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By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 39 seconds ago

Recently, the internet has been filled with breathless headlines about some seemingly disastrous Star Trek news. Starfleet Academy has wrapped filming on Season 2 has yet to be renewed for Season 3, and there are no new shows being made; that means that for the first time in over a decade, there are no Star Trek series in production or even greenlit. To many fans, this is bad news because it means the future of their favorite sci-fi franchise is stuck in complete limbo.

However, I can’t help but feel like this is good news for Star Trek as a whole because it will give the franchise time to reinvent itself. The NuTrek era, led by Alex Kurtzman, has been a decidedly mixed bag, and Paramount (who is still adjusting to a merger with Skydance) is about to purchase Warner Bros. With all these changes on the horizon, greenlighting any new Trek show today would be a mistake because even if the show is good future leadership could end up canceling it after a year or two to take the franchise in a new direction.

The Canary In The Coal Mine

Generally speaking, I think it’s a good thing that Paramount will be waiting some time (quite possibly years) before greenlighting any new Star Trek content. One reason for this is Starfleet Academy, a controversial show that may already be dead. The show recently finished filming Season 2 (which was greenlit long ago), but the cast members who have talked about it sound a bit worried they won’t be coming back; if this is true, it would line up with rumors that Paramount suddenly canceled the show, forcing the writers to turn the season 2 finale into a series finale (which is the exact thing that happened with Star Trek: Discovery).

There are many reasons why Starfleet Academy may have gotten quietly canceled, and the most logical one is that it hasn’t been getting enough viewers each week to justify its outsized price tag (over $8 million per episode). However, another mitigating factor may be that the show didn’t impress the new management. David Ellison became the CEO of Paramount only after Starfleet Academy got the green light, but there’s always a possibility that this very conservative leader might have wanted to put the kibosh on Trek’s wokest show.

That doesn’t mean that future Star Trek writers need to tailor content to Ellison, of course, but it highlights a stark reality: it’s hard for shows and showrunners to impress the boss when the boss keeps changing. There could be future leadership changes after Paramount acquires Warner Bros., and there will almost certainly be extensive internal conversations about what to do with the studio’s biggest franchises. Simply put, it makes no real sense to green-light a new Star Trek show now when it could get suddenly canceled, which is what happened with Discovery and almost certainly what happened with Starfleet Academy.

The Writing On The Wall

From the very beginning, Alex Kurtzman has been the architect for the NuTrek era, and he may have seemed like a safe choice at first because he co-wrote Star Trek (2009), a very successful reboot. However, while Kurtzman’s tenure in the command chair hasn’t been a complete disaster, it has consistently produced a mixed bag for fans. Discovery was overly violent and then overly abstract, while Picard was generic sci-fi slop wrapped up in lazy fan service. 

Strange New Worlds started strong but eventually became nothing but broad comedy and hollow melodrama. Lower Decks and Prodigy were both excellent, and both were canceled too soon. Most recently, Starfleet Academy had a very controversial first few episodes, and while the show is definitely getting better, it seems like Paramount may be learning a costly lesson about making such a poor first impression on the fandom.

An Expensive Lesson

There’s a pretty obvious lesson here: in less than a decade, we have had six different Star Trek shows. Of them, three (Discovery, Prodigy, and Lower Decks) were canceled early, and another (Strange New Worlds) will be ending early after an abbreviated fifth season. Now, Starfleet Academy is seemingly joining the ranks of shows receiving early cancellations. While fanboys don’t like to hear it, the message is clear: if Star Trek keeps making shows that fail, then it makes perfect sense to take a few years off in order to create something better.

Before anyone says it, I’m not writing this from the perspective of a hater: I enjoyed most of Discovery (Seasons 3 and 4 were “meh”), love most of Strange New Worlds (Season 3 notwithstanding), and I loved every frame of Lower Decks. Heck, I’m even starting to warm to Starfleet Academy, a show that had the rockiest start since TNG Season 1. But at the end of the day, this is a business, and if Paramount keeps canceling new Star Trek shows, it’s because they’re not making money.

It’s All About The Latinum

Until we get to the cashless society promised by Gene Roddenberry, money will still determine how many $8 million episodes of multiple Star Trek shows Paramount is willing to create. Furthermore, the only way for these shows to generate a profit and effectively justify their existence is to gain more viewers. For all its strengths, the truth is that the NuTrek era has failed to consistently achieve that, and a handful of zealous fanboys defending a show’s honor online each week doesn’t translate to that many people watching it.

This isn’t some culture war thing; it doesn’t matter how woke or unwoke a show is, it matters whether it appeals to enough fans to make a profit. Star Trek stopped consistently doing that at the exact moment that Alex Kurtzman took over. Now, more than ever, it’s time for this franchise to get some new leadership and take time off to discover the answer to a question that Kurtzman himself obviously never bothered to ask: what do Star Trek fans actually want to watch?

Maggie Gyllenhaal admitted she was worried about mixing business and her personal life before casting her husband Peter Sarsgaard in The Lost Daughter.

Speaking to The New York Times’ “The Interview” on Friday, March 6, Gyllenhaal shared she was initially concerned about her husband playing a character scripted to have steamy sex scenes when she directed the 2021 film.

“It is complicated working with my husband,” Gyllenhaal, 48, told the outlet. “We’ve done it in all sorts of ways. We did The Lost Daughter, where he has a really hot love affair with Jessie Buckley.”

She added, “And at first, I almost didn’t give him the part.”

Gyllenhaal explained that she questioned whether she could juggle her professional role as a director while navigating the reality of her real-life partner playing out spicy scenes in front of her.

“I was like, ‘I don’t need that, also.’ Along with directing a movie for the first time,” she explained. “I actually offered it to somebody else first. And I knew he was hurt. And I remember speaking to both my best girlfriend and to this teacher. And both of them were like, ‘You can’t manage this? Can you really not?’ And I was like, ‘No, I think I can actually.’”

After changing her mind and casting him in the role, Gyllenhaal said that she was ultimately able to direct The Lost Daughter’s sizzling scenes from an “unconnected, emotionally, place.”

“I mean this wasn’t at all about the sex. This was about the courtship, which was so hot and pushing them and pushing them and watching them create as like, real actors have to, like create the love,” Gyllenhaal said.

She also said that she thought both Sarsgaard and Buckley’s performances were “brilliant” in the end.

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Sarsgaard was close friends with Maggie’s brother Jake Gyllenhaal before striking up a romance with Maggie in 2002. The couple got engaged in 2006 then went on to tie the knot three years later in Brindisi, Italy. Maggie and her husband share daughters Ramona, 19, and Gloria, 13.

Giving a rare insight into their marriage in December 2023, Sarsgaard, 55, shared the “simple” reason his marriage to The Dark Knight actress has lasted the distance.

“Tell the truth,” Sarsgaard told E! News after he was asked about the key to a successful marriage. “Isn’t that all there is? It’s pretty simple. It’s not that complicated. Isn’t that the secret to any friendship or relationship?”

By Robert Scucci
| Published 10 seconds ago

The problem with horror thriller logic is that if you’re actually living in one of these movies, you don’t notice any of the obvious warning signs until it’s far too late. This is exactly what happens to Bobbi Torres (Britni Camacho) in 2024’s Blood Star, an intense ride through the punishing New Mexico desert, where she encounters the patently evil Sheriff Bilstein (John Schwab). Had she known she was living in a thriller where she’s about to be hunted for sport, she would have gotten the hell out of dodge before things got too dicey.

Fortunately, Bobbi is a fighter who knows how to handle herself, even when nobody believes her story, or worse, they believe it but simply don’t care.

Punishing Asphalt, And A Bone-Spitting Sheriff

The basic plot to Blood Star is shockingly simple, but its raw energy carries the premise to its grisly end, one violent encounter at a time. Bobbi, traveling through New Mexico after breaking up with her abusive boyfriend, Rhett, stops for gas and meets the Sheriff who’s dead-set on ruining her life, with plans to end it outright once he’s finished playing his sadistic games with her.

Their first encounter is friendly enough, with Sheriff Bilstein offering Bobbi a soda at the gas station, which she politely declines. Given how menacing the sheriff is right off the rip, nobody in their right mind should accept a free beverage from him. He immediately comes off like the type of guy who takes a mental note of your head dimensions in case he wants to mount it on his wall later. The shots of him munching on fried chicken in his cruiser, which doesn’t appear to have a working air conditioner, are enough to make your skin crawl. Watching the sheriff chomp away at his lunch makes for some of the most disturbing closeups the movie has to offer, and that’s saying a lot.

Clearly abusing his power, the Sheriff sets up an elaborate game of cat and mouse, letting Bobbi drive off only to apprehend her later. He shoots out her tail light so he has an excuse to pull her over, and later shoots out her tire so she’s stranded in the desert with no way to escape the punishing New Mexico heat.

Along the way, Bobbi has run-ins with locals who are fully aware of how much of a jerk the Sheriff is, but they don’t know the true extent of his wrath. They assume he likes to abuse his power and flirt with young women, which is still unacceptable behavior, but not the kind of thing the average gas station attendant or diner employee is going to call out, especially if it means risking their job or getting arrested.

A Solid Road Thriller, But With One Minor Issue

The dynamic between Sheriff Bilstein and Bobbi in Blood Star feels authentic. We have a psychopath who clearly wants to make his subject suffer, which is made evident through his willingness to slowly saunter through his surroundings, letting her wonder when he’s going to strike next. Bobbi is a total badass because she knows she’s being screwed with in a way that gives her zero room for error, but she’s still rightfully scared out of her mind.

One thing that rubbed me the wrong way about Blood Star, however, is every other ancillary character. They’re complicit, but not malicious, meaning they know the Sheriff is up to no good but aren’t willing to do anything about it. They accept the power dynamic without question, most likely out of self-preservation. While that works well enough as a plot mechanism, it also makes me wonder what could have been.

I was 100 percent certain I was about to get the Texas Chainsaw Massacre-style trope where everybody is in on it, but they’re not. Part of me is relieved the movie doesn’t take that generic route, but Blood Star could have had some fun with the motif by putting a fresh spin on it. Instead, every single side character feels one-dimensional, and they don’t really add anything to Bobbi’s main conflict beyond reinforcing the idea that you’ll see a man’s true colors if you slap a badge on him and give him some power.

Still, Blood Star remains a fun, tight road thriller that’s totally worth your time for the back and forth between Bobbi and Sheriff Bilstein alone. The sun-blazed scenery and hazy backdrop only add to its charm, making it a near-perfect thriller.

Blood Star is currently streaming for free on Tubi.

Face Card Never Declined 🪪
LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE TOOLS

Published
March 7, 2026
12:05 AM PST

Put that Pixar franchise back in the spotlight, or so help me! With the 25th anniversary of Monsters Inc., the fourth Pixar movie ever made, on the horizon, Pixar appears to be celebrating the occasion in a big way. An extensive new report from the Wall Street Journal has revealed that a 3rd Monsters Inc. movie is now in the works at Disney’s Oscar-winning animation studio. The WSJ credits the surprising news to insider sources who are “people familiar with the matter.” This will mark the franchise’s first feature film in at least 13 years, with the last being the college-set prequel movie, Monsters University. The franchise also returned in 2021 for a Disney+ spin-off series, Monsters at Work.

Apart from the news that a new Monsters Inc. movie is in development, other details are slim, and it is not currently known whether the third movie will be a direct sequel to the original or take a different route, as Monsters University did. Likely the biggest question fans will have is whether Billy Crystal and John Goodman will be reprising their roles as the neurotic yet clever Mike Wasowski and the cocky yet empathetic James P. Sullivan, respectively. The two comedic acting icons returned as Mike and Sully for both Monsters University and Monsters at Work, so it stands to reason that they’d be willing to return again. Plus, Disney is also in the middle of developing a Monstropolis-themed land and roller coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, which will likely feature voices from the original movies. Other notable names who could potentially return for the third movie include Steve Buscemi as Sully’s villainous rival Randall, Jennifer Tilly as Mike’s romantic partner Celia, and Pixar regular John Ratzenberger as the Abominable Snowman.

The story of Monsters, Inc. began in 2001 with the original film, in which the employees of the titular company, Mike and Sully, work hard at the energy plant that generates power by scaring children. Things take a surprising turn when a young girl whom Sully affectionately names Boo (Mary Gibbs) escapes into the monster world, leading the two heroes to uncover a company-wide conspiracy. The prequel, 2013’s Monsters University, takes place several years before the events of the first movie, showing how Mike and Sully went from bitter rivals to best friends. Finally, Monsters at Work jumps forward to the aftermath of Monsters Inc., with the company now harnessing energy through laughter rather than screams.

Pixar Has Several Other Sequels in the Works

Pixar and CCO Pete Docter (who coincidentally made his directorial feature debut with the original Monsters Inc.) are still committed to original stories, with their new sci-fi comedy Hoppers already becoming one of the studio’s best-reviewed movies in years. However, after the astronomical success of Inside Out 2, sequels are still on the table. Later this year on June 19, Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), and the rest of the gang will be back for Toy Story 5, with them teaming up to stop a maniacal tablet from replacing toys for good. Beyond that, the recent WSJ report also confirmed that Pixar fans can expect Incredibles 3 todebut in 2028 and Coco 2 in 2029.

Monsters Inc. 3 is reportedly in development now, with the rest of the franchise currently streaming on Disney+. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Release Date

November 2, 2001

Runtime

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92 Minutes

Director

Pete Docter

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Writers

Andrew Stanton, Daniel Gerson

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Producers

Darla K. Anderson

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Disney

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Tensions in the Middle East are heating up, and one familiar figure is speaking out in a way that has everyone talking. As fears of retaliation against U.S. forces rise, Donald Trump didn’t hold back when asked what Americans should expect. And let’s just say… his blunt answer has the internet buzzing.

RELATED: Donald Trump Addresses Major Military Operation As US And Israel Attack Iran, At Least 50 Dead (VIDEO)

Trump Warns Some Could Die In Iran Conflict

During a Wednesday phone call with Time magazine’s Eric Cortellessa, the president admitted there’s reason to be concerned about potential attacks, saying, “I guess.” Trump also added, “…Some people will die. When you go to war, some people will die.” He stressed that while the U.S. constantly plans for such scenarios, the reality of conflict is unavoidable. Meanwhile, Iranian officials are signaling their focus is on U.S. bases and assets in the region, not direct strikes on the homeland, following counterattacks after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed top Iranian leaders.

Donnie Also Wants Say In Iran’s Next Leader

Adding another layer, the president discussed his vision for regime change in Iran, saying he wants to have a say in who succeeds Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. While he hasn’t revealed a specific pick, he confirmed his administration is “watching” potential candidates to ensure their safety amid the escalating tensions. Outside of Iran, exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi has put himself forward as an option for interim leadership, praising the U.S.’s involvement and even jokingly echoing the former president’s famous slogan: “You know, the president says, ‘MAGA,’ we say, ‘MIGA,’ Make Iran Great Again.”

Trump Sets One Condition To End Iran War

President Donald Trump is not mincing words about Iran — he’s demanding nothing less than “unconditional surrender” from Tehran. On Truth Social Friday, he declared that there will be no deal with the Islamic Republic except complete submission, followed by the “selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s)” and a plan to rebuild Iran “bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.”

Trump clarified in a previous interview that surrender doesn’t necessarily mean a formal announcement — it could also come when Iran’s military is totally defeated and “can’t fight any longer because they don’t have anyone or anything to fight with.” Fans and critics alike are buzzing over his bold, unapologetic language, with some calling it classic Trump bravado and others questioning just how far this military showdown could go.

US President Donald Trump posts on Truth Social- “There will be no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender…” pic.twitter.com/IXKdTVcleL

— ANI (@ANI) March 6, 2026

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Fresh off Season 4, Netflix viewers are hooked on The Lincoln Lawyer, and the numbers prove it. In just two weeks, the legal thriller racked up 80.8 million hours watched, indicating its instant binge appeal. Then again, television has long had a soft spot for addictive lawyer stories. There’s the morally gray hustle of Better Call Saul, the seerily “based on real-life” cases of Law & Order, and the corporate cutthroatness of Suits.

Despite the oversaturation of legal thrillers, The Lincoln Lawyer still manages to attract its own loyal audience. While the show follows familiar courtroom-drama formulas, its appeal stretches beyond the genre’s usual crowd, drawing in viewers who may not normally gravitate toward legal thrillers. Not everyone dreams of becoming a lawyer, but the lead protagonist’s sincere determination to fight for what is right gives someone easy to root for.

What Is ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ About?

Based on Michael Connelly‘s bestselling novels, The Lincoln Lawyer follows defense attorney Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), a charismatic courtroom ace with a complicated past. A surfing accident left him addicted to painkillers, which hindered him from practicing law for 18 months. Now seemingly sobered up, Haller’s ready to win back the trust of clients and put a good name to the law firm left to him by a late associate. Despite being the son of J. Michael Haller, Sr. (Jon Tenney), widely regarded as one of Los Angeles most successful lawyers, Haller’s not piggybacking off of someone’s credentials — especially his father.

Haller knows the legal jargon inside and out and has a sharp instinct for reading the courtroom. But after a lengthy hiatus — one that potential clients see as a red flag — he’s forced to juggle high-profile cases alongside the occasional, just-as-difficult smaller ones while rebuilding his reputation. Fortunately, he’s backed by a tight-knit team at Haller & Associates: his friend of 15 years and second ex-wife, Lorna Crane (Becki Newton), who doubles as his case manager; former Road Saints Motorcycle Club member turned investigator Cisco (Angus Sampson); and client-turned-personal driver Izzy Letts (Jazz Raycole). The title The Lincoln Lawyer comes from Haller’s unusual habit — he often works his cases from the back seat of his cherished Lincoln Navigator.

Mickey Haller Battles Institutional Corruption and Personal Demons in ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’

If there’s one thing about Haller’s cases in The Lincoln Lawyer, it’s that they’re rarely simple — and almost never resolved on the first try. As a defense attorney, Haller is usually tasked with representing clients already accused of serious crimes. His job is to prove that the accused is not responsible for the crime in question, or that the crime itself is not exactly as it has been described. However, things get tricky when the evidence speaks louder than the defendant’s claims of innocence. In those moments, Haller begins to question whether his client is truly right or simply manipulating him. The situation becomes even more difficult when powerful forces are involved, whether through government or police institutions, or, in some cases, organized crime.

On top of his work life, Haller has some personal baggage of his own to deal with. Unlike Lorna, he doesn’t have the easiest relationship with his first ex-wife, Deputy District Attorney Maggie McPherson (Neve Campbell). Sharing custody of their only daughter, Hayley Haller (Krista Warner), Haller genuinely tries his best to be a present father, though it isn’t always easy when his trials clash with his daughter’s schedule. Although he no longer turns to drugs to numb his pain, Haller sometimes considers relapsing with alcohol, which proves that his journey to sobriety is still a long one.

Related

‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Just Made Its Best Move in 4 Seasons With This Crucial Character’s Return

This character adds a much-needed emotional anchor to Mickey Haller’s intense world.

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‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ and ‘Bosch’ Share the Same Universe and the Same Relentless Spirit

Image via Netflix

For longtime fans of Connelly, The Lincoln Lawyer also shares a subtle connection to the Prime Video police procedural Bosch. In the 2008 novel The Brass Verdict, it’s revealed that Haller and LAPD detective Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver) are biological half-brothers. The connection even gets a brief appearance in Bosch Season 1, Episode 8, “Bloodline,” when a younger Bosch visits his estranged father’s house, and a child — Haller himself — answers the door. Unfortunately, because Bosch streams on Prime Video while The Lincoln Lawyer lives on Netflix, an on-screen crossover between the two actors is unlikely. Still, viewers who stick around The Lincoln Lawyer long enough may spot an uncanny Bosch reference.

Both The Lincoln Lawyer and Bosch share the same relentless spirit. The dogged determination that becomes the core of Bosch’s work ethic — the kind of detective who would rather chase a lead over the weekend than pause a case because the courts say so — also lives in Haller. As a defense attorney, Haller brings that same stubborn drive to the jury. That persistence often pushes him to take enormous risks, from chasing evidence outside the county within 24 hours to pursuing leads that could implicate him. Yet beneath all that recklessness, at the end of the day, Haller is smart and calculative. While The Lincoln Lawyer keeps the adrenaline running with Haller’s job and safety constantly on the line, it never waters down on the legal jargon, offering audiences a lesson or two in courtroom strategy along the way.

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Release Date

May 13, 2022

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Network

Netflix

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  Manuel Garcia-Rulfo

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  Mickey Haller

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