The internet loves a full-circle moment—especially when receipts, real-life footage, and a little creativity collide. And for Afroman, what started as a shocking situation inside his own home turned into a headline-making legal battle that had everyone watching closely. Now, after years of back-and-forth, the rapper is finally getting the last word.
The Grammy-nominated artist, born Joseph Foreman, just scored a major legal victory after a group of seven Ohio sheriff’s deputies sued him for defamation. The lawsuit stemmed from a series of viral music videos where Afroman used his own home security footage to highlight—and mock—a 2022 raid on his property. The deputies were reportedly seeking nearly $4 million in damages, claiming the videos subjected them to public ridicule. But in the end, the court sided with Afroman, and Judge Jonathan Hein confirmed that none of the plaintiffs’ claims prevailed.
“The whole raid was a mistake. All of this is their fault. If they hadn’t have wrongly raided my house, there would be no lawsuit. I would not know their names,” Foreman revealed. “They wouldn’t be on my home surveillance system, and there would be no songs, nothing.”
If you’ve seen the clips, then you already know why they went viral. As previously reported, the footage showed armed deputies entering Afroman’s home, searching through personal belongings, and even pausing near a cake on his kitchen counter—moments that later inspired tracks like ‘Lemon Pound Cake.’ He also alleged that $400 went missing after the search, further fueling his frustration and the message behind his music.
During the trial, Afroman leaned heavily on his First Amendment rights, explaining that the music was both commentary and a way to recover financially from damages caused during the raid, including a broken gate and door. He also shared that the incident deeply impacted his family, especially his young children at the time.
Notably, no charges were ever filed against him following the search, which had been tied to a drug and kidnapping investigation. After the verdict was announced, an emotional Afroman celebrated outside the courthouse, declaring it a win not just for himself—but for freedom of speech as a whole.
Meanwhile, folks wasted no time running to The Shade Room’s Instagram comment section—and whew, it was lit UP. Some users said they love a full-circle moment, while others pointed out that Black people rarely win lawsuits this big, calling it a victory for the culture as a whole. Plenty of commenters also added that none of this would’ve even gone viral if the deputies hadn’t spoken up in the first place.
One Instagram user @breezylaboy added, “Blacks rarely win lawsuits. I’m happy for him😂😂”
This Instagram user @pretty_brown_round_ said, “He and his lawyers ATE!!! 🔥🔥🔥🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾”
And, Instagram user @chefbae_ wrote, “Now repair that man’s door!!😂😂😂”
Meanwhile, Instagram user @fatbellyjam commented, “‘I just won this lawsuit because I got high’ 😂😂😂”
While Instagram user @ak.grabbers said, “I thought this was Cedric the entertainer at first.”
Lastly, Instagram user @__whatsyourflava__ shared, “And most of us probably wouldn’t have ever seen the videos if they hadn’t sued him. 🤣😭😂”
What Do You Think Roomies?
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The comedian said it was “the right thing to do,” adding, “A lot of presidents, after wasting $40 billion dollars and blowing up a school full of children, would stick with it.”
It’s no secret that Kevin Smith loves filmmaking. Despite some initial plans to put the camera down over a decade ago, he’s kept at it for over 30 years, from the indie darling Clerks that first put him on the map to Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Tusk, Red State, and many more installments in his View Askewniverse and beyond. All the while, he’s discussed film and pop culture aplenty through his podcasts, Q&As, and just about wherever else people will listen to him. He loves cinema so much, in fact, that he’s even willing to talk about movies with a room full of dogs. Now, Collider is excited to share a new video that shows exactly that as part of an adorable charity collaboration between Hera the Dog Vodka and Much Love Animal Rescue for National Pet Day on April 11.
The surreal footage opens like a normal conversation with Smith, who reflects on 1998 when “Chasing Amy is doing well, Good Will Hunting is doing well, and we get greenlit for Dogma.” Released the following year, Dogma marked the fourth installment in the filmmaker’s View Askewniverse, following the high-stakes comedic adventure of two fallen angels, played by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who find a loophole to get back into Heaven and a group that bands together to stop them before they destroy all of reality. While he starts discussing the making of the controversial classic, the camera pans to show his audience — a small pack of canines of different breeds just doing their own thing. Some look happy, others look bored, but when Smith mentions how the studio “ruined” his fantasy comedy by putting Affleck in it instead of actual dogs, one particular pooch looks sadly at the camera as if wondering what could’ve been with an all-dog cast.
Fortunately, this project has a mostly dog-filled ensemble. Eleven shelter animals took part in the filming of the promotional video alongside Smith, listening as he dropped “Hollywood pearls” and asked them what the deal was with all the panting. He even pitches them on Clerks 4: Still Clerkin’, much to the apparent approval of one German Shepherd. Producer Todd Milliner told Collider that the silly idea was born out of a previous collaboration with Smith and a desire to make something that plays both to his talents and his status as a rescue dog dad. It also just made sense considering Hera the Dog and Much Love’s commitment to finding animals their forever homes.
“I was already working with Kevin on a show at NBC and got to meet his rescue dogs, so we knew he was both a huge dog lover and someone who can talk — at length — about filmmaking. When we teamed up with Much Love Animal Rescue and Hair of the Dog Vodka, it just clicked: what if we let Kevin do what he does best… but with dogs? We had a script, which Kevin politely ignored, and then he improvised for hours. What you see is the result of Kevin being Kevin.”
Though Smith brings the star power, the dogs are the real heart and soul of the project, who happen to improvise just as well as their human co-star. Fellow producer Paul Velten said the goal wasn’t to necessarily direct the dogs, but let them do their own thing around the filmmaker as if they were just hanging around being pets. “We also wanted the dogs to feel like what they really are — your best friend, your therapist, your ride-or-die,” he added. “So the idea became: let’s just hang out, talk about what we love, and see what happens. Turns out, dogs are a very supportive audience.”
Still, it can’t be understated how important it was to have someone like Smith who really understood the cause of helping dogs and the organizations that find them homes. “It’s everything,” Milliner responded. “We always look for people who genuinely care about the cause, not just people who can show up and hit their mark. Kevin already loves rescue dogs, so there was no selling required.” Authenticity can go a long way towards giving real credit to two organizations that can talk the talk when it comes to caring for the creatures that roam the streets.
The Los Angeles-based Much Love is a non-profit powered by volunteers, who help to rescue abused, neglected, and homeless animals, and provide them with care, training, and housing until the right family comes along. From their opening in 1999, they’ve found places for over 3,500 animals, though the last year has been one of their most trying, with the LA wildfires increasing the burden on shelters amid a surge of strays across the city. Hera the Dog, meanwhile, has married award-winning vodka with a mission of supporting shelters, donating 6% of all proceeds to facilities in need, and donating $70,000 and 16,000 pounds of pet food to local rescues in need. Owner Julia Pennington also has 25 years of experience working in an animal shelter under her belt, making the goal all the more personal. In Velten’s eyes, this campaign necessitates real care and a real commitment to match that of the organizations themselves, even if it means doing something as goofy as talking to dogs about Dogma:
“Yeah, you can’t fake this stuff. We’re asking people to give their time and actually care, so they have to be invested from the start. With Kevin, we just gave him the space to do his thing — improvise, riff, go off-script — and that’s where the magic happens.”
Casting the dogs wasn’t as simple as rounding up a selection of the cutest furry friends possible. All of Smith’s talented co-stars featured in the video come directly from Much Love, and they’re all adoptable. Milliner revealed that it was a key tenet of the production for the dogs to be representative of the animals that could be found at the rescue. “Much Love Animal Rescue brought a group of adoptable dogs, and that became our cast. We wanted it to be real — these are dogs you could actually meet and take home.” As Velten added, like strays themselves, these dogs came in all shapes, sizes, and states of being, yet all with big hearts and enthusiasm to be on the cozy little set. “And it was a full range — big, small, chaotic, chill. We had dogs with disabilities too — a blind dog, a deaf dog, one missing a leg — and they were all living their best lives on set.”
Despite how many canines were in one place, they managed to be quite chill and respectful of Smith while he discussed movies. Handling that many animals is still a little chaotic, though. “Honestly, there were more dogs than we could even fit on camera at times,” Milliner recalled. “It turned into a bit of a party.” Velten seconded that notion, calling the shoot “A very well-behaved party… powered entirely by treats.” “And the occasional filmmaking advice from Kevin Smith,” Milliner concluded. No matter how producers pulled it all together, it made for a fitting cinema-themed promotion that feels appropriate for both the director and for two organizations looking to do good in and around Los Angeles.
National Pet Day arrives on April 11. Check out the video in the player above and visit the official Hera the Dog Vodka and Much Love Animal Rescue websites for information on how to support both organizations and, in turn, help some animals become someone’s loving new pet.
November 12, 1999
130 minutes
On April 9, Hacks returns for its fifth and final season, sadly forcing fans to say goodbye to one of HBO Max’s best original comedy series. No doubt, it’ll go out with a bang that’ll leave viewers in hysterics with laughter and tears. Jean Smart stars as legendary comedian-turned-late-night host Deborah Vance, who experiences a comical yet emotional series of ups and downs alongside Hannah Einbinder’s up-and-coming comedy writer Ava Daniels.
Hacks has been an undeniable hit from the get-go, with numerous Emmy wins throughout its run; Season 4 even landed a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. For four solid seasons, Hacks has continued to nail its biting mix of hysterical comedy and drama that tugs at your heartstrings while evolving Ava and Deborah’s dynamic. As we head into the final season, let’s recap the most important moments from Hacks Season 4.
Hacks Season 4 is a wild ride full of ups and downs that sees Deborah and Ava’s rivalry play out behind the scenes after the explosive blackmail scheme Ava used at the end of Season 3 to secure the head writer role on Deborah’s late-night TV show. Her decision completely obliterates the foundation of their relationship, and, in addition to creating resentment on both sides, it also builds a new level of paranoia in Deborah, especially after her chief operations officer, Marcus (Carl Clemons-Hopkins), quits to find his own way. Season 4 is full of laughs and drama, but its key moments include a shift in power dynamics, deeply personal transformations, a late-night implosion, and, after a falsified death report, a brand-spanking-new beginning.
In the wake of Ava’s Season 3 antics, the power dynamic between Ava and Deborah shifts drastically and brings out the worst in both women. As a star of late-night television, Deborah has the power to make Ava’s work life as difficult as possible, and she does, even going so far as to thoroughly embarrass her on air.
On the other hand, Ava seizes every opportunity she can to confront, disagree, and argue with Deborah, consistently and intentionally butting heads with her while also threatening to expose her affair with network chairman Bob Lipka (Tony Goldwyn) to the press. Tit-for-tats like this only intensify their feud, but after mounting network pressure, a medical scare for Deborah, and a falsely perceived life-ending scare involving Ava, the two finally call a truce, making up in the process.
Although Ava and Deborah’s rivalry lives on, it also causes major personal transformations. A darker, more ruthless side of Ava emerges that teaches her not just how to compete with Deborah, but also how to manipulate her. She also finds herself part of a throuple, to whom she badmouths Deborah’s show. After they break up with her, in the wake of a heated moment in the writers’ room, Ava quits her job and disappears.
The news incites panic in Deborah, who pushes everything aside and frantically tracks Ava to the beach, where she mistakes a woman in the water for Ava attempting suicide. This, coupled with an earlier panic attack that lands Deborah in the hospital, is a defining moment for the duo, who finally find themselves evolved and on the same page… for now.
After disagreeing over a particular late-night guest, Ava vents her frustrations to her former boss, who uses her secrets to do a hit piece on the network. When Bob reveals to Deborah that he wants Ava fired for leaking a story, Deborah makes a life-altering decision that results in a late-night implosion, announcing the end of her show and choosing loyalty to Ava in the process. Before they can leave the parking lot, Bob reminds Deborah of her 18-month non-compete contract and threatens to sue her if she breaks it. Now struggling with a lack of fulfillment in her life, Deborah leaves on vacation with an unsuspecting Ava in tow.
While in Singapore at a local resort casino, Deborah realizes she can exploit a loophole in her non-compete by performing stand-up comedy through a translator. Her shows go so well that she enters a months-long residency and succumbs to the casino lifestyle of constant partying, neglecting Ava in the process. Growing disillusioned, Ava confronts her, and an intoxicated Deborah insults Ava deeply, prompting her to leave. The next morning, however, both awaken to a news story that Deborah has died, killing the late-night comedy genre in the process, which becomes the impetus for the two women to get their careers back on track.
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Hacks Season 5 is set to explore deeper character relationships in the wake of Ava and Deborah’s return, as Deborah reinvents herself and rewrites the ending of her comedy legacy in the wake of being blamed for killing late-night TV. Viewers can also expect new guest stars and a promised shocking ending, according to the show’s official trailer.
Deadline also reports a closer relationship between Ava and Deborah, as well as a romantic interlude for Deborah with new addition Christopher Briney, who will play a famous rock star. Showrunner Jen Statsky further confirmed that the final season will bring in “so many stories that we’ve been really waiting and wanting to do, but it just wasn’t quite right in earlier seasons, or it felt like we needed the relationship between Ava and Deborah [to] deepen before we did it.” For those wondering about Jimmy (Paul W. Downs) and Kayla (Megan Stalter), they’re still around, and their business is off the chain.
As one of the century’s best sitcoms, Hacks seamlessly showcases the ebbs and flows of being a writer in Hollywood, which partly works because of the beauty that is the relationship between Deborah and Ava. There’s no doubt that Season 5 will clearly be one for the fans: full of big laughs, beautiful moments, and even bigger emotions that are sure to have us all in tears.
Hacks Season 5 premieres tonight on HBO.
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“I went on that set, and I loved it, and had the best time. And then I thought … ‘There’s no way I could let this go.'”
Jenna Ortega is opening up about a crossroads in her acting career before landing the role of Ellie Alves in the second season of You.
“I didn’t know what else I was gonna do. I’ve never really considered anything else, more so recently, just out of sake of curiosity and wanting another life experience,” Ortega, 23, said of her ambitions in a Wednesday, April 8, interview on the “Big Bro With Kid Cudi” podcast. “But when I was a teenager, I’d gotten off of a children’s show, and I didn’t know what I was going to do. I had to prove myself and meet all these new casting directors who didn’t know who I was.”
She continued, “It just felt like a good time to call it quits if I was going to. I was starting high school and [it was a] ‘it was a good run’ sort of thing. We had talked about it for a few months with my team.”
“And then, I think I booked that show You, and then I went on that set, and I loved it and had the best time. I thought, ‘Yeah, there’s no way I could let this go,’” added Ortega, who played Joe Goldberg’s (Penn Badgley) neighbor in You season 2.
Before her role in You, Ortega starred in Disney Channel’s Stuck in the Middle from 2016 to 2018. The show ran for three seasons and 57 episodes. The actress also had a starring role in Netflix’s 2015 Richie Rich television series.
Since You, Ortega has become a breakout star thanks to her roles in Scream 5 and 6 and Netflix’s Wednesday.
In 2025, the actress recalled how one of her first movie roles was in Iron Man 3 opposite Robert Downey Jr., but her part was cut before the movie’s 2013 release.
“It was one of the first jobs I ever had. They took all my lines out,” she told Entertainment Weekly, noting that the only part of her visible in the film is “one leg.”
In a 2024 interview with The New York Times, Ortega reflected on working as a child actor in Hollywood after she started pursuing acting at age 9.
“Children aren’t supposed to be working like that,” she said. “They are supposed to be climbing trees and drawing and going to school. Some of those kids’ parents don’t even take school seriously, so I feel really, really fortunate to have had parents who made sure that I hung out with friends, made sure that I went to public school and wouldn’t allow me to work on a job unless I had straight A’s and was prioritizing my sleep and my schoolwork.”
“Child acting is strange,” Ortega continued. “I see why my parents felt so hesitant about it, because you’re putting a child in an adult workplace. I think if I had just stayed growing up in Coachella Valley, I would be a completely different person.”
“I wouldn’t speak the way that I do or approach interactions the way that I do,” she added. “It’s completely changed my way of thinking and going about life, and when I speak to other child actors, I can pick them out instantly because we all have that — it’s just very specific, like some secret little language or something that we all share.”
A Hollywood veteran has reportedly advised Nicole Kidman that she may be better off staying single for now following her divorce from Keith Urban.
The actress and her singer ex-husband shocked fans when they split last year after nearly two decades of marriage, but rumors linking her to her Scarpetta co-star Simon Baker have continued to swirl in recent months.
While neither Nicole Kidman nor Simon Baker has confirmed a romance, the pair are known to have shared a longtime friendship spanning several years.
Amid growing speculation surrounding Nicole Kidman and her longtime friend and Scarpetta co-star Simon Baker, the actress has reportedly been advised to stay out of the dating scene for now.
The advice is said to have come from actor Russell Crowe, who starred alongside Kidman in the 2018 film “Boy Erased” and has remained a longtime friend.
He believes Kidman would be better off remaining single for the time being, following her split from Keith Urban, as rushing into a new relationship could be more about filling an emotional void than finding genuine love.
“He’s spent years of his life as a single parent without a partner, and he says he experienced a lot of growth during those times,” an insider said of Crowe, per Globe Magazine. “That’s why he’s warning Nicole not to dive headfirst into a new relationship to fill the void left by Keith’s absence.”
For his part, Russell Crowe was previously married to Australian actress and musician Danielle Spencer from 2003 until their divorce was finalized in 2018.
Although he has since entered a relationship with Britney Theriot, Crowe has publicly maintained that he has no intention of marrying again.
Instead, he is said to have found fulfillment in his children, whom he prioritizes above all else, and has reportedly encouraged Kidman to adopt a similar focus.
“You have to hand it to Russell because this is all coming from a place of genuine love and respect for Nicole,” the source said of Crowe’s advice.
According to the insider, it remains to be seen whether Kidman will ultimately take his advice to heart.
However, there are already signs she may be embracing at least the perspective of focusing on her kids, as she has been spotted publicly with her children on several occasions since her divorce from Urban.
Unlike Crowe, who reportedly wants Kidman to steer clear of relationships for now, another friend of the actress is said to feel differently.
According to Woman’s Day, Kidman’s friend Naomi Watts is aware of the rumors linking the actress to her “Scarpetta” co-star Simon Baker and is hoping the two pursue a romance as soon as possible.
“Simon’s always been a good friend of Nicole’s – she and Naomi are both godmothers to his kids – but it’s always been a strictly platonic friendship,” a source told the outlet.
The insider also noted that Watts knows Baker would “drop everything and everyone to hook up with” Kidman, which seemingly makes the duo the perfect fit.
Weeks ago, Kidman sparked romance rumors with Baker at the premiere of their new sci-fi project.
The two arrived with their hands intertwined and appeared very close as they posed for cameras on the red carpet. They reportedly spent the rest of the evening together at an after-party, where they seemed to be enjoying each other’s company.
During promotional interviews, Kidman and Baker also displayed a strong bond and have declined to address questions about whether they are romantically involved.
While it remains unclear whether they are more than friends, the pair’s ex-spouses have reportedly reacted intensely to the romance rumors.
A source claimed that Urban had already suspected Kidman was growing close to Baker during filming and views the situation as his “worst nightmare come true.”
“He hates that they’re giving interviews about how close they are,” the source added, per New Idea.
Meanwhile, Baker’s ex, Rebecca Rigg, is said to have been blindsided by the rumors and reportedly believes the two dating would be “pretty insensitive,” given that Kidman is considered like family.
After Pooh Shiesty’s detention hearing in Dallas on Wednesday, Attorney Bradford Cohen spoke to the media with lawyers Saam Zangeneh and John Helms at his side.
The judge had just denied Pooh bond, remanding him to custody on kidnapping and robbery charges. Cohen used the media moment to make pointed callouts about the alleged victims and the evidence in the case. Now, the claims are leaving folks with questions. Here are four major updates the attorney shared about the failed bond hearing.
Pooh Shiesty’s lawyer did not name-drop Gucci Mane in his press conference. However, he seemed to suggest that the public knows who R.D., as listed in the paperwork, is meant to represent. For context, Gucci Mane’s legal name is Radric Delantic Davis.
Early in the six-minute press conference video shared by Fox 4, Attorney Cohen confirmed that all of the victims in the case, including R.D., gave statements to the police on January 10. He called those statements “very questionable.” Adding, “I think the way the way the statements were made, what was made, what allegedly was witnessed and what wasn’t witnessed, I think gave great pause to the FBI. The FBI doesn’t take three months to arrest someone if they believe everything that was said on the night that it occurred.”
Later in the press conference, Cohen clarified that since the incident, the FBI has not interviewed any of the alleged victims. “…Allegedly they all have future dates to give statements, but I have no idea if that’s true. We’re basing it on what the [FBI] agent said on the stand, that each one of those witnesses from that evening is going to appear and give a statement to the federal authorities.”
R.D., Cohen confirmed, has not given a statement to the FBI since the incident, but spoke to authorities on the evening of January 10. It’s unclear what his exact statement was. “The FBI said in the future they’re all scheduled to give statements, so we’ll have to see,” the lawyer added.
Then, there’s the pace of the investigation. Pooh Shiesty’s lawyer slammed the three-month gap between the alleged kidnapping and robbery and the arrests made.
He explained that the FBI was involved from the “first night” of the alleged incident. Yet, after initial involvement, “nothing happened for three months.” Also, he said:
“In addition to that, that I thought was quite embarrassing, is that an FBI agent says they don’t have the resources to keep their eye on an individual. This is allegedly an individual that committed a crime, that they then didn’t watch to see if the guns were present, if the jewelry was present.”
Additionally, Pooh Shiesty’s lawyer pushed back on the strength of the evidence, highlighting major gaps in the prosecution’s case. He said:
“What we didn’t hear today is there is no contract—this mystery contract. They have no contract, they have no video of this alleged signing of a contract, they have no guns, they have no jewelry, they have none of that physical evidence. What they have is… allegedly five individuals, one of them being a very well-known individual that is allegedly cooperating with the government and making these allegations against my client and many more.”
After an interviewer asked, Cohen agreed that it’s fair to label the case a “he said, he said” situation.
“What we’re missing are the other people that were present in the room. The owner of the studio, who said he didn’t hear anything or see anything. The way they leave the studio…no one is arguing with anyone else…the story is quite unusual. And I think that the FI knew that. I think the investigators knew that it was unusual and I think that’s why it took so long to make the arrest.”
Pooh Shiesty’s lawyer also criticized the FBI’s handling of the case, specifically targeting the agent who wrote the criminal complaint, Brittany Garcia. According to Cohen, the 4-year agent was present in the courtroom during the bond hearing but did not take the stand, which he found unusual. Instead, another agent testified about the complaint, which underlies the entire case.
“How about the individual who wrote the complaint, who actually drafted the complaint, who was sitting in the courtroom, whose only been an FBI agent for four years, does not take the stand. They put someone else on to say what she wrote in her own complaint, when… she’s sitting in the courtroom. And that’s done quite often in gamesmanship because they don’t want to put a rookie on the stand and be measured by our legal team.”
In response to a question about how far away a trial is, Bradford Cohen said, “Who knows?” He added that his team must review discovery and other case materials and file several motions. But, overall, the length of time it took the FBI to get arrest warrants gave him “great pause,” Cohen said.
See everything Bradford Cohen said following Pooh Shiesty’s bonding hearing.
What Do You Think Roomies?
We’re well into baseball season, so why not flip through a host of television shows that showcased the game in unique and memorable ways?
Don’t forget to sign in to your account to track your daily progress. You can always play today’s Movie Quiz for even more trivia, and all of our current and archived quizzes are here.
Tomorrow, we’re planning on testing you on the off-beat dramedy, Atlanta.
For today’s TV challenge, we’re celebrating the fact that it’s baseball season by revisiting some television moments that showcased America’s pastime. Scroll down for the cold open!
Ray Gunn has long been one of the great cinematic what-ifs. After decades in development and bouncing from studio to studio, the unrealized science fiction noir from The Iron Giant visionary Brad Bird is finally coming to fruition. Today, Netflix revealed a first look at the animated film, which will be released on the streamer later this year.
In the first three images from the film, we get a better look at the retro-futuristic world of Ray Gunn, which will seem familiar to fans of Bird’s other works, including The Incredibles and Tomorrowland. The title character is Raymond Gunn, an old-school human detective in the city of Metropia; there, his 1930s-style office decor clashes with the strange green alien he’s sharing a drink with. Enormous holograms loom over the canyon-like streets, and Gunn soon finds himself in a deadly web of intrigue with aliens, robots, and multimedia superstar Venus Nova. The film will star Sam Rockwell as Ray Gunn, Scarlet Johansson as Venus Nova, and Tom Waits as Eyera. Says Johansson, “Having the opportunity to collaborate with Brad Bird is a career milestone for me; I have loved his work my entire life. This project is so uniquely special because it is a total realization of where Brad is currently on his artistic journey. I can’t wait for audiences to see this extraordinary animation that looks like nothing else out there.”
Ray Gunn sprung from Bird’s fertile imagination even before his first feature film, The Iron Giant. Bird planned to make the film for Turner Feature Animation, but reclaimed the project when Turner merged with Warner Bros. Later, he took it to Pixar, but the animation studio opted to make The Incredibles instead. In recent years, he revived the project at Skydance Animation, and opted out of directing The Incredibles 3 to focus on this project. Says Bird, “Ray Gunn has been in my mind for over 30 years. The film is a blend of sci-fi and classic detective movies from the ’40s…it’s Maltese Falcon meets Buck Rogers. I’ve been a fan of both of those sort of genres, and blending them together seemed fun, and a chance to play with a lot of very cinematic elements, and extreme characters.” Bird also commented that he wants the film to reach out to “people who don’t watch animation,” because “animation as a medium is too interesting to limit what kind of stories can be told.”
Ray Gunn is directed by Brad Bird, who also penned the script with Matthew Robbins (Crimson Peak). It will be produced by Bird, John Lasseter, Lisa Beroud, David Ellison and Dana Goldberg producing for Skydance Animation.
Ray Gunn will be released on Netflix in 2026; no exact release date has yet been announced. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
Buckle up, because “Temptation Island” is back for another thrilling season full of drama, steamy hookups, and dramatic fallouts. Season 2 of the popular Netflix reality series brings together four couples struggling with personal issues—from trust to togetherness—and puts them to the test in a setting where sexy singles are eager to explore connections.
Season 1 finished with a bang in March 2025, sending a wave of emotion through social media as users shared their thoughts. The second season’s superteaser is generating even more excitement, with netizens calling it their “favorite dating” show of all time.
The next batch of “Temptation Island” episodes will hit the streaming giant on April 10. According to a report from The Blast, the series will feature four hot couples looking to dig deeper in their relationships and determine whether they’re right for each other.
Kaylee and Summit are coming to the island after dealing with compatibility issues, which Kaylee described as their “biggest hurdle.” Summit, meanwhile, said the pair tend to clash over structure and routine. “Sometimes that difference is what makes things exciting,” he said, adding, “Other times, it drives us completely insane.”
Sydney and Mikey are also joining the cast of “Temptation Island” after dealing with major relationship challenges. Sydney wants her man to mature, while Mikey wants her to trust him more. However, things may go awry once the singles are in play. “I’m loyal, but I know my boundaries, so if something happens that breaks that trust, I won’t hesitate to move on,” Sydney said.
Scarlett and Cole are the third couple on season 2 of “Temptation Island,” and, according to their bios, they face issues with transparency and communication.
“I want to work on being more grounded in my own skin as a man and loving myself,” Cole said before revealing he struggles with telling “little lies” to avoid conflict with his partner.
Shyanne and Jack, on the other hand, are hoping to move past their dark past of betrayal after Jack stepped out of their relationship after three years.
Shyanne called Jack’s infidelity a “scar that never fully goes away,” while Jack is hopeful their time on “Temptation Island” can help them bury it once and for all.
Season 2 of “Temptation Island” will be hosted by Mark L. Walberg, and he’ll be with the couples throughout the journey.
In the trailer, Walberg introduces the couples to their temptors and temptresses before the camera flashes to different scenes showing rock-hard abs, glowing skin, and bedroom escapades.
The superteaser, however, takes a turn, later showing the couples getting real with themselves about the very serious struggles in their relationship.
“Am I really such a sh-tty boyfriend?” Summit asked in the clip. “I have a hard time acknowledging that.”
“In coming here and learning myself, it’s time for me to focus on me,” Sydney said. “I know what I deserve.”
The excitement for the next season of “Temptation Island” is already through the roof, according to social media users on Reddit.
“Truly, where do they find these couples?” someone wrote before adding, “Anyway, I’m sat.”
Another user expressed sadness about the lack of jaw-dropping moments in the trailer, only to realize it was likely the producers’ way of saving the best for the show.
“Same thing happened last year, and the season ended up being great, so I’m not worried,” they added.
“Sign me up, baby, let’s go! Ready for a new season,” a third shared, while a fourth posted, “YESSS I love this show. We are in a love-dating show renaissance.”
Someone else called the series their “fave dating show” of all time.
The singles are also joining “Temptation Island” on a mission, according to The Blast.
A range of ages and occupations, the temptors know exactly what they came to do, like Carter, 23, who said her objective is to “have fun, flirt a little, and enjoy every second.”
Preston, 26, meanwhile, has his eye on the prize. “I’ve never let a goalie stop me from scoring. Honestly, if I can take your girl, I’m doing you a favor,” he said.
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