourselves, and discovered a $38 version that […]

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Justin Bieber delivers sleepy Coachella performance, doomscrolls and watches YouTube videos mid-show

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During a sweeter moment in his set, the singer pulled up his own music videos and harmonized with his younger self.

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10 Most Perfect Horror Endings of All Time, Ranked

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Saw - 2004

How do you end a horror movie? Shock? Mystery? The murder of all the children in the United States? All those and more feature in some of the best, most perfect horror movie endings. Unsurprisingly, these endings all mostly come at the end of some of the most beloved horror films ever made, or, at the very least, films that are undeniably cult favorites. Their endings aren’t what make them classics, but they definitely are a part of the alchemy that’s required.

There’s no one way to end a horror movie and these endings prove that. Even when some of them share similar apocalyptic outcomes, they approach them in vastly different ways. One ending will make you laugh, while the other will leave you stunned in silence. No matter how they leave you, though, you’re going to remember because of how perfectly they end their respective films. These are those ten most perfect horror movie endings, ranked.

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10

‘Saw’ (2004)

Saw - 2004 Image via Lions Gate Films

Regardless of how you feel about the Saw franchise as a whole and its influence on the rise of the so-called torture porn trend, there’s no denying that it’s a series that had audiences hooked for the better part of a decade. Part of that is definitely due to the gruesome death scenes that were a hallmark of the films, but equally responsible were the convoluted plots that always wrapped up with a twist ending. These reveals, set to composer Charlie Clouser’s iconic “Hello Zepp” music cue, are some of the most memorable in modern horror, and the first is still the best.

The original Saw’s plot is fairly straightforward in comparison to more complicated sequels. Two men awaken in a decrepit bathroom with their ankles shackled and a corpse between them. They’re captives of the infamous Jigsaw serial killer who subjects his victims to sadistic survival games. The plot is laid out as a non-linear procedural, revealing more about the two men and the reasons behind their captivity. By the end, one of them has made good on the film’s title by sawing through his ankle and crawling away to get help. The other is left to witness the twist ending; that the corpse in the room has been alive the entire time and is Jigsaw himself in the flesh, who leaves the man screaming as he locks him away. Even if the movie itself is derivative and doesn’t all hang together narratively, the ending is undeniably effective and helped launch the most successful horror franchise of the aughts.

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9

‘Halloween III: Season of the Witch’ (1982)

Dr. David Challis (Tom Atkins) yelling on the phone in the final scene of 'Halloween III'
Dr. David Challis (Tom Atkins) yelling on the phone in the final scene of ‘Halloween III’
Image via Universal Pictures

Halloween III: Season of the Witch was highly divisive when it was first released. As a standalone installment in the Halloween franchise that doesn’t feature its iconic slasher Michael Myers, audiences were understandably a little perturbed, especially since the film’s marketing failed to effectively explain the change in direction. The movie has since undergone a reevaluation and is often listed as a fan favorite thanks to its bonkers plot and downright ballsy ending.

Halloween masks play a crucial part in the plot of the film as B-movie icon Tom Atkins plays Dr. Challis who, after witnessing a murder-suicide at his hospital, begins investigating the connections to the seemingly sinister Silver Shamrock novelty company. His investigation reveals connections to witchcraft, Stonehenge, Celtic folklore and the celebration of Samhain, which in the film’s plot involves the ritual sacrifice of children. The masks made by the company, which have been sold nationwide, are installed with a chip designed to kill their wearers and activated by a commercial. Challis tries to prevent this mass pedicide by calling the television affiliates to have them pull the commercial, but is unable to convince them all as it begins to play and the film cuts to black on Challis’ screams. Love or hate the film, you will never forget that ending.

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8

‘The Cabin in the Woods’ (2009)

The Cabin in the Woods - ending - 2011
The hand of an Ancient One reaches out to destroy the world at the end of The Cabin in the Woods.
Image via Lionsgate

A mass genocide event as an ending is generally going to elicit shock from an audience, as it did in Halloween III, but, if pitched right, it can also earn some hearty laughter. The Cabin in the Woods is one of those special kinds of horror films that walks a tightrope between self-referential humor and genuine horror. Its subversion and acknowledgment of the genre’s tropes makes its climax all the more entertaining as it collides all its influences into one big monster mash. Even better is the denouement, where it’s not just the coed protagonists whose lives are put on the line, but the entire population of Earth.

Presented first as a standard cabin in the woods horror movie, albeit one where some middle management types are paying close attention and affecting the outcome of events from a control room, the movie slowly reveals its true nature. The archetypal characters are all meant to be sacrifices to ancient gods who demand blood, lest they come unleash hell on earth. When the protagonists emerge triumphant over their would-be killers, they effectively select the nuclear option, as made clear by the god-sized hand that erupts from the ground and crushes the titular location. Meta movies like this can sometimes falter in their third act by failing to effectively pay off their clever set-ups, but The Cabin in the Woods sticks the landing by sticking it to humanity in the most cosmically hilarious way possible.

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7

‘The Mist’ (2007)

David screams in anguish in the finale of The Mist.
David screams in anguish in the finale of The Mist.
Image via Dimension Films

In comparison to the deaths wrought at the end of Halloween III or The Cabin in the Woods, the ending of The Mist is downright paltry in terms of sheer numbers. It’s far more affecting though, for how it arrives at its violent end and for those lives that meet it. Stephen King, on whose novella Frank Darabont’s film is based and which ends with a more open-ended note, famously declared that Darabont’s emotional gut punch of an ending was more effective than his text. That’s a bold statement, but who are we to disagree with the master of horror?

The majority of The Mist follows a group of survivors trapped in a supermarket after a seemingly supernatural event covers their town in the titular natural phenomenon, which happens to be filled with monsters. There are also some very human monsters inside the supermarket as well, which leads a small group to make their escape out into the mist. Driving aimlessly, they find nothing but carnage until they run out of gas and are left with little options as they hear the monsters approaching in the distance. Armed with a gun with four bullets, the leader of the group, played by Thomas Jane, executes his companions as mercy, including his own eight-year-old son. He gets out of the car to face the monsters, only to be met by a military force, clearing the way to safety. There’s nothing to add to that, except that it’s brutal, and Stephen King was right.

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6

‘The Wicker Man’ (1973)

the-wicker-man-burning

Most of these perfect endings also happen to be twist endings. A twist ending isn’t inherently better or worse than a more straightforward ending, but when it’s done right, it can feel like a magic trick. Like the dark magic at work at the end of The Wicker Man. This folk horror classic features slow-burning suspense and a rising tension over the course of its plot, which follows an English policeman Howie, played by Edward Woodward, investigating the disappearance of a young girl on a remote island populated by pagan worshipers. Their rituals rankle the devout Christian sergeant, and there’s an immediate unease that sets in, particularly when he meets their leader, played by horror icon Christopher Lee. It isn’t long before he determines that the missing girl is intended to be a sacrifice as part of their May Day celebration.

When the film does reach its May Day climax, Howie makes the horrifying discovery that the missing girl was never meant to be their sacrifice; he was. It pulls the rug out from under him just as it does the viewer, and leaves them nothing to do except watch in horror as Howie is placed in the titular statue, which is then set ablaze. The influence on films like Midsommar is obvious, but more than that, the ending is one of the most effective twists in horror history. The sounds of Howie saying a prayer as he burns, and the cultists sing a folk song will be burned forever into the brain of anyone who watches The Wicker Man.

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5

‘The Sixth Sense’ (1999)

Malcolm watching his wife sleep in The Sixth Sense
Malcolm watching his wife sleep in The Sixth Sense
Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

When it comes to twist endings, no filmmaker has inspired more acclaim or vitriol than M. Night Shymalan. The writer-director’s penchant for third act plot revelations has retroactively ruined films like Signs or The Village for many of his fans, but when these twists work, they can pull his movies together like a magic trick. It worked in his best film, Unbreakable, and it worked in his modern horror classic The Sixth Sense. That was the twist that had audiences everywhere talking in 1999, and its success had many of them returning for repeat viewings, which made the film a bona fide blockbuster.

By now, everyone, even those who haven’t seen a single frame of the film, knows the twist that Bruce Willis’ character Dr. Malcolm Crowe has been dead for the entire movie. His interactions with the young Cole, played by Haley Joel Osment, are only possible because the young boy can see dead people. It’s a twist that has presented itself in plain sight, but one which almost no one saw coming, and anyone who says they did was likely lying. It’s a perfect resolution to the film, and it’s one of the reasons why audiences kept coming back to every Shymalan movie for years to get the rug pulled out from under them again and again.

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4

‘The Birds’ (1963)

Several birds are sitting on the wire in the film The Birds
Several birds are sitting on the wire in the film The Birds
Image via Universal Pictures

Not all endings need to have a twist to be successful. Some of them can even end with simple, eerie silence, like Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. It might seem like cinematic sacrilege to not put Hitchcock’s horror masterpiece Psycho here, but while that film does have one of the greatest final moments in horror history with Anthony Perkins staring down the barrel of the camera right into the audience’s soul, it’s immediately proceeded by a lengthy unnecessary scene of exposition that somewhat deflates its effect. It’s the one major flaw in that otherwise perfect horror film, whereas the unsettling ending of Hitchcock’s follow-up film is one of the best parts of the movie.

Set in the sleepy seaside town of Bodega Bay, where Tippi Hedren’s socialite Melanie has come to socialize with Rod Taylor’s lawyer Mitch, the movie takes a turn into the horrific when the titular avians begin to attack with warning or reason. It becomes a fight for survival as the attacks become more aggressive and the lead characters eventually barricade themselves inside a house. With severe injuries and few options left, they decide to try and make a run for it in their car out of town. What follows isn’t some spectacular attack, but a quiet, dread-filled moment where the survivors slowly get into their car and drive away, while hundreds of birds watch them in silence. It’s a perfect ending filled with an ambiguity and uncertainty thats more powerful than any bloodletting could ever be.

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3

‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ (1974)

Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface wielding his chainsaw in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Image via Bryanston Distributing Company

Silence is certainly eerie, but how about a cacophony of madness and screaming? It wouldn’t have worked for The Birds, but it feels right at home in Tobe Hooper’s masterpiece The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. This backwoods horror classic is an endurance test, putting its characters through the wringer. It also keeps the audience constantly on edge. From the first moment we meet Gunnar Hansen’s iconic Leatherface, swinging a hammer into an unsuspecting home invader’s face, there isn’t a moment of reprieve from the tension or horror. It’s just a steady, sweaty ride into hell.

As the five Texas teens on a road trip each individually find their way to the decrepit farm house that Leatherface and the rest of the Sawyer clan call home, they endure unimaginable horror, but none more so than final girl Sally, played by Marilyn Burns. After the rest of her friends have been turned into barbecue, Sally is subjected to one of the worst dinners in cinematic history, tied to a chair while the Sawyer’s play murder-house. She escapes, of course, and Leatherface gives chase. They reach the road where a blood-soaked Sally finally escapes in the back of a passing truck, laughing madly as she puts some distance between herself and the dancing Leatherface swinging his chainsaw wildly. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is so unrelenting that it’ll get you laughing in relief right alongside Sally, if you aren’t glued to your seat in abject horror.

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2

‘The Thing’ (1982)

R.J. MacReady (Kurt Russell) freezing by a fire in 'The Thing'
R.J. MacReady (Kurt Russell) freezing by a fire in ‘The Thing’
Image via Universal Pictures

Master of horror John Carpenter has more than a few perfect endings in his filmography, whether it’s the sounds of Michael Myers breathing in the original Halloween, or Sam Neill laughing hysterically as he loses his mind In the Mouth of Madness. It’s hard to pick just one perfect ending of Carpenter’s, but there’s something particularly perfect with how he ends his greatest film, The Thing. While it was initially met with outright hostility and disgust from critics, The Thing has been reclaimed as one of the greatest horror films ever made, thanks to its combination of gory, practical effects, and perfectly paced plot of paranoia. Based on the novella Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell Jr. as well as the first film version of it, The Thing from Another World, Carpenter’s version is a vision of hell frozen over.

In Antarctica, an American research team discovers an alien lifeform that can imitate any living organism. It’s already made mincemeat out of a Norwegian camp, and it’s looking for a new place, and people, to hide inside. The men soon realize the apocalyptic scenario that would play out if this alien were to ever make it to civilization, so they systematically destroy its ability to escape and blow their entire research station sky-high. At the end, as everything burns around him, only Kurt Russell’s MacCready is left, until he’s approached by Keith David’s Childs, who had disappeared during the fireworks. Neither man trusts the other, because neither man can be sure the other isn’t a Thing. So they sit, freezing to death in the cold. That’s as bone-chilling as horror movies get.

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1

‘The Shining’ (1980)

Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) in a photograph from the 1921 Fourth of July ball at the Overlook Hotel.
Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) in a photograph from the 1921 Fourth of July ball at the Overlook Hotel.
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Cold, remote locations just lend themselves to horror so perfectly. The Shining is just as much in contention for the greatest horror movie ever made as The Thing. While its ending takes some liberties from the novel that upset author Stephen King, there’s no doubting the haunting power of it. Stanley Kubrick isn’t the sentimentalist that King is, and his film doesn’t even rub shoulders with the redemption glimpsed in the novel, which was a more personal story to King. The story of Jack Torrance slowly going mad and attacking his wife and son, while serving as the caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, reflected King’s own insecurities and struggles with alcoholism and success. It’s only natural he’d want to end that story on a warm redemptive note instead of the cold-blooded one that Kubrick did.

In King’s novel, Jack is momentarily able to overcome the supernatural influence of the Overlook to tell his family to run. The hotel explodes thanks to its neglected boiler. In Kubrick’s movie, Jack, played with absolute malice by Jack Nicholson, never regains his humanity even for a second, and he freezes to death in the hedge maze chasing after his son Danny. There’s a lot of backstory and character details that have been excised in mass from the novel, which makes the film a much colder and nastier piece of work, but it is a masterwork of atmosphere and sustained dread. The final shot shows Jack in a photograph, among the many that hang on the walls of the Overlook, taken decades before he had first stepped foot in the hotel. He’s become a part of it, absorbed into its evil like all of its other victims, doomed to haunt its halls forever. That’s a perfect horror ending.













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Collider Exclusive · Oscar Best Picture Quiz
Which Oscar Best Picture
Is Your Perfect Movie?

Parasite · Everything Everywhere · Oppenheimer · Birdman · No Country
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Five Oscar Best Picture winners. Five completely different visions of what cinema can be — and what it can do to you. One of them is the film that was made for the way your mind works. Ten questions will figure out which one.

🪜Parasite

🌀Everything Everywhere

☢️Oppenheimer

🐦Birdman

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🪙No Country for Old Men

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01

What kind of film experience do you actually want?
The best movies don’t just entertain — they leave something behind.





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02

Which idea grabs you most in a film?
Great films are driven by a central obsession. What’s yours?





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03

How do you like your story told?
Form is content. The way a story is shaped changes what it means.





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04

What makes a truly great antagonist?
The opposition defines the protagonist. What kind of opposition fascinates you?





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05

What do you want from a film’s ending?
The final note is the one that lingers. What do you want it to sound like?





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06

Which setting pulls you in most?
Where a film takes place shapes everything — mood, stakes, what’s even possible.





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07

What cinematic craft impresses you most?
Every great film has a signature — a technical or artistic element that makes it unmistakable.





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08

What kind of main character do you root for?
The protagonist is the lens. Who you choose to follow says something about you.





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09

How do you feel about a film that takes its time?
Pace is a choice. Some films sprint; others let tension accumulate slowly, deliberately.





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10

What do you want to feel walking out of the cinema?
The best films leave a mark. What kind of mark do you want?





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The Academy Has Decided
Your Perfect Film Is…

Your answers have pointed to one Oscar Best Picture winner above all others. This is the film that was made for the way your mind works.

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Parasite

You are drawn to films that operate on multiple levels simultaneously — that begin in one genre and quietly, brilliantly migrate into another. Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite is a film about class, desire, and the architecture of inequality that manages to be darkly funny, deeply suspenseful, and genuinely shocking across a single extraordinary running time. Your instinct is for cinema that hides its true intentions until the moment it’s ready to reveal them. Parasite is exactly that — a film that rewards close attention and punishes assumptions, right up to its devastating final image.

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Everything Everywhere All at Once

You want it all — and this film gives you all of it. The Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the most maximalist films ever made: action comedy, multiverse sci-fi, family drama, existential crisis, and a genuinely earned emotional core that sneaks up on you amid the chaos. You are someone who responds to ambition, who doesn’t want cinema to choose between being entertaining and being meaningful. This film refuses that choice entirely. It is overwhelming by design, and its overwhelming nature is precisely the point — because the feeling of being crushed by infinite possibility is exactly what it’s about.

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Oppenheimer

You are drawn to cinema on a grand scale — films that understand history not as a backdrop but as a force, and that place their characters inside that force and watch what happens. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is a film about the terrifying gap between what we can do and what we should do, told with the full weight of one of the most consequential moments in human history behind it. You want your films to feel important without feeling self-important — to earn their ambition through sheer craft and the gravity of their subject. Oppenheimer does exactly that. It is enormous, complicated, and refuses easy comfort.

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Birdman

You are drawn to films that foreground their own construction — that make the how of the filmmaking part of the what it’s about. Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman, shot to appear as a single continuous take, is cinema examining itself through the cracked mirror of a fading actor’s ego. You respond to formal daring, to the feeling that a film is doing something that probably shouldn’t be possible. Michael Keaton’s performance and Emmanuel Lubezki’s restless camera create something genuinely unlike anything else — a film that is simultaneously about creativity, relevance, self-destruction, and the impossibility of ever truly knowing if your work means anything at all.

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No Country for Old Men

You are drawn to cinema that trusts silence, that refuses to explain itself, and that treats dread as a form of meaning. The Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men is a film about the arrival of a new kind of evil — implacable, arbitrary, and utterly indifferent to the moral frameworks we use to make sense of the world. It is one of the most formally controlled films ever made, and its controlled restraint is what makes it so terrifying. You want your films to haunt you, not comfort you. You are not interested in resolution if resolution would be dishonest. No Country for Old Men is honest in a way that most cinema never dares to be.

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The Shining

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Release Date

June 13, 1980

Runtime
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144 minutes

Director

Stanley Kubrick

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17 Years Later, This Superhero Masterpiece Is Still One of the Best Movies Ever

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Two movies redefined superhero cinema forever in the year 2008. Coincidentally, both movies found spots on the domestic PVOD charts this week, as they prepare to celebrate their 18th anniversaries. Nearly two decades have passed since the films’ release, so audiences who remember seeing them in theaters may be surprised. Both movies complemented each other, primarily because they took diametrically opposite approaches to the genre. While one was a colorful, quip-a-minute throwback to the blockbuster cinema of the 1990s, the other was an epic crime drama modeled after Michael Mann‘s Heat.

The more accessible of the two is Iron Man, which launched the record-breaking Marvel Cinematic Universe and turned Robert Downey Jr. into the world’s highest-paid movie star. Directed by Jon Favreau, Iron Man received excellent reviews and is now sitting at a “Certified Fresh” 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The aggregator’s website’s consensus reads, “Powered by Robert Downey Jr.’s vibrant charm, Iron Man turbo-charges the superhero genre with a deft intelligence and infectious sense of fun.” Iron Man was a box-office hit, grossing $585 million worldwide against a reported budget of $150 million. However, the other movie was an even bigger blockbuster.













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Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz
Which MCU Hero Are You?
Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap
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Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?

🕷️Spider-Man

😈Daredevil

🤖Iron Man

💀Punisher

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Thor

🛡️Cap

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01

What drives you to do what’s right?
Choose the answer that feels most like you.






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02

It’s 2 AM. Where are you?
Your answer says more about you than you’d think.






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03

How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice?
Every hero has a method. What’s yours?






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04

How do you feel about keeping a secret identity?
The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.






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05

You’ve lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that?
Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.






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06

What’s your role when working with a team?
Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.






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07

Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge?
The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.






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08

When you’re not saving the world, what does life look like?
The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.






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09

What keeps you up at night?
Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.






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10

The battle is lost. You’re outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do?
This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.






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Your Hero Has Been Identified
Your MCU Hero Is…

Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.

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Queens, New York

🕷️ Spider-Man

You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.

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  • You do the right thing not because it’s easy, but because no one else will.
  • You understand that responsibility isn’t a burden you choose — it’s one that finds you.
  • Whether it’s a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.
  • Peter Parker’s lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn’t a slogan to you. It’s the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.


Hell’s Kitchen, New York

😈 Daredevil

You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.

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  • You use every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.
  • You’ve looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been easy.
  • Matt Murdock’s duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.
  • Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.


Stark Industries, Malibu

🤖 Iron Man

Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.

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  • You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.
  • You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.
  • Tony Stark’s arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.
  • You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you’re willing to give everything. Because in the end, you’re Iron Man.


New York City

💀 The Punisher

You’ve been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What’s left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.

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  • You don’t ask for forgiveness, and you don’t expect gratitude.
  • You see a corrupt, broken world and you’ve decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.
  • Frank Castle’s war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.
  • Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.


Asgard · Protector of the Nine Realms

⚡ Thor

Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.

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  • You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.
  • You’re larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.
  • Thor’s story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.
  • You bring the storm when it’s needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.


Brooklyn, New York · The Avengers

🛡️ Captain America

You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.

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  • You don’t bully the small guy, and you never stop when it gets hard.
  • Steve Rogers didn’t become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.
  • Your strength isn’t in your fists; it’s in your refusal to compromise what’s right, no matter the cost.
  • In a world full of people taking the easy road, you’re the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.

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The Superhero Classic Generation Influenced an Entire Generation of Tentpoles

We’re talking, of course, about Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight. Starring Christian Bale as Batman and Heath Ledger as the Joker, the movie served as a sequel to Nolan’s Batman Begins. It grossed over $1 billion worldwide against a reported budget of $185 million, and went on to earn eight Oscar nominations, with Ledger winning the Best Supporting Actor honor posthumously. Like Iron Man, The Dark Knight also holds a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with a consensus that reads, “Dark, complex, and unforgettable, The Dark Knight succeeds not just as an entertaining comic book film, but as a richly thrilling crime saga.” It is now regarded as the greatest superhero movie ever made, going on to influence an entire generation of studio tentpoles. According to FlixPatrol, The Dark Knight was one of the most-watched movies on the domestic iTunes chart this week, proving its staying power. A sequel, The Dark Knight Rises, was released in 2012. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.


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Release Date
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July 16, 2008

Runtime

152 minutes

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Producers

Benjamin Melniker, Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Kevin De La Noy, Michael Uslan

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The 30 best Netflix original movies — including Best Picture nominees

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The streamer has produced several of in-house films that are a hit with critics.

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Blake Lively ‘Ruined’ In Hollywood After Lawsuit, Source Claims

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Blake Lively out in Bryant Park.

After a major setback in her ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively‘s image in the industry has seemingly suffered a blow, with a Hollywood source saying the case has “ruined her.”

A few days after a federal judge dismissed several of her claims against Baldoni, the actress shared a statement on Instagram, expressing her desire to see the case through while also noting she’s doing it for other victims of harassment.

Now, experts have also claimed that Blake Lively’s defiant remarks could cost her greatly if she loses the court case, noting that she must win in order to save her reputation.

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Industry Sources Claim Lively’s Lawsuit Has ‘Ruined’ Her In Hollywood

Blake Lively out in Bryant Park.
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Lively’s lawsuit against her “It Ends With Us” costar Justin Baldoni is now in a critical stage, as their trial is scheduled for May 18, barely five weeks away.

However, it appears some within Hollywood circles have already surmised her fate, and it’s not looking good at all.

According to the Daily Mail, a Disney executive shared that the lawsuit has tainted Lively’s image in Hollywood, and it’s very unlikely she will recover from the fallout of the court battle.

“This lawsuit has ruined her in Hollywood… the truth is she was never that popular. She had a reputation for being difficult, one of those toxic people who always thinks she knows best,” the industry insider said.

Within those industry circles, the source went further to explain that it is believed the “Gossip Girl” star was the architect of her legal problems, adding that no one would feel bad over Lively’s potential career decline.

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The Hollywood source said, “The general view now is that she’s made her bed and she can lie in it. I don’t think people in Hollywood are shedding tears over her.”

The Actress’s Claim Of Sexual Harassment Was Dismissed

Blake Lively wearing a Tamara Ralph dress arrives at the New York Screening Of Amazon Prime Video's 'Another Simple Favor'
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Lively’s legal standoff with Baldoni has been going on for almost two years after she accused him of sexual harassment and launching a smear campaign against her to tarnish her image.

The director denied the allegations and filed a countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, citing intimidation, but that suit has since been dismissed.

However, just like Baldoni, Lively’s case also recently suffered a massive blow after Judge Lewis Liman threw out 10 of her 13 claims against her former co-star, including sexual harassment and defamation. It leaves her with just 3 allegations to prove, namely breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation, which will all now go to trial.

According to the Daily Mail, her lawyers reportedly got on a conference call with Baldoni’s lawyers to talk about a possible settlement, but it appears that meeting didn’t yield much, as Lively’s lawyers later filed a letter doubling down on their intention to see the case through.

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Blake Lively Says She Is Fighting To ‘Expose The Systems And People Who Seek To Harm’

''A Simple Favor'' Premiere-NYC featuring Blake Lively
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After her major claims were dismissed, the “Another Simple Favor” actress took to Instagram to share a statement, essentially saying that she’s not doing it for herself.

“I’m grateful to the court’s ruling which allows my case to be presented to a jury next month, and for the ability to finally tell my story in full at trial, for my own sake, but also for those who don’t have the same opportunity to…many of whom I have known and loved deeply in my life, and the countless I’ll never know,” the statement began.

Lively explained that she never wanted the lawsuit, but after suffering a “pervasive retaliation,” she decided to file for her sake and others, adding that she hopes it will help other possible victims speak up.

She also reflected on the media circus that ensued after she filed her lawsuit, while calling out how the media is painting it as a “celebrity drama.”

“I will never stop doing my part in fighting to expose the systems and people who seek to harm, shame, silence, and retaliate against victims,” Lively concluded her statement. “I know it’s a privilege to stand up. I will not waste it. Your support keeps me going.”

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The Actress’s Risks Becoming A ‘Pariah’ Like Amber Heard

Blake Lively at 'A Simple Favour' UK film premiere
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Brand experts have since weighed in on Lively’s legal troubles, noting that she is currently in a challenging situation with her career at risk, especially after her defiant remarks about the lawsuit.

In a chat with Fox News Digital, Jordan Matthews of Holtz Matthews LLP explained that a verdict completely exonerating Baldoni could leave the actress in a vulnerable state, similar to Amber Heard, who has since become somewhat of a “pariah” in Hollywood.

“It could essentially put her in the same category as Amber Heard, and she could be viewed as a pariah,” Matthews noted. “If she and Baldoni both testify, then this will largely come down to witness credibility and how effective each of their legal teams are at cross-examination.”

Entertainment attorney Tre Lovell had a similar stance, as he emphasized the importance of the trial’s outcome for Lively’s career and public image.

“Her reputation has taken a very big hit, and she needs to resurrect her brand, the first step of which will be to win the case,” Lovell told the news outlet. “As a result, aggressive litigation can only help her; now is not the time for her to take her foot off of the pedal.”

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Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds arrive to The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating
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Meanwhile, rumors are rife that Lively and Reynolds will settle for a new life in the U.K. after her case with Baldoni is over. The move reportedly comes in response to both their careers now standing on shaky ground.

As reported by The Blast, podcaster Lady Colin Campbell, the couple has already bought a house in Barnet, a posh town on the outskirts of London, and could move there on a “semi-permanent” basis.

Campbell claims that they’re both aware their careers are now “in the tank,” with Reynolds’ standing in Hollywood being “revised.”

Amid the case, the couple has also suffered strained ties with some of their Hollywood pals, most notably Taylor Swift, who was dragged into the case after Baldoni alleged Lively likened her to one of her “dragons.”

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