Plenty of movies stumble at the box office only to find a real audience once they land on streaming. That is just the state of cinema right now. Annihilation failed at the box office before turning into a genuine cult favorite on streaming. The Suicide Squad had a similarly rough theatrical run before streaming gave it new life. Now, three years after struggling in cinemas, one of Paramount’s most criminally underseen fantasy adventures has officially found redemption on streaming.

The film follows Chris Pine as a charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers as they undertake a heist to retrieve a lost relic, only for things to go dangerously wrong when they run afoul of the wrong people. It was meant to launch a massive multi-platform universe complete with spin-offs, but those plans quickly fell apart after its disappointing theatrical run. The film made just $208.2 million worldwide against a $150 million production budget. Since the general rule of thumb is that a movie needs to earn about twice its budget to be considered a real success, that box office haul left it well short.

The film is Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley directed it from a screenplay they co-wrote with Michael Gilio, based on the titular tabletop game. The movie dropped on the free streamer Pluto TV on June 1, and even a month later, it is still holding the spotlight. According to FlixPatrol, it is currently the #9 most popular movie on Pluto TV in the United States.

Why Did ‘Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ Fail at the Box Office?

The movie’s box office stumble is even more baffling considering how good it actually is. It is incredibly funny, backed by great CGI and phenomenal action sequences. It very much feels like a Guardians of the Galaxy movie set inside the D&D universe. The film opened to raving reviews and still holds a 91% critic rating along with an even stronger 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Fans have spent plenty of time speculating about why it flopped, and most of the blame lands on weak marketing. Many people still do not know this movie exists, and even fewer did when it actually released in theaters.

The trailers also made it look like a run-of-the-mill MCU copycat when it actually turned out to be leagues better. And it also didn’t help that it came out alongside The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which ended up becoming 2023’s second-highest-grossing movie. Whoever is really to blame, Paramount clearly does not think it was the directors’ fault. Since the movie’s release, Goldstein and Daley have gone on to find great opportunities in Hollywood. The duo is currently developing Paramount’s next Star Trek movie. And Apple TV just unveiled the first trailer for their upcoming Cold War action-comedy Mayday, starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh.

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is available to stream on Pluto TV. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Ash Williams has survived Deadites, medieval armies, and enough supernatural disasters to make most horror protagonists call it quits. Across the Evil Dead franchise, Bruce Campbell‘s chainsaw-handed hero has evolved from an unlucky cabin visitor into one of horror’s most recognizable icons, with Army of Darkness cementing his status as an action hero as much as a scream king.

That larger-than-life personality has made Ash a favorite for collectors for decades, whether through action figures, statues, or replica props. Now, fans will be able to bring the S-Mart employee-turned-medieval warrior into their Halloween displays in a much bigger way.

Dozens of Horror Icons Join the Animatronic Lineup

Image via HalloweenCostumes.com

HalloweenCostumes.com has officially unveiled a new six-foot Ash Williams animatronic inspired by Sam Raimi‘s 1992 cult classic Army of Darkness. Standing at life-size, the decoration recreates Ash’s unforgettable medieval look complete with his signature chainsaw hand. Fans who prefer another of his iconic weapons can also swap the chainsaw for his metal gauntlet using an interchangeable arm. The animatronic also features motion activation, allowing Ash to spring to life with movement and dialogue inspired by the movie. Designed for Halloween displays, it combines animated movements with light and sound effects to recreate the swagger that made Campbell’s performance such a fan favorite. The decoration is available to preorder now for $349.99 ahead of the Halloween season.

Ash isn’t the only movie icon joining HalloweenCostumes.com’s lineup this year. The retailer has launched more than 75 new animatronics for Halloween 2026, including new decorations based on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Coraline, The Lord of the Rings, Ghostbusters, Alien, Batman: The Animated Series, The Dark Knight, Poppy’s Playtime, and Edward Scissorhands. Among the largest additions is a towering 14.5-foot Balrog, billed by the retailer as the biggest licensed retail animatronic it has produced.

For horror fans, though, Ash may be the standout. While The Evil Dead series has never slowed down when it comes to collectibles, a full-size animatronic feels like a fitting tribute to one of the genre’s most quotable heroes. Whether it’s greeting trick-or-treaters from the porch or standing watch over a haunted display, the legendary Deadite slayer looks ready for another battle. The Evil Dead franchise also has another chapter on the horizon. Following this year’s Evil Dead Burn, the series will continue in 2028 with Evil Dead Wrath, a prequel set in 1972 that explores events leading up to the original movie. Until then, horror fans can settle for letting Ash guard the house this Halloween.

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Release Date

October 31, 1992

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Runtime

81 minutes

Director

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Sam Raimi

Producers

Robert Tapert

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The middle installment of a movie trilogy is by far the hardest to get right. In the case of sequel follow-ups that aim to capitalize on smash-hit originals, they face the daunting task of being compared to what was likely a universally adored box office hit. When it comes to the mid-section of set, pre-determined trilogies that unfold with one narrative vision, the second film is forced to play a bridging role without the luxury of introducing viewers to the world nor delivering the grand conclusion of the story at large.

However, there have been a number of mid-trilogy movies that have thrived in their station. Many of them excel by doubling down on the defining qualities of their predecessors, but others recontextualize central themes, make bold tonal changes, or even shift genres entirely to rise to a new level. From classics of superhero cinema to invigorating horror gems, and even to one of the greatest movies ever made, these middle chapters mark triumphant high points of the trilogies they belong to.

8

‘The Godfather’ Trilogy (1972-1990)

Image via Paramount Pictures

Heralded by many as being the greatest movie sequel of all time and entrenched in the conversation of the finest picture ever made, The Godfather Part II is a dazzling crime epic defined by its ageless thematic resonance, astonishing cinematic craft, and its ability to build on its astonishing predecessor. Running as both a sequel and a prequel, the 1974 masterpiece switches between new Corleone crime family boss Michael (Al Pacino) as he seeks to expand his empire, and the rise to power of a young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) in the criminal underbelly of early 20th century New York.

Its dual narrative imbues it with an ambition and drive that not even its masterful 170-minute predecessor can match, but it also eclipses The Godfather with the depth of its thematic convictions. In many ways, The Godfather Part II is a two-pronged character study of gangland morality, the isolating corruption of power, and the sacrifice of aspiration. Granted, anyone who claims The Godfather is the greater film can certainly mount a compelling case, but The Godfather Part II weaves one of the most arresting visual experiences in cinematic history as well as a dark descent into the intricacies of the human condition that explores power, faith, and enterprise against the backdrop of the brutality of the American dream.

7

The ‘Blade’ Trilogy (1998-2004)

Image via New Line Cinema

Released in 1998, Blade helped pioneer the wave of superhero cinema that audiences have enjoyed in the 21st century. Anchored by Wesley Snipes’s captivating performance, it successfully brought one of the most interesting and beloved comic book characters to life on the big screen with a ferocious marriage of action intensity and Gothic horror that embraced the grit of its R-rating. Endowed with Guillermo Del Toro’s impressionable visual style and penchant for Gothic allure, Blade II took those defining qualities and enhanced them.

When a mutation gives rise to a new form of savage and primitive vampires known as the “Reapers,” the titular vampire hunting superhero enters an uneasy alliance team of vampire warriors to eradicate their mutual enemy. The visceral action choreography blends beautifully with Del Toro’s trademark aesthetic to create an absorbing and deliciously dark action-horror propelled by its savvy integration of practical effects and CGI. With 2004’s Blade: Trinity dwindling as a calamitous misfire, Blade II has overcome its initially mixed critical reception to stand as the defining highlight of the trilogy, one that many today still regard as being one of the most visually striking and tonally captivating superhero movies ever made.

6

‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy (2012-2014)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

The Lord of the Rings is the greatest film trilogy cinema has ever seen, an engrossing fantasy epic of ceaseless perfection that achieves the rare feat of having all three of its movies being classic masterpieces in their own right. Ten years later, audiences were taken back to the realm of Middle Earth with Peter Jackson returning to adapt J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, though the decision to make it another monumental trilogy raised some eyebrows given its source material’s much smaller story. This issue became apparent in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, with the finale’s strenuous efforts to fulfill its 144-minute runtime producing an underwhelming conclusion that saw many dismiss the trilogy as a whole.

However, while they’re not comparable to the brilliance of The Lord of the Rings, the first two installments in the trilogy do deliver a lively brand of wondrous adventure as they follow Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and the dwarves as the trek through Middle Earth to reclaim the kingdom of Erebor. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is particularly vibrant with its energetic pacing, effervescent set pieces, and its brilliant realization of the dragon, Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch). While still flawed, it is the movie in the trilogy that best captures the story’s adventurous spirit and fantasy world-building while striking an invigorating marriage between inviting fantasy fun and mythic suspense.

5

Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man’ Trilogy (2002-2007)

Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

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Another early triumph of the modern craze of superhero action, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy excels at juggling the innate spectacle of the genre against the human drama of Peter Parker’s (Tobey Maguire) journey as Spider-Man. While 2002’s Spider-Man is a brilliant introduction to the character in this regard, it is Spider-Man 2 where these thematic ideas are truly fleshed out and dissected, with his battle against Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) combining beautifully with Peter Parker’s own internal struggles stemming from real-life hardships.

Perhaps better than any other film in the genre, let alone the Raimi trilogy, Spider-Man 2 illustrates the hope of superhero drama, particularly in how Spider-Man’s good-nature and unyielding endeavor to help people inspires heroism and resolve in others. It is a point beautifully emphasized by the film’s climactic train fight scene and even Doc Ock’s own villain arc of obsession, unwitting corruption, and tragedy rather than outright evil. Emotionally charged, perfectly paced, and flaunting timeless thematic points of responsibility, sacrifice, and the symbolism of a hero, Spider-Man 2 remains one of the greatest superhero movies of all time and the definitive highlight of Raimi’s groundbreaking trilogy.

4

The ‘Evil Dead’ Trilogy (1981-1992)

Image via New Line Cinema

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Marking another iconic trilogy directed by Sam Raimi, the Evil Dead trilogy is a fascinating procession of creativity, filmmaking resources, and tonal experimentation. Between the succinct demonic horror of the low-budget classic The Evil Dead and the gleefully absurdist entertainment of Army of Darkness, 1987’s Evil Dead 2 stands as something of a perfect middle ground within the trilogy’s bold evolution, an entrancing marriage of terrifying undead tension and comedic indulgence that makes for one of the most enjoyable horror movies ever made.

It sees Raimi’s hyperkinetic directing style and Bruce Campbell’s scene-chewing presence utilized not only as attention-grabbing qualities, but as perfect accessories to the story. Running as both a sequel and a partial remake of The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II follows Ash Williams (Campbell) as he and his girlfriend travel to a remote cabin for a holiday only to accidentally unleash a horde of undead, demonic entities when they discover an audio tape of recitations from a book of ancient texts. Thrilling, exciting, and delightfully chaotic in all its monster horror and slapstick brilliance, Evil Dead II is the best picture in the ongoing Evil Dead franchise at large and the clear high point of the original trilogy.

3

The ‘Mad Max’ Trilogy (1979-1985)

Image via Warner Bros.

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Not at all dissimilar to the Evil Dead trilogy, the original Mad Max movies began as a low-budget genre hit that rose in spectacle, ambition, and eccentricity over the course of the next two movies. 1981’s Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior finds the perfect marriage between the gritty wasteland intensity of its predecessor and the sheer stylistic bombast of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. The result is a frenzied hit of action carnage that follows Max Rokitansky (Mel Gibson) as he helps defend a peaceful, oil-rich settlement from a band of ruthless marauders led by the despicable Humungus (Kjell Nilsson).

With its far more substantial budget compared to Mad Max, the sequel sensation delivers an unrestrained descent into the desolate lawlessness of post-apocalyptic Australia armed with an insatiable appetite for eye-popping action given tremendous weight by its visceral practical effects and George Miller’s astute direction. In terms of tone, spectacle, and ferocity, it is the movie most akin to 2015’s blockbuster classic Mad Max: Fury Road, and while it’s debatable if The Road Warrior is the greatest movie in its wider franchise, it is irrefutably the best and most bombastic of the initial trilogy.

2

‘The Dark Knight’ Trilogy (2005-2012)

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It turns out superhero trilogies have a happy knack for reaching their peak with their middle chapter, perhaps as a greater license is granted to pursue stylish flourishes and thematic depth after the world-building and character establishment of the first film. That is certainly the case with Sir Christopher Nolan’s iconic The Dark Knight trilogy. Wedged between two outstanding action-propelled blockbusters, the 2008 classic marks a defining triumph for 21st century cinema as it follows Batman’s (Christian Bale) efforts to protect Gotham City from the reign of anarchy and terror being imposed by the Joker (Heath Ledger).

While its thrilling and propulsive sense of narrative momentum and Ledger’s awe-inspiring performance are among the most impressionable qualities of the film, The Dark Knight also soars above Nolan’s other two Batman movies with its complex exploration of symbolism, sacrifice, morality, and the escalation of chaos in a terrified society. Only bolstered by the depth and tragedy of Harvey Dent’s (Aaron Eckhart) rise-and-fall subplot, The Dark Knight thrives as a gripping crime thriller, a superhero stunner that captivates with its dark maturity, and one of the greatest mid-trilogy movies of all time.

1

The Original ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy (1977-1983)

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It is quite extraordinary how, despite mid-trilogy movies often marking a lull in an overarching story, several of the standout ones stand not only as great feats of filmmaking, but as some of the greatest, most culture-defining pictures of all time. Few would deny that is the case with Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, with the sequel to the groundbreaking success of the first Star Wars movie elevating the spectacle and expanding the story world while taking a dark and subversive turn from the triumph of its predecessor.

From the opening battle sequence on Hoth, The Empire Strikes Back captures an air of operatic grandeur, one it maintains as it follows Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) Jedi training on Dagobah while seeing his friends fall into a trap orchestrated by Darth Vader (James Earl Jones). Flaunting one of the all-time great movie duels, cinema’s most iconic plot twist, and a brilliant ending that is as dark as it is compelling, The Empire Strikes Back builds on its predecessor while boldly shifting its tone to deliver what is an outstanding movie in its own right, but the crowning glory in the Star Wars franchise and the original trilogy as well.

Get a rundown of Us Weekly‘s top stories making headlines in celebrity news, sports and entertainment on July 17, 2026. Here are the key takeaways:

• Ariana Grande and former dancer Ricky Alvarez have rekindled their romance and are “the real deal“, a source tells Us. The insider stressed that Alvarez is “far from a rebound,” noting Grande and ex Ethan Slater split long before the public knew.

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• Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were caught on video dancing to “Swag Surfin’” at JuJu Smith-Schuster and Laura Kruk‘s July 10 wedding. The newlywed footage surfaced just one week after Swift and Kelce tied the knot at Madison Square Garden on July 3.

• Kim Kardashian shared the final text messages her family exchanged with late grandmother Mary Jo “MJ” Shannon, who died at 91. The screenshots show Kris Jenner sending Bible passages in the days before Shannon’s death, with her grandmother replying “Amen.”

Edited by Samantha Benitz. Story produced with AI assistance

No one mastered the whodunit with quite as much cerebral agility as Agatha Christie. That’s the furthest thing from a controversial statement, but widespread celebration doesn’t make the mind of the world’s most popular fiction author less singular. Given the wealth of spine-tingling mysteries in her catalog, there’s an excellent chance that more adaptations of the Queen of Crime’s bibliography exist than entries in her formidable catalog (66 novels, dozens of short stories). It’s fitting, then, that no novel has been more riffed upon than 1939’s And Then There Were None — the best-selling book of all time and the epochal classic regarded as Christie’s crowning jewel.

When it comes to elegant production or fidelity to the material, few onscreen interpretations surpass the BBC’s 2015 miniseries of the same name. And Then There Were None distinguishes itself within Christie’s work; it’s bleak and unforgiving, populated with irredeemable individuals, and devoid of a heroic detective’s intervention. Writer Sarah Phelps, director Craig Viveiros, and an all-star cast hold fast to Christie’s sinister, deliberately cruel cultural critique — the relevance of which hasn’t aged a day.

Apropos of seemingly nothing, 10 people accept an invitation to stay on a small, secluded island. Their host’s name, U.N. Owen, rings no bells, and they’re all strangers to one other. As they seat themselves around the dinner table, a gramophone recording brazenly declares their respective lethal crimes. Cue the ensemble dropping like flies. Part of And Then There Were None‘s brilliance is its time-honored format. For all intents and purposes, Christie invented the slasher horror-thriller: the mechanics of targets trapped inside an isolated location, a vindictive assailant hiding amongst his victims as he fells them one by one.

Any adaptation of Christie’s most acclaimed and ingenious creation must respect her narrative intricacy. She crafted an impenetrable yet plausible plot that stands the test of time. Simplifying the exceptional architecture undermines her achievement. The same faithfulness should apply to the novel’s foreboding tone, frank nihilism, and psychological emphasis. Many movie adaptations lessen the overarching despair or change the melancholy ending; Christie herself made the latter palatable for war-weary audiences of the 1943 stage play, which was completely understandable. Later films following suit, however, sanitize her scathing intentions.

Phelps doesn’t dull that serrated edge. She captures the book’s ruthlessness through horror motifs — crashing ocean waves, jolts of roaring thunder, potential danger lurking around every candlelit corner — and by accurately preserving how Christie interrogates England’s social hierarchies through a brutal character study. Set one month before the United Kingdom declared war on Germany’s Third Reich, the majority of Christie’s characters present themselves with self-righteous integrity. Behind their common courtesies, they either waver on the edge of collapse or are rotten to the core.

Human selfishness takes different forms throughout And Then There Were None: sadism, bigotry, negligence, greed, lust, and proselytizing. A respected judge (Charles Dance) hands down close-minded sentences, a doctor (Toby Stephens) imbibes alcohol before an operation, a jealous schoolteacher (Maeve Dermody) lets her charge drown, a police officer (Burn Gorman) commits a hate crime, a decorated World War I general (Sam Neill) betrays a fellow soldier and romantic rival, a mercenary (Aidan Turner) murders for profit, a spoiled socialite (Douglas Booth) simply doesn’t care, and a religious devotee (Miranda Richardson) cloaks her prejudice in piety.

‘And Then There Were None’ Amplifies the Book’s Ruthlessness

Even though these reprehensible individuals have escaped due process, does And Then There Were None‘s vigilante mastermind accomplish any lasting worth by operating outside the broken judicial system? Are they merely quenching their own violent thirst? That’s a (potentially unanswerable) question for audiences to ponder. Christie’s world and its citizens reek of hopelessness. Nevertheless, her characters can’t outrun justice, no matter how much they scramble. They descend into conflict and paranoia, cling to the honorable reputation they’ve manufactured, and argue their truth as fact. Even those afflicted with remorse can’t face themselves in the mirror long enough to admit their wrongs — until consequences strike, that is, and the well of justifications runs dry.

Even when Phelps strays from the source material, her deviations both amplify Christie’s subtext surrounding class and gender and adjust it to reflect current issues. The distressing immediacy of the cast’s past violent crimes removes the ambiguity without simplifying all that drives their respective psychologies. Two characters acting upon their sexual tension change nothing fundamental; it’s a rare intimate moment and another example of decadent indulgence.

We’re not invited to like these people or see our daily thoughts reflected back to us. Christie and Phelps splay the characters’ souls out on a surgical table so viewers can dissect their broken humanity, recognize their darkest impulses, and sit with the ramifications of their unchecked narcissism. Christie did cozy mysteries. Christie did brain-twisters. She did uncompromising fictional cruelty for a purpose. Phelps’ superb interpretation — and more harrowing resolution — denies her audience even a sliver of hope. The deeds are done, but human narcissism lives on.

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And Then There Were None

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Release Date

2015 – 2015-00-00

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Network

BBC One

Directors

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Craig Viveiros

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• 

  Justice Lawrence Wargrave

• 

  Maeve Dermody

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  Vera Claythorne

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  Paul Chahidi

  Isaac Morris

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  Celia Henebury

  Leslie MacArthur (voice)

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A 63-year-old man was arrested for smashing his car into Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s East Hamptons residence earlier this week.

Us Weekly obtained a police report regarding an incident where Bronx resident Keith Webster was accused of driving his Subaru into a security gate on Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Georgica Pond property on Wednesday, July 15. Webster was later charged with second degree criminal mischief and third degree criminal trespass.

Detective Sgt. Jennifer Dunn, of the East Hampton police, told The East Hampton Star by phone on Friday, July 17, that the matter is currently under investigation.

“This could be a health issue but we have to treat it as a crime until proven otherwise,” the detective clarified.

Related: Jay-Z Omits Kanye West’s Name During Surprise Beyonce Duet in Paris

Jay-Z reunited with his wife, Beyoncé, for their first live performance together in six years on Sunday, June 22. Jay-Z — real name Shawn Carter — joined his superstar spouse on stage for her third and final Cowboy Carter Tour performance at Paris’ Stade de France. The couple reeled off a string of their biggest […]

Per a police report, a security guard observed Webster’s Subaru “driving at a high rate of speed up the driveway” towards a security gate. The subsequent collision reportedly caused “significant damage” to Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s checkpoint because Webster did not “stop at the closed mechanical driveway gates.” (It is not clear whether the couple were home during the incident.)

Webster initially remained in his vehicle following the crash but eventually complied with requests to exit. By the time police arrived, Webster was reportedly restrained and sitting in front of his vehicle.

“He wasn’t making threats. He seemed confused,” Detective Sgt. Dunn clarified.

Webster complained of pain and was thus transferred to the nearby Stony Brook East Hampton Emergency Department. He was later released in order to be arraigned, with police choosing to impound his vehicle for now.

Police were able to trace Webster’s previous travels using a license plate reader camera network. According to police, Webster initially stopped at another home in the East Hamptons area though he left without issue when he was turned away.

Detective Sgt. Jones told Page Six that Webster had “no criminal history” and there were “no weapons found, no notes found, no direct threats made and no direct mention of residents of the house.”

“He seemed confused at the scene and after the arrest,” the detective explained. “He did not make any threats or mention names of the residents. It could just be chance he picked that house if he was having a medical issue”.

Us Weekly has reached out to Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s representatives for comment.

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The incident occurred just three days after Jay-Z wrapped up his three-day concert residency at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on Sunday, July 12. The shows celebrated the 30th anniversary of his Reasonable Doubt album and the 25th anniversary of the Blueprint album. The concerts featured a surprise duet with Beyoncé on “Can’t Knock the Hustle” as well as their 14-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter playing piano on “Feelin’ It” alongside Mecca and Alicia Keys.

Related: Jay-Z Walks ‘Mufasa’ Red Carpet With Beyonce and Family Amid Rape Allegations

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Jay-Z has made his first public appearance after being accused of raping a 13-year-old girl with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in the early 2000s. The rapper, 55, stepped out alongside his wife, Beyoncé, the couple’s daughter Blue Ivy Carter and his mother-in-law, Tina Knowles, at the premiere of Disney’s Mufasa in Hollywood, California, on Monday, December […]

Other guests featured during the three Yankee Stadium concerts included Eminem, Rihanna, Pharrell Williams and Usher. Beyoncé also played a medley of her hits during Sunday’s final show.

Jay-Z is set to bring the anniversary concert to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on September 4, before headlining at the Stade de France in Paris on September 10 and then coming back to the U.S. on October 23 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

The sports romance genre has taken television audiences by storm lately. Much of the success of these shows stems from the books they’re based on. First, we had the buzz surrounding HBO Max’s Heated Rivalry, based on the Game Changers series by Rachel Reid. Then, Off Campus put a different spin on the adrenaline-filled world of hockey, adapted from the book series of the same name by Elle Kennedy. While fans wait for both shows to return with their second seasons, there’s one new sports fantasy romance that combines Off Campus‘ fake-dating trope and the competitive dynamic at the heart of Heated Rivalry with the fantastical world of Fourth Wing — and it’s totally perfect for a television adaptation.

What Is ‘The Winged Game’ About?

The Winged Game, by Sophie Kim, revolves around the sport of carriwitchet (think Quidditch, but with dragons, wyverns, and stymphalian birds), and its two most famous players, Taissa Cho and Kion Locke. They used to be each other’s biggest rivals in the sport, but when Kion accuses Taissa of cheating, she’s subsequently kicked out of the league. When the book starts, Taissa has lost everything, but her life gets flipped upside down when Kion comes back into the picture. His team has experienced two years of embarrassing losses, and he needs to recruit the once-brilliant Taissa to help. The team’s publicist insists that the best PR would be to pretend they’re dating, but the only problem is that the two hate each other with an intense, fiery passion. Once Taissa and Kion reluctantly agree to the plan, of course, sparks start to fly as they become closer.

This plot would be exciting enough for a romance novel, but the fantasy aspect comes into play when the winged animals in the league develop a mysterious and dangerous illness. Taissa and Kion join forces to figure out what might be afflicting the animals, who can communicate with their owners, just like in Fourth Wing. The duo ends up embarking on a perilous journey filled with all types of fantastical figures, including fairies, vampires, werewolves, and demons. Can they figure out how to save both their winged friends and the entire sport of carriwitchet as their fake relationship starts to become all too real?

‘The Winged Game’ TV Adaptation Would Be a Fast-Paced, Fantastical Ride

Image via Penguin Random House

The Winged Game is packed with television-worthy elements, from twists and turns in the storytelling, powerful relationships between the characters, and a fantastical sport that can be brought to life with state-of-the-art CGI and special effects. Of course, the story is built around the enemies-to-lovers and fake-romance tropes, just like in Off Campus. There’s plenty of spicy action, just like in Heated Rivalry, to satisfy viewers who like romance with some heat. And there are fantasy elements, like in Fourth Wing, that would make the series all the more entertaining to watch. It’s easy to see the adaptation being cast with fresh faces, too. Someone like Arden Cho, Lana Condor, or Leah Lewis could play Taissa, while Joshua Bassett, Josh Heuston, or Gavin Leatherwood could take on the raven-haired Kion.

There’s indeed a Fourth Wing adaptation on the way, which could serve as some competition, but that fantasy doesn’t have a relatable, contemporary setting or the sports romance element that The Winged Game does. Fourth Wing has also had a slow start to production, so The Winged Game could easily swoop in and find a devoted audience right away. If nothing else, you should check out the book for yourself so that you can dive right into its thrilling, addictive world while waiting for the adaptation rights to get snatched up.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 8 seconds ago

For horror fans, it’s been one hell of a summer. Blockbusters like The Mandalorian and Grogu and Supergirl flopped while spooky movies made money hand over fist. One of the most successful scary movies was Backrooms, which made horror history: 19-year-old Kane Parsons became the youngest director to have a movie debut at number one at the box office. The success of both Parsons and his film helped cement A24, the studio behind Backrooms, as a champion of creativity and independent art. Unfortunately, they just decided to torch that reputation for the most predictable reason of all: money.

On July 15, a Reddit user posted seeming proof that his Backrooms-inspired shirt had been yanked off of Redbubble because of a copyright strike from “A24 Films, LLC.” The problem here is that the user wasn’t selling an image from Parsons’ film; rather, it was an image from the original viral image that kicked off the whole Backrooms craze. Other users made similar claims that their Backrooms art and games have been taken down by A24. Now, the latest wrinkle in this bizarre tale? Parsons himself convinced the studio to drop its copyright claims, effectively giving the hottest horror IP back to the fans who made it.

A Haunting Betrayal

At first glance, it may not seem that surprising that A24 went after creators who are profiting off Backrooms. After all, they just released a film of that same name, one that quickly established itself as one of the biggest movies of the summer. It only makes sense for the studio to protect its IP, right? However, A24 doesn’t actually own Backrooms; they only own the interpretation they hired Kane Parsons to correct. When news of the copyright claims first began circulating on the internet, it caused fans to ask the obvious question: how does the studio have legal standing to copyright Backrooms projects that have nothing to do with the film?

A24 has very deep pockets (never forget, it was created by finance bros), causing fear that nobody affected would dare to sue the company. That would effectively create a chilling effect, preventing future creators from making money on their own interpretations of the viral Backrooms concept. It’s a concept that is effectively owned by fans, and the studio had no right to threaten other content creators with copyright claims. At least, that’s the sentiment shared by Backrooms fans all around the world. It’s also one shared by the last person anyone would expect: Backrooms director Kane Parsons! When he learned what the studio was allegedly doing, he made a promise on Reddit: “I’m looking into this. Should not be happening.”

Kane Parsons Bites The Hand That Feeds Him

Incredibly, it seems that Parsons spoke to the studio, and his pleas were successful. Recently, A24 very publicly backed down from any attempts to threaten Backrooms content that had nothing to do with the movie. In a statement, the studio wrote the following: “A24 makes no claim of ownership over the yellow wallpaper, the original post referencing it, or any of the community works that have since been built around it.” The statement ended with an expression of solidarity for future creators. “We will continue to support the artists who, like Kane, were inspired by it.” 

Thankfully, all’s well that ends well: very soon after users began complaining about these copyright strikes, Kane Parsons himself intervened, getting A24 to back down from their crusade against the fans. However, this incident will be remembered for a long time by fans who once revered the studio. A24 established itself as one of the greatest creators of smart horror films, and the success of Backrooms made them seem like champions of young voices with fresh ideas. But between the company’s recent AI partnership with Google and the recent alleged attempts to copyright material they don’t even own, the studio has seemingly become the greatest enemy of actual creatives.

The ultimate spooky auteur studio being far scarier than anything they have created? Now, that’s what I call elevated horror!

He may have had an uncontroversial start to fatherhood, but Jelly Roll has always prioritized his family.

The country singer welcomed his first child, daughter Bailee Ann, with ex-girlfriend Felicia in 2008. At the time, Jelly Roll (real name Jason DeFord) was serving a prison sentence for a drug dealing conviction.

“A guard knocks on my cell door midafternoon during lockdown. He goes, ‘You had a kid today,’” he told Billboard in June 2023. “I’ve never had nothing in life that urged me in the moment to know that I had to do something different. I have to figure this out right now.”

After learning about Bailee’s arrival, Jelly Roll vowed that he would be there for his daughter. Eight years later, the musician welcomed son Noah Buddy with ex Melisa.

That same month he became a father to Noah, Jelly Roll tied the knot with Bunnie Xo. While the pair do not share children, Jelly Roll has credited Bunnie as the reason why he was able to be a better father.

“You’re talking about a woman that came in and took a child that was soon to be born and a child that [we were] soon to have full custody of,” he said to Billboard. “I would have never got custody of my daughter without her. I wouldn’t have had the stability or the money.”

In June 2026, news broke that Jelly Roll had quietly filed for divorce from Bunnie after nearly 10 years of marriage, and the paperwork was finalized the next month.

Keep scrolling to get to know Jelly Roll’s family:

Bunnie Xo

Jelly Roll and Bunnie met in 2015 at one of the musician’s shows in Las Vegas. The following year, the couple eloped at the city’s famous Little White Wedding Chapel.

“It takes a special kind of woman to raise a kid that isn’t her child and still treat the child as if she was. Bunnie is that special woman, outside of the social media, outside of the podcast, and all the business endeavors she does and helps me with, Bunnie is a beautiful soul,” Jelly Roll wrote via Facebook alongside a photo of his wife with his daughter in May 2020. “She is kind, patient and caring. Over the years watching her relationship with Bailee blossom into this beautiful mother daughter bond that it has become has been nothing short of magical.”

In May 2026, Jelly Roll quietly submitted divorce paperwork in Tennessee, Us Weekly confirmed the following month. He listed their date of separation as May 9, 2026, and cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split.

Us confirmed in July 2026 that the country singer had finalized his divorce from Bunnie.

Bailee Ann

In 2017, Jelly Roll and Bunnie got custody of Bailee while her mother struggled with drug addiction. During a February 2024 appearance on her stepmom’s “Dumb Blonde” podcast, Bailee opened up about her struggles while she lived with her mom.

“I was still smoking a lot and doing whatever but I wasn’t doing coke anymore because my mom wasn’t around,” the teen recalled, while Bunnie noted her stepdaughter didn’t have access to harder drugs while her mother was not present. “Why would I? Didn’t have access, didn’t have need.”

While performing at Stagecoach in April 2024, Jelly Roll brought his daughter out on stage for her birthday.

“I don’t wanna put her on blast, but my baby girl is 15 years old, and in like 10 days, she’ll be 16 years old,” he told the crowd at the music festival. “I see some of y’all little cowboys getting smiles, stop it. I’m looking at you. I see you.”

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Noah Buddy

Jelly Roll announced the arrival of his son in August 2016. “God Bless this Child to be everything I am not! Noah Buddy DeFord!” he wrote via Facebook at the time. “I pray he nor Bailee ever have to pay for their father’s sins. I’ll post more pics tomorrow.”

Seven years later, Noah made his debut on his stepmother’s social media page. (Bunnie later shared that she got permission from Noah’s mom to put the little one on camera.)

“My name is Noah and my favorite color is red,” he said in a July 2023 TikTok video.

Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo were candid about their relationship ahead of their shocking 2026 divorce.

News broke in June 2026 that Jelly Roll (real name Jason Bradley DeFord) filed for divorce from Bunnie Xo (real name Alisa Andrea Carter) one month prior. In court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Jelly Roll listed the pair’s date of separation as May 9 and cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason behind their split.

Jelly Roll went on to propose in his filing that he and Bunnie Xo have “an equitable division of the parties’ assets” and apportion “responsibility for payment of the parties’ debts.”

Us confirmed in July 2026 that the exes had quietly finalized their divorce.

Related: Jelly Roll Breaks His Silence After Filing for Divorce From Bunnie Xo

Jelly Roll has broken his silence on his divorce from Bunnie Xo after nearly 10 years of marriage. Speaking on stage, Jelly Roll, 41, publicly addressed his split from Bunnie, 46, at his Saratoga Springs, New York tour leg on Thursday, June 18. “I wasn’t going to talk about this tonight, but while we’re talking […]

Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo were married for nearly a decade. While the pair did not share any children of their own, Jelly Roll became a dad when he welcomed daughter Bailee Ann in 2008 with ex-girlfriend Felicia Beckwith. He also welcomed son Noah Buddy in 2016 with ex Melisa Ann Cowell.

Scroll down to see more of Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo’s quotes about their relationship before divorce:

Jelly Roll Admits Affair During Bunnie Xo Relationship Was 1 of His ‘Worst Moments’

In 2025, Jelly Roll recalled a moment of infidelity while in a relationship with Bunnie Xo.

“One of the worst moments of my adulthood was when I had an affair on my wife,” he admitted during an October 2025 episode of the “Human School” podcast. “Because it was the first time that I was like, ‘I really can’t get this right at all. I know I’m in love with this woman.’ It just really, really, really blew me back.”

Jelly Roll explained that he put in “a lot of work to repair” their connection, which led to them being “stronger than we could have ever been.”

He added, “I wish our story would’ve went in the way that it never had an affair. I’m proud of who we are today. I truly am.”

Related: Jelly Roll’s Daughter Breaks Silence Over Dad and Bunnie Xo’s Split

Jelly Roll‘s daughter, Bailee Ann DeFord, has spoken out about her father filing for divorce from Bunnie Xo after nearly 10 years of marriage. Bailee Ann, 18, took to TikTok on Tuesday, June 16, to comment on the news after it made headlines one day prior. “I am disgusted at how invested everyone is in […]

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The next year, Bunnie Xo reflected on the moment during an interview with Us, saying it was “hard” to move on from the “betrayal.”

“I don’t think anybody can just snap out of it. It is a process. You’re literally grieving and you’re heartbroken, but you’re still in love with this person. Even though the affair is a part of the book, it’s not our story,” she explained in January 2026. “It’s literally what catapulted us into who we are today and I think that readers need to definitely consume it, chew on it and think about it. But they also see what we’ve made from that entire situation. It completely changed who we are as humans and how we looked at love.”

She continued, “We didn’t know how to love each other properly. We both were raised in opposite households but weren’t taught how to love correctly. A lot of that gets brushed over, [but] as a child, he wasn’t taught how to love properly and I wasn’t taught how to love or receive love.”

Jelly Roll Gets Candid About Intimacy Changes Since Weight Loss

Jelly Roll reflected on his 200-pound weight loss and how it has affected his intimate relationship with Bunnie Xo.

“I feel like I’m a teenager, dog,” Jelly Roll told Men’s Health in a January profile. “I have the sex drive of a 17-year-old again. I’m f***ing pouncing on my wife. We’re having daytime sex again. It’s f***ing awesome. [Before the weight loss] my testosterone level — and I’m cool to talk about this openly — was of a preteen boy.”

Jelly Roll Talks ‘Secret to Success’ in Bunnie Xo Marriage

In February 2026, Jelly Roll exclusively told Us the relationship secrets between him and Bunnie Xo.

“The secret to success is, one, not taking anything too serious [and] having conversations,” he said at a pre-Grammys gala. “What happens in that bedroom matters a lot. Those private conversations — and that other stuff.”

Jelly Roll Addresses Claims Bunnie Xo Is a ‘Gold Digger’

In a March 2026 interview with Taste of Country Nights, Jelly Rill addressed claims that Bunnie Xo is a “gold digger.”

“I love it when they call her a gold digger. She hates it. It just flames her up,” Jelly Roll said, before explaining why he finds it funny. “But it just tickles me absolutely pink because when I met her. I was homeless living out of a 1996 conversion van, so if anyone was digging for gold it was I, Popeye. I was couch-surfing and made it to the bedroom.”

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Bunnie Xo Claps Back at Jelly Roll Split Rumors

In 2025, Bunnie Xo slammed speculation that she and Jelly Roll were headed toward a split.

“Someone said the other day, ‘They used to always be together, and now you never see them together,’” she said on her “Dumb Blonde” podcast in August 2025. “I’m like, ‘Do you guys not know that for the past six months [that] I’ve been trying to make a baby?’”

Bunnie Xo Talks IVF Journey With Jelly Roll

The duo had been candid about pursuing in vitro fertilization to have a child together. “This journey with IVF, we sat down a couple months ago,” Bunnie Xo said on her “Dumb Blonde” podcast in August 2025. “And I was just like, I feel like I’ve accomplished so much in my life. And the only thing that’s left is to raise a baby and garden. I’m in my baby mama [and] gardening era.”